Guest Post by: Kristin Wells (See bio at the bottom of the post)
Cooking dinner while having to deal with energetic kids can be very challenging. Even the most organized of moms can get stressed out in the kitchen. Instead of losing your mind or caving in to the temptation to send your kids to their rooms, make dinner an event that everyone looks forward to. By involving kids in dinner preparations, you’ll be able to keep them busy–and out of your way–while taking care of the cooking.
A great way to involve kids in dinner preparation is to set a daily meal theme. Many kids love to sit down to a themed dinner because it feels a little bit like a party. They’ll enjoy getting dressed up or making simple decorations for dinner. Best of all, your kids will be happy and occupied. Instead of getting in your way, they’ll help you out in the kitchen.
Remember that themes can also provide great teaching opportunities. Involve your whole family in the theme selection process for optimal success.
Pirate’s Delight
Kids will love making eye patches and gathering together booty for a pirate-themed dinner. This theme can also provide a good opportunity to get kids to eat seafood. Fish and chips with cole slaw are a quick, easy meal that will please the whole family. Make shrimp kabobs or salmon patties if you want to offer something a little different. While you’re cooking, your kids can stay busy making eye patches. Ask each child to find a special treasure that they can share at dinnertime.
Tropical Retreat
Break out the grass skirts for a fun, carefree tropical dinner. Your kids can practice their hula dancing skills while you prep a tasty dinner. Teriyaki chicken with pineapple or slow-roasted pork dishes are great selections. Serve a fresh fruit salad and tasty coconut cake for an extra tropical kick. Look up some Hawaiian or Caribbean songs to play for an added atmosphere.
Down-home Grilling
Almost all kids love hamburgers, hotdogs and other barbecued goodies. This is a perfect theme dinner for the warm summer months on the weekend. Let kids play in the backyard while you grill and prepare. Cornhole is a great game to play outside with the family. Cover a picnic table with a large piece of butcher paper and give kids crayons and colored pencils. They’ll enjoy decorating the tablecloth and you will be happy to have a break from entertaining them.
These themes and others can be something your family looks forward to every month. Attempting these every day may be more stressful than stress relieving, but doing them on occasion can be very helpful for getting everyone involved and out of your hair. Also, getting the kids to help can make your life that much easier.
Relieving your daily stress by spending quality time and having fun with your family is one of the main ways people dealing with illnesses cope. It is also one of the idea activities when dealing with peritoneal mesothelioma helping them through such rough times. The main point is to get the family together and make unforgettable memories. I know when growing up family events were always something I never looked forward to. Now that I’m older, those are some of my fondest memories and allowed the family to get to know each other better.
Kristin Wells is a recent college graduate from The University of Georgia and an aspiring writer. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives through her writing. Kristin also likes competitive cycling, running, and traveling as much as possible.
Those sound like a lot of fun!!!
I thought she had some really great ideas as well;) Looking forward to trying them in our house.
I use all their energy getting them to help wash and cut veggies if they are old enough. They love to sit down and help prepare a menu for the week, look for coupons and go shopping. I also try dressing up my food….add color to broccoli with peppers in orange or red, make mashed purple potatoes. Great ideas thanks for sharing!
My daughter is three and she loves to cut the vegetables. We give her a plastic knife or a butter knife and she feels so big. I would love to hear your recipe for purple mashed potatoes:) They sound fun.