As a single parent, I have made many adjustments over the years to my family scene to accommodate the realities of a single parent family—we take things like time management and the organization of the how things operate into consideration fairly regularly. Just about everything I do is done with the intention to simplify and maximize the amount of stress-free time I can spend with my kids. Years ago, we instituted hors de oeuvres and appetizers as a way of transitioning from getting home to dinner time. Instead of making the kids wait to eat, I discovered there were many advantages to having appetizers while we did homework, talked over our days, and I prepared dinner. Sometimes, however, we end up JUST having appetizers for dinner and we are as happy as clams…
I keep plenty of appetizer-ish things on hand and have for years: corn chips and fresh salsa, sliced veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, smoked salmon and bread, etc. My kids quickly learned that when I came home or we all started to gather at the end of the day, I would put out appetizers and they could bring their homework, conversation, etc. and sit at the stools on the other side of the counter while I prepared dinner. Sometimes we just gather up all our “snacks” and head into the living room or out on the patio. Of course, not everyone always participates, but it is a centralizing way to draw the family together at the end of a busy day. Instead of making starving and cranky young kids wait for a sit-down supper, the appetizers became a way of getting everyone’s blood sugar level and spending time together too.
Instead of trying to force a regimented meal time or sticking to that old rule “no snacks before dinner,” why not make the snacks into dinner? For a single parent family, anything we can do to bring our family members together and spend pleasant time together has to be a good thing.
Also: Cheese of the Month Club and the FOOD blog