Dinner Man, two-week update

As outlined in this post, I've put an effort into letting one kid cook with me per night.  He is Dinner Man, and is responsible for measuring, cutting, mixing, cooking, setting the table, pouring drinks, etc.... including asking for help when needed.  The goal is for the child to do as much as he can solo.  I sometimes have to keep my hands in my pockets to keep from helping, but restraint is work it in the end when the kid is proud of his accomplishment.

In the two weeks we have followed this program, my kids have made:

Maple Corn Bread
Chicken Fried Rice
Totally Tubular Tortillas
Ham and Spinach Quiche, using this recipe and subbing 4 oz of rosemary ham for the bacon. 
Maple Glazed Chicken (Six O'Clock Scramble)
Bacon-Wrapped Chicken (Six O'Clock Scramble)
Pork Tenderloin

We even tried Breakfast Man, who made French Toast Casserole and Pumpkin Pancakes.

We're eating as well as ever, and the sanity level is (mostly) increasing.  I love spending one-on-one time with my kids.  They are learning valuable skills in prepping, cooking, and decision-making plus knife skills, how to turn on the stove, how to open a wine or beer bottle, and more.  Yes, my kids are seven- even I wouldn't teach a two year old how to turn on the stove- your mileage may vary and you must adapt to your situation/family.  But it really is more fun when you do the repetitive tasks with the kids, and they learn skills that are guaranteed to last a lifetime.

It can be hard to make this happen day in and day out.  My work schedule has been busier than usual this summer.  Sometimes the kid just didn't want to cooperate... he's too hungry/crabby/tired/argumentative from his day at camp.  We're also not sure how this will transisition to the school year, when I still have a busy work life, Mr. Unwired is also working full-time, the kids have homework and afterschool activities, etc.  Breakfast Man will be a way to catch up when we can't make dinner together, so we have a fall back plan already in place.    Stay tuned to see how I feel about this in another month!

Dinner Man!

Twins can be tricky.  They are all the fun of siblings, complicated by the fact that they are the same age, often the same size, might share the same friends, etc.  Then again, they could be easier than siblings... how would I know?  I've only done this once.

Mr. Unwired and I often talk about the ying and yang of twins.  When one eats a lot, the other one skips dinner. When one has a good day at school, we find that the other one spent time with the principal.  Stuff like that.

We found that to be the case at camp recently- one was a happy camper (!) while the other... well, not so much.  In reviewing the evidence from the administrators of the camp (as usual, the guilty party could not remember any of his transgressions), Mr. Unwired and I decided that the issue was a lack of empowerment.  Both kids needed more responsibility, not less.  And the kids needed a little space from each other so that they could act on that responsibility without friction. 

So we instituted the "Dinner Man" plan!  The boys trade off cooking dinner with me, while the other spends time with their father (playing, doing chores around the house, running errands, etc).  Yesterday, the Dinner Man helped me make Tubular Tortillas (featured here).  He'd helped with them before, but I gave him extra responsibility.  He also set the table, poured drinks for everyone and then led the rest of the family (eyes covered!)  to reveal the table. 

It was a huge hit- Mr. Unwired and I were truly impressed with all he could do, he was proud of himself, and we had a lovely meal.  Tonight, I cooked with the other child, and he did virtually everything for the main course except take the pan in and out of the oven!  It freed me to make the side dishes and relax; and like the previous night, Dinner Man got a much needed shot of self-confidence. 

We frequently don't know what our kids are capable of- its too hard to change our habits to incorporate the kids, too messy, or we're too tired to try, (fill in your excuse here _____________).  This exercise, and my reason for documenting it here, is to serve as a reminder that less isn't more.... More Is More, and letting our kids try new things is good for everyone.