WEBVTT 00:02.413 --> 00:15.484 [SPEAKER_00]: Christian parenting mom I'm hungry I need a snack mom what's for dinner mom what are we gonna eat again mom is there any dessert tonight Did I just give you maybe some PTSD? 00:16.706 --> 00:18.507 [SPEAKER_00]: You're likely I don't need to hear that from you. 00:18.587 --> 00:20.389 [SPEAKER_00]: I hear it from my kids every day and listen 00:21.210 --> 00:21.911 [SPEAKER_00]: I get it. 00:22.111 --> 00:25.816 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to give you a confession right here from the very beginning of this episode. 00:26.798 --> 00:36.993 [SPEAKER_00]: I started becoming a little, well, more, more into meal planning and just letting my family know ahead of time because I had one child. 00:37.413 --> 00:53.241 [SPEAKER_00]: who every day would say to me it could be sometime in the morning what's for dinner tonight and I would say what's for dinner because I probably had it on a sheet somewhere laying around that wasn't maybe out and I would say and this child would give me a stink face I mean none of the I don't know what they expected for dinner. 00:53.321 --> 00:57.723 [SPEAKER_00]: I guess chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese that would have been the only thing that would have been satisfactory 00:58.243 --> 01:11.948 [SPEAKER_00]: So I ended up, I kind of chalkboard and just a small one and put it up in our kitchen and every week one of my daughter's jobs or whatever chores and our tasks to do was to write down what was for dinner each night. 01:12.088 --> 01:23.292 [SPEAKER_00]: And so therefore, when the maybe Sunday would run around and she would rewrite that, that child could get all their sting faces out all at once and be like, okay, this is what is, I guess I just got tired of being asked what's for dinner. 01:23.932 --> 01:30.073 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, to this day, this is, that's probably how long at least 10 years, probably, but that's been. 01:30.674 --> 01:33.814 [SPEAKER_00]: I do have a meal list that is up, hanging on our refrigerator. 01:33.934 --> 01:36.535 [SPEAKER_00]: It's magnetic and everybody can see what's for dinner. 01:36.615 --> 01:39.716 [SPEAKER_00]: And now these kids have grown up and they will eat things. 01:39.776 --> 01:40.976 [SPEAKER_00]: It's back when they're little. 01:40.996 --> 01:42.896 [SPEAKER_00]: Like getting them the chew chicken took forever. 01:42.996 --> 01:46.697 [SPEAKER_00]: And I don't think we ever had anything like steak or anything that was like going to take forever. 01:47.077 --> 01:48.058 [SPEAKER_00]: And now they love those things. 01:48.078 --> 01:49.238 [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm on the other end of it. 01:49.698 --> 01:50.618 [SPEAKER_00]: You just got to push through. 01:50.738 --> 01:51.699 [SPEAKER_00]: That's my, there we go. 01:51.759 --> 01:52.039 [SPEAKER_00]: We're done. 01:53.959 --> 01:59.426 [SPEAKER_00]: I do want to talk to you today about just the fact that yes, you have to prepare one more meal. 01:59.566 --> 02:00.707 [SPEAKER_00]: Mom, what's for dinner? 02:00.807 --> 02:02.650 [SPEAKER_00]: And yes, there's just one more snack. 02:02.670 --> 02:03.471 [SPEAKER_00]: There's one more thing. 02:04.051 --> 02:11.040 [SPEAKER_00]: But let's reframe our mind and let's think about this differently and I have a couple of like really quick tips that I think are going to help you out. 02:11.080 --> 02:12.141 [SPEAKER_00]: So let's get into it now. 02:13.102 --> 02:15.264 [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Little By Little Home School podcast. 02:15.344 --> 02:18.267 [SPEAKER_00]: I am Lee Nguyen and I hope that you are have a good good week. 02:18.287 --> 02:19.789 [SPEAKER_00]: Have you started your home school year? 02:19.809 --> 02:27.477 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, it's just such an exciting time that that first day and what are you going to do and the traditions and the fun things that you get to do and 02:28.979 --> 02:30.620 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I hope that you have started off. 02:30.640 --> 02:33.161 [SPEAKER_00]: I haven't done anything this year, but there are some other ones. 02:33.181 --> 02:39.823 [SPEAKER_00]: So if you have not started or if you had a rough start, go back and check out to see what other episodes I have aired in August or so. 02:40.163 --> 02:45.585 [SPEAKER_00]: Would be the ones from the past couple years that I would share more so about first day and all that kind of stuff. 02:45.605 --> 02:49.807 [SPEAKER_00]: We always did a soft start to our homeschool and that was such a huge blessing. 02:50.107 --> 02:52.970 [SPEAKER_00]: But anyway, I hope that your homeschool year has kicked off to a good start. 02:53.070 --> 02:55.772 [SPEAKER_00]: And let's talk about just the nitty gritty part of that. 02:55.852 --> 02:57.373 [SPEAKER_00]: It's not just the academics. 02:57.434 --> 03:00.196 [SPEAKER_00]: We actually have to feed these people that are within our home. 03:00.236 --> 03:01.637 [SPEAKER_00]: We get to feed them. 03:01.657 --> 03:05.681 [SPEAKER_00]: And let's talk about how to reframe that in our minds and to get it done. 03:05.721 --> 03:09.664 [SPEAKER_00]: Get everybody fed and not to spend hours and hours in the kitchen either. 03:10.645 --> 03:13.287 [SPEAKER_00]: you clicked on this episode because, yes, you're family. 03:13.548 --> 03:14.208 [SPEAKER_00]: Everyone in it. 03:14.548 --> 03:15.489 [SPEAKER_00]: You're husband, your kids. 03:16.230 --> 03:18.011 [SPEAKER_00]: Everybody needs and wants to eat. 03:18.271 --> 03:19.312 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, and guess what? 03:19.713 --> 03:22.054 [SPEAKER_00]: You need to eat as well, okay? 03:22.495 --> 03:25.918 [SPEAKER_00]: I look back and I know that that is one of the reasons I was 03:26.458 --> 03:27.699 [SPEAKER_00]: Constantly fatigued. 03:27.899 --> 03:36.225 [SPEAKER_00]: I was always trying to eat less and less and less because I thought that was what was going to help me to get back to that pre-baby body. 03:36.365 --> 03:37.326 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, it did not. 03:37.426 --> 03:41.849 [SPEAKER_00]: I kind of put myself into a state of starvation probably. 03:42.109 --> 03:43.670 [SPEAKER_00]: If I was to look now, how much I eat now? 03:43.710 --> 03:44.251 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, wow. 03:44.471 --> 03:44.851 [SPEAKER_00]: Okay. 03:45.011 --> 03:45.772 [SPEAKER_00]: How are you doing that? 03:45.892 --> 03:48.094 [SPEAKER_00]: And maintaining and growing muscle and all that great stuff? 03:48.434 --> 03:50.455 [SPEAKER_00]: So you need to eat too, okay? 03:50.535 --> 03:52.137 [SPEAKER_00]: And I want you to enjoy your food. 03:52.257 --> 03:53.778 [SPEAKER_00]: Food is a gift from God. 03:53.838 --> 03:53.978 [SPEAKER_00]: It's... 03:54.518 --> 03:55.119 [SPEAKER_00]: It's a blessing. 03:55.259 --> 03:56.660 [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, we can get into the junk food. 03:56.680 --> 03:58.421 [SPEAKER_00]: We can get into gluttony. 03:58.441 --> 04:03.023 [SPEAKER_00]: We can get into addiction of food and candy and all those things But in general. 04:03.043 --> 04:11.669 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's talk about the good nourishing food and the fact that our bodies need it Sometimes I'm like, man, if I didn't have to sleep, can you imagine how much I could get done in the day? 04:12.049 --> 04:14.170 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, there's a reason God had sleep. 04:14.590 --> 04:14.771 [SPEAKER_00]: Hmm. 04:14.871 --> 04:20.134 [SPEAKER_00]: We can probably think of a couple reasons why and food I didn't need to stop and I didn't need to eat meals. 04:20.254 --> 04:21.655 [SPEAKER_00]: I could just keep going all day 04:22.295 --> 04:30.739 [SPEAKER_00]: Huh, maybe our Lord is way wider than us and understands and has a purpose for all of this. 04:30.899 --> 04:31.759 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's keep that in mind. 04:31.899 --> 04:35.441 [SPEAKER_00]: My goal in today's episode is just to give you a quick one today. 04:36.281 --> 04:38.062 [SPEAKER_00]: I really want to just kind of get you thinking. 04:38.322 --> 04:40.783 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to give you all the details. 04:40.823 --> 04:42.924 [SPEAKER_00]: I'll go down the rabbit hole of each of these. 04:42.984 --> 04:45.765 [SPEAKER_00]: I have seven different points, some suggestions I want to give to you. 04:46.266 --> 04:48.747 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not going to go down deep into any one of them. 04:49.347 --> 04:53.330 [SPEAKER_00]: I just want to get you thinking and then I want you to figure out, okay, you might say, that's what I'm missing. 04:53.770 --> 05:12.624 [SPEAKER_00]: Then go into the research and go and take the time and figure out what does that look like practically within your home and in your family and what changes do you need to make or what you need to tweak about what I said maybe what I say isn't 100% what you need to do but it just kind of gets you going and thinking about it and you're like, oh, I could do that like 50% and that would fit better with my family. 05:12.684 --> 05:13.365 [SPEAKER_00]: So here we go. 05:13.805 --> 05:15.667 [SPEAKER_00]: Number one, breakfast. 05:16.327 --> 05:17.467 [SPEAKER_00]: It's the first meal today. 05:17.887 --> 05:20.868 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you have kids that hit the ground running and they don't really care about breakfast. 05:20.908 --> 05:23.268 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you have kids that are like, I'm hungry right away. 05:23.308 --> 05:25.709 [SPEAKER_00]: Their blood sugar is dropped and they just need food right away. 05:26.469 --> 05:33.170 [SPEAKER_00]: My first suggestion is to have breakfast planned out the night before and maybe do some prep. 05:33.570 --> 05:34.611 [SPEAKER_00]: Is it something simple? 05:35.071 --> 05:40.172 [SPEAKER_00]: That's just you're going to start off with maybe a simple first breakfast and you guys like to do a bigger second breakfast. 05:40.192 --> 05:41.652 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, you're like a real home of school or a 05:42.192 --> 05:46.593 [SPEAKER_00]: or maybe you like to do like a big hearty breakfast in the morning or something in between. 05:47.654 --> 05:49.634 [SPEAKER_00]: What can you do to be ready for that? 05:49.754 --> 05:52.195 [SPEAKER_00]: Even if it's something simple, like putting out the bowls and the spoons. 05:52.655 --> 06:00.457 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it is for a while I was making like these really hearty breakfasts and sometimes they had like sweet potatoes I would cook up and I was like okay, I store those down the basement. 06:00.777 --> 06:05.458 [SPEAKER_00]: Just little things like getting up those sweet potatoes from the basement and putting them on the counter. 06:06.079 --> 06:08.979 [SPEAKER_00]: Just took that extra time that extra minute 06:11.300 --> 06:12.021 [SPEAKER_00]: and so that would be out. 06:12.261 --> 06:14.543 [SPEAKER_00]: It can say out in the sweet potato can sit on the counter all night. 06:14.763 --> 06:31.999 [SPEAKER_00]: Don't put the maybe the sauce or drain thing out but make sure that's out of the freezer and it is in the refrigerator thawing but having a plan for breakfast will really help you to start off your day on a better foot and do what you can to have that kind of prep to whatever degree you can the night before. 06:32.139 --> 06:35.742 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it's doing a couple of prep things and it's storing it in the refrigerator so you can pull it out. 06:36.102 --> 06:40.443 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it's something where you need some shredded cheese, and you notice I don't have shredded cheese, but I have a block of cheese. 06:40.703 --> 06:44.524 [SPEAKER_00]: So therefore let me shred the block of cheese so that I don't have to do that in the morning. 06:45.525 --> 06:49.726 [SPEAKER_00]: Number two is having a list of approved snacks for your kids. 06:50.766 --> 06:57.328 [SPEAKER_00]: Honestly, I did not bring snacks and things into our house that I didn't want my kids to regularly consume. 06:58.452 --> 07:01.154 [SPEAKER_00]: I was maybe the mean parent that we didn't have the fruit stacks. 07:01.194 --> 07:10.039 [SPEAKER_00]: We didn't have all the package little things of chips and the cookies and all those things because that was not part of my nutrition goals for my kids. 07:10.499 --> 07:15.662 [SPEAKER_00]: But there was a list of approved stacks and so when they said they wanted to stack, I could say these are options. 07:15.722 --> 07:18.024 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe your options you tape them to your refrigerator. 07:18.324 --> 07:21.226 [SPEAKER_00]: So if they say can I have a snack and you can say, yes, go check it. 07:21.246 --> 07:23.067 [SPEAKER_00]: Take a look at the approved snacks. 07:23.707 --> 07:32.655 [SPEAKER_00]: Because what I have found is that if you have those chips in those cookies and the junk food, when they ask for a snack, they are not asking for a cheese stick in some grapes. 07:33.035 --> 07:37.038 [SPEAKER_00]: They are asking for the cookies that are in the pantry, right? 07:37.479 --> 07:38.319 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, pretty much. 07:38.519 --> 07:39.760 [SPEAKER_00]: Listen, that's what I would go for too. 07:40.701 --> 07:50.971 [SPEAKER_00]: So, I know for myself that if I don't have this package of cookies in the house, I am not tempted to eat them because I don't want to get into my car and drive to the store and get them so I will eat the grapes and the cheese stick instead. 07:51.391 --> 08:01.541 [SPEAKER_00]: But having a list of approved snacks and then having those snacks in the house that are readily available for your kids will really cut down on decision fatigue and options. 08:01.581 --> 08:04.844 [SPEAKER_00]: And then sometimes kids are like, I'm not going to ask for snack because often times. 08:05.304 --> 08:24.857 [SPEAKER_00]: They ask for snacks because they just want that dope mean hit of those cookies, but if the cookies aren't there and they know you're going to say go get some go get a carrot stick there Maybe not going to ask and if they're really hungry they will eat the carrot stick and they will be happy with that number three builds off of the snacks in having some rules for snack time 08:25.517 --> 08:29.479 [SPEAKER_00]: For example, one of your rules might be like, you can not have the snack. 08:29.519 --> 08:31.960 [SPEAKER_00]: Don't even ask for a snack two hours before dinner time. 08:32.300 --> 08:37.483 [SPEAKER_00]: Now that means you need to have maybe a set dinner time, or maybe your dinner time is a little bit fluid and they don't know they have to ask. 08:37.523 --> 08:42.045 [SPEAKER_00]: But if you have a set dinner time, if you say listen, there are no snacks we eat dinner at five o'clock. 08:42.325 --> 08:43.926 [SPEAKER_00]: There are no snacks after three o'clock. 08:44.206 --> 08:47.188 [SPEAKER_00]: Do not ask me for a snack because I'm going to say no. 08:47.668 --> 08:48.588 [SPEAKER_00]: they will become conscious. 08:48.608 --> 08:49.649 [SPEAKER_00]: Now these are for older kids. 08:49.689 --> 08:56.431 [SPEAKER_00]: Kids that can tell time and they can think in that way and say, oh boy, it's 245 a better quick ask if I can get a snack now because I can't get it after 3. 08:56.471 --> 09:00.213 [SPEAKER_00]: This is not for little children that that's a disclaimer. 09:00.413 --> 09:07.936 [SPEAKER_00]: You know your kids, you know that maybe they're out to food that they need, when they need to eat it, you need to maintain their blood sugar and we need to keep them from getting cranky. 09:08.616 --> 09:23.719 [SPEAKER_00]: But having some rules around snack time, kind of this kind of builds off of those approved snacks and then rule such as Don't ask me for a snack 30 minutes after breakfast or it has to be no snacks after three hours or two hours or an hour before dinner. 09:23.879 --> 09:26.380 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm automatically going to say no, so please don't ask me. 09:26.400 --> 09:29.821 [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's when the kids are nagging and asking that really gets to us. 09:29.881 --> 09:34.782 [SPEAKER_00]: And so if you have that rule and they say at 430 mom, can I get a snack? 09:35.342 --> 09:40.705 [SPEAKER_00]: You can look at them and say the rule is no snacks after 3 p.m., please don't ask me again. 09:41.786 --> 09:42.807 [SPEAKER_00]: And then just continue on. 09:42.827 --> 09:44.207 [SPEAKER_00]: You're probably in the middle of dinner prep. 09:44.548 --> 09:45.648 [SPEAKER_00]: Continue on your dinner prep. 09:45.668 --> 09:49.170 [SPEAKER_00]: They will eventually get the hint and they will stop asking for 30. 09:49.190 --> 09:51.271 [SPEAKER_00]: They will start remembering to ask at 245. 09:51.291 --> 09:51.352 [SPEAKER_00]: 4. 09:51.372 --> 09:52.052 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's discuss lunch. 09:55.794 --> 09:57.837 [SPEAKER_00]: Lunch can sometimes be like, what are we gonna do? 09:58.058 --> 10:05.789 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, you might decide right now at this season and the past at least handful of years we have been doing leftovers for lunch. 10:06.210 --> 10:10.275 [SPEAKER_00]: So maybe that's maybe you guys enjoy some type of hot lunch and we reheat them. 10:11.057 --> 10:27.219 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's not cold, but you don't mind cooking a little bit more for dinner and then doing leftovers for lunch You're maybe dinner food is such a struggle with your kids like nope lunch is going to be completely different And that's what we used to do lunch used to be completely different types of foods So have a couple of different lunch options 10:27.800 --> 10:32.983 [SPEAKER_00]: for you to plan and you can maybe give it to your kids to say here are the lunch options. 10:33.103 --> 10:35.064 [SPEAKER_00]: You guys have to make your own lunch. 10:35.424 --> 10:48.630 [SPEAKER_00]: This depends on the ages of your kids and they matter responsibility that you want to give them but if it's something simple like sandwiches and carrot sticks and cheese sticks and apples then they can do that easily on their own right? 10:48.711 --> 10:53.093 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it doesn't involve sharp knives or you do the sharp knife part of it but it's giving them options. 10:53.773 --> 10:59.419 [SPEAKER_00]: If your kids could make their own lunch, imagine, huh, I could free you up a little bit. 10:59.459 --> 11:03.182 [SPEAKER_00]: So have a couple of maybe simple lunch options that you could rotate them. 11:03.202 --> 11:07.807 [SPEAKER_00]: You could say, we have three different lunches, and we're just going to rotate them. 11:08.107 --> 11:15.614 [SPEAKER_00]: Just, you know, day one, we do this one, day two, day three, and we go back to day one, day two, day three, or you could say, this week for lunch is this. 11:16.295 --> 11:18.718 [SPEAKER_00]: And I have bought a week's worth of whatever it is. 11:19.178 --> 11:21.901 [SPEAKER_00]: And so we are having this for lunch every day this week. 11:22.081 --> 11:23.603 [SPEAKER_00]: And then next week could be something else. 11:23.623 --> 11:25.544 [SPEAKER_00]: You could go back and forth between two different options. 11:25.625 --> 11:26.626 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you want to do three. 11:27.066 --> 11:28.327 [SPEAKER_00]: But that's also an option. 11:28.347 --> 11:32.652 [SPEAKER_00]: That kind of either way this leaves the guess work out of it. 11:32.712 --> 11:36.856 [SPEAKER_00]: Now I know sometimes you get to grocery shopping day day before and you're like, oh, what do we have? 11:36.876 --> 11:37.677 [SPEAKER_00]: We're going to have to kind of 11:38.197 --> 11:40.980 [SPEAKER_00]: Pull together whatever we have and make it do, that's fine. 11:41.000 --> 11:46.204 [SPEAKER_00]: But in general, have a few lunch options and then you can rotate them in whatever way seems right for you. 11:47.165 --> 11:49.948 [SPEAKER_00]: Number five, let's move on to dinner. 11:50.288 --> 11:51.409 [SPEAKER_00]: You have to meal plan. 11:52.290 --> 11:54.292 [SPEAKER_00]: If you want to take off some of this pressure. 11:54.332 --> 11:55.633 [SPEAKER_00]: Now I know some of you don't like that. 11:56.193 --> 11:58.415 [SPEAKER_00]: For me, meal planning saved me. 11:58.816 --> 12:00.918 [SPEAKER_00]: Now I do have a meal plan guide, listen. 12:01.418 --> 12:05.540 [SPEAKER_00]: it's $15 for this ebook and it'll walk you through. 12:05.620 --> 12:06.401 [SPEAKER_00]: I give you options. 12:06.421 --> 12:07.801 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to tell you exactly what you do. 12:07.822 --> 12:20.808 [SPEAKER_00]: I give you a couple different options of different things that I did in different seasons so that some seasons my meal planning for dinner was pretty strict and in some seasons it was a little bit more fluid and so you have to decide which season are you in? 12:20.948 --> 12:22.589 [SPEAKER_00]: What's going to be best for you right now? 12:22.669 --> 12:25.091 [SPEAKER_00]: And the link for that is in the show notes but also at little 12:29.673 --> 12:30.354 [SPEAKER_00]: I forget all these. 12:31.274 --> 12:36.118 [SPEAKER_00]: All these different links, but planning out dinners has really saved me. 12:36.458 --> 12:56.914 [SPEAKER_00]: So that meal plan guide is really going to walk you through all of that, but I just want to say that when I plan for meals, when I take a look at the calendar, and I see what we have going on, and I realize, okay, this night might be best for a crock pot meal, this night I need something simple, and these other nights I have more time where I can start dinner earlier, and I can take more time, 12:58.075 --> 13:05.024 [SPEAKER_00]: A lot more home made stuff and maybe you're like me and I don't want to do the same meal on rotate on rotation This is I may like repeat. 13:05.304 --> 13:09.249 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to just do the same thing all the time With your just starting out with meal-plating. 13:09.429 --> 13:12.834 [SPEAKER_00]: I would suggest coming up with maybe seven to 14 dinners What do you 14? 13:12.854 --> 13:13.274 [SPEAKER_00]: That's too much. 13:13.294 --> 13:13.655 [SPEAKER_00]: That's fine. 13:14.115 --> 13:14.375 [SPEAKER_00]: Seven. 13:14.596 --> 13:15.216 [SPEAKER_00]: Just make it seven 13:15.777 --> 13:21.881 [SPEAKER_00]: And so, therefore, that Sunday through Saturday or Monday through Sunday, you have seven different meals that you're doing. 13:21.941 --> 13:23.262 [SPEAKER_00]: And then the next week, you do the same thing. 13:23.282 --> 13:25.704 [SPEAKER_00]: You could do the same thing from Monday every week. 13:25.724 --> 13:29.847 [SPEAKER_00]: You could do Taco Tuesday until you don't even want to look at tacos again. 13:30.307 --> 13:31.708 [SPEAKER_00]: You could go ahead and do that. 13:32.389 --> 13:37.472 [SPEAKER_00]: The goal is to provide your family with nutrition, nutritious meal that's going to fill them up. 13:38.573 --> 13:49.741 [SPEAKER_00]: Also, while not causing you more stress, maybe you love to be in the kitchen and you love to make things and you are a little master chef in your own little home kitchen, then do it, then go for it. 13:49.761 --> 13:58.566 [SPEAKER_00]: But if you are not, you can at least get on to Pinterest and find seven meals that you can do to whatever degree and don't be afraid to try and experiment. 13:58.586 --> 14:05.011 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you get to really go to those seven and then switch it up, change it out, one of those seven and try something that's a little bit more difficult. 14:05.031 --> 14:05.351 [SPEAKER_00]: But when you 14:06.111 --> 14:09.833 [SPEAKER_00]: meal plan for dinner, it takes the guesswork out and guess what? 14:10.093 --> 14:15.115 [SPEAKER_00]: When it gets around to that time, you got to start cooking, whether that's three, four, four, thirty, five, whatever time. 14:15.536 --> 14:24.980 [SPEAKER_00]: You eat that, you know, think about how it's going to take me an hour and a half to make this or an hour or 30 minutes and then start, you know, reverse that time and get started on your dinner. 14:25.400 --> 14:29.323 [SPEAKER_00]: Just knowing I just have to carry through with a plan that I already have made and put into place. 14:29.423 --> 14:31.224 [SPEAKER_00]: Number six builds off of that. 14:31.664 --> 14:33.886 [SPEAKER_00]: Give yourself enough time to cook. 14:34.386 --> 14:38.929 [SPEAKER_00]: Whether this is breakfast, this is lunch, this is dinner, give yourself enough time. 14:39.389 --> 14:46.674 [SPEAKER_00]: For my family right now, my husband has said, I would really like to be eating dinner pretty soon after I get them with work, which is around 5.36 o'clock. 14:46.714 --> 14:47.454 [SPEAKER_00]: So that's my goal. 14:47.835 --> 14:48.855 [SPEAKER_00]: It's not a set time. 14:48.875 --> 14:49.796 [SPEAKER_00]: I have a hard time doing live. 14:49.816 --> 14:50.436 [SPEAKER_00]: It's at like 5.30. 14:50.476 --> 14:52.257 [SPEAKER_00]: Timing everything exactly right. 14:52.277 --> 14:53.018 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes it just, 14:53.398 --> 14:54.259 [SPEAKER_00]: things are ready early. 14:54.319 --> 14:56.400 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes things are ready a little bit later. 14:56.840 --> 14:59.962 [SPEAKER_00]: So just somewhere in between there we sit down to eat. 15:00.302 --> 15:07.626 [SPEAKER_00]: And so therefore I know I take a look at my meal plan and I say okay this dinner tonight actually maybe maybe something like big ZD. 15:07.646 --> 15:10.748 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm like okay it's going to take a good 45 minutes in the oven. 15:11.188 --> 15:17.731 [SPEAKER_00]: Which means that if I want it ready at 530, and I want it to set a little bit, maybe I want it out of the oven at 515. 15:18.112 --> 15:22.854 [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, it needs to go into the oven at 430, and like, okay, takes me about 30, 40 minutes to make it. 15:23.254 --> 15:27.376 [SPEAKER_00]: So that'll bring me back to 350, which is like, wow, okay, that's kind of the middle of the afternoon. 15:27.416 --> 15:28.897 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, so I make it. 15:28.917 --> 15:33.879 [SPEAKER_00]: I put it in the oven, I clean up, and then typically from 5 to 515, 530 or so. 15:33.899 --> 15:36.981 [SPEAKER_00]: I might pop into the kitchen at 515, pull it out, and then just let it sit. 15:37.521 --> 15:41.122 [SPEAKER_00]: on the counter and kind of rest a little bit, and then we can eat at 5.30. 15:41.442 --> 15:45.764 [SPEAKER_00]: So it gives me a little bit of time on the back end of things that the end of while everything is cooking. 15:45.804 --> 15:51.706 [SPEAKER_00]: So it doesn't mean that, you know, by 3.30 or 3 o'clock, if it's something that's going to take a while to cook, that you have to be in the kitchen. 15:51.846 --> 15:53.926 [SPEAKER_00]: Again, there's crock pot meals, there's just all kinds of things. 15:54.527 --> 15:57.968 [SPEAKER_00]: So give yourself enough time to cook when we don't have enough time to cook. 15:58.068 --> 15:58.748 [SPEAKER_00]: Everybody gets... 15:59.328 --> 15:59.689 [SPEAKER_00]: angry. 16:00.249 --> 16:05.033 [SPEAKER_00]: They are just wanting to eat and they're roaming around that adds more stress to us. 16:05.614 --> 16:08.457 [SPEAKER_00]: So think back what time do I need to start and then just do it. 16:08.997 --> 16:09.838 [SPEAKER_00]: I know it's not fun. 16:09.978 --> 16:20.908 [SPEAKER_00]: I remember so many years being like, uh, I think we ate dinner closer to five o'clock and so I needed to be in the kitchen thinking about it by three and definitely in the kitchen by three 30 and I just I was like, 16:21.108 --> 16:22.689 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to be in the kitchen right now. 16:22.809 --> 16:27.971 [SPEAKER_00]: It's still the middle of the afternoon, but I went and did it because everyone wanted to eat because I knew that we need to eat. 16:28.632 --> 16:33.014 [SPEAKER_00]: So we get wind down, take baths because I wanted everybody to get to bed on time. 16:33.194 --> 16:36.216 [SPEAKER_00]: So then, therefore, I could hopefully get to bed on time as well. 16:36.276 --> 16:41.138 [SPEAKER_00]: But I just want to encourage you to give enough time for yourself to cook to lessen the stress. 16:41.738 --> 16:44.120 [SPEAKER_00]: And we're going to round this out with number seven. 16:45.220 --> 16:49.564 [SPEAKER_00]: And that is to think, rethink about providing food to your family. 16:50.044 --> 16:55.949 [SPEAKER_00]: And that is re-structuring our mind to be bent towards thankfulness. 16:56.750 --> 17:00.713 [SPEAKER_00]: I know it's very cliche to say in the Christian world is to be so thankful to God. 17:00.773 --> 17:01.434 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, we should be. 17:02.094 --> 17:04.035 [SPEAKER_00]: Stop and really really think about it. 17:04.055 --> 17:10.376 [SPEAKER_00]: And if you're struggling with this, we're like, Lord, help me to be more thankful for this time that I get to be in the kitchen. 17:10.396 --> 17:12.257 [SPEAKER_00]: Listen, this is coming from somebody. 17:12.377 --> 17:13.817 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't mind cooking now. 17:14.237 --> 17:15.558 [SPEAKER_00]: If there's a night, I don't have to cook. 17:16.398 --> 17:17.098 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm all for it. 17:17.678 --> 17:21.219 [SPEAKER_00]: But we started homeschooling and like, really like, I have to do all this. 17:21.579 --> 17:23.200 [SPEAKER_00]: I was, I had a bad attitude. 17:23.620 --> 17:27.721 [SPEAKER_00]: I was not a very good example of what I should have been. 17:28.081 --> 17:29.362 [SPEAKER_00]: to provide meals for my family. 17:29.522 --> 17:30.343 [SPEAKER_00]: I was just cranky. 17:30.363 --> 17:40.391 [SPEAKER_00]: I was like, oh, I just don't want to do this and over the years, the Lord has softened my heart and sanctified me in this and I now see it as a good thing. 17:40.491 --> 17:50.460 [SPEAKER_00]: And listen, I can also sympathize when we have kids that are picky and we have kids that don't want to eat what we're eating and it's just is, it's not a fun, pleasant meal time. 17:50.960 --> 17:51.600 [SPEAKER_00]: It will change. 17:51.981 --> 17:54.123 [SPEAKER_00]: Continue to give them those things. 17:54.283 --> 17:55.664 [SPEAKER_00]: As long as they aren't allergic to it, 17:57.626 --> 17:58.667 [SPEAKER_00]: Reaction or something. 17:58.707 --> 18:00.690 [SPEAKER_00]: It's just like they don't want to eat it now. 18:00.950 --> 18:06.238 [SPEAKER_00]: I can put out meals and my family is like wow This is so good because they love food. 18:06.278 --> 18:06.618 [SPEAKER_00]: Guess what? 18:06.698 --> 18:13.568 [SPEAKER_00]: I raised some foodies and I'm a foodie now too because all those years and I figured I got to the point I was like, you know what? 18:14.649 --> 18:20.274 [SPEAKER_00]: How about I just make the most of this instead of having a bad attitude about it? 18:20.454 --> 18:23.697 [SPEAKER_00]: What if I have a good attitude and what if I actually work at it? 18:24.097 --> 18:25.318 [SPEAKER_00]: What if I try harder? 18:25.558 --> 18:28.020 [SPEAKER_00]: What if I actually become a good cook? 18:28.701 --> 18:31.463 [SPEAKER_00]: And I would, I'm, listen, I'm not bragging. 18:31.483 --> 18:32.784 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm just saying I'm a pretty good cook. 18:32.904 --> 18:33.865 [SPEAKER_00]: Only with the things that I can cook. 18:33.925 --> 18:36.747 [SPEAKER_00]: And you could probably give me most any recipe. 18:37.148 --> 18:40.751 [SPEAKER_00]: And I could figure it out because I have enough knowledge of a lot of different things. 18:41.591 --> 18:44.734 [SPEAKER_00]: And I could probably do it, but I enjoy now. 18:44.754 --> 18:46.435 [SPEAKER_00]: We enjoy having people over for dinner. 18:46.475 --> 18:48.997 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm like, wow, this is because a lot of people don't eat that home. 18:49.037 --> 18:50.638 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, I'm not saying you have to make home cook stuff. 18:50.998 --> 18:56.803 [SPEAKER_00]: That's just what is important to our family is having good nutrition and home cooked meals and stuff. 18:57.223 --> 19:03.808 [SPEAKER_00]: But listen, if you're struggling, I have been there and I've been like, Lord, you have to, I need you. 19:04.168 --> 19:08.511 [SPEAKER_00]: Because I am not able to power through and do this on my own with a good attitude. 19:09.452 --> 19:13.435 [SPEAKER_00]: have gotten to that point and everybody kind of seems to enjoy the food. 19:14.196 --> 19:23.584 [SPEAKER_00]: So rethink the way that you are mentally, emotionally and spiritually approaching this time in the kitchen and providing meals for your family. 19:23.684 --> 19:24.144 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's it. 19:24.504 --> 19:26.546 [SPEAKER_00]: Seven things, which is actually quite a lot. 19:26.606 --> 19:31.550 [SPEAKER_00]: But just pick out a couple, one, two, that maybe you can start working on if you have any questions about it, please let me know. 19:31.590 --> 19:37.935 [SPEAKER_00]: But this and probably most of your questions are answered in that meal plan guide and encourage you to go ahead and check that out again. 19:38.375 --> 19:39.396 [SPEAKER_00]: It's only $15. 19:39.576 --> 19:41.517 [SPEAKER_00]: It's a download of an ebook. 19:41.558 --> 19:46.061 [SPEAKER_00]: You can pull it up on your phone iPad, laptop whatever and kind of go through it during your meal time. 19:46.141 --> 19:48.443 [SPEAKER_00]: It'll help you figure out those meals and how many and 19:48.843 --> 19:52.044 [SPEAKER_00]: just some different options because I don't think that it's a one-size-fits-all. 19:52.425 --> 19:56.366 [SPEAKER_00]: I think that there's different seasons and there's different approaches that different people can use. 19:56.406 --> 20:04.410 [SPEAKER_00]: And so in that guide, I tell you about my different approaches that you have some ideas on what's going to be best in to serve you and your family right now. 20:04.750 --> 20:07.971 [SPEAKER_00]: So you can get that at littlebylittlehomeschool.com slash meal. 20:08.431 --> 20:15.554 [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for joining me today's episode and I promise you back here in just a couple more days after I guess a long weekend. 20:16.075 --> 20:16.815 [SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, have a good one.