Tip

Here's a little tip for you--my husband usually gets home around 5:30.  This means we usually eat around 6.  With little ones, this often makes for some cranky people going from a snack at 3 to dinner at 6.  I don't like to just shove junk into them so here's what I started doing--at 5:00 (give or take a bit) we have veggies.  I know what your thinking: 'veggies, really??  That's her tip?'  But listen-- I buy bags of frozen veggies (mine from Schwans, b/c they are convenient and cheap) and warm up a bowl of them (about 1 cup).  Then I have my kiddos bring their fav chair (right now it's a Mickey and a Buzz chair) into the living room.  I sit and feed them the veggies.  It's kind of like a fun-for-them time, b/c they are eating in the living room and I'm 100% devoted to them.  It took awhile for them to get into it, but once they did, I've been able to pull them inside just by telling them it's time for veggies!!  Their fav is the mixed veggies w/ bow-tie pasta.  My son eats the corn, peas and noodles, while my daughter eats anything I put in front of her.  This makes everyone a winner; they get a serving of veggies, they aren't starving by dinner b/c they actually had a good-for-them snack filled with fiber and if they don't eat as much at dinner I don't mind, b/c they had a huge serving of veggies earlier!  I've also been known to make our snack watermelon or strawberries or some kind of fruit in the summer.  If I can't get the time to sit and feed them veggies, I'll still give them a snack, but it'll be something they can eat like a cheese stick or a yogurt stick. 

Here's to making your Witching Hour go a little more smoothly tonight!!