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JenniferS
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| Posted: April 28 2007 at 9:38am | IP Logged
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Do you ever ration food? Or, do your kids get to just get food out and eat whenever they want? I guess I should mention that my kids range in age from 17 months to nine years old. I have one girl and five boys. Our kids are all big eaters. I have two boya that are constantly hungry. They can eat a full meal and be hungry five minutes later. I don't let them just get things out of the fridge or cabinets, although I have caught them doing so on occasion. We have a very limited food bbudget, and I can usually stretch it pretty well, but I limit the amount of food they are allowed to eat becasue they could eat a week's worth of groceries in a day. Dd has had a friend spend the night, and this fried is used to just eating whenever and getting her own food out of fridge, cabinets, etc. She is pretty comfortable being here(and I am okay with that for the most part), and she just grabbed a snack out of the cabinet. (Also, her mom and I talked lastnight about snacks and things,(her kids are older; dd's friend is the youngeat) and her kids pretty much blow through snacks really fast.) I feel a little guilty about rationing food with growing kids, but I can't let them eat everything all at once. Dh is the same way as the kids, so I have to find creative ways of storing the food in our little house. I'd like to eventually have a stocked pantry set up, but right now it seems impossible. how do you handle this?
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Chandra
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| Posted: April 28 2007 at 10:27am | IP Logged
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We have set mealtimes and snacktimes around here. I'm one of those "mean mommies" because I tell them that they are not going to die in between snacktime and mealtime! My oldest is 9 and my youngest is 20 months. If I know they are really going through a growth spurt I will usually let them have some fruit or something like that in between but other than that, they know when it's time to eat. If they don't eat then, too bad. I will occasionally let them eat in between but not very often, otherwise I could totally see them eating everything in the house in a day! They are not ever allowed to get food or snacks without asking permission first, I'm a real stickler about that--I need to know who is eating what and when, you know? I also talk to them a lot about whether or not they are truloy hungry--and sometimes I find out that they want a snack just because they are bored--not a good habit to get into!!! Hope that helps--that's just how we do things around here. Good luck!
Chandra mom to,
Lexi 9, Tori 8, Liz 6, Gen 4, Becca 3, Michael 20 mos. and baby boy due in June
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joann10
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| Posted: April 28 2007 at 10:40am | IP Logged
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We definitly ration food around here. If we didn't we would never have any food. 
My children are not allowed to get food without permission. The big kids do follow this rule pretty well because it has been the rule for their whole life.  Also, when I fix dinner I usually have an idea about how much will be allowed for each child. Such as 2 hamburgers for a big kid and 1 for a little.
My nearly grown working children do buy treats and have things in the evening sometimes(like ice cream).
They generally are very good about sharing.(that may be why the get out a snack after half the kids asleep.
They can drink whenever- we rarely have soda, but we go through more juice than the medical association would agree with. I do ration milk!!!! I think my big boys can drink a half gallon at a time- and if I gave them free reign of this we would never have milk for the littles.
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JenniferS
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| Posted: April 28 2007 at 12:13pm | IP Logged
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Okay...that is basically how things are at my house. I definitely ration milk, and we rarely have soda around. Water is always available. I started to worry that maybe I was being unreasonable about the snacking and food availability . Thanks for snapping me out of that. 
My aunt had nine children(seven boys and 2 girls), and she kept a padlock on her pantry, as well as locking all snacks in her bedroom. I am not that extreme, but I don't like my kids to get things out without my permission, nor do I want them to snack all day. i agree that sometimes they just want to eat becasue they are bored. It seems I am in the minority around my friends that live close by.
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meaculpa365
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| Posted: April 28 2007 at 1:44pm | IP Logged
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We have usually kept bread, pb & carrot sticks on the counter top for any hungry munchers. Most little kids swing from either famished or not interested but generally the older dc seem to be perpetually hungry!
To combat the worry, mostly mine, we decided to have elevensies & tea (11 & 3). The dc can have a quick pb sandwich w/ carrots or apples (orchard in the yard in USA)but only then. Otherwise they will wait for the next meal.
We only do snacks occassionally & i only buy enough for everyone to have a bit, or is that a bite? Pam in Au JMJ
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juststartn
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| Posted: April 28 2007 at 7:50pm | IP Logged
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We don't do snacks as a rule, altho we do from time to time....
We've only got three dds running about right now (but two boys due any time, lol)...and they are 7 and under. DH doesn't seem to have a problem with them eating whatever, whenever (and he came from a big family, altho he was on the tail end, so I don't know if that has something to do with it). I ration milk like you wouldn't believe (ok, maybe you would, lol). We only drink organic, so it is more expensive than "just" regular milk, anyway....
I limit just about everything...cause as so many have said, we'd be completely eaten out very shortly. Some things I will buy a ton of knowing that it will disappear quickly....bananas. Apples. String cheese (Aldi's brand--it's less expensive).
I used to make loaf after loaf of homemade bread--and the girls would eat it up like it was candy for a week. And then NOT eat it (just when I got used to making four loaves at a time, lol)....for months. SIGH.
But then again, I don't ration water, lol. We don't do juice very often (too expensive, really)...I push the water like no one's business--esp since I keep throwing them out of doors as long as the weather isn't too cold, too hot, or too wet. And it's getting to the point where, since we have the pool up and going, that too hot isn't a problem, either, lol.
Anyway, I'd love to hear how the other moms fill up their crews, esp with a limited budget....
Rachel
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JenniferS
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| Posted: April 28 2007 at 10:34pm | IP Logged
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Rachel,
We went through the bread phase, too. I was making homemade bread all of the time, and then all of a sudden, the kids stopped eating it so much. Hmmm...I don't know. Our food budget is really small right now because dh's paycheck will be docked for another four months due to so much time off for his surgeries. I'm so looking forward to September when we have a regular paycheck. Somehow, I think I could still do a better job of stretching our grocery budget. I'm hoping we get our garden going soon(we are late this year), as that will help with the produce expense. Last year we had no garden because of dh's physical limitations. And I must admit that we do let the kids pick and eat from the garden some. So, that may stave off the "eat Mom and Dad out of house and home" mentality.
Jen
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missionfamily
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| Posted: April 29 2007 at 7:38am | IP Logged
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We definitely ration food at our house. With a fifth boy on the way, it seems impossible to keep food in the house without it. I find my kids eat to capacity...if apples go fast one week and I buy more he next, they go in the same amount of time! They are allowed to snack between meals and I do not have a set snack time, but they must ask permission before they take anything to eat. I usually try to enforce a rule that snacks include protien so they won't be hungry again 10 minutes later. Also, because mine are all young and need assistance with just about everything in the kitchen ohe than getting water from the fridge, I found as soon as I got started in another room, I was running back to the kitchen, so I made a rule that the kitchen is "closed" except for water, for one hour after each meal. It gives us time to pick up from that meal and do whatever other chores are assigned and get started in another direction which often means the kids forget about snacking for a few hours and stay focused on what they are doing. We are putting a water cooler in our school room too so everyone is not constantly trepsing downstairs and not returning! I have to ration fruit in my house because my kids eat it like crazy...they are little still and will easily eat a dozen apples in two days. So we have "an apple a day" rule. Bananas and oranges don't tend to go as fast at snack time, so after they've had their apple, those are their choices. Grapes and berries and melon are reserved as part of a meal.
Colleen in Louisiana
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JenniferS
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| Posted: April 29 2007 at 10:09am | IP Logged
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Colleen,
Those are some great ideas! I have boys, and I don't know what we will do when they are teenagers!!!! They really do eat a lot. Whenever we have guests for dinner, they are always amazed!!! We have seriously considered fncing off an area of our yard and geting a cow for beef. And we have, in the past, planted as much produce as possible. A really dry summer killed our apple, peach and cherry trees. UGH! Your "hour after each meal" rule is a good idea. I think I will start that. It should at least curb the whining for snacks.
Jen
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: May 01 2007 at 5:17am | IP Logged
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Fruits and vegetables are the preferred items for snacks here. I should be happy about this but they are SO expensive! I actually heard myself say "No you can't have anymore cucumber slices but look at these fun fishy crackers I bought yesterday"! My husband said "Somehow that doesn't sound right" and I totally agree! We do have a garden and we planted apple and pear trees a couple of years ago, but last winter, when we thought they were protected, the deer ate them beyond repair. I like the idea of a "closed kitchen" during certain times. That might help us as we have always allowed the kids to have healthy snacks whenever they want. Now it's become out of hand. (Probably because we have more kids!)
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JenniferS
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| Posted: May 01 2007 at 6:58am | IP Logged
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Becky,
We have fruit and veggie lovers here, too. I am a little disgusted with how pricing works. It seems like the healthiest items are the most expensive. What I do buy disappears quickly, even when we ration. We've done the same, "No more cucumber slices. How about some Whales?" thing before. We usually plant a garden, and that helps, but this year with all the strange weather and dh's schedule, we haven't been able to get anything planted yet.
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rose gardens
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| Posted: May 01 2007 at 5:38pm | IP Logged
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Chandra wrote:
| We have set mealtimes and snacktimes around here. I'm one of those "mean mommies"... |
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I'm another one of those "mean mommies". I set meal times and snack times too. I make and serve what I consider appropriate portions of the expensive items. Portion control is a main element of both food budget and proper nutrition. I have less expensive "fillers" (like bread and crackers)available at most every meal and those who are still hungry. After the meal or snack is done, I want the kitchen clean. I didn't implement the rule until a few years ago, but it helps save my sanity since I no longer needing run a 24 hour diner.
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Chandra
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| Posted: May 02 2007 at 8:50am | IP Logged
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Yay! Nice to know I'm not the only "mean mommy!" LOL! I went through Light Weigh last fall (awesome Catholic program by the way!) and another thing that I stress to my girls (my boys aren't old enough yet) is to make sure that they are really hungry. Also, I let them know that it does take a little while for your stomach to tell your brain that you are full. So for example, if at dinnertime one of the girls has had seconds (sometimes 3rds) of something and I feel that they have had plenty to eat, I won't let them have anymore. I tell them that they need to wait at least half an hour to see if they are still really hungry. Guess what? I have yet to have a child die on me, and 9 out of 10 times they don't come back for more. We do have the occasional growth spurt which is fine, I just don't want them overeating--it can be sooo easy to do! So, hats off to other "mean mommies" hold your ground! LOL! 
Chandra mom to
Lexi 9, Tori 8, Liz 6, Gen 4, Becca 3, Michael 20 mos and baby boy due NEXT MONTH--YAY!
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