Do Not Despair There Is Hope For Your Picky Eater After All
Can you feed your family well and still save money?
What if you have a picky eater thrown into the mix too?
In an effort to save money, more so this year than ever before, we have made a habit out of meal planning together as a family.
In the past, we have done this off and on, and have found that whenever we actually stuck to a meal plan, we actually do better physically and financially, thus killing two birds with one stone.
Since we have had such great success with it in past years, we are making meal planning one of our goals this year to get serious about our physical & financial health.
A Family Meal Appeal:
Every Sunday, I’d take out my colorful dry-erase board and sit down at the kitchen table with my hubby and our kids to brainstorm what we would like to eat during the upcoming week ahead.
We would usually do this during breakfast brunch when we are good and hungry and eager to start the day.
With coffee in hand, hubby and I are ready to bounce off ideas to our kids as they:
nod in agreement –or-
shake their heads in defiance to every suggestion we’d dish out.
My son, much like my hubby, is a natural born foodie, in our family.
It is evident that the apple does not fall far from the tree.
Because, just like my husband, he has a very distinguishing palette and is very particular about what goes into his food.
So naturally, whenever anyone asks him what he wants to be when he grows up, my son would always scream out excitedly,
“Cooker! I wanna be a cooker when I grow up!”
Me: “You mean chef right?”
Son: “Hey wait, is that the person who makes all the yummy food?”
Me: “Yes, that’s otherwise known as a Mommy or in your case, a chef,” I reply jokingly.
Son: “Well, I don’t want to be a Mommy but I will be a chef!”
Case in point, there isn’t much he’d object to when it comes to food, except maybe mushrooms because of the texture.
Shhh! Don’t tell him, but I minced these up and mix them into his food anyway and he has no clue that they are even in there 90% of the time! 😉
Anyway, so Sunday morning meal planning is always his favorite day of the week because he gets a majority of the say in what we will be eating as a family.
It’s a Big Deal!
Although to us adults, a weekly task like menu planning may seem a little redundant and mundane, it is a big deal to little kids because it gives them an opportunity to be a contributing member of your family unit and to heard, valued, and respected for their individuality and their thoughts and opinions.
If you have a kid like my son, in your family, this will help you immensely when it comes to delegating tasks and involving your kids in the decision making process for your family unit when it comes to a task you do not enjoy as much, like planning out what to cook for the week.
However, if your kid is anything like my daughter, who is the complete opposite of my foodie loving son and does not enjoy food whatsoever (a self-proclaimed Sucartarian), do not despair.
Even the pickiest eater has a say about what tastes good and what doesn’t to their discerning taste buds.
Ask them what their favorite food(s) are and include them in your weekly menu planning.
This is what we did as well, and thank goodness we did it!
After sooooo many years of being, pleading, disguising, bargaining, and compromising with her, it finally dawned on her one day that not all food is bad. 🙂
She actually DID give peas a chance! (pun absolutely intended 😉
And then carrots, and corn, and broccoli, oh my!!! 🙂
So, whatever it is you do, it is imperative that you hold your ground and that:
DO NOT GIVE UP!
You are awesome!
Let out a roar! 🙂
Just keep trying.
It will get better, I promise. <3
There will be many days and many nights when you feel as though you are one with Homer Simpson because you are down to your last couple strands of hair on your head.
You are just beyond frustrated with your kid and, of course, yourself, for trying every trick in the book there could possibly be and your sweet but absolutely stubborn kid just won’t budge not even for one measly green pea.
You: “It’s round and it’s green and it’s so good for you, please just eat it already?” (slapping your forehead with a, “doh!”)
Your Kiddo: “No!” (clearly not amused and could care less about your poor sense of humor)
I feel for you…
But have heart, I promise you, please do not give up on them nor on yourself!
Remember, like pasta sauce, salsa is also red and you can add and puree anything you want to your heart’s desire and hopefully your sweet kiddo will learn to adapt as they grow older and hopefully more curious and open-minded about the food they eat.
Do not worry, you will finally find your happy groove with your kid too.
Just keep trying to pique their interest, even if it means cutting off the crust on those silly sandwiches they’ve requested for the thousandth time and sticking more flowers than you care to remember on those silly bento boxes.
It will click one day, hopefully, sooner than later.
But until then, here is a free printable weekly menu plan below that you can use to help you and your family plan out your meals for the week in order to help you avoid the drive-thru lines and save yourself some moolah in the process.
Grab your own copy of our Freebie Printable Spend or Save Cheat Sheet below!
I came up with a list of questions to ask my kids to whether or not they should spend money or save money anytime they have their eye on something cool whenever we are out shopping.
You can print my free printable Spend or Save PDF to help you steer the money conversation in the right direction with your own kids.
Just scroll down to below to print it out, laminate it, and hang it up somewhere they will notice.
It may surprise you to hear what they have to say if they had to spend their own cash to buy that thing that they wanted so much.
Gift cards are burning a hole in his pocket
It was right after his birthday party.
As he’s just received a lot of gift cards from friends and family, my son knew exactly what to get and where to go to shop for his ultimate would-be birthday gift.
There’s unrest swirling in the air amongst men and boys everywhere this month as Nintendo revealed its latest new gaming system.
It was going to be the toy to end all toys, the long-awaited Nintendo Switch which includes, The Mario Odyssey game.
Like a swarm of bees to honey, they simply can’t help but be lured by siren calls.
And of course, amongst that very swarm includes my husband and our 6-year-old, son.
Yes, of course, bzzz… 😉
It cost how much???
“So Dad, how many dow lahs does the Switch costs?” asked my inquisitive 6-year-old.
“It’s a lot of money, buddy. Why do you ask?” my husband responded.
“Well, because I want to see if I have enough dow lahs to buy one. They have the new Mario Kart & Mario Odyssey game with it!” he exclaimed with a bounce.
He was deciding whether or not it was worth it to spend a certain amount of money on this cool new gaming system that he so desperately yearned for.
“Umm, it’s like $400 dollars buddy…” my husband replied sheepishly.
And without skipping a beat, my son exclaimed, “$400 dow lahs! What?! Forget that!”
My 6-year-old in total disbelief without regard for whether or not we would be paying for this gaming system or if he was going to be using his own money to pay for it.
And with that, my husband and I both exchanged a look that can only be described as kindred spirits.
Because in that very split-second glance we have shared between two loving parents.
You know, that very same depth-of-silence look that was coined by Mr. Jon Hamm himself from Mad Men.
Yeah, exactly that, that happened, we both knew, we’ve done it.
Yep, we got through to him, our first-born baby.
An Early Lesson About Money
We have realized at that very moment that our son just learned an important lesson early on about how to manage his money at such a young age.
Somewhere along the way, this little squirt of just shy of 7 years old, had just learned a very powerful and very important lesson that most folks much older than he has yet to figure out.
And it just about blew these very proud parents away.
It was honest to goodness, humbling and oh so very satisfying to not only hear him say that.
But to also know that he understood the value of saving what little money he has earned in his short life thus far to sacrifice it for a much-lauded after a gaming system.
What wise words uttered from the mouth of a child.
This mama bear could not have been more proud.
Instead of spending his gift cards and money on video games, our boy decided to save his money instead! 🙂
And here I was, worried that I was not doing nearly enough to teach my kids some of life’s much-needed money concepts.
The temptation is everywhere…
We see it all the time.
It’s all over the news.
Headlines plastered across our screens about the national debt crisis ballooning out-of-control.
And yet everyone, including our very own family, are constantly bombarded with temptations to buy! Buy! Buy!
Not only that, it seems as if no one could care less about the equally surmounting mortgage and student loans debt.
We have come to accept this as the norm of living in modern American society today, and it has eaten us alive.
Yep, even us! We’re guilty of this ourselves.
To Spend or To Save? That is the question…
But of course, someone’s gotta be able to pay for this burgeoning debt.
But who? And with what money, right?
Credit Cards aren’t gonna cut it.
And there it goes, from one shiny object to the next shiny object, like a domino effect.
We can’t help but to buy into it.
What if we can summon up the courage to say no and resist these temptations from spinning out-of-control?
Wouldn’t that be nice if we can teach our kids to be able to decide when to save and when to spend at a young age so that they are more prepared to handle more complicated financial situations later in life?
Echoed from the mouth of babes…
Heck, my 6-year-old just about schooled us on the very thing we deal with on a daily basis.
So I know, it is well within our power to harness our courage and resist spending money needlessly.
Oftentimes when we are faced with the temptation to buy that cool new shiny object (aka Shiny Object Syndrome.)
It is so easy just to give in and justify our fleeting sense of desire by justifying that we worked hard for it and so by that reasoning, we deserve it.
Maybe instead of thinking that we are denying ourselves the pleasure of this instant gratification of a cool new shiny object, we begin to tell ourselves and believe that we are actually saving up our money for something bigger and better.
A delayed gratification, something that we have to put in a little bit of extra effort to wait it out.
Wouldn’t that make us appreciate it a little more?
This concept of delayed gratification is what we are trying to instill in our kids.
So that they can begin to question themselves before they make small and eventually large purchase decisions on their own.
Take it as having a peace of mind, to save for a rainy day, because something better will come along and replace that once shiny cool new object that is now dull and forgotten.
You are saving yourself a world of grief from having to deal with being in debt, all for a very brief instance of gratification.
Prep them early
At the time of drafting up this post, my kids were 6 and 4 years old.
As young as they still are, I don’t expect them to fully grasp the concept of a need versus a want, just yet.
But I have a sneaky suspicion that, as little, as they are, they already know a bit more than I usually give them credit for.
I am constantly amazed by what comes out of their mouths every day.
So have heart, continue to do what you do at home and be open and honest with your family members when it comes to how you manage your family’s finances.
Continue to share your frugal ideas with your children, because you will be pleasantly surprised to see what they have just learned from watching you in action (real-life situations here folks!)
How To Talk To Your Kids:
Pick a good time (preferably after breakfast) one day and take your kids to the store (on purpose! – I’m holding in a laugh right now as I’m writing this.)
Negotiate with them before entering the store.
If they continue to show you good behavior during your shopping trip that you will reward them with 1 item of their choice.
Let them pick out a toy that they want.
Then let them pay the cashier.
Make sure to let them know that this is a reward-a special treat you are giving them for working so hard.
That is why I can definitely say from my own experience that it actually sunk through to my kids!
Here is how we explain the concept of money to our kids:
All About The Money
What is money?
Money is a type of currency that is used all over the world by everyone.
In the U.S., money can be traded in paper form or in coins.
When do we use money?
We use money whenever we have a need or a want for something.
Money can be traded for goods or services (doing a job for someone else).
Why do we use money?
Money lets us buy the things we need and want to live.
What is a need?
A need is something that you cannot live without (like food, water, clothing, shelter).
What is a want?
A want is something that you do not need to live (like gum, candy, a bubble blaster, or the latest Nintendo gaming system, the Switch! 😉 )
Where do we use money?
Money is used everywhere and by everyone in the world.
Money can be a gift too:
You can receive money as a gift for a special occasion (such as: birthdays, weddings, or holidays)
Or you can also give money to someone as a gift or a donation to a place like a charity (a charity is a place that does something good for others like an animal shelter or homeless shelter).
In Summary:
I hope this gives you an idea of what to say and how to communicate with your own kids about money.
Our intent is to teach our kids about money as early as they are able to count.
In doing so, we hope that they will become more financially responsible money-savvy kids and eventually money-savvy adults as a result.
And also because we have discovered that financial literacy is NOT taught in schools, even though it should be, in our humble opinion.
The next time you hear that ice cream truck come down your street, give your kids some money and let them pay for it.
They will begin to have an understanding of what money is and how important it is to be able to save up for their very own treat.
Then give them two options:
To Spend: Whether they would like to pay for the treat themselves.
Or
To Save: Whether they would prefer to go to the grocery store and pick up a variety pack for much cheaper.
Either way, ask for their opinion to see what they would say.
Chances are, their answers will surprise even you when your kids have actually discovered the importance of being able to save up for their very own treat.
To recap what I’ve mentioned earlier from above, here is a list of 6 questions that I came up with to ask my kids to think about anytime they see something cool that they have their eye on when we are out shopping.
You can download this free list below to talk with your kids about whether they should spend or save their money too.
Free Printable Spend or Save PDF:
Access your freebie below!
Whenever they see a new toy they want, ask them these 6 questions to see if it’s worth it for them to reconsider before they buy.
Make it a point to talk openly to each other about money, anytime you have the opportunity to do so with your kids so that it does not become a topic shrouded by mystery and build their confidence in financial literacy.
For more free and useful printables, check out my Resource Library to subscribe and get instant access to all of my amazing free resources.
Enjoy!
Disclosure:
The purpose of this blog is to provide insight and enjoyment only. I am not nor do I claim to be an expert or professional in any manner. All opinions are 100% my own. Please do not copy any content from my website without my prior permission or written consent from me. However, you may link directly to my post for reference and to give credit.
Disclaimer:
This website contains affiliate links and sponsorships. I do not endorse nor would I recommend any products that I have not used nor trust to my readers. Thank you so much for your continued support in helping our small blog grow- at no costs to you whatsoever.
Contact:
Please contact me directly via email: admin@fulloffortunes.com, if you have any questions and/or comments. Thanks for stopping by!
This recipe was born out of the need to use up a large gallon size of Sweet Baby Ray’s Original BBQ Sauce.
Our family loves having Beef Broccoli Stir Fry for dinner, it’s one of our running staples.
We keep recipes like this one on a Family Favorites List especially for busy weeknights when there’s band practice or swim lessons to get to.
The last thing you want to worry about is fitting in a quick and healthy dinner that might also taste good too.
Having a Family Favorites List is a must-have when you are short on time and must do all-the-things.
Check out this Quick, Easy, & Mouth Watering, Beef Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe below and save yourself some time and moolah from having to call for takeout.
Marinate the beef sirloin in a separate bowl by adding sesame oil, bbq sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, white granulated sugar, white pepper, black pepper, & a pinch of MSG (optional).
Set beef aside and let marinate while prepping other ingredients.
In a separate small bowl, add cornstarch to warm water and stir well to remove all lumps.
Set aside to be used later.
On medium heat, drizzle pan or wok with Olive/Vegetable Oil.
Then add minced garlic to the oil to cook for about 2 minutes or until fragrant.
Do not let the garlic burn or it will taste bitter and crunchy. (I’ve made this mistake once too many times. :/)
Add the marinated beef to the hot pan or wok.
Cook for about 5 minutes or until beef is done to desired wellness.
Stir frequently to keep from burning.
Lower your heat from medium to low and add the cornstarch mixture and the soy sauce to the cooked beef sirloin while stirring frequently.
May need more water if the mixture is too thick or starts to burn due to high heat.
Add all remaining vegetables to your wok: red onions, broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts, pea pods, & baby corn.
Stir Fry quickly and make sure everything is well coated with sauce, about 15-30 minutes from the start of heating until ready to serve.
Serve on a platter with a side of your favorite cooked white or brown rice.
Optional: garnish with a handful of sliced scallions (green onions) or a few sprigs of cilantro right before serving.
Optional: garnish with a handful of sliced scallions (green onions) or a few sprigs of cilantro right before serving
Directions:
Marinate the beef sirloin in a separate bowl by adding sesame oil, bbq sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, white granulated sugar, white pepper, black pepper, & a pinch of MSG (optional). Set beef aside and let marinate while prepping other ingredients.
In a separate small bowl, add cornstarch to warm water and stir well to remove all lumps. Set aside to be used later.
On medium heat, drizzle pan or wok with Olive/Vegetable Oil. Then add minced garlic to the oil to cook for about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Do not let the garlic burn or it will taste bitter and crunchy. (I’ve made this mistake once too many times. :/)
Add the marinated beef to the hot pan or wok. Cook for about 5 minutes or until beef is done to desired wellness. Stir frequently to keep from burning.
Lower your heat from medium to low and add the cornstarch mixture and the soy sauce to the cooked beef sirloin while stirring frequently. May need more water if the mixture is too thick or starts to burn due to high heat.
Add all remaining vegetables to your wok: red onions, broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts, pea pods, & baby corn. Stir Fry quickly and make sure everything is well coated with sauce, about 15-30 minutes from the start of heating until ready to serve.
Serve on a platter with a side of your favorite cooked white or brown rice.
Optional: garnish with a handful of sliced scallions (green onions) or a few sprigs of cilantro right before serving.
How Will You Celebrate Summer Break With Your Kids?
Goodbye school, hello summer! 🙂
So school is finally over for our kids this year, and they could not be any happier.
Not that they did not enjoy school, on the contrary, they actually do!
But more so that they have been counting down the days for summer vacation to finally arrive and bid farewell to a job well-done throughout the year.
I could not even bear to bring it up that them that summer does not officially begin until June 21st. But they could care less and I cannot blame them for it.
If I were still a kid, I would probably feel the same way, wouldn’t you? They are just ecstatic to finally be home, relax, and of course-sleep in.
However, that also means less time for this Mommy to get her stuff done while her kiddos are running amok at home! What’s a girl suppose to do?
Make a plan! That’s what we’ll do!
So we sat down together (yep, the kiddos and I) and scribbled down:
1-what sounds good (marshmallows by the fire while watching the stars at night),
2-what we absolutely had to do (summer enrichment homework- ugh! 🙁 ),
3-what we should do instead, (making our own comic strips as inspired by Captain Underpants),
4- and what we can all agree on (making plans to do things together as a family).
We have all agreed that we are really good at this list-making-thing and also spending quality time together doing absolutely anything. 😛
That makes me happy and I am ever-so-grateful for it.
If you would like your very own free PDF copy of our “88 Ways To Celebrate Summer Break With Your Family,” you can download it to your device and print it out for your own use below.
88 Ways To Celebrate Summer Break With Your Kids:
A-Random Acts of Kindness:
1-bake & decorate cookies to give away as gifts to neighbors, seniors, friends, family, shelters, etc.
2-donate used toys, games, books, clothes to the homeless, hospitals, library, Goodwill, Church, etc.
3-volunteer at a women’s shelter, children’s hospital, clinic, or animal rescue center
4-host a dinner party or potluck
5-cook dinner for a random family, friends, or elderly neighbors
6-share your bounty with friends, family, or strangers
7-buy a meal for the person in line behind you
8-create a care package for the needy
9-Cook or prepare a meal for your parents
10-Offer to help wash the car, do hard work, fold laundry, sweep the floors, do dishes, or take out trash
B-Crafts:
11-make unicorn or glow in the dark slime
12-make friendship bracelets
13-recreate famous Art Masterpieces and display as artwork
14-make paper crafts like origami
15-make felt Crafts like stuffed animals
16-DIY your own fort out of cardboard boxes
17-make your own costume using materials around the house
18-reuse your Halloween costumes & play dress up
C-Games:
18-light show outside in the dark with glow in the dark bands, flash lights
19-water balloon fights
20-running through sprinklers & slip n slides
21-pillow fights
22-hopscotch in the driveway with chalk
23-chalk mazes in the driveway
24-chalk art in the driveway
25-laser tag
26-put put mini golf
27-bowling
28-amusement park
29-carnival and fairs
30-festivals and concerts
31-SkyZone trampoline park
32-Dave & buster’s
33-roller skating
34-water park
35-scavenger hunt
36-3 legged race
37-balance an egg
38-Simon says
39-bad Minton/ping pong
40-corn holes
41-soccer
42-volleyball
43-play cards or board games like Uno, Monopoly, Charades, Pictionary, or Clue
D-Education:
44-kids science experiments: volcano, tornado,
45-trip to the zoo
46-trip to the library
47-summer reading with Barnes & nobles
48-summer reading with half price books
49-trip to the museums (art, Childrens, history, botanical gardens)
50-trip to the planetarium
51-trip to the aquarium
52-take enrichment classes like coding
53-learn how to paint, draw, or sculpt with clay
54-learn how to play an instrument
55-take voice lessons for singing
56-take dance lessons
57-take a cooking class
58-take a self defense class
59-learn how to sew
60-plant a garden of flowers
61-grow your own produce
62-practice math skills
63-write to a pen pal in another country
64-crossword puzzles
65-sudoku
66-little things digital puzzles for rainy days
67-catch a caterpillar and watch its lifecycle
68-bird watching lifecycle
69-set up a lemonade stand to earn money
E-Family Bonding:
70-make a memory scrapbook journal of your summer experience
71-family game night (video games, cards, board games, or trivia)
72-family movie night
73-baseball game
74-go camping
75-go fishing
76-go to the beach
77-go to the pools/splash parks together
78-join a sports team
79-go water skiing, paddle boating, tubing
80-write thank you letters, just-becauses, birthday cards to family & friends
81-kids decide what to do day
82-assign a color uniform day
83-mismatch dress day
84-cook or prep a meal and/or dessert together as a family
85-camp in the backyard (s’mores, hot dogs, & hobo dinners)
86-plan a vacation/staycation together
87-go bike riding in the park together
88-pick a trail and go hiking
Disclosure:
The purpose of this blog is to provide insight and enjoyment only. I am not nor do I claim to be an expert or professional in any manner. All opinions are 100% my own. Please do not copy any content from my website without my prior permission or written consent from me. However, you may link directly to my post for reference and to give credit.
Disclaimer:
This website contains affiliate links and sponsorships. I do not endorse nor would I recommend any products that I have not used nor trust to my readers. Thank you so much for your continued support in helping our small blog grow- at no costs to you whatsoever.
Contact:
Please contact me directly via email: admin@fulloffortunes.com, if you have any questions and/or comments. Thanks for stopping by!
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