Good parent hacks making mealtimes easier are all about SAVING something. Saving money. Saving time. Saving dishes. Saving waste. Saving sanity. Mealtimes can be a draining affair, especially if you have a fussy eater on your hands. And we want to save our mealtime from turning into a battle zone. So, here are some parent hacks for making mealtimes easier. If you have been struggling to get mealtimes humming along at your place and the kids aren’t eating more variety…
![Fun with friends!
[swipe ➡ for pics of the amazing dinner from @dinneronthetable ~ a local social enterprise helping families ~ and gorgeous salad ingredients grown by the students at The Hills School]
Tag your "chocolate chip" of a friend! X](http://scontent-sit4-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/bf4fef0637d25258ef02729bd5888277/5C292E01/t51.2885-15/e35/s320x320/41172553_314383656036329_6641702435776106043_n.jpg "Fun with friends!
[swipe ➡ for pics of the amazing dinner from @dinneronthetable ~ a local social enterprise helping families ~ and gorgeous salad ingredients grown by the students at The Hills School]
Tag your \"chocolate chip\" of a friend! X")
![When you are working your way out of a #fussyeatersbreakfastrut, getting prepared the night before is a good idea. I know it isn't easy / feasible or likely [well... Quite unlikely in my case at least 🙈].... But... when I do 💪💪💪 The day works a bit better. We are calm in the mornings. And after a week of everything being NOT.SO.CALM. Having these @healthylittlefoodies mango, banana and coconut bites ready to go this morning made ALL the difference.
They are SOooo easy too! I baked them last night whilst sitting with the girls for dinner. Super versatile recipe. And perfect if you offered banana at lunch / afternoon snack and had it #leftover from #familystyleserve. You can leave the mango as chunky as you desire too... So don't be put off by our large chunks #thatshowiroll
X Simone
Ps. Amy ~ if you are looking to re-name these brekky delights, my kids have decided that calling them Spongebob Squares is a great idea 💁😕😂...
Miss E: "It's obvious mum! Yellow banana. Yellow mango" [look of disbelief that mum didn't understand straight away]
Me: "Ok then ~ I will let Amy know."
Miss E: [satisfied grin]
😉](http://scontent-sit4-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/f1a39cf4363c8b99f12a3a522726cbb7/5C2C0593/t51.2885-15/e35/s320x320/40438236_238289563503783_4628775742545103775_n.jpg "When you are working your way out of a #fussyeatersbreakfastrut, getting prepared the night before is a good idea. I know it isn't easy / feasible or likely [well... Quite unlikely in my case at least 🙈].... But... when I do 💪💪💪 The day works a bit better. We are calm in the mornings. And after a week of everything being NOT.SO.CALM. Having these @healthylittlefoodies mango, banana and coconut bites ready to go this morning made ALL the difference.
They are SOooo easy too! I baked them last night whilst sitting with the girls for dinner. Super versatile recipe. And perfect if you offered banana at lunch / afternoon snack and had it #leftover from #familystyleserve. You can leave the mango as chunky as you desire too... So don't be put off by our large chunks #thatshowiroll
X Simone
Ps. Amy ~ if you are looking to re-name these brekky delights, my kids have decided that calling them Spongebob Squares is a great idea 💁😕😂...
Miss E: \"It's obvious mum! Yellow banana. Yellow mango\" [look of disbelief that mum didn't understand straight away]
Me: \"Ok then ~ I will let Amy know.\"
Miss E: [satisfied grin]
😉")
![📚GULP🎨
.
Standing in Miss E's classroom helping with literacy groups last week, I found myself doing the unthinkable.
The walls are adorned with posters all about the poetry techniques they have been learning. #LIMERICK caught my eye. And before my mouth could stop, I said to the teacher. "Oh I wrote a children's story in limerick verse 3 years ago." What was I saying? Why divulge this secret little folly?
Then miss E pipes up. "Can we bring it to class?"
I said "sure". [WHAT AM I DOING?]. Not one to back down, Miss E and I set about editing the text in the evenings last week. Then she painfully pointed out to me that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to take it to class without pictures. #gulp
Not being an illustrator, I was trying to work out HOW... When up pops the #getcreativewith
challenge for the week of Water Colours hosted by @raising.kinley.
We purchased water colours and special water colour paper (because that is a thing apparently)... And we gave it a crack. Both girls participated in the illustrations. They are very proud of the result. Problem is now, Miss E not only wants me to show her teacher, she also wants a book launch party! 😂 Her support knows no bounds (along with her soaring expectations of me 😝). Would you like me to read it out loud?
Would you give us honest feedback? X Simone "trying to meet a 6 yo's expectations" Emery
#accidentallymadeapicturebook #accidentallyonpurpose
#picturebooksforthewin #getcreativewithfood @get.creative.with](http://scontent-sit4-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/a9b5bac5fed447e7c9ecf440c866fa7a/5BA853AA/t51.2885-15/e35/s320x320/40585890_2182746471993747_8359347614222001628_n.jpg "📚GULP🎨
.
Standing in Miss E's classroom helping with literacy groups last week, I found myself doing the unthinkable.
The walls are adorned with posters all about the poetry techniques they have been learning. #LIMERICK caught my eye. And before my mouth could stop, I said to the teacher. \"Oh I wrote a children's story in limerick verse 3 years ago.\" What was I saying? Why divulge this secret little folly?
Then miss E pipes up. \"Can we bring it to class?\"
I said \"sure\". [WHAT AM I DOING?]. Not one to back down, Miss E and I set about editing the text in the evenings last week. Then she painfully pointed out to me that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to take it to class without pictures. #gulp
Not being an illustrator, I was trying to work out HOW... When up pops the #getcreativewith
challenge for the week of Water Colours hosted by @raising.kinley.
We purchased water colours and special water colour paper (because that is a thing apparently)... And we gave it a crack. Both girls participated in the illustrations. They are very proud of the result. Problem is now, Miss E not only wants me to show her teacher, she also wants a book launch party! 😂 Her support knows no bounds (along with her soaring expectations of me 😝). Would you like me to read it out loud?
Would you give us honest feedback? X Simone \"trying to meet a 6 yo's expectations\" Emery
#accidentallymadeapicturebook #accidentallyonpurpose
#picturebooksforthewin #getcreativewithfood @get.creative.with")
![🍕Carrot Pizza = Proof that I can still learn about new foods after 37 years 🍕. The kids and I were discussing pizza toppings yesterday. And rightly asked me, "if people put pineapple on pizza why not carrot?" #gotmegood.
And so it was planned.
And we liked.
Miss E even tried some cheese raw and cooked but went back to her non-cheese-preferred option. It's always on offer. She is my daily reminder that the "average" of 15 exposures before eating a food is exactly that ..... An average. An average across a population. An average across a range of foods. Some foods need fewer exposures. Cheese [for my 6 yo] needs eleventy-billion. 🙌😂 Have a super night!
X Simone "trying carrot on pizza since 2018" Emery
#GoodbyePickyEating #pizza #kidsfoodideas](http://scontent-sit4-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/20fa769a677f3d3cef3992e5dc8ac1d2/5C233180/t51.2885-15/e35/s320x320/41144323_2223188881044372_2068599645364277727_n.jpg "🍕Carrot Pizza = Proof that I can still learn about new foods after 37 years 🍕. The kids and I were discussing pizza toppings yesterday. And rightly asked me, \"if people put pineapple on pizza why not carrot?\" #gotmegood.
And so it was planned.
And we liked.
Miss E even tried some cheese raw and cooked but went back to her non-cheese-preferred option. It's always on offer. She is my daily reminder that the \"average\" of 15 exposures before eating a food is exactly that ..... An average. An average across a population. An average across a range of foods. Some foods need fewer exposures. Cheese [for my 6 yo] needs eleventy-billion. 🙌😂 Have a super night!
X Simone \"trying carrot on pizza since 2018\" Emery
#GoodbyePickyEating #pizza #kidsfoodideas")