A few years ago my turntable went out on me. I got a cheap replacement to fill the void with the intention of repairing it. I attempted a few things but failed at fixing it. it sat on the shelf. months turned to years. today I picked my SL-1900 up from repair and I am just tickled with how much I am brought back to my love of listening to music. what a machine. later dudes.
I’ve been really going through it lately. seems like not a lot is going my way despite my best efforts and I really feel outta sorts because of it. I’m finding escape and some stability in reading and right now I’m going through the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time despite a lifetime of fandom. I read the hobbit as a kid and watched all the movies when they were coming out but had never cracked the pages of the trilogy until now and am very happy that I am doing so. Also got my turntable back from repair today.
Peas and green beans, tomato basil chicken sausage and roasty toasty potatoes all topped with Bisto.
PO-TA-TOES
Around December 2024 my wife started working full time in a new career and since then a lot of the odds and ends, day to day routine parent stuff has fallen on to me because she is gone or in office a lot. My kids are wonderful AND they’re a lot of work and one of our day to day pain points is meals (I’m sure many can relate) and recently I noticed my daughter (9) really pulling away from the family at meal time, just sort of shutting down and not really wanting to be around any longer than she had to be. Our son is 4 and… well he’s 4. He takes tiny bites, dinner takes at least a fuckin hour, stops eating and you say “okay go ahead and let’s move on to the next thing” and then he cries because “he’s hungry” and so you cave and so okay eat and then he still just sits there. We’re tired of feeding him so we all stopped and it’s just chaos. So I understand why my poor girl just wouldn’t want any part of it. So we talked it out, the three of us without mom, and figured out some changes so that dinner can feel better and be a happier time in our day, not just for nourishing our bodies but smiling and laughing together and talking about our days and our feelings and all that lovey dovey shit. Mom is obviously in support, but typically doesn’t get back from the office until later when dinner is already done (It’s no big deal, it’s just where we’re at with our careers and we’ll get through it). Since the conversation, things have been pretty good and our boy even finished his dinner first last night and got to celebrate “winning” dinner. We do our “roses & thorns” of the day, we make jokes and mix up the meals as much as possible. Life is work, but life is good.
Also, breakfast for dinner is always a hit. And chicken and waffles is a perfectly reasonable meal to have for dinner and that is a hill I will die on.
Also also, go on Amazon and buy a bulk box of fortune cookies for like $15 and have fortune cookies any time you make any cuisine that is remotely Asian. It’s a very good incentive for clean plates. I offer up fortune cookies when we do gyoza, orange chicken, ramen, udon Or even sushi. Always a fan favorite.
Dads, What are your dinner “hacks” or routines that just work?
EDIT: Since a few of you are asking for more meat on this bone... Here's the nitty gritty of the changes (mostly just copied from the comments).
First and foremost the kids have jobs while I make dinner. Before anything, since they are typically chillin in the living room around that time, they both need to work together to clean up the space (mostly so I don't have to do it once they've gone down to sleep). Then, our boy fills the dog bowl so I can feed him (he gets meat and carrots mixed with his kibble). And our girl clears and sets the table. One or both of them will get beverages set up (usually just grabbing their water bottles to be honest). We changed up our seating arrangement too, because for the longest time everyone has had their respective "spot" at the table. Now the kids choose where they want to sit, and if they want the same spot they do a best-of-3 rock, paper, scissors match to decide the fate of their butts.
My girl's biggest request was just for us to make conversation at dinner so that's where the roses & thorns comes in, and she usually shares about her dreams and projects that she's working on. Our boy... well again he's 4 so its mostly just getting him to realize he can't simply talk over and that he'll get his turn. When he does he just tells us about what he did on the playground that day. My boy's biggest request was to have smaller portions which I obliged, so now instead of doing the "ok have 3 more bites" 1000 times, we just go in with a plate that is the absolute bare minimum that he can eat to be excused from the table or get desert after, which is typically a lolly or yogurt with fruit... Pampered little punks!
Its going well so far. We went from nightly misery to some pretty peaceful evenings lately and its trickled into making the end of the night easier and subsequently making for better sleep and then an easier morning. I need peace in my house. My job is so very frustrating all the time so having peace in the home is sooooooo important to me right now.