Thanks -- A blogger does need her fans

I never intended to make this project as public as it became. Each summer, we try to do something that provides some structure or prevents the dreaded brain loss associated with the long vacation from school. Let's be clear, these children had plenty of down time, even with being responsible for two weeks of planning, shopping and some cooking. In fact, the project ended up taking far more of my time than theirs -- it takes a lot of focus to come up with a pithy and entertaining blog post almost every day!

When I put up my first Facebook post all those weeks ago, I was astonished by the interest people showed, and was still surprised towards the end when a blog entry would be someone's favorite. Really? After 42 posts, you still like what I have to say? Cool.

While you all may have dragged me kicking and screaming into writing the blog, it turned out to be as valuable an exercise for me as handling the grocery budget was for the teens. Some days, when keeping up with the project was hard, knowing you were out there waiting for the next story was the only reason I didn't snatch the money back from them, jump in the car and go out to lunch myself.

So, thanks for reading, sharing and commenting. I couldn't have done it without you!

That's it. We're done.

What I know, What I learned, What I wonder

What I know . . .

My kids are pretty awesome. They took on this challenge with good humor and willing spirits. They knew (with one brief exception) that they couldn't quit, and they all muddled through, even when they didn't really want to.

I know meal planning and grocery shopping are chores we do because we have to, and only occasionally because we want to. And that these are skills that need to be learned and perfected. I know that food always costs more than you think it will, and $250, while more than many people have, doesn't go as far as you need it to.

I know that parenting is hard, and sticking to your guns when teaching your children lessons is even harder. I know that they won't always like me. I can live with that.

What I learned . . .

Eight weeks is a long time. My children aren't always nice to each other. Hungry teens are crabby teens -- I probably knew that already!

I learned that you can provide a healthy diet for years, but when teens take control, they will revert back to chips and donuts. Even when they realize they aren't feeling well, they don't make the changes needed to feel better. Teens aren't necessarily lazy, but they do like to take the easy way out.

I also learned that I like being in control of my own diet. While I'm glad we did this, I am even happier to be back in charge and planning meals myself. I was hoping the kids would learn gratitude -- and they did, but I think I also learned to be more grateful, about the resources and skills I have to work with in my kitchen.

What I wonder . . .

Have I scarred them for life? Will they be restaurant eaters as adults because the trauma of planning and cooking themselves is just too much? Will they be more grateful? And kinder? Will they remember how far to stretch a dollar?

And, of course, what can I teach them next summer?

Ahhhhhh, salad!

Yes, I did the shopping today, and I bought lots of vegetables for salad. Which I ate -- and enjoyed -- for lunch. Oh, salad, how I love you!

I also bought some snacks for the kids, some staples to replenish the larder, and, of course, pretzels and M&Ms. Cause I'm nice that way!

I have a menu planned for the whole week, too. I think Andrew must have missed my cooking a bit. Last night, he came to me, pen and paper in hand, and said, "Let's get started on planning some dinners for this week." This after he told me Saturday that he would be happy to go grocery shopping with me on Sunday.

Hmm . . . maybe this project has benefits I didn't even think about!

Restaurant meals -- Tough on a budget

Sabine headed off to camp this afternoon (Camp Needlepoint, overnight camp for kids with diabetes -- awesome!), so she was certainly not expected to make dinner for us. When she first showed me her meal plan last weekend, I noticed a restaurant meal for today.

Mom: "Sabine, I see you have us eating out on Sunday."
Sabine: "Yeah, I won't be here, and I want to treat you."
Mom: "Do you think you will have enough money for that?"
Sabine: "Sure! I will set aside $50 right at the beginning and do the rest of the shopping with $200."
Mom: "Okay, that sounds really nice, but be aware that it might not work out."
Sabine: "No, it will work, I have a plan!"

I like her confidence, but really? Who comes home to an empty refrigerator after 10 days away and can possibly refill the larder on even less than the normal budget amount? Time for another lesson . . .

After her shopping on Monday, I asked if she had enough money left:

"Oh, yes! I have $102, plus $50 for dinner out."

On Tuesday:

"Yup, no problem!"

On Wednesday:

"Mom!! I am fine! You are eating out on Sunday!!"

On Thursday:

Mom: "Sabine, do you have chicken for tonight? And lunch food? And what about tomorrow's dinner?"
Sabine: "I need to go shopping for all that. And we need milk. And Tim is hungry."
Mom: "You know, it is okay if we make pizza or something at home on Sunday."
Sabine: "But I really want you to go out!"
Mom: "Do you really think you have enough money for that?"
Sabine (sadly): "No. I'll figure out something else."

Kind of broke my heart actually, she really wanted us to not worry about cooking when she was supposed to be here doing it. Sweet girl!

Sabine's Complaints

          Too many times during this experiment I have wanted to smash something against a wall (or one of my siblings).  Fortunately I haven’t actually done it -- yet.  Many things could have gone a bit better than they did.  For one, people could have made the food last longer.  Possibly by not eating a bag of pretzels a day.  Just saying.

          But one reason the food didn’t last long was because Cross Country started on Monday, so everyone was twice as hungry this week.  Also, I had to buy three gallons of milk.  I don’t know about the eaters in the house, but personally the week will be considered a success.  All the meals were good and I didn’t run out of money.

          I think the best aspect of the experiment over all was that people bought kid food (pretzels, M+M’s . . .), as opposed to grown up food (vegetables, healthy stuff, blah, blah, blah).  All in all, I was hungry. Sorry, Mom.

Dear Sabine -- Please don't serve nachos before a race

My kids tend to workout on fairly empty stomachs, as do I. They would rather sleep as much as possible before their early workouts and just eat a little something, and I can't waste the hour after taking my thyroid medication before I can eat sitting around doing nothing. This summer, we did a fairly good job of making sure the meals that happened before the occasional evening workout or baseball game were very light -- mostly plain chicken and rice.

Until yesterday.

Yesterday, we had nachos. When Sabine planned her menu, Tim noticed the nachos for Thursday night and pointed out that there was a race that evening. It turned out that the girls didn't run the race, but both Tim and, surprisingly, the parents were scheduled to run. I suggested changing the menu, but we sort of forgot about it.

In the morning, Tim again pointed out the nachos on the meal plan, but said that if we ate by 5:00, he should be okay.

Not so much.

I don't think it really mattered to me, I was running a mile with the other parents of cross country team members and was going to be fairly miserable about it regardless (would like to be a runner, not much of a runner!). I ate some nachos, I ran the mile, I was fairly miserable. Not a big deal.

Tim, on the other hand, was running a 5K (on a track, 12.5 laps of sheer boredom), and the first thing he said after his finish (with a perfectly respectable but slower than his goal time) was, "I'm going to kill Sabine."

As the other mothers (blog readers) and I had been discussing the nachos, this ordinarily unacceptable statement was met with a round of laughter, and a chorus of, "because she served you nachos!"

I'm not sure, but I think I heard Tim growl at us.

Siblings are not helpful

Fall sports practice started on Monday, so my running teens are even more hungry than usual, and also more picky about what they are eating. Over the past few days, the refrain, "there is nothing to eat in this kitchen!" has been heard over and over again.

This morning, Sabine needs to go to the store to pick up a few things for dinner.

Sabine: "Tim, I have to go to the store, and I will buy you a snack. What do you want?"
Tim: "I don't care."
Sabine: "How about a donut?"
Tim: "I can't eat a donut on a race day!"
Sabine: "Well then, what do you want?"
Tim: "I don't care."

Sabine: "Caroline, I am going to the store, what snack do you want?"
Caroline: "I always like chips."
Sabine: "Okay."
Caroline: "But if no one else wants them, I don't need them, either."
Sabine: "So, what do you want?"
Caroline: "I don't care."

Sabine: "Mommmmm!! I am asking what they want for a snack, and they won't tell me!!"
Mom: "That is not helpful."
Sabine: "I know! So I am not buying anything!!"

That is not helpful, either, but I can't say I blame her.

What will happen when they have real jobs?

I'll admit, I have been pretty laid back about the cooking piece of this experiment. They have all done a conscientious job of planning and shopping, but the cooking piece seems to be eluding us. Not that they aren't willing or can't do it; they are all capable of putting together a meal from start to finish.

They just aren't here.

Today, Sabine had to babysit until 4:30. In the meantime, her siblings decided they should all go to a movie at 5:00. So, Sabine flew in the back door and went right out the front to the car.

Whoosh.

"Hey, guys! Do you want the baked potatoes? Guys?"
"Of course! Bake the potatoes! We'll be home after 7. Don't forget the bacon! Bye, Mom!"

Here I am, baking the potatoes. Cooking the bacon. Steaming the broccoli. Grating the cheese.

What will they do when they really are responsible for the planning, the shopping, the preparing and the cooking? And they have real jobs? In no way am I suggesting my kids are lazy or trying to avoid their responsibilities. In fact, between the four of them, they have worked this summer at a variety of things -- babysitting, lawn mowing, umpiring, gardening, cat care -- and they are out at all hours running and roller-skiing.

If I were doing this right, they would have put the crock pot to good use by now. Alas, I have shown willingness to turn on the oven, start the boiling water, grease the pan. But someday, I won't be living with them. I hope. Guess they may have to learn the daily cooking grind lesson then.

They are teens, after all. I really do want them to be able to hop in the car at the last minute and go to a movie. That they are also willing to do it together is a sign I must have done something right!

Right?

Tacos? Yes! Taco Salad? No!

Apparently, I have only one salad eater in this family. Sabine thinks salad is great, and so for her first meal this week, she chose to serve taco salad. It seems that I have three others who are taco eaters, but are not interested in taco salad.

And the difference would be . . . ?

Tim's version of a taco -- Taco shell, rice, meat, lots of cheese

Caroline's version of a taco -- Taco shell, rice, meat, cheese, lettuce

Linnea's version of a taco -- Taco shell, rice, meat, cheese, tiny bit of lettuce

Sabine's taco salad -- Lots of lettuce, tomatoes, lots of meat and beans, cheese, chips, salsa, sour cream

Okay, there's a difference.

I honestly thought Tim was going to cry when I mixed the lettuce and tomatoes into the meat and beans. And the outcry over adding salsa to the whole thing was a sight to see! I succumbed to the complainers and we added salsa and sour cream at the table, but I still think they were being ridiculous.

Tim took a pretty decent sized portion and cleaned his plate of food.

Mom: "So, Tim, not bad, is it?"
Tim (hanging his head): "No, it was good, I guess."

Score one for Sabine!