8 In Mommy Confessions

Mommy Confessions – I’m No Donna Reed

Last week I threw my husband under the blog bus by divulging my Sock Rebellion on the internet.  He took it like a champ, but I figure it’s time for me to make like Fox News and do the fair and balanced thing. 

So, this week it’s Mommy Confessions time—posts to divulge all those things I’m ashamed to admit but secretly hope someone else can relate to.

Photo courtesy of Vuile via Flickr Commons.

Photo courtesy of Vuile via Flickr Commons.

First up – I feed my kids frozen dinners.

Yes, it’s true.  I do not cook my kids healthy dinners made from quality ingredients.  Nor do I cook the yummy dinners like my mom used to make.  You know the ones—saturated with enough fat and calories to make Paula Dean proud.

No, I stock my freezer with Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice dinners and my pantry with Spaghetti O’s and Campbell’s Home Style Chicken Noodle soup.  It’s an effective menu, one developed over several years of picky appetites and desperation, but it works.

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Don’t get me wrong, that’s not all they have to choose from.  They also have chips, fruits, vegetables, cheese, cookies, and crackers. 

Yes, I mixed chips and cookies in there with the nutritious stuff. 

My rule:  If you eat something not-so-wholesome for a snack, you have to eat something healthy the next go round. 

I ate Ding Dongs and Twinkies after school for eighteen years with religious fervor and I turned out ok.  I figure my kids willingly choose broccoli and cauliflower as side items at restaurants, so intermittent bouts with Nestle Tollhouse aren’t gonna kill ‘em.

It’s not that I can’t cook.  I’m actually not too bad once I get started and can knock out a pretty respectable Thanksgiving or Christmas feast.  I just don’t have time to whip up the Donna Reed thing between after work and bedtime. 

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So, yeah, I feed my kids frozen dinners, complete with high sodium and ingredients I can’t pronounce.  But at least they eat.  Their homework is done, they’re clean before they go to bed and they’re happy.  And I do cook them decent food when I have the energy to dig out my apron and make it all the way through the dishwashing process.

What about you?  Are you one of those people I envy?  The ones that buy only fresh, organic foods from the local farmer’s market before whipping up a culinary feast?  Or do you scrounge up whatever can be nuked in under five minutes and call it good?

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8 Comments

  • Reply
    Susan
    May 6, 2013 at 4:55 pm

    I cooked when my kids were home (still do.) Mostly good for you stuff, too, but I’m big on left overs. The more leftovers, the better!!!
    And hamburger. My husband used to swear I knew more ways to cook hamburger than anybody in the world. 🙂
    I figure anything that doesn’t kill a kid will only make him stronger. And I have some pretty tough kiddos!
    Enjoyed the blog,
    Susan

    • Reply
      Rhenna
      May 6, 2013 at 6:45 pm

      Ah, yes. I remember the varied hamburger dishes from growing up with mom. I actually DID stay at home for several years and was able to cook then. That was kind of fun actually. Although, I think I took after my mom and specialized in the high fat/high calorie thing because I put on about 10 pounds. 🙂

  • Reply
    CJ Burright
    May 6, 2013 at 5:57 pm

    My family is lucky (or unlucky, as the case may be) if I make them dinner. Working full-time makes planning ahead essential, and when I slack off dinner doesn’t happen. My daughter took some cooking classes in school and that girl can cook! If I run out of time, she jumps right in. It might cost more and not be as healthy (and I usually wind up doing the dishes), but it’s so yummy and I get out of cooking. A win-win in my book. 🙂

    • Reply
      Rhenna
      May 6, 2013 at 6:44 pm

      Oh, that is SO nice your daughter cooks. And even nicer that you let her! My mom had a “no entry” sign emblazoned on the kitchen door. I never understood why she was so protective of that sacred space, but–now that I have my own stuff–I get it. 🙂

  • Reply
    Kinley Baker
    May 7, 2013 at 10:05 am

    I love this blog post. I don’t have kids yet, but lean cuisines are kind of my life. Lol. I’m lucky to have a husband who cooks, but I’m not talented in the kitchen. We’ll always hear what the experts say, but they change their minds a lot. I think we’ll all be okay. 🙂

  • Reply
    L. E. Carmichael
    May 8, 2013 at 8:13 am

    We (and by we, I mostly mean my husband) cook from scratch. It’s not that we’re snooty about packaged foods, it’s that I’m allergic to 90% of the ingredients they contain!

  • Reply
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    Mommy Confessions – If You Leave It Out, It’s Fair Game | Rhenna Morgan
    January 17, 2014 at 9:50 am

    […] I’m latching another bit of contrition to the mommy confession train.  Monday I confessed my frozen dinner sins and learned I am definitely not the only microwave happy mom in the universe.  So, let’s see how […]

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