I hate baking/cooking - Page 2

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by Princess ConsuelaB

I enjoy cooking with ONE of my kids at a time, when there is no hurry and it's quiet...but I can't- can't- can't STAND trying to cook with them both at the same time: They won't listen, they bounce off each other and are all over the place, they fight for the spot in front of mom...it's just too much

A thought - from personal 20/20 hindsight. Sometime you might just try playing a game of pretending you've fast-forwarded 20 years into the future to a time when neither of them would think to fight for a spot in front of mom, and you're looking back on the scene in front of you. Which won't necessarily make it fun, but might at least make if feel more precious on some level.

Lillian, leaving this weekend to get in a visit with my son on Mother's Day evening on my way past the resort where he's working for the summer in between college semesters.

[elizawill]

i love baking ....if i'm in the mood. my kids are getting old enough to do the grunt of the work, but they still need my supervision. to make it easier on me - i have a cd player in the kitchen and we jam out to music while we cook. it's not so bad. we have fun! what about an easybake oven as an alternative for them? i HATE ours - you can have it for free

[Princess ConsuelaB]

Originally Posted by Lillian J

A thought - from personal 20/20 hindsight. Sometime you might just try playing a game of pretending you've fast-forwarded 20 years into the future to a time when neither of them would think to fight for a spot in front of mom, and you're looking back on the scene in front of you. Which won't necessarily make it fun, but might at least make if feel more precious on some level.

Lillian, leaving this weekend to get in a visit with my son on Mother's Day evening on my way past the resort where he's working for the summer in between college semesters.

Oh yes I do this too and it gets me through it.... but I still want to run and hide :

[CariOfOz]

Originally Posted by Kleine Hexe

I hate hate hate baking and cooking with my kids. They of course love it.

You see commercials of moms baking with their kids on TV and the mom is all smiles and joy. Not me.

Not all moms enjoy baking with their children. There, I said it.

I hear ya Kleine, I bake about once a week with the boys, and it's pure torture for me They BOTH want to do everything, no taking turns measuring something or stirring it is NOT enough mum. I use the biggest mixing bowl ON the planet, and somehow they still miss it with half of whatever they are measuring & pouring. Once it's in the oven they happily go out & play, only to stick their faces in the kitchen door every 14seconds to ask if it's done yet.. and when it's done they want to eat it NOW.. no matter that it will burn their faces off!

But... I suck it up & try not to be reduced to a yelling grumpy bum.

[Kleine Hexe]

Originally Posted by Lillian J

Figures. I had ten 12' beds - four kinds of berries, sunflowers, a bizillion kinds of tomatoes - you name it, I had it. And my son had absolutely no interest.

Beautiful loaf of bread, by the way. Lillian

I can send my ds to your house to putter in your garden a few times.

Originally Posted by bigeyes

If I had to work a paying job with someone like her for 40 hours a week, I'd quit, honest to God.

:



I knew I couldn't be the only one who doesn't feel like June Cleaver in the kitchen with the kiddos. Did she bake *with* the kids?

[warriorprincess]

I made myself take some time teaching the oldest to bake and cook because I hate, loathe and despise doing either AT ALL ( not just with the kids) He's taught his sister to make cookies and fried eggs so far. I think I need to get on the full meal cooking thing with them so THEY can cook (Easy- do you want beans and rice, or would you rather cook?).
Lovely bread, it's making me hungry!

[onlyzombiecat]

I like to cook but I don't always enjoy doing it with dd. It is an important life skill though so I include her.

It does slow things down and things aren't done quite the way I would do them. I remember growing up not being able to cook with my sister without fighting. I think I just work better alone.

I'm going to make brownies with dd tonight to take to her grandmothers for Mother's Day.

[bigeyes]

Originally Posted by Kleine Hexe

:



I knew I couldn't be the only one who doesn't feel like June Cleaver in the kitchen with the kiddos. Did she bake *with* the kids?

Of course not. Her kitchen was fake.

I've got to sit down and make a list of things to start teaching them and just go through them one at a time if it kills me. I wish I were one of those patient, mellow moms. :

Gee, is it awful if I have a glass of wine before cooking lessons begin? : A really big one?

[alima]

You know what? I'm totally the June Cleaver wanna-be, love to be in the kitchen, would love to spend hours baking and experimenting with my ds.

And he HATES it all, always has. He's just like the OP, all he wants is the food to be done and get outta there Cooking and baking are the most boring, dreaded things on earth for him. Maybe we should trade kids for a while

[bigeyes]

Could be. It's so much easier to just do it myself. It's a major flaw of mine, and I recognize it, but it's so much easier to work with a kid who actually thinks you know what you're doing.

My friend told me I should just let her put a tablespoon of salt in something and see what happens. Why can't I just step back and do that?

[mommy68]

I didn't like being a mom to babies. I admit that. I am NOT a good baby mom. It didn't come naturally to me and I have 3 kids. Some moms are such perfect baby moms, but I stunk at it. But I got through it the best I could that first 6-12 months. I'm a much better mom now for it. We all have our "things". I bet in a few years you could care less about the mess and being begging your kids to cook with you. Just like I'll be wishing my kids would hurry up and have me some grandkids.

[bigeyes]

I hope so. I miss two. I love two year olds and have never understood that whole terrible twos thing people complain about.

[mags]

Originally Posted by 2shy2post

My personal testimony as to hating cooking (dishwashing, laundry, etc.) with my kids:

Maybe I can blame it on being an only child, A-type, personality. I like things to just be "done" and as fast as possible. It has taken me a great deal of time to just relax and enjoy the process. Which, honestly, I have to FORCE myself to do. Ultimately, I don't really enjoy cooking withOUT the kids (really, for me it is a means to an end), so I'm sure that contributes to it as well...

anyway, just thought I would comisserate.

I feel the same, exact way. I tried to bake cookies with the kids at christmas time and spent the entire time freaking out. My DH pointed out that I needed to chill out, b/c I was scaring the kids, but being the type A personality I am, it drives me bonkers when my kids paw everything up and spill flour EVERYWHERE, b/c that means that *I* get to clean it. They don't listen, when I tell them not to touch something, they will stick their entire hand into it. I ended up having my DH take over, since it seems like he is generally the, "fun" one and I am the "un-fun" one when it comes to these kinds of things. I have friends who love cooking with their kids, but unfortunately that's just not me, and I feel kind of guilty about it. When it's time for me to cook, I shoo everyone out of the kitchen, b/c I need my space and I want to do things as quickly as possible. I think I adopted my attitude from my mom, who is a wonderful cook, but cooking with her was never fun, b/c I didn't like being stuck in a kitchen (she would force me to help her in the kitchen while my brothers didn't have to help). For me, I cook, b/c I have to, and it's not b/c I'm not good at it, I'm actually a decent cook, I just don't think it's relaxing and I hate that cooking means that there will be a mess that needs to be cleaned up. I might enjoy it more if I had my own personal dishwasher person! If I was filthy rich, the first person I would hire, would be a personal chef. I love to eat, but just don't enjoy cooking that much. My DH loves to cook, but he leaves a disaster after he cooks, so when he cooks, all that means is that I have to pick up after his huge mess.

[bigeyes]

I'm very type A, but I love to cook. I just hate it when someone else is in the way, messing up my system.

I have no patience whatsoever. Plus my kids are at a bickering stage where they are constantly trying to one-up each other and I just can't stand having both of them in the same room right now. I'm hating the tweens. I remember cooking with my ds when he was a toddler and it was fun, so I really think it's this whole tweens and 2 of them fighting for attention thing that is killing it for me.

[boatbaby]

I hate to cook I hate to cook I hate to cook I hate to cook.

I always have.

I do however enjoy eating homemade meals. Just not made by me.

I guess the exception for me would be cooking/ baking with my son. It makes it seem worthwhile. Before we had DS, Dh and I would do dinner by what carry-out menu was at the top of the junk drawer. With group meals we were the ones asked to bring the bread and wine.

But seeing all through DS's eyes (mess and everything) makes the effort worthwhile. Especially since it keeps those mischievous little hands busy.

My DS also has a yearning for a garden. We live on a boat... and I don't have a gardening bone in my body anyhow. I gave in and bought a few sunflower seeds and a bucket and the little buggers are actually growing right in our cockpit!

It's funny because it seems to be part of the whole earth mama identity to be a goddess in the kitchen whipping up whole nutritious raw vegan meals. If I ever win the lottery I am hiring a chef!

[LilyGrace]

I hate cooking with kids when I have to do all the work. I love cooking with kids when we're using a picture based cookbook, like Molly Katzen's or the three step montessori cards. Those are fun. All I have to do is measure it out before hand and put it into bowls, they follow the pictures to dump and mix.

Works out well for everyone. But the whole me-lead-you-wait-for-instructions method? I'd rather poke my eyes out.

[2shy2post]

Originally Posted by LilyGrace

But the whole me-lead-you-wait-for-instructions method? I'd rather poke my eyes out.

Just curious ~ does anyone else have any "kid-friendly, sanity preserving" cookbooks to recommend? I'd like to see what my library has to offer. This sounds like a road to follow!

BTW ~ HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!

[3girlmom]

I recommend Nigella Lawson's Lunchbox treats in her Nigella Express cookbook. You melt some butter and chocolate with some malted syrup and dump it on some mixed cereals. The kids feel like they're cooking, but you feel like you're mixing. And also, they mostly appeal to kids rather than adults, so I'm not going to pig out on them.

Other things that are not-quite cooking - paninis, salads, salsa, guacamole. Really, really simple muffins and cookie dough. Pancakes.

I think it's in the "Liberated Parent, Liberated Child" book that the authors say there's no rule parents have to do things they don't love. I love to cook with my kids, but I do not like playing fantasy games. I just cannot pretend to be a baby or a princess or a duck or whatever. I try to hire babysitters who can do that kind of stuff (and pay them extra for it!). Anyway, I totally recommend that book (from the people who wrote the How to Talk so Kids will Listen etc. books).

[homeschoolingmama]

This is one thing I actually like doing. Laundry drives me crazy but baking is nice. I like thinking that yrs down the road they will have fond memories of baking with their mom. It just seems so natural and beautiful. I measure the ingredients and they help mix. It gets a bit messy but I expect it to. If you check out my blog you will see us making our first bread yesterday. Mmmm.

[lilyka]

I hate cooking. adding kids to the mix (usually fighting over who gets to do what and when is my turn) just add to the stress and mess.

I often worry that my homeschooling license will be revoked.

Oh what they do get to help with is chopping. I have a pampered chef chopper and they can take it to the dining room and chop their little hearts out. they get to help but they are not underfoot either.