Good morning Thursday

[Mouse]

I've got a quiet day today as one of the children is off ill.

We've got a couple of bits to finish on the Mother's Day crafts but other than that it'll be a free play day. The weather isn't too bad - windy still but bright and sunny - so we'll head out into the garden after the children have finished their snack.

Do all of you do morning snacks for children? I'm wondering how many of my lot actually need it. When I had children arriving early I gave them a snack at about 10.15am because I knew they'd had their breakfast early at home. Now the earliest any of them arrive is 8.30am, with most coming at 9.00am or later, so I know they haven't had a particularly early breakfast. They never show any signs of being hungry but it's a habit now that they have a snack.

Are any of your own family doing anything nice for you on Mother's Day? I did suggest that one of my grown up children might like to cook a Sunday roast, but no one's taken me up on the offer so far! A few years ago one of my son's hadn't bought me anything for Mother's Day so said he'd come round and cooks the dinner. Unfortunately he'd been out on the Saturday night and didn't wake up till lunchtime on the Sunday. Obviously by that time I'd already cooked the dinner and he's never lived it down since :laughing:

Have good days everyone :thumbsup:

[Maza]

Morning.

It's my first full day without DD being here. The morning seems so long without her popping downstairs for her breaks and either causing chaos or doing something really helpful and constructive - you never quite know which way it would go! I miss her, but it will be sooooo nice to not have to think up lunches for her every day - her tastes are very different to my mindee. It's strange to think that we can just go out whenever we like without feeling guilty that I am going out just as she is due a short break.

I remembered to get mindee to write in his Mother's Day card, so I'm happy with myself! We've done some sticker pictures and read lots and lots of stories.

It's still pretty windy here. We'll have to go out somewhere where there aren't too many trees I think. I get a bit paranoid when it is windy.

I do still do snacks. They would be fine without it I think, but like you say it is habit and it helps to break up the day.

We don't do anything special for Mother's Day - DD and DH make a fuss of me and do the cooking, make coffees etc but we don't do anything away from the home.

Don't get blown away everyone!

[loocyloo]

Afternoon. :D

We do snack pretty early ( around 9.30! ) as my early arrivals are always hungry and we usually have lunch just before midday! However, it's more of a habit we've got into during assorted lockdowns. If we're out and about, we're often too busy to think about a snack and then usually have lunch earlier!

It's very windy here, and one of mine has decided she doesn't like the wind! We've been watching it blow the trees and flowers, and some bubbles, but she is determined not to go out! We've got a school run to walk later, so she'll have to go out then!
We've ended up doing lots of colour sorting and matching games/activities today. I bought some gorgeous little woven rope bowls a while back, and they've loved colour sorting into them.

I have suggested that DH&DD cook me lunch/arrange something for mothers day ..... but I have no idea! DD is dancing 11-4, so who knows?! All I know is ... I'm not cooking !!!! I often spend mothers day at dance comps, so it's going to be odd being home!

I've just had to have a man in to look at dishwasher as it started leaking, DH put a new seal in, and it was OK for a week and then started again. Apparently our just 4 yr old machines door has warped and just doesn't seal and we need to either replace the entire front door ( and it might also be the interior panels have warped too ) or probably more cost effective to buy a new machine:eeeek::crying: by the time bought part, paid labour etc.

[Pixie dust]

The weather has been so wet and windy here!

The will only be DH and I here on Mother's Day so I think it will be like any other Sunday. Two cards have arrived in the post today which I have put aside until Sunday. I would normally see my own mum and we would have tea and cake.

We always have snack about 9.45am as some of mine arrive by 8am and often will have had breakfast on the way to me, arriving with toast in hand! Lunch is at 12 then we have a afternoon snack at 230pm before going to school. It's the afternoon snack here that I think isn't really needed, sometimes if we have been busy we don't have time but then one little one will get upset saying we haven't had snack!

Loocyloo our dishwasher broke down in December and we haven't replaced it as we are supposed to be having a complete new kitchen fitted at some point this year so didn't want to get a new one just yet and honestly it's been ok with out it, I thought not having one would be awful but we have managed :laughing:

Maza I have signed up for a wanderlust April box :o

[Dragonfly]

I don’t think children need snacks ( unless missed breakfast etc) I do them though. I wonder if this is one of the reasons why so many children are over weight.

When I was a child in the 60’s you didn’t have ‘ snack time’ and my own children never did.

[Mouse]

I don’t think children need snacks ( unless missed breakfast etc) I do them though. I wonder if this is one of the reasons why so many children are over weight.

When I was a child in the 60’s you didn’t have ‘ snack time’ and my own children never did.

That's a very good point Dragonfly.

When I was growing up I don't remember eating anything other than at main meals times and I didn't give my own children snacks. I wonder when it became a trend? I know at Ofsted inspections I've been asked about snacks the children have, so I guess it was an assumption then that children had them.

I've decided I'm going to stop morning snack from next week and see if anyone notices.

[loocyloo]

Good luck!

I don't give much for morning snack, usually just a small amount of fruit. I have one child who 'inhales' any food, then sits gazing at everyone else! I used to do a shared plate, but can't now! ( also covid related we don't share food )

[Maza]

I remember snacks were advised when DD, now 12, was a toddler. All the literature said that toddlers/little children have small stomachs and so need feeding little and often. I think it's a useful opportunity to contribute to the 5 a day, but I remember one playgroup we used to go to, the snacks were more like a lunch! I think it was a bit of a bring and share snack if I remember rightly, so there would be a couple of different fruits, then the carrot, cucumber type of things, cheese, bread sticks, maybe a cracker and a cup of milk. Honestly, the children would come back with a plateful. I used to think that they had a weeks worth of snacks on one day!

When I was in the infants school we did have our glass bottles of milk as a snack, but we could also bring in a food snack. Don't know if it was just my school, but no one brought in fruit! Most of us brought crisps.

[Dragonfly]

I’m going to try missing morning snacks also next week and give a earlier lunch 12 ish They have the choice of water or milk throughout the day. I often give a low weight child a second breakfast when they arrive I will continue to do that as they need it.

[Mouse]

I wonder if one of the differences is that drinks are now available throughout the day, whereas at one time they were only given at a certain time. When I was young we had the little bottles of milk during the morning. That was probably our snack time and was the only time during the morning when we'd get a drink. Now that drinks are available all the time, I wonder if milk has been replaced by a snack.

It's an interesting discussion though and shows how things have changed over time.