{"id":6645,"date":"2020-04-03T09:40:18","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T13:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dinnertime.com\/content\/?p=6645"},"modified":"2020-04-03T09:40:18","modified_gmt":"2020-04-03T13:40:18","slug":"lets-talk-food-and-budget-and-stay-at-home-directives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/2020\/04\/03\/lets-talk-food-and-budget-and-stay-at-home-directives\/","title":{"rendered":"Let’s Talk Food…and Budget…and Stay at Home Directives"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"LOL! My friends loved seeing their ideas in our last blog post. They asked for another happy hour discussion! (Or maybe a great excuse for a happy hour!) They felt they have so much to share. So I said sure, and let\u2019s talk about food. Well, they came ready to talk!<\/p>\n

At first there were a lot of complaints and kvetching! \u201cThe amount of food\u201d \u201cThe constant grazing\u201d \u201cThe amount of carbs\u201d \u201cMy food budget is out of control\u201d and \u201cThe state of the kitchen\u201d were the immediate shout-outs. All our complaining helped us see what we considered to be the specific food challenges of staying home ALL THE TIME with the whole family.<\/p>\n

Generally, I would classify this group of friends as \u201cget it done\u201d kind of people. I already work from home, but for many, working from home is a new challenge, in so many ways.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a time and place to mourn our life as it was, and a time to move on to decide how to handle our new normal.<\/h3>\n

We\u2019re all pretty sick of the “perpetual weekend\u201d. So it became apparent we\u2019re all ready to take back control and institute new rules and schedules into our home lives. Ideas and suggestions were welcomed. Most of us already knew what we needed to do, but when you say it out loud, it creates accountability, like starting a new workout program with a friend. You have to show up!<\/p>\n

We were collectively concerned with the amount of food being consumed, our food budget, keeping the place organized, how to keep away from stress eating (too many chips and sweets), and how to enjoy cooking in this environment.<\/p>\n

We determined that a solid schedule was the key to solving our dilemma.<\/h4>\n

There were a number of groans from the group, but all agreed a good schedule keeps everyone on more of an even keel. It\u2019s like teaching a toddler the word \u201cNo\u201d and meaning it. It\u2019s tough for the first couple of days, but then so much easier thereon out.\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n