In my last installment of how adulting is just too hard, I shall comment how I just can’t get my act together in cooking. I’ve already established the fact that I can’t keep my house clean or organized to save my life and that my children are slowly killing me. So now I ask, how the heck do people do it? How do people manage to cook a meal every night? Especially if they work full time? When I took off for 2 years after I had my second child and was home during the day, I cooked many nights throughout the week. Nothing fancy, but I could manage to pinterest something together and prepare something somewhat home cooked for my family.
But now that I’m working. FORGET ABOUT IT. I just can’t figure it out. I’m so tired all the time. By the time I get the kids picked up from daycare, we get in the house and settled in, it’s after 5:00, sometimes after 6:00. Who wants to make dinner at that point? I have zero energy to do it. I’m often in pain. There’s not enough time. I probably had no time to shop, so there’s probably not enough food to put together a good meal anyway.
So what do we eat? Some nights…cereal. Lots of nights, unfortunately…fast food. Other nights, something super easy like pancakes or eggs or mac and cheese. If I want to get really fancy, we might have spaghetti. I also feel really accomplished if I make hamburger helper. Go mom!
I feel really bad. I know other parents cook dinner for their families. Parents who work. I just can’t seem to get it figured out. I really want to. I want my kids eating something more healthy. Something more home cooked and made with love by their mom. But most days, I just don’t have it in me.
So super parents…how in the heck do you do it? Where do you get this super human power to create a meal after work?? How do I learn your ways? (And if you say you cook it on the weekends and then freeze it or eat it throughout the week, I try that and am only successful once in a blue moon…I’m still too tired on the weekends or too busy!)
Actually, I think I just need a cook.
Pretending to be a functioning adult is exhausting 
I am definitely not one of those super parents. I hate to cook and totally agree with you, by the time I get home and in the door I don’t even really care if I eat. My excuse now is that my sons are 20 and 22 and they can cook for us. I do have a lot of friends who swear by the Crockpot. Recently, it seems like people are using those cooking services like Blue Apron. That might be worth a try!
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No kids here and I still struggle to cook a meal at the end of the day. Adulting is hard.
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It’s so hard. I usually cook about three nights during the week, and the struggle is real. I feel very stressed out when we come in the door – so much pressure to get dinner cooked and homework done and whatever else. Don’t beat yourself up about it. I’m convinced that those women – the ones who appear to be doing it all – they’re failing miserably in other areas of life that we just can’t see. No one can do it all. You’re a wonderful teacher and a wonderful mommy and a wonderful so-many-other-things-I’m-sure. You don’t need to be a wonderful chef also. You really don’t.
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I don’t want to be a wonderful chef. I do want them to eat healthy food. Or something that resembles healthy food. And I don’t want them to think that dinner = fast food. I don’t want them to make that connection early in life. I mean, we don’t do that every night, but I just want to set good examples for them now so they eat well later in life. And I want them to be healthy and not be eating crap all the tie.
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Single, no kids and I still can’t do it. I have no idea how people with kids survive. Really.
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also single and no kids. I might cook one night, and then eat that for the rest of the week. Or the soup I buy from the grocery store… I don’t understand it either!
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I was trying to get into cooking once or twice and then having it for left overs the other two days. But lately I can’t even manage that!
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I feel your pain! It is so hard to get food on the table, and cleaning up is even worse. I use my crock pot at least twice a week–that seems to help–but I’m a low-prep crock pot user (like, I throw in a slab of meat and microwave some veggies to go with it when I get home). Adulting is ridiculously hard!
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See my first installment of adulting is too hard…cleaning my house, lol. I don’t seem to do that right either!
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Oh it was a struggle. I will say slow cookers may be your friend here. Find recipes you like, trow everything together, set it and walk out the door. Yes, the prep is work, but less work than being over a stove every day. You’ll get the hang of it.
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I have a few things for the crockpot that I make, but my problem is that sometimes I forget to turn it on!! Or I plan to pull all the stuff out of the fridge but don’t. (So at least the meat isn’t ruined)
I just don’t know if I have it in me to ever adult properly, sigh.
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I’m glad I’m not the only adult who can’t adult. I feel your pain. My husband just texted me (he often does the majority of the cooking) and said, “I don’t feel like cooking tonight, want to pick something up?” Music to my ears!
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