I've been having a love affair with my slow cooker. I gots recipes.

And those skids, they need to learn to fend for themselves. They're too old to be crying hungry and demanding that YOU make something.

Slow cooker for the win. I prepare as much as I can the night before, or on weekends (measuring spices, cutting certain veggies), and in the morning I throw everything in and turn it on. That way when I get home, I have a healthy meal ready for consumption.

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

With a slow cooker you're just changing the time you do the preparation. But its true at least you're not coming home to screaming brats. Well not hungry ones anyway. Kids of this age can prepare whatever meals you've taught them to prepare and provided the ingredients for. Lets see 1. One can spaghetti. 2. One loaf bread. 3. One tub oleomargarine. Done. Expect to come home to occasional opened can of spaghetti on floor.

I'm glad you're starting to see that perhaps you're the volunteer maid, babysitter, cook, chauffeur and sex partner et al. I've little doubt you were chosen for your willingness to do those things and if you went on strike you probably would find him saying "This isn't working out". Damn right it wouldn't be, not for him anyway.

I'm really glad you haven't decided that having a baby is the perfect way to fix things. Boy it really goes downhill from there. Keep your legs together for now and consider your situation. Eventually you'll decide you're far better off finding a childless guy and starting your own family providing you two have agreed to have children. Although you'll be coming home to the same situation at least they'll be your own. Plus you can postpone that day for a decade or two in light of your young age and start having some fun. For me that would be travel - for you perhaps going to a Dude Ranch for a couple of weeks.

That speaks to money. Exactly how much is all of this costing YOU?

And to add to all that... You don't need to walk the dogs and do laundry too. The skids can do that. They should be assigned it on their days with you.

LOL I work F/T, then come home and make dinner for my elderly parents. Slow cookers rock! I also make stuff/prep ahead (casseroles, sauce, chop veggies, slice meat, etc.). It's really just a matter of planning ahead.

Ugh I do ALL dinners at our house. It's just me and BS and DH. DH never wants to eat until late- like 9. BS and I like to eat early (around 5ish). So it just makes more sense for me to cook. BUT even if DH was home early he still wouldnt cook. (that's another post- grrrr)

Thankfully I work from home 2 days a week, so I dont feel so stressed to cook dinner right after work. I also use the crockpot. And we eat out a lot. BS is still young enough that it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to eat out. BUT I dont like that we eat out, because of the health aspect. But the mental aspect of not having to cook and clean up, that outweighs it for me most days.

Your skids are old enough that they can help cooking or prepare their own meals.

do you enjoy cooking? i think that's where it is.

if you dont particularly like to cook then i think its viewed as a "chore" and even if you worked PT you wouldnt want to do it.

i work 50-60 hours (maybe i could do less if i wasnt on ST so much? LoL) but i cook a meal for us every night. But i enjoy cooking. They key is to find easy on teh stove items - i do alot of chix breast, pork chops in the skillet or steaks - 20 mins max which is just the right amount of time to steam veggies. Roasts and such i save for the weekends and those are so easy you throw them in and forget it!

ive personally never been a fan of crock pots unless its for a soup or something. when you cook something like pot roast and veggies, everything ends up tasting the same. yucky.

My bios are 14/16 (skids are here only during summers).

I grocery shop and cook - I do no other chores. My bios rotate 1 week on/1 week off on cleaning the kitchen. They rotate cleaning their own bathroom and they do their own laundry.

DH does our laundry and other house chores - cooking is daily; other chores are not. So I refuse to scrub toilets and do laundry since I have to cook. I did not "ask"; I said it was how it was going to be.

I use my crockpot/slowcooker but another BIG tip that I give working moms is to prepare at least 1.5-2 times for each meal.

E.g.; If cook chicken, potatoes and veges today, make spaghetti tomorrow then on Saturday I won't cook because there will be leftovers and/or everyone can fend for themselves.

My 11DD has helped in the kitchen for years. She enjoys cutting veggies for the crockpot and obviously young kids are capable. They just need to be expected to help out. I do more crockpot stuff in fall/winter, and we tend to snack throughout the day (we are all home all day) and often just snack right through dinner. But snacks are healthy foods, not dingdongs and potato chips all day. THAT SAID, honestly, one of the reasons at the top of the list of "why I could never live with my bf" is that I don't have to deal with a skid turning his nose up at how we do things, what we eat, meals I fix, etc. And I certainly wouldn't want to work in the kitchen with a skid. My kids are younger and know how to cook eggs, grilled cheese, mac n cheese, and they can heat up anything they want on the stove. Some older kids still depend on adults to do EVERYTHING in the kitchen and that needs to stop. We all need to stop catering to these kids and teach them to be independent.

We have a "make your own pizza" night. I buy the raw ingredients, chop them up and the kids make their own pizza on the ready-made pizza bread that you can buy at just about any store. Kids love it! (Even my 2-year-old). Doesn't take long to prepare, and best of all NOBODY complains!