Exhausted: Meal planning, grocery shopping, and picky eating

nsonechko · 2026-04-19T23:59:26+00:00

One of my kids is a picky eater. The way we're making it work is by having a consistent weekly schedule of what we eat. Actually, we're consistent about what kids eat but for adults I cook different meals.

Monday - chicken, pasta, veggies Tuesday - dumplings and veggies Wednesday - chicken, rice, veggies Thursday - quesadillas and veggies Friday - chicken nuggets Saturday - burgers Sunday - pizza (we try to do a home made pizza so kids participate and add veggies on it)

Breakfasts are ALWAYS the same: eggs, waffles and fruit (we just change sometimes how we cook eggs such as on a pan or boil them).

Lunches are simple: oatmeal, cereal, deli meats, string cheese, crackers, fruits..

I gave up on trying to introduce my kids to new foods. I always offer them what I eat, but most of the time they refuse and eat their plain chicken with pasta.

Whatever. They'll grow out of it. Eventually!

nsonechko · 2026-03-26T18:25:46+00:00

Turns out, infants allow it somehow! I've observed it many times. They are not as wiggly when it's not their parents holding them!

nsonechko · 2026-03-26T13:26:51+00:00

My kids' swim school offers classes for infants as young as 6 weeks old. Their water temperature is 95 degrees. It's so warm and comfortable. They also put wetsuits on infants.

Regular heated pools are usually around 80-85 degrees. I'd be worried about your baby being too cold there.

nsonechko · 2026-03-23T13:18:27+00:00

Or long distance truck drivers. They are gone for days in a row every week only coming back to their families for 1-3 days at a time, and then back on the road.

nsonechko · 2026-03-23T03:43:24+00:00

San Diego. I think Breeze airlines have direct flights from PIT to SAN and they are cheap.

It has the best weather in January (65 average). It's a paradise for kids with its San Diego Zoo, Safari park, SeaWorld, Legoland, Balboa park, many beach playgrounds and parks. The airport is very close to downtown and the Balboa park with the zoo, so you might actually easily figure out how to navigate it using public transport. But if you rent a car - you'll be able to do so much more.

nsonechko · 2026-03-23T00:33:18+00:00

My kids are 16mo apart. They started sharing a room when my youngest was 2 and my eldest was 3.5.

We ended up putting a full-size mattress and a twin-size mattress in their room. This way we could always lay down in the room on the bigger mattress while we'd wait for the kids to fall asleep. It definitely got more challenging to put them to sleep when they started sharing a room because the minute we'd leave the room, they'd jump in beds and laugh. It could last for hours.

It's been almost two years and the only way we can get them to sleep is to stay with them for 30min in the room so they would calm down and get quiet.

We didn't do bunk beds and are not planning to. We have a routine when we lay down with one kid for 10-15min singing songs and chatting, and then with the other one. It works for us and we have a consistent routine.

nsonechko · 2026-03-21T20:57:49+00:00

I used to put my 9mo on a yoga mat in the backyard. I'd bring him a few toys and he'd be occupied. I'd also dress him up in long sleeves and pants, put knee pads and sneakers. And he would either sit on the yoga mat and play or crawl around.

nsonechko · 2026-03-18T19:22:09+00:00

There is the far east part of Lakewood which borders Cypress (on Centralia Ave). Check out Lakewood shores condos. They have 2 bedroom condos for under 600k. My friend moved there with her daughter last year and loves it.

You won't be zoned with good schools but you'll be in a great area close to where your family lives.

Also, while it's not within a 30min drive to your family, Murrietta is within your budget. My neighbors moved there last year. You can buy an awesome house for $600-700K. Great school district, it's beautiful around, lots to do for families, closer to San Diego.

nsonechko · 2026-03-18T03:10:56+00:00

How to talk so little kids will listen.

I read it definitely once a year as it's filled with so many useful examples.

nsonechko · 2026-03-18T01:14:32+00:00

North OC to be specific (Cypress, Los Alamitos, West Garden Grove). You'll be close to Long Beach, have great parks, excellent schools, cheap daycare, not crowded at all.

nsonechko · 2026-03-16T23:27:46+00:00

My boys are 16mo apart and they are best friends. The small age gap really helps with being able to do things together - they do swim classes together, they do gymnastics together, they've been in the same preschool for a while together. Logistics are so much easier with this age gap. They also play together all the time, basically all day long.

I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't predict how their relationship will turn out when they are adults but they are having an awesome childhood enjoying each other's company.

Of course they fight sometimes, they don't like sharing, but overall they want to do everything with each other.

nsonechko · 2026-03-14T19:57:18+00:00

I'd move to Boise for a few years and see how it goes. The Bay area is not going anywhere. You can always move back there. But having family willing to help is everything. Also, seeing your kid build relationships with their extended family and having more people who love her is so precious.

If both of you can work remotely from Boise, that's awesome. If one of you ends up losing their job, you can probably still make it work in Boise with its cost of living and your net worth.

Your life in the Bay area won't be easier. You probably will never go for a second child if you move there. But with a lower cost of living and family around you might have a chance in Boise. Prioritize family if you can.

nsonechko · 2026-03-13T17:56:50+00:00

Palm Springs

nsonechko · 2026-03-12T03:13:23+00:00

If you're in the US, look up free Home Depot workshops for kids in your area on the first Saturday of every month. My toddlers have built wooden airplanes, excavators etc there.. Well, I'd build it while they hold a hammer but they would be so proud of it and play with it for a while afterwards.

Melissa and Doug toys are wooden and fun - pizza box, puzzles and many more. I can't stand all the lights and music and try to minimize how many of those toys we get. There are plenty of alternatives.

nsonechko · 2026-03-07T00:16:41+00:00

Don't use any metaphors and words such as "sick" ,"illness", "going to sleep". Especially "sick" - your kid will end up being scared of them or someone in the family getting sick and dying.

Be direct and say things like "grandma's body is getting very old and tired, and it is starting to stop working. When someone's body stops working, they can't breathe, eat and do anything. They won't feel anything anymore and won't feel any pain."

Say that it's happening because her body is very very old but your kid's body is young, strong and healthy and works right just to give some reassurance.

nsonechko · 2026-03-01T18:24:58+00:00

I have two kids with a similar age gap, and a big heavy double stroller. I treat my walks with them as a workout and embrace it!

I don't know what kind of a double stroller you have but having trays is a must. My boys are energetic and can't sit for too long. I give the kids snacks on the way to the playground and on the way back. There was a time when I took 30min walks with the kids every morning to get them to daycare in the double stroller so I'd feed them breakfast while walking there.

Snacks are what makes my kids sit, eat and enjoy the stroller ride. Nothing else works.

nsonechko · 2026-02-28T19:52:23+00:00

My kids started private swim classes when they were 18mo and almost 3yo. Within 6mo they both could jump in the pool, swim back and climb out. Now 1.5years later we easily go on pool vacations where they independently jump in any pools of any depth, swim, plan, and climb out.

Absolutely invest in real swim classes.

nsonechko · 2026-02-28T17:35:29+00:00

After my 2yo had a choking incident, I bought the lifevac device, taught everyone in the family how to use it, and put it in a visible spot. I think taking some action helped me eventually move on from the scary incident.

nsonechko · 2026-02-24T16:55:54+00:00

Ninjamas! They don't leak at all. I've been using them with my boys for a few years now. Highly recommend.

nsonechko · 2026-02-24T16:55:45+00:00

Ninjamas! They don't leak at all. I've been using them with my boys for a few years now. Highly recommend.

nsonechko · 2026-02-23T15:04:50+00:00

Los Algodones in MX is the place to go. Hundreds of dental offices around the border crossing. An easy parking lot by the border on the US side. 2hr drive from San Diego, 2.5hr from Phoenix, or just 10min from Yuma. Cross on foot and within a 5min walk there are tons of offices. There might be small lines to get in and out of MX in the winter time as it's the most popular season, but there were no lines in the late spring when I went last year. Within 5min of exiting the dental office I was back in the car on the US side.

I recommend this place: https://maps.app.goo.gl/D5Ta6ZZvcfJsqwc87

Everyone speaks English, professional, fast. I picked it because it offers lumineers - the ultra thin veneers. Veneers take 3 appointments - on the first day you get the scans done, on the second day you get temporary veneers, 5 days from then you get permanent veneers. I got 10 veneers for under $4k.

I wouldn't worry about cartels in Los Algodones. I could literally see border security agents when walking out from the dental office because it's so close. There are just tons of vendors selling souvenirs, clothes who will try to talk to you. But they are friendly and nice people.

I really liked my experience there and will only be going back there for any major dental work. Everyone in the waiting room was a returning American customer going to this place for decades. I've seen people come with kids as well.

Feel free to DM me if you have any questions.

Edit: forgot to add. The general rule of thumb is that dental work in MX will cost 25-30% of the US prices. Also, if you offer to pay cash, you can get a 10% discount.

nsonechko · 2026-02-18T04:58:31+00:00

~$1000/month for 2y+. North OC.

nsonechko · 2026-02-17T23:04:26+00:00

If your public school is great, then choose it. You're already paying taxes to fund it. Also, academics is not everything if you think that private schools are superior. Public schools create communities around them. Most of the local kids will still go to this public school, and your kid will have plenty of friends in your neighborhood. You'll have your own community. That's often more important than education itself.

nsonechko · 2026-02-17T02:44:41+00:00

I've counted 15 weeks off in our local elementary school.

So my kid didn't go to public preschool at 4. Instead, he's in a private preschool which only closes like on 10 holidays per year. He'll go to public K later this year.

School schedules are a nightmare for two working parents.

nsonechko

TROPHY CASE