Izzy (and Mama) Eat: The Gourmand Goes To College...

Tales of Empty Nest and College Boy Eats.. The Next Chapter

Monday, April 30, 2007

The New No Nap Mode: Cramping Our Eating Style

I suppose I should consider myself lucky for Izzy was always a rather willing napper. I would suggest it was nap time and he would follow me upstairs and happily lie down beside me for a story, boobie and then sleep. He followed the typical patterns for his age and then continued to have a 2-3 hour nap til past the age of 3.5. Then things slowly began to show signs of change. The nap time started to dwindle down to about 1.5 hours. I still couldn't complain, especially since some of his peers had long ago given up the nap altogether.

The long naps were great for many reasons. I could get some chores done, take a quick snooze and best of all, Izzy would be peppy and ready for some late night dining. Well, it seems those days may be but a distant memory. Izzy has not napped at home now for at least four weeks and it has been sheer torture. I am constantly tired and dinner plans are difficult to make.If I decide to cook then we can't go to the park. It requires me to be ultra-organized and that hasn't happened. Worst of all, if we want to go out for dinner, it is best to be at the restaurant by 6:30. And even then, it is unlikely we will be home for a 7:45 p.m. bedtime so he inevitably goes to bed too late, which then impacts our morning routine.

Tonight was a case in point. I didn't have my dining act together and after lingering too long at the park figured we would just go out. Well we didn't leave the house til 7:10 p.m. so our options were limited. We went to the nearby Greek spot (more on that some other time) and Izzy was practically falling asleep on the banquette, just nibbling half-heartedly on his pita. I felt like a negligent mom. I had to have my dinner fix whilst my poor child should have been cozy in bed, on his way to dreamland. There must be a better way.


2 comments:

Bean's Mum said...

Hmm. Slow cooker? It won't heat up the kitchen in the summertime. I recommend "The Gourmet Slow Cooker" vols. I and II.

I read this with no small ounce of understanding from the land of no-nap and a 9 month-old. Time to go clean the kitchen after a haphazard home cooked meal and the subsequent ingredient explosion!

Yours in thwarted dinner planning,

Izzy's Mama said...

A slow cooker? Is that the solution? Do you really want to eat stewy things in the summer? I have been itching to try using one but it just doesn't quite seem like summertime fare.