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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Please Help
PrincessMommy 08:01 AM 02-08-2011
I am looking at buying a house and starting my daycare. The house i want has a living area on the second floor but no kitchen. Would I be able to take the kids upstairs at lunch time, do a table activity and prepare lunch? How do you have yours set up? I do not want to use my whole upstages because honestly I want to "go home" after work. Please give me your info on how you do it. I would put a mini fridge downstairs and do yogurts and things like that for snacks. I would put milk and juice in that fridge as well so I do not have to go upstairs so much. any thoughts?
DCMomOf3 08:14 AM 02-08-2011
Hello! I take my kids upstairs to eat in my dining room because I too don't have my lower level equipped for food service. I just make sure they are properly secured at the table with activities while I prepare lunch.
kendallina 10:17 AM 02-08-2011
My playroom is upstairs and kitchen downstairs, so we have to go on the stairs as well. But, I have all older (preschool-aged) kids, so it's pretty easy. So, I'm not really a lot of help. 
Good luck, though!
Good luck, though!
Cat Herder 10:35 AM 02-08-2011
I prepare all my meals, in advance so all that is required of me is re-heating during a work day.
I cook in bulk and freeze a month worth of fresh veggies, casseroles, soups, meats, deserts, etc....
Simplifies my life
(I also stock our elderly parents freezers with these to allow them to live independently longer. 
)
I buy a case of aluminum quart "party" pans with lids (or "caterer serving pans" depending on where you shop) about once a year (I get mine from Betty Mills).
They are oven and freezer safe, just pop them in the oven to re-heat about 30 minutes prior to lunch (after defrosting the day before in the fridge, of course
). I know you could sneak downstairs long enough to throw them in the oven, takes less time than going potty...ha!! I do it all the time since my playroom is in my garage.
I use them for family dinners on nights when DH is on shift, too.
I cook in bulk and freeze a month worth of fresh veggies, casseroles, soups, meats, deserts, etc....
Simplifies my life
(I also stock our elderly parents freezers with these to allow them to live independently longer. )I buy a case of aluminum quart "party" pans with lids (or "caterer serving pans" depending on where you shop) about once a year (I get mine from Betty Mills).
They are oven and freezer safe, just pop them in the oven to re-heat about 30 minutes prior to lunch (after defrosting the day before in the fridge, of course
). I know you could sneak downstairs long enough to throw them in the oven, takes less time than going potty...ha!! I do it all the time since my playroom is in my garage.I use them for family dinners on nights when DH is on shift, too.
Blackcat31 10:39 AM 02-08-2011
Originally Posted by Catherder:
I prepare all my meals, in advance so all that is required of me is re-heating during a work day.
I cook in bulk and freeze a month worth of fresh veggies, casseroles, soups, meats, deserts, etc....
Simplifies my life (I also stock our elderly parents freezers with these to allow them to live independently longer. )
I buy a case of aluminum quart "party" pans with lids (or "caterer serving pans" depending on where you shop) about once a year (I get mine from Betty Mills).
They are oven and freezer safe, just pop them in the oven to re-heat about 30 minutes prior to lunch (after defrosting the day before in the fridge, of course).
I use them for family dinners on nights when DH is on shift, too.
One of my provider friends prepares meals like this and sells them to the daycare parents for those days they are in a hurry and have no time for a healthy meal...they just buy a prepared meal from her and take it home and heat it up...no hassles and easy as can be....plus it helps the parents avoid the fast food trap....I prepare all my meals, in advance so all that is required of me is re-heating during a work day.
I cook in bulk and freeze a month worth of fresh veggies, casseroles, soups, meats, deserts, etc....
Simplifies my life
(I also stock our elderly parents freezers with these to allow them to live independently longer. )I buy a case of aluminum quart "party" pans with lids (or "caterer serving pans" depending on where you shop) about once a year (I get mine from Betty Mills).
They are oven and freezer safe, just pop them in the oven to re-heat about 30 minutes prior to lunch (after defrosting the day before in the fridge, of course
).I use them for family dinners on nights when DH is on shift, too.
One of her regulars even asks for it to be heated and she takes it to the hockey arena and serves her younger kids the food theer while her older one practices...
Cat Herder 10:43 AM 02-08-2011
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
One of my provider friends prepares meals like this and sells them to the daycare parents for those days they are in a hurry and have no time for a healthy meal...they just buy a prepared meal from her and take it home and heat it up...no hassles and easy as can be....plus it helps the parents avoid the fast food trap....
One of her regulars even asks for it to be heated and she takes it to the hockey arena and serves her younger kids the food theer while her older one practices...
Smart lady!!!! ....and here I just give them away One of my provider friends prepares meals like this and sells them to the daycare parents for those days they are in a hurry and have no time for a healthy meal...they just buy a prepared meal from her and take it home and heat it up...no hassles and easy as can be....plus it helps the parents avoid the fast food trap....
One of her regulars even asks for it to be heated and she takes it to the hockey arena and serves her younger kids the food theer while her older one practices...
I have sent them home with parents before a few times, too. Usually when Mom is home sick and Dad looks sufficiently scared....
Hmmm... I know I can make some money off of these deserts....
DCMom 11:31 AM 02-08-2011
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
One of my provider friends prepares meals like this and sells them to the daycare parents for those days they are in a hurry and have no time for a healthy meal...they just buy a prepared meal from her and take it home and heat it up...no hassles and easy as can be....plus it helps the parents avoid the fast food trap....
One of her regulars even asks for it to be heated and she takes it to the hockey arena and serves her younger kids the food theer while her older one practices...
A provider friend and I have thought about doing but it has never progressed from the 'what a great idea stage'.One of my provider friends prepares meals like this and sells them to the daycare parents for those days they are in a hurry and have no time for a healthy meal...they just buy a prepared meal from her and take it home and heat it up...no hassles and easy as can be....plus it helps the parents avoid the fast food trap....
One of her regulars even asks for it to be heated and she takes it to the hockey arena and serves her younger kids the food theer while her older one practices...
PrincessMommy, I had the opposite problem ~ my playroom was in the basement and the kitchen on the main level. I got so tired of running up and down stairs for anything food related that I finally took a corner of my basement and put in a mini-kitchen. At first it was one cabinet with a remnant piece of countertop, a mini fridge and small microwave. After a few years, about the time I realized that I was going to be doing this for a long while, we remodeled the playroom and added a more substantial 'mini kitchen/work area'. Now it is my kitchen/eating/preschool area and I love it.
I rarely go up the stairs during the day now.