Living Below The Line, Days 1 and 2

Yesterday was a Bank Holiday and we're on smaller grocery rations than usual as we're taking part in the Live Below The Line campaign this week.  It was fairly easy to distract my daughters from constantly snacking from the fruit bowl by playing board games, doing crafts and keeping them busy.  Dinner was one of their favourites so that wasn't much of an issue either.  There was a small helping of rice pudding for pudding and they were satisfied.  They didn't go to bed hungry or moan that they were starving to death which was a bonus.

Today all 3 girls were at school, hubby was at work and I was at home nursing a rather nasty headache.  Packed lunches went down well, albeit less of a banquet than usual, and after school snacks were only just adequate.  They are used to coming home and devouring fruit or vege sticks with some yoghurt and a baked snack of some description.  Our fruit this week is limited, as are fresh vegetables so they had to stick to our strict meal plan which did not go down too well with 3 tired children.

Dinner was devoured enthusiastically but again there was little in the way of pudding as we're rationing fruit and they'd had a small helping of rice pudding after school with a flapjack.  They didn't go to bed hungry from a food intake sense, just from a mindset point of view.  I'm making sure that we're all getting as much food as we need, it's just difficult to adjust to that instead of having as much food as you want.

Taking part in this campaign is making us realise that portion sizes are important.  We eat far bigger portions usually than we actually need.  Also it is bringing home to us all how difficult this week would be to sustain long term without a substantial attitude adjustment and would take us a long while to get used to.  What we are keeping at the forefront of our mind is most people who Live Below The Line don't have a choice and can't just go back to a fortunate existence after the week is over.  They live this way all the time.

It is proving to be a valuable life experience for all of us, not just our children.  I'm in London tomorrow night and I wonder if hubby will manage to stay strong and stick to the plan.  Something tells me our girls will try their hardest to make him give in.  I shall send him a few well timed text messages to remind him not to cave in to their demands, pleads and general sniffling LOL

You can check out a slightly shaky but useful Shopping Below The Line video here. 

2 comments Charity, Live Below the Line., Meal Plan