Why do I even bother?

Cooking, that is.

I haven't cooked dinner for oh, about the past year, or the whole time Steve was travelling during the week. Well, when we all moved up to MA and were actually a family again, I decided that I would go back to my Betty Crocker ways and make up my weekly meal plan, grocery shop accordingly, using coupons when possible, and cook dinner for my family most nights of the week.

Best laid plans, right?

The weekly meal planning, grocery shopping, coupon clipping, and cooking parts all go fine. I encounter problems, however, when it comes time for everyone to eat.

Like recently Ben has been waking up late from his afternoon nap - like around 4 or even later - and asks for a snack when he wakes up. Sometimes he's so hungry that he asks for several snacks, at which time I decide that he won't be able to hold off until it's time to eat whatever yummy meal is in the oven, and end up giving him chicken nuggets or one of those Knorr/Lipton Rice Sides. I'm left with a home-cooked meal that I will eat, Ben will not, Logan will have a few baby-sized bites of, and Steve may or may not eat. All that after I've made the effort to do all my meal planning and start cooking by 4:30 so that dinner's ready by 5:30-ish, when the boys and I eat dinner.

I'm really starting to wonder if going through all the effort is really worth it, when in the end I'm really the only one who eats the dinners I've prepared. Maybe I shouldn't commit to cooking so many meals during the week. Maybe I should cook 2 or 3 times, and order out or make microwave pizza the other days. But home cooking is so much healthier, and cost-effective. Ugh, I don't know. Any opinions on this?