Article 1: Saving Dinner

Do you know what one of the best predictors of childhood success 
is? Eating dinner together as a family. That's right, all you
have to do is eat all together at least twice a week, and your
child is less likely to become a teenage parent, less likely
to drop out of school, to be arrested, to become an alcoholic,
to abuse drugs, or so many other things we pray that our kids 
will avoid.

But eating together can be awfully hard! We're all going in
different directions, kids have after school activities, we 
have shift work, and then there's the television. 40% of 
families eat dinner with the TV on, and believe me, this doesn't
count.

Yet these practical obstacles are not the only things stopping
us from congregating together. It's also that we don't know
what to make. It's dinner time, there's nothing in the house,
and so we either head out to the grocery store at the last 
minute, grumpy, or we throw in the towel and order pizza. And
meanwhile, our waistlines are growing larger, and larger, 
and larger...

In my book, To Love, Honor and Vacuum: When you feel more like a
maid than a wife and a mother, I suggest planning your meals 
ahead of time so that you don't run into some of these 
problems. But for some of us, the planning itself is a hassle.

That's why I was so thrilled when I came across a new book, 
"Saving Dinner" by Leanne Ely. In it she gives us 32 weeks of
menus, 8 for each season, to stop the dinner time guessing
game of "what should we have tonight?". And not only that,
she prepares the shopping list for you as well. All you have to
do is copy it out, or print it off of her website, and off
you go. The meals are easy, tasty, and healthy. So give it a
try! ...

In January, I'm going to follow up on this dinner theme, since
dinner is so vital to family life. For now, let me share with
you my plan to use Saving Dinner in our house.

First, I loved the idea of the shopping lists. Often I go to 
the store with a list, but I come back with more than I need. I
spend more money, the food sits in the cupboard taking up 
space, and it's a big waste of time all around. 

So between now and Christmas, we are going to eat through the 
food in our house. It may be a little unconventional and the
meals may be a little strange, but at least we'll have those
cupboards cleaned out before the holiday season starts.

Then I'm going to hire my kids to clean out my cupboards. 
After all, now that it's possible to see the insides again, 
what better time to do a thorough cleaning? It will save me time, 

and then the kids will have a little more money to buy some presents with.
(If you want to learn more about how to involve kids in household 
chores, click here. I have a whole chapter on it in To Love, Honor
and Vacuum, too). 

By the time New Years rolls around, we'll be ready to embark
on our new eating adventure. So why don't you get ready with me?

Let's bring the family back to the dinner table.

From the November 2003 edition of To Love, Honor and Vacuum newsletter. Click here to subscribe.

Article 2: Make Family Dinners Fun

Ask any parent their biggest complaint, and invariably they'll

sigh and talk about how little time they have. How busy they

are. How nothing important ever seems to get done.

The truth is we are incredibly busy, and we're getting steadily

busier. Life was not always like this! (it's something I talk

about in my book To Love, Honor and Vacuum!). But the simple

fact is, for many of us, work demands, homework, after school

activities, and simple errands eat up so much of our time that

the really important things, like spending time together and

making sure you stay attuned to each other, too easily fall

by the wayside.

That's why family dinners can be such a wonderful opportunity

to connect as a family. But too many of us aren't taking

advantage of it! 40% of families eat dinner with the television

on, guaranteeing that conversation will be at a minimum!

But what do you do if your family doesn't want to eat together?

Or if your family is used to eating and running? Try these tips:

1. Let each child have a special night, perhaps once a month,

where they get to be "king" or "queen". Let them sit at the head

of the table, and make them wear a homemade crown if they're

young, or the silliest hat you can find if they're older. Let

them choose the menu, serve themselves first, and choose what

you talk about. Don't make them clean up! Let every child

feel special occasionally, and they'll look forward to all

being together.

2. Ask your child two questions: what was the best thing that

happened to you today, and what was the worst? Don't ask

"yes" and "no" questions, like "did you have a good day?".

Ask something that will make them think.

3. Use dinners to plan vacations and fun outings. Ask for

input. If the kids have something to be excited about,

they're more likely to want to stay!

4. Make it a rule that everyone has to stay at the table

until everybody is finished. This shows that dinner isn't

about eating as much as it is about socializing. It may

be hard to do this if your family isn't used to it, but

stick to your guns and they'll soon enjoy it!

From the March 2003 edition of To Love, Honor and Vacuum newsletter. Click here to subscribe.

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