Dinner with the Family

You'll have to set out your tablecloth if you read this book.  I brought a copy home from my local library and was pleasantly surprised by how well the authors captured my attention.  It wasn't that I expected to be bored -- I just didn't expect to be so entertained.  The Hour That Matters Most:  The Surprising Power of the Family Meal has four authors.  The authors comprise a psychologist, a therapist, and two moms who are the creative force behind the Dream Dinners business model and store. 

I have felt for a while that I needed to make more of an effort to bring my family to the dinner table more often.  My work schedule on some days goes later than my husband's, and more often than not, we found ourselves facing the TV eating supper at separate times.  When my son's soccer season begins, it's even more difficult to bring us together at the same time.  I'm sure that's why I checked the book out when I saw it on the library shelf.  The title hit a sensitive nerve.

The book is a quick read and is filled with Dream Dinner recipes.  Other chapters cover what to talk about and what not to talk about at the table, what benefits eating together will have on your family, and how to prepare frozen dinners for rushed evenings. 

I know I'm getting my own copy of this book.  If you need a copy, too, click here 

One item that I have included at meal time this past year with great success is the Red Plate.  Every once in a while, when we have dinner at the table, I serve my husband or my daughter or son their dinner on the red plate.  They love this!  Sometimes, we tell the person who has been awarded dinner on the red plate why we think they are special.  Sometimes, my children will try to award themselves the plate.  They've had to learn that they never receive the plate on a day that they ask for it.  Even my middle school daughter who has since dubbed many things "not so cool" still covets the red plate.

My red plate has been in my family for quite a while.  I found several online just like it at ebay if you'd like to get one for your family.

Have a happy dinner with your family.

Amy

"And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him (Zacchaeus),

and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house."

Luke 19:5

Do you think Zacchaeus set out his best?