Our breakfast and lunch times are pretty casual. Kids get up and eat when they want to. Lunch is a little more organized because I feed the kids at the same time. However, dinner is a more formal sit down affair. We squeeze around our table (I would love to have a bigger one) and say a prayer before eating. The kids say the prayer and we have to go in alphabet order so I can keep track of whose turn it is. Visitors get crammed in too.
We teach table manners. We talk about our day. It is a time for everyone to get together. We do this most days but I imagine that as the kids get older this will become more of a challenge as their schedules will start to conflict with dinner time. We do not own TV trays.
Eating at the table as a family is a nice skill to have when going out to eat. My kids eat out very well. They know that they are not going to run around. They sit and eat politely. They know how to place their orders and show respect to the waiters. They know how to squeeze into booths so that we can all eat together. We don't like getting separate tables when we go out, sometimes that is a challenge for our family.
When I see kids at restaurants running around I wonder if they eat together at home. When I see kids throw food around and bark orders to the waiters I wonder if they are taught respect at home. I am getting off subject, pet peeve for me is not training your children at home how you expect them to behave in public.
Anyone else still have the family meal?
One of my kids favorite meals - Crockpot roast and gravy
First thing in the morning sear meat using a good bit of flour (at least 1/2 cup), seasonings and oil (This day it was a London broil on sale)
Put the meat, oil, flour and seasoning into the crockpot. Scrape all the little tasty bits our of the skillet.
Add some water, this will later be your gravy.
Cook for hours and hours. Stir every now and then throughout the day. The smell will make you hungry all day. By dinner time (around 6 at our house) the meat will be nice and tender and the gravy a little thick. You can make it thicker by adding a mixture of flour or cornstarch and a little bit of cold water about an hour before serving. The oil will rise to the surface and can be spooned off if you want.
Pull out the meat and you are left with gravy.
It is a tasty Southern meal that we serve on our fancy Corelle plates.
We do eat supper together, but due to schedules, it's at 4 in the afternoon most days!! It's either that or after 8 at night, so 4 it is.
ReplyDeleteWe still eat breakfast together on weekends, and evening meals. Not so much lunch time. I also agree teach children how to behave in public whether it's a meal or grocery shopping. I'm old fashion I guess, but my children need to behave and treat people with respect always. Its nice to know I'm not that only one.
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