Make Dinner a Special Event

So you cooked dinner together, now what? Well, enjoying it together can be just as special as cooking it.

Unfortunately today, many kids miss out on that experience of eating together as a family.  Its proven fact that families who eat together have better family bonds.  

I have many memories of the dinner table growing up. My dad sat in the seat closest to the phone hanging on the wall. If it rang during dinner time, he didn't care who was calling, he would pick it up and tell them we were eating dinner. We knew that dinner time was off limits for anything else but coming to dinner and eating.

Those were simpler days, even thirty or so years ago.  So more than ever the simple things like a family dinner together need to be intentional and special.
  
Dinner together can be takeout on paper plates if need be. The point is to make it a time of togetherness. Sharing a meal is always special. Food is a central part of most social gatherings, no matter how simple.

But every once in a while its nice to make it even more memorable.

Growing up, whenever we had a special occasion dinner, the china came out, the best silverware, and fine glasses. There were always too many people for the table size, but instead of having a separate kids table, my dad would insist that the kids ate first at the nice table and then the table was set again for the adults.

I remember how special it was to sit at the table dressed in its finest and drink out of the beautiful delicate glasses. Now that I'm an adult I often think back and see the beauty in what my dad did. He treated us as special as the adults would be treated, even putting us first.

In my own house, my kids also value a special dinnertime experience. They love it to the point that they want it to happen frequently and not just for the holidays.

Pulling out the special glasses, plates and utensils can be a pain, not to mention a lot of dishes, but it makes for fond memories.

My older kids, even while they were really young, loved to surprise us with a beautifully set table. I remember one year they woke up early and set the table and made breakfast. They made it special! While enjoying our beautiful surprise I noticed that the table protector wasn't on and the candle was dripping on the tablecloth and seeping through onto my wood table (a lesson in buying cheap candles learned)!  At first I panicked silently and then as I started to react, I noticed how joyful and proud the kids felt about the special breakfast they had put together. I discreetly put out the candle and kept enjoying my meal with them.

I ended up throwing away the tablecloth because red wax on a cream tablecloth proved difficult to get out (and it was before blogs and Pinterest).
Looking back I wouldn't change a thing. Since then, I've had broken glasses on other occasions as well but I've come to not care as much.  Material things are replaceable (don't buy expensive ones). 


So enjoy that meal you made together with the finest of what you have.  
Special dinners say, "we don't need a holiday, or company, to use our best things, you are enough reason to celebrate". 

How do you make family dinners special?

Cooking Together

The kitchen is usually the heart of the home. It's where we gather to prepare meals, enjoy good food and have rich conversations.

So why not take advantage of this God-given opportunity to draw the family closer by spending time cooking together. Whether you choose to bake cookies, make pancakes or go all out with a full meal, the time spent will enrich relationships.

I think its safe to say that all kids enjoy cooking. Scooping, pouring, measuring, blending, making a mess in the kitchen... What's not to love? It's very satisfying to create something, especially when the enjoyment continues past the point of creating it.  There's something fulfilling about setting something out to eat that you helped make.  

Whenever my kids have helped prepare a meal, they have been so proud of the finished product that I haven't had to push them to eat their food because its happened naturally.  

In my home the kitchen is also used for learning. Many home schooling lessons have been taught at the table as well as many projects created, so why stop there?  Cooking is a great life skill which can be taught while also achieving the goal of bringing the family together.  

Sabbath Rest

We're all busy. This life is fast paced and time seems to just get away from us. Thanks to our Heavenly Father who knows us so well and commanded a day of rest!

Of course, as disobedient children we don't always listen.

There are so many things to do, good things, that slip into that precious time.
Lately, my husband and I have been so convicted of this! Always going and doing that when we turn around its another week and we're doing it all over again. It's so hard to let opportunities slip by when you feel they are too good to let go of, especially when you have the Martha syndrome.

Yet in wrestling with our thoughts we've realized that letting go of the good doesn't mean missing out. Maybe letting go means being open to receiving what's best for us, at this moment, for our family, because too busy is not good.

Good things come and go and so does time. I want to cherish the moment instead of rushing off to the next one.

In keeping with the command to honor the Sabbath, take time today to enjoy honoring God and spending time with those you love, making memories and drawing closer as a family.