Hotdogs and Cornbread

   Monday was my little man's fourth birthday. Like many people, we let our children pick what they want for dinner on their birthday. Now keep in mind, my now four year old is the pickiest eater out of all three kids. We asked him what he wanted and he said hotdogs in cornbread.

   I wasn't too excited since we had just had it for dinner and I'm not a hotdog fan. I wasn't able to talk him out of it, so that's what I made. At least it was quick and I knew we wouldn't have the fight we have many nights about him eating what is given to him.

   It's rather easy to make. All you need is some cornbread mix and hot dogs.

   Mix your cornbread according to the directions on the box. If you are making it from scratch, make it how you normally would.

   Slice up your hotdogs however you need to according to how old your kids are. Remember, hotdogs can be a choking hazard.

   Mix the hotdogs into your cornbread mix. You only need to mix it enough to get the hotdogs covered in the mix.

   Pour it into a prepared pan and cook according to the cornbread directions. You could also make it in a muffin pan for easier serving.

   You now have some cornbread with hotdogs in it. If your picky eater is anything like mine, they won't be going to bed hungry!

   This meal is super cheap. You can get the ingredients for about three dollars. The kids all love it, especially if you give them a little ketchup. It tastes pretty close to a corn dog but it's cheaper. It's ready in about half an hour and, if you are shopping on a budget, this is a great meal!

Winner Winner Family Dinner: The Art of Conversation

     

What is your conversation usually like at the table?  Do you ask your family members, “How was your day?” and receive a one word answer of “fine?” If you’ve read my previous post, you know that the time you spend at the dinner table is important. This series of blog posts focuses on how to make family dinner more meaningful and fun.   The first component of  a successful family dinner is  conversation but sometimes it can be difficult to get that ball rolling.  Some family members may not be talkers. Others may not be interested in the conversation topics you usually discuss.  There is a proverb that says, “Beware of a silent man and still water.”  If we aren’t talking with our families on a regular basis, our family is at risk for all kinds of problems.  Let’s talk about how you can get started having better conversation with your family at the dinner table.

      The first step you need to take if you haven’t already done so is to schedule family dinner.  Make a goal and keep it.  Once you have done that, you can worry about conversation.

I suggest you break your conversation topics into 3 groups:  events of the day, events of your past, and events of your ancestors. 

     The first topic, events of the day, focuses on each family member sharing experiences from the day’s events.  To encourage more participation, try creating a list of questions and placing them in a Question Jar.  Ask each family member to choose a question from the jar and answer it.  To make a question jar, gather paper, punches, stickers, glue, and a jar.  Decorate the jar however you'd like.  Then fill it with slips of paper with questions printed on them. Here is my question jar:

Some questions might be:

• What was the best part of your day?
• What was the most difficult part of you day?
• If you could do one thing over again from today, what would it be?
• Did you help anyone today? Did anyone help you?
• List 3 things you learned at school or work today.
• List 3 things that you did at school or work today.
• Talk about what you are grateful for today.
• How could this day have been better?
• How could this day have been worse?
• Share something funny you heard today like a joke or story.
•  Share something funny you heard today like a joke or story.

     You could add or replace these questions each week for variety.

     The second and third conversation topics go together.  When parents, grandparents, or any older family member share experiences from the past you have a great topic for conversation.  We can also share experiences from our ancestors.     Why would we want to do this?  Research suggests there are many benefits for children who are brought up on family stories and history. Some of these benefits are:

• An appreciation for history and a knowledge of it
• A feeling of belonging
• A greater ability to face challenges
• Resilience and a better ability to handle stress
• A stronger sense of control
• Confidence and self-esteem

     If you’d like to read more about this research, click here. 

     If you’d like the children in your home to have all of these benefits, it’s easy—all you have to do is tell stories! Start by sharing information about your past.  Adult members of the home could brainstorm a list of experiences they would like to share with the rest of the family members.  These could include:

• Humorous stories
• Lessons learned
• Stories about your first job
• Stories about school
• Personal experiences that recount historical events (What was the Berlin Wall and what did think when it came down?  Why did you volunteer to serve in the army during WWII? Where were you when President Kennedy was shot?”)
• Stories about people who have help you, inspired you, or encouraged you.
• Experiences that changed your life
• Stories that illustrate how technology has changed

     It is also important to teach your children about their ancestors.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the idea of being forgotten.  Personally, I know very little about my family beyond my grandparents besides names.  I am sad to say I have many ancestors who have been completely forgotten.  I often wonder what experiences they would have liked to pass down and what they would have wanted me to remember.  My grandparents were awesome and I often share stories with my children about their extraordinary lives.  I don’t want them to be forgotten.  Plus, my children benefit from the stories I tell them.  Who doesn’t want more resilient, happy, and confident kids?   Did you realize that you could accomplish this by simply sharing stories about your past and your ancestors’ past? Here are some ideas for sharing stories about your ancestors:

• Find the oldest member of you extended family and interview them so they can share what they know about your ancestors.  Invite that person to dinner to tell these stories or share them yourself.
• Ask family members to research an ancestor and share what they have learned.
• Bring a family heirloom (or a picture of one) to the dinner table and explain why it is important.
• Discuss the meaning of your surname.
• If anyone is the house is named after an ancestor, discuss why that name was chosen.

     I hope this week you make plans to gather around the table and have great conversation!  Not only will your table time be more enjoyable, but your children will reap numerous benefits as well.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

   I am always looking for easy, fast recipes. Some days I don't have time to spend all day in the kitchen making my family a nice meal. But then again, who wants to spend all day in the kitchen anyway? I have found one of the easiest ways to make Chicken Parmesan. It's fast, it's easy and it doesn't cost too much.

   First we buy some chicken patties. You can buy any kind you'd like. We use these since they are pre cooked and only need to be heated through. This makes it even faster to make.

   Cook however many patties you need according to the directions on the package. While these are cooking, make whatever type of noodles you like. You also need to heat up your sauce if you are using a jar. If not, make your sauce. We used a jar of mushroom and green pepper pasta sauce.

   Once your noodles are done, place them on your plate.

   Add a chicken patty

   Pour some sauce over the top and sprinkle on some Parmesan Cheese. Dinner is ready!

   This is one of the best fast and cheap dinners! My family loves it. It only takes about half an hour to make which leaves more time to spend with your family. It's also a great meal to let your kids help put together.

   What is your favorite fast and easy meal? I am always looking for new ideas!

Winner, Winner, Family Dinner: Making the Most of Your Time at the Table

        What if YOU could lower the rates of substance abuse, depression, and teen pregnancy? What if you could do that in just 30 minutes a day?  Well, you can and you don’t even need to leave your house.  You can do this by eating dinner with your family! Family dinner is a sure bet.  If you googled family dinner, you’d see many articles written by experts explaining the benefits of a family gathering together around the table.  The facts are undeniable—children who eat dinner with their families regularly are less likely to abuse drugs, experience depression, as well many other benefits such as:

• Increased communication skills
• Better academic performance
• Improved nutrition and overall physical and mental health
• Decreased risk for eating disorders and teen pregnancy

     Children are not the only ones who benefit. Parents who sit down to dinner with their kids:

• Experience stress relief (You may have laughed out loud here. I know it is hard to believe.)
• Save  money
• Pass along values and lessons from one generation to the next
• Have daily communication with their children
•  Create a sense of family unity

     To sum up, eating dinner as a family is important! I have always known that and I am sure many of you have known that as well. Still, I am not sure if the time my family spends at the table is that beneficial. Sometimes we eat dinner and watch TV together.  Sometimes we sit at the table, eat as quickly as possible in silence, and try to get back to whatever we were doing before dinner so rudely interrupted.  Sometimes we do talk but we rarely get past the “how was your day?” routine.  Honestly, dinner isn’t always a wonderful experience.  It can even be stressful.  I am really hoping that I am not the only one out there who experiences this. 

     My children are young. They spend most of their time with me but I know soon, they will be teenagers; then, the time I have with them will be at a premium.  I need to learn to make the moments I have with them count. That is why I came up with this idea for a recurring blog post.  What if I started making more of the time we had at dinner?  We have to eat dinner everyday and we should get more than simple nutrition from it.  Each week I am going to plan games, activities, and conversation starters to help make dinner more meaningful and I thought I’d share my ideas with you.  Some of the topics I plan to cover are table manners, getting to know each other better, ancestors, basic astronomy, and as well as a wide variety of other topics.

     If you would like to experience all the benefits of family dinner, here is what you need to do:

1.  Make a family dinner goal.  It might not be possible for your family to eat dinner together everyday.  Some people may only see their children 3 or 4 days a week, some people may have jobs that keep them away from home, or teenagers may have extra-curricular activities.  Create a goal that will work for your family.  My husband is not home for dinner 3 or 4 days a week (and has an unpredictable schedule) so this is my goal:  I will eat dinner with my children at the table 6 days a week and with my husband as often as I can.  Your goal could be 3 days a week or 5 days a week or 7 days a week. You decide.
2. Plan interesting topics to talk about during dinner.  If you and your children are interested in certain topics, think of questions and ideas about those topics to share.  Maybe think of some fun activities that you could do while eating a meal together (especially if you have family members who aren’t into talking).  Feel free to ask your kids for help too!  If you are stumped on this, that is where I come in.  I will be posting new ideas so please come back by and check in.  
3.  Let go!  Don’t allow this to be another stressful thing added to your list of things you believe perfect parents do. Remember, you can do something perfect parents cannot—you exist.   So high five for being better than a perfect parent! While a little preparation might be helpful, hours of preparation for dinnertime fun is not required.  Most of all, don’t take over the dinner table.  Don’t drill your kids on hard facts if you bring up an educational topic.  Don’t interrupt a good conversation to get everyone back to the conversation you had planned. Your goal is to facilitate communication, not control it.   Go with the flow and relax.
4. Don’t give up! –even if you eat dinner together for a week and you experienced this:

a.       7 spilled glasses of water

b.      A screaming crying breakdown (by your kids or you).

c.       3 broken dishes

d.      Loud burping

e.      A toddler who cries uncontrollably because she fed all her food to the dog and she’s hungry

f.        18 rounds of “no I am not” vs “yes you are” chanted in harmony by your children

g.       A migraine

Hopefully that didn’t all happen to you (Okay, maybe it did).  Dinnertime can make a parent feel really frazzled.  If it is not pleasant for you, it probably wasn’t too fun for your kids either. Don’t give up.  In time, things will get better and you will feel rested and refreshed after a meal instead of frazzled.  Now is the time to teach your children what dinnertime is really like—it is meaningful, it is inspirational, and it is fun.  Soon you will find that you children will sit down quietly  less loudly and eager to participate in the night’s fun.   Remember that stress relief benefit I mentioned earlier…as you learn to communicate and play and laugh at the dinner table, it will lower your blood pressure and release positive endorphins.  Dinner done right will actually help you release the stress you have been collecting all day!

Are you ready to devote 30 minutes of your day to improve the lives of yourself and your children?  I know I am.  Stay tuned for the next post!
Do you do anything special to make your family dinners fun and interesting?  If so, feel free to leave a comment and share your ideas.