I'm Bringing (Sexy) Dinner Back

Sorry for the lame attempt at using a JT song for my post, but I just watched him on Oprah today and he is just so yummy!

Last night was our Church's Relief Society Birthday Party dinner. A shout out to miss Angie and her team--it was a fabulous event! We had a guest speaker, the talented miss Erin Buck, who talked about making family dinners a priority.

Among other great nuggets, Erin cited studies from Columbia University that found children who have family dinner consistently (5 nights a week) are less likely to engage in drug use and promiscuous activity--fascinating stuff!

The stars must all be aligned on this family dinner thing because I was also reading Design Mom today and she had a guest blogger discussing family meal time. She referenced a fabulous article from Cookie mag. There are lots of reasons that we get in ruts--many of us have kids who are picky eaters, we work full time and can't imagine fitting in one more thing, husband's work late, or we just generally have a lot on our plates (no pun intended). But I've been re-awakened to how important this time is for our little family.

I found a fun weekly meal worksheet, complete with space to make your grocery list. Go to http://www.theprojectgirl.com/2009/01/19/menu-planning-form-free-download/.

I am energized and inspired. Share some of the recipes and ideas that work for you!

“Creating this ritual where you turn off the TV, ignore the phone and just spend quality time together is crucial to helping your children feel emotionally, spiritually and mentally balanced. We all can generate a list of reasons why we cannot possibly fit dinner with the family into our schedule. The time has come to say enough with the excuses and just do it. Trust me, it means more to your kids’ futures than you think. If I can find the time to have meals with my family, so can you. ”
Jamie Lee Curtis

And of course, for Grandma Lue and cousin M, a Gabby picture for your weekend--we played with make-up and curling irons this week!

First Signs of Spring

Gabby was taking a nap today, yes my 4 year old still naps on occasion--it is lovely! I cleaned the bathrooms on Saturday, did a load of laundry yesterday, so without guilt, I decided to take the opportunity to soak up some sun in the backyard and read my book club selection.



I was not really paying much attention to how much time had passed, but I heard the porch door open and looked back to see Gabby dressed in her bathing suit with a copy of Alice in Wonderland. Truly the first signs of Spring are upon us--Las Vegas style that is.

(I love how gabby created her own little Zen space, complete with a little bud vase of flowers)