du jour
January 13, 2013 § Leave a comment
Over the years our children’s food preferences have shifted, open-minded experimentation has faded into short-sighted favorites. Most of the animated anxiety over dinner time offerings suggests an undercurrent of self-awareness. I don’t like that a statement of self hidden in criticisms of my culinary offerings.
I would love to say that in a zen-like consciousness it was I who created a solution, but in fact I was lost to the struggle for control over mealtime mumblings. Tired and uninspired by the chorus of complaints that met each meal I missed my cue. It was my husband who recognized an opportunity to shift the weight of responsibility and invite a new experience to our table. He proposed that once a week we would plan and prepare a meal as a family; from choosing the menu to grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning.
Yesterday morning we introduced this new expectation, beginning with selecting a meal so that we could inventory ingredients to create a grocery list. For this particular meal there were fewer opportunities for each child to participate in preparation, something we will have to amend next time, but I was pleased to note the division of responsibilities between children. Where our son helped shop for ingredients and prepared the table, our daughter cleaned up every last dirtied dish wrestling the heaviest of cookware.
At day’s end there were only questions rather than complaints. I wonder if this change would be consistent or sporadic, the enthusiasm contagious or fleeing? Could the initial division of tasks represent individual interests? I am curious for the weeks to follow and inspired by new opportunities to share a meal with my family.
food for the soul
November 14, 2011 § Leave a comment
Some days, less is immeasurably more. Today began with gray skies and pregnant raindrops. My list of house chores and errands sit unwritten, vying for attention. Instead of leaping into a day of busyness, I stilled myself dwelling on a singular task; nurturing my family with a meal. After a long weekend together the house felt empty this morning making me eager for school dismissal. Retrieving my trusted crock pot from the pantry and gathering ingredients, I directed my energy into the meditative act of cooking taking an extra moment to enjoy the process of preparing fresh vegetables. As the house begins to simmer with the scents of a hearty pot roast I am looking forward to the simple joy of family togetherness and a warm meal at the end of a cool, Autumn day.
table talk
March 9, 2011 § Leave a comment
We are a family of four, messy and unpredictable in our fragmented mealtime exclamations. I look forward to the sharing between bites as I capture lost moments of my loved ones’ days. The exuberant exchanges are fueled by a simple tradition borrowed from another family. We play Hello.
Hello is toddler speak, translated it means High Low. My husband and I first introduced the exchange when our daughter was two, and the name Hello has become an endearment reminiscent of her early sharing, an emphatic “hello.” Gathered around the table and connected in a moment free of phones, television, friends, and obligations each family member takes a turn sharing a High and alternately Low moment from their day. Some days the effort passes quickly, on other occasions it offers a unique opportunity to be present in one anther’s lives.
We celebrate the Highs of accomplishment with the same energy we channel to nurture one anther through difficult Lows. Our moments are equals. There is no hierarchy by which we measure one another’s joy or sorrow. It is a moment of connection to one another, our days divided we gather and exchange hellos.
scribblechic 