Skip to main content

Taking Control of your Table - Dinnertime Questions

Is it just me or is dinner time a traditionally stressful time of day during the week?

A lot of times during dinner I feel like I do sometimes on Sunday when I'm sitting at church thinking about what we are going to eat at lunch (sorry it's true sometimes) - I'm not present! I am physically, but mentally I am totally somewhere else. During dinner, I'm usually thinking about all the things I wanted to get done before dinner so I could relax after dinner, but I didn't get them done, so I can't relax. I CAN'T RELAX!!!!! Ok, so that is a little dramatic, but it's kind of true.

So, tonight we tried something different at dinner. I asked my sweet, sweet husband some questions. Not just the regular "How was your day?" because I am pretty sure I know the answer to that one. :)

I asked these four questions --- in an effort to be more present and more involved. And it worked. I felt very present and had a wonderful conversation with Chef Husband (who made delicious BACON BURGERS, I die).

1. What was something good that happened today?

2. What was something bad that happened today?

3. What was something that was funny?

4. What was something that you were thankful for? 

These exact questions might not be for you and your family. Maybe you just want to ask one, maybe you want to ask something different, but think of a couple of questions and ask them, the same ones, every night, so dinner turns into what it used to be, a time where families are together and talking to one another about their day.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How to be a Housewife (Without Feeling Like a Slave)

Now, don't get the wrong idea here... I'm not sending a passive aggressive message out there to men (do men even read blogs?) that women hate doing house duties. We love it - right, ladies??? (wink, wink) And I'm not complaining either. (Although I do despise laundry, I love a clean house; so it's a double-edged sword.) One thing I'm BIG on is positive thinking . Sometimes, it is hard to be positive if you are feeling overwhelmed with dishes, laundry, cleaning, cooking... oh yeah... LIVING IN and maintaining a home. So, I thought sharing my thoughts on this topic could maybe help some disgruntled wifeys out there. 1) Don't hate, delegate - I'm a huge fan of starting young with manageable tasks around the home. There are a bunch of lists floating around the interwebs of chore lists for kiddos, and a lot of them are pretty dang silly (one suggests letting a 2-3 year old put dishes away, um no!)  -- but my favorite one is from Kids Activities Blog.  2) B...

How Not to Raise an Asshole

Guys, you know how I am. I tell it like I see it. And these days, I see a LOT of two things: asshole adults and asshole kids who will grow up to be asshole adults. Not raising an asshole requires work , so if you aren't interested in some blood, sweat and tears, then close your browser, and don't forget to write a rude comment on your way out. Let me preface this by saying: these suggestions are being made from my professional side, not my parenting side--- let's be real, the verdict is still out on whether my kids will grow up to be assholes or not (just kidding... over my dead body will they be entitled, dependent adults)... but still, the important distinction of point-of-view needs to be mentioned. Here are some ways not to raise an asshole: 1) Teach them how to do stuff. You know how kids don't come with an instruction manual? Well, neither does growing up. Kids learn from example how to do almost everything - show them how to do things! Don't just...

Maybe It's Just Easier To Be Lonely

As a busy, working and social mom of two young hellions, I am constantly teetering on the balance of completely and utterly (and not fabulously, might I add) losing my sh-word. Man, what a starter. What an intro! Hello, welcome to my blog. My name is Tara, and I’m completely crazy. I use the term “hot mess” way more than socially acceptable; in fact, there are times that I use the phrase, in reference to myself, and I can literally HEAR someone’s thoughts of annoyance in me. But, I digress. But, it’s true! I’m about one bad day away from flipping out hardcore. Part of it is my innate nature to be involved in *everything.* Combine that with my inherent disability to saying “no,” and it’s a recipe for… you guessed it… “hot-mess-ness.” Totally a word I made up and use… a lot. As I look at my planner (that I am obsessed with - who else have to have their lives written down somewhere or else they have NO IDEA what they are supposed to do that day?!), I realize…. “Dang, I am...