Dinner Time

Tonight I cooked my husband's favorite dinner......Taco Soup. For someone who didn't even taste hot sauce until he was in his mid-20's, he's come a long way! I love to cook spicy foods, and Tex-Mex is my specialty.

One of my favorite things about being a stay-at-home mom is the ability to fix delicious, nutritions, homemade meals every night. Meal planning and grocery shopping is something that I really look forward to, and I love that I have the time now to make dinnertime as special as possible. I love the feeling of welcoming my husband home with the smells of dinner and the promise of a good meal and quality time with the family. When I was working full time, dinner was often greasy fast food or hurredly prepared leftovers eaten in front of the TV. I just didn't have the time or energy to plan/prepare meals and set the table.

I've always known how important it is to eat dinner together with the family. I grew up in a home where we ate a delicious meal together every night, talking and sharing things about our day. It was a precious time of fellowship and some of the best memories I have of my childhood. Even in my training as a counselor, we learned that there are multiple benefits to a family eating together every night. Children learn to communicate and listen to each other, trust and closeness is built, and everyone learns the importance of quality family time. Statistically, children who come from this environment are less likely to abuse drugs, have pre-marital sex, and do poorly in school. Unfortunately, in today's world, parents and children are both so busy that it rarely leaves time for dinner together, much less quality time as a family. Our family is making the conscious effort to enjoy and savor our dinnertime each evening, building up precious memories of our time together.