Fall is always a busy time in our house. Between birthdays, holidays, school activities and more birthdays its a miracle I can get everyone fed and off to the next activity, let alone carve out time to sit down around the table and enjoy our meals together as a family. Amazingly meals are the one thing the kids seem to make sure we have time for. Everything about mealtime is like watching a well choreographed dance.
I cook whatever is on the menu for the evening. Thomas and Lindsey Lou set the table. Lindsey Lou usually sets the plates and the cups. Thomas does the silverware in the most haphazard way, then Lindsey goes back around straightening it. Thomas places a napkin on each plate and then yells for Niki to come pour the milk. Once the food is ready all 4 kids run to the table, making a brief pit stop at the bathroom to wash their hands. Usually 2 out of the 4 make it and when I ask if everyone has washed their hands two answer "yes" and two generally say "oooops. Be right back". Once everyone has found their seat my husband joins us and we begin with our prayer. We make the sign of the cross and say our table blessing - sometimes it's Catholic and sometimes it's Lutheran, either way all the children say it loud and clear.
It is what follows our prayers that has become central to our family and one of my favorite ways to spend time together. While everyone is is dishing up food and determining if they like or dislike what we are having the conversation starts. "Guess what we did at school today?" "Did you know ..." "We got to go to the ...... On our field trip today". No matter how many times these exchanges happen I never get tired of them. After the all updates have been said the conversation usually turns to something silly. "Dad would you rather eat a pinecone or eggplant?" "Do you think Grandpa would really wear a speedo? And wouldn't that be gross?" "Did you know grandma was a hippy?, what's a hippy?" The resulting conversation that this line of questioning usually leads to lots of laughter. I don't mean giggling, but snort your milk through your nose, give yourself a belly ache, doubled over in pain kind of laughter that normally ends with Thomas telling us a story about how something farted and grossed someone out. It will never cease to amaze me how many times boys can insert legitimate comments about darts into a conversation, astonishing.
Recently my mother in law came over to share an early dinner and to visit with our family. I had made spaghetti with meatballs. We had hit the conversation point of our dinner where the kids were talking about my Father, who walks with a cane, and how he compared to Yoda. Apparently they think he is pretty much a master Jedi. My husband was serving himself some spaghetti and a meatball jumped up and rolled onto the floor. Without missing a beat the kids and I sang at the top of our lungs "ON TOP OF SPAGHETTI, ALL COVERED WITH CHEESE, I LOST MY POOR MEATBALL WHEN SOMEBODY SNEEZED (HAAAACHOOO) IT ROLLED OF THE TABLE AND ONTO THE FLOOR ... " At this point my husband was astonished by our inability to sing in tune and the fact that we all sang the same silly song with reckless abandonment and laughter. We continued on "...AND THEN MY POOR MEATBALL ROLLED STRAIGHT OUT THE DOOR. IT ROLLED DOWN THE SIDEWALK AND UNDER A BUSH, AND THEN MY POOR MEATBALL WAS NOTHING BUT MUSH"
At this point my husband and mother in law were ready for the ear piercing "joyful noise" to stop; however, we finished the song and then erupted into laughter. Then our youngest daughter said, "How do you know that song?" I said, "oh it's been around for years" and our eldest daughter said, "Man I'm amazed they would teach kids these days something so old", to which I responded, "the classics never grow old" (insert teenage eye roll and sigh here).
Over the next week many of us will gather together to share a Thanksgiving meal. Don't let the opportunity to make your own meatball memories pass you by. Revel in the stories that everyone has heard one hundred thousand times, play that extra round of "chase the ace", take the time to sing the silly song that pops into your head. Meal times around the table are the central nervous system of the family opportunities like Thanksgiving help us to strengthen the fibers that bind us to one another. Who knew that the meatball song would be part of the soundtrack of our life for yet another generation.
I cook whatever is on the menu for the evening. Thomas and Lindsey Lou set the table. Lindsey Lou usually sets the plates and the cups. Thomas does the silverware in the most haphazard way, then Lindsey goes back around straightening it. Thomas places a napkin on each plate and then yells for Niki to come pour the milk. Once the food is ready all 4 kids run to the table, making a brief pit stop at the bathroom to wash their hands. Usually 2 out of the 4 make it and when I ask if everyone has washed their hands two answer "yes" and two generally say "oooops. Be right back". Once everyone has found their seat my husband joins us and we begin with our prayer. We make the sign of the cross and say our table blessing - sometimes it's Catholic and sometimes it's Lutheran, either way all the children say it loud and clear.
It is what follows our prayers that has become central to our family and one of my favorite ways to spend time together. While everyone is is dishing up food and determining if they like or dislike what we are having the conversation starts. "Guess what we did at school today?" "Did you know ..." "We got to go to the ...... On our field trip today". No matter how many times these exchanges happen I never get tired of them. After the all updates have been said the conversation usually turns to something silly. "Dad would you rather eat a pinecone or eggplant?" "Do you think Grandpa would really wear a speedo? And wouldn't that be gross?" "Did you know grandma was a hippy?, what's a hippy?" The resulting conversation that this line of questioning usually leads to lots of laughter. I don't mean giggling, but snort your milk through your nose, give yourself a belly ache, doubled over in pain kind of laughter that normally ends with Thomas telling us a story about how something farted and grossed someone out. It will never cease to amaze me how many times boys can insert legitimate comments about darts into a conversation, astonishing.
Recently my mother in law came over to share an early dinner and to visit with our family. I had made spaghetti with meatballs. We had hit the conversation point of our dinner where the kids were talking about my Father, who walks with a cane, and how he compared to Yoda. Apparently they think he is pretty much a master Jedi. My husband was serving himself some spaghetti and a meatball jumped up and rolled onto the floor. Without missing a beat the kids and I sang at the top of our lungs "ON TOP OF SPAGHETTI, ALL COVERED WITH CHEESE, I LOST MY POOR MEATBALL WHEN SOMEBODY SNEEZED (HAAAACHOOO) IT ROLLED OF THE TABLE AND ONTO THE FLOOR ... " At this point my husband was astonished by our inability to sing in tune and the fact that we all sang the same silly song with reckless abandonment and laughter. We continued on "...AND THEN MY POOR MEATBALL ROLLED STRAIGHT OUT THE DOOR. IT ROLLED DOWN THE SIDEWALK AND UNDER A BUSH, AND THEN MY POOR MEATBALL WAS NOTHING BUT MUSH"
At this point my husband and mother in law were ready for the ear piercing "joyful noise" to stop; however, we finished the song and then erupted into laughter. Then our youngest daughter said, "How do you know that song?" I said, "oh it's been around for years" and our eldest daughter said, "Man I'm amazed they would teach kids these days something so old", to which I responded, "the classics never grow old" (insert teenage eye roll and sigh here).
Over the next week many of us will gather together to share a Thanksgiving meal. Don't let the opportunity to make your own meatball memories pass you by. Revel in the stories that everyone has heard one hundred thousand times, play that extra round of "chase the ace", take the time to sing the silly song that pops into your head. Meal times around the table are the central nervous system of the family opportunities like Thanksgiving help us to strengthen the fibers that bind us to one another. Who knew that the meatball song would be part of the soundtrack of our life for yet another generation.
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