Can't Touch Our Dinner Time

I keep reading articles about the importance of family dinners and how most families don't sit around the table for dinner together any more. If you believe the hype, regular family dinners can help prevent everything from childhood obesity to teenage depression. Since we have dinner together quite frequently and that's something my family tried to do while I was growing up, I take for granted why it would be important to have this time each day. We can't have dinner together every night and it is getting trickier as the kids are involved in more sports, but we're still trying to make a strong effort to eat together around the table with no other distractions like TV. If not for this time, I wouldn't be able to hear all of Elise's stories about the crazy boys in her class, Tony's stories about the crazy people he works with or Micah's latest triumphs in gym class. I'm pretty sure from how much he talks about it, gym might be the only class he takes.

Bonus, when I make a healthy dinner the kids don't want they seem to talk even more since their mouths aren't busy chewing. I thought tonight's dinner (chicken tortilla pie) was a genius concoction from leftovers. Micah asked if his friend could stay for dinner. When his friend heard what we were having, he said "I'm pretty sure my dad will make me something for dinner" as in "whatever I have at my house must be better than that." If you are wondering, my tortilla pie was actually quite tasty and easy to make.

Isaiah seems to love our dinner time too. It's the one time of day when he will sit still for 20 minutes or more. He sits and listens to his siblings discuss the day and he repeats a word or two that he understands. Isaiah just started saying "amen" at the end of our meal time prayer last week and Tony and I gave him a huge reaction. This week, he keeps grabbing our hands to pray again at dinner as he tries to remember how to form his new word. I think Isaiah would enjoy dinner much better in the chair that Love that Max is giving away this week. (Shameless contest plug)

As I was bringing dinner to the table tonight, Micah was helping me some, but mainly trying out some dance moves. He was doing "the jerk," but I couldn't remember what that move was called. When I asked him what it was called, Tony quipped, "It should be called 'An Emergency Room trip is in my near future.'" Elise and Micah both broke out in all sorts of dance moves, including doing the "sprinkler" in unison.

Earlier today, my sister in law posted on Facebook that someone in her neighborhood had written "Hammer Time" under a stop sign. So, in case you don't get the genius behind that...."Stop, Hammer Time." One of her friends mentioned seeing a stop sign that said "Collaborate and Listen" as in Vanilla Ice's song "Ice, Ice Baby." "Stop, collaborate and listen." Because of this I have been singing those two songs all night and driving Tony crazy. At dinner, Micah asked me if the song says "Word from ya motha" or "Word to ya motha." Tony was quick with a quip again and said, "Neither one. Your motha needs to stop singing 80's songs." He then threatened to get me an 80's CD for Mother's Day. I'm not scared...it may just help me "bust a move."