satisfied

Lately it’s seemed as though time together around the table has been scarce. But a breezy fall-ish weekend has put everything back into perspective for me. You see, I had fallen into the very traps I write about here and try to help you avoid.

I was putting a strict definition on “family meal,” instead of taking what I could get and being happy with it. (Searching for a title for this post, I kept thinking of Gordon Gekko ... "Greed is good. Greed works." Nuh-uh! Not for me. I'd rather be satisfied with what I have.)

Coming up on the anniversary of starting this blog, my kids are another year older and I, after eight years, am once again a mom who works outside the home. Volunteer commitments seem to have increased, despite my time constraints, and the kids’ commitments have certainly doubled, what with their involvement in school activities and the ever mounting pile of homework. My love of cooking has dwindled as the price of ingredients has grown and dinner has become less of a celebration and more of a chore. The kids have gotten persnickity and vocal. Grrr.

But I was forgetting my own advice. Family meal time doesn’t have to be dinner.

It doesn’t have to be homemade.

And if it is homemade, it doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be a family sharing food.

We eat breakfast together almost every morning. Weekend lunches are another time when we sit down together. It all counts … because we laugh so much and learn so much while sharing those meals. So I’m taking what I can get and it’s making me all warm and fuzzy inside.

As for the food itself, I and many other moms were thrilled to feel the Crock-Pot weather come on last week, only to have another St. Louis Steamer roll into the forecast this week. My Tuscan Vegetable Soup still sounds good, but it’s going to be almost 90 degrees today! And the strategies for getting together continue to prove themselves. I started making the soup yesterday … make it ahead. And last weekend I made chicken enchiladas and prepped too much chicken, so there’s a casserole in the freezer we can pull out some night ... cook once, eat twice. Be sure you eat it with someone you love.

with gratitude

My efforts here have been nothing short of underwhelming the past few weeks. The kids really did take over my computer as the summer wore on and they searched for ways to pass the 110-degree days. Then I started a new job and so have invested little on the writing front, though inspiration has been abundant. Perhaps budgeting myself a certain number of minutes on certain days will get me back to getting the job done. I have loads of stuff I've learned these past weeks if only I could sit down and type it and share it.

So much thanks to those who have so loyally stopped by in my long silence. I promise more soon. After all, we're right on the cusp of Crock-Pot season, one of the easiest of easy ways to gather people around a table. Can't wait to hear what you're cooking in yours ... and who you share it with.