Number One Way to Connect as a Family? Dinner!

Don’t you just feel like the world is moving a little bit too fast and you don’t have the time to slow down and connect as a family? The number one way you can connect as a family is over dinner!

I Took the #DarkForDinner Pledge

Last week I took the pledge to go #DarkForDinner, where we turn off all cell phones, computers and televisions for dinner.

We’re visiting my folks in the Adirondacks… so what better time to turn off and have some special connection time with my boys.

We actually go #DarkForDinner a lot in my family… from dinners to lunch dates out, we find lots of excuses to give electronics the boot at mealtimes.

Our Experiences

Dinner #1

About once a month on a Sunday, the whole family goes into the dining room and has a “formal” dinner.

While we don’t necessarily pull out the fine china, somehow sitting in the dining room makes it that much more special to connect. 

As a child, my mom used to make her famous chili and we would eat it on blue-patterned bowls.

My brother and I thought these bowls were so fancy — turns out my mom got them for a buck each but just never told us.

Ha! See, life doesn’t have to be formal and fancy to make wonderful memories.

Dinner #2

The second night I made my simple turkey sausage one-pan dish.

It literally takes less than 10 minutes to make.

Dinner doesn’t have to be complicated, folks!

So on the nights where I really don’t feel like cooking, I can pull this recipe out and have a hot dinner everyone loves on the table in just minutes.

Dinner #3

My favorite #DarkForDinner experience was when we went to a local diner.

Dinner doesn’t have to be fancy to be wonderful.

But for some reason, the boys started talking about the funky things their dad and I can do.

For example, I can curl my tongue into a tube.

While my boys were practicing curling their tongues (one of them does it really well!) we talked about genetics and how there are things that their dad and I passed on to them. 

My husband can wiggle his ears… really!

No one else can, but we sure got some good laughs trying. I, on the other hand, can flare my nostrils at will.

The boys can’t do it yet, but they showed serious promise. 

The funny thing is we didn’t necessarily talk about anything earth shattering.

However, I’ll bet those boys will remember where they got their ability to curl their tongues or wiggle their ears.