Sometimes creating special family dinners requires taking your surrounding ambiance to new levels. For our dinner last night, I literally took it to a different level – the ground.
It’s been challenging to get all my guys home on the same night, at the same time, so last night, as white, chicken chili simmered for hours past the time I said we were going to eat (and yes, I was trying not to let my frustration simmer as well), I spontaneously brought our dinner to the family room, where we dined by the fire under white Christmas tree light and fire glow.
Typically, I have brought a picnic to our family room, but tonight I just took what I had already made. It was a simple fare – white chili, green beans, and homemade French bread (left over from Christmas, so we only used it as croutons), but a cozy time which fostered so many wonderful discussions on everything from philosophy and world view to human smells released at inappropriate times (just real life, you know).
Remember, creating small moments in your day to make the “little things the big things” doesn’t require large amounts of money or even huge chunks of time. By taking just a few minutes of creative intentionality, even if your children roll their eyes the first few times, you foster long lasting memory making moments.
With a family of a 1 year old, a 3 year old, a 5 year old, and a 6 year old, I don’t think I can bring chili to the living room picnic style, but maybe something else on a different day than chili day!
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Jen Reply:
December 31st, 2011 at 11:03 am
hahah – YES, I totally understand that, but I typically do it just picnic style with chips and sandwiches. This is the first time we did chili and trust me, even with the 3 teens, a 12 year old and 8 year old, we STILL had a spill. 😉
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