"How are you today?" asked the clerk at Aldi's. Yes, she put the emphasis on "today."
This was the fourth time last week that I was in the store buying groceries. I often go in twice: once on Tuesday to get any fruit that was on sale till that day and then Wednesday or Thursday to pick up the regular groceries and the new sale fruit.
But four times?
Worst part was, that wasn't the last time I was in the store that week!
You say: Wait, Sharon. Aren't you Miss-plan-the-menu-ahead-and-go-to-the-store-once?
Yes...most of the time...well, some of the time...as a matter of fact...that's the ideal.
I could tell you all my excuses (and there were some), but the point is, it happens to all of us. (Unless you are my mother-in-law, who has never made an emergency trip to the grocery store in her life, but we won't talk about that.)
So I want you to know that if you feel like you couldn't always be as organized as I describe, neither can I!
Just because you didn't manage to get dinner on the table several nights this week is no reason to give up on family meals.
* Sandwiches eaten together are family meals.
* So are fast food burgers brought to your back patio.
* Pancakes, and even cereal, are a family meal.
The important thing is to spend the time together.
With practice, you learn to get it together more and more and putting a meal idea together gets easier. And you can do it!
(At least most of the time!)
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This was the fourth time last week that I was in the store buying groceries. I often go in twice: once on Tuesday to get any fruit that was on sale till that day and then Wednesday or Thursday to pick up the regular groceries and the new sale fruit.
But four times?
Worst part was, that wasn't the last time I was in the store that week!
You say: Wait, Sharon. Aren't you Miss-plan-the-menu-ahead-and-go-to-the-store-once?
Yes...most of the time...well, some of the time...as a matter of fact...that's the ideal.
I could tell you all my excuses (and there were some), but the point is, it happens to all of us. (Unless you are my mother-in-law, who has never made an emergency trip to the grocery store in her life, but we won't talk about that.)
So I want you to know that if you feel like you couldn't always be as organized as I describe, neither can I!
Just because you didn't manage to get dinner on the table several nights this week is no reason to give up on family meals.
* Sandwiches eaten together are family meals.
* So are fast food burgers brought to your back patio.
* Pancakes, and even cereal, are a family meal.
The important thing is to spend the time together.
With practice, you learn to get it together more and more and putting a meal idea together gets easier. And you can do it!
(At least most of the time!)
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For more of my thoughts on this see:
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For More Ideas and Inspiration:
Check out the book Around the Table: Connecting With Your Family at Mealtimes. You can read the first chapter at this site and order a copy of the book.
Check out the book Around the Table: Connecting With Your Family at Mealtimes. You can read the first chapter at this site and order a copy of the book.
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