Wednesday Night AKA Family Night

This is where the GUMBO part of this blog comes into play. One of the first things I do as part of treatment goals with families is to establish the importance of sitting down and eating together.  On various levels, eye contact, slowing down, talking, and the satisfaction that these people believe you make the best (FILL IN THE BLANK/FOOD) in the entire universe.  There is nothing more disturbing than being at a nice dinner out--and seeing entire families all glued to their phones while eating. 

Our family--like so many others---has had ups and downs.  Divorces can happen, relatives sometimes move out of driving distance, feelings can be hurt---but every Wednesday night we know where we will be: with FAMILY.  My sister and I have seen each other through some pretty tough stuff.  She is the closest relative to me in more ways than proximity.  Between the 2 of us we have 4 boys, 1 girl, and 4 dogs.  We take turns "hosting" at each of our homes every week. Trust me,  it's disorganized chaos that Martha Stewart would scoff at--but we pull it off.  We often have a diaper blowout, lost car keys, a hungry baby, barking dogs, etc.  But we also have: wine, laughter, a southern flare for food passed down from our grandparents, garden fresh veggies, a passion for the Seahawks, my brother in law's "salad tossing" jokes that never get old, planning for upcoming holidays, and the sweet sound of the kids announcing at the end of the night "Wednesdays are my favorite". 

So, you are probably wondering "why Wednesday?"  Well, I took a tip from my best friend growing up.  Her family still does family nights on Weds. religiously for the past 15 years.  Wednesday is the middle of the week, the toughest part ---but it gives our family something to look forward to.  In future I will post the meals we make, but tonight it was pizza.  And it was awesome.  What will your kids/family say about family meals when they get older?  What recipe will be passed down, a favorite (possibly inappropriate) apron of mom's?  What is your family about, what is important to you?