Eating at Home

At the request of my husband, I will NOT be posting about what we have been doing for an hour and a half every night after Little Bird goes to bed.

Instead, I would love to share something incredible that has been transforming our home.

Eating here.

We never really ate out very much, but since Little Bird eats “big people” food now, when I cook, it’s extremely healthy well-balanced meals with fresh fruits and veggies and whole grains.

We spend time at the table now, instead of sitting in the living room, eating while we work.

We spend each evening together, first eating dinner, then cleaning up, then playing, reading books, and singing songs until Little Bird goes to bed.

The biggest change I’ve noticed is in our attitudes when we come home.

The old way:

Hi, Honey.  I’m going to change clothes.  Now I’m going to get on the computer for a while.  Let’s each get our own things done.  Crap.  Is it 5:00?  Rush to cook dinner.  Ok, I’m off to work on other stuff more now.  Ugh, Little Bird is so tired.  She won’t stop fussing.  Guess it’s off to bed. Night, night.  Ok great, time for some Netflix until bed.

Now:

Hi, Honey.  I’m going to change clothes.  Are we playing with blocks?  My tower is taller!  Really?  You’re going to knock it down.  4:30, time to cook dinner together!  Hurray, mint peas!  Let’s all eat.  Little Bird you are doing so good!  Look at you trying to use that fork!  Ok, let’s all clean up!  Dishes and putting food away and wiping off the table!  Family clean up time!  Off to Little Bird’s room.  Let’s climb in our tunnel, let’s put things in drawers, let’s look at books and read.  Oh!  It’s 6:20, turn down the lights.  Read a book, or two, or three.  Sing songs together.  Turn on nighttime music.  Little Bird climbs in bed and in 10 minutes manages to fall asleep at about 7:02 every night.  Mom and Dad change clothes, get into the living room and work their butts off for an hour and a half or so together.  Then shower time, bed time.

We do way more stuff this way.  Work stops when you enter the apartment.  We spend our entire evenings together instead of doing our own thing.  It’s pretty nice.  I credit planning meals ahead and sharing the work with food for this change.