MooreMinutes is partnering with Rosanna Dishes for a series of posts. I am {over the moon} with this news because as a lot of you know, Rosanna Dishes are some of my FAVORITE THINGS. I've been a passionate fan and happy collector of her dishes for several years because each collection is uniquely beautiful and peacefully simple.
Rosanna's life philosophy mirrors my own: living with intention, creating beauty in everyday life, treasuring simple moments, and holding onto tradition while maintaining a fresh, modern lifestyle. I want to share a sound quote from their company website, "Rosanna knows the recipe for the Good Life. Start with three intentions: sustain tradition, create ritual, and cultivate connection." How true this is!
Rosanna's Coming Home book
One recent tradition our family started about two years ago to help keep our family connected is Family Dinner Show and Share Nights! The idea was inspired by childhood school day routines of "Show and Tell" in the classroom. Those were my favorite days. I double love showing and telling (as is quite obvious by my little blog). I borrowed that concept and brought it to our family dinner table. We don't have an EXACT routine or schedule for it. We basically try to plan it for Fridays, but certainly not every Friday. We are a typical modern-day, American family who works too much, plans too little, and who has family members all going in too many different directions. But, our scattered lives is what made Family Dinner Show N Share Nights necessary!
I've had many of those "bad mama" moments.
My son would enthusiastically run up to me while I was in the kitchen and attempt to show me his extra big LEGO project, but I would quickly brush him away because...
I was too busy.
Or, another boy would try to curl up next to me while I was knee deep in paperwork and he would explain how super cool the book was he just read and I would quickly brush him away because...
I was too busy.
Sometimes a son would follow me around as I gathered my purse and was heading out the door for errands and he would try to show me his school papers, but I would quickly tell them not right now because...
I was too busy.
Other times, they would all try to ask me how something worked, how to fix something, or how to do something and I would quickly push them away because...
I was too busy.
It isn't always just the kids. Sometimes my husband would attempt to share something about work or fitness or show me something cool but I would quickly move on because...
I was too busy.
Looking back, it makes my heart feel so sad that the ones I love most get so quickly ignored. But these "bad mama and wife" moments propelled me to make some changes! I planned Family Dinner Show N Share Nights. These nights are designated times when each family member has an opportunity to share what's on their mind and to show us what they're interested in at the moment. We all participate, even the adults. We each get a handful of minutes to share. Our family highly anticipates these nights around the dinner table now! This created a small solution to all the "too busy now" moments. This also created an excellent way to TEACH the kids how to use different household tools that they always ask how to use but we are often too busy to stop and show them. Our children are eager to learn and will soak up everything we try to teach them. Now, whenever I can't give my full attention to my loved ones, I give them a quick squeeze and ask them to save it and share with us at Family Show N Share Night.
click image to enlarge
Examples of things to Show N Share:
- projects we currently completed
- favorite things that are special to us
- A tool we use and how to use it
- academic papers: tests, book reports, Science projects
- stories that have helped define our life or that mean a lot to us
Benefits of a Show N Share night:
- creates a designated time for the family to gather and focus uninterrupted attention on the one sharing.
- practice in listening skills
- practice in speaking concisely and purposely
- practice in showing interest in other people other than ourselves
- creates unity and family connection
-brings peace within the home
- creates a designated time to TEACH each other how to use a variety of household tools
Chris has showed his guitars to us, explaining the different components of them and a brief overview of how they work. Other ideas men could share are: pocket knife proper use and tips, a summary of their career and what exactly they do, how to use handyman tools, business planning tips, hobbies that are of interest to them, sports memorabilia, and more!
I have showed off this old little teacup I received from a family in Mexico when I did a community-helper trip there as a teenager. It means a lot to me and I had a story to go with it. Other things women could share are kitchen tools and how to use them, journal entries, favorite pieces of jewelery, hobbies that are of interest to them, and more!
The boys have shared toys (!!!), finished LEGO projects, little pocket treasures they found on outdoor adventures, school papers, sports and academic awards, and stories.
Each family member gets center stage for a few minutes during the evening meal:
These nights are also a welcome opportunity for me to put my HOMEMAKER on! It's an excellent night to try new recipes for the family. We don't sit down around the dinner table for every meal. My moneymaker husband works late often (thank you babe!) , and the kids have outside activities. We sometimes have our dinner in intervals or in the car. However, I am still mindful of the importance of gathering the family around the table and I try to make it a goal to do it more often. I work towards making these meals {just a bit} more special than average.
So I dress up the table...
And rinse off most-loved dishes...
And pull out new cookbooks...
to create some home cooked comfort.
Inside Out Chocolate Chip cookies
change up your traditional cookies by adding
1/4 cup cocoa powder
and using white chocolate chips
instead of semi-sweets.
A quick table-setting tip:
If you don't want to take the time to set a full table,
keep a basket of napkins handy
and easily add a pile of flatware to the basket
and set the whole thing on the table before a meal.
The sun is almost leaving
and it is almost time to gather around our dinner table
to Show N Share.
Our meal is a celebration of family
and a practice in unity.
So if you wander by our house on a random Friday night, you may see boys dressed up like this: with full smiles and a dinner table mixed with pretty dishes and piles of toys, projects, and papers.
That's just us making a moment to experience life on pause for a quick second. And by the time we all wake up the next day, the quick hum of busy life will return. But that's okay because we have another random Friday Family Dinner night ahead...and each one of us is looking forward to it with anticipation.
Don't forget to visit Rosanna's Tabletalk for more inspiration on creating community, tradition, extending childhood, and art around the table.
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This post is linked to: Under the Table & Dreamin, Nifty Thrifty, Seasonal Sundays, Met Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, HOMEWORK: Be Inspired, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Organize and Decorate Everything, Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, 36th Ave Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up DIY by Design
