What Does Dinner Look Like In Your House?

A Facebook commenter asked: What does dinner look like in your house?

(I did not script any of this, or set any of it up. In fact, the entire post is probably going to make me look bad. Like a mom with no rules, no guidelines, and absolutely NO sense of how dinner is SUPPOSED to be done.)

I'd love to have a dinner table that is peaceful, calm and serene. One where everyone accepts the food as put in front of them, compliments the chef, and quietly places the food in their mouth. The food remains in their mouth until it goes to the stomach. There is no repeat of the food. No swapping your food for mine. Nice conversation, talk about the day, and nothing is spilled.

Alas. I do not have this.

Instead, I present to you, a slice of dinner at my house. In pictures, with captions. Dinner this evening was beef brisket, green beans, choice of potato (mashed or roasted) or bread and choice of fruit. This night eveyone had apple slices before we even started dinner.

In my house, people eat dinner while they do homework on occasion. Standing up for concentration and also so you can move at will, which helps concentration in those who struggle.

People eat dinner while reading books.

People get up from the table and spin randomly. Usually with food in their mouths and then it flies out.

And sometimes, we have great pumpkin bread, and people don't like it and they switch for plain sandwich bread. With tears and jumping around.

And they eat that sandwich bread by pulling it apart with their fingers, rolling it into balls and tossing the balls into their mouths.

Some of those at the table would rather do just about anything than eat beef brisket. So they push the plate to the side and hope that I will overlook it.

They eat with their fingers and prop their legs up at the table. They sing songs into their green bean microphones.

There are always plates left for people who are at work or sports.

Told ya - this blog post RIPS the gloss from my life. It shows that meal time is NOT optimal here.

But that's us. Warts and all.

And that's why I eat AFTER they go to bed.

Comments

[Emily C]

HAHAHAHAHAHA! I love your idea of an ideal dinnertime. Because it's what we all dream of--and none of us have.

Yay for nitty gritty reality!

[Justice Fergie]

OMG I love it. Aaaand this could very well be my house!! I may totally capture dinnertime at the Fergie household in pictures too :)

[Rachel]

This post is exactly why I adore you so much ;-)

[KG]

One of your best posts E-VAH!!! lol
I had no IDEA you had my kids over for dinner!! ALL of them!
My biggest issue with what you call "dinnertime" other than that it's OBVIOUSLY a three ring circus... is the um, hellooo CHRISTMAS PLATES?!??!?!? It's not even HALLOWEEN!!!
At OUR family dinners we only use Christmas BOWLS year round- even at my summer-born children's birthday parties! LOL
Way to be real Carmen-
LOVE IT.. and love the contented faces on your kids... even if you had to bribe them!

And I'm NOT the only one that eats after bedtime??????????? I thought I was alone!

[addy]

See if dinnertime had been like this when I was growing up life would have been so much more fun. Way to go Carmen! Each is unique and important.

[maggie]

Real is good.

[J from Ireland]

And thats the reason I love you Carmen. My house is quite similiar although I draw the line at reading at the table if I'm not allowed do it why should they be. Love the reality of you and your home. Best wishes hon.

[mary]

hey you forgot to show the floor under the table after dinner! and the pile of crap loaded plates! and the food thrown away when you arent looking! If you are going to come over do it RIGHT. lol.
my kids watch tv while they eat!!!
omg and the snacks eaten 5 mins after dinner!

[Nicki]

Yeah, that's pretty much how it goes around here as well, with the added bonus of trying to figure out where the two younger boys have wandered off to and dragging them back to the table. They *love* my cooking. Heh.

[UKCraftySal]

I can't tell you how pleased I am that your dinner time looks much like mine! (I'd definitely be choosing that gorgeous pumpkin bread over sandwich bread!)

[Elizabeth]

With only 1 kid dinner is somewhat less hectic at our house. My hubby is the picky eater not our 5 yr old son. I started early on indoctrinating our son to eat what is on the plate in front of you or go hungry. Well, actually he only has to eat 5 big bites of anything new or that he doesn't like. But, with only 1 kid, it is easier to handle the tantrums, fits, etc. when we first started doing this. Now, a year later, it isn't an issue. Except for my hubby who still complains about having to eat 5 bites of stuff he doesn't like.

[Sabrina]

Reality is beauty. Reality bites and these are cute and cool bites=)

[Brandy]

At least y'all eat at the table. We eat in the LR most nights because my hubs likes eating in there.

[Issa]

I love this...because it is so my life too. Although, few less kids. ;)

Sometimes we eat in the car on the way too classes and things too.

MMMMmmmm brisket. YUM!

[A Simple Twist of Faith]

I LOVE it, especially the green bean microphone..that's Carmen...always keeping it real!

[Debby Pucci]

Can't please everyone all the time. Sounds like an interesting dinner time. Who doesn't like making bread balls!

[Wendy]

I had to look around and mnake sure you weren't looking in my window whie we had dinner. Sounds normal to me.

[S.]

Funny post! Yay for reality! I challenge you to find even ONE mom whose dinner table matches the "ideal dinner table" description with which you prefaced this post. Honey, you'll only find it on re-runs of Little House on the Prairie.... The green-bean microphone was awesome. Dinner at my house isn't too far off from what you described... and sometimes I care, sometimes I don't!

[kyooty]

YAY!!! I'm so very very very happy to hear this.