I don’t mean sitting in the car munching on burgers from the drive-through. I mean sitting down at the table and sharing a home-cooked meal. If you can’t remember when you last enjoyed a family dinner, make plans to have them more often.

Experts have found - and continue to discover - plenty of benefits for both children and adults when families have dinner together at least three times a week. I know…I know, it’s not always easy, so click here if you need help with meal planning and grocery shopping.

Here are 10 reasons why you should have family meals more often:

Good For The Body

1. When families eat together, everyone tends to eat healthier. People who have frequent family meals consume more calcium, fiber, iron, and vitamins B6, B12, C and E. It could be because home-cooked meals are healthier than fast food and restaurant meals. (Source: Archives of Family Medicine)

2. Children tend to eat more fruits and vegetables when they frequently have dinner with their families. They also tend to eat fewer snack foods. (Source: American Dietetic Association)

3. Children in families who eat dinner together are less likely to be overweight (Source: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine). This makes sense, given the findings in #1 and #2 above.

Good For The Brain

4. Children from families who eat meals together get better grades than their peers who don’t have lots of family meal times (Source: Lou Harris-Reader’s Digest National Poll). So family dinners are not only good for the body; they’re also good for the brain.

5. When families eat together frequently, children have better language skills compared to kids from families who don’t have family mealtimes often. (Source: Harvard University) Good For Emotional Health 6. Children of families who eat together report feeling happier and are more optimistic about the future, than their peers who have infrequent family meals. (Source: Lou Harris- Reader’s Digest National Poll)

7. Teenagers are less likely to use drugs, smoke, and drink alcoholic drinks, when their families eat together regularly. (Source: Columbia University)

8. It may come as a surprise, but among Moms who work outside the home, those who have family mealtimes reported feeling less stress than those who had family dinners less often. (Source: Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal)

9. The more often teen girls had meals with their families, the less likely they were to have symptoms of depression and suicidal behaviors. (Source: University of Minnesota)

Good For Family Bonding

10. Eating together gives family members the chance to communicate and build relationships, something that both adults and children appreciate very much. (Source: Nutrition Education Network of Washington & Oprah Winfrey’s “Family Dinner Experiment”) I hope these reasons motivate you and your family to try and eat together more often. We’re all busy - even children have plenty of after-school activities.

But as the list above shows, family meals are worth every effort we put into them. It helps to plan ahead so that we’re not scrambling to get dinner ready or panicking because we don’t have all the ingredients we need.

To make it easier to get the family around the table with a home-cooked meal, check out Dine Without Whine’s menu planning service. It cost just a penny to try it out!

Here’s are a few reasons…

www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=3A7…

http://www.southernledger.com/images_ap/54781a61-4201-4d00-a137-d9c941623dfc-54781a61-4201-4d00-a137-d9c941623dfc.jpg

This is how the folks in the Red River Valley take care of one another.  I have yet to hear the outcry of enraged Fargo’nians…."why didn’t you help?"  "where were you when we needed you?"

An unfortunate lesson the rest of the nation has yet to learn from a community that doesn’t ask for help or handouts…..

In a nutshell…

"Towards the end of his approximately 40-minute taping, the president talked about how he’s gotten better at bowling and has been practicing in the White House bowling alley, even bowling a 129.

"That’s very good, Mr. President," Leno said sarcastically.

It’s "like the Special Olympics or something," the president said."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Economy/story?id=7119504&page=1

In my search to share the live clip with you…I found a video clip of Sarah Palin’s address to the Special Olympics in Boise, ID and thought I would share this one instead…

Thankfully - someone who actually "gets it".

We had a weeklong stretch where the kids literally could not go outside due to frigid temps.  They were getting stir-crazy…and so was I.

That’s what motivated me to purchase a Wii and Active Life Outdoor Challenge for Christmas - and since the weather didn’t break…we opened it up early.

It was an instant hit with my kids (a four year old boy…and five year old girl).  The loved the jump-roping, log-jumping, outdoor trampoline & mine cart race.  I was literally giddy as I watched them run in place, jump and swing their arms & sweat!

We love the game so much that we spend each afternoon doing a family workout.  I do a 20 minute running, hurdle & jumping routine while the kids run in place & jump beside me.  After that, they challenge one another in a variety of games while I clean the house.

Pinch me.  I have a clean house…I am getting a quick workout…and I have exhausted kids at the end of the day.

Here is a promotional video for the game.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the game if you have it (comments section)…and if not - give it a try!  Trust me, it is well worth the $59.00 price tag!

Needless to say, my "casual" attire is just one of the reasons I love my "Work at Home" gig.  That’s why I created this fun line of silly tshirts, gifts, mousepads & more.

Here are a few samples…

Work at Home Mom by traci_designs
Make photo mugs On www.zazzle.com
See other Humor Sayings Mugs

Stay at Home Mom by traci_designs
cards from www.Zazzle.com
See more Parents Cards

Stay at Home Mom by traci_designs
Create personalized t shirts At www.Zazzle.com
Browse Parents T-Shirts

I found this “recipe” on Martha Stewart and thought it would be a really great “rainy day”…(or just plain bitterly cold day) craft for the kids and I to try.  Once they were completed (see photos) the kids decided that they would make a great gift for their friends at school.  I couldn’t agree more. 

Here’s how we made ours….

• We gathered up all of our crayon scraps (we used about 40 crayons and parts to make 10 crazy crayons).
• Then, I put the kids in charge of peeling.  (This takes awhile so you may want to pop in a movie or turn on some holiday music while they peel).  If you plan ahead, you may want to soak the crayons overnight or for a few hours so they are easier to peel.
• Next, I sliced the crayons (using an old chopping knife) into pea-sized pieces and sorted the chopped crayons into small bowls by colors - (reds & oranges, blues & greens, blacks & greys, etc…)
• After that, I let the kids sort the pieces into muffin tins.  We talked about “earth tones”, primary colors, holiday colors etc…as they put the pieces into the muffin holes.
• Finally, I baked the crayon pieces in a 200 degree oven for 15 minutes.  You may need to bake them longer or shorter…they will look like liquid when they are completely melted. 
• It takes an hour or so for the crazy crayons to become solid so I put mine in the freezer when the kids started getting impatient. 

That’s it!  Wa-la…a fun, educational & “green” craft project & gift idea.  

We are going to make more later this week and put them into cute baggies for a little gift for the kids’ classmates. 

I am crazy about Thanksgiving & Christmas Day leftovers.  I am not sure why, but sometimes I think the turkey & stuffing actually tastes better the next day (plus, I am a huge fan of fresh turkey & swiss sandwiches). 

This year, we have an abundance of leftovers and I thought I would stretch the leftovers with some creative leftover stuffing & turkey recipes.   I tried the first one last night and it was fabulous! 

If you are "over-stuffed" check out these leftover turkey & stuffing recipes.

1).  Breakfast Stuffing Frittata

2).  Turkey & Stuffing Bundles

3).  Turkey and Stuffing Soup

4).  Turkey Casserole with Stuffing

5).  Turkey Broccoli Pie

6).  Turkey Strata

7).  Turkey Soup with Stuffing Dumplings

8).  Stuffing Stuffed Mushrooms

9).  Stuffing Bites with Cranberry Pesto

10). Stuffed Shells

…add your own leftover stuffing tips and ideas in the comments section….

I frequently save money by making my own iron-on kids shirts…but these are above and beyond anything I’ve ever created on my own.

Here’s a sample…and here’s the link.  Enjoy!

PS - Wouldn’t these make great Christmas gifts? 

According to a Fox News report, a law enforcement official says that these decals offer too much information about your family to someone who may potentially harm your children.

For example, a child predator could approach your child using their first name (that they saw on the vehicle) leaving the child to trust him / her more.

I am looking for a link to share to the actual report, but thought it was worth mentioning since these stickers are growing in popularity.