Well, you could tell me that.
And I could have chosen two other words that probably would have made more sense to the one little word club. I thought about intention. As in 'intention to get a meal on that table each night.’ And I thought about the word gather, as in ‘gather round family, its 5:30 and I’ve got something real tasty for you to eat.’
But intention and gather felt too flowery for me this year. Too schmaltzy, if you will. This isn’t about pretty sounding words and high hopes. This is about meat and potatoes. It’s about the practicalities of getting a routine in my life so that grocery shopping isn’t a mystifying experience every week. It’s about planning and preparation so that I am not begrudgingly trying to guess what I should make for supper every single day. And it’s about peace of mind knowing that the days of eating in front of the tv are over, Ivar is old enough to sit through a meal with us and that the time we gather and talk and break bread at the kitchen table is perhaps the most sacred time in our day.
Now to be fair, it's not like we never eat at the table. We probably do 3 or 4 times a week. But this new plan has as much to do with my attitude about the daily task of putting something on that table as it does getting us all there. My plan with Kitchen Table is to up that number of nights per week and to up my attitude about filling that table with good things to eat. (Rory has already said he'll take a night.)
So the word is Kitchen Table. As in, I’m going to clear the table and set the table. Sometimes I might even have a centerpiece. A lit candle seems like a good idea. I am going to meal plan, organize my grocery list and think about the next night’s supper and what needs to thaw overnight. And then, at 5:30, I’m going to call my family to the kitchen table and we’re gonna thank God for the sloppy joes before us.
8 comments:
So I'm leaving a comment for two of your posts, first, so excited that you wrote a book! You ask me when I have time to sew...look at you?! So awesome! Hope I can read it:)
Also, as I was reading this post, Derek is typing in some of our recipes into a new site we're going to try to help with meal planning and shopping, it's called kitchenmonki.com. It looks pretty sweet. It's one of our resolutions to also have meals planned in advance, we're tired of trying to throw something together last minute...we'll see if this helps:)
Love your word(s)
This is so real life. i love it.
Lacy, great tip. I'm heading over to that site now...
I'm o.k with you cooking and all but please don't light a candle. That'll just make me look bad. :) Good word (or words as the case may be.)
Great idea!! I think a noun is perfectly acceptable. Don't forget your porch table in the summer months! A location where I shared many wonderful meals.
I love this! So real.
Meal preparation is part of my one little word this year too. My word is: Prepare.
I found this free printable planning sheet that may be helpful! Too many times during the week, I end up having to go to the store for one or two things... and end up getting much more! Hopefully this will cut back on that.
http://printables.yourway.net/home-management-notebook/weekly-menu-plan-shopping-list/
Good luck!
Good for you, Becca! Meal planning is one of the legacies that my mom left me with and I have always planned meals each week. It not only gives me a plan for each meal, but it also gives you several other back up plans in case your day doesn't go the way you thought it would and you have more/less time to make something than you thought you would.
It has kept us from eating out all the time, given us yummy, healthy meals, and great leftovers for my hubby's lunches.
Good luck with your "one word" and if you need some sure fire recipes, let me know!
I'm not sure if you're in the OLW12 class at BPC, but someone posted on the message board about "a lady who chose the word 'kitchen table'." I was so intrigued by this that I google "one little word kitchen table"! lol. I think this is an awsome "word". And a beautiful concept! My word is season, and it has so many meanings to me -- one of them being - seasoning my food -- as in actually spendning time cooking! Anyway, I'm pretty sure you're the one that was mentioned - and I'm so glad I found your blog!
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