Family Night!
For those of you who follow us on Instagram, you often see Chelsea talk about our family night. Thursday family dinner is our special time to get together. It is anything but fancy. We kick off the weekend, enjoy a warm meal, and just catch up with each other. It is simple but an absolutely vital family tradition for us. You hear people talk about their love languages all the time. Mine is showing my loved ones that I love them by filing their tummies with a warm, tasty meal and finding out how their week went. As you have heard Chelsea say a hundred times, “It’s Thursday, my favorite day of the week,” and I totally agree.
I picked Thursday as opposed to a weekend dinner as it was just too hard to get everyone together on the weekend. Also I love that we picked Thursday specifically because it is short and sweet. Typically, the kids have school and adults have work the next day so the whole affair is just a few quick hours. That way it is super simple to recreate each week.
When we first started family night a few years ago, we would just order take out. Over the years the size of family night grew and take out became too expensive. I came up with a few tried and true staples to rely on: tacos, pasta, and my favorite, BBQ pork butt sandwiches. I throw a pork butt in the crock pot with a bottle of BBQ sauce and let it cook all day. My sister brings the buns, one daughter brings the chips, and the other brings cookies. Bingo! A wonderful, tasty, easy meal for about 20 people, the main dish costs around fifteen bucks (I stock up on these when Kroger has a sale), and we even have plenty for leftovers.
If you are considering a family night of your own, here are a few more tips to make it a success:
1) Everyone is welcome. Over the years we have inherited a few other families and we have had the opportunity to really get to know and love them. It touches my heart that they all come and share their lives with me.
2) Pot luck it, of course. Having a fancy meal where you spend hours cooking and cleaning is a real no-go for me. Do not be afraid to ask others to help out. Assign everyone tasks from set up to clean up. I have found that people don’t necessarily crave fancy meals, just something tasty and hot. It is the time together that really draws them in.
3) Get the kids involved too. In the winter this usually looks like markers and art supplies spread across the table. In the pretty weather we have many outdoor activities: walks to the park, basketball, squirt guns, corn hole, and disc golf are a few family favorites
4) Relax and enjoy! Here is the real benefit to keeping it simple: leave plenty of time to just connect and have fun.
5) Pick a theme. We don’t always do this but we aren’t afraid to use it either. Game night, movie night, and bike rides. My personal favorite is when the grandkids set up a performance of some sort.
