Barbara's Product Reviews & Giveaways
October 7, 2011 11:59 AM
The Hour That Matters Most - 10 copies!
[Kathi, Leslie, Suzie, Donna D, Anita, Robyn, Sheila, Sandra, Bene, and Deborah are the winners of this giveaway. Thanks to all who entered! And thanks to Tyndale House for sponsoring it! You can find The Hour that Matters Most: The Surprising Power of the Family Meal
at Amazon.]
A Simple Recipe For Success
Want to maximize your children's chance for success? Boost their grades and SAT scores, develop good self-esteem and social skills - plus help them avoid cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol?
Just 20 minutes a day is all it takes. You never have to leave home or spend a dime. Yet study after study concludes that one simple practice can make these parental wishes come true.
All you have to do is sit down to a family dinner.
These days, that may be easier said than done - probably why we've seen a 33 percent decrease in the last 30 years in families who say they have dinner together regularly. Think about it: in 1970 after school kids played pretty much on their own - rollerskating, impromptu backyard baseball games, Barbie soap operas, or just plain hanging out - while mom made dinner. Dad came home, Mom called the kids, and voila: the family dinner.
Today's families are different - many with two breadwinners or single parents. But even in a traditional family like mine, dealing with a heap of homework and a gazillion extracurricular activities adds a crazy spin to the concept of dinner.
Not to mention countless hours of parental behind-the-wheel. So who has time to cook?
Still, those studies are hard to ignore. Family dinners mean kids with better eating habits and good manners and social graces - kids who will be welcome and confident wherever they go. And - on a more serious note - a decreased chance of teen pregnancy or suicide.
And by the way, as a former single mother, I know it's not easy to sit down and eat together, but since kids from single-parent families are most at risk, they need family dinners more than anyone.
So how does a busy family do it? Here are a few suggestions:
Keep dinnertime flexible. On nights Zach has karate, we have dinner at 5:00. On nights when Ben has rehearsal, we have it at 7:00. I look for a window of opportunity - and if we can't all be home, then at least when most will be.
Use a crock pot. First thing in the morning, throw in some meat, mushroom soup and Lipton's onion soup mix - or try spaghetti sauce with defrosted frozen meatballs.
Cut back on computer time to make room for a meal together. During dinner, turn off the TV. Don't answer the phone.
Keep things simple. Once a week we do Breakfast Night - pancakes, sausage, eggs.
No matter how simple the meal, a few candles make it special for children.
The bottom line is this: kids don't care if it's fish sticks and French fries - as long as time with you is on the menu.
.From the back cover:
Dinnertime--It's More Than Just a MealI know all of us have been serving up family dinners for years, but if you can use some ideas to recharge your batteries, leave a comment for a drawing 10/14. Tyndale House is generously offering 10 books to be given away to MommyLife readers.
Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott have discovered the surprising impact that something as simple as sharing a meal together can have on a family. And they aren't alone. Researchers across the board are finding that an hour around the dinner table can really tether a family together and help you raise up healthier, happier kids.
Featuring the inspiring story of Stephanie Allen and Tina Kuna, the founders of Dream Dinners, The Hour That Matters Most shows you how to nourish and nurture your family through regular meal times.
An inspiring, practical book packed with everything you need to help you make the most of the dinnertime hour, The Hour That Matters Most includesIf you're looking for ways to bring love and laughter to your home, rediscover the remarkable power of the family meal in The Hour That Matters Most.
- never-before-published recipes
- expert cooking tips and ideas
- color photos of family-favorite meals
- dozens of conversation starters to get your kids talking around the table
Comments
This looks great . . . I would love to have it for some new ideas.
Posted by: Karen E. | October 8, 2011 11:22 PM
This is an area we struggle with since my husband often works late hours and doesn't get home until 7 or 8. I've been looking for ways we can recapture this crucial time.
Posted by: Rachel | October 9, 2011 2:16 PM
This looks wonderful. I would love a copy.
Posted by: Leslie | October 9, 2011 2:36 PM
Please enter me; I would love to read this.
Posted by: Hannah Elise | October 9, 2011 3:16 PM
Please include me in the drawing!
Posted by: Kelly | October 9, 2011 3:48 PM
Dinner time is stressful. The meal prep, sitting down to eat, and the clean up all happen at times when my littles and I are at our worst. I'd love to breathe new life into our dinner routine.
Posted by: Suzi | October 9, 2011 6:09 PM
Would love to have this! I eat with the kids, but their dad gets home too close to bedtime, so we especially focus on the weekend meals. Please enter me in the drawing.
Posted by: Kathi | October 9, 2011 6:16 PM
Thank you for the opportunity to win this!
Posted by: Anita | October 9, 2011 8:39 PM
Thank Barabara for the opportunity. Would love this book. Dinnertime is often a struggle around here. I've been trying to remain more faithful to meals together but it is often an uphill climb. Could always use more encouragement to help keep this a priority.
Posted by: Donna Dorsey | October 9, 2011 9:02 PM
Please enter me in your drawing. This looks like a wonderful resource. My husband is deployed now but I try to sit down with the kids for our evening meal and am looking forward to the day when he can join us again.
Posted by: Robyn | October 9, 2011 9:23 PM
This sounds fantastic - we're guilty of eating dinner on the couch while watching TV, and I'd like to get out of that bad habit and establish a real dinner time to spend with the kids.
Posted by: Sheila | October 9, 2011 9:34 PM
Thank you for this giveaway! Would love to learn some new ways to make dinnertime special and fun!
Posted by: knmkendall | October 10, 2011 12:24 AM
I would love this, and am adding it to my Amazon wish list - just in case!
Posted by: Denise | October 10, 2011 1:27 AM
Yesterday, we were at our local Chinese restaurant for Sunday lunch after church and we took about an hour to have lunch. We laughed, talked and ate and had such a great time. I couldn't help notice a few tables watching us. while we were 6 sitting together, these were childless tables or a couple with one child. They were enjoying watching us enjoy each other. I think that having a family with many children is good not only for ourselves but for others too. It brings such joy to the world!!
Anyway, we love meal times... we are always sitting together. So include us, please! BTW, have you picked the winners for the last giveaways... the ones due on 09/26???
thanks so much for doing these. :)
tereza
Posted by: tereza crump aka MyTreasuredCreations | October 10, 2011 11:19 AM
This would be a wonderful help for my busy family. Thanks so much!
Posted by: Joani Glasgow | October 10, 2011 1:37 PM
I am always looking for more ideas!
Posted by: Angela | October 10, 2011 4:33 PM
I need this! We have lots of different issues at dinner ranging from different schedules to different tastes. I would love to see if there was anything here that would help us.
Posted by: Sandra | October 10, 2011 5:01 PM
would love to read this!
Posted by: Elizabeth | October 10, 2011 10:42 PM
Love to have this book-Drs. Les and Leslie have written some great books and I'm sure this one's a hit too!
Posted by: Ellen McClure | October 11, 2011 12:01 AM
Wow! Could really use this at our house. This is my biggest struggle.
Posted by: Amy | October 11, 2011 3:01 AM
One of my daughters and I have been talking about this very thing. She struggles to wean herself and her children from that "too busy to all sit down together" syndrome that seems to be afflicting families everywhere.
Posted by: Jane | October 11, 2011 4:34 AM
Fim believer of amazing bonds that happen whie sharing a meal together. Could use more guidance to make it happen in our busy modern lives...
Posted by: Bene | October 11, 2011 8:23 AM
This is great! I think every family should have a copy of this book, and practice its principles.
Posted by: Nana | October 11, 2011 10:03 AM
This sounds like a great book ! I need a little help in the kitchen . . .
Thanks for the giveaway !
Posted by: dee | October 11, 2011 4:26 PM
I could use some encouragement in the dinner hour department. We do eat together, but it can be a little hairy with 8 underteens at the table. Thanks for the opportunity.
Posted by: Lynette | October 12, 2011 1:21 AM
Ah, I put this on my "wish list" a few weeks ago! Would love to win a copy, Barbara!
Posted by: TulipGirl | October 12, 2011 3:12 PM
This looks really great, and my life seems to revolve around food and prep and clean-up, so this would be even better.
Posted by: Addie | October 13, 2011 8:52 PM
You "expose" us to such interesting products. I would love to win this!
Posted by: Miriam Knoy | October 14, 2011 9:03 AM
I hope I win this my husband works second shift now nd on the nights he is home we really need to capture this very important moment but we seem to have lost the art of conversation not to mention I am not creatve in the kitchen at all.I really want my kids to have good meal time memories.
Posted by: melita | October 14, 2011 5:19 PM
I would love to have a copy of this!
Posted by: Newt Sherwin | October 14, 2011 8:50 PM
We eat the same things every week - or at least it feels that way. I'd appreciate some new ideas and encouragement.
Posted by: Deborah | October 14, 2011 9:59 PM
I would love to read this book for my own encouragement and also to share with my Bible study group.
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