November 12, 2012

Dinner

80 seconds over 20 minutes

When a family is made up of two restless adults and a Little Smith, it can take a mandatory weekly dinner to get everyone gathered and actually engaged for an entire twenty minutes of food flinging, song singing, glasses tipping, camera snapping togetherness.

frame 70 {almost done}

We might have made it to twenty-five minutes if I'd have duct taped Big Smith to the chair. I swear he is more antsy than a toddler and would eat standing up while answering emails and folding laundry with his feet if he could!

*a few thoughts on family dining here.

21 comments:

  1. This is amazing! I love it!! And oh my goodness how much Little Smith has changed!! I clicked the link and wow!! He is a grown boy!

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    1. Thanks so much Lea. I know, it's happening so fast! It is fun to have so many photos here to be able to look back on.

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  2. Haha its not easy asking a toddler to sit still and have a proper meal, but little Smith seems to be quite good for his age (according to the photos). Haha love this post :)

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  3. good work. awesome to document it like this! We always had family dinners and sometimes they were certainly less than pleasant .. but I think that taking the time is so important. As a flat we sit down to dinner, and our dining table is used as a living space more often than our lounge.. x

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  4. I have no idea why but if you asked me which moments is your unforgetable one.answer is ı could see myself in a family dinner..I dont have any memories from my childhood but still have a dream....

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  5. What a fantastically awesome idea!! Love, love, love the pictures. In our house, its me-- I'm an eat-then-up person. We actually have a few family jokes about the way I hoover my food then want to leave the table in record time lol.

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  6. How cool was that??? Pretty cool. Our dinners never look that peaceful and nice. :)

    And how cool is your candle holder?!

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  7. I love this! It gets so hard to keep the kids in their seat after a while- At almost 3, I let my boy roam around mostly during dinner. He hovers close to the table and comes in for a bite, then he'll go again (usually in more-or-less circles around the table). There is no sitting still. But I still insist that dinner is had as a family!

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  8. What a cute photo idea! Love your candelabra. As Alice gets older I definitely want to implement family dinners on most nights of the week. No phones. No iPads. No TV. Just conversation and catching up on the day.

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  9. You guys are too cute! Andrew is the same way-- he doesn't care to sit still and also eats pretty fast! It leaves me wondering if I really cooked dinner at all or just imagined it!

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  10. I love time lapse photography and this is such a cool use of it. We are lucky if we manage to keep our kids in their chairs for longer than a few minutes at a time. I feel like most of my time during dinner is telling them to sit down! Eat your food!

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  11. I love the time lapse photos and I loved the post you linked to in your archives! I think (talking about the older post) the important thing is slowing down and checking in with your child on a daily basis, whether that be over a game or some food or whatever is appropriate for your family. We don't get a lot of family dinners anymore with Craig's new hours, breakfast seems to be the time for us, and I'm not really concerned. Like I said, I think it's all about slowing down and connecting as a family.

    Also- I have this theory that if you don't make food an emotional thing ("Eat this! COME ON just try it! You can't get up until you finish") and you just give your kid healthy options and let them pick and choose they'll develop healthy eating habits. SO, going back to that older post, maybe that was exactly the effect your childhood eating habits had on you.

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    1. Yeah, I am hoping that it's more about connecting each day than a firm family dinner because it's just not possible for us to make that happen most nights. I am trying so hard to go with that same theory of just presenting good food and not getting into 'eat this' battles. Lately it's been more challenging because W has gotten pickier, but overall I think it's working!

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  12. Very cute! If the big guy's folding laundry, let him at it! ;)

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    1. I know- hard to complain about anyone doing laundry!

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  13. OH how funny! We have just recently moved into dining room dinners - and I keep wanting to do a post on it, because I'm very proud we've finally made it to this stage.

    Love the black and white, multiple boxed shots. Captures it well.

    And, baby looks very well behaved.

    Here's to family dinners (whenever and however long they last!)
    J

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    1. Thanks, he is well behaved until he finishes his food and then things go downhill pretty fast. I'm looking forward to your post on your family dinners- I bet those boys all have some fun at the table :)

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  14. Great shot that you got there! Patience, and a big camera card can make the difference. Brian is a quick eater, and eager to get on the way too. I figured it was the Army that made him like that, but it seems to be just a character trait!

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  15. Wow, you guys look so happy at the dinner table. Rick and I constantly look (and feel) tense at meal times, as we try to convince three little boys to consume their dinner between the two of us... sometimes I feel like I age a whole year in one sitting!

    Love the 80 frames and love the candlestick holder! So cool.

    Ronnie xo

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