Feeding the 5000...well the 9 of us at least

Of all the questions and comments we get about raising a large family, people are often very curious about how we do meal time.  We don't run it like a cafeteria.  We don't have a commercial grade kitchen like the Duggers either.  There are 3 simple aspects to our meals. 

The first aspect of the meal is staffing.  By this I mean, which of our 2 oldest is in charge of helping or cooking the meal.  Once I know who is assigned to "meal" for the day, I can let them know what is on the meal plan.  When I am organized enough, they can read the meal plan...otherwise it's all in my head.  If it's a meal they know how to make, they can jump right into preparing the meal while I either help or complete another task.  There are always diapers to change, school papers to copy or something to be cleaned.  Having the big kids help with meals has really been helpful.  I am much more productive.  Even the littler kids help with setting the table or putting out plates and drinks.

The second aspect of the meal is quantity.  Many of our brood are still very young.  Thus, the quantity of food needed at this point is nothing compared to what it will be when we have multiple teens and pre-teens living under our roof!  Even now, we are doubling most recipes.  We choose to set up each plate then put it on the table.  I have found that serving family style allows my children to take less of the things I want them to eat.  They are always welcome to seconds, but are also expected to eat the reasonable portions on their plate.  But how much should each child be expected to eat?  I have read in several places that a child under 5 years should eat 1 tablespoon of each food per year of life (http://life.familyeducation.com/nutrition/nutrition/36616.html).  I also tend to not to put things like pretzels and chips on their plates.  Those foods are a reward for eating the "good stuff" and can fill up a little belly pretty quickly.  Also, we don't give our children milk at every meal or a even full cup of milk.  Milk also fills the belly and two of my girls would prefer to only drink milk.  This article from Parenting (http://www.parenting.com/article/got-milk ) states the U.S. dietary guidelines for dairy, milk and other dairy products, consumption.  I tend to limit milk intake due to the fact that we are not currently able to buy organic or raw milk.  The generic milk is expensive enough!



The third aspect of the meal is atmosphere.  All you Martha Stewart types just got excited because you are expecting me to tell about how to make beautiful centerpieces out of things you have lying around the house or how to sew a tablecloth from scraps of cloth or old baby clothes.  Well, you should probably try a different blog if that's what you're looking for!  When I talk about atmosphere, I mean setting the tone for family time.  There are times when we all watch a movie during dinner, but we limit those.  Meals are a time to catch up with mom or dad on their day, to talk about what we learned in school, to schedule our day or week, and to make each other laugh.  These are precious moments to me.  Right now our children are dependent on us for transportation, do not have jobs, and enjoy being with their family.  I hope the family meal lasts for the entire time they are in our home, but if it doesn't, we hope to have set the foundation for the relationships we have with our children.  You've heard the commercials and the experts sing the praises of  "The Family Meal".  It really has been a bonding time for our family.

Our food is not fancy.  Our table cloth is made of vinyl.  Our chairs don't match.

But the time together is priceless.