I consider myself a morning person. But at this point, I’ve been one out of necessity for so long that I’m not really sure if it’s true.
Regardless, the little feet tiptoeing to my side of the bed—and the giant baby blabbering away in her mini-crib—get me up morning after morning.
So I try to make the most of it.
You too?
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Like a lot of families, our family finds it hard to do full-on family dinners on the weekdays. Lately, though, I’ve been noticing that breakfast can be golden.
No one has conflicts (unless, of course, you count my husband’s love for the bed), and everyone’s gotta eat.
Like I mentioned in my post on alternatives to family dinner, research says families really only get about ten minutes of talk time out of a meal, when you account for all the refilled cups and trips to the kitchen.
I don’t think it’s as much about the number of minutes as it is the quality of your minutes. So even if you only have five minutes before herding everyone to the car, breakfast has potential. 🙂
That said, breakfast clearly comes with a few challenges, so it’s almost impossible to pull it off without doing these three things:
1. Prep the night before
We all know this is any parent’s secret to successful mornings, but really, it’s worth repeating. 🙂 If you don’t pack lunches and ready the homework folders in advance, the mental rush will prevent you from being present for those few precious minutes at the table.
2. Commit to sitting down
Funny how hard this is, right? Unless you really commit to sitting down with your family, I’m guessing you’ll catch bites of your breakfast in between starting a load of laundry and signing a permission slip.
Fun tip: Serve something for breakfast that you actually like to eat. When I take a few minutes to make scrambled eggs with avocado on top, or a bowl of oatmeal with a splash of whip cream and cinnamon, I’m way more interested in staying still. (Is everyone this motivated by good food?)
3. Come prepared
With groggy parents and kids, conversation can be slow going in the mornings. I try to come armed a couple mornings a week with a quick conversation starter or a story from my life. (Related: What Children Gain When You Open Up)
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The simplest and most effective activity at our house is a gratitude practice.
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Another is the high and low game, where we share the best and worst thing that happened to us the day before.
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If you keep a family memory jar, breakfast is a great time to jot down a couple of family memories to add to the jar (to be opened on New Year’s Day).
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And if all else fails, you can always pull up a picture on your phone and reminisce about how funny it was “that one time when…”
For more ideas on what to chat about (including a printable you can tape inside a kitchen cabinet!), click here.
Now—If you’re currently thinking, “Erica. Girl. Really. I can barely get my eyes open every morning, much less initiate some quality conversation…” (You know who you are!) I highly recommend my friend Shawn’s Rise and Shine challenge, a free series of emails to help you use those first minutes as the rudder of your day.
Last week, when I asked y’all on Facebook whether you make breakfast or dinner count, most said dinner. Sleepy family members, busy schedules, different eating times. Yes, yes, yes. I’m with ya. But IF you can rethink your routines a bit or even just squeeze in one “slow” breakfast a week (weekends included), I think you’ll start to catch the magic.
As one breakfast-loving friend said on Facebook, “We take our time connecting to start our day.” That is exactly what it’s about.
Do we have any other family breakfast lovers out there? Feel free to share any tips on when and how you make breakfast count in your home!
Thanks so much for your sweet words about my quotes in a recent Wall Street Journal article, “No Time for Family Dinner? Try Breakfast.” I was a little a LOT excited to be interviewed, and just as excited to share it with you! So thankful for your support!
Linked up with Works for Me Wednesday.
I love this! Because, this so totally fits with our family. My husband works hours that brings him home later in the evening, usually as I am tucking the girls in. He spends more time with them in the mornings, most weeks. This is definitely our “season” of life right now. Thank you for the beautiful reminder!!
Us too, Liz! I know our seasons change regularly, which is why it’s about making the most of each season. Thanks for bringing that beautiful word into this discussion.
Our half of the blended family sits down to breakfast every morning. Our menu varies from scrambled eggs and cheese with toast to pop tarts or granola bars with milk, depending on Mama’s stage of getting ready! But we do sit down for about 10 minutes each morning. The other half of our blended family comes to the kitchen and grabs a muffin, biscuit or granola on their way out the door, but at least we all do connect in some way. As a bonus, my Mr. Wonderful spends this time making lunches and so he is part of the routine, too, though not at the table.
Our family dinner is more talkative and integrated, but breakfast is a necessity at our house and so the elementary kiddos get the benefits of gathering around the table each morning. I’m learning the benefits of teaching them independence in preparing waffles, toast or cereal!
Yay for mornings!
Hi Missy! It was so fun to hear about the flow of your mornings. They sound really special. The normal, everyday routines that really do give our kids a secure basis to start their days on. Thanks so much for sharing!
These are all great ideas. Chad is not much a breakfast person so usually its just the kids and I having breakfast on the weekdays! But I always love Saturday mornings…we go get donuts or go out somewhere when we can. I love long, fun breakfasts on the weekends!
Breakfast is special at my house. Only every other week am I home on Sundays. So it is special that I make breakfast for the family.
Good for you, Gail! That sounds really nice. You have a great Thanksgiving!
Totally a morning person- so I love this 🙂
I can not tell you how much I love this. Hubby is already long gone before we all get up – but I am encouraged to try to start making the time the kids and i have before school rush more meaningful. Thank you!
I love that, Cari. I think sometimes we decide whether or not it counts as a family meal based on if Dad is home. 🙂 But we can totally still make memories and make the time count when it’s just us and the kids. You have a great weekend!