Author: Jono
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Planting the Seeds of Good Health at the Dinner Table
[:en] Depending on where you live, March may be coming in like its characteristic lion, or it may already be showing its kinder, fluffier lamb side. Either way, we know that this month marks the annual turning point towards Spring, with sunshine and new seeds sprouting all around us! This March, we’re focusing on…
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Love Your Time at the Table
[:en] Valentine’s Day is coming soon, and with it, the annual demands that we lavish love on our family and friends in numerous ways. School-aged kids will pass out Valentine’s cards and trinkets; couples will scramble for the perfect dinner reservations. For 24 hours, everyone will be focused on love — and then what?…
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Family Dinner Resolutions
[:en] The New Year’s resolution is a tradition that tends to elicit one of two reactions from people: Either you’re the type of person who enjoys making resolutions, or you’re the type of person who groans at the very thought. Those who like resolutions say it motivates them to make positive changes and helps…
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Giving, Gratitude and a New Menu for Dinner Tonight
[:en] In November, we celebrate the occasion our co-founder, Dr. Anne Fishel, jokingly refers to as “the mother of all family dinners.” No doubt Thanksgiving is a major upcoming event on your family dinner calendar, but it’s not the only opportunity for meaningful mealtime connections that can be made over the course of the…
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Building a Better World at the Family Dinner Table
[:en] We all know that research has shown family dinners can have a number of benefits for everyone in the family. But is it possible that having regular meals together can actually help to build a better world? Maybe not directly, but dinnertime is a wonderful opportunity to do three things that can help…
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Keeping the Fun in Family Dinner
[:en] At this time of year, everyone is in a rush. Often September means the return of routines, but also the beginning of extra curricular activities, evening meetings and other dinner-disrupting obligations that can make gathering for a calm and upbeat family meal a real challenge. As our Executive Director Lynn Barendsen commented in a…
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Transition Time: How to Handle Beginnings and Endings
[:en] As hard as it is to believe, the back-to-school ads are telling us that it’s time to start waving goodbye to summer fun and ushering in school year schedules. Whether your household greets the return to routine with groans or cheers, the fact is, transitions can be hard on all of us. But…
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Sunny Side Up: Tips for Making The Most of Summer (while avoiding burnout)
[:en] Summer is finally here! If you’ve been waiting with breathless anticipation for warmer weather, vacations and good old-fashioned family fun, you’re probably thrilled to turn the calendar page to July. But all this downtime and change of routines from the predictability of the school year can lead to cranky kids, boredom and burnout.…
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June 2015: Celebrating Dads and Grads
[:en] For many of us, June is a busy time of celebrations and transitions. With the school year winding down, graduations taking place and Father’s Day fast approaching, there’s so much to do, say and share this month that it can be a challenge to slow down and appreciate each moment. But as always,…
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May’s Menu: Honoring Our Mothers and Soldiers
[:en] Need an interesting conversation starter for the table this month? Ask your family what May’s two major holidays—Mother’s Day and Memorial Day—have in common. While the obvious answer is that they both start with the letter M, there’s a deeper connection you may not know about. According to this History.com article, what we…
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April’s Menu: Main Course, Verse, with a Side of Earth
[:en] Sure it’s a month famous mostly for its rainy days, but we love April for sunnier reasons! First, it’s National Poetry Month and second (but certainly no less important), it’s also the month we turn our attention to the care of the planet and celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd. With all this…
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Marching Toward Spring: Tips for Conquering Cabin Fever
[:en] It’s coming! Spring is only 13 days away (or less, depending on when you’re reading this). Tomorrow we spring forward by setting the clocks one hour ahead for an extra hour of daily light. Even if you don’t live in a part of the U.S. that experienced historic and seemingly endless amounts of…