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Do Your Teens Secretly Love Family Dinners?

December 14, 2015

Guest Post by Soozy G. Miller

Something really cool happened a few nights ago at our house. My teenage son, who is about knee-deep in rebellion, asked for a family dinner.

I watched Aviva Goldfarb on the Today Show and with Katie Couric. I heard Aviva tell Katie about when her two teenage children, at home one night while both Aviva and her husband, Andrew, were out at dinner meetings (a rare occurrence), decided to make sure it was a sit-down dinner.

The kids sat down at the table, just the

Rock the Holidays with Edible Gifts (My Favorites!)

November 30, 2015

It might not be wise to admit this, but when someone hands me a wrapped gift, I get a little nervous. We have a pretty small house, I have overstuffed closets and cabinets, and now that I’m in my late 40’s, I have just about everything I need.

So the prospect of getting something else to try to fit into our home stresses me more than it excites me.

I really don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I so appreciate the thoughtfulness that goes into giving gifts. I just wish there was a way to

I Am Grateful for You! Have a Very Happy Thanksgiving!

November 23, 2015

I’m sure many of you are getting ready for the holiday, either shopping, cooking and cleaning, or battling crowds on the road or at the airport. I’m wishing you a joyful holiday full of gratitude, good eats, and far more happy than stressful family moments.

This year our Thanksgiving will be especially sweet with a touch of bitter. We are traveling to New York to help my husband Andrew’s mother celebrate a big birthday. Part of her celebratory birthday vision includes all of us

Let’s Start a New Trend Before the Holidays: National Clean Out the Freezer and Pantry Week!

November 9, 2015

Do you ever wonder how long your family could survive—or at least eat reasonably well—with the food you already have in the house?

Since the holidays are usually a time of much cooking, entertaining, and giving and receiving edible gifts, I think it makes sense to do a little kitchen clean out before all the mayhem (I mean fun…) begins next week. Then we can all start fresh in our kitchens for the holidays.

So let’s start a new trend, shall we? National Clean Out the Freezer and

6 Ways to Ruin Family Dinner

November 5, 2015

There are some tried-and-true ways to ruin family dinner (and ways to avoid it, too). Here’s my list of 6…and a call for your input!

Is family dinner really a silver bullet? We’ve all read, or at least heard about, the correlation between family dinners and improved physical and emotional health of our kids, better grades and social skills, and avoidance or delay in risky behavior like drugs, alcohol and early sexual activity.

But if your daughter flees the table in tears during an argument,

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