Celebrate Family Day

A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children: Monday, September 28 2009

A national movement championed by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA). Their goal is to encourage families to make a tradition of eating together, which statistics have shown reduces the likelihood their children will become involved with drugs.

http://casafamilyday.org/familyday/ is the place you can take the “Star Pledge”. Star’s acronym is:

S- Spend time with my kids by having dinner together

T- Talk to them about their friends, interests and the dangers of drugs and alcohol

A- Answer their questions and listen to what they say

R- Recognize that I have the power to help keep my kids substance free!

CASA’s website also offers talking points, tools and best of all, a free Family Dinner Kit. Download free placemat designs, word games, conversation starters, recipes and more!

Source: CASA

The Power of Family Meals;

Found at http://www.poweroffamilymeals.com/default.aspx

The J.M. Smucker Company sponsors a wonderful website full of ideas for making your family meals great. It’s not just about recipes; it’s timely inspiration and tools as well. A free monthly email offers you new ideas and input from families just like yours.

Check out the “Why Mealtime Matters” page and you’ll find answers to some of your mealtime challenges (scheduling, communication, and distractions). Miriam Weinstein Author of The Surprising Power of Family Meals writes “Miriam’s Blog” where she discusses new meal ideas. “Miriam’s Articles”, an online archive, highlight special times of the year. Special sections devoted to holidays and special occasions, will give you new ideas for family traditions. “Meals and Menus” helps you create a meal-ready pantry, a meal plan, and tons of recipes.

Miriam Weinstein is quoted on the website, the theme of these quotes aptly describe all that The Power of Family Meals, the website, will equip you to accomplish:

“It’s not about being fancy or fashionable, it’s about family.”

And:

“When families prepare meals together, kids learn real-life skills. They assume responsibility, they become better team members.”

Source: ThePowerofFamilyMeals.com; J.M. Smucker Company