Family Dinner at Mom's

I come from a large family - there were five of us kids growing up, and I loved it.  Now, getting together at mom's house means dinner for 14 and 3 at the kids table.  I still love it, but it is more complicated.

Sunday is really the best time to get together with family.  You've done just about everything you were supposed to (or planned to) over the weekend, and by about 5:00 pm on Sunday you are ready to just relax.  It felt a little like work to get cleaned up and head over to mom's house, but once all the cousins got there, my kids played and had a good time, and, bonus:  they took care of the little ones so my sisters and I could just chat.

Feeding this crew is another matter altogether.  I admire my mom for the ease in which she does this.  Our Irish heritage seems to dictate a meat and potatoes meal; however, most of the sib spouses are on the No/Low Carb diet - so our meal was mostly meat and veges.  That worked and was delicious.  Homemade cheesecake that was melt-in-the-mouth delicious helped us linger at the table. 

During dinner it is hard to get a word in edge wise... my dad, who was (and is) the Alpha dog in our world, despite being soft-spoken, cannot compete with 6-8 conversations happening around the table.  At one point this evening he just loudly spoke my mom's name until things quieted down...and then he was able to add his point into the conversation. 

We don't necessarily get excited about family dinners...it is less complicated to stay home and do our own things...but I had a rush of warmth looking around the table and watching my kids interact with their aunts and uncles and grandparents...and thought about how lucky we are to know each other, to like each other, and to get along.  There are so many who don't. 

Hey, pour me another glass of red?