“I participated in a Blogger Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for the J.M. Smucker Company. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as to thank me for my participation.”
In this day and age, it is no secret that technology has seemingly begun to take control over all of our lives. Between using it while at work and/or school, checking emails at home, phone calls, text messaging, and then some, more of our lives are spent somewhere in cyberspace or with some sort of electronic device than with our own families. Having grown up in a world where my generation saw play slowly change over from neighborhood games of manhunt to solitary video games. While I feel that I had the best of both worlds, I’m not so sure about today. Today you rarely see anyone without their cell phone or tablet glued to their hands. I cannot tell you how many people I’ve seen walk into things, ignore chances to meet new people, appreciate the beauty of nature, or even take notice of their own children. Instead of pushing kids on a playground swing or having a race down the slides, parents are glued to nearby benches using their phones to post status updates about taking their kids to the park. The kids? They look on realizing that this technology is more “fun” than true play. But, in reality, it’s not. And it’s not even close. As great as technology is, the interaction and relationships that we have with one another is far greater.
Now, even I have been guilty of getting caught up in today’s fast-paced technology-ridden world but, since having children I have been especially mindful of this. Working from home certainly complicated things a bit since I have to be on top of things such as email. However, with that being said, I’ve worked up a pretty good schedule for myself around my kids. My “work time” typically coincides with the kids’ nap and bed times so that it does not take away from my time spent with them. After all, they are only little once and each and every moment spent with them is precious. And, although the chaos of daily life can deter us from the important things from time to time, I am adamant about not letting it control my life nor that of my family’s.
One thing that we always make sure to do in our home is have our meals as a family. No matter where the day may take us, mealtime is always family time. Regardless of late nights at work, sporting practices and games for the kids, or the crazy schedules of any particular one of us, breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all always enjoyed as a family. There are certainly days where breakfast may be rushed or where dinner may be a bit later than we would like but so long as we are all there to sit down and enjoy it with one another, nothing else seems to matter.
Recently, I had the opportunity to partner with a great company that has the exact same mentality – mealtime is family time.
How many of you have seen the Smucker’s commercials, the ones with little Tim and Richard Smucker talking about family traditions and the “Smucker name?” That is what life is all about – family.
Right now, Smucker’s is taking their family first mantra to a new level by partnering with the Power of Family Meals and introducing and encouraging their Disconnect to Reconnect campaign.
“As parents, we strive to keep our family connected as our children grow. While getting everyone on the same schedule and removing all distractions proves challenging, we often underestimate the power of a simple, attentive family meal where everyone has the opportunity to share their day, make memories and bond with one another.”
The Power of Family Meals and Smucker’s Disconnect to Reconnect campaign reminds us of that and entices us all to jump on board the technology free ride.
Recently, they sent me a collection of goodies to encourage family togetherness at mealtime and I could not have been happier to take part in this movement.
Between me working from home and he being a car connoisseur with his phone constantly ringing with questions about how to fix this or that, both of us are guilty of playing around with electronics at the table. The kids, thankfully, have not gotten to the age where this is “normal” and, quite frankly; I don’t want them to ever think that it is. The Disconnect to Reconnect movement offers my family (and yours!) a chance to start over and truly put the important things first.
One meal that has stood the test of time and has always managed to remain technology-free is breakfast. At the start of the day, there is no need to play around with cell phones or tablets, check emails, watching TV, or whatever else. Breakfast was, is, and always has been a family thing where all of us sit down and kick start our days together. As part of Disconnect to Reconnect, Power of Family Meals and Smucker’s must’ve had the same idea because that is exactly what they sent me – breakfast. With the idea to bring this same sense of togetherness to other meals throughout the day, I actually found it quite funny because this is actually something that we do regularly within our own home. Breakfast for dinner? Who wouldn’t love it?
Normally, our breakfast for dinner fun would still include the occasional checking in on some sort of electronic device or a random interruptive phone call or two but, for this, we put it all aside. And, to make things even better, Power of Family Meals and Smucker’s even included a nifty little game to get the conversation going! The included “Family Talk” game really did exactly that… got us talking. We talked about silly things and covered a few serious topics but, in the end, we had an incredible conversation with our little ones that would’ve never happened otherwise.
Now, back to the food!
Smucker’s is known as one of the greatest family brands and rightfully so. Some of the great goodies that they sent us are as follows:
- Smucker’s Natural Strawberry Fruit Spread
- Family Talk card game
- Hungry Jack Complete Buttermilk Pancake Mix and Original Syrup
- Martha White Banana Nut Muffin Mix
- Jif Creamy Peanut Butter and Hazelnut Chocolate Spread
- Folgers Classic Roast Coffee
- Crisco Original No-stick Spray
- Martha White All-Purpose Flour
- Tools of the Trade Nylon 7-piece Utensil Set
- Presto Cool Touch Electric Griddle
Needless to say, with all of this we were able to create a wonderful meal for our family and even added in a few breakfast for dinner favorites of our own like pork roll and scrapple (it’s a North East kind of thing!). But, of course, the all-around favorites like some simple pancakes and eggs definitely took the cake.
This particular dinner was the best that we’ve had in a long, long time. Not because it was filled with things like high priced, chef-made food creations but because it was filled with the pure joy and love of family… our family.
The Power of Family Meals and Smucker’s Disconnect to Reconnect movement encourages families to finally unplug at the table and we did exactly that. It truly was an incredible experience and one that we plan to continue from here on out. I highly suggest that you do the same. Our time with one another is precious and shouldn’t be spent staring at a screen. Look up! Enjoy the company that surrounds you. Even if you start slowly – one meal, once a week, more often than not – you’ll soon realize that life in and of itself is far greater than anything. So go ahead, take #DisconnectToReconnect pledge now!
And, in the moments that you must check back into cyberspace, be sure to check in with others and their own Power of Family Meals Disconnect to Reconnect movement. Follow along (from time to time) on social media via their Facebook and Twitter pages and see how others are getting involved.
Trust me, finding in yourself the power to #DisconnectToReconnect is a wondrous accomplishment that will change your outlook on family and life. The simplicity of making mealtime matter goes far beyond the dinner table itself. You are creating a better quality of life for yourself and portraying to your children the true importance of the bond of family. And that, well, that is priceless.
