Multigenerational Family Dinners and Other Stuff

Meals in our multigenerational family home have been going well since we moved to Minnesota. Breakfast and lunch we do on our own. Dinners are a ‘family gathering.’  

Megan plans the dinner meals a week in advance and does one major grocery shopping each Tuesday with Jeremy. They do a Costco run once or twice a month. Joe and I do our own grocery shopping for breakfast and lunch meals. Jeremy works for a produce distributor, so he brings home fresh fruit and veggies regularly. Joe and I have been trying to contribute a salad for dinner two to four times a week. We share in the costs of dinner, food, and supplies (at least that is the plan, Megan wants to bill me monthly).

Megan usually deals with the meal prep and cooking. When the meat for the meal is grilled, she preps the food and Jeremy grills.

Cleaning up after dinner consists of everyone taking their own plates to the sink. Yes, even the children! Megan puts away any leftovers, I usually load the dishwasher. Having a dishwasher is fresh territory for me as we did not have one in our Woodland home. I then wash any pots and pans, dry them, and put them away. The following day I unload the dishwasher. Everything has a home, and I am still learning to put things in their proper place. I am proof that older people can learn new tricks.

Tonight, we had fresh pineapple, a salad, and grilled barbecue chicken breasts. It was a beautiful evening, so we sat outside on the back patio. Tonight’s dinner was prepared by Megan and Jeremy with a Costco salad of mixed greens, dried apples, pecans, and feta cheese with a light creamy balsamic dressing (Joe and I contributed and threw the salad together).

Photo by Megan

A healthy and tasty dinner outdoors helped to improve my mood. I was communicating with insurance people most of the day (not a fun task) and then got news that a family member is in the hospital and will not make it to the family reunion this coming Saturday in Bryan, Ohio. This also meant a redistribution of responsibilities for the reunion shifted. I am grateful that the prognosis for our hospitalized family member is good, he just cannot travel for about three weeks as he recovers. I am also grateful to Joan and Doug for their help with the reunion this year.

And I know once we get to the reunion, folks will gladly step in and help as needed. That is what our family does. They are solid ‘good citizens.’

We leave Friday morning for Ohio and are planning to swing down to Medford, Minnesota to pick up one of my male cousins who lives in assisted living. I have not seen him since I was about twelve years old. He will stay with his sister, Cynthia, for three nights and then return to Medford next Monday. I think it will be an interesting drive for all of us!

No camping for us on this trip. My brother Jeff had offered us his fishing cabin at the lake in Michigan. However, we will stay in a hotel about twenty minutes from Bryan. I am hoping that means less stress over deer! The cabin was great for three weeks as we had open-ended time for traveling. This trip is a short stay of two days and three nights. We get in late Friday afternoon, the reunion is Saturday, we will have a day of rest on Sunday and hope to connect with our immediate family members, and then back on the road early Monday morning.

One other thought for today. When I struggle with thoughts that are uncharitable, or I am feeling a bit out of sorts, the following poster reminds me to practice the pause. When dealing with insurance people today, I was grateful to have this reminder.