cathyxyz wrote:
> Sorry - all the talk about using good tableware reminded me that we
> actually have a dining room table
>
> We usually eat in the "family" room. I can remember as a kid that my
> Mom used to lay the table properly for *every* meal. She still does.
> Only time we use ours now is for HIgh Days and Holidays...
>
> Cheers
> Cathy(xyz)

We have dinner together as a family - me, my BF, and our 9 year old
daughter - most nights. House rule is that dinnertime is in the kitchen
(don't have a dining room) at the table. Sometimes we have music on but
not too loud - I was raised on the belief that 30 minutes of
socializing at the dinner table was an importtant family activity. No
gulping down your food in 3 bites and getting up; we all had to be at
the table for half an hour, eat slowly with good manners, and have a
chance to talk about our days together.

On Friday nights, we having dinner (delivered pizza) in front of the TV
and watch movies. That's the only time she's permitted to eat in the
living room.

On some occasions (ie, when Patrick has to work til 10) I feed my
daughter early, at the kitchen table, and I sit with her while she
eats, or putter around the kitchen packing lunches, putting away
dishes, etc. Then he and I eat later on, in the sitting area of our
bedroom, in front of the TV. That's his thing.

Breakfast for the kiddo is usually on a stool at the kitchen counter.