Spaghetti and Manners

So last night for dinner, we all had spaghetti and meatballs.  How was this accomplished?  Well, we had two different kinds of spaghetti but I probably could have done with just one sauce.  There is a Barilla pasta sauce that Eli can have and doesn't bother him.  It's just a basic red sauce.  I made meatballs out of salt and pepper sausage and added to his favorite noodles and presto!  The rest of us had frozen meatballs in sauce that didn't have much flavor (I bought those meatballs for a difference recipe and had leftovers).  Eli's was probably more flavorful.  We also all started with a salad.  Eli likes just lettuce, but for my salad I had walnuts, garganzola cheese, and dried cranberries with a vinegarette dressing.  Yum Yum!

Eli's spaghetti and meatballs

Now, on the manner's front this whole week we have set down as a family and had our evening meal together. No music, no TV, no separate dining times.  We all pray together and start eating together and when someone is excused they go to another room to not distract each other.  Even tonight when we had carry-out (Eli had cold ham, potato chips and lettuce) we all sat together.  We have been following meal time 101 from the book I have been reading from the library where basic diner things are covered: eat with utensils not fingers (Don't notice Eli ate his spaghetti with his hands above!), thank the cook for the meal, etc.  It has been nice.

One thing that I have realized with paying closer attention to the kids, is that in the last few years I have lost my patience and manners.  How do I expect my children to say please and thank you when I ask once nicely the lose the cool and start demanding they listen?  So I have also started working hard on MY manners and hoping some of it rubs off along with prompting them to behave and be polite.