When All the Family is Here Tonight

My kiddos are grown, and family night hasn’t brought all four of them around the same table in over five years. Oh, we’ve had gatherings with several here and dinners out with several there, but no family night full of laughter and fun quite like we had when they were young. They’ve spread out too far, but we hope to gather the entire flock later this year for a lake vacation, and you can bet, it will be loud.

Over the years we had pickle-making assembly lines, donut-making extravaganzas, long games of Qwirkle, Life, Sequence, or Farkle, and any other number of side-splitting, laugh-inducing activities. Of all the family night plans, nothing ever came close to salsa making. To be more accurate, we made pico de gallo, and it was quite the affair.

I remember watching my mother-in-law’s face with shock and horror at the sight my four children and I made—and by sight, I mean huge mess—as we sliced, diced, and chopped our way through a ton of tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro, and secret ingredients we’d have to kill you if we told you. Yes, we made a mess: a HUGE mess, and we made A LOT of noise, but my children rarely laughed more and chatted more with one another than in the midst of those pico sessions. The massive stainless steel bowl packed full of the colorful delight normally lasted only a night, maybe halfway through the next day, but the memories have lasted a lifetime.

My children’s personalities are as diverse as the ingredients of that yummy treat: some spicy, some a fruit disguised as a veggie, some adding just the right touch of this or that. They can also be a huge mess–my mess, but when blended all together, they make a delightful dish I love. And I’ll bet yours is, too. I’d love to hear about your best family night tradition. Leave me a note!

…and that’s the view From My Front Porch.