Quarantine Mom with Katie Brown

Today we are going to talk about the battle ofkeeping the art of family dinners, fun, fresh,inspiring and essential.I am doneI am finishedI am over itUncleLike many of you I am so sick of cooking threesquares a daySo I have stoppedThat is rightLike much of family life during the time of Covid19, I have learned you have to pick your battlesSo I have decided breakfast and lunch, myfamily, they are on their ownI will be there to guide, to heat up a quick grilledcheese, to toss a few veggies togetherBut for a full blown meal …..Nope, no more ….Instead, I have chosen to focus on dinnerbecause there are powerful reasons for familiesto spend time around the dinner tableTHE SET-UP:For onePeople make better food choicesOne study from Stanford University reportedthat kids who eat family dinners are less likelyto grub on fried food and saturated fats,while seeking out stuff like fruits and veggies .It can restore order to an otherwise chaotic dayFifty-one percent of families admit they don’t eatregularly around the dining table due to busyschedules, but regularly sitting around the tablecan be the one aspect of a busy day that youactually have control of.It allows for time away from all the screens, anda moment of ‘reality’It’s no secret that in an age where technology isat the forefront of most people’s lives, many findthemselves glued to their screens at all times ofday and night.It creates a sense of routine in this crazy timeIt can build self-esteemDinner is a perfect opportunity to build self-esteem in children as you discuss the goings onof their day.And I have chosen to make sure those dinnersare really memorableJust think about some of the great dinners of alltimeThe Last SupperThe First ThanksgivingThe dinner where George Bush vomited with allcamera’s focused on him at a state dinnerseated neat to the prime minster of JapanOr the infamous time Cleopatra sat at a dinnertable and took a pearl from her earing anddropped it in a cup of vinegar and when itdissolved drank every last drop.Or the dinner where our founding fathersThomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton andJames Madison decided to move the capital fromWashington to PhiladelphiaThe idea of mixing education and televisioncame from a dinner in New York City in 1966where Lloyd Morresett a Carnegie Foundationexecutive complained how is daughter loved towatch TV (like all kids do!). The hostess of theparty, Joan Cooney a PBS producer got the ideato investigate how to make educationalprogramming fun for children to watch. Thisevolved into a series with colorful monsters, andhuman characters called Sesame Street.THE FAMILY DOINGS:I know, I know my family meals even on the bestof nights may not be this epic, but I have sometips and tricks and can make the never ending,night after night Quarantine Family Dinnersmemorable.One of the simplest ways is get some interestingconversations like: Do you know the story about how yourparents met? Do you know how your name was chosen, orhow your parents’ names were chosen? Do you know some of the lessons that yourparents learned from good or badexperiences they had during their childhood? Do you know some of the jobs that yourparents had when they were young? What is the earliest story you know about anancestor? Pick one person to be the interviewer andcome to the table with a series of questionsto conduct family... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today, we are going to look to the experience of Olympians in order to get past disappointment and compete in some fun and games.I know there are a lot of disappointed sports fans out there, from the NBA suspending it’s season to the NCAA canceling the remaining spring and winter championships to my daughter’s lacrosse season gone! Heck even America’s favorite pastime, Baseball's spring training was canceled and we have yet to know the fate of the entire season. So, today I want to inspire you and your family to look past your disappointment with the help of a few mighty fine athletes and DIY games. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of Quarantine Mom, I want to point out the gifts that can be delivered when children participate in the simple act of preparing a sandwich. The sandwich is such an easy go-to staple during this time of COVID 19. You can turn a meal into a sandwich or a sandwich into a meal. I mean let’s be honest coming up with 3 squares a day, while working, cleaning, gardening, home schooling and a WHOLE LOT MORE, can really make someone question their culinary talents. So the sandwich can be a welcome easy dinner reprieve from the hour by hour demands of family feedings. I mean I have heard from and seen more than a few people’s post about how they feel they have turned into short order cooks during this lockdown. Today, I want to show you how you can get a rest from the job of head chef, have some family fun as well as deliver a valuable life lesson…..All through the simple act of serving up DIY sandwiches. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today I want to share an activity that you can do with your family that should help start a discussion about the definition and practice of MacGyvering and how it will lead to much needed growth, innovation and recovery during this difficult time. This activity should spark a discussion that the same type of creative engineering that is going on in the world can be taking place right in our own homes and thus transform each and everyone’s life as we struggle through thisso that we as individuals and families can come out with new and improved ways of being. The art of McGyvering is an essential life skill and now is the perfect time to introduce the benefits of the practice. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Natural Self PortraitsOn this episode of the Quarantine Mom with Katie Brown, I want to talk about how we can make the family around us in these days of quarantine feel good about who they are. In these challenging time, when family is all we got, I want to talk about creating something that will help us teach our family how to feel good about who they are, how they smile, how they laugh, how they gaze, how people see them, how they make others feel, the way they care and share. I want to talk about a way we can remind them how much there is to admire about exactly who they are. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On The Quarantine Mom PodcastWe are going to introduce a daily activitythat will help you and your family riseduring this season of sheltering in place.We will attempt to put each one of thesefamily projects (that can be adapted tokids of all ages) into a context that willdeliver the WHY it is a project worthdoing during these challenging timesWith the hope that it will presentteachable moments on how we can allSpring out of this better and bolder andbraver than ever.Tune in daily for your project of the daygrounded in a thought of the day that willkeep your family busy doing somethingthat will help ease the stress and struggleof these crazy timesStay Strong, Stay Safe, Stay Home. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In these difficult times I think we all need to call on our angels, our better angels that is. The angels that have walked on, the angels that walk on high, the angels that walk among us, the living breathing angels that are walking through the daily trails of this virus to save lives while endangering their own, and to all those angels who are simply staying home and therefore keeping us all safer, we dedicate this edition to you.We thank youWe love youWe honor youOn this episode of the Quarantine Mom with Katie Brown, I am going to walk you through how to make a creative and simple Angel Chain made from things that you should have in and around your house. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.