The end of summer means…

It’s August, so summer is ending soon and school is starting soon. For me, the worst part of summer is that our family rarely has dinner together. In summer we are traveling to camp in Monterey, TN (ask us about it!) or visiting friends, etc. We tend to be apart more. But when school starts, we have more structure and time to all sit down together for dinner! Here at CitriClean, we believe sparkling clean dishes are only important because they make for a better family dinner. Start planning now: a few times per week, really make it a priority for the whole family to have dinner together. No TV, no cell phones, no distractions. Focus on having meaningful conversations with each other. If you want evidence for why it’s important, read this quote from The Family Dinner Project:

“Over the past 15 years researchers have confirmed what parents have known for a long time: sharing a family meal is good for the spirit, the brain and the health of all family members. Recent studies link regular family dinners with many behaviors that parents pray for: lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy and depression, as well as higher grade-point averages and self-esteem. Studies also indicate that dinner conversation is a more potent vocabulary-booster than reading, and the stories told around the kitchen table help our children build resilience. The icing on the cake is that regular family meals also lower the rates of obesity and eating disorders in children and adolescents.