One Secret to a Working Mom Success: Make Family Events More Enjoyable With Friends

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Better Together: Why Inviting Another Family Makes Activities More Fun #FamilyFun Sometimes family activities can feel like another item on the to-do list. However, doing those activities with another family makes them more fun! Whether it’s a trip to an amusement park , a visit to the local pool , or trip to a pumpkin patch , including another family can multiply the fun in amazing ways. One of my favorite moms to collaborate with is my friend, Ayana Ledford who's pictured above with her daughter Sahar. We have done all of the things listed as seemingly random examples above and here is how including her and her daughter (and sometimes her son too) has made the events more fun. On the date above, Ayana almost left the venue because parking was a nightmare. That said, she hung in there and we would up having a great time!
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Working Mom Reflections: Sunday Dinner

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Sunday Dinner
"The tradition of the Sunday feast accomplishes more than just feeding us. It nurtures us." -Chef John Besh

As a working mom, it is as if life runs at the speed of light. It seems like there is always something to do, something/someone to wash, and something to fold. With all of those demands, it often seems easier to allow traditions like large family dinners to fall by the wayside because they are too much work.

They are a lot of work, but I encourage you to host them anyway.  


Whenever I host a large family meal it reminds me of being a kid. My maternal grandmother was an excellent cook and hosted large family dinners nearly every Sunday. Her generosity of spirit and great food made those events memorable. Also, having lots of family around became something I enjoyed. I want my my children to have those sorts of memories. So, I work to create them.

Today, we were having a belated Mothers Day Celebration since last Sunday we were in Disney world basking in the sunshine and living the high life at the Yacht and Beach Club! (To read a little about that trip, click here.)

Beautiful Flowers made our table beautiful

To be fair, today's dinner was supposed to be a late lunch that started at 3:00 PM. However, because I am me and had been watching the Food Network getting ideas, I severely underestimated the preparation time. So, I served cheese grapes and wine and our late lunch became an early dinner.

Menu: Fortunately, the food turned out great! The menu included, grilled chicken, corn-on-the-cob, beans and rice, boiled shrimp, ciabatta bread dipped in basil infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a spicy mango/cucumber salad. We had brownie bites for dessert, compliments of my friend Tame. 

It took hours to prepare. However, there are few things more satisfying that making food for people you love to enjoy. And the kids loved being spoiled by their grandmother, aunt and uncles!        
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

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