The Family Day Challenge

"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you want, and let the food fight it out inside."

-Mark Twain

LOL. Maybe it is the raging fever I have of, 103.5, or maybe it is because I have an odd sense of humor to begin with, but when I saw this giant can of Manwich Sloppy Joe sauce at Big Lot's yesterday afternoon... I just had to have it! I have to confess, I have no idea when I will actually use a 6 LB 11 OZ (3.03kg) container of Sloppy Joe sauce, but I will figure something out. LOL. According to the top of the can, it doesn't expire until, March 29th, 2008, so I will have plenty of time to figure it out. Some possibilities that come to mind are, awarding it to a lucky MadLibs winner, or giving to the 10th trick-or-treater who shows up at my door on Halloween. I could mail it to my friend Patrick, as a nifty housewarming gift, since he will be moving soon. Bwahahahahaha! Just kidding Patrick! :) If you haven't already done so, be sure to drop by his blog and wish him luck in his new endeavor!

Another thought that has come to mind, as to what I should do with the Manwich can, is to give him a makeover. You know, jazz up his personality with a nifty bowtie like that hunk, Tucker Carlson, wears. LOL. Jeepers...have you seen him on "Dancing with the Stars?" How strange is that? LOL. It's even stranger to watch when one has a fever...or so I would imagine...because I really didn't tape last week's episode...to watch this weekend...nope...not I! LOL. No, I only dreamed I did. That's my story and I am sticking to it! And in yet another possibility, I could create a new photo series here on Ellipsis, "Adventures Of Manwich," in which I take the giant can of Manwich and pose him at different landmarks... kinda like flat Scalzi! LOL. Where will Manwich turn up next? Only Manwich knows for sure! LOL.

So, have you heard about the Family Day Challenge? Created in 2001, by Columbia University's "National Center on Addiction & Substance Abuse," it is a special day set aside to promot communication between parents and children by remembering to share a meal together. What a great idea. When I was a little girl, we rarely, if ever, all shared a meal at the same time. My mother had a lot of difficulties which left her to become emotionally distant, so she rarely cooked dinner for us. Dad was working all the time, so mealtime became the most fragmented time of the day, when it came to family contact. I don't know, a lot of things were assumed when I was a child, one of those things was that most families ate all their meals together. Sigh. It makes me feel really good that some honesty has finally been put into society, so that maybe one day, it will become something that everyone does...because they want to!

Alan, Elvis and I will be taking part. :) Yes, I do realize Elvis is a cat, not a child, but he is my little boy, and so why not have some fun? Alan and I don't get to eat together very often, due to his hours at work, so it will be good to make a special day of it, and take some time to slow down, and really share what's happening in our lives. For instance, he is writing a book, he is almost done, and is making notes for his next one. He shares with me all that he is doing to reach his goals, but sometimes it is while he is one the run with errands or on his way to work. It will be nice to just stop, turn off the TV, radio and computer, and just focus on each other over a nice meal.

I am really looking forward to fixing something special for dinner that night. I am thinking of a recipe for, Mediterranean Pot Roast, I created a few years ago. And as for Elvis, well, he has always enjoyed sitting on a step stool in the kitchen, while watching me as I fix dinner. Sometimes it really does seem like he is taking notes, so he can one day, fix a baked chicken like his mommy does. Gee... I really love that cat. He will have a place setting at the end of the table, right along with us. :) He is quite polite...and minds his manners. With the exception of how loud he can be, when he belches Mr. Pibb! But oh how funny it is! LOL.

Ours is not a traditional family, but we make it work. How about you? I don't think "Family Day" has any barriers on what constitutes a family, so if your children are grown or you don't have kids, how about a best friend, a neighbor or co-worker joining you for some companionship and a good meal. You could even make it pot luck, and invite several people over for the evening. It's about taking time for the people in our lives, and reminding them how important they are to us. It's about giving ourselves the gift of those we love. That includes our pets too, by the way, so be sure to include them! If you don't encourage your pets eating at the family table, serve them something special in a new bowl. Make it a treat. Now, if you want to take the challenge, you can find out all the information you need to sign the pledge to share "Family Day" with those you love. See the link below. If you do sign up for the challenge, take some photos, post an entry, and comeback here and leave your link in the comment thread for this entry. But remember that Family Day is Monday, September 25th, so I will not be doing the follow-up entry until Wednesday, September 27th. So no fair posting early! You MUST post on September 25th or after to be linked to. Hope to see you take the challenge!

Family Day Challenge

-OndineMonet
"Manwich"
Berkeley, California
September, 2006
Evening