In today's society, more and more times are we spending less and less time together as a family. What was considered "normal" has become, or considered "abnormal" in today's livelihood. As a parent, myself, and with having a wonderful wife, and been blessed with four beautiful children, I seem to sometimes forget to do things that should come more naturally: Spending Time With My Family!

OK, so, some of you Dad's(And, I'm picking on Dad's, because I'm one, too!) get so busy with the hustle and bustle of life, trying to make a living, and supporting your family. I am, too. It's almost midnight here where I am writing this letter, and even if I don't pull myself away from the computer, I catch my own self doing the same thing over and over again: Neglecting to spend time with my family.

SO, one tradition that we carry in our home, and I trust that you will do the same is to have meals with your family. OK, so, Katie is off to cheer leading practice, and Johnny is off to soccer practice, and Billy doesn't want to eat meat loaf--I'll give you that. I don't have teenagers-and when I do, I will re-write how to eat with your teenagers. BUT, nonetheless, make effort to have meals, Not in front of the TV, but quality time with them at the Dinner table!

This is what you should do:

• look at your schedules, and prioritize that your family comes first. If there's something that can't be missed, then you will have to work around it.
• Try to make effort to have meals once a day, if that's in the morning, then great! Have breakfast together as a family--and put away those cellphones for 30 minutes! Gee Whiz! I think that the kids, or (I hope it's not You!) can put away the electronic devices for that amount of time, and not worry about their friends what they're eating for breakfast, or what they're going to do at school, etc.

Alright! We got it down to 5 times a week! Much better. It's going to be a struggle at first but make every effort to spend time together. In the beginning, you will most likely think that I'm crazy, but I think after a while, I believe that you will thank me for this.

A few plans in mind:

• Talk about your day, what's going to happen that day, what plans you may want to do in the next few days. It most likely won't be rosey in the beginning, but if you're consistent, you'll really find that you're all missing each other, and find out what's going on in their lives.
• It's a blessing to have each other in our lives, and well, the kids do grow up, and grow up fast they do! Spend time with them Now, before they leave the Home!

Pros:

• You'll really get to know what's going on in your family if you actually spend time with them. Maybe you will even find out some things going on, and discover a newness to your family time.

Cons:

• None. Oh, perhaps you'll miss out what your pals did at work.

The Bottom Line:

• Family time spent together is always a fantastic investment in your future!

Here's an extra: If you all love Waffles, you're in for a real treat! Recipe below:

Eric's Waffles

Heat up Waffle Iron and drizzle a little oil on it

2 Cups of Bread Flour

4 or 5 eggs

2 TBS baking powder

2 cups Whole Milk

2 tablespoons Real Vanilla

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

Optional: Add a few chocolate chips to recipe if desired--at end after putting batter into hot iron.

Blend in bowl, until smooth. Pour 3/4 of batter into Waffle Iron, put timer on for 3 minutes, and viola'! One Fantastic Waffle!

Makes about 6 Waffles.

Enjoy!

Please leave a comment below on how you can add extra family time, and I'll implement this in the next article, or even use it in my own life!