Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. Our family sure did, we managed to pull off a surprise 30th birthday party for my lovely cousin. She is a huge Star Wars fan along with the rest of us. So the theme for the night was…yep you guessed it Star Wars!! I’ll do a recap of that later on in the week. But for today I am excited to link up with this month’s edition of “Not Just A Mom” and talk about Family Food Traditions.
When I was thinking about this topic I was a bit stumped at first and thought that we didn’t really have a lot of family food traditions. Except for the usual holiday celebrations like Christmas. But then when I stopped looking at the “big picture”. I soon realised that we do have many family food traditions in our ordinary weeks, birthdays, weekends, and even school holidays. Some of these traditions are ongoing and some were for a season in our lives.
Sugary Cereal
When my kids were little (which happened over a huge gap as my boys are eleven years apart in ages). I used to let them pick out a box of any sugary, preservative-filled cereal they liked during the school holidays.
They used to always pick fruit loops until one year they discovered a small corner shop that sold American cereal. And they just about lost their minds with excitement. I have to admit that I did too!! We went through so many boxes of cereal during the school holidays. None of us could stop eating Lucky Charms, Reece’s Puffs, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Pavlova
Luke, my oldest son, and I will always choose a Pavlova for our birthdays! We just love the meringue base, creamy topping, and fresh fruit combination. Yum!!
Full English Breakfast
On some weekends we like to indulge in a Full English Breakfast. Not very sure if it really is a true English Breakfast but this is what Sam calls it. This breakfast includes scrambled eggs, pork chipolata sausages, hash browns, cooked mushrooms, tomatoes, and toast. We also have orange juice and finish off with a steamy cup of tea.
Weekend Treats
Friday afternoons after work I like to pop into the supermarket and pick up some weekend treats for the family. These treats vary from week to week. Some weeks I will get some iced donuts, these are a very big treat because they are usually sold out by the time I get to the shops.
I will also buy things like cheese, crackers, chips, chocolate, dips, and soft drinks. Without fail, I will always get my very favourite Bundaberg Ginger Beer. I try to keep our diet healthy during the week. But on the weekends we let loose big time!!
Spaghetti Bolognese
Nobody in my family likes spaghetti bolognese! How??? This is my absolute favourite dish and while I do make it during the year. I tend not to cook this very often because I know that they don’t really enjoy it at all. None of my boys or husband are fussy eaters so I’m not quite sure what they have against spaghetti.
Anyway, on my birthday this is the dish that I will request. Actually, I don’t even have to request it anymore as my husband just makes it for me. And everybody has to eat it and smile!! haha.
Once A Month Family Dinners
Family food traditions are fun and I think that when we look back on the years (that go by way too fast). The best memories will usually involve the times when we came together with our families to enjoy a meal together.
I think that one of the best decisions that we made as a family, including my cousins and their partners and children. Was to come together on the first Friday of every month and have dinner. We also take turns hosting to make things easier. Sometimes we will get pizza, other times we will have burgers, Mexican food, casseroles, or anything really. We keep it simple and boy do we have fun!!
Sadly we only started this tradition earlier this year when my beautiful mum became very sick. This shook us to our core and we realised that we had let the busyness of our lives take over. We don’t live far away from each other yet we had slowly stopped getting together except for birthdays etc. I wish we had gotten together more often when my mum was still with us.
But on the bright side, it’s never too late to start a tradition or a family food tradition and after writing this I am inspired to come up with some more family food traditions. Because it’s never too late!!
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Sharing on
Linking up with Holly and Sarah
Well done on pulling off the surprise birthday party. I hope you all had a great time.
Ahh! I do the same when it comes to the sugary cereal. It’s usually Lucky Charms or Reece’s Puffs here. We have the weekend treats too. Usually doughnuts, pastries, Pringles and sweets.
That looks like a full english breakfast to me. I think all it’s missing is baked beans. hehehe
That is strange that your family don’t like Spaghetti Bolognese. My family would eat it every day given the chance. lol
Every family has food traditions even if they don’t know it. Your family has nice traditions especially the once a month family get-together. Getting together and sharing food makes life fuller. #MMBC
Love your family food traditions! That pavlova is beautiful and looks delicious!
I just love a snapshot of your life in Australia. It seem like you have a really close family and you are lucky you all live so closeby. We just don’t have that. I love your family dinner tradition, too. That is so cute about the American cereals. I grew up on Honey Nut Cheerios and Golden Grahams and would read the back of the boxes while I ate!
We let our kids get sugary cereal when we go camping. I remember my grandparents would get Fruit Loops for me when I would visit them, it was a highlight! That pavlova looks divine, not something I ever make, but I do enjoy it.
You are so right– it is never too late to start some new traditions! I love Bundaberg Ginger Beer and that pavlova looks incredible. As does the English Breakfast!
I love your once a month family dinners; that is such a great idea. It sounds like you have some really delicious food traditions.
I love your family traditions with a mixture of healthy and not so healthy. That pavlova looks really delicious. My family like spaghetti bolognese but I don’t. I can’t eat pasta. I sometimes just have the bolognese with a baked potato instead.
Oh I love spaghetti! I usually stop by the store on Fridays as well…and end up picking up donuts for the kids and a few other things I know they’ll like. I love the idea of family dinners although I’m sorry they are under those circumstances. I have friends (three sisters) and their families rotate Sunday dinner. Very sweet idea.