Growing up in a family with four kids, two dogs, and a cat, dinner time was usually hectic. As the youngest, I struggled to get a word in when my older siblings talked about their days or when debates came up at the table.
But despite the chaos, we gathered around the table to eat together on every school night, and it was a time of day that I always looked forward to.
Now, as a mother of two, I try to recreate a similar atmosphere in my own home. Somehow with fewer people and animals, it can still feel just as energetic — and perhaps a bit more exhausting.