One of my fondest memories from my childhood is eating together as a family.
I think about my mom's delicious food, talking as a family and (of course) the dreaded cleanup! Now that I have my own family, I realize how important it is to create healthy habits and wonderful mealtime memories! Until recently I wasn't making this a priority (ugh) but I have decided to make a change and hold myself accountable.
We created the Happy Mat because we were sick of mealtime being a dreaded event each evening. We simply wanted less mess, less stress and to take back control of our kiddos poor behavior! The Happy Mat does just that, but there is so much more to mealtime.
Let me set the stage before continuing. The Happy Mat instantly solved the mealtime problem I described above. That said; the boys still sat at the counter every night with their Happy Mats and I served their food. Sometimes I pulled up a stool and ate, sometimes I worked on my computer (eek...I know!), sometimes my husband ate standing, etc. Things were better, calmer and easier, but besides that we didn't change our other bad habits. Don't get me wrong, I thought about sitting together as a family, but just never implemented the change - because our dinner routine was now ezpz!
Shortly after the launch, though, we realized that the Happy Mat was starting to change people's lives. Kids with disabilities were starting to eat independently (for the first time!) and families were making an effort to eat together at the table. Because of the opportunity that had presented itself, we wanted to hire an expert in the feeding space. Ms. Dawn is our Special Needs Coordinator and expert in all things feeding related.
Dawn gave me the inspiration to make a few changes (in baby steps). First and foremost, we sit together as a family approximately 3-4 times a week now. I am also trying to make healthier food choices and introduce foods in fun ways to keep the boys engaged. I am not a big vegetable eater (and either are the boys) so that's been my biggest focus. Mealtime is not only ezpz, it is literally my favorite part of the day. We talk as a family, the boys share what made them happy at school and (most importantly) we laugh. The boys have our undivided attention and I am not busy picking up dumped plates.
So here is my ask :)
- Gather some ezpz products.
- Use the compartments of the Mini Mats / Happy Mat and mat edge of the ezpz Bowls to serve new tastes + different food groups at mealtime.
- Sit together as a family and take back the table with us! Ditch that highchair tray and push the chair to the table.
- Laugh and have fun!
Together, let's make an effort to take back the table! Will you come eat with us?
