Nothing says "I Love You" like.....

A hearty home-cooked meal :)

One of the things I absolutely love about being able to stay home with my kids now, is that I get to prepare all their meals for them instead of heading to the nearest fast food place on the way home.
I love to hear my daughter come home from school and eagerly ask what we are having for dinner tonight, or my husband walk through the door and say, "mmm it smells so good in here"!

After a busy day we all have, it's nice to come together around the dinner table at the end of the day, and enjoy a delicious meal while we tell one another about our days. Here at the Phelps family home, there are no cell phones at the dinner table, and the TV must be turned off, no electronics of any kind while we eat. Dinner time is a time we really plug into what's going on in our lives, how my husband's day was at work, what happened at school today, and what the little ones did at home today.
We play a game of "High-Low" and go around and tell what the highlight of each one of our days were, which normally sparks conversation for further details of the event. When we discuss our "low" of the day, we talk about what we would have liked to have happened instead, and what we can do next time to get the results we want.

This time around the dinner table as a family is a tradition I have so many wonderful memories from my own childhood, as well as stories I've heard from my grandmother and mother about their dinner table memories. Like the one my mom told me about how she hated meat when she was a girl, and as soon as my grandmother would turn her head or walk to the stove for something, my mom would take a piece of the meat and feed it to the dog under the table. She said my grandmother started wondering why that dog was putting on so much weight! Haha!!!
These are the memories I look forward to giving my own children, that when they get older, they will be able to tell their kids about all the beautiful memories around the dinner table with the family, and all the laughs we shared.

One of my husbands favorite meals is Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, he just lights up whenever he comes home from work and realizes what we're having for dinner! Here is our family favorite Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo recipe, what is your family's favorite dinner meal?       

Ingredients

6 skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves, cut into cubes          1 Tbsp. salt

6 Tbsp. butter, divided                                                             3/4 tsp. ground white pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced, divided                                                3 C. milk

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning                                                          1 C. half & half

1 lb. fettuccine pasta                                                                3/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese

1 onion, diced                                                                         8 oz. shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

1 (8 oz) package sliced mushrooms                                         3 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced

1/3 C. all purpose flour                                                            1/2 C. sour cream


Directions 

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, 2 Tbsp. butter, 2 cloves garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from skillet and set aside. 
2. Brink a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain. 
3. Meanwhile, melt 4 Tbsp. butter in the skillet. Saute onion, 2 cloves garlic, and mushrooms until onions are transparent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes. Slowly add milk and half & half, stirring until smooth and creamy. Stir in Parmesan and Colby-Monterey Jack cheeses; stir until cheese is melted. Stir in chicken mixture, tomatoes, and sour cream. Serve over cooked fettuccine.

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Ready in: 1 hour

The Doting Wife

As a homemaker, I spend so much of my day taking care of my three little one's needs, that by the time my hubby comes home from work, I finish getting dinner ready, then cleaning the kitchen and tidying up the house after, I'm exhausted and just want to go to bed! My kids get so much of my attention during the day, that I sometimes don't realize how much attention my husband isn't getting.

One of the many things I love about "the good 'ol days" is how relationships were nurtured back then, something I think has been lost in today's world. We are so quick to throw things away rather than trying to fix them, we convince ourselves that "this just isn't meant to be" (I myself have been guilty of thinking those thoughts). But lucky for me, I have a husband who has been patient enough with me, to help me see things and handle things differently. He has that "divorce is not an option" mentality that I am so very grateful for.

He works his tail off to provide for our family and then comes home to a wife who's too exhausted to really pay much attention to him, and it's not fair to him. I know my job as a homemaker can be exhausting, but his job that he has to get up at 5am for, is just as exhausting, if not more. And I really got to thinking, he can't possibly know how much I appreciate him if the minute he comes home, I wanna hand the kids over!

So I decided to set a new goal for myself, to do more things that will make him feel appreciated, even pamper him a bit. He is so amazing about always giving me back rubs or rubbing my feet while we're hanging out on the couch watching The Office (one of our favorite shows), that I think it's time I stopped assuming he is a mind reader and knows how much I love him, and start showing him instead!

I know a few of his favorite meals and I try to prepare them for him as often as I can, but I would like to do more. So this week, I will be focusing on:

Doting on my husband

This is not something that is "old fashioned" to me, it's something that I think could be very beneficial to marriages today. There's a difference between being an independent woman and being a disrespectful one, and I think somewhere along the way, the lines were blurred. So although I may not have it all together like the vintage housewives seemed to have done, I do believe I can do better about showing my husband more love and affection and just overall gratitude for everything he does. There's nothing old fashioned about that!

So who would like to join me this week on being more affectionate and loving towards our husbands? I think it will put a smile on God's face as well as on our husband's hearts :) 

What do you do to show your hubby how much you love and appreciate him? Comment below and give me some ideas! ;)