On her latest blog post, Jessica writes, “After all that Thanksgiving cooking you’re doing today and tomorrow…wouldn’t is be nice during the crazy time between Turkey Day and Christmas to have a bunch of meals pre-made? And bond with your kids while you make them?  Then sign up for a Second Sunday session at Let’s Dish!.”

While supervised kids 8+ are welcome at any time, Second Sunday of each month at Let’s Dish! are always special Parent/Kid sessions.  As Jessica mentions, dishing is a “great way for kids to learn about the things they eat and feel more involved in dinner time… (and) may help to get those picky eaters to try new things.”  Plus, most kids just think it’s fun!

The next Parent/Kid session is Sunday, December 13th, and there are still spots available to sign up.  Jessica, thanks for the rave review and we hope to see you there with your little one in tow!

ShareThis

Over the past 5 years, Let’s Dish! has raised thousands of dollars for local schools, causes, initiatives and organizations just like yours.  We’ve got toolkits and experience that will make planning and publicizing your event a snap, and we’ll be available to help every step of the way.  Before you know it, you’ll be dishing alongside friends and colleagues, raising money while you snack on scones and fill your freezer with wholesome, family-friendly meals.

As a Let’s Dish! co-owner, mom and volunteer, I am personally committed to making your event a success. Email me @ elizabeth.marcotte@letsdish.net and I’ll show you how easy it is to get started.

Remember:

• I can customize a program for your particular needs (”day of dishing,” private party, ongoing promo code, etc)

• We’ll do all the legwork when it comes to organizing

• 10% of sales go right to your organization

• Dishing is a fun, bonding experience your whole organization will enjoy… plus, everyone goes home with a cooler-full of meals

• Why sell magazines, wrapping paper or flowerbulbs again?  Raise more money, have more fun, and make it all much easier with Let’s Dish!

Let us be part of your success story.  We’ll make it easy on the organizer, fun for the participants and effective vis-a-vis your fundraising goals.  I look forward to working with you!

PS. I had to include a mention of Sonny, Cori and Braden. Their fundraiser, sponsored by the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce member Sharon Inetas, helped raise money for her family’s medical crisis.  Everyone who attended had a great time, stocked their freezer full of Let’s Dish! meals, and helped generate a big check for a friend in need.

Thank you to Loudoun County and the many others who have allowed Let’s Dish! to help them succeed in their most important fundraising endeavors!

ShareThis

 Our finalists:

“Steve is a fantastic involved father. He’s coached every sport our kids have ever played whether or not he ever played them himself (except cheerleading, but he’s at all the competitions and he even made a routine suggestion to the coach that the coach liked!) He plays mom and dad January to April when I am busy with work, runs everyone to their activities, assists with projects and makes dinner. Pizza used to be the staple during tax season, but he’s really improved his cooking skills over the years. Let’s Dish has been a lifesaver during tax season; it’s taught him to experiment too. He’s always there for his kids and they are the number ONE priority in his life. Family will always come before everything else, and that’s the key.”  - Claudia [essay drawn as winner]

“My husband is the most amazing father and person I have ever known. He is currently a Army Chaplain Canidate, working on his Masters in Divinity while serving as a Children’s Pastor for a local Church Plant. During this season in our lives, I (his wife) am working full time to support us, while he cares for our children (ages 3 and 5) at home. He is often responsible for preparing meals, laundry, and giving hugs, all while balancing school and church demands. He deals with is all gracefully and is always loving, reliable, and full of humor. I know how much he would appreciate this gift. We love Let’s Dish!”  - Chrissy

“My husband has been a great Dad since our son was in utero (9 months of morning sickness meant I didn’t eat -let alone cook- much during my pregnancy!) I had a hard recovery, and he was extremely supportive, changing most of our son’s diapers, washing bottles while I pumped, and cooking dinner the first few weeks while I recuperated. In fact, 18 months I will admit that except for the nights I cook “Let’s Dish” or suggest something similarly easy like takeout, my husband is still the designated cook! And he still changes diapers (though not as many, hmmm…) and does the dishes. He also tries to take our son for a walk every day so they can spend time together and so Mommy can have some quiet time to relax (or catch up on laundry!)” - Andrea

“Greg is such a great dad - he is funny, lovable, affectionate and no-nonsense with two boys, 3 and 5. He is also a great dad because he is such a great husband. He works full-time taking care of HIV+ patients and doing clinical and public health research. He does absolutely everything our boys need - pays the bills, cleans, does the dishes, yardwork, is the best bath giver ever, washes their hair (which is torture), brushes teeth, tidies up - is there anything else? He makes meals which include french toast, pancakes, and grilled cheese. He is not a gourmet cook, but is always happy to take care of the boys so that i can go to lets dish and make nutritious and well-balance meals for our family! That has to be the best dad ever!” - Cynthia

“My husband Eric is a wonderful husband and the best daddy ever to our 9 month old son Parker. He takes care of Parker while I work night shift as a nurse. Eric spends his every other weekend (after working all week) getting up with Parker all night long and stays up with him when I get home from work exhausted in the morning and lets me sleep. He fixes me dinner every once in a while when I’ve had a hard day and does a good job in the kitchen when he tries. He has a “special touch” in putting Parker to bed some nights when I just can’t do it & can change a diaper in the most ridiculous places without barely a gripe! I just want to thank him for being such a great daddy and a wonderful husband for his first father’s day ever!” - Jamie

“Our dad loves us and cares for us. He always works hard but still has time to spend with us. Our dad knows that sometimes the little things are the ones that mean the most, like when he brings home McDonald’s after swim practice. Our dad is always the first to admit if he’s wrong. Once a preacher preached on Father’s Day about what a dad should be, and it turned out that he based his sermon on Dad. When we were little and he was reading to us he’d change the words to make us laugh. When our parents bought a treadmill, Dad turned the box into a playhouse, and we played in it and decorated it for weeks. We later turned it into a dressing room to use with the stage he built. Dad not only tells us that he loves us, but he shows us every day.” - Amy, Sara, Christina and Laura

“Many call Chris a HERO because he served a tour in Iraq. He’s our HERO because of the type of father he is for 3 children. He shows them daily he loves them. He continued to be an active part of their lives during his deployment. We made decisions together (over the internet). He video taped himself reading stories for our toddler. He sent email to our teen to let her know he was there if she needed an ear. The day he came home it was so obvious he’d done a great job. They could barely contain themselves. Its true they missed him not being here. But, they never missed him being their father. 10 months later, we welcomed our son, Robert into our family. And YES, Chris changes diapers. Help us to recongized him for the HERO he truely is.” - Tawnya

“My dad, Jeremy Clayton, is always trying to do the best for us (me, my brother Christopher, and my mom). He is very funny. He encourages us all the time and says “good job” when we do well and “keep on trying” when we are having trouble. My dad tries to make great food for our family - and he succeeds. He is the best cook I’ve ever seen. And he loves Let’s Dish food. He really deserves to win some free meals because of all of his hard work at home and for his job. I will help my dad make the meals at Let’s Dish if he wins! He is the best dad in the world!” - Meghan (8 years old)

ShareThis

Yup that’s my dad, and he’s enjoying Fusion Pork Tenderloin (and a glass of Merlot) shortly after Father’s Day 2008.  And while moms get most of the press here on thedishblog.com, I’d like to take a cue from my own father and raise a toast to my two favorite dads, John Klimas (pictured) and Rick Corcoran.

These are two guys who are surrounded by women (wives, daughters, even female dogs) and manage to enjoy life amidst the constant chaos, chit-chat and emotion (”How do you think I got all this gray hair?,” my Dad always asks with a smile.)   A key part of that was that is that we had and continue to have dinner together as a family just about every night (admittedly easier for my family now than for my father, since Rick is one of my founding partners of Let’s Dish! Mid-Atlantic).  Family dinner maintains a connection to each other and everyday life, one that gets harder and harder as it all grows more hectic.  It’s not surprising, but there is no substitute for that time to talk, laugh, even “but Dad…(sigh)” at the dinner table.  I cherished those moments, Dad, and look forward to many more, Rick.  Cheers…my love to you both this Father’s Day.

“J,” as my daughters call their grandfather, has a tradition of “Question Time” at dinner every - and I mean every - night.  And, despite my groans as a I child, I now see the wisdom in his ways and carry on the practice at our family dinners.  So, in the spirit of that tradition, I’ll ask and answer: “Name three ways you can toast your Dad this season.”

1) Sign up to dish with him - you’ll love spending some side-by-side time and be surprised to find out, even now, little dietary quirks. (One man in my life can’t stand broccoli; the other abhors mayonnaise.)

2) Why not send him Let’s Dish! Gift Card?  If he’s a “do-it-my-own-way” kind of guy, your gift is much more nurturing than, say, another Amazon or Home Depot card - and you know he’ll get to choose the meals he wants to enjoy.

3)  Perhaps even better, you can spoil your Dad long-distance if you order some meals via DishDelivery (we send them anywhere from NY to NC).  It’s a great way to say, “thanks dad… tonight, I’ll take care of dinner,” even if you can’t celebrate Fathers Day together this year.

How’s that, Dad?  Did I get it right - Rick, do I get to have dessert? 

Happy Father’s Day to all you deserving fathers out there!

p.s. I’m going to get in big trouble for leaving out my father-in-law, so Rick Sr, will you accept the gift of your beloved scampi on the July menu and the fact that you get to spend Father’s Day with us (not necessarily in that order)…   Happy Pop’s Day to you too!

ShareThis

(A quick reminder of the “rules” for “Little Dishers”– As a general rule, kids need to be at least 8 years old to dish. It’s important that they be able to follow food safety rules, reach the ingredients, and comport themselves well so as to ensure a good experience for other dishers. And finally, kids need to stay with their parents while dishing. The same rules about bringing a friend apply to kids– max of one extra person per order and the pair needs to stay together while dishing.)

I’ve been dishing with my daughters almost monthly. It’s normally a “Daddy activity” so we trade off each month. But sometimes my wife comes, too, and we place two orders and take both girls. The girls really love it. It’s always fun to work with food. We talk about nutrition and food safety. We work on math (and especially fractions) while doing the measurements. They interact with the staff and with other kids. They take great pride in writing their names on the finished meals. And then, perhaps the best part, when we get home and eat the meals (see pic!), they take such pride in having prepared the meals that they eat more of them, and try virtually everything! (OK, maybe I lied a bit– THEIR favorite part is the warm scones and the chocolate milk they get during breaks…)

As a father of girls, I’m cherishing this time while they are young. As they get a bit older, I fear they won’t want to hang out with Dad as much. Though hope remains– there are a couple dads I see semi-regularly dishing with their teenage daughters. They don’t talk quite as much as they probably used to, but they work together, side by side, usually smiling, and I can sense the warmth between them. I like that dishing can be a way for them to further their relationship. I hope that will be me in a few years.

And I hope it can be you, too. I look forward to seeing you and your kids at a Let’s Dish! session soon.

ShareThis