Family Culture Kimberly Amici Family Culture Kimberly Amici

How to Start a Cooking Club plus Connecting with Your Child and Mentoring Others 

Whether you are looking for something fun to do with your child or desire a way to invest into the next generation, a cooking club is a great place to start. Check out these tips that will help get you started.

One of the best ways I have found to connect with my kids is to embrace the things they love and participate with them in it.

I got lucky with my oldest daughter, she loves to cook. She binge watches the Food Network, goes to culinary camp, and likes to experiment with food. We cook at home together, but at times it’s sporadic because of our busy school and sports schedule. I realized that If I truly wanted to connect with my daughter and cultivate the talents she had, I needed to set aside a consistent time for her to explore her passion. So, when she was 10 years old, I started a cooking club for her and a few girls in our neighborhood.

I knew it would be a fun way to enjoy time with my daughter but I didn’t realize it would also be a great way to connect with her friends. I have known many of these girls since kindergarten, however, the cooking club has provided a unique opportunity to mentor them as well. I discovered...

You don’t need to be in ministry or have an official title to invest in the next generation. << Click to Tweet

For me, mentoring looks like teaching a group of teens how to crack an egg, sift flour, and emulsify ingredients. Each time I interact with these girls I have the opportunity to encourage them and influence them in a positive way. 

If you think starting a cooking club sounds like a great idea, check out these tips that will help get you started:

Invite kids to participate. The number of girls will depend on what you are making and how hands-on you want to be as a host. We started out with a total of 6 girls. With two girls to a “team”, we made three items: specialty drink, appetizer, entrée, side dish, or dessert. As the girls became more independent, we added an additional food item and two more to the group. 

Choose a regularly scheduled time. Keep it simple and pick the same day and time each month. At first, we tried to accommodate everybody’s schedule month by month. Eventually, it became confusing and sometimes we had to skip a month because we had trouble resolving schedule conflicts. 

Decide on a budget. It’s important to know how much you are willing to spend each month. My daughter would choose seafood and filet mignon every month if I allowed her, but when you’re cooking for a large group it can get expensive fast. You can choose whether to pay for the groceries yourself, charge monthly dues, have members bring ingredients, or take donations.

Choose meals that fit the children's age and ability. Start off with simple recipes in the beginning. Many of the girls in our group never cooked before joining our club. In the beginning, we chose recipes that required only basic culinary skills. My daughter and I taught them how to chop, dice, and properly measure ingredients. Now that the group has been together for three years, we moved on to more complex recipes that require reducing liquids and blanching vegetables. Ask about allergies before choosing the meals.

Read through recipes and create a timeline. Once you have chosen the meals make sure you have time to make everything. Don't pick recipes that need to be marinated or chilled overnight. Also, not every recipe takes the same amount of time to cook so plan accordingly. 

Set up individual stations ahead of time. Stations should include a copy of the recipe with pots, pans, utensils, and ingredients that are needed.

Confiscate phones. It’s important to be fully present essential when working with flames, hot surfaces, and knives. Our girls place their phone in a bucket as soon as they arrive. I was hesitant ask this at first, but the no one seemed to mind, now it’s routine. The only time they're allowed to use their phone is to set a timer and take pictures.

Have fun! I often find myself just running around behind the girls cleaning up. Other times I walk them through recipes teaching them tips and tricks.  

Eat together. The best part of the evening is sitting down with these young people and as they enjoy the results of their hard work. I have been tempted to hang back in the kitchen to clean up or sit somewhere else to eat. However, I realized eating together was the perfect opportunity to talk with these girls about school, favorite subjects, and sports. As our relationship has deepened we've begun to talk about the pressures they deal with at school and their relationships.

Whether you are looking for something fun to do with your child or desire a way to invest into the next generation, a cooking club is a great place to start. If cooking is not your thing, that’s ok. There are many other ways to connect with your child. Take time to discover your child’s passions and let them lead the way. 


For more on mentoring, check out:

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Family Culture, Community Kimberly Amici Family Culture, Community Kimberly Amici

Hospitality and My Sexy Bean Dip

Our mission as a family includes having a home in which others feel welcome. We enjoy having people over to break bread and share stories. We host small groups for our church, backyard movie nights, and even enjoy last minute guests. One of the best ways to head off anxiety about hospitality is to have simple, go to recipes, on hand. I haves a few but my favorite is Sexy Bean Dip.

On the podcast this week we are talking about Hospitality. We discuss what the Bible says about it and how important it is to build community and make others feel valued. We are also share about how we feel about opening up our home, what prevents us from being more welcoming, and how to overcome it.

Our mission as a family includes having a home in which others feel welcome. We enjoy having people over to break bread and share stories. We host small groups for our church, backyard movie nights, and even enjoy last minute guests.

One of the best ways to head off anxiety about hospitality is to have simple, go to recipes, on hand. I have a few, but my favorite is Sexy Bean Dip. As I mentioned in the podcast, my BFF makes this with fresh ingredients.( Her's is way sexier than mine.) I make mine that way when I can, but often I opt for canned and frozen ingredients because I can keep them stocked (except for the avocado) and ready to go when needed.   

Sexy Bean Dip

  • 1 can (15oz.) black beans
  • 1 can (15oz.) corn
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 1 can (15oz.) petite diced tomatoes
  • 1/8 cup cilantro
  • Squeeze 1/2 of a lime
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • diced ripe avocado 
  • 1/4 tsp. diced jalapeños

Mix together and bowl. Store in the refrigerator. The longer the flavors marinate together the better it tastes. Serve with tortilla chips. 


Episode 010 Extending Hospitality

Little things mean a lot when it comes to hospitality. Your home doesn't have to be perfect, just prepared to make people feel welcome. 

Join Elise Daly Parker, Noelle Rhodes, and me for this week's podcast. 

 

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Family Culture Kimberly Amici Family Culture Kimberly Amici

Harnessing the Power of Peer Reviews for Your Next Family Retreat

Knowing a peer review is such an incredible tool in the workplace, I wondered if it was something that would be useful in our home. I love team building activities and personal development so the thought of us discussing these things made me giddy. Conversations like this don't just happen organically so I knew we’d need to set a time and create an environment where our kids felt safe to share. It would require intention and focus from all of us. So I planned a family retreat.

My husband works for a company that does peer reviews. In addition to an annual performance review from managers and supervisors, my husband receives an assessment of interpersonal skills from his peers.

Together the two give him a combined perspective of what managers and peers think about his teamwork, communication, and leadership potential. It is intended to create balance among different points of view. Without input from other people, it’s hard to tell if you’re succeeding, or how you can improve. Knowing this is such an incredible tool in the workplace, I wondered if it was something that would be useful in our home.

I was curious about what my children thought of my husband and me as parents. Is there something that they need from us that we are not providing? Not in material things but love, grace, or affection? Each child is wired differently and pocesses a unique personality. They have various love languages, so even though we think we might be loving them well, they may not think so.

I also questioned what they thought about each other. When I am not around, are my kids treating each other well? Does their behavior reflect our family’s mission or values?

I love team building activities and personal development, so the thought of discussing these things made me giddy. Conversations like this don't just happen on their own, so I knew we’d need to set a time and create an environment where our kids felt safe to share. It would require intention and focus from all of us. So I planned a family retreat.


Are you interested in hosting your own retreat?

We’ve taken the guesswork out planning yours by creating the Family Retreat Packet. It’s guaranteed to save you time!

Our Family Retreat Packet includes:

  • Sample Itinerary

  • Packing List

  • Activity Suggestions

  • Discussions Worksheets

  • and much more! 


How I prepared:

>>Designed a family version of a 360 Peer Review

I created packets for each of us that included questions about themselves, our family as whole, and individual members.

>>Booked a hotel

We found a great deal on Groupon for a two-day, two-night hotel stay. It was located only 20 minutes from our home, close to restaurants and shopping, and had a pool.

>>We packed the usual stuff plus:

Discussion sheets

Pens and pencils

A board game

Playing cards

Bathing suits

Picnic blanket

Water bottles and snacks

What we did:

>>Alternate family building discussions with activities and special treats

The first evening we went to dinner, filled out one of the questionnaires and discussed. Then we checked into the hotel, went swimming, and played a board game. In the morning, we filled out another survey and found a local park to share our answers. Eventually, we needed a break, so we played a game and then some talked more. Afterward, we went to Starbucks for Frappuccinos, followed by more swimming, more discussion, dinner, and mini-golf.

We had our fair share of squabbles but for the most part, our time together was wonderful. The kids were excited about our weekend mostly because we were staying in a hotel and there was a pool. Our children also enjoyed having our undivided attention.

What Would I Do Different:

>>Keep discussions to 30/45 minutes

I was overly optimistic about my children’s attention span. The kids were thrilled to fill out the questionnaires but lost focus ¾ of the way through our discussions. I knew well enough to break up talking together with activities. However, the pace of our discussions mattered too. Instead of each family member discussing what they thought about each other in depth, we instituted a lightning round. I read a question, and we took turns quickly answering them, occasionally citing examples to explain.

>>Research restaurants and activities in the area

Thanks to technology and phone apps we managed to find local restaurants in the area we liked but selecting them beforehand would have saved time. We found a park to hang out in, play ball, and talk, but not until after driving around for a while. Also, planning an excursion such as biking, hiking, canoeing, or geocaching would have been fun and enabled us to cross something off our summer bucket list.

>>Create a schedule and stick to it

As I mentioned above, I loosely knew what I wanted to do, but that wasn’t enough. Designating pockets of time for both discussions and activities would have helped me see just how much time we needed for the retreat. As a family of five, we had a lot to talk about. We got off to a late start that first day, and it prevented us from finishing everything we wanted to do.

Next Steps

>>Organize the data

I expected most of the feedback we heard. We saw consistent ways in which everyone wanted our family to improve: bickering less and not being late all the time. (Yikes!) The kids seem to love the same things: spending time with us and each other (Yeah!). We were also surprised by what they wanted from us, “Push me to learn and manage my time better.” “Be more strict [to help me meet my goals].” and “Tell me to practice more.”

Hubby and I plan to review the assessments and organize it in a way that will be useful and not forgotten. Once we find the common threads in the responses, we will develop a plan for where improvement is needed and continue to sow into the areas where we are doing well.  

>>Follow-up

In six months we plan to have one-on-one “dates” with our each of our kids to check in and see how things are going? Are we still struggling as a family to get along, to be on time? Are mommy and daddy stepping up in the areas they’d like us to? How are they doing developing the character traits we discussed?

>>Save the date for the 2017 Family Retreat

This was a positive experience for all of us. We had a ton of fun together, but most importantly each of us was given a voice to express what often goes unsaid. Our family did not radically change overnight, but we are making little changer over time. The key to this family retreat having a lasting impact on our family is continuing these conversations through the year and follow up.

I’d love to hear if you have family retreats or if you have discovered another way to guide your family towards its mission and vision.


For more on the topics listen to…

Carl and I sat down to talk about our family retreat on The Family Culture Project. We discussed:

  • What a Family Retreat is and why we are so excited about this topic

  • The benefits of having these retreats

  • How you can plan a retreat of your own


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Family Culture Kimberly Amici Family Culture Kimberly Amici

An Alternative to the Summer Bucket List

This year we’re trying something new. Instead of a summer bucket list, filled individual things we want to do, we created a list of summer project list. The key to making these ideas stick is getting the kids involved. They came up with the ideas and together we brainstormed to determine what each would look like.

summer list_edited.jpg

I absolutely adore summer bucket lists. In fact, I've created a whole Pinterest board dedicated to my favorite ones. Each summer I download a bunch of lists, pick a few items that appeal to me from each, and combined them to create my own.

Our family has been moderately successful at checking things off the list. In the past, we start off strong and fade as August approaches. Then I spend the week before school starts cramming in as many things as I can.

Like most goals without a plan, very little gets accomplished. So I do my best to schedule movie nights, beach days, and museum trips before the summer begins.

Our summer bucket list is only meant to serve as a reminder to be intentional about the ways we spend time together. 

If I get to the end of the summer and I haven’t checked off enough things off the list I’m disappointed. However, I am too hard on myself because regardless, we still had a great summer.

This year we’re trying something new. Instead of a summer bucket list, filled individual things we want to do, we created a list of summer project list. The key to making these ideas stick is getting the kids involved. They came up with the ideas and together we brainstormed to determine what each would look like.

Intentional living isn't just for grownups

Ice Cream Sundays

Instead of the typical Make Homemade Ice Cream, we have designated Sundays as Ice Cream Sundays.  Each week, one child will choose a recipe, make a list of ingredients, freeze the ice cream maker core, and prepare the recipe on Sunday afternoon. My daughter will share the recipes we have chosen on her blog.

Why I love this: It teaches responsibility as they follow through on a task, from beginning to end. It allows them to serve their family. I am anticipating we’ll be inviting friends over to help us eat some of the ice cream, so they’ll be able to practice hospitality as well.

Summer Backyard Movie Series

Another common bucket list each summer is Movie Night. Building on this idea, we created a Summer Movie Series. We have chosen three dates and three movies. My kids helped me make a flyer that can be sent to friends letting them know, if weather permits, they are welcome to join us to watch a movie in our backyard. We’ll provide popcorn, drinks, and glow sticks. All they need to do is show up with a blanket or lawn chair.

Why I love this: Text and emails are the easy ways to get the word out about an event. Instead, we are using our creativity and design skills to create a flyer that we can give to friends. Sometimes we say we are going to do something but never get around to it. Inviting people over with designated dates provides accountability.

Geocaching

Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunt using a GPS device. You navigate to a specific set of coordinates to find the geocache (container) hidden at a specific location. There are millions of hidden containers scattered throughout more than 185 countries, waiting to be found—you’ll be surprised to find out there are some near you right now. Common Summer Bucket List items, such as picnics, biking, and treasure hunt, can all be combined in this activity.

The Geocaching App By Groundspeak Inc. shows you the locations of caches and the paid membership has additional features such as advanced search tools and offline use.

We decided to get the upgrade. In order to get our money's worth, we are planning at least 3 excursions to local parks. Each of my kiddos will choose one location. They also decided to hide our own geocache for others to find.

Why I love this: The kids work together to find the geocaches so it promotes teamwork. Since the kids will be responsible for picking the locations and dates, it will require research and decision making.

These three projects alone be enough to keep us busy in between camps and lazy days at the pool. We will still have a mini-bucket list which will includes visit a museum, visit a sculpture garden, go to the beach, go to an outdoor concert, sleep in a tent, play croquet, play tennis, volunteer in the community. However, we will be more focused on following through on our projects than on out list.

 

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