I love Sunday lunch. There’s something so nice about sitting around the table, chatting and laughing with family that feeds the soul. Growing up, we used to have Sunday lunch every week at my paternal grandmother’s house. That was when my family was still relatively small. I think it ended around the time my uncles got married, and more cousins joined the family. There was only so much room in my grandparents’ basement. But it was fun while it lasted, and the food was always plentiful. Pasta and chicken…and those peas. Oh how I hated those peas! I don’t know what it was about them, but for some reason, I hated them. And for some reason my older (and only cousin at the time) loved them. She would hollow out a small bun and shove the spoonful of peas I was mandated to eat, into the centre, squish the bun and eat it! Gross! But how relieved I was when I didn’t have to eat them.

My dad’s family is now at a whopping 22 people, we really only get together at the holidays, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are a few other gatherings, but not everyone goes to all of them. My mom’s family stands at 50 and counting, so it’s pretty much impossible for everyone to get together. Unfortunately we really only see each other at weddings, and sadly funerals.

So while I have such nice memories of all these gatherings, it’s the Sunday lunch tradition that I miss the most. This past Sunday, even though I felt pretty under the weather, we got invited over to my in-law’s house for lunch. The kids have never had polenta before. Polenta is a yellow cornmeal-like porridge that is native to my mother-in-law’s northern Italy. She makes it with a stew of meat and sauce and it’s delicious. My kids thought so too! It was nice to eat lunch at my in-laws, and not because I didn’t have to cook, but because we used to live there, and it seems that eating all together doesn’t happen as often as it should anymore. My in-laws seemed to enjoy having everyone over too and everyone had a nice time.

No matter how you feel, or what is on the table, it’s the company of family that always hits the spot!

I know it’s not Monday, but seeing as I was sick yesterday, I thought I’d post one of my kids’ favourite songs, from their favourite movie, Ice Age 4, We Are, by Keke Palmer. It’s all about family, and no matter what, we are lucky to be a part of it.

We Are

Lyrics by Keke Palmer

We are, We are
Not your ordinary family
But we can all agree that

We are ,We are
Close as close can be
So it don’t matter what it looks like
We look perfect to me
We got every kind of lover
We’re so lucky indeed
They can keep on talking
It don’t matter to me cause

We are, We are
Family
We are(We are),We are(We are),We are(We are)
We are, We are
Family, Family, Family
We are, We are
Family

So what?
We don’t look
We don’t act
We don’t walk
We don’t talk
Like you do

So what?
If we hang
just a hanging
no shame
We both
Do what we want to
Cause we come from everywhere
Searching for ones to care
Some how we found it here
We found us a home…

We are, We are
Not your ordinary family
But we can all agree that

We are ,We are
Close as close can be
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
So it don’t matter what it looks like
We look perfect to me
We got every kind of lover
We’re so lucky indeed
They can keep on talking
It don’t matter to me cause

We are, We are
Family,

Okay
So the links in our chains makes us strange
But really the make us stronger
And no one would replace not a thing
Mother or father cause we…
Cause we come from everywhere
Searching for ones to care
Some how we found it here
We found us a home

We are, We are
Not your ordinary family
But we can all agree that

We are, We are
Close as close can be
So it don’t matter what it looks like
We look perfect to me
We got every kind of lover
We’re so lucky indeed
They can keep on talking
It don’t matter to me cause

We are, We are
Family(Family)

We are, We are
Family