Most families blast through mealtimes en route to the next activity. But The Great American Supper Swap offers today's women an alternative that not only makes mealtimes more fun, but also much more meaningful. Once a week you prepare a meal large enough for your family and another family. In turn, on another day you'll receive a meal from someone else and will have more time to spend with the kids. It's a great way for families to save time and share the joy of family, fellowship and community.

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Author: Trish Berg
Located in: Dalton, Ohio
Submitted: January 19, 2007

    Tell us a little about yourself.  First of all, I'm a wife and a mom, and a follower of Christ. My husband, Mike, and I met in college and married soon after. We have 4 kids all under 12, so life at the Berg's house is pretty hectic these days. Mike teaches high school math and is the varsity baseball coach at Dalton. I am a stay-at-home mom during the day, and I write in the evenings. I have a weekly newspaper column in The Daily Record, and have been a featured writer for MOPS International's MOMSense Magazine. I have also written for Today’s Christian Woman and CBN.com, as well as many regioanl magazines and e-zines. This is my first book, and I am so excited you are here! My ministry is to help moms “simplify motherhood,” so they can get back to enjoying being a mom. Be sure to check out my website for more great ideas, tips and FREE downloads at http://www.trishberg.com

    What was your motivation behind this project?  Every afternoon the “What’s for dinner?” question crept into my thoughts, dragging me down and stealing my positive attitude. Mothering my kids seemed to be all I could manage most days. Well, that and—on a good day— maybe a few loads of laundry. And let’s face it: I’m not a chef. Although I love to eat, I don’t love to cook. So where did that leave me? Usually serving quickfix meals, cold cereal, grilled-cheese sandwiches, or ordering pizza. That was until five years ago when supper swapping came into my life. Supper swapping is moms helping moms by sharing the cooking responsibilities for their families. One day a week you cook enough food for everyone in your group, usually three to five families. You keep one meal for your family and deliver the other meals to the families in your group. The rest of the week, they deliver supper to you. It’s like hiring a caterer for free! Supper swapping maximizes the impact of your labor. It’s much simpler to shop for the ingredients and then prepare five identical meals than it is to shop for and prepare five completely different meals.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  Welcome - I am so glad you found The Great American Supper Swap! Reality Check - Moms do most of the meal preparation in the family, and they are exhausted trying to fit everything in. Cooking a new meal every night of the week is almost impossible, and fast food is so expensive and unhealthy. So what do we do? My hope and prayer is that The Great American Supper Swap will bring families back to the dinner table together, every night of the week. That they will save money, reduce their stress, and get back to having joyful, relaxed evenings together. Today, only 50% of American families eat dinner (or supper) together regularly. And 33% of those meals come from fast food or take out restaurants. I believe parents know the family supper is important, but they don't know how to make it happen. Supper swapping makes it simple. It reduces your cooking by 80%, and you have a fresh, homemade dinner every night of the week. Moms and Dads need to re-claim the family dinnertime and use those moments to nourish their kids body and soul. Dinnertime is the perfect time to re-connect with kids through conversation, mealtime prayer, and possibly even family devotions. By simply being there, you are giving your kids the greatest gift you could – the gift of YOU!

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  I am an avid reader, and love both fiction and non-fiction. I enjoy reading Karen Kingsbury's novels, Keri Wyatt Kent's non-fiction books on prayer, and enjoy Julie Barnhill's humor. I have learned a lot about parenting from reading Dr. Dobson's and Zig Ziglar's books. My latest reads include The Stained Glass Pick up by Cathy Messecar and Jack Bauer's Having a Bad Day by Tim Wessemann. Musically, I am a HUGE FFH fan. Once you have seen them in concert, you'll know what I mean. Their music truly hits home with me and inspires me to be a better Christian. I also enjoy Michael W. Smith, and many contemporary Christian singers.

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  Supper swapping is catching on in rural areas and big cities alike,with stay-at-home moms and working moms, big families and small ones. It’s not surprising that people are searching for a better way to do dinner. With today’s simultaneous trends of increasingly busy families and refocusing on the importance of community, supper swapping has become a growing grassroots phenomenon spreading rapidly from coast to coast. Feature articles on supper swapping have appeared in Today’s Christian Woman (September/October 2006), Better Homes and Gardens (March 2005), Quick Cooking (February 2005), Working Mother (May 2004), Southern Living (August 2003), and MOPS International’s MOMSense magazine (March 2004). Why is it catching on so fast? Because it’s simple—and it simply works! Check out www.supperswapmom.com for more great information!

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