The food isn't the only thing that should be good at dinnertime--conversation is key. Here are some momlogic ideas to keep dinnertime from being a drag.

Recently, we reported that teen idols The Jonas Brothers ate dinner together every night when they were young. They continue the tradition but now on a very untraditional tour bus. At least they have the right idea--gathering the family together at dinnertime is one of the best ways to promote a tight-knit family unit. The benefits are staggering, says Christine Carter, executive director of UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, "Kids who eat dinner with their families five nights a week are more likely to get higher grades, be more emotionally stable and less likely to have depression."

Sound good? Pull up a chair! We asked around the office for some dinnertime family rituals.

	My daughters set the table. They get out candles, funny napkins, and sometimes write out menus and we circle what we want to eat and drink. We also ALWAYS say grace together. We hold hands and our 2-year-old son often shouts out AMEN. --Rachel, mother of 3
	We play two games every night around the dinner table: Two truths and a lie (the kids tell us three things and we have to figure out which one is the lie) and Best thing/worst thing, where we say the worst thing and best thing about our day. Dinner time is very important to me -- even when the kids are driving us nuts getting up/down. --Julie, mother of 2
	My secret is that I enrolled my girls in cooking classes at an early age so that they could appreciate the art of meal preparation and get excited about spending time in the kitchen. --Jill, mother of 2
	We sit down for a nice dinner and then we proceed to debate with my son about why he won't eat what I spent an hour cooking for him. --Melissa, mother of 1
	I get drunk every night at dinner. Does that count as a ritual? --Diana, mother of 1