schedules and automated world makes it difficult for us to slow down, afraid that the rest of the world will pass us by.

Women are particularly finding this time trying, as they try to juggle careers and family. Unlike the traditional families of our ancestors, women now make up a large portion of the work force.

Meal time has become a thing of the past as we rely more on fast foods than traditional family meals to meet our family needs. Does this sound like your lifestyle? Take the "Family Lifestyle Quiz'' which is designed to help you identify changes that you can begin to make in your family environment.

Are your meal times regularly scheduled? Do you eat your meals together as a family? Do you tailor portion sizes to your needs? Do you make meal planning a family affair? Do you make a point not to miss meals? Is meal time pleasant? Do your meals last more than 15 minutes? Do you eat only in designated areas of the house? Do you participate in physical activities together regularly? If you answered yes to most of these questions, you're probably doing fine. If not, there is room for improvement. Read on to find out how.

Try to arrange your family's schedule so that regular meals are at set times during the day. If this is impossible due to work and school schedules, at least try to designate one or more nights a week as family meal nights.

Family meals help children learn that regular meals are important and they also learn many social skills by eating with the family. If it is impossible to get together for dinner, try breakfast. And set the table the night before to get a jump start on your morning.

Plan ahead. Preplanned menus can take some of the stress out of meal times.

Have your family members participate in the planning and perhaps you can have specific days assigned to different members. Children especially can benefit from helping with the menu planning, as they will learn the importance of balanced meals and carry this tradition on through their lifetime.

Prepare meals ahead of time. Foods such as casseroles, pasta and sauces can be prepared in advance and frozen for convenience. Prepare in large quantities so that you can freeze more than one meal. And use quick cooking methods such as the microwave or pressure steamer.

Make a point not to miss meals. Frequently missed meals can lead to unplanned snacking and unhealthy eating patterns.

Make mealtime a pleasant time. Meal time should be a time when families get together and communicate with one another in a positive way.

For some families, mealtime may be the only time when they can get together.

Limit interruptions during mealtime and especially avoid watching television during meals.

Whatever you identify as a problem with your present day lifestyle, focus for a few moments and decide what you have had to sacrifice in order to keep up in the rapid pace of today's world.

Chances are, we have sacrificed our family time and most always our mealtimes.

Statistics show we are working an extra three hours per week compared with twenty years ago. That translates into an extra month of work every year.

Decide what you want in life and set your goals to achieve that. Make sure those goals include regular meals, adequate sleep and time with your family.

Make family time a tradition now, not a thing of the past.