Family Night

beach clean up

2013-03-19T18:31:00.001-07:00

Next month our store is sending some volunteers to help with an area beach clean up. We will be given gloves and trash buckets to help dispose of debris. We also have to record any debris. Some locales provide lunch after the clean up. This can be a great way for the family to help make the beaches a better place for all to enjoy.

Be Happy

2013-03-01T18:50:00.001-08:00

This weekend marks the kickoff at our church for a new program called The Search for Happiness. We are having a big day of family fun tomorrow March 2 with lots of activities from frisbee golf to computer safety, basketball skills to teen culture awareness, a forty-two tournament to youth story time. Sounds like there will be something for all ages. Then we will be having a guest speaker from Sunday to Wednesday helping us find where true happiness comes from. It seems that happiness is a fad of sorts right now; I've seen a documentary and several articles pointing to finding happiness. Hopefully this next week will shed some light on finding that source of true happiness....

New Year's Traditions

2013-01-01T19:34:00.001-08:00

While I have never done this tradition with my family, I sure wish I had read it when the kids were younger. I sure would have liked to do this one. You can customize it to fit your family and make it a great New Year's Eve or Day tradition.

Family New Year's tradition

egg nog jog

2012-11-15T17:34:00.002-08:00

This year the weekend before Christmas we have the chance to join in a local "egg nog jog". It is a night time family fun run/walk. It is basically a fun way to get out and see Christmas lights and enjoy the season. Best of all it's FREE! I think this could be a new tradition starting!

Apple Store

2012-11-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

The Apple Store seems like a fun place to spend a little family time. Here you can all learn about new gadgets and even get some hands on feel about the products. There is even a kids station where kiddos can get hooked on the gadgets Apple offers. Just be sure to balance all the screen time with a little face to face time too!!

carnival

2012-10-13T17:58:00.001-07:00

It seems that this month is full of local carnivals. It's a great way to spend some family time. Families can take advantage of good weather (or being indoors if the weather is not so good!) The fall air brings relief from the summer heat and spirits are happy enjoying the fresh air and festivities. Carnivals are also a good way to support local causes.

vacation bible school

2012-08-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

If your family is not opposed to church going, vacation bible school can be a great family activity. Many churches offer week long or other types of vacation bible school during the summer. While these are mostly geared toward children, some places have family programs. Many are free or are very affordable. Vacation Bible School can be a wholesome family activity.

stewardship

2012-08-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

Although this is more a lifestyle than a one time family activity, it is imperative to teach our children, our families, about stewardship. Kids need to learn early about how to save, spend and give money. Giving them small amounts of money (whether allowance, pay for chores, or gifts) to practice with is a great tool to really imbed these concepts in their minds. They can start while still young giving to charities and making purchases for the things they want (gum, candy, etc.)

As they age it is important for families to impart the practice of saving money too. One day these same kids will want to make bigger purchases (shoes, movies, etc.) Having them learn to put off these purchases while saving money is crucial. This way once these kids enter early adulthood they will be well versed and ready to pay for entertainment, buy a car and even buy a house (whether using something like VA home loan rates or a cash downpayment.)

These type of family activities throughout family life will prove invaluable to parents, kids and society alike.

happy hour

2012-07-27T15:55:00.001-07:00

Any time you can find a family friendly happy hour, it's a fun time for all. One of our favorites is the local Sonic who provides happy hour every day from 2-4 where all fountain drinks are half price. This is a great affordable family outing for everyone to cool off with an ice cold drink!

campout

2012-07-13T19:38:00.001-07:00

Family campouts can be fun for all ages. Whether tenting or in a cabin, kids seem to get a kick of staying in the outdoors. There is lots of nature to see and discover. Many activities can be combined with a camping trip-from fishing and boating to hiking, cycling and stargazing. Camp out food is also part of the fun-hot dogs, s'mores, and many other delights. And best of all, some great bonding time comes when sharing these activities together.

pool

2012-06-23T17:46:00.001-07:00

A great family activity that is usually a hit with all ages is the swimming pool! Whether you have a neighborhood pool, a city pool, or a pool in your own backyard, this is the place to go when the weather heats up. Everyone can cool off and relax in the water and enjoy some time at the side of the pool. While it may take a little while for the youngest ones to acclimate to the pool, with some easy encouragement and lots of focus on fun, the pool can bring some good family bonding time while everyone enjoys staying cool!

Father's Day

2012-06-15T18:46:00.002-07:00

Gathering to honor fathers is seemingly low on the totem pole of our lives. I heard today on the radio that it falls short of Mother's Day, kids, and even pets in terms of amounts of money spent. So don't let this Father's Day fall short in your family. Whether you spend money or not, be sure to show your father or father figure how much he means to you!

yard work

2012-04-29T19:54:00.003-07:00

Spending time working together in the yard is good for everyone in the family. Mom and dad get a little help and kids learn skills, that they are needed and a part of the family, and that one must work to get by in life. It can be a fun time too. Working together in the yard can provide nice outside time together with everyone in a win-win situation.

hiking

2012-04-05T19:25:00.002-07:00

I have been taking my nephews hiking nearly every weekend for the past few months. We have gone to several different places. There have been easy walks to longer and harder jaunts. We have been to wooded areas as well as urban locales. Our favorites have been some paths through the woods in local parks. Last weekend we even went to the highest bridge in our area and "hiked" over it. These hikes have been good for our physical, mental and relational health.

family safety

2012-04-05T19:22:00.001-07:00

Family safety is of vital importance to every family, especially as kids come along. I know our neighbors had a recent scare with an incident while they were not home. Fortunately another neighbor saw the incident and intervened. After this happened the neighbor whose home the incident took place had to have a family safety meeting to go over safety measures and to decide what Total Alarm Systems they were going to utilize at their house. Since then I have heard about the system they got and have seen the husband installing his new alarm system. I hope this will help keep the family safe for a long time.

current events

2012-02-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

Families with children of any age can start talking about current events in age appropriate terms. It helps kids to learn what is going on in the world around them, it broadens their perspective, it even builds vocabulary. It helps mom and dad share and pass on family values. Talking about current events with kids can be a very important ideal done in a very casual way, which in turn makes it more likely that kids will be interested, listen and learn.

hiking

2012-01-31T16:55:00.001-08:00

Family hikes together do not have to be some big expedition. My nephews and I have had a good time hiking each weekend at local parks and even a field out near our house. Some of our parks have trails which give it a feel of a "hike" more but even walking out in the field took a good long time. Just find somewhere to explore together and take a hike!

On the Sunny Side

2012-01-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

The article written by Victor Flowers

Our weather over the last week has been positively dreadful! Although its winter and I fully expect that the sun won’t shine every day this time of year, a whole week of rain and no sunshine has been depressing. Thank goodness for Dish Network! At least I have something to keep me entertained on these days when it is too nasty to go outside or get in the car and go anywhere. Any time I want something to watch, all I have to do is check the channel guide and find something exciting. Lately I’ve been watching the travel channel. They’ve been running a series on exotic sunny locations and boy has it made my days! I figure if I can’t see the sunshine through my windows at least I can see it through my television. Yesterday’s episode was about Jamaica. What I wouldn’t give for a trip there this time of year. Gorgeous sandy beaches, warm blue water, and a full service resort at my disposal is just what this time of year ordered!

family dinners

2012-01-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

I have read time and again how important it is to have regular family dinners together. Meals where everyone is present and seated together. These meals may not actually be dinner and they may not be every day. But making them a regular part of the family routine is healthy for everyone. There are many reasons why, and you can read them in many sources. But sometimes it is hard to make family meals work. Some good ideas can be to have two or three times a week set aside for family meals, no interruptions. Having a meal together for breakfast can achieve the same goal. Or even when worse comes to worse, eating together out or even in the car on the way to the next event, or at the next event at least stopping for a few minutes to sit together and share a meal, time and conversation is a perfect family bond-building activity.

decorating the tree

2011-12-13T13:14:00.001-08:00

Sometimes family traditions are hard to change. As the time drew near this year to decorate the Christmas tree, I told my daughter to go ahead and put her ornaments on and when her brother got home from college he could add his if he wanted. She refused saying that she would just wait til he got home to do hers; that is just the way it is supposed to be! So for now our Christmas tree stands bare with nothing but lights. And there is a family night that awaits us to decorate the tree.

surprise

2011-10-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

Many people think that surprises are good. And maybe a family surprise can be pulled off and even enjoyed. After a family surprise this weekend in which I did not respond with the best composure, I am not sure that all surprises are in order, even if done with the best of intentions. I hope that in the future I will handle the surprises which I face with more composure and grace than I did this weekend.

pride

2011-10-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

One thing that sometimes gets overlooked is telling our kids how proud we are of them. My husband called me today to tell me about something our son, who is away at college, did for someone last week that was really an encouragement. We would never have known about it if this lady did not tell my husband about it. My husband then told me how proud he was that our son did that. I told my husband to be sure and tell our son. He said of course he would. I know that kids love to feel their parents' pride and it is an important aspect of the family. It's never a bad time to tell kids of your pride for them.

family meals

2011-10-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

In spite of all the flak kids give parents about so many things, including sitting down together for family meals, today I was reassured by a mental health professional that it is very important for families to do this, ideally once a day. It allows time for reconnection, communication, involvement, a feeling of belonging and a chance to model and observe appropriate behaviors. Even though our kids would at times only come to the table begrudgingly, I am glad to hear that this ideal is still endorsed by professionals!

Technology Loving Parents

2011-10-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the article from Laura Ryan

I think I have the coolest parents. When I was a kid, that statement would have been difficult to make. No one thinks they have cool parents. However, now that I am grown up I realize how cool my parents were and are. They were one of the first people to own a computer. When I was little, I didn’t even know how cool that was. They were also one of the first people to get DIRECT TV. And to top it off, they were also the first to get a cell phone. Looking back it is amazing how quickly my parents accepted technology. They were able to see what items would be fads and which items were here to stay. To this day, they are still trying new things and having the coolest gadgets. Most parents go to their kids for advice on computers and such, but I go to my parents. I look back on my childhood and realize I was a lucky kid to have had some of the coolest parents around and I still am.

debrief and reminisce

2011-09-11T11:28:00.001-07:00

Our family has always had a tradition of debriefing and reminiscing events. And large historic events are especially good times to debrief and reminisce. I posted this idea on another blog but it fits well with family night activities:

As today is an important day for Americans to remember those who have fallen in recent history, it is important to teach the younger generation why it's important to remember. Sometimes history seems like such a dull thing of the past to kids. Teaching them now about an historic event that we and many of them have lived through puts the human touch, emotion, and passion into history. It is important to impart not only information but values and lessons learned from such historic events. Today is a great day to remember why it's so important to remember and share such events.