Search Results for: blog family unity

New Year’s Resolutions for Your Family

The start of a brand new year inspires many people to make some New Year’s resolutions. They make a promise to themselves to work on something specific that they believe will make them happier or healthier. This year, take the opportunity to make some New Year’s resolutions that focus on your family. You can make family New Year’s resolutions as part of your New Year’s Eve celebration. Sit down with your family and make some resolutions together. Decide on things that your family members want to work on as a team. The best part of family resolutions is that everyone … Continue reading →

How to Unplug Your Kids And Encourage Family Communication

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Want to have a better relationship with your kids and teens? Do you find it hard to get their attention when they are staring at a screen? Here are some tips for parents who want to unplug their kids and encourage communication. Limit Screen Time The goal is to place limits on when and where your child or teen can use their computer, tablet, or smartphone. The goal is not to remove those devices from your kids forever. A reasonable amount of screen time can be stimulating and sometimes even educational. Parents need to pick their battles with this one. … Continue reading →

The Family Dinner Project Promotes Family Unity

Does your family sit down together every night for dinner? Many families are in the habit of parking themselves in front of the TV as they eat dinner. Those families are missing out on a great opportunity to connect with each other. The Family Dinner Project has some excellent advice about why eating dinner together as a family is so important. The About Page at The Family Dinner Project has an summary of why families really need to have dinner together. It says: Over the past 15 years, research has shown what parents have known for a long time: Sharing … Continue reading →

Balancing Blogging and Mothering

I squinted to make sense of scattered letters through the glare on my screen.  Focused attempts at deciphering HTML became distracted by bursts of giggling from the other side of my window.  Rejoicing from finally making a text box that scrolled, I missed a small excited voice asking me to “look at me”.  Dripping hair and sopping wet footsteps ran inside to beckon me to join their mini water park complete with a blow up monkey pool.  Promising just five more minutes I shooed away wet fingers from my computer.  Next I looked up and the time for sprinklers, popsicles, and water slides … Continue reading →

Senator Rubio Resigns to Spend More Time With Family

California Senator Michael Rubio, a Democrat, has resigned his position. The main purpose for doing so appears to be an interest in being able to spend more time with his family. He and his wife have two daughters, one of whom has Down Syndrome. The former Senator has taken a job with Chevron. I imagine that it would be quite difficult to be a Senator and to find a way to balance that with family life. I am certain that parents, of any profession, face that same challenge. However, when a parent who is not a public figure changes jobs … Continue reading →

Missed Opportunity

Ever feel like kicking yourself?  I had one of those moments yesterday…when I did the very thing I strive to not do, especially in light of the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  I missed an opportunity to talk. It was one of those “life happens” deals.  Picked up the kids from school and was running short on time because I had just an hour to work, dinner to make and a funeral to attend. My 15-year-old daughter wanted to talk and it wasn’t just chitchat.  She wanted me to come into her bedroom and close the door.  That … Continue reading →

Family Friendly Volunteering

When you can’t always afford to pay for family fun, you can make your own by volunteering! How Can Volunteering Be Fun? First of all, helping others often puts things in perspective. Benefiting people or even animals that are not as fortunate as you are can make anyone appreciate all that they have. Often it forces even children to look around and start enjoying the blessings they already experience. Volunteering really makes us feel good. It is fun in itself. Studies have shown that people who volunteer tend to me more joyful and happier in life. Isn’ t that a … Continue reading →

Five Free Family Fun Moments

Family fun doesn’t have to be expensive or even cost a thing at all. While taking in a movie and snacks at the theater might cost you $60 or more per family, isn’t it nice to know that there are still some things in life that are free? 1. Family game night. The popularity of family game night might have started as a marketing campaign for Hasbro to get you to buy more games, but the idea is not a bad one. Many of us grew up playing board games and have many fond memories of the hours we spent … Continue reading →

A Much Needed Family Outing Part II

Once we were inside the Mars exhibit, we began to learn about the many different of what would be required to go to Mars.  We learned about space toilets that have to work without gravity.  We learned about the terrain of Mars and its many “dust storms.” We discovered that both of our children would be too light to be able to walk on Mars.  We learned about how all the things required for a civilization to flourish on Mars would get to Mars. We learned about tight living quarters and dehydrated food.  We learned more than we really wanted … Continue reading →

A Much Needed Family Outing

Family outings are few and far between in my family.  Even though we try to do things together as a family more often, it always seems like there is something more important and dire that needs to be done instead.  As our small family struggles to find the balance between job work, dissertation  work, house work, and play, we are often too exhausted to make our much needed family outings happen.  However, the opportunity for a family outing arose rather spontaneously and we jumped at the chance to get out of the house and do something fun with our children. … Continue reading →