Be in the Moment

It's no doubt our lives are busy. We are called by our jobs, our commitments, church events, school events and if you have more than one child, times all of that by how many you have. In my case I have three children all in different events, on different days, or at different times on same days. It's hard to be in 8 places at once. Gone are the days of coming home from school and work to a nice home cooked, healthy meal waiting and cookies in the oven. Sometimes we are lucky to sit down together on the weekends.
Recently at a check up for my daughter my doctor expressed the same sentiments. He was concerned that our fast pace life was taking years off of us. We were laughing as his pager and my cell phone rang at the same time. Our parents didn't have these things to track you down at every second of any day. Yet, we all survived. Technology has it's good points, but at the same time it can really cause us to lose track of what really matters.
The more technology we have, the more we seem to cram into our already busy and scheduled lives.

Take time this year to cut out the excess, live with a little bit less, and find time to be together. Be in the moment so that you can enjoy your child's talent show. Stay focused when you pick up your son from school. Find out how his day really went. Get excited about your son's soccer match and compliment him on his moves. Teach your daughter how to find a good deal at the mall. Be in the moment. Don't let your cell phone, pda, or blue tooth dictate your life. Find time to enjoy the good things. You may find you are less stressed.

Family Fun Night

Do you set aside a night each week to do something fun with the kids? We would love to hear from you and what adventures you have had. We have some ideas but would love some more. Can you add to our list?

Here are some fun things we do together as a family.

• Pizza Night - Head out to a pizza parlor and enjoy the scene
• Movie Night - Rent a new release movie, pop some popcorn and stay up late
• Bowling - We love to bowl a few games and play in the arcades for silly prizes
• Game Night - Sometimes its great to let down after a hard week with a board game and lots of competition.
• Sundae Night - Invite some friends over and make sundaes while enjoying your company
• Take a Walk - We love a good walk in the park together. It's fun to play tag or just have a foot race.
• Craft Night - Get out all the recyclables and see who can create the oddest gadget.
• Sidewalk Chalk - Take the kids outside and teach them 4 square, wall ball, or hopscotch. 
• Take a ride - Let your children set the direction, take the turns and see where it leads you. Don't forget a few dollars in cash to buy drinks at a little store if you end up far from home.
• Play ball - Some days it's fun to just throw a ball around and get some fresh air.

Okay, let's hear from you. What do you do with the family that is unique and fun?

Serve your Community Together

A great way to spend some time together as a family is finding a way to serve your community. It's not as hard as it sounds. You do not need to contact a local organization to find a way to serve. Here are three ideas to get you started.

1. Grab some garbage bags and start walking around your neighborhood picking up garbage. Not only does it help out your neighbors, but makes your community look tidy.

2. Do a Rake and Dash. In high school we used to gather all of our youth group and their parents and run around the neighborhood raking up every ones leaves and hauling them to the local recycling plant. Sometimes the neighbors came out and thanked us, but many times no one was home and we hope they had a great surprise when they did come home. While doing outdoor chores at home may not be your childrens idea of fun, running around the neighborhood with your parents doing good deeds does bring out the spirit of fun.

3. Have a Ding Dong Party! If you know their are some neighbors who are feeling the pinch of the economy do a little shopping and put together a food box. It could be ingredients to make something specific like lasagna, or spaghetti. It could be some produce you picked up at the farmers market. As a family decide what you would like to give, shop together and then ring the door bell, leave the basket of food and run! While it may seem silly to you as an adult, your children will have fun thinking of ways to bless the neighborhood one door bell at a time.