Making Time to Spend Together as a Family
Hello everyone!
Melissa from CloudMom here, giving some advice on a topic that hits very close to home – spending time together as a family! My family and I live in bustling New York and getting all five of my kids and my wonderful hubby to spend time together as a family can be tough! This year I’ve made the resolution to take each day in stride and to treasure the precious moments we have as a family while we can. Here are some tips on making time for quality family time!
Set some time aside each week – This one can be as easy as a couple hours on a Friday to plan a movie night or a whole Saturday to take a trip to the park or local museum. Whatever your time commitment, make a plan with the family, mark it down in a calendar, and stick to it! Keep it fun and fresh by mixing it up each week and asking the kids what their favorite activities are. Personally, I’ve fit in extra time with my family by getting my kids and husband involved in baking, decorating for a holiday, or reading a couple stories together before bedtime.
Turn “Me” Time into “We” Time – Moms and dads all need their “me” time once in a while, but childhood is fleeting, so I’m going to start incorporating my family into my favorite activities so I don’t miss precious moments with my kids! Do you and your spouse enjoy sipping on a hot cup of coffee and skimming the newspaper on Saturday mornings? Get your kids involved by having them use their reading skills to sound out the headlines or letting them read the comics section at the kitchen table with you. Do you enjoy hitting the gym after work? Invest in a membership for the whole gang and look up the schedules for a family gym class that is age appropriate for your kids. A great way to bond with other families too and make new friends!
Don’t Overschedule – It only makes sense that if you have a million activities pulling you every which way, you have a lot less time to devote to your kids and spouse. Stick to the activities you feel are satisfying and rewarding. This also goes for kids, too! Trust me, they don’t need to be in every extracurricular or on every sports team to be a well-rounded individual! Going along with this, learn to say no to commitments that are optional and take away precious time from your kids and hubby, especially on a weekend when everyone is home.
Take opportunities as they arise – This piece of advice really came into play last summer when I took a huge family trip to Europe (click here for my travel vlogs!). Some close family friends were getting married over the summer in France so I thought this would be the perfect chance to create new family memories that would last a lifetime. The planning took just about a year but it was totally worth it! We loved visiting the beautiful cities of Paris and Barcelona, learning cool new things at the museums, and taking in the architecture and art. In the process, I grew closer to and learned more about my kids than ever before. And it doesn’t have to be a Europe trip – it can be as simple as finding community events right in your neighborhood! Keep an open mind, seize the day, and create new memories with your family whenever the chance arises!
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