kids' choice

No matter the age of the kids in your family, it's good to often allow family night to be "kid's choice". Whether that means they choose the restaurant you eat at or the menu you have at home, or if you allow them the choice of activities for the night, things will always be more enjoyable if the kids feel as if they have some choice in what goes on at family night.

nursing home visit

While spending time as a family we have discovered that one of the most important things we do each week is visit an elderly lady in the nursing home. She is a member of our church and has recently moved into the facility. She is often confused by the days and feels rather lonely. She is glad to see us when we come on Sundays. It helps her remember which day it is. We also read to her from the bible and bring along communion for her to partake. She is very happy for these small things. And we are very blessed to help in such a small way. This has been such a blessing to our family and valuable in letting our kids see us practice what we preach and teach them to help others. They also can see how important it is to the lady that we visit. This has been a valuable way to spend some of our family time together.

fund raiser

My son found out about a fund raiser for a friend of ours in need. It was at a local pizza place so we spread the word and headed there after church. My son was thrilled to see several friends and even their families stop by for pizza and sodas in an effort to raise funds for the boy in need. One girl was even raffling a date with her at the pizza parlor! There were shirts for sale too. The kids bought them up as well. Donating together as a family is a perfect way to spend family time together. Enjoy the food, the fun, and the idea of giving to help those in need!

new way to watch movies

We are going to have to find a new way to watch movies on any given family night. Our Blockbuster video rental store went out of business! My daughter told us she knew it was going to, but when my husband went by that same day, they were already empty! I guess for any upcoming family movie nights we are going to have to learn how to order from netflix or get something from the redbox! Gone are the days of browsing the video store!

to each his own

When you have teens in the house, sometimes "family night" means letting each one do his own thing that night. For teens, just being home together is considered "family night!! Letting each have his/her own space and time to "chill down" makes for a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere in the home, which is the essence of family night.

on the lake

We were talking about going to a lake today to practice an open water swim. I asked our kids to go with us to canoe or kayak if we could find one. That way they could hang around and watch out for us if something happened. We did not get to go due to the weather, but our daughter was excited about being able to just go out on the lake for a while! I am hopeful that we get to do this soon. Anything the kids want to do makes a great family night (day)!

dinner outside

With the beautiful spring weather, my teenage son asked if we could eat outside tonight. What a great way to spend a family dinner. Good food, good company, and good weather! It feels good to have the sun shining down, not too hot, not too cold. Seems like kids never outgrow the simplicity of a picnic!