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A Family Garden for Nature
Each year we look forward to creating a special habitat for for all of our wild and natural friends. Spring has arrived and we have been busy welcoming the season by preparing the garden for all of our summer visitors. Anyone can create a garden -...
Fall - A New Season - A New Decorating Scheme
What exactly is fall? Being my favorite season, I decided to look it up and see how Mr. Webster defines it. Flipping to “fall” I found “autumn”, ok turning to that here is what it says, “autumn, the season that comes between summer and winter”....
Holiday Survival Guide; Strategies for Surviving Holiday Dinners, Family Events and Other War Zones
No matter how well we may have weathered our basic training, nothing can fully prepare us for the front lines of family gatherings. We're in the thick of it, dodging live ammunition, and fighting the urge to return to our old, reliable patterns ...
How To Purchase A Mural Online For Your Child
So you are thinking of having a mural installed or painted in your child's room? What a perfect addition to your little one's room. A mural is a beautiful gift to give to any child. I have a mural in each of my 3 children's bedrooms and I...
Twin and Multiple Births are on the Rise
Did you know that the number of twin births have more than doubled since the early 1970s? Today, about one of every 35 births in the United States are twins. Even more significant is the number of triplet and higher multiple births which have...
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FAMILY TIME
Word Count: 633 Contact: info@togetherparenting.com Copyright Nine Twenty Press URL:
Family Time
When you pick up any magazine, it’s easy to find an abundance of articles to help you organize your life. Most offer tips for cleaning out the closets, shuffling the papers on the desk, finding ways to organize the kid’s toys.
But, here’s a different twist. We’d like to help you organize your time to find some precious, extra moments to spend with your family.
Many parents are frantic because there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in a day to manage their work, home life, and kid’s activities. They’re frustrated when they see others who seem to do it all. The number one question parents ask us is, “How can I find more quality time to spend with my kids?”
Stay focused on what’s really important. Do you waste valuable time? Clear the clutter in your life. Do you buy lots of toys and gifts to compensate for your lack of family time? What your kids really want is you, not the latest, greatest toy. How much time is wasted cleaning up the clutter? If the junk has taken over, pitch it.
How much time do you spend carpooling? Do you really need to sign your kids up for another after school dance lesson? Is your cell phone off? Or, are you wasting your time on endless phone conversations while running your kids from one activity to another?
Do you eat dinner together as a family? Are phone calls and other interruptions allowed during dinner? Is the television off?
Let everyone help. Do members of your family share in the household chores and responsibilities? Even the youngest children can help by making their beds, putting away toys, and setting the table. Insist that each task is done before moving on to another activity.
Set small goals and be specific. Resolutions are made with enthusiasm. But, very often they're forgotten in a month. Making a resolution for the entire year is difficult to keep. Saying that you want to spend more time with your family is too vague. But, promising to spend 1/2 hour each night reading aloud with your children is much more achievable. Start with small goals. They’re easier to accomplish.
No one can give you more than 24 hours in a day. But, it’s your choice in how you choose
to spend that time. Even an extra 10 minutes a day is a worthwhile goal. Once you see the benefits, you’ll be motivated to set additional goals.
Winter Comforts Now that you’ve set aside a few extra minutes each week, enjoy some of these winter activities with your family.
Start with dinner as a family. Make a new recipe. Let the kids help in the planning. Be sure to include some of their favorite foods.
Make one night a week Eat Dessert First Night.
Dedicate 30 minutes after dinner to family time. Buy a new board game, set up an ongoing jigsaw puzzle, read a story aloud together.
Bundle up and go on a family walk.
Make snow angels or build a snowman together.
Schedule one Saturday or Sunday a month as family day. Plan an outing. Try hiking, snowboarding, skating, movies, or a museum.
Take a drive in the country and stop for a cup of hot chocolate before the ride home.
Explore nearby towns or historic landmarks. Arm the kids with cameras.
Start a family project to send to relatives next Christmas. Create a family cookbook or photo album.
Set aside an hour to bake a batch of sugar cookies. Pull out all of the sprinkles and decorations.
Dedicate one day as Pajama Day. Let everyone stay in their PJs for the entire day. Build a fire in the fireplace, read books together, watch movies, play board games.
Enjoy your family and your new found time.
You have permission to reprint this article electronically or in print, free of charge, provided that each article is: 1. Printed in its full form with no changes 2. Includes an active link 3. A courtesy copy of your publication is sent to the above contact 4. And the following byline appears at the bottom of each article: About the Author: Rondi Hillstrom Davis is the co-author of the award-winning book Together: Creating Family Traditions. To check out her website that's jam packed with family ideas, visit To subscribe to her online newsletter, go to
About the Author
Rondi Hillstrom Davis is the co-author of the award-winning book Together: Creating Family Traditions. To check out her website that's jam packed with family ideas, visit To subscribe to her online newsletter, go to
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Family.org |
Offers practical help for marriage and child-rearing. Recent magazine articles, letters from Dr. James Dobson, news, and RealAudio broadcasts. |
www.family.org |
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FamilyFun: Fun stuff for Kids, Parents - and More Family Fun |
Family Fun is your online source for arts and crafts, recipes, and parties for every holiday, plus hundreds of ideas for kid crafts, birthday cakes, ... |
familyfun.go.com |
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Family.ca |
Take polls, rant and rave on Canada's family broadcaster site. Full of shockwave games, animation and information about the shows they carry. |
www.family.ca |
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Family.com - closed beta |
Features a to do list, calendar, and recommended sites for health, shopping, and recipes. |
family.go.com |
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FamilySearch.org - Family History and Genealogy Records |
Search for family ancestors. Billions of free family tree, family history, ancestry, genealogy and census records. |
www.familysearch.org |
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Family - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
A family consists of a domestic group of people (or a number of domestic groups), ... Members of the nuclear family use descriptive kinship terms: ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Family (biology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
The concept of rank at that time was still in statu nascendi, and in the preface to the Prodromus Magnol spoke of uniting his families into larger genera, ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Family Guy |
The official Family Guy website with everything you ever wanted to know about the show and more. |
www.familyguy.com |
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Parenting advice, child development and family reference at ... |
FamilyEducation.com provides parents with educational printables, games, activities, parenting ideas, tips, family advice, and information on learning ... |
www.familyeducation.com |
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Family Life Today |
FamilyLife, a division of Campus Crusade for Christ, provides practical, biblical tools to strengthen marriage and family relationships, including the ... |
www.familylife.com |
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WorldVillage - A Family Friendly Portal for Families, Kids, Adults ... |
WorldVillage is for families, kids, adults, parents and teachers. Features include coupon codes, online games, downloads, internet monitoring and internet ... |
www.worldvillage.com |
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Open Directory - Home: Family |
Family Check-up - Provides assessment activities and access to educational materials related to family health with respect to family life, finances, ... |
dmoz.org |
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Free Family Ecards, Family Greeting Cards, Family Greetings, Cards ... |
Express your appreciation to your family/ loved ones for all that they have ... Reach out to your friend/ family/ loved one and let them know how much you ... |
cards.123greetings.com |
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kids and family news articles - arizona education - arizona family ... |
Family News Articles - azcentral.com provides articles and reports on Arizona education and Arizona family events. |
www.azcentral.com |
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Google Directory - Home > Family |
Many articles dealing with a wide range of topics from single parenting, family life, child development and stress management. ... |
www.google.com |
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Family Research Council: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 |
Christian organization promoting the traditional family unit and the Judeo-Christian value system upon which it is built. Provides links, commentary, news, ... |
www.frc.org |
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Sesame Workshop - Home Page |
The non-profit educational organization behind the show and related educational outreach. |
www.sesameworkshop.org |
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National Sex Offender Registry |
Free national US search for registered sex offenders. Map registered sex offenders to see who lives in your area. |
www.familywatchdog.us |
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FHI Family Health International |
Provides the highest quality research, education and services in family planning, STDs/HIV and family health to improve the health and well-being of ... |
www.fhi.org |
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National Family Caregivers Association |
Caregiving advocacy organization with tips and statistics on caregiving in America. |
www.nfcacares.org |
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