31 Days Closer to Your Kids: Make Memories
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After yesterday’s post, I don’t want you to think that my Mother’s Day was a bummer of a day. It really wasn’t. I had a wonderful time with my kids on Sunday—the weather was beautiful, so we walked to church together; we made fondue and had a great meal on the porch; and my girls gave me the most beautiful, heartfelt cards and gifts.
I LOVED my Mother’s Day.
But I wrote that last post to just show you that we have “real” days just like everyone else. And on most days, parenting well has to be an intentional choice (or even a series of intentional choices) on my part.
One intentional choice I’ve made is to make memories with my kids. Not the scrapbook kind of memories . . . remember? . . . I’m not crafty.
No, the memories we make are family experiences we shared together. Fun times that we can talk about around the dinner table. Inside jokes. Common family memories are wonderful because they can make us laugh and help us get through those “real” kind of days.
How can you make memories as a family?
Find a place that’s “your” place. Is there a park you like to go to regularly? Give it a special name that only your family knows about. Or maybe there is a restaurant you all like to go to for special occasions. Our family always goes out for ice cream after recitals--we go to the same place so it's a tradition.
Write down special family outings. Did you take a day trip to the zoo or into the city? Write it down in a special book or family journal. You might even want to include a picture of your day (alright, this just might border on scrapbooking, but go ahead if you want to).
Create family jokes. Don’t make fun of anyone, but remember funny times together by creating “inside” jokes that only your family will understand. We quote movies a lot, but anyone looking into our family often wouldn’t get why we say some of the lines that we say. It’s just between us.
Make a meal together. One year we had no Fourth of July plans, so rather than sit around and mope about it, we decided to make a family dinner together. We wrote out all of the elements of our meal on slips of paper (appetizer, main course, dessert, drink), put them into a bowl, and had everyone pick out one piece of paper. Whatever part of the meal that was chosen was what that person had to make. Everyone gave me their shopping list a few days ahead of time, I bought the items, and on the Fourth of July we had a feast. It was so much fun that the girls still talk about that day. In fact, they want to do it again this summer.
So tell us, how do you make memories as a family? Want to share a special family memory? Do that in the comments. I’d love to read about it!
Remember to check out the other posts in the "31 Days Closer . . ." series:
Sandy at The Amazing Adventures of the Fitness Friday Girl - "31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness, and Bathing Suit Season"
Melanie at Bella~Mella - "31 Days Closer to a Cuter You"
Jen at Finding Heaven - "31 Days Closer to Hearing God's Voice"
Lisa at Glad Chatter - "31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted"
Missy at It's Almost Naptime - "31 Days Closer to a New Home"
