Everybody’s workin’ for the weekend — your family included. Here are some fun ways to maximize your fun on the two days of the week that belong to no one but you and your loved ones.
Family breakfast
Eating meals together as a family is one of the most important and effective ways you can stay connected with each other.
Start your weekend off with a sit-down breakfast full of delicious foods you don’t think of making during the week: pancakes, French toast, cinnamon rolls… whatever your family’s favorites may be. Let your kids help cook, and everyone should pitch in to clean up together!
Bring the past to life
You know the thousands of photographs stored in your closet or languishing in some recesses of your old hard drive? They’re not doing anyone any good hidden away. So dust off those remembrances and share them! Get together and sort old pictures, choosing some for albums, some for frames, and some to convert to digital format.
After you scan in your photos — and any other documents that are part of your family history, such as marriage certificates, genealogy records or treasured kindergarten drawings — tag them with keywords (to make them easier to find later) using a free photo organizing program like Picasa, and then post them to Flickr, your Facebook account, turn them into a photo album or decorate a mug with a pic, make an album at SheKnows.com or RealMomsGuide.com, donate some to Wikimedia, and email them to friends and family!
Tour a candy factory
Chocolate doesn’t grow on trees — the finished product, anyway. Find a local chocolatier (or other sort of candy maker) and watch him or her in action. Your family will learn the true value of a quality product in the care taken to create it.
Arts and crafts day
Your kids love arts and crafts, but you normally just set out their supplies and let them have at it. This time, get into the act of creativity with them! Complete an art project as a family. There are lots of ways to do this. One suggestion is to get a roll of craft paper and some poster paints, roll a large section out on the driveway or the kitchen table, and put your heads together and brushes to paper!
Learn something new
Name an activity in which no one in your family has ever participated. Got it? Now go do it, together. Horseback riding, a dolphin encounter, attending the circus — whatever it may be, share that first sweet experience together. Your bond will deepen from experiencing something new together, and your memories will last forever.
Sweet surprises for your neighbors
Most families know an elderly person in their neighborhood who lives alone and never seems to have any visitors. Why not teach your kids the value of kindness and bring your neighbor a little happiness at the same time? Bake up a batch of cookies with the kids (or if you are unsure of any special dietary needs, weed your neighbor’s garden or offer to do other chores for her). Your neighbor will be glad to know that people care, and your kids will learn that unselfish kindness to others is key to their own happiness.
Weekends are a perfect opportunity to make sweet memories! Time is precious for to-day’s families, so make the most of the time you have together and have some fun while you’re at it!
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