Making the Most of Family Time on the Weekends

Central Park Zoo in NYC

Family Time is Sacred Time

If I have learned anything about my children it is that quality family time means the WORLD to them.  And if I am honest with myself it's what I look forward to all week.  It's what makes Mondays so hard for all of us.  We miss the sweetness of being all together during Saturday and Sunday.  We have made the weekends a sacred time for family time and even though it's not always easy to make everyone happy we do our best.

One thing I consciously try to do during the week is a chore a day so that Saturday and Sunday are not huge chore days which means more play time.  For us that means an extra load of laundry each day, a thorough sweeping of the house, and constantly picking up after each other so that our home stays in order as much as possible.

Also, we try to do family activities that are low cost if not FREE.  We take advantage of corporate days John has been given in NYC to particular parks, museums, zoos, and aquariums.  The best part is we are admitted free and only may have to pay for parking!  I always pack snacks or lunch for us.

Simple activities like pumpkin picking, apple picking, a trip to the park, a walk in the mall, strolling downtown Princeton, walking through a farm or Rutger's gardens make memories with our kids that they will not soon forget.

I always loved a good movie night with my family growing up, but I am learning that my kids often would rather DO something than just sit around and watch a show.  Besides children are hands on learners and since I have a 1 year old, 2 year old, 6 year old, and almost 8 year old I love taking them to new places and exploring outdoors.