Enjoying the Second Half of Summer Break

 
Well, I can't believe that summeris already half over! It is amazing how time flies, and it is also amazing whenyou look back and note all of the hard work put into making “fun” happen. Withall the prepping and planning to create memorable experiences, it is easy toforget to enjoy it yourself! As parents, you can be busy planning vacations,weekend get-a-ways, pool parties, slumber parties, or just a good ol' gettogether in the backyard, but how often do you really get to enjoy yourselfduring these events?  Well it is time tostop and breathe and enjoy these last few weeks. 
                In myline of work, I am always inundated with materials pertaining to children.  I get emails, fliers, faxes, and magazines ona weekly basis, and all of it is filled with articles pertaining to raisingchildren.  “Should your 10 year old watchPg-13 movies?” or “How to potty train in 10 days!”  However, recently I have been exposed toideas to bring families closer; fun activities for everyone to enjoy.  I would like to take this time to share thosewith you.
 In this month’s issue of Parenting magazine,Janene Mascarella suggests that you create a “yes jar.” Every time you are busyand have to tell your child no, you have them (or you help them) write theactivity on a piece of a paper and place it in the jar.  Then, when you have spare time you pull theideas from the jar and enjoy these activities. You don’t even have to be an expert for this next one; read every nightto your child.  Reading a book or two isthe best way to close out not only your child’s day but yours as well. 
                Dr. AlanGreene, who is a pediatrician and wrote the best-selling book Raising BabyGreen, suggests that you dedicate 7 meals a week to eat with your family.  Dr. Greene continues to clarify in the August2012 edition of Parenting that “First, I said meals, not dinners. Dinners maywork for your family, but for mine the easiest to coordinate hands downs isbreakfast.”  Dr. Greene continues bysaying that it is important to eat at the dinner table and not around the t.v.,and that this is a good way to bond and teach healthy eating habits.
                Inaddition to family vacations, weekend outings, and other summer activities thatwill build life long memories, try doing some small projects together.  Find what really interests your children; itcould be baking, treasure hunts, exploring nature, researching new ideas, orcrafting.  I stumbled across this great websitethat mails you a “craft box” monthly; www.kiwicrate.com.  The boxes from Kiwi Crate come complete witheverything you will need to dive into a craft; they offer a variety of craftsfrom gardening to dinosaurs.  You canorder month by month at your discretion or sign-up for a yearly membership(paying in full and receiving one month free). 
                Lastly,record your summer fun!  Create a familyjournal writing the adventures you had, or start a scrapbook!  At the beginning of this year my husband andI started a memory jar and we write our 2012 memories on a small piece of paperand place them in a mason jar.  We planon reading back these memories to each other on New Year’s Eve!  Just some ideas, but the most important thingis to just have fun!