Hi all, lately I haven’t had time to do much blogging, and figured I better catch up just a little. In the Springtime, there is just so much to do, but remembering to take time for yourself and your family is important! As a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, I am very committed to keeping kids healthy, and the mental health of our children is just as important (if not more) than physical health. Make sure you take time to smell the roses with your family. Sometimes we need to schedule “unscheduled” time, which I wrote about in Leave the Schedule behind and Enjoy Family Time. When I think of what kinds of things the family can do to spend time together, the first thing I think of is planting flowers or a garden. This can be a task that requires time and attention for weeks to come, but the pay offs are BIG! It’s exciting and rewarding for kids to watch something grow and see the fruits of their labor! I LOVE to plant flowers, I’ll be sure to post some pictures after all the hard work is done.

Just a reminder – your kids just want to be with you! Giving yourself and your time is the best gift you can give your child. The love and attention of a parent builds trust, self confidence, and self-esteem!

My Family
(photo compliments of In His Grace Photography)

I thought I would make a list of some of the things that the family can do to spend time together:

• plant flowers or a garden
• go for a bike ride
• go for a nature hike
• prepare a meal together, homemade pizza is always a hit 😉
• bake cookies (plain sugar cookies can lead to fun and creative decorating too)
• have a picnic
• play at the beach
• go swimming
• play a game; board games, charades, soccer, golf, the possibilities are endless
• put a puzzle together
• sing a song together
• volunteer
• draw or paint a picture
• look at family pictures or make a new scrapbook
• go camping, even if it’s in the backyard
• fly a kite
• visit friends or relatives
• visit an amusement park
• go bowling
• read a story aloud for the whole family to enjoy
• Just be together!!

Life is about enjoying the journey, not reaching a destination! Now, off to the flower shop, so we can make the yard beautiful! 🙂