Motivational Monday – 5 Ways to Celebrate National Family Week

 

Photo Credit: courageouschristianfather.com

National Family was first proclaimed by President Nixon in 1972. It is recognized November 20 – 26 and is all about celebrating family. This is a great opportunity to express gratitude and enjoy those who you consider family.

Below are 5 ways you can celebrate National Family Week.

·         Have a family movie marathon – is there a favorite movie or collection of movies that you like to watch during the Holiday season? Start watching them now.

·         Have a family sports carnival – if your family is anything like mine, I’m sure you can find something around the house to include in your carnival. We have a basketball that needs air in it, a football that is rarely used (dormant in a corner), and a tennis ball tucked inside of a roller skate.

·         Make a special family breakfast

·         Hold a family game night – although my sons are older they still enjoy the thrill of a family game night. My younger son came home from college one weekend and said, “Ma, I have a new game that we need to pay.” He proceeded to demonstrate the game to me. He read a phrase from one of the game cards, except he was speaking in a garbled tone, then asked if I could understand what he was saying. My son finally told me that the game is called Incoherent, and I was supposed to guess what he was saying.

·         Be active together – take a walk through a park, your neighborhood, or a downtown area. It doesn’t matter where you go, get out and breathe in fresh air.

Celebrate your family this Holiday season by spending time doing more of the things you enjoy.

What would you add to the list of ways to celebrate National Family Week?

7 ways to enjoy Family Fun Month

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It’s official, August is Family Fun Month! It’s another chance to spend quality time with your family. So what will you do? Get creative and make it fun.

When I asked my boys for suggestions of family activities they responded with, “have a video game competition, visit the water park and going to the movies.” I searched the internet for more ideas and the results are below. Here are 7 ways to have fun with your family this month.

1.      Pitch a tent in your yard and have a campout or cookout.

2.      Have a family game show night – base your game on a real game show or make up trivia questions based on your family history.

3.      Make sock puppets – how often have you discovered that you couldn’t find a mate to a pair of socks? Now you can put that misfit sock to good use, transform it into a sock puppet. Hold a puppet show.

4.      Read under a blanket – set up a blanket tent in your living room, get out a flashlight and snuggle with a favorite book.

5.      Visit an amusement park

6.      Take a class together – Is there a hobby or activity that you’ve always wanted to try, do it now. Take a drawing class together, cooking class, or go swimming together.

7.      Create your own bubble solution – a combination of dish soap and water is an easy way to make bubbles.

Many of the above ideas were adapted from the sheknows website. Click here for a complete list of family fun ideas.

Do you have a favorite family fun activity to share?

National Park and Recreation Month – 10 ways you can celebrate

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Did you know that July is National Park & Recreation month? Since 1985 America has celebrated July as Park and Recreation Month. It’s a great time of year to make a pledge to focus on health and wellness, enjoy nature or just get up and get active.

As you create your pledge to engage in health and wellness activities, you can also take advantage of activities at your local parks & recreation departments. What will you do to celebrate National Park & Recreation Month? Anything small or large can be a part of your celebration. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1.      Take the family to a water park – coast down the lazy river, wade in the splash park with the kids or coast down a water slide.

2.      Go for a bike ride

3.      Build something with your child – a sand castle, Lego creation or even a lemonade stand.

4.      Teach your child a game from your childhood.

5.      Play hopscotch, four square or get out the jump rope.

6.      Walk the trail at a local park

7.      Sign up for a fun class that you’ve always wanted to take.

8.      Take advantage of outdoor activities – Putt Putt Golf, Go Carts, Batting cages, etc.

9.      Have a picnic at a park

10.  Park and read – visit a park and let the kids play on the swings, slide and take in nature, while you read a good book; Disclaimer: be sure to keep an eye on the kids while you’re reading (-:

Photo credit: www.nrpa.org

What would you add to this list of ways to celebrate National Park & Recreation Month?  What do you love about your park & recreation department?

February is National Heart Month - 5 family activities to make your heart happy

Photo credit: www.zazzle.com

Although we’re at the end of the month, it’s not too late to start making your heart happy.

Heart disease can affect infants, children, adolescents and young adults as well as adults. By designating February as Heart Month, the American Heart Association hopes to raise awareness about heart disease. What better way to celebrate Heart Month than to include the entire family?
In an article titled, Celebrate Heart Month by staying heart healthy with your family, tips were given that encourage healthy living. Below are a few of those tips:

1.      Become active – limit the amount of screen time (watching TV, playing video games, computer time). Play a game together.

2.      Avoid rewarding children with food – promote good eating habit by involving everyone in the planning of meals. Turn learning into a game. While grocery shopping have kids search for “crackers with the lowest amount of fat or soups low in sodium.”

3.      “Talk to you doctor about your cholesterol level, blood pressure and weight.” It is also a good idea to talk to your child’s doctor about monitoring his body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol.

The full article can be found at www.palmbeachgardens.floridaweekly.com/news/2013-02-07/Healthy_Living/Celebrate_Heart_Month_by_staying_heart_healthy_wit.html.

Take your first steps toward a healthy heart by becoming active. Below are 5 activities to get you started on your journey:

1.      Take a walk along a trail – bundle up and venture out to a local park or garden.

Matthei Botanical Gardens (University Of Michigan) has plenty to see; Walk the trails, visit the Conservatory, or view the Traditional African American Gardens (exhibition of photographs featuring African American folk Gardens). www.lsa.umich.edu/mbg/happening/calendar.asp

2.      Laser Tag – check your area for a local Zap Zone.

3.      Sky Zone – Do the kids like jumping around? Take a visit to Sky Zone in Canton, MI. There is plenty of jumping to be done at this indoor trampoline park. For details visit www.skyzone.com/canton.

4.      Bowling –Head to your local bowling alley, lace up those colorful shoes and aim for a strike. To add to the fun ask about Cosmic Bowling.

5.      Be a kid again – play hide and seek, kickball or catch a ball.

Make your heart happy, do something active today. There’s no time like the present.