The paper plates all worn out from the dinner well enjoyed. The farm table sticky. The new Brussels sprout recipe loved by me but rejected by everyone else. Have mercy. The little sister aggravated to tears by the big sisters. The husband slightly overwhelmed by the female drama.
It’s what I call home. A snapshot from one of our weekly Monday night dinners.
As Mom, I comfort that one whose feelings got hurt while scolding the other two. We navigate lessons in kindness and the power of words and why we must watch the way we treat each other.
A boy’s name is mentioned. This is a kind boy. A boy who loves Jesus and says “yes ma’am” in his deep 20-year-old voice. I like respectful boys. My daughter, the same age, smiles at the mention of him. My husband and I notice. In a matter of minutes we’re all laughing together.
Together.
This beautifully messy band of people I call my own need time together. Space to connect and process. Conversational threads are what make up the fabric of relationships. We must take time. Make time. To talk.
And today, my sweet friends and partners in ministry, Glynnis Whitwer and Karen Ehman are popping in to give practical ways to find this time and maximize it. Take it away, friends…
—–
As moms of busy children, we know how hard it is to carve out time with family. But in most homes, it is possible to set aside time every week to strengthen your family unity, to turn your hearts toward God, and to have fun in the process.
The key is commitment, consistency, and a small amount of creativity.
Don’t worry about it being exactly right, and don’t compare your family’s plans with anyone else’s. There’s no perfect day, perfect amount of time, or perfect agenda. Maybe your family only has Saturday mornings, or after church on Sundays, or Tuesday nights.
Grab that time and try to make it non-negotiable.
We think it’s always easier to start simply when trying to establish a habit. So don’t set expectations you can’t continue to meet. A little food, a little conversation, some laughter, and you’ve got a memory in the making.
A few years ago, Glynnis met a pastor’s wife at a small church in Louisiana. This grandma of many was discussing her dinner menu for later that day. The guest list numbered around twenty and included children, grandchildren, and a few friends invited into the fold. Was it someone’s birthday? Or anniversary?
“No,” she answered. “It’s just Sunday dinner. We do this every week. It’s how we keep our family connected.”
What a wonderful practice. A simple dinner. A standing invitation. A reason to reconnect with friends and family after a busy week.
What might this look like in your home? The type of food doesn’t matter as much as making enough to feed a few extra friends who might be invited.
Maybe your special family time is you and your husband . . . or maybe it’s a passel of children and grandkids. No matter the size of the gathering, the fanciness of your table, or the spot on the calendar, establishing time together with people you love is worth the investment.
Here are some ideas you can try as you gather your people:
1. Devotional time
Pick a short passage of the Bible to read together. Depending on the ages of your children, take turns coming up with a few discussion questions. Keep this simple to help make the Bible accessible to every member of your family. Close with a short prayer thanking God for His Word and message to you tonight. Pray also for others.
2. Make-your-own _____ night.
Get the family involved in making dinner. One idea is make-your-own pizza. Using French bread or hoagie rolls as your base, set out an assortment of toppings, pizza sauce, and cheese and let everyone assemble their own creation. You might also try a salad bar, sub sandwiches, or Cincinnati chili (with optional five toppings).
3. Board games
Board games can be expensive, but compare their cost with taking your family out to the movies and you might have a new perspective. Some of our favorites include Ticket to Ride, Apples to Apples, and Imaginiff.
4. Arts and crafts
A craft project stimulates creativity and camaraderie. Paint flower pots, color eggs at Easter, decorate cookies at Christmas, or make pinecone bird feeders using peanut butter.
5. Read out loud.
Pick a book to read through as a family. This is a family tradition your children will appreciate (coming from a woman –Glynnis – whose mother read faithfully to her). Some family-friendly selections include The Trumpet of the Swan, The Secret Garden, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and any of the Chronicles of Narnia series.
6. Family sleepover
When Glynnis’ children were small, they’d spread blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows on the floor of the master bedroom for a sleepover. There was something special about ending the night together . . . sort of like a camping experience without the dirt. Karen’s children developed a “Siblings Night” where her three children piled into one room for a parent-free night of snacks, stories and song.
——-
Thank you, Karen and Glynnis! If you like these ideas, you’ll enjoy their newest book, Everyday Confetti. In this go-to guide, they’ll give you planning suggestions and the motivation needed to make time with family more intentional. They provide creative ideas and menu plans for:
• Holidays
• Birthdays
• Special Events
• Everyday Occasions
They’ll also be posting ideas monthly on their blog! Click here to check it out.
And today, I’m giving away 5 copies of Everyday Confetti. For your chance to win, leave a comment below with the one step you’re taking today to keep your family connected.
What a great reminder and awesome tips! Looks like a great read! Thank you so much for these practical and helpful ways for us to stay connected as families! May God continue to bless you and your ministry Lysa, I am so very thankful to Him for you!
We have read a book than watched the movie to it n compared what was same and different , what we liked or didnt like! Kids still talk about it! Thanks for reminding me about that! Off to read with the family!!
Putting “family dates” on the calendar – times when we go for a little hike or other outdoor activity. (My young boys ask for the “family date book questions” with great anticipation, too! Gary Chapman’s 101 Conversation Starters for Families has added some fun chat time.)
Love these ideas! I can’t wait to give them a try. And I’m sure my kids are going to love them too. Thanks for another great blog post.
Trying to have dinners together on Sundays whenever possible.
Emailing my family to keep them up on news with each other.
One step we are taking to keep our young family of five together will be taking family walks together after dinner 🙂
So timely, this message. My parents told us on Monday night that my dad has been diagnosed with cancer and the first thing I said to my husband on our way home was that we have our priorities a little backwards right now and need to spend more time together as a family. I consider this confirmation. Thank you!!
Corrected email 🙂
One step we’re taking today is limiting activities so that we have dinner together every week night, with devotions afterwards.It’s nice to not have to rush through dinner – we have some of our best discussions and teaching moments then.
For two years now I have been going to church by myself and then since having my son 9 months ago I’ve been bringing him with me. This past Sunday was the first day my fiancé attended with me and God was at work that day! He enjoyed himself & even ran into a friend from the past! I’m so happy to be bringing our family together under God and hope that my son can see his father as a strong man of God! I’m looking forward to our family times and activities!
I try and have us eat dinner together every night and starting it off with prayer. Looking for ideas to spend time in devotion that would work with a 2 and 8 year old.
My family includes three grown children, a son-in-love, a daughter-in-love, and five grandchildren ranging in age from 14 months to 19 years. We periodically have a supper/game night or camping trip together to stay connected, but I look forward to special occasions to bring the family together.
I am currently working on a sandwich supper for the whole family to celebrate my oldest grandson moving into his first apartment. He has a wonderful roommate: my youngest son! It will be so much fun having everyone over to see the apartment and enjoy the food and company. We will also surprise my grandson with a “pounding!”. 😀
I really enjoy reading this.
Thank you for posting this! We do a family game night at our house, and although our children are still small, it is something they’re come to really enjoy and look forward to. Candy land here we come! :).
We are trying game & pizza night at our house. 🙂
I needed this. It used to be a lot easier to have family time but as my girls get older and pressures/schedules at work, it gets harder and harder. It is nice to hear some practical/doable ideas for making some family time. Thanks!
One thing we do is have a Campout in the living room we fill the floor with air mattresses and blankets and there you have it maybe a movie n popcorn. The kids just love it !
Hi Lysa
Great post and I love the way you start out the story by showing us a bit of what your home look and feel like. Beautiful.
My family and I have morning and evening worship together every day. I made it a practice so my children will never lose sight of the wonder and beaut of God goodness toward them.
Thank you for the book offer, I am sure it’s going to be a wonderful read.
Peace to you.
Our children are grown and have their own families. One family lives nearby, but the other out of state. I plan to talk to both to see if we could establish a weekly time to reconnect whether in person or via FaceTime. Our son is a marine stationed away from his family, and I’d like to hear from others some creative ways to stay connected when distance is a factor. I look forward to reading your book and making our family life richer and sweeter to God’s glory.
Reading to my son’s while they were little was always a favorite! The hardy boys mysteries and the black stallion series were some of the books read. Also, we spent Saturdays together hiking, biking, boating, ..good times!
Popcorn and a movie night. It’s not a regularly scheduled thing, but that may have to change.
Great ideas! I work with families in a school literacy program, most with little or no income. I will share these ideas with them during our parenting time. Also, today I am very fortunate to be able to meet and share lunch with my two daughters and four grandchildren. We try to get together whenever we can, even though we all live in different areas.
We have family night Friday. We go out to eat and the activity changes from week to week but could include movies, card or board games, or a no technology rule where we just spend time talking face to face.
I have 3 children, ages 16,7, and 4. Because of the age differences, getting everyone together can be a challenge. We do love to play board games though, so this has challenged me to play on a more consistent basis. Reading together is something I hope to incorporate more often!
Celeste P. 🙂
We’ve started a regular Skype appointment with my daughter who is studying in England. All of his sit around the computer and just chat about normal stuff. It seems like she’s in the next room!
The simple first step of establishing a non-negotiable family time each week is what really resonates. We, as a young family, need to do that immediately!
Our family still eats dinner at a dinner table every night (well, almost every night). I didn’t realize how rare this is until my daughter’s friends were over a few weeks ago, working on a school project. We got some pizza and had everyone sit around the table. The kids were sort of poking fun at our “no electronic devices at the table” rule, so I asked one of them what the rules were at his house. “We don’t eat dinner at a table – we eat in front of the TV.” Most of the other kids agreed. How sad – those families are really missing out on precious ordinary, everyday time together. I would love to check out the book for new ideas on how to spend more time together.
Actually sitting at the table together for supper instead on on couches watching TV.
Growing up, we ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner around the table as a family. On the RARE occasion, Mom & Dad would allow dinner on TV trays while we watched Wonderful World of Disney (I’m showing my age!). I always wanted more meals by the TV then, of course, but am now so grateful for those meals around the table. Fast forward to today and my all-adult family rarely sits at the table for a meal. When we do, I feel like I’ve made a breakthrough discovery of epic proportions! It’s so enjoyable to just sit at the table and have a conversation! My family is now realizing how important it is to me to have these family meals at the table and are arguing with me less and less when I suggest it. Baby steps!
I’m going to start having Sunday food day with conversations and ending and beginning our week off right! Thank u for the ideas.
I definitely would like to start reading book series to my sons! This book will definitely be a blessing to many!:))
My boys just turned 2 & 5 & we just moved into our new house. What a perfect time to start the habit of a designated family fun night! Thanks for all the great ideas to get started!
Love the ideas and the book looks great. We’ve recently started asking biblical based conversation starters at dinner. For ex: What’s your favorite Jesus story? My 8 year old enjoys it a lot!
I love the idea of Sunday dinner. It is do hard to take the time to gather all he family together thanks for the chance to win a copy of your book. Look forward to trying the pizza night also
My sister started a new tradition for our family this year. At Christmas, she gave each family member (and their subsequent family) a calendar and a game. Once a month we all get together, she provides dinner, and one group brings their game. What a great time to get back in touch with family each month. So far the game Cranium is a fave; this month’s game (this coming Sunday) is Apples to Apples.
Love the idea of the make your own ___ dinner night. We do lots of family dinners, but we’ve never tried it that way. We love game night, but we aren’t so great at making it happen – need to make it a priority!
I am so thankful that my family is able to have dinner together each night right now. I will definitely be trying these ideas to make it fun and help us continue spending time together as we start to get into busier schedules with our kids growing. This book looks fabulous!
Our first night in the new house is coming up… We are going to sleep slumber party style! Also we are adding a weekly game night! Thank u so much for your encouragement & ideas!!
Thank you for these great tips! One way we try to stay connected is lighting a candle at night together during Lent and having a quick devotional time. It doesn’t happen everyday but we try to a few times a week…. Thanks for this!
My girls are grown. However we ate dinner together almost every night. I would love this book to share with het as she has a family of her own.
I love the ideas that they gave for family time!
With 4 chikdren, I need some fresh ideas! I think we will start with a weekly game night! Time just to be together is the best love!!
Love family time, we tape our favorite tv shows and set a special time to get together and watch them as a family when our schedules allow. Life with teenagers and schedules can make it difficult, but in the beginning of the week we choose a night that works for all of us.
For the first time in 11 years we live within 30 minutes of family. With 2 little ones (age 2 and 4), the grandparents are especially thrilled. God moved us not only closer to family but into our first senior pastorate. Because of this Sundays are a little crazy. So instead on Thursdays I load up the kids and we go to my inlaws. The kids play with Mimi while I help with things around the house. Then we fix dinner and my husbands siblings and their kids come over. We love catching up and always have a great time. Thank you God for allowing my kids to get to know their grandparents.
This was great thank you!! Sunday night is family night at our house. We go out to dinner and discuss the messages we heard at church that day. We also talk about the previous week and prepare for the coming week. And NO phones allowed!!
Our family time during hockey season is sooo busy! Thanks for this encouragement! We have about three nights a week when were not rushing to eat. My kids enjoy Duck Dynasty so we I read a devotion from the Duck Commander devotional to them sometimes at dinner but more often when tucking them into bed :). Last night we did something entirely different… We painted pictures using supplies from the Dollar store. It was really peaceful so I think we’ll do it again
I need to make more time for a family night! With crazy opposing schedules it can be difficult but still attainable! Now I just need to get starte! So here I go…..
I’m going to try to cook more or at least plan more meals so that my children will sit down with me. I’m a single mom who is trying to keep my children close.
Thank you for the inspiration! We started early with always waiting for dad to come home so we could all eat together. Now that they’re 19 (with special needs) and 16 (and driving!), I’m having to reevaluate and get creative and find one day and time that works for us. I’m thinking sunday dinners…
I just ordered some new cookbooks with the intention of gathering my family (husband and three sons) together at the dinner table more often. (In spite of our busy, sometimes crazy, schedules.) Can’t wait for them to get here!
We love having game nights when we manage to ALL get together. I love cooking so we have a meal together first (dishes are washed LATER). Tonight we’re watching a movie with one of our sons and having taco dip with chips.
Great ideas! I have five children and two are teenagers. It gets harder and harder to all be home at the same time as their schedules get busier. I really treasure the times we are together though and hope that I’ll someday have busy, crowded Sunday dinners with all them, too!
I really want to read this book! I’m not very creative at choosing family activities!! As a family we do homeschool and devotionals. I would really like some creative fun suggestions!! Thank you!!! 🙂
Lysa,
Thank you for passing on the great tips from these women. I related to the game night and the crafting time. These are activities that I already do with my two children ages five and two. There is something special that we also do together that helps to bond us and that is baking. My kids love to bake with me! I involve them every step of the way. It is very messy, and it takes much longer to get the job done. But, the smiles on their faces (along with the batter stains) are worth it all. We usually take our bake goods to friends, or a battered women’s shelter so that my boys can also learn about serving and loving others in need. I love to bake with my boys!
One way my family keeps connected is eating dinner together at the “sticky farm table” during the week. The weekend is usually a hectic time of everyone going separate directions and participating in outside activities, so we try to connect during the week at the dinner table. Thank you for the reminder of the importance of staying connected as a family! 🙂
One of the things we do is unplug and go hiking and or biking together. And another is one night a week it’s mandatory that we all be there for dinner together.
No one is home with me today, but Monday we are taking a day off and driving to my son’s university to spend the day with him. We will just hang out and talk, shop and maybe go see Son of God. We try to see him once a month if possible. It is a time for us to reconnect and pray together. See how everyone is doing. It is good for this mama’s heart.
Thank you for this article. I’m finding it more difficult finding ways to connect with my teenagers who would rather be with friends these days. But connecting with him is still so important. I love your encouraging words.
Family dinner around the table at night during the week, popcorn and ice cream Sunday afternoons 🙂 Our 3 & 1 year old boys love it.
We eat breakfast and dinner together each day, and try to read, sing and pray together at one of those meals. Even though we homeschool our kids, this is still a challenge as they get older.
Our family gathers each Sunday evening.
On the first and last Sunday of each month we gather over dessert for a “family meeting” – we talk about what we have done over the past month, or what we want to accomplish over the next month. Both individually and a family. We talk about any issues we are having, celebrate little (and big) victories, and discuss any needs and wants we have.
The second Sunday of the Month is Family Game Night. It might be a board game or some Wii bowling, but it always has us laughing together.
And the third Sunday of the Months is Family Dinner Night. We usually go out to eat somewhere, but it could be done at home if the budget was too tight that month to allow for the out-to-eat splurge.
Beckey
http://www.etsy.com/shop/queenbsbusywork
http://reallyreallyrealhousewives.blogspot.com
I enjoyed reading this. I’d like to start one night a week eating dinner together. Start small & work our way up.
I grew up this way, every Sunday our family had dinner together, We did every night, but Sundays were different. We would make a day of it , we would play cards it was really family time. We did that even when we got married, the kids loved it. My parents are gone to be with the Lord now and my kids are grown with one still home. I didn’t carry on that tradition, I don'[t know why maybe because it was something we did with mom and dad, but I should start at least trying to get the kids together , so when Grand kids start coming they will have those memories my kids had. Thanks for the reminder..
How true. We get so disconnected from our family and friends. Would love to start this with my family. As a grandmother (70)and grandfather (75) raising a 7 year old we need to start a tradition no matter our age. Thanks , Pat
We are the parents of three very wonderful but very DIFFERENT girls. We have recently started a new tradition of Myday Fridays. We are each assigned a different Friday of the month: First Friday is for Mommy and Daddy (our marriage comes first). Our oldest (the sitter) knows that she can’t make plans for that Friday night. The second Friday is for her, to do whatever she wants with one of her parents (either in or out of the house). The third is for the middle child and the fourth for the youngest. Each one gets to experience what it might be like to be an only child, if only for a few hours. If it is a 5-Friday month, we get a bonus group outing with the entire family. We’ve been doing this for a few months and it has worked wonders for all of us!
I know this seems to be opposite the need for “together time” and this does not replace that. I find that the children are much more engaged when we are all together when they have also gotten time just for them!
My little ones are still under 2 but family time and traditions are very important to me so we have been intentional about trying to start early. We say prayers together as a family every night before dinner and before bed and try to incorporate a few minutes of togetherness before bath time at night by all snuggling up to watch a few mins of their favorite Disney cartoon. It’s such a refreshing way to end the day quietly together. I loved reading this post today, thank you!!
We just bought Dollywood tickets for the family! My kids are 10, 7 and 3 and we are so excited. We live about 2 hours from Dollywood, but I can remember going with my parents and having a wonderful time! I can look back at my childhood and my parents always did things with my sister and I, and I am trying to be that parent also! We love spending time together, even when we are just at home walking through the woods or playing in the yard! Love my family time! Thanks for the other ideas in today’s blog 🙂
I want to try to set up a weekly time, it will probably vary from week to week as to day and time though due to changing work and school schedules. In which my kids would spend some time with me and just learn to enjoy and grow relationship with each other.
So glad to see your post about doing things as a group or family. I was beginning to think this tradition was being lost.
Sad that over 20 years ago when our boys were still young and at home there was a knock on the front door to see if our youngest could come out and play. It was meal time, and only the adults could answer the door during meals. I went to the door, and a neighbor child was asking for our youngest son to come out and play. I explained to the child that he was eating, and would be out after dinner if he (our son) chose to go outside. The neighbor child then asked for our next oldest son. I explained to the child that we all sat together and ate, he was surprised. It then sunk in, that this child did not have family time at meal times.
I have fond memories of gatherings at my grandmothers home on Sunday afternoons. Monthly at least, always on holidays, we would gather and play with our cousins. Those same cousins now have a close relationship, our children know each other and visit frequently.
When I first met my husbands family it was also the regulary family Sunday dinner after church services, with all of the children and grandchildren in attendance, games played after dinner dishes which was a shared job. Those gatherings moved to a lake cottage in the summer, grew to include in-laws families and more cousins on occasion.
Today (will be the first day) I am getting together with my mother and two sisters at my sisters home to watch your “more than just…” dvd. I recently finished the lessons with my bible study group and after sharing your inspiration with my family, they wanted in on the lessons as well. We are hoping to make this a weekly occurance for us women, to get together and worship each week. This is a new chapter for my family who has not always been so open to worshiping together outside of church and I am so hopeful for what God has in store for us!
I love all these great ideas! My children are grown now but I still do family dinners on Saturday for whoever can come.
I needed this post today. My husband is a first year teacher and coach so it’s been challenging to get together as a family the past 4 months. I just bought the game Candy Land and will definitely be getting our family together for a Family Game Night soon.
Absolutely loved this! We have five kids and all are teenagers as of this Friday – our baby becomes an actual teen. With two leaving for College in the Fall (my heart is already aching with the idea of them not under our roof each night) I was trying to think of ways to get them all together and I loved the idea of painting flower pots – for some reason that and a quick devotional at dinner time made sense. I think we get too wrapped up in making those moments BIG and the kids seem to be bothered by “mandatory family fun” These seemed like something that could be easily implemented into our family routine.
We are heading to Grandma’s for the weekend and they will be doing a camp out on her living room floor – this will be a good way to see if we can turn this into a weekly habit.
I need to get the book for sure – to come up with some ideas to keep the kids engaged especially while we have still have the big girls around.
Nicole
Great ideas. As a part time working mom of two little ones and a law enforcement husband who works crazy hours….. sometimes time together as a family seems hard to find. I love the simple, family time ideas noted above. I think it is so important for family unity.
What great suggestions! We have dinner together daily and know those days will dwindle soon once our son gets his first job. To help build and strengthen our relationship and give him some “fun” to look forward to, we are going to get a new game. My son and I LOVE games and maybe we can wrangle my husband in to joining us. 🙂
My daughter is only 2, but we have made it a rule to almost always eat at the table. I love those times with just my husband, daughter, and no distractions!
We are struggling right now to find family time. We are so busy between my husband working nights and weekends, 3 kids in sports, me working a full time job, and the ministry that we are a part of that requires about 20 hours per week. The way we are trying to stay connected is just by making the most of the little moments – if dad can get up in the morning while the kids are getting ready for school and just be there or on Saturdays before he goes to work we try to have whatever family time we can. This is a rough season for family time, but we are trying to make the most of it!
Thank you for the post today. I truly love when we (4 kids, husband and live in mother in law) can sit down at dinner and share all the days events. I just love sitting back and listening to all the stories whether it be good or bad, and seeing all their beautiful smiling faces. And just to think God blessed me with all these precious people in my life. Thank you a God.
We started to read a book out loud, but it got lost in the busyness of homework.
I want to eat dinner together with no devices at the table.
Game night is a good one. We just bought Apples to Apples & my kids love it!!
We are making crafts together in an attempt to sell and make enough money to go on a trip to Isreal, a place we have all wanted to visit, that will be ‘earned’ by all, making it that much more special!
What an awesome idea to write a book about! We have one night a week that’s “family night” and the kids love to make the most of it. We usually play Uno and have chocolate fondue. 🙂
Love all the tips, honesty and wisdom in this post. I have four little ones 6 and under so anytime we can all connect for a bit is a blessing. We try to make a celebration out of little things and if it involves cupcakes it’s even more exciting for them 🙂
I think in the electronic age, we leave our phones away from the dinner table and when we are having family time. Most important, we have no phones while we are out to eat!!! I need more creative ways!!!!
I’m a mother of two. A 28 year old son and a 20 year old daughter. My husband and I are empty nesters (too soon may I add) but we had similar traditions w/our family. Family night consisted of a member giving a devotion (in the beginning before we knew how to put together a devotion we used Focus on the Families~Fuel as a guide-line.) The person who gave the devotion got to choose what was for dinner and the board game of their choice (no TV or electronic devices).
Oh how I miss my kiddo’s being home! May you inspire many families to draw near to God as they draw near to one another!
These ideas are great!!! We just recently started having a game night. Usually consists of me, my husband, and my aunt and uncle. I think I also want to try devotional time with my husband. That would be awesome!! Have a blessed day! Thank you!
My parents also have a Sunday night family dinner on a weekly basis. It’s a great opportunity for my family, my brother’s family and our parents to spend some quality time together and just have fun.
Thank you for your blog and sharing this with us, Lysa. I commit to carving time in for family devotional, at least one evening a week.
Our family has begun a Bible study together and I love LOVE hearing all our kids read scriptures out loud! Meal times for us are still a great time to connect but I see the value in starting a special day to be a consistant time for us to set aside for eachother! Thanks for the ideas and encouragement ladies!
My love language is TIME with my loved ones, and that’s been far too rare with my grown children and my grandchildren. So for Mother’s Day, I am going to send out a “Gift Registry” ahead of time. It’s going to be a calendar for the rest of 2014. I’ll request that there be a Family Gathering every four to five weeks.
I’ll fill in some suggested dates and events – a walk and picnic in a park; a day together at the Fair; a let’s-all-cook-the-meal-together dinner.
When we gather for Mother’s Day, we’ll put each event we’ve thought up on a sticky note and place it on a date on the master calendar. Then, if one of the dates needs to be moved (i.e. unexpected business trip), we can just move the sticky to another date!
I’ll photograph the calendar and send it to everyone’s smartphone.
My love language is TIME with my loved ones, and that’s been far too rare with my grown children and my grandchildren. So for Mother’s Day, I am going to send out a “Gift Registry” ahead of time. It’s going to be a calendar for the rest of 2014. I’ll request that there be a Family Gathering every four to five weeks.
I’ll fill in some suggested dates and events – a walk and picnic in a park; a day together at the Fair; a let’s-all-cook-the-meal-together dinner.
When we gather for Mother’s Day, we’ll put each event we’ve thought up on a sticky note and place it on a date on the master calendar. Then, if one of the dates needs to be moved (i.e. unexpected business trip), we can just move the sticky to another date!
I’ll photograph the calendar and send it to everyone’s smartphone and send new photos of calendar updates!
I LOVE this article. It is so hard to manage sometimes and there are days I feel like I am grasping at straws to make our home a fun and close knot place to be. I am the sole parent to my 8 year old son and my background was a dysfunctional abusive home. finding that balance can be difficult and even at 42 I feel like my son and I are growing through this life together, discovery what was lost to me then and found today in Christ and the healthy spirit He fills both me and my son with. It is a hard balance to find and to keep. Making a home a home must be intentional just like my relationship in Christ. My son has started therapy to help with his ADHD in which we have an intentional hour together and I have loved the closeness this has brought and we have incorporated game time together and i have found that I have been missing out on some sweet life moments with him by just sitting down and playing. A fun mom isn’t the one who is out and about it is the one sitting down and being present and enjoying the simple parts of life together. I would love the opportunity to read more about what the author has to share in her book. I have really enjoyed this article.
I love all of these ideas and they are all things that we have done at one time or another. I can really appreciate the plan of having a consistent time every week and sticking with it, making it a priority. Because I like all of these ideas, I think that I’ll leave it up to my husband and kids to choose which one they want to go with for our Saturday fun!
We have family movie night on most Friday nights. We open up the fold out couch, pile on pillows, and pick a kid friendly movie.
We have found that as our daughter gets older (now in the 8th grade), our “family meals at the table” rule is imperative. When her friends come over, they often comment, “it’s so neat to actually eat at the table.” Not only are healthy meals important (at home) but it takes, “healthy” to a whole new level. We talk. We hold hands when we say the blessing. We look one another in the eye, and we ask questions, and listen to each other tell about the day. No TV during dinner. We have at LEAST one night a week, dedicated to Monopoly. Now, our daughter’s friends ask, “Can I come home with you after school for dinner and game night?” It is amazing to see how Jesus works at the table … even on “Game night” to feel His presence when we reassure teenage girls, “This, too, will pass. Pray for those people being ugly to you, and realize that when they tease you for being a ‘good’ girl, you are honoring Christ and your commitment to serve Him.” Dinner and game night is essential for all families, in this day and age, to stay connected and stay strong!
As our children grew we always made time for family. We had game nights with picnics on the living room floor every Sunday. This consisted of easy finger foods so we were able to have hands available for game turns. Our daughter and her new family are now working to incorporate some different family times. I think the short devo and game times would be fun! This would be a great resource for her. Thank you!
Growing up my family did a lot of the above mentioned family moments. I remember my Dad camping out in our bedroom or putting the tent up out back and having the neighborhood kids come over. We would play night hide and seek. We also loved board games. Now that I have my own small family we have decided that we will have music day. one day a week where all we have on is the radio and we have a dance party. My 2 year old loves music like her Dad. I hope to incorporate more family activities and extend it to more family and friends and I love the devotional idea. There are so many passages that I love and I even have a devotional calendar. I think I will use that as my daily devotional to share with my family and friends.
We have two daughters adopted from China and they both suffer from reactive attachment disorder. The more suggestions of family time to bond the better. We wanted to give these girls a better chance at life and I know God has a purpose for them to be here, but what a struggle.
God Bless!
Liz
It’s just me and my husband for now – but he is trying to read his bible more often, so doing a daily or weekly devotional would be a great way to spend quality time together and to read God’s Word. Thank you so much.
We have special one-on-one times with the grand kids by alternating Special Sleepover nights. They get to pick a favorite restaurant, go to the dollar store, a movie (Grandpa’s famous popcorn) and an activity (games, crafts, mini-golf). They all look forward to their turn and we get to spend uninterrupted time focusing just on them.
My husband has cancer and so travel is limited. Our children do not live nearby, but they come home when they can. You have inspired me to make one day a week a “group chat” on our IPhones. That way throughout their work/school day, they can contribute to the conversation and we can ALL stay in touch together. That will be fun for all!!
My family has Monday night family prayer. First we sing a few hymns of yesterday-years. Then We all talk about what we are grateful and the needs we have before God. We then pray as a family. It’s something we started before moving and have been doing faithfully on Mondays for over 8 years. It’s been such a blessing.
Blessings to you….what a wonderful giveaway!!!
Today is my husbands birthday!! We will be celebrating alone tonight, but Saturday night, our two children and 4 (and a half) grandchildren will get together for a meal and celebration of a wonderful dad and Pops 🙂 I have to share one other thing that our children and grands did for each of our “60th” birthdays a few years ago. Our children asked each of the grandchildren(12,9,5, 2 1/2) what made us special to them, and they came up with “60” reasons…our daughter put them on pieces of paper and put on a large mat with a picture of the grandkids in the middle….at the top it said….”60″ Reasons Why We Love Pops… and mine said.. 60 Reasons Why We Love KiKi. We treasure these and have them displayed for everyone to read…and believe me, there are some very funny “reasons”.
We have a no-phone dinner zone. Each night we sit down and eat dinner at the table without phones or interruptions. It’s this small gesture that gets us talking and brings us together every evening.
We have Sunday dinner together as a family every week and tonight my husband & I are having our first “date night”. We’re planning to do this every week.
I know this sounds bad, but we haven’t eaten at our dining room table in at least a year, probably more. IT’s always piled full of bags and important papers and other stuff. So I am going to clean off our dining room table and we will start actually eating there. We gave up fast food for Lent and can’t afford to eat out very often at regular resturants, so I am actually having to cook. So we will turn off the TV and eat at our dining room table at least 2-3 times a week. Thanks for this post. It kicked me into gear about cleaning off my table.
We are going to have supper at the table every night and before we eat we ate going to each share something we are thankful for from the day.
We have family dinner together every night of te week – it really makes a difference to just put aside everything else and spend about an hour together!
Thank you for this important reminder. I miss Sunday dinner (lunch) at my grandmother’s as a child. Thinking tonight, we need to have a WII Game Night/Competition as it has been a while and since my son is home for Spring Break perfect opportunity! We have had fun this week talking about our family vacation in Tennessee this summer.
We will be instituting “5 Things” at our dinner table: 2 people you played with today, 2 things you learned, and 1 thing you’re particularly grateful for today. Grown ups have to do it, too! We’ve tried it before and it always sparks conversations. It also helps my husband and I to realize that we haven’t played yet and then prompts the kids to think of fun things we can all do together.
My children are 4 and 2 – each night I have a devotion with them and pray with them. It is exciting to see God at work in their young hearts! One night each week we bring up our small tent and pretend we are having a camp out! The kids love it – memories in the making!
Would LOVE the book! One area I am trying to work on is planning more meals around our table. With everyone so active it is tough sometimes. But, having a plan for dinner makes it easier. I also have enjoyed planning special birthday parties for my kids. It’s a lot of fun, and they really enjoy it.
I’m excited about this new book! Thanks for the giveaway.
To keep my family connected we talk about our highs and lows around the dinner table every evening.(thorns, buds and roses) It helps to hear about each other’s day.
We also spend all day Sunday together! It’s great day of rest.
My family is small, just myself, my husband, and our four year old son. The rest of our family lives in other states. We eat together every night, and share a bed until we can afford to buy our son his own. However, an idea you shared interested me. I’d like to do more arts and crafts with my husband and son. I think our little one would especially enjoy making a bird feeder with the pine cone, peanut butter, and bird seed! Thank you for the ideas, Sisters!
We try to eat together throughout the week as often as possible, but Sunday is the day everyone knows as family time with usually a home cooked meal. Even the son who attends a local university but doesn’t live at home looks forward to being with the family for Sunday lunch. Blessed.
Our rules are no electronics at the table. I want to get away from so much video time and begin reading together at night again and play games\do puzzles.
I love these ideas and am looking forward to reading more in the book. Since our oldest child left for college the times of having our whole family together are fewer and farther between, so we try to maximize the special little times with our two younger children and really make the most of having our WHOLE family together.
What an exciting give-away! I would love more ideas on what we could do for family time. We have a marble jar and when the kids get it full with things they do around the house, we go somewhere special. I’m thinking this book might give me some ideas to do for that that might get the kids excited about this and some other ideas to do just because.
Great ideas. I recently moved closer to my children and grandchildren and look forward to new traditions!
I’m trying in the mornings when the kids first get up to read a short Bible story and pray with them. In the evenings daddy usually reads them a book before bed. We also try to do a lot as a family even if it’s just going to the store together.
This post was exactly what I needed. I have been asking God to show me way to keep my family connected. With our busy schedules we need something to keep us grounded and connected. I am excited to start having devotion time, and game nights with my children. Winning a copy of you book would be a blessing.
We have nightly devotional time, all our family (6 of us) gathers at the kitchen table to read the bible and a devotional.
We also have Friday night movie nights, we make homemade pizza and watch a movie with popcorn and I leave the kitchen a mess so I can join the family too 🙂
We are working hard to do our “morning devotionals” on the trip to school…just short devotionals but connected to scripture and real-life application. My 13 year old, 7 year old, and myself all take turns reading as we sit in the long car-rider line!
My hubbie has also been insisting on dinner together at the table on any night we have a free night…this is a great place to connect and catch up with one another!
We have a meal together after church & usually go somewhere
Thanks for sharing, love these simple and realistic ideas!
Thank you! I love these practical ideas for family time!!
Friday night family night with pizza and a movie. It’s a night that we set aside each week and look forward to!
Celebrating Jesus today!
We’ve carried on the Friday night tradition with which my husband grew up. Dinner consists of steak, Le Seur peas and cheese grits – his dad’s favorite meal. My two teenage boys and husband love it. We then either watch a sporting event or play cards. Just being in the same room and laughing together is a gift to me.
We try to have all 5 of us together at the table for dinner at least once a week. It’s not always the same day but it’s always a day. No TV no phones & just talking and laughing. Our oldest is out of the home but she also makes an effort to be there even if its just to make mom & dad happy. Hey, whatever works! 🙂 ( I think deep down she likes it) lol! Sundays after church is usually friends included with family time.
Thank you for this great reminder. Our family use to do taco night every Friday. Ever since my husband left our home it has been hard to rekindle this special time but I think my kids and I really need it. I will try to start by having it tomorrow. thanks again.
I love this idea! I am going to set Wednesday nights as family night. Plan a dinner that everyone can help prepare, and after dinner we will spend time reading the bible, discussion time. Then play a family favorite game. Thanks so much for the great ideas! : )
We eat together at the dining room table every night, and try to go on a bike ride every Saturday and or Sunday as a family. When the weather is nice we strap on helmets, strap little sis in the bike seat behind daddy and off we go… as long as the 5 yr old’s little legs will last 😉 But I would like to commit to ending our evening meal, or maybe even starting with breakfast, reading a devotional (but breakfast, not everyone is at the table, little bit is still asleep in her crib 😉 ). My girls like crafts, but daddy not so much, they are too messy for him! So maybe a game night would be fun too, it’s just always a challenge right now since the youngest is not old enough.
(I have your book on my Amazon wishlist!)
Thank you for all the great ideas! Family is a blessing!!
Thanks for all the neat ideas. Thank you also for caring!
LOVE LOVE LOVE all of these ideas!! We are SO busy these days that we need this down time together as a family!!
I have three children 13, 9, and 7. The two younger children connect fairly easily, but it often seems like the 13 year old and the 7 year old are WORLDS apart when it comes to family activities. What is fun for one is boring or inaccessible to the other. They like each other but seemingly have nothing in common. BUT something magical happens when we sit down at the dinner table. Eye contact is being made. Laughter fills the room. My husband looks at me and smiles. Sit-down Dinner – It sounds simple, but there really is something special about that old tradition. 🙂
I’m excited about the book Everyday Confetti because I love spending time wirh my family, and I think it’s important to be creative in doing things with them so that you might build bonds and strong relationships with each other.
Everyone who is interested in board games should look at thrift stores for used games.
I loved this article! Couldn’t have come at a better time for us as we try to raise 3 small children and lead a small church. We are going to try and establish a family meal night with make your own tacos and pizza etc. thanks!!!!
I am 60 years old and the only member of my birth family living in Texas. My church family is my family here and we get together every chance we get. We have potluck fellowship every month and then we have a monthly birthday party together and we get together, all who can, on Tuesday mornings to pray. These times are double precious; worshipping and fellowshipping together helps us all stay involved with each other, like a great family.
Much to the chagrin and complaining of “my 3 sons” :), I try to have family dinner every Monday – Thursday…yes, in a perfect world it would be 7 days a week, but we do what we can, right? 🙂 Starting this calendar year, I tweaked these family dinner times to…3:30!! I know this won’t work for most people, but because I am a work-at-home-mom & my husband is a small-town minister, we are able to be flexible with our mealtimes! Our new dinner time has helped us in a couple of ways. For example, when the boys have evening band practices or want to hang out with friends, they have already eaten a real meal. But most of all, it has minimized the boys’ unhealthy snacking when they come home from school and they are “STARRRRRVING”! 🙂 The other thing we do is read from the Duck Dynasty Devotional that our 14 y.o. son’s Sunday School teacher gave him for Christmas. It’s short, sweet & Spirit-filled!
I want to bring back game night as a way to connect with my family. It doesn’t have to be a marathon Monopoly event but just something fun where we can laugh and talk and make memories : )
My children are all grown and living on their own. But we have them over for supper at least once a week and play cards. We have so much fun! It’s usually the kids against the parents, and some times my husband and I even win. 🙂 I think it is extra important to stay connected once the kids move out. It could be very easy for them to drift away from us and each other. I can’t wait until they get married and grandbabies come along! That will be extra special!
Blessings, Mary Jane Smith
We have a family dinner every Saturday night & I cherish this time as my sons grow older. I usually make a dessert & we either watch a movie or have game night. A lot of good memories are made during our time together. Thank you for the opportunity to win this book! God bless!
game nights!
My sister and I have a sister day about once a month where we go out to lunch and do something fun with just the two of us.
Every night we have a short devotional with the kids. We read a Bible passage or story and discuss what we can learn from it. Then each of us prays. Thanks so much for your blog; what an encouragement… Thanks in advance for the book!
Love the blog and family time is so important. We will try once a month meals to begin. With two of our children living away from home and with busy schedules hopefully this can get us more connected.
I had to read this post twice as I could have sworn Glynnis was talking about my in-law family. We gather each Sunday – all 20 of us – for Sunday dinner, preceeded by prayer, and often the kids make a craft or we all play a board game after! It’s one of my favorite ways to start the week!
We get together after baths for Bible reading and prayer. Also, this winter I started reading aloud Little House on the Prairie; I haven’t read it before so I’m hearing it for the first time alongside my girls.
Just simply sitting down to dinner together and keeping that commitment. I want to know my family!
I must admit after years of NOT watching much reality TV my girls and I started watching the Bachelor this season. (It ended on Monday) Having that connection to talk about each day between each episode was FUN. We tried to always keep our conversations positive and we enjoyed the banter going on between the three of us.
Reading books together!!!! This is how I bond with my 10 year old boy…when I am not playing legos of course. 😉
As our family nest is emptying we find staying connected is challenging. One thing we’ve found that is fun is being able to facetime at mealtime. It’s almost as nice as having everyone around the table again! We can still share the moments of our day and it helps our newly married daughter to still feel connected to what is happening at home! Even our grown son seems to enjoy these times- as we set the ipad on the table and eat together!
My husband, Ron Smith and I are always trying to come up with fun ways to have fun each night. Unfortunately, it’s very rare that we’re able to enjoy a night out with no one e…lse to distract us. Because omoney being so tight, we don’t usualy go out to each much because a lot of places are so epensive for our price range, and we know that we may not always have the money to do the things that we may want to do each and every single month. Nevertheless, we are good attying to save the money we need for whatever we really wish we could do together, needless of what may happen in our lives. My husband and I ♥ one another way too much to let things stand in the way of what we want to o together whenever possible. I ♥ my wonderful husband way too much not to want to do fun things with him at al times. “The paper plates all worn out from the dinner well enjoyed. The farm table sticky. The new Brussels sprout recipe loved by me but rejected by everyone else. Have mercy. The little sister aggravated to tears by the big sisters. The husband slightly overwhelmed by the female drama.
It’s what I call home. A snapshot from one of our weekly Monday night dinners.
As Mom, I comfort that one whose feelings got hurt while scolding the other two. We navigate lessons in kindness and the power of words and why we must watch the way we treat each other.
A boy’s name is mentioned. This is a kind boy. A boy who loves Jesus and says “yes ma’am” in his deep 20-year-old voice. I like respectful boys. My daughter, the same age, smiles at the mention of him. My husband and I notice. In a matter of minutes we’re all laughing together.
Together.
This beautifully messy band of people I call my own need time together. Space to connect and process. Conversational threads are what make up the fabric of relationships. We must take time. Make time. To talk.~”Lysa TerKeurst God wants us to have time for Him,needless of what we may be doing in our life. I know that my husband and I are always going to be together, no matter what. We always take the time to talk, no matter how either of us is feeling. My Ron always has his wonderful ways of making me happy.See More
These are great ideals. I just have Joe and the 2 boys living here, but during the holidays usually I have family come in and come over. We always have a great time together.
Thanks so much for posting all these inspirational things to try to bring my family closer. I saw you speak at the Downline women’s summit in Memphis a few weeks ago. It was a wonderful time to hear what The Lord had to say through you! Thanks so much!
My son is 3 years old. Last year we started a tradition of going to the beach once a year. This is something I remember doing as kid with my family. Im excited to do this for the second time. Cant wait to spend some quality time with just the three of us.
This is just the most fabulous idea! I have been looking for ideas to bond our family together and this came just at the right time! My girls are still little (3 yrs, 7 months) so I want to get a start on it as soon as possible! I love the idea of making it non negotiable. I plan to sit down with my husband a pick out one day a week for the next month to make as our family fun night! This will be a great way to get the ball rolling:)
We have kids away at college and some at home, so we do group texts for sure so we can all talk to one another. We also have a chalkboard in our kitchen that lists everyone’s name and things we need to pray for them that week. I take a picture on my cell phone and text it out to the family in our group message.
We have family day on Sundays and visit my mother at the nursing home. We always get Panera and all of us get to choose one big cookie. I keep an arts and crafts drawer for them there and they do crafts each week and/or decorate grandma’s room for the holiday or season. My mom has Alzheimers – so it’s a way to keep connected with her even though she isn’t really able to talk much with us.
During Lent, my 3 girls and I gather on my bed before bedtime and read the New Testament stories of Jesus from the Jesus Storybook Bible. They also love it when we celebrate goofy holidays, like Grouch Day or National Open Your Umbrella Inside Day. Also in Feb we had our first Roberts Happy to Be a Family Day. We took the girls on a treasure hunt of family activities, including a movie, lunch out, then ice skating and then we went home and wrote on hearts what we love about each other and stuck the hearts to the kitchen cabinets.
Every Fri night at our house is pizza movie night. We spread sleeping bags on the floor in the front room after pizza and watch a movie. YEAH! I love the other ideas. Thank you.
We have a no phone policy at the table. We start the day at the table together and talk about what is happening at school for our international student. We end with dinner at our table talking about our work, Joshua’s day at school. and what we are planning for the weekend. I LOVE a dining room to eat in away from the kitchen.
I think that when we gather all together on Sunday, the TV will be turned off and everyone can play board games. I’ll have to check out ones that can be played with ages 5-55!
I’m working to keep my family (new husband and my kids ages 11, 8.5, and 7) connected by eating dinner together as a family at 4:15 every evening, so that we can eat and pray together before my husband goes to work at his tax office. It’s one of the traditions we are starting as we blend our lives.
My husband works nights, so me & the kids eat dinner by ourselves most nights. To make it less of a downer for them, we do a devotion & read a Bible Story. We also place States & Capitals Sequence. Family fun with geography!
Love to win this book and share it with my “mom” friends!
Recently one of my children mentioned that he likes when we do activities as a family. When I asked him which activity he likes the most, he replied that it doesn’t matter. He just likes being together. We like doing simple activities together like bike riding, playing games, reading books and watching movies. We haven’t done a theme night in over a year so I am going to plan one soon.
We read a chosen book to our 3 children each night, but I want to get a novel we can read together as a family … Thinking Little House on the Prairie series! Thanks for the practical suggestions for nurturing a close family!
Most evenings at bedtime we try to read a story from our Children’s Bible and then pray together. The kids have fun using painted wooden figures to help tell the stories.
We make an effort to eat dinner with five of our eleven children at home. Our immediate family consists of 27 members so every time we get together for a birthday or holiday
celebration we have a memorable time with good food and laughs and making memories.
We celebrate lots of stuff, and have dinner together at the table, on the weekend that would include candles just because.
My older sister and I stay connected by taking an annual week long trip together, just the two of us. We take turns picking the destination. It’s so much fun for me to see where my sister’s year will take us. She makes me a photo album of our adventures. I give her a bracelet charm that evokes a memory of that year. I love my sister and we are so close in spirit and we are in our sixties now.
Our boys are too small to read on their own yet, but love story time. So I will take the read aloud idea and make it ours. Great ideas! I also liked the sibling night or the master bedroom sleep over ideas. Our boys would LOVE it…not sure we are ready for that. 😉
My oldest is about to graduate high school and go away to college. It’s difficult, but we do our best to make Monday nights family dinner. I’m so grateful for the time that my boys and I giggle around the table even through the grumbling about what I’ve served 😉
As our children and family members live in across the US, we have large family conference calls with FaceTime. The techies have added a layer of fun with all types of technology. One sweet child had a beautiful princess tiara added that the whole group could see. Great to see and hear the laughter of our lived ones!!! Even the dogs joined in.
Lisa
These are some great ideas. We do family Bible time, where my husband tells the boys a Bible story, then we say a prayer together as a family where we thank God for something for that day and pray for someone. The boys and I also have Family movie night, game night or pizza night on the weekends, my husband usually works evenings.
With all the kids out of the house, I feel like the door is still a revolving door. I make sure to talk to the kids daily and those that are still in the area know they can always stop over and hang out, chat etc. When our daughter comes home from college the others make sure they make time to come and have dinner or spend time at home all together. It’s a commitment to make sure we all stay connected through phone calls, texts, facebook pictures etc. I love that they like coming home. This sounds like a fun book. I saw it once but didn’t have money with me but haven’t seen it in book form since then.
DIXIT is our new family favorite game…very fun.
Playing more games together; trying to relax more and smile intentionally; enjoy the moments of motherhood for me and childhood for them.
My oldest son has gone away to college, so with him even when he’s home he’s so busy catching up with friends that are still here we barely see him, but we try to go to dinner or have dinner at least once while he’s here and use the ride back to school (about 3 hrs) to get in some quality one on one. My second is 10 so we have more time which until lately we have taken for granted- my husband took on coaching his soccer team so they get that time together. I work a little later, but after dinner that isn’t always together, is hugs on the couch to catch up on his day and try to get a 10 year old to tell you what he’s thinking. Then good night kisses and sometimes 5 minutes of “will you lay with me”. Melts my heart that he still wants me to. <3
I recently read an article about a father who read to his daughter, 10 pages (of whatever book they were reading) every night, from the time she was in 4th grade to the time she graduated from high school! My girls are 5 & 7 this month…we started this nightly tradition a few weeks ago! It’s GREAT motivation for getting ready for bed super fast! 😉
I would really love to get board games going…they’re finally at an age where I think EVERYONE can enjoy them! Sunday Funday?
My children are now grown, but as a single parent we ate dinner together every night. Unplugged, uninterrupted and shared our day. I miss those days, but we always get together on holidays ( all living in different states). Day to day, iPhones and FaceTime are the next best thing. Of course, I still believe in mail and family packages to fill in when I can just. “Be there”. 🙂 Love my girls and their families.
Can’t wait to try a family sleep over. I know our 3 yr old son will love this! We enjoy reading as a family and do that each night but I love the idea of a sleepover as a fun and special family time,
Loving family devotions!!
We try very hard to eat dinner together every night. Most nights it does happen. We are a blended family and my husband takes all the boys hunting every year. We also go together as a family (there are 7 of us) to a movie premiere once or twice a year 8f there is a movie we are all interested in seeing. We try hard to stay connectedbut there is always room for improvement.
Every night, well I try to every night, Iread a bed time story to my boys and it is not always only a story book but also the childrens bible. I really enjoy this time spent with them because sometimes it is the only time spent together with the hustle and bustle of every day life. And sometimes we all, including my husband, get into the boys’ bed and we sing and tell jokes and just laugh our heads off….all 4 cramped up together and its such fun….and sometimes my husband puts on music and we all dance…it is just such good bonding time. But I think its an awesome idea for us to set time every day to have devotional time where we read a scripture from the bible and talk about it and pray together…. In that way we will be spending time with God and strengthen our spiritiual life. And also it will lead the boys to one day spend devotional time with their families when their all grown up…
Since my husband is away due to military training we are sending him books so that he can read along with the kids while we skype
Our family is trying very hard to keep dinner time sacred. It’s very difficult because of everyone’s busy activities. But we try to make dinner a fun conversation time. We start each dinner by asking a question that everyone goes around and answers. We love to Quizzler app from our iPhone to help us come up with questions.
On weekends, we build a campfire in the backyard to sit around and roast marshmallows and talk about our week. Because of the age span of our kids, this seems to be the one activity that everyone can enjoy and look forward to!
I love reading things like this ☺ I have two young girls and we have celebrations a lot. We have discussion questions to bring up at table time, we work on crafts together and I am presently searching for a devotional that works for the spread in age range. Family must be an intentional pursuit, and I am convinced it sets a terrific foundation for the loving of each other and valuable traditions in the future. I would love a copy of this book–to continue to celebrate with Everyday Confetti ♥
We try to eat dinner together most nights. Adding something special or different adds to the time we have together.
Now that weather is warning up, we love taking family walks in our neighborhood. I love idea of family devotion time, also! My boys are 4 and 2, so I would definitely need to stick to shorter passages of scripture. I do want to instill in them that God’s Word is important to our family and important to them as individuals, so I believe I’ll start family devotion time today.
I’m praying for my family.
There are two ways that we are currently staying connected–practicing baseball and softball with my two kids (ages 4 and 6–and I’m helping coach my 6 year old’s softball team); and we are having “duets” at church with our children. In order to do that, the duo in question must work together and practice. This always leads to questions and sharing about the songs and their meaning. Love, love, love! 🙂
But I want to be MORE INTENTIONAL with guarding and protecting this time. I don’t want it to get eaten up with other things that may be good, but aren’t beneficial to us.
Thanks for encouraging us in this endeavor! 🙂
i would love to start doing family dinners on Sunday nights with our extended family. We feel so lucky that we all live in the same county, but I’d love to take advantage of being so close in proximity, and getting closer in relationship.
We’ve recently begun studying a book together, which has been awesome. Today we’re taking a family vacation – so excited! 🙂
As a working Mommy to twin daughters(they are 3 1/2 years old), I try to keep our family connected by doing devotionals at night before bed time, playing outside daily, making up silly games with them, singing to Jesus, etc. Now that they understand holidays a little better, I am always looking for simple ways to make them special and memorable. 🙂
After reading this article it has definitely inspired me to be more intentional in structuring time weekly instead of periodically throughout the month. I look forward to your emails and can’t wait for the next!
We eat dinner together every night! We like to use our version of the Prayer of Examen, and using a bracelet with rainbow colors, we pass it around the table and take turns speaking about our day. Each color represents a speaking prompt and only the person holding the bracelet (talking piece) is permitted to talk. It’s great listening to the ways we felt God’s love, we were thankful, we felt God’s presence, etc throughout the day. We enjoy listening and sharing as a family, while bringing glory to His name!
Family breakfasts every school morning because evenings can be crazy!
My 5 year old and I just started reading the Chronicles of Narnia series aloud together. 🙂
We are reading “Mary Poppins” out loud right now- was inspired after I saw “Saving Mr. Banks” and realized I had never read the book.
My husband is the Connection Pastor and Student Pastor at our church and works full-time at another job. I stay at home with our 3 year old little boy. It is very rare that we are all together at once. When we are together we put our phones away, turn the TV off, and just be together. We play with our little boy and just sit and talk or read books. I would love to have this book to discover more ways to connect. It is hard right now, but we do the best we can. Thanks for doing this giveaway.
At 18 I moved to a different state than my family. I’m now 29 and they still send me care packages! Recent ones have included clipped coupons for grocery shopping, a devotional to read on the subway in the morning, toothpaste and deoderant in case I’m running low, and handwritten letters of encouragement. Of course these items I could purchase on my own, the messages could be easiy texted or emailed, but there is something sacred about items that have been physically touched by your loved ones. I pray this family tradition continues on forever.
I’m posting for my wife. She just got her masters and is working in a new job. We have 3 kids, an 8yr old and 3 yr old boy/girl twins. Her new job keeps her away in the evening usually until 7. She works so hard in her job sure, but at home, trying to make the best of the time we have. She’s been a fan of Lisa for years…. So here’s hoping.
M
We are doing a family nighty devotional time
Our family likes to have adventures together. We are taking a field trip in a few weeks to meet one of my children’s favorite authors. It is always a process. You buy the book and wait. Then you get in line and wait. The entire time we are together as a family. We ask questions about each other; we plays games; and we laugh about a lot of memories we have. This all helps to bring us closer together and make a strong family unit bond. Great memories. This will be our 3 trip to meet him. Each year we have more fun and meet more people that have become life long friends as well.
Eating dinner together is a high priority in our family. We each share “highs and lows” from the day and are reading thru Jesus calling for kids” this year. for after dinner devotions. We also read a chapter book (Prince Caspian right now) and pray together every night before bed.
I love our family time together, but it seems harder and harder to find. With one daughter in college and 2 kids in high school our time is consumed by sports practices, musicals, college visits, church activities, and the business of my husband’s jobs (which are not 9-5). Family time comes and goes. So we have to work hard to savor the times we are all home together; I try and make a home cooked meal, we sit around the table and talk for a while, perhaps we play Settlers of Catan or even get telling “remember when” stories. But the best family time we have has been during vacations, when we get away from all the daily commitments and are able to just be together as a family. Those are memories I know my kids cherish.
Just today I set up a charging station/basket for all of my family’s “devices” including mine and my husband’s. Instead of walking around with these and being attached to them at every turn, we have to ‘check them out’ to use. Already this morning my 10 year old son turned to reading books instead if mindless game time. This leaves us open actually have conversations with one another rather than focusing on our ‘device’. This book looks great!
We got my 12 yearold daughter a great cookbook all about mac and cheese for christmas. It is full of other delicious side dishes and desserts. One night a week she is the cook and i am her helper. She has even expanded her tastebuds (she is sometimes very picky) and tried new things. A great family bonding time.
With the longer days our family has started to take evening walks to the creek behind our house. The kids love it and it gives us time away from technology.
What wonderful ideas for family time and for our children to have beautiful memories. I love reading what you three ladies write. Each article usually applies to me in one way or another. Thank you for all you do!
I like the idea of crafts and art projects. I’ll be using these ideas to help keep all of my wonderful grandchildren connected with each other!
I love this post. In this day and age it is so hard to keep the family together. After reading this, I smiled inside knowing that these activities listed have been a part of our family forever! We have family dinners “just because” and game nights, “snowed in” days when the weather is bad and “make your own pizza nights”. Our family is far from perfect, and we live on a very tight budget, but we have the richest blessings of love and laughter and togetherness, which is by far the best blessings of all. May you be blessed today!
We have been struggling with ideas, so this is refreshing. I think it’s time to get back to the basics and simply get our non-negotiable family time on the calendar. Thanks for rekindling this for me and my little family!
I am going to return to the family devotion in the morning at breakfast. With two high schoolers, that is the one time I am sure to have their undivided attention! Thank you for this devotion! =)
Sunday lunch or dinner is one way our family tries to stay connected. With two teenagers each busy with school, work , sports , friends, etc. it can be hard for us to stay connected. We try to have Sunday lunch or dinner (or both) to catch up and plan for the week ahead. The meal may be homemade or store bought, something easy or a recipe we’ve made together, but we all look forward to this each week. Without it, our week doesn’t seem to go as well.
My mother-in-law has Sunday lunch at her house almost every Sunday. There is a standing invitation, if you can make it come. She is 85 now and her health is beginning to go down. Not sure how many more Sunday lunches there will be.
Our children our grown but when they visit we like to do something special. I also think they would love this book to use with their family.
I JUST today reminded my husband we need to start doing ‘family night’ with our son. We DO all sit together in the evening but it’s never anything organized or interactive really…I may be crafting while they’re watching tv. It doesn’t ALwAYS have to be playing a game but…reading a book together is a FABULOUS idea, playing cards, a board game, tween boy ‘crafts’…although I don’t think I will call them ‘crafts’. That may be a turn off for an almost 14 year old boy. 🙂
Making the most of opportunities to connect… I am a planner. Asking God to help me to step out of my comfort zone and be willing to be flexible, change what I prefer to do and think of others before my own needs. Being willing to change the schedule and be more flexible! It’s not about me! It’s about being a servant and encouraging others! Asking myself how would Jesus want me to respond…
I’m making mini-scrapbooks for family members, filled with favorite photos.
We cook together a few times a week. My husband and daughter both love to cook, which is something that has always brought us together! Afterwards, we sit together and eat our creations!
We took our son for a bike ride.
I texted my daughter in Boston (I’m in California) asking when we can talk on the phone today. Boston is just too far away. 🙁
What a great reminder to make time.We have Sunday lunch at my moms each week and get caught up on everyones life.
Family outings to the park, family dinner, ice cream night, game night, anything fun that we can all do together is a hit for our kids. We have five, ages 4-20
I am going to have a daily devotional and time of prayer together.
I have a 5 year old daughter and a 7 month old daughter. I would love to start some family traditions of our own but of course with a baby that doesn’t like to sleep it has been hard. I have so many ideas but so far haven’t done any. I am hoping once baby girl starts sleeping better we can start some mother-daughter and sister-sister bonding. I love being a mama!!! Thank you for all the great ideas!!
We have make your own pizza night once a week. Our three year old loves it!
I just gave birth to twin boys Monday. My husband and I are working on establishing and maintaining a schedule that allows each of is to spend one-on-one time with our first born, with the twins, & also have family time.
I have a four month old, so I have been thinking of some traditions to start and ways to stay connected as a family. One thing I really want to do is start doing devotions together as a family. Even though she won’t understand it I want to read my devotions in the morning outloud to her. I also want to start having devotions with my husband more. I would really like this book it would help me get some ideas of traditions to start.
My Husband And I Have Started Walking Together Which Gives Us Time With Nothing Distracting Us From Reconnecting In Conversation.
Sunday lunch right after church, taking turns with who picks where we go
We get together with my parents, siblings, & Aunt every other month or so to celebrate birthdays. We all have a great time together eating, opening small gifts, and playing together. I think I need some ideas for things todo with our own kids though. I am excited to read this book!
Resurrecting Sunday Soulfood Dinners!!!
I pick up my grandchildren from their schools on Wednesdays. When we get home to their house, we work on homework and play, as time permits. I love knowing that I will see them at least once a week. It helps their working parents, too.
Family Board Game night weekly with our girls.
Today we will make Every Sunday our family day! Fun breakfast, church, and time together!
Sunday lunch with not only our immediate family but all my siblings/their spouses/and children is a tradition for us every week at my parents house. It keeps us all together amongst the craziness of life!
I am the Party Lady in my family! Love the excuse to celebrate anyone & almost anything and as a crafty artist mother of 3 who loves to serve people by way of food we are always digging into something and celebrating. I look so forward to this book for inspiration & need ideas!
I would love to have all my children over at least once a month. I am remarried and between my husband and I we have 6 children. all grown now and we are raising a 4 yr old granson. It is something I need to pray about faithfully.
We also try to have at least one meal together every week as a famiily. With two YA in college and working and a 9yo it doesn’t always work – but we keep trying!
I teach Sunday School and my nieces and nephews are in my class. After church, we go to my Mom’s house, have lunch, and discuss what we learned that day and how they can apply it in their lives. It helps them remember their lesson better, plus it gives is time to get deeper into God’s word.
On Fridays we enjoy cooking together (usually home made pizzas) followed by board games and a movie. Just hanging together without the rush of homework and activities is really a great way to kick off the weekend and catch up on our week together.
Family dinner at the table, unplugging, new family traditions as we start a family
We have 2 kids, a boy, 4, and a girl, 22 months. We like to do themed dinners, like international Thursdays, and pizza Sunday. To include our young kids, we have them pick the meal…sounds ify, yes, but we give them three choices (that I have ingredients for already) so any choice is great. We’ll also have a “cuddle” day, which I really should change the name of. These days involve us spreading out blankets and pillows in the living room, eating snacks and watching a movie together.
We love inviting friends over for dinner and games, and letting the kids run wild playing together. I also encourage my hubby to host and attend guy’s nights…they have a “food club”, where once a month they try a new restaurant then play Risk. Guys only.
I love to invite my gal pals from church and elsewhere to Pinterest girl’s night. These are super fun and very successful. We bring a project we found on Pinterest to complete. We also can bring food we found on Pinterest to share. We’ve also had game nights. Keeping family connected is important, but I’ve come to realize that I need adult interactions and conversation, or I’ll go bananas!
With no family close, our family of 3 needs lots of these moments to anchor our hearts to one another!
Both my husband and I work full time, my oldest is in kindergarten, and the baby stays home with my mother, who lives with us M-F for that purpose. We try to gather at the table every night (if possible) to reconnect and talk about our day.
To keep our family connected we intentionally play with our 1 year old, like build something with his blocks, talk the animals and read him books. We also take a few minutes every morning to just be together before all the hustle & bustle of the day begin we just hang out playing in Mommy & Daddy’s bed.
We would love this book to learn new ways to build traditions & connect over the years. After all we plan to have more than just one little one running around! 😉
In our household it is just my husband and I as our children all live in different states and so getting together weekly is not an option. However, he and I take one day a week just to connect, either by going for a drive, having a “fast food’ night out , or just watching a TV program together. I like the small unplanned moments for that time and we usually decide on the spur of the moment to do something out of the ordinary week. It is a joy just to be together after a week of work and activities.
How do I get permission to reprint an excerpt from one of your books for our church Women’s Ministry newsletter?
Hello Lysa. I just want to say thank you for all you do. I have enjoyed reading your posts on facebook, your blogs and books. By far my favorite is “Am I Messing Up My Kids…” I am a mom of twin boy/girl 5 year olds and most days I feel as though I am messing up my little girl. I loved the comment your friend had said about having a bad day, confessing the sin and getting over it. Stop letting Satan drag you down. He knows my weakness. Although this post is more about family connecting, I think I will apply it to my little girl more so and try to connect better with her. Please pray that I show her more compassion and less frustration and anger.
By the way. I attended Hearts at Home this past Saturday. I was so excited to hear that you are the keynote next year. I cannot wait to hear you in person. I’ll be praying for you as you prepare for it.
I’ve just subscribed to the Proverbs 31 website two days ago when I read a blog about scriptures for your son. Then, today, I received the email for scriptures for you daughter…what a God-send as I had just prayed the other day that I wish I knew which scriptures to pray for my kids. Although I grew up in a “Chrisitan” household, I feel like I’m just now connecting the “realness” of God in my life. I want to learn to grow in a relationship with him. These blogs that I’ve connected to through Proverbs 31 inspire me to want the same thing with my family…that closeness with God. A unity with my husband that can’t be touched by outside forces, children that know and have a heart for God. 🙂 The book that was mentioned, “Everyday Confetti,” sounds like an amazing book. I plan on getting it soon as I want more than anything to start some fun family traditions to create some great family memories. 🙂
Blessings to all
jodie
Thanks for the great ideas! Our family of 7 has a 10, 8, 4, and two 2 year olds, so these ideas are all doable for us! I am really looking forward to the make your own pizza idea! The oldest 3 will love this idea!
Hope I’m not too late to enter! 🙂 We don’t have kids yet, but we take time to carve out date nights and also time to connect with other couples. If you don’t plan those times out, they get eaten up by something else!
We have family meetings where we share life. We can address good and bad and they kids can also tell us what is frustrating for them. We cover our weekly calendar and make sure the week is set. It makes everyone feel safe and understood.
Hi and good morning to you! Robert and I have been married 25 years on April 2, 2014. We never could have children, and all I ever prayed for was just one. I wanted so desperately for most of my life to have a child to love, nurture, hold and love. Now, at 55 years old we are legal guardians of my brother’s child “Amanda”. She is twelve, in the 6th grade, taking two 7th grade classes already, is brilliant, and a real artist already. We love her dearly and we are all learning how to live together respecting each other and our privacy. Amanda has been alone most of her life and is very mature for her age. She is strong willed and is learning about God and enjoys church. She is not sociable and prefers to do things alone. It is a real challenge for us, because my husband and I are totally outgoing and have never met a stranger. We are active in our church. We pray together every night before our meal. I would like to set up a weekly prayer and conversation time perhaps starting out with a scripture reading first. This could be our family time together on Saturday. I really enjoyed your writing. Thanks for the inspiration! God bless, Nita Adams
Hi lisa. I love reading your post. The way that I help my family stay connected is by spending quality time together. My husband works nights and I work days. I go home and have lunch with my husband everyday on my lunch hour. Every saturday if we are not to busy I take my 2 daughters ages 16 & 17 out to breakfast as we laugh and talk about things that is going on in our life. We also have movie night at home once a week where we just sit as a family and enjoy each others. Every morning before my girls go to school we say a prayer asking God to protect us through out the day.
We are beginning to have family dinners on Sunday. We take turns inviting different sides of the family over since a lot of our family lives close by. I look forward to it becoming a weekly tradition!
I am working on just being together intentionally more as a family rather then kids and parents doing separate things in the same house
It’s probably too late 2 enter….and my 4 daughters are grown with children of their own, but I would like to share insights from this book with them. Thank you, and God bless.
We eat together as a family every night. We also play games together at least once a week. I absolutely love your emails and cant wait to pray Gods word over my children, something I really have not done before. 🙁
Thanks for all you do to help all of us on our walk with God.
Thank you fir sharing these lovely ideas. I can’t wait to put them into action. God Bless
Hi Lysa,
I would really like to see a copy of the driving contract you use with your children but the link does not work on the daily devotional. Thanks for being willing to share.
*****LOVE these ideas to connect family!
**************Sunday Family Dinners and Game Nights!….Checked marked! 🙂
#Living_Easy_at_HOME
Thank you for the resources . One thing our family does is play poker with M&M,s. This may seem a little unorthodox but you can personalize the candy (or crackers maybe goldfish) to whatever your family prefers. My girls are out of town for the summer but my husband took the dogs for a walk together. We listened to a radio show and then watched God’s Not Dead. Not quite the same as devotions but time spent together. Yesterday watched the World Cup.