Thursday, March 14, 2013

Time Out for Family Time

The sands of time waits for no one.

I will be the first to admit it......I do not spend enough quality time with my children.....and time is running out.

Our family has always been and still is Overbooked and whatever time we do have together often falls short of what I would deem quality time.

Our days..... consists of me driving the kids all around the county, practically live in the car  (easily putting about 20,000 + miles on my car in less than a year). When we're home, it's a total frenzy....cooking, phone calls, homework, cleaning, lessons.....and then next thing you know its bedtime, which is another battle that I wish I didn't have to deal with (check out Bedtime Battles).

And, it seems to me that all I ever say to my kids are.....hold on a minute....I'll help you later.....let me finish this....I'm on the phone....wait, I'm doing something....or (and I'm just telling you this because I want to be honest here) leave me alone.....I can't think with all of you bothering me!!!

So, where is the quality time we see families sharing on TV? Okay....maybe not so much on current TV, but more so on older shows like..... Little House on the Prairie? yes....I'm that old.

That's what I want!

My husband works insane hours at several different places and a lot of his shifts are overnights, which makes family time that much harder to coordinate.....rarely, do the stars align and we are all home together at a normal time.

So, lately, out of desperation for quality family time, I've actually kept the kids home from their scheduled activities so that we can spend time as a family unit.....not really husband approved, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!




Just the other day, my husband and I really made an attempt to hang out with the kids, on a school night to say the least. We played a modified version of Pictionary, or we would have been there forever....but it was still tons fun and we got to laugh and joke around with the kids....and really enjoy each others company.

Can you guess what these were suppose to be? answers at bottom of post















You know....we've all said it before...."the kids are growing up so fast"...."in a blink of an eye they will be gone".....all this is so true and I don't want to miss anymore than I have.

As parents, we are so busy with trying to stay afloat, doing this and that for the kids, that we lose sight of the fact that we really should be doing things with them. There's going to be a day when we are finally able to slow down and spend time with them, but they may be too busy for us.

Does this happen in your home? How do you carve out true family time? Please share your secret to true quality family time......



answers: Bite, Doctor, Cheerleader, Healthy

Can you guess what song lyric I will be posting on Lyrics to Love tomorrow?

3 comments:

  1. Family time is so important. That is awesome that you guys went out of your way to spend some time together. At my house, we try our best to have family night once a week (even though it's just Lorin, the baby and I). We will play a games, go to free community activites, watch a movie, or other fun stuff. Family time gives us an opportunity to reconnect during a busy week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sarah. It's insane here. I wonder how others do it or maybe they don't, but it really is scary how fast they grow. Definitely enjoy the time you and Lorin have....I used to do a mother daughter day, but it's been awhile....hard to juggle the time, but I will definitely keep trying. My oldest is heading for high school next year....boo hoo :( only five more years with us at home.

      Delete
  2. we spend time with kids baking, baking, playing outside, games, skiing, and yes - i count doing workbooks as spending time with them =) That is the tiger mom in me....you are so right - they grow up so fast - I always say that it drags as you are living it, but when you look back - it seems to have flown by.

    ReplyDelete

All comments will be posted after moderation.

Leave me a note! I love reading your thoughts.