The second week of RockingMama Journeys has kicked off with some fun journeys to keep the connection going by spending time with our kids.
When we get a little busy, as life often does, it can be difficult to come up with ideas of things to do. More than anything our kids need our time. They need to feel that they are important enough for you to think of something to do and then stick with your commitment to do it.
Journey #5
It’s a $25 family fun night!
Your challenge is to take $25 or less and create a family fun night. The goal is to have a fun time as cheaply as possible. Ideas?
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π Pack up a picnic, put a blanket on the ground, and eat in your yard
π Make a homemade meal together from scratch
π Find a fun painting craft and make something together
π Search Groupon or other coupon services for cheap tickets to something you all enjoy doing
π Grab an ice cream cone and go for a hike
What’s your pick?
Journey #6
It’s time to have dinner together!
This sounds a little simple, huh? But it can be a challenge due to schedules, sports, and bedtimes. So your journey for today is to have an intentional meal with your kids, talking about their day, and what was good and bad about their day.
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πPick an easy to gather meal
π You can totally do with your favorite take out meal too
π Ask open-ended questions
Journey #7
Have at least one meaningful conversation with your kid.
We talk to our kids every day. I’m trying to do better at using encouraging words and spending quality time – even if I have just a little bit of it to share.
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π Take a drive in the car for your chat. Sometimes my kids feel more comfortable talking when they’re not looking at my face
π Do not force it. Just show interest.
π Let your kid lead the conversation. They have things to say. We just need to listen.
Journey #8
Grab some one-on-one time!
This might be tricky for a lot of us. Especially if you have several children. But it is so important to take the time to spend with each child to make sure that you are hearing them, addressing any problems, and encouraging them.
I’ve found the easiest place for me to grab a few minutes with each kid is in my car while driving. They are more likely to talk and tell me what is going on in their life. Or they also feel comfortable telling me things that they don’t want to say while looking directly at me.
Remember, it doesn’t have to be hours of time you are spending, although that is great, even fifteen minutes to stop and connect is the point of this journey.
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π Make sure to eliminate distractions
π Choose a low-pressure situation and approach
π Use your heart to hear what they are saying
What are your favorite ways to spend time with your kids?