Unplugged

It was serene.

It was relaxing.

Time spent reveling in the uniqueness of my children and the sheer handsomeness of my husband.

Time spent laughing with friends and playing board games.

Roasting marshmallows, making smores and chatting by the fire. 

Watching my boys stoke the fire, enthralled by every spark and ember.

I unplugged this weekend and it was a gift I intend to unwrap more often.

This post is linked to Tuesdays Unwrapped.

Fun and Marriage

Do those two words even go together?  They should!  But sometimes with the busyness of life, the chaos of raising children and the monotony of the daily grind we can lose sight of the fact that we should be enjoying life with our spouse.  That is a dangerous place to be as fun is a great intimacy builder and can remind you why you were drawn to each other in the first place.

How can you make sure you and your hubby are still having fun together?  Here are a few ideas:

• Enjoy those inside jokes.  You know the ones that are just between you and your husband.  Wink at each other from across the room when you are reminded of such a joke.  Even when you aren’t physically close to each other you can both still be enjoying the memory or the hilarity of a shared inside joke.
• Watch a comedy.  Instead of dragging your hubby to the latest chick flick go see a local comedian or watch a funny movie. Some of our favorite side splitters are any of the National Lampoon movies and my hubby enjoys Monty Python as well.
• Step out of your comfort zone.  A few years ago Mike and I visited the batting cages for a date night.  We were both so rusty at hitting a baseball it ended up being a hilarious adventure.  We still laugh about my inability to hit a curve ball.  Do something you wouldn’t normally do together and be willing to laugh at yourself.
• Appreciate your spouse’s sense of humor.  Let’s face it.  Guys have a special kind of humor (and as a mom of boys, I can tell you that is apparently something they are born with).  Every once in a while, instead of rolling your eyes at your husband’s juvenile sense of humor, go with it.  Laugh with him.  Show him that you think he is funny.

Anything you do can be fun if you choose to make it that way.  Often times it just requires a change of attitude.  We enjoy cooking together and even cleaning together (we make it a race to see who gets done first).  Look for ways to insert fun in your marriage and you will find another way to bring you and your spouse together.

This post is linked to Wifey Wednesday.

Teen/Tween Thursday- Family Time

This week I would like to expand on a post I wrote earlier in the week.  When parenting teens/tweens quality family time can be difficult.  Our kids don’t necessarily want to spend time with us. Let’s face it: we are not cool (at least to our kids ) This week I recognized the importance of focusing on my sons interests in order to engage his attention.

So, how can we make sure that we are available to our kids?  What are some things that we can do with them to maintain a bond?  Here are some of my ideas and I would love to hear yours as well!

• Eat dinner together. This is so important!  Many studies have touted the value of eating as a family. It is a great time for discussion, questions and family time.  I am always amused listening to the things that my boys think are discussion worthy.  And, be sure to take some pressure off of yourself.  What you serve as the meal is less important than the fact that you are all sitting down together to eat and talk.
• Avoid overscheduling.  If your child is involved in too many activities there will not be any time left over to spend together as a family.  We limit the kids to one extra-curricular activity a semester (not including church related activities).  We treat our family time as sacred, it goes on the calendar just like anything else.  Making time together a priority sends a strong message to your kids that you value them and want to spend time with them.
• Take advantage of a captive audience.  Even without overscheduling we spend a lot of time in the mom taxi.  Use this time to engage your kids in conversation.  Middle school boys can tend toward monosyllabic answers so I end up asking a lot of open ended questions to solicit some feedback.  Play a game in the car. Crank up the worship music and sing together.  Enjoy your kids.
• Volunteer together.  Serving others together is a great way to bond and spend time with your kids.  And, it is something that will hopefully inspire your kids to develop a servants heart for others and take that passion into adulthood.

What are some of the ways that you spend quality time with your teen/tween? Leave your answer in the comments.  And, as always, if you have a post that deals with teen/tween issues please link the permalink to that post on our MckLinky below.

March Madness Mama Style

I have never been a big basketball fan- football, yes!  Basketball, not so much.

That was before I had kids- boys, to be specific.  My two oldest have been playing some type of sport since they were in kindergarten.  Jason settled on soccer and Jared has settled on basketball.

ESPN is on in our home most of the time unless by some undercover mission I have managed to get control of the remote.  Six in the morning while the boys are getting ready for school they are listening to the ESPN guys drone on and on discuss the stats from the night before.

I never thought I would be thankful for such a thing but today I am unwrapping the gift of passive listening.

You see, every morning I can’t help but hear the details and I halfway listen because my kids are listening.

Last night that paid off.  Our church is doing a just for fun March Madness competition thingy where you sign up on ESPN.com and choose a bracket [more on that in a minute].

I sat with my hubby and boys while we chose our bracket.  The boys were so excited to forecast who they think will win, who will be a surprise team that does well, etc.

And I could give input.

My input wasn’t always on target but my kids were SO impressed that I knew the names of some of the players and had a favorite team.

Let me just tell you that when you are a mama raising adolescent boys the chances to connect can seem few and far between.

So today I am unwrapping the gift of choosing to insert myself in their lives, in their interests and making our relationship relevant.

Now I am actually excited about watching college basketball tonight!  Who would’ve thunk it?

This post is linked here.

Of Love and Snowstorms

Our pastor reminded us Sunday that love is a verb, an action, a choice.  After being trapped snowed in with my family all week I can certainly attest to this fact.

You know you love your testosterone driven hubby and boys when:

• the cries of “doorknob” and subsequent running through (your much smaller than before, mind you) house doesn’t irritate you any more.
• you can tune out the noise of video games playing throughout the house 22 out of the 24 hours in a given day because the blowing snow and blizzard conditions have kept them indoors ALL DAY
• you go to make dinner and realize that the ingredients for the dish (that is on the menu that takes time for you to plan) have been eaten as an experiment for “what tastes good on Ritz crackers” so you just make omelets and move on
• you willingly put snow pants, gloves, hats and a bazillion pairs of socks in the dryer 20 times a day so that the boys can play in the snow (and go in and out and in and out and in and out) as many times a day as they want
• you lovingly prepare hot cocoa with mini marshmallows EVERY time they come in from going in and out and in and out of the snow.
• you put on your snow boots and get out your camera so they can show off igloos, snow tunnels and forts (that all really look the same but who am I to critique snow architecture?) most every time they go in and out and in and out to play in the snow
• you stop cringing when the doorbell rings, knowing that it is the neighborhood kids who will now join your boys in going in and out and in and out which just means more clothes in the dryer and more hot cocoa to serve

I love them, that is for sure, but if school gets canceled tomorrow I may very well lose my mind. 

Family Friday- Baking Day

My boys are growing up so fast!  Matt, our youngest, turned 12 last week!  Yes, twelve!  Unbelievable!

As time goes by so quickly, I find that I have to be purposeful about finding activities and things to do with the boys for quality “mama/son” time.  There are so many external things vying for their attention at this age (friends, sports, technology and more).

So, today (and Monday) the boys are off of school for some type of EXTENDED Columbus day celebration…all week I have been thinking of things we could do together that would be fun.

Here is what is on the agenda (as well as prepare for Matt’s birthday party tomorrow, let Jared go on a haunted trail tour with his “girlfriend” and her family and visit with Jason on Sunday after church):

• Decorate the house for fall/Halloween
• Decorate pumpkins and gourds (carving, painting, crafting on the cute pumpkins- I will have to show after photos later)
• Baking some fall yummies (pumpkin bread, butterscotch cookies, apple crumb cake and whatever else we feel like baking up)
• Writing our Christmas wish lists
• Walking the doggies while taking pictures of the gorgeous West Virginia fall foliage

What do you do with your kids for fun?  How do you stay connected as a family?  Join us for Family Fridays at Home Ever After.

Multitasking Martinsburg

Here is a link to a family friendly activity in our area this weekend.  Be sure to check it out.  My kids always enjoyed pumpkin patches when they were smaller!

Pumpkin Patch $5

Free fun for Earth Day

Hi readers:

The folks at EcoStore have asked me to pass along a great opportunity for free family fun if you live in the Cincinnati area (wishing I did for this one Here is the information they sent me:

Wednsday 4/22/09 Disney will be promoting Ecostore USA ask Ecoman (Malcolm Rands) Meijer store tour at the Cincinnati Meijer Radio Disney. This promotion will coincide with the premier of the new Disney movie Earth.

The first 25 moms or dads that ask Malcolm the Ecoman A question will receive an organic Ecostore T-Shirt. There will be entertainment for the kids while mom and dad ask Malcolm ( Ecoman) questions.

You do not want to miss out on this one it is going to be GREAT! Please see time and place below.

4/22 Cincinnati – Harrison Road (4-6 PM)

Sounds like fun, huh? I am also looking forward to seeing that movie. Be on the lookout because I will be offering a review/giveaway of the EcoStore products in two weeks!

Happy Sunday!