According to Youth Villages Article Studies show most people don’t keep their New Year’s resolutions. Start the new year off
right after the tumultuous excitement of the holidays and New Year’s has
passed by resolving to do more of something that really makes a
difference:
spending more quality time with your family. By entering
regular family events into your calendar or day planner, you will be
more likely to keep your pledge and actually improve your family
dynamics.
Time typically is the rarest commodity in families’ lives, especially
when both parents work full-time jobs. As a result, families can find
it hard to make time for family time.
But scheduling in time for family can change how everyone in the
household feels about one another and improve family interactions for
the long haul, said Shereka Jackson, a therapist at the Youth
Villages-Inner Harbour Campus in Douglasville.
Spending quality time together as a family does not mean you need to
spend more money, Jackson said, or change the way you live your life.
Here are some simple steps you can take to help improve your family life
in the new year and build lasting memories at the same time:
1. Eat together.
Make a resolution to cook and eat more family meals together every
week. Studies show that children who participate in regular family meals
are less likely to engage in risky behavior. This is especially
important for teenagers. Sharing meals is a great way to have positive
conversation, enjoy one another’s company and bond as a family. Just
stay away from sticky topics and anything else that could create
conflict. Dinner time should be a time to enjoy one another’s company.
Children can help set and clear the table, and some will enjoy helping
prepare the meal.
2. Find a new fun family activity or hobby.
Sit down and talk. There’s got to be some family activity everyone
can do together. For some families, game nights work well, whether they
choose board or video versions. Interactive video games that make you
get up and move around the living room give kids and parents a chance to
burn a few calories as well.
An easy, cost-free and purposeful way to fulfill this resolution is
to do family volunteer work. Serve up meals together at a food kitchen,
walk dogs or groom at an animal shelter, or mentor a child or teen.
3. Read together.
Many parents read to younger children but give up reading together as
children get older. Set a time to read together once a week or every
night before bedtime. It’s also a great way to wind down. Either take
turns reading out loud, listen to a book on tape or have everyone read
their own book or magazine.
4. Develop some new family rituals.
Homemade pizza or BBQ on Friday night, movie or board game nights on
Saturdays, afternoon walks with or without the family dog on Sunday
afternoons, etc. Children like and thrive on rituals, and family
traditions are wonderful memories to look back on.
5. Try making everyday activities, including chores, fun.
Make a game or contest out of chores, giving out stickers as rewards
or singing a song together while tidying up. Make it a point to have fun
together doing everyday things.
6. Set a couple of hours a month or quarter aside for each of your children to spend time alone with one parent.
Use this time to do something special together your child wants to do and indulge in some rare one-on-one time.
7. Walk it out.
Go for an afternoon family walk in the neighborhood or early evening
to see which homes are decorated for the holidays. Return home for hot
cocoa and cookies eaten at the dinner table.
8. Be positive!
Once a week, use dinner time to have every family member say one
positive thing about each family member. It can be as simple as, “I love
mom’s cooking” or, “Dad’s tie is cool,” or it can be more involved,
such as praising how a family member handled a certain situation. Saying
something nice teaches children to give and accept compliments and can
dissolve hostile environments creating more harmonious relationships.
9. Make it a tradition to involve your family in how they envision the next year for the family.
Have every family member come up with ideas of what they would like
to do together in 2012. Write all suggestions down and save them in a
specified spot, so you can find them easily. Next year, get last year’s
ideas out, review them and then come up with a new set for the new year.
10. Be more active together.
Spend a couple of hours once a month together doing an outdoor
activity – stroll through the city park, play soccer or basketball in
the yard, buy a badminton set, teach your children to play volleyball,
go sledding, drive to a lake or beach for swimming or walking, take a
family bike ride, find interesting places to go for a walk: the river
promenade, different parks, down main street, a historic neighborhood or
cemetery, a new subdivision, etc. If the weather doesn’t permit outdoor
activity, get a gym membership for the whole family and take everyone
along for workouts.
If you need help maintaining your home or certain areas of your home so you can spend more time with your family , you can always call Brite Touch Cleaning GA, now 1 678 752 1041 or fill out our price quote at www.britetouchcleaningga.com We could help you with one of our cleaning packages one time,weekly, Every 2, 3 or 4 weeks
 |
| Like us on Facebook |
 |
| Follow us on Twitter |
www.britetouchcleaningga.com
Call us today at 1 678 752 1041
If those
tips was useful let us know by leaving us a comment OR if you have any
more tips to add to spending quality time with your family please feel free to leave
it in our comment box.
12. Remove coffee and tea stains from china. Dip a damp cloth in baking soda and gently rub the stains away.
Keeping our home clean and healthy should not be a choice, it should be a
habit. As we all know keeping it simple and toxic free can be
beneficial to our health. 
Cutting board 
Hands
Tableware
Garbage Bins
Clothes
Grill grates should be removed before cleaning. Use a rags, wire grill brushes or steel wool for cleaning grill grates. For stubborn grease stains you might need some warm soapy water or oven cleaner. Before you set the grate back, coat it with a thin film of cooking oil. 
If you are a busy mom, professional, or just don’t have much time in
your life for repetitive house cleaning chores you might have considered hiring a full time
house cleaner. Or maybe you’ve never considered it. Read this article we
found that gives one family’s true account of what made them go this
direction and then decide for yourself.
