Family Time on the Home Front

Family time. We get a lot of it around here. During "normal" times (meaning when Dan isn't in the middle of training his staff for the new school year) we spend a lot of time together. We eat breakfast and dinner together almost every day. After dinner and clean up we go for evening walks. On the weekends we try to plan fun things to do, even if that just means a trip to BJ's or Target. We enjoy our time as a family, and are making sure to soak up as much of it as possible before the kids get older and get into school and various activities.

All that family time is one of the reasons it's such a challenge when Dan is working constantly, like he is now. We aren't used to him leaving the house at 7:20 and not returning until long after the rest of us have gone to bed. It's hard on the kids not to see him, and it's hard on me. (And i'm not just saying that because he isn't here to help with dinner/baths/bedtime.)

The good thing about him being away so much these past three weeks is that we appreciate him so much more when we do get to see him. This past Saturday he was off work all day, which is typically unheard of this time of year.

When he first told me he was going to be home, we talked about having a fun family day. We could go here, or there, or here and there. But as it turned out, we stayed home all day. And it was one of the best family days we've ever had!

We ate all our meals together as a family. We hung around in our apartment and played with the kids. While they napped, Dan also napped. (Making up for the late night's of sleep.) We went for a lot of walks. We just enjoyed each other's company.

We proved to ourselves that we don't need to go anywhere and spend a lot of money to have good, wholesome family time. It's the being together that counts. And now we're all refreshed, and ready to tackle a new week of work!

*What are your favorite family activites? Do you prefer to stay home for your family time or leave  the house?

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