Monday May 20, 2013
We seem to be having an early summer here in the Intermountain West. Â We have already had at least one day in the 90's, which is prompting many families to start to find ways to cool off. Â On that hottest day of the year so far, I saw a family in our neighborhood out in the front yard with a water volleyball game underway.
When the temperatures rise, getting wet playing family water games is something the kids will really enjoy. These five water games (including water volleyball) are fun for the family, as well as for other events like neighborhood parties and gatherings. They make great memories and help us cool off on those hot summer afternoons!
More Summer Activity Ideas:
Image courtesy of Digital Vision / Getty Images
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Friday May 17, 2013
I get asked a lot about work-life balance and I understand fully how hard it can be to find a comfortable balance between our work life, our home life and our personal life. There just never seem to be enough hours in a day or a week to do it all. And yet I think we all know intuitively that it is usually our families who suffer from our lack of time, or at least our lack of planning and prioritizing.
I recently read several articles, interviews and blog posts from successful CEO's and entrepreneurs who seem to have found several keys or principles that have helped them achieve better work-life balance. From Virgin Airlines' Richard Branson to Ryan Smith, a young entrepreneur and co-founder of Qualtrics, these committed dads and successful business leaders offer their advice to all of us who struggle with striking that important balance between employment, family and personal life.
More on work-life balance:
Photo of Richard Branson courtesy of Getty Images.
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Monday May 13, 2013
Our family has long been interested in genealogy, or finding our family ancestry. Maybe it is an innate desire to know more about our ancestors and their lives and times. Perhaps it is just curiosity. Or maybe we feel drawn in some way to those who make up our family line. In any case, genealogy can be a fun family pastime.
There are lots of resources at About.com and elsewhere to help your family get started with genealogy. I recently posted an article by Marissa Joansford on how to inspire our children to join with us in seeking out our family ancestry. In addition, Kimberly Powell, our About.com Guide to Genealogy, has a great article about teaching kids how to be "ancestor detectives."
The FamilySearch site, sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is one of the best free sites available for starting on your family research. You can start with basic information about a deceased relative and tap into the LDS Church's vast databases of vital records and see what you can find.
This family hobby can be a little addictive, but it is really fun and rewarding to learn more about your ancestors and where you fit into your family tree!
More on Genealogy from About.com
Image © 2002-2007 Kimberly Powell. Licensed to About.com.
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Saturday May 11, 2013
It is Mother's Day weekend, and it frequently happens that dads have a bunch to do with Mother's Day for their own moms and the mom of their children.
The mom in our home loves flowers and a special dinner and dessert for Mother's Day. And we are trying to find time the same day with our moms as our siblings are trying to do the same thing. And then our married kids need to have some time to connect with their mothers-in-law, so it gets pretty complicated. I'm not sure there are enough hours in one Sunday to make all this work!
But enough whining from me. I am anxious to help my kids do all that we need to in order to honor their mom, who is absolutely the best mother I know. So on with the big production on Sunday.
Speaking of Mother's Day, our About.com Guides have lots of information about Mother's Day and things dads and kids can do to make it a great day for Mom.
