6 Simple Ways to Make Memories With Your Family

As moms we want to create special memories with our kids!  In our minds we have visions of our children thinking back on their child hood with memories of making great things in the kitchen, working on fancy crafts, and having great adventure in travels.  We are bombarded with pinterest worthy ideas, blog posts, and magazines and we can sometimes think if we are not super creative or have a lot of money to travel the world we are going to be somehow less of a mom.

It is a lie!

We do not have to do fancy crafts, take exotic trips, or make homemade feasts to be great moms! If one or more of these are your gifts that is amazing and embrace that with your children but if it not don't lose heart!  There are simple things you can do that can make wonderful memories.  I have the most amazing memories making ice cream floats with my mom or sitting out on my uncle's porch having great conversations!  Your kids care more about having relationships with you than they care about the actual project.

Here are 6 Simple ways to create memories that can last a lifetime!

Simple times in the kitchen – If you are not a great cook or baker or have very limited time but want to make memories in the kitchen with your kids I would encourage you to try the things that are just simple!  You can make hot chocolate, ice cream floats or sundaes or pop in the oven some pre-made cookies. Your kids will remember the time you spent with them more than what you make.

Pick simple crafts – Pinterest can often overwhelm us with amazing crafts that take half the day, however it also has many simple things you can do!  Make a bird feeder out of peanut butter or put together a simple scrapbook where you just pop in the pictures!  Try not to focus on the ones that overwhelm you and just find the simple.  I love the drawing books that teach you to draw step by step.  My daughter and I love doing those, of course she is way better at it then I am.

Family Nights – There are great family nights that you can do together that are really easy to put together.  We love board game,  movie nights, park days, and wii nights. These are simple but create a lot of conversation and bonding time.

Plan simple dates with your children – You can plan a simple date night with a child...  You can go get ice cream together and have a stroll at a park, take a drive or go to the movies.

Read together – Reading great books together can create wonderful memories.  You can find a great book series to start reading or a great audio book to listen to in the car.  We have made some wonderful memories reading books together, I have three teens and they still talk about the books we have read or listened to over the years.

Create Theme Nights - Now, I know this sounds complicated but it doesn't have to be!  Pick a theme and create things around it that go together.  An example would be if it was fall time, you could make caramel apples together and watch It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown or have a holiday or birthday theme.  These nights can stay simple and still create a lot of fun.  Don't get bogged down with the elaborate things you see online feeling like you have to do everything.  Pick a couple of favorites and do that!

Now a mom of all teens,  I'm here to tell you time will fly!  You will wish you had more time at the end of this parenting journey-I already do.  Savor the time you do have filling the memory banks of your children.

Every month on my site Together with Family we offer a monthly activities calendar decorated for the season for subscribers.  All of the activities are simple ways to connect with your children!  Hope you join us over there, we would love to have you visit!

Blessings,

Angela, Together with Family