It’s bound to happen, there will be at least one day on vacation where the sun refuses to shine and the family will be trapped in the hotel room. If you’re lucky, the hotel has an indoor swimming pool where you can spend a few hours. But, swimming can’t last forever, so here are a few ways to keep everyone occupied.

1. The Once Upon a Time Game

This is a great way to see into the kids’ imaginations and get your imagination going as well! It works like this: you sit in a circle and start off the story with “One upon a time…” and finish the sentence with anything you like. For example, “Once upon a time there was a yellow frog name Jeff”. Then, you go around the circle and have each person add a sentence to the story. The only rules are that each person must say a complete sentence and no interrupting!

2. Dance Marathon

Dancing is one of the best ways to get all of that energy out and to teach them some of your killer dance moves: now cue the Beyoncé songs! You can make it feel like a party by turning off the lights and putting a flashlight app on your phone. The app uses your screen to turn your hotel room into a disco! Then, use Spotify to find a music playlist that everyone can enjoy!

3. Coloring

This may be an obvious one, but you can’t go wrong with some good ol’ fashioned coloring! Pick up fun coloring books or ask the kids to draw a picture of their favorite animal. Take this time for art lessons, you may not be a Picasso, but maybe you can draw a really good giraffe. Or, take out your tablet and check out YouTube videos like this one which teaches them how to draw an owl.

4.  Scavenger Hunt

If you’re stuck in the hotel, try making a scavenger hunt! Write down clues or riddles for the kids to figure out, then walk around with them as they find the hidden items. You can also just list items, such as find a man wearing a hat, look for a painting of a flower, etc. if riddles aren’t your thing!

5. Build a Fort

Our favorite thing to do, especially on rainy days, is build a fort with all of the pillows and sheets in the house and play pretend! Call down to room service for a few extra sheets and use hair ties and safety pins to keep everything together. You can even stand up the suitcases and us them to make a tunnel into the fort!

6.  Prep a Backup Plan

Use the concierge or websites like Trip Advisor to help find places to go that are nearby and keep you out of the rain. Check out local museums or catch a movie, and then grab some food from a place locals suggest! Also look into events happening at the local park district or mall-keep in mind, a lot of malls have indoor playgrounds for kids so after the event, they can go run around! You can even bring a few crafts of your own to make, Pinterest has a million simple, and not too messy, crafts for the kids to make.

7.  Go outside!

If it’s not too cold, head outside and splash around in the puddles. Make sure the kids are wearing clothes that you wouldn’t mind them getting mud on. Ask the hotel for a few extra can liners to put shoes and coats in so that they’re not dragging mud and water all over the hotel.

The post How to get through rainy days on vacation appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Now that the hot and heavy days of summer are mostly behind us, it’s time to enjoy the beauty and bevy of all that the fall season can offer. From bike rides and picking produce from a local farm to costumes, holiday cooking and trick or treating, there’s something for everyone to engage in! Halloween is quickly approaching, and soon it will be Thanksgiving Day. So before this season gives way to the cold of windy days of winter, let’s take a look at some family-friendly activities that will ensure this fall is a memorable one!

Pumpkin Picking

When you think of fall, you often think of pumpkins and pumpkin carving, right? Well the tradition of picking pumpkins is indeed nothing new. But these days, there are often more activities offered at pumpkin lots for families than your average pick-a-pumpkin-and-go event. Many pumpkin lots offer mazes and games for children to enjoy, as well as beverages, such as hot cider. Families can make a mini vacation out of the annual trip to the pumpkin lot!

Some lots, such as the popular pumpkin patch at the Cal Poly Pomona campus in Southern California, even offer a selection of assorted pumpkins to choose from, thereby turning a run-of-the-mill pumpkin patch experience into an educational—not to mention colorful—delight for the entire family!

Pumpkin Carving

Along with the sheer fun of choosing pumpkins with the family, many pumpkin patches also offer pumpkin carving on-site! Kids can partake in pumpkin carving activities where prizes are distributed and, after the festivities are over, the carved pumpkins can be brought home for festive fall decorations that can adorn both indoor and outdoor spaces.

Be sure to check your local community for all the different events taking place, such as pumpkin carving lessons, contests, cooking classes, etc.

Want an enjoyable activity for the family? Why not bring your pumpkins home and carve them together with the family? Put a movie in or turn on some spooky tunes, decorate the pumpkins and, for a real treat, roast the pumpkin seeds for a snack!

Apple Picking

Though the fall season is quite famous for and synonymous with pumpkin picking, apple picking is a rewarding excursion for the family as well! Many farms open their doors for the fall season and allow their produce to be picked right of the tree.

In addition to apple picking, many farms even have small petting zoos and hayrides as well.

For an educational take on apple picking, find a farm that offers tours of its grounds. Also, if you’re in the mood for more sweet treats, try finding a farm that serves warm apple pie right on its grounds. These delicious desserts can also be purchased for the road or to take home. Many farms also offer canning or recipes for the apples you’ve just picked! There’s also always sure to be a general store or small restaurant that offers hot apple cider—perhaps even hard cider for parents—and a menu full of warm seasonal food often arranged around … you guessed it! … apples.

Corn Mazes

In addition to pumpkin and apple picking, many farms offer such exciting activities as corn mazes. These mazes allow children and parents alike the opportunity of moving through tall stalks of corn in an effort to figure out how to get to the other side, with prizes often thrown in for friendly competition. Whether it’s a family activity or a birthday bash on a local farm, corn mazes allow for both fun and problem-solving on a variety of levels!

Keep in mind that most corn mazes are not stroller-friendly, so plan ahead if traveling with younger children. Also, mazes can often be tricky and, at times, frustrating, so smaller children should always be accompanied by older children and/or adults to ensure that their experience is a pleasant one.

Family Bike Rides 

One of the things I remember about fall while growing up were the family bike rides! The weather was cooler and the leaves were all changing, the streets blurring by in oranges and browns and yellows! A family bike ride in the fall is a wonderful way to spend some quality time together with the family all while getting in a bit of exercise.

In addition to bike rides, hiking and walking trails make for memorable and enjoyable experiences as well. These excursions allow families to collect fallen leaves and acorns or pine cones, to commune with nature and with each other all while conditioning the body.

Families can even turn a bike ride or hike into a mini family vacation! Bring along a packed lunch and a board game, for instance. Or books and playing cards. Have a picnic out in the crisp fall air and indulge in the beauty of the changing seasons!

Costume Decorating

When it comes to Halloween fun, part of the merriment is deciding what costume to wear! Why not make the most out of it by not only helping your child in choosing creative costumes, but in helping to decorate and accessorize the costume(s) for the occasion! With Marvel superheroes and Disney costumes as all-time favorites, why not join in on the fun. If standing out from the crowd is your child’s forte, why not help in creating an original costume from scratch (or from household items that can be put together to create a low-cost, entirely unique costume).

And with many local groups and organizations holding costume contests for different age groups, your child will be sure to not only be noticed for all of the hard work, but they will also be able to enjoy the fun of a community of individuals partaking in the spirit of a noteworthy pastime!

Trick or Treating

This is of course the single most important event of the season—getting a plethora of free candy! Though parents and dentists alike might not be so keen on Halloween evening’s sugary whirlwind of fun, it is, after all, the highlight of October and, for many, the season.

Many parents opt to accompany their children while out and about for the night. Be sure not to be too overbearing as your children interact with other kids and scurry about for their candy treasure!

There are many community events that cater to a safe and more organized from of trick or treating. Malls, for instance, offer one such reprieve from the door-to-door exercise of asking for candy. Many malls stay open and allow children to go from store to store to get candy, gifts and fun prize for creative costumes.

For parents looking for a “spook-less” type of fun that still includes candy, costumes and prizes for children, many local churches and religious institutions put on their own versions of Halloween festivities. These events allow children a safe and secure environment on say, the church ground. There are a variety of activities, contests, and themed events as well as pumpkin carving, trick or treating and other assorted activities.

Cooking Together 

This Thanksgiving, why not be thankful for all the helpful hands in the family by having the entire family help out in the kitchen. Though not every recipe allows for little ones to help out or even for more than one person to get involved, with the variety of dishes that can be made for the occasion, there’s sure to be some way to allow each and every member of the family to play a small part in making a Thanksgiving Day meal by cooking together and also making memories that will last a lifetime!

The post Family-Friendly Activities to Help Make the Most of the Fall Season appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

If your family is like the average family today, life revolves around demanding jobs, shuttling kids to school, homework, sports practice, dance class, volunteering, and more. Before you know it, life becomes a whirlwind of to-do lists and obligations. Yet within the craziness of life, we still need to carve out dedicated family time — time to slow down and bond. Going on vacation is a great way to reconnect, but for many families it’s not always feasible due to scheduling and finances. The good news is that quality family time does not have to mean packing suitcases, clearing a week from your calendar, or spending a lot of money. It can be pulled together with a few things from around the house or an afternoon trip near your home.

Here are 8 ideas for quality family time that will create a lifetime of memories:

Spring/Summer Family Fun.  Spring and summer are the perfect time to be outside.  Plan a bike trip or a hike and have a picnic at a local park.  Many local venues like the zoo or botanical gardens offer “free pass” days in the spring and summer.  Take the family to an amusement or water park to break up summer time dull drums.  Try going to local museums or historical points of interest.  If you live near a lake, or ocean pack up the volley ball net and go to the beach. 

Family Game & Movie Night.  When was the last time your family busted out Sorry, UNO or Candy Land?  Family game night is a lot of fun and is a totally “unplugged” activity.  Change it up a bit and swap out game night for family movie night. Pick a good family movie from Netflix, Redbox or introduce your kids to one of your favorites from youth. As a family, take turns picking the game or movie. Pop some popcorn, make ice cream sundaes or hot chocolate and snuggle up for a night in.

The Family Garden.  A family garden offers so many benefits. It brings the whole family together to accomplish a united goal and creates a project that lasts from spring to fall.  You’ll be surprised at how much your kids love to garden (what kid doesn’t love to play in the dirt?).  All you need is a small space in your yard, a few basic gardening tools, seeds, and water. Don’t worry, novices are encouraged — no green thumb is required! Not sure where to start? Sit down as a family to plan out the garden. Let each family member pick something they’d like to grow – and go to the library and do some online research together to figure out how and when to plant each item. Your kids will learn firsthand how their food is grown and you’ll probably notice them eating more fresh fruit and vegetables when they’ve had a part in growing them.  Seeing a garden go from seeds to harvest is a wonderful thing!

The Crafty Family.  Crafting can be a lot of fun for the whole family!  Get together and vote on a project.  If you need some inspiration, browse Pinterest for ideas. Give a piece of furniture a makeover with some paint and Modge Podge, use canvases to create art for the family room wall or work together to make handmade gifts for grandparents. You can also create a challenge by only using items from around the house or making robots or cars from items in the recycling bin. It doesn’t matter what you make, just work together to create something unique and having fun doing it.

The Family Olympics.  Got a WII or X-box Kinect? Maybe a ping pong table or Twister? It’s time for Family Olympics!  Organize several different games that family members can compete in from X-box bowling to charades. You can even create teams if your family is big enough. Invite another family over for a family vs. family competition or kids vs. parents. And don’t forget to take lots of pictures to document your Olympic achievements!

Cooking Up Family Memories.  The kitchen is typically the hub of the home, so organize a family dinner party. Put on some music, give everyone a job (younger children can wash vegetables and add ingredients to the bowl) and make cooking the meal a family event. You can put your own spin on dinner by choosing a theme such as “potluck” where everyone selects their own recipe and the family cooks it together or an “around the world” theme where you choose a country and make recipes from that country. Compiling recipes and making a family cookbook with photos of your family meals is also a wonderful gift to give to your children.

Welcome to Camp Family.  You don’t have to be a Boy Scout or have the outdoor survival skills of Bear Grylls to be a camper.  Camping can be a very basic adventure that your kids are guaranteed to enjoy. The best part is that it completely removes you from your typical day-to-day life. An overflowing laundry pile can’t beckon you as easily from the lake!  Find a state park or lake near your home. A camp spot is typically under $20. Borrow a tent or pick up a used one from Craigslist. Plan a couple of meals you can cook over the grill or campfire (like hot dogs, scrambled eggs, popcorn, etc.). Pack up your car with sleeping bags, flash lights, and bug spray. And don’t forget your best “back to nature” attitude.

Take a Family Staycation. Treat it like a real vacation. Make a big deal out of it! In fact, a short trip can be a lot less stressful for the whole family, especially younger children. Is there a place near your home you’ve always wanted to visit?  Or a historical spot with an opportunity for learning?  Or maybe book a night in a local hotel with a pool and enjoy a night away with the kids. It doesn’t have to be over-the-top, just a change of scenery with some fun and relaxation for everyone.

In the end, just remember it doesn’t really matter what activities you plan for your family as long as you’re making time for ‘togetherness’. You don’t need a lot of money or time away to have fun. The bills will wait, the laundry will get done eventually, and don’t forget to put down your iPhone. Take the time to have fun and enjoy your kids!

About Jennifer Chung

Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more.  Connect with Kinsights at https://kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).

The post Carving Out Quality Family Time appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

A fun and interesting take on intensive planning and going away for family vacations is something known as a “stay-cation,” where the traveling is all done to a destination such as your own backyard or even to a grandparent’s house for a night of fun and family togetherness. These types of vacations ensure that family time is still adhered to even with busy schedules, as well as catering to the travel bug that bites add odd times of the year. A “stay-cation” can turn any night or weekend evening into a cause for celebration. And the great thing is that they run on minimal planning and are very kid-friendly!

For those nights when the weather is wonderful and the sky is as beautiful as a painting, a great exercise is to have the family sleep outside in sleeping bags. This is such a fun experience for a variety of reasons (see a variety of sleeping bags here: http://www.rei.com/c/sleeping-bags-and-accessories). First, if your family has never gone camping before or stayed in sleeping bags, this fun, family-friendly exercise will help to prepare your family on sleeping outside in “nature” and in getting used to sleeping in the sleeping bags. 

Another great thing about camping in sleeping bags outside is that it can turn into a great educational lesson as well. When the night is clear and stars can be seen, you can even bring out a telescope and point out specific stars and constellations to your children. This would work well as a supplementary activity to any lesson your child is learning on astronomy or mythology. Your family can make a game of guessing what constellations and what stars can be seen through the microscope and which can be seen with the naked eye! Have your children name the stars or planets, and then see who can tell why the planet or star is named what it is. What is the history behind it? This will turn into a great educational game with little effort on your part of trying to hold the interest of your kids!

If the weather is not so great or if your family prefers, sleeping in a tent is also a great way to introduce the family to camping, as well as to just have fun in your own backyard! Again, you can go and visit grandparents and bring a tent or sleeping bags along and have a little mini vacation. Tens come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can accommodate a number of people from one to a group. To find out a bit more about the right tent for your family, visit REI to see what they have in store: http://www.rei.com/c/tents. Of course sleeping bags and family activities can be added to family tent time, so be sure to think of creative ways to get your family involved in this small, but necessary, amount of quality time, whether it is again referencing the stars outside and nature or answering movie trivia as well as pop culture trivia!

If the night is just too dark to see stars or too cold, you can be sure to snuggle up inside your tent and play family games. Another great tool is an LED light that simulates stars as well. There may be one that runs on just batteries that you can have in the tent. This way, the entire tent will be lit up with rotating stars. It will make for an adventure that your family is sure to remember for some time to come and continue to talk about!

The post Staycations: Family Vacations Right at Home appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Our lives feel busier than ever – cell phones, tablets and laptops can certainly help us be more efficient, but they can also make us feel like we need to be accessible to everyone all the time.  Kids are introduced to technology at a younger age than ever before.  Is technology a good thing or a bad thing when it comes to raising our kids?  Here are some tips to help parents find balance and set some boundaries around screen time.

Out of sight, out of mind. Having the TV in the family room can make the television feel like the center of your family activities. If possible, put the TV in a hutch and close the doors when not in use. If your space is limited, move it into your bedroom (or better yet, a spare bedroom) to help make TV time more structured. On weekends, the family can snuggle on the bed and watch a movie together.

Set a predetermined time for use of tablets or video games.  Rather than battling over it all day, set a time and duration for when your kids will know they can play – many tablets even allow parents to pre-program access time.  Consider setting play time before dinner for 30 minutes. It gives the kids a chance to unwind while you cook dinner.

Create off-limit times for all devices.  For example, have everyone turn in their cell phones before mealtime.  Use a dedicated drawer or box so that it becomes a habit for everyone to just drop their phone in before sitting down at the table.

Monthly unplugged day.  Every month, ask the family to take one day to “unplug”.  Have family members take turns planning activities for the day (go on a bike ride, a nature walk or visit a museum).  Be sure to actually schedule the day every month and assign someone to be in charge of setting the agenda.

Make learning fun.  Since you can control what games/apps are on a tablet, pick options that are interactive and educational – there are lots of fun options that also encourage math, reading, and/or spelling skills.  

Curb the snacks.  It’s easy to munch on snacks while watching a video without realizing how much (and how badly) you’ve eaten.  Try to avoid handing out empty calorie snacks while your kids are watching – a plate of fruit and low-fat cheese make a nice sweet and savory combo for kids.  And make sure you offset screen time with plenty of outdoor activities. 

Family game night.  Replace watching TV with a family game night.  Game night is also a great opportunity to invite neighbors and friends over with their kids for some healthy competition.  And it’s a great way to encourage good sportsmanship, team building, and cooperation. 

About Jennifer Chung:

Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more.  Connect with Kinsights at https://kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).

The post 7 Ways To Help Kids Unplug From Technology appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

It’s usually during the month of February when you start to feel those mid-winter blues; the kids start to go a little stir-crazy and you feel a case of cabin fever coming on fast. Well, I’m here to help you avoid the mid-winter blues and to embrace the remainder of winter – with your whole family.

Take a Vacation: Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about an expensive last-minute trip to Mexico (unless you want to go)! A simple road trip to a slightly warmer location and a stay in a hotel with a pool is all you likely need to feel rejuvenated enough to make it through the last month of winter. I suggest taking a weekend – or a long weekend if possible – and making a break for blue skies and sunshine. Your kids will enjoy frolicking in the pool and drinking smoothies while you relax under the sun.

Head to an Indoor Aquatic Center:  My kids and I have a blast at the local indoor aquatic center! It’s always warm inside the center, and swimming always reminds us of the upcoming spring and summer. Find an aquatic center that is child-friendly and includes features like: a shallow pool, a lazy river, water slides and more. Your kids will appreciate that the outing is kid-friendly and you’re guaranteed to smile and have fun splashing around by their sides as well.

Take Advantage of Winter Activities: Remind yourself that winter is nearing an end and take advantage of winter activities offered within your area. In most places, you can only sled, ski and ice skate for a few months of every year, so take advantage of the winter you’re having and get out there and play. There are lots of kid-friendly winter activities that adults enjoy, too.

Indoor Activities Are Fun: Yes, you’ve been indoors for far too long now (or so it would seem), but you’re likely stuck in a routine and have been enjoying lots of the same activities. Now is the time to branch out and try a new activity like: building an indoor fort, getting a craft kit and making something special, trying a science experiment at home, etc. Get creative and do something new indoors!

Beat those mid-winter blues with these mid-winter tips, ideas and activities.  

Have fun and happy parenting!

Sincerely,

Daddy Nickell

Robert Nickell, aka Daddy Nickell, father of 7, offers his “5 cents” worth of advice to expectant and new parents.  Daddy Nickell is the founder of Daddy & Co., delivery room duds and daddy gifts and apparel, and the Daddy & Co. blog where he covers topics about parenting all from a Dad’s perspective.

The post Avoid the Mid-Winter Blues appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Don’t you wish your child came with a manual? Parenting is an ever evolving game of trial and error. Adjusting your parenting style to work with your child’s bent is essential for positive parenting practices. That’s why I developed five positive parenting changes that allow me to focus on my relationship with my son vs. on all the other stuff that can often seem oh so important. Join me and commit to making a few positive adjustments to your parenting strategy like embracing the chaos and living in the moment.

Live in the moment: It’s easy to get caught up with the logistics of life (what’s for dinner, were swim lessons scheduled, where the heck are all of the kids’ socks?!) – These details are important, but try not to let them rule your life. As important as it is to unplug from technology every now and then, it’s equally important to make an effort to unplug from your “to do” list, and just enjoy unplanned, unproductive time with the family.

Embrace the chaos: Let’s face it life gets crazy. If you like an organized, structured life, you may find that embracing the chaos that comes with a busy schedule (crumbs all over the couch? let the dog clean it up!) a bit frazzling, but you just might discover that letting go of control helps you be a lighter, happier, more resilient parent.

Take a day: Do you ever feel like you just don’t have enough one-on-one time with your kids or your spouse? Set aside time to have dedicated days for your kids, your spouse, and for yourself on a regular basis to stay connected. Start small – maybe someone gets a dedicated day every other week, but plan to go “all in” for the day – take your kids to their favorite places, spend a romantic day with your husband, or treat yourself to a leisurely afternoon at the spa.

Give back together: One of the best lessons you can teach your children is the importance of giving back – volunteering together, as a family, is a great way to make this part of your routine. Rake a neighbor’s leaves, take treats to kids at the cancer ward or visit a nursing home. And it’s a wonderful way to connect with each other.

Creative play: New toys are always a temptation – are you always a quest to find the newest gizmo that will occupy and teach your kids for hours on end? Of course, rarely do toys delivery all they promise when it comes to keeping a child’s attention. This year, scale back on new toys, and focus on ways to encourage creative play with your kids. Plant tomatoes in the garden, make macaroni art by gluing macaroni to a piece of paper, or make mud pies in the backyard to foster family time and have fun together.

As families get busier and busier with added responsibilities and activities, it’s essential to take time to plan for together time. Kids don’t stay little long enough and we will miss out on those moments that make parenting magical if we don’t unplug once in a while and focus on the ones who mean the most to us.

About Jennifer Chung

Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more.  Connect with Kinsights at https://kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).

The post 5 Parenting Changes You Can Make This Year appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

There’s nothing better than smiling and laughing with the family, but it’s sometimes easier said than done. With seven kids of my own, I know it can be difficult to ensure everyone has fun everyday, so I’ve created a list of tips that’ll ensure families can have more fun together!

Laugh and Sing: Families can have more fun together by laughing and singing.  When it starts to get out of hand in the kitchen or the car, I often start making up words to tunes the kids are familiar with, all of sudden they start laughing and we get a change of pace. They find it very funny when I sing the wrong words to popular songs. Any time you can do something goofy to make your family laugh or smile – I say go for it! Don’t take yourself too seriously, and take advantage of every opportunity to smile.

Play More: We have more fun together as a family when my wife and I actively participate in playtime with the kids. We get down on the floor, ride bikes together, climb up the slide and go back down, etc.  If you want to have more fun as a family, participate and become part of the show, not just a parent watching on the sidelines. Your kids will love to see that you’re not afraid to get dirty or act silly, and you’ll all have lots of fun playing together.

Be Prepared: Families can have more fun by being prepared for anything and everything. Pack your diaper bag (or Daddy Diaper Pack) with essentials and extras – just in case. Determine how many diapers you’ll need for a specific number of hours then add two more.  Download the movie on the iPad that you can turn on when your child is approaching meltdown mode. Being prepared will allow families to have more fun together because there will be less to complain about (i.e., nobody will be chilly if you stay out after the sun goes down because you packed jackets in advance) and parents will have less to worry about.

Go with the Flow: Don’t get stressed when plans change – go with the flow and stay flexible. The journey through parenthood can be bumpy, and parents have to learn to accept sudden changes and make the most of them. If you get stressed about a change in plans, chances are your children will follow suit. If you remain calm and are determined to have fun with your family, however, they’ll likely act in the same manner.

I know it’s not always easy to be a parent, so take it day by day, remain calm, smile more and play a lot – you can do it!

Happy parenting!

Sincerely,

Daddy Nickell

The post Families Can Have More Fun appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

One of the first truisms that we learn from the very beginning of things is that history is in fact doomed to repeat itself. This concept is hammered into our conscious and subconscious time and again from grade school to the lackaday tasks of the adult workday. Every history book reminds us of this one concept that seems more like a universal law; every task that we forget to accomplish in our adult lives comes back to haunt us in some form or another as a reminder of this simple, yet seminal, fact.

And yet for some strange reason, for some major or minor flaw in our psyches, with all of the truck we have had with history, all of our past experience with remembering that history can and does in fact repeat itself, right at the beginning of every New Year we revert back to the seemingly well-intentioned process of making New Year resolutions. We resolve to complete a host of conceivably attainable tasks that, for the majority of us, will never manifest during the New Year – or even the next year for that matter. In actuality, our New Year’s resolutions end up morphing into a bucket list of items to be dealt with one day, at some other time.

What’s worse, when these resolutions don’t come to fruition, as they invariably never do, we beat ourselves up with guilt or make excuses, promising to do better the next time around.

To avoid the guilt and annoyance that often comes with realizing that a goal has already been compromised, abandoned altogether or never to be reached for reasons beyond our control, one realistic way of turning our resolutions for the New Year into action items that can actually be realized is to focus those resolutions on strengthening the quality time that we spend with our family and friends! 

This quality time, for example, can take the form of family travel, a pastime that has helped to bond families and friends together since time immemorial.

It sounds easy enough, right? It really does.

However, in this increasingly digital age where technology has made and continues to make it easier and more convenient to communicate – even globally – without even seeing each other face to face in a physical setting anymore, quality time has taken on a different meaning altogether.

And so it would be a wonderful resolution, then, to take a step back every now and then and put in the quality time of live, face-to-face social communication with a friend or loved one who happens to be there right in front of us, not chatting over the internet where we can still see their “virtual” faces, but with that friend or family member right there in front of us, a physical presence as opposed to a virtual one. Family travel will ensure that this quality time is indeed met by all members of the family. 

Yes, there are many road bumps to hinder this type of “old-fashioned” communication; simple and complex issues, such as busy work schedules, single parenting, friends and family in other states and overseas or even children and teenagers in our own homes who seem to never emerge from their rooms or abandon their computers except to eat and sleep, will always be a factor and have been sense before the internet made it so appealing to live virtual lives that are separate from our everyday lives.

Realistically speaking, however, a great resolution for the New Year would be to find the time to communicate with others sans technology, even if it is just for a few minutes a day. And one of the simplest ways to ensure that this resolution of spending more quality time with friends and loved is achieved is to include family travel as a part of your efforts to bond more with both family and friends! A road trip with friends or a short family vacation – a day trip or a weekend getaway – will go a long way in ensuring your quality-time resolutions are met!  

The great thing about travel is that the destination always changes and, with the right people, the journey can be just as great as – and at times better than – the destination itself!

Another benefit to family travel is the fact that your family will be creating unique and invaluable memories while traveling together. Every part of the journey holds the possibility for new adventures as well as finding out more fun facts about friends or loved ones. Also, all of the memories that are made on the trip will remain even after you have returned home and resumed your everyday tasks. You will have these wonderful memories to cherish with friends and loved ones for a lifetime, which is something that hardly manifests itself when making run-of-the-mill New Year resolutions.

The post Family Travel: Quality Time as a Realistic Resolution for the New Year appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Parenting is all about balance, and it can be quite difficult to feel as if you’re giving your children enough attention while also trying to balance work, life and good relationships. It’s all about finding the right balance and eliminating the dreaded feeling of guilt in relation to parenting. Remember: If you’re doing your very best, you’re doing it right.

Daddy guilt exists as much as mommy guilt does just in different ways.  I believe most dads think that they do not spend enough time with their kids.  However, as with most guilt it is really an internal process, and the kids themselves are likely quite content with the level of attention they are receiving.

I’ve put together my top tips for alleviating the feelings of daddy guilt and being more engaged, involved and connected – even if you don’t get as much time as you’d like with your kids.

When in Doubt, Play: After having 7 kids of my own and experiencing 50 plus years of life, I find I am a little less concerned about my guilt nowadays. If I feel even slightly remorseful, I push those feelings aside and simply sit down on the floor and start playing with my kids.  Together, we like activities such as: reading, building train track set ups, and just walking outside together to explore our surroundings. Building memories together, bonding and establishing a relationship is an important part of being a dad, and engaging in activities with your children whenever you have time will eliminate some of the daddy guilt you might be feeling from working too much or traveling.

Give Your Undivided Attention: For a working dad or mom, the key to avoiding guilt and building relationships is undivided attention.  When you have the time to be with your kids, do so, without the smart phone nearby and without any other distractions. Even fifteen minutes of undivided attention a day is better than an hour of being in the same room while distracted by a television, a computer or a phone.  Quality time is well spent sitting quietly, asking questions, and listening to your children. Your kids will show you what they need from you; they’ll lead you to their understanding of quality time, and you need to be ready to jump on that bandwagon.  Engage your children, make eye contact, and listen to what they’re saying. That is ten times stronger and more effective than force feeding activities or trying to simply entertain them.

Make the Phone Call: When your kids are grown and out of the house it’s important to connect with them, and that generally means logging onto Facebook, setting up a Skype call, sending them an email or making that phone call. Your goal is simple: check in, ensure they know you are thinking of them and give them your love. If you have little ones at home and your work demands you travel and are away from you family for long periods of time you’ll need to do the same types of things to stay involved and engaged. In our house we love Skype and FaceTime; it allows us to see each other face-to-face, check in, smile, and even play with toys or read a story together. Engaging in this type of activity – even when you’re far apart – will alleviate the feelings of guilt that might come with being away from your family for work.

Be Consistent: Be the man your family relies on and follow through – every time. If you work long days and are only home at night in time for baths and story time then be present, every single night, for those activities. If you work nights and only get to spend time with your children when they wake up in the morning then be present and make that time count. If weekends are the only time you get to connect with your children then be consistent during those times and be involved and engaged. Your kids will look forward to the time they get to spend with you, and when you consistently engage them you’ll be making memories and building relationships that will last a lifetime.

So my advice is really this: if Dad is feeling guilty, he should just jump in and spend time with his kids, whenever and however possible – it will benefit everyone involved. 

Sincerely,

Daddy Nickell

Robert Nickell, aka Daddy Nickell, father of 7, offers his “5 cents” worth of advice to expectant and new parents. Daddy Nickell is the founder of Daddyscrubs.com, delivery room duds and daddy gifts and apparel, and the DaddyScrubs blog where he covers topics about parenting all from a Dad’s perspective.

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