I have been considering different ways our family can have fun and enjoy each other in the coming year. Here are some of the ideas I have come up with:

Have a tea party each month with my children

• January~ A Tea to Celebrate New Beginnings
• February~A Valentine’s Day Tea
• March~An Easter Tea
• April~ A Spring Tea
• May~ A Mother’s Day Tea (invite the moms and sisters)
• June~A Birthday Tea (celebrate all the kids’ birthdays) and An Anniversary Tea (just the two of us)
• July~An Independence Day Tea
• August~ A Back to School Tea
• September~ An Autumn Tea
• October~A Chocolate Lover’s Tea
• November~A Thanksgiving Tea
• December~A Christmas Tea

Invite a family over for dinner or coffee and dessert once a month

Try to establish a read aloud time. We were very good about doing this when my oldest 2 were little. The past 5 years or so we have struggled with consistency in this area. I would really like to read through the Little House On the Prairie books, but I am concerned that my boys and Baby Girl would be bored stiff. I am going to have to get some book lists for boys and see what I can read that will keep them interested. A Dog Called Kitty was great and they paid attention the whole time!

Celebrate the holidays with our traditions. Make new traditions if needed. Last Valentine’s Day was our most memorable holiday of the year, imo. I am going to do the exact same thing this year and make it a tradition.

Simple things like making sure we all wear green on St. Patrick’s Day and planning ahead for the 4^th of July will make a big difference in our celebrations. I think it is good to celebrate as a family.

I would really love to observe a Preparation Day and a complete rest on the Lord’s Day. I think it is wise to rest one day a week, but it is oh-so-difficult to do!!

We all know that I am an over-achiever in the planning department and a slacker in the follow-through department. But I love coming up with ideas like these!

Tonight we ate 7-Layer Dip for dinner and now we are watching Ratatouille. I am going to try to stay up till midnight, but I am already getting sleepy.

Happy New Year!!