2010 New Years Resolution: Quality Family Time and Five Ways to Achieve It

I have many resolutions this year. Weight loss, better grades in school, a more grateful attitude...the list is long.
By far, my most important resolution for 2010 is in regards to my family. I want to create more family memories. This can be tough, especially when both time and money are short.
I've thought long and hard about this, and have come up with five things I want to implement, to help me achieve this.

1) Family Meal-times: While we can't sit down together every night of the week, I plan to make it a point to cook and serve a family meal a minimum of four nights a week. I believe that this is an important time for parents and children to sit down, and do a little bonding.

2) Board Games: Another great memory maker, and bonding tool. While this can get frustrating when playing with pre-schoolers, it is my goal this year to focus on the fun. Rules were meant to be bent, especially when it comes to Candyland!

3) Family Outings: While this can be tough on a budget, I've decided that we are going to do more of these this year. It doesn't have to be big to be good. There are annual community events, right down the road, almost every season. Picnics at the park are something I'm looking forward to, and there are plenty of small local historical museums in our area. The local zoo, while not horribly impressive for us adults, still wows the little ones.

4) Movie Night: I'd like to incorporate one movie night a week. Secretly, I adore most movies aimed at young children. Luckily, so do the kids!

5) One-on-One time: While group time is so important in making a cohesive family unit, I also want to make sure we each give our kids some one-on-one time. Again, this doesn't have to be expensive. Going out for ice cream, or catching a movie at the budget theater are great. The important thing is the time spent together.

These are the steps I plan to take to improve our family time, and I invite you to join me in this resolution in the upcoming year!