Scheduling family time.

My husband and I are not perfect at this my any means. We struggle with balancing our family time, our work time and our alone time. It seems a bit contrived but I feel like our lives are so busy that we actually have to schedule this in advance or at least talk about it throughout the week. It is tricky cause if you don't talk about it and set it up, someone is usually disappointed in some way.

Just speaking for myself, I often think of the perfect way to spend a Saturday or Sunday. I have it in my head of a big family breakfast on Sunday morning, for example. Well, if I don't schedule it or at least mention it, my husband is bound to have something else set up. Usually a bike ride or outside activity gets in the way. I end up slightly disappointed but also don't want him to miss out on a bike ride. In most every case, nobody is wrong it is just a lack of communication.

What we are now trying to do is schedule full family time. Meaning the entire family does an activity. Whether it be the zoo or the park we try to make sure it is something we all do together. We are also trying to discuss ahead of time when we want to have dinner together and about what time. My husband is starting a business and our kids are so young that all of this happens around 5-6pm. That is pretty early so if you don't plan for it, it can be difficult to get home from work or commitments.

Don't get me wrong, we still do the spontaneous stuff. The other day, it was super warm out. I think the last real summer-like day. The kids got up from their nap and we decided to go swimming. The pool happens to be right near my husband's office so I grabbed his suit and called him on the way. He ended up joining us right as we were entering the pool. It was monumental as both kids decided to go down this huge slide all by themselves. Their faces were priceless.

I know that we will continue to have those great last minute moments but I don't want life to get so busy that it passes us by. Making sure that you have family time is very important. Not just for the kids but for the parents as well. Whether it be a Sunday breakfast, an afternoon stroll or a picnic at night, setting it as "family time" will make life easier and fun!