After a lengthy stint on the road, you look forward to coming home again. You eagerly look forward to catching up with family and friends, relish quality time spent with your children and anticipate the potential minor household repair. With a little simple planning, big things can be accomplished in a small window of time. By making the most of your time at home, the little things can leave memorable impressions.
For those with young children, establish an activity, one thing that you will faithfully do together every single time you return home. It can be something as simple as going out for breakfast at a favorite restaurant on your first morning home. These outings not only provide an opportunity to catch up with your children, but this regular occurrence will be etched into their memories for life as they fondly recall this thing that Daddy always did with them every time he came home from a job.
Simple outings where the family can spend time together can always be new and exciting when you think outside the box. On a windy spring day, take the family to the shore and fly a kite with the kids, for example. This does not need to be a full day affair, yet it will provide a different and fun activity.
Quality time with your significant other can be easily achieved. Younger children retire to bed early, teenagers are usually eager for an evening outing with their peers. Little things can be relaxing yet memorable, such as a stroll through a village or along a boardwalk, a picnic lunch in the park or coffee and dessert at a favorite venue.
You want to catch up with your pals too. By encouraging family-friendly gatherings, such as a backyard barbecue, a ball game or a casual dinner out, you can enjoy the company of both family and friends. The kids will likely play together, leaving you some socializing time with the adults. You will not feel that you left your family behind to go catch up with your buddies.
You have just returned home to find that the kitchen faucet is in need of repair; or perhaps your wife would love to have a raised flowerbed constructed for the garden. You have always been a handy guy, so these little tasks have been put off in the hope that you might oblige. Make it a family affair, bring the family shopping for the necessary materials, enlist their help and make it all about having fun throughout the process. Whether helping your teenage son with an automotive repair or assisting your daughter in the construction of a science fair project, any tasks performed together become opportunities to share skills and conversations.
Other ideas for creating fun family activities include having a movie night, game night, pizza-making night or a holiday-inspired evening of fun such as selecting and decorating the Christmas tree together. Save precious time by making these plans together before you come home.
Remember to snap away; a picture tells a story. Your time at home may not be as plentiful as you might like, but pictures taken during all of these activities with your family and friends will tell the tale of how rich in quality that time spent at home really is.