A few weeks ago I shared a campaign Leon’s Furniture created, called #ProjectSmartFurniture. Project Smart Furniture is an experiment to make people more aware of the time they spent together, so they could make the most of it! Moving forward, #ProjectSmartFurniture has made me re-think how much quality time our family actually spends together. To be completely honest, I do feel like my family does spend a lot of quality time together right now, and here’s why…

Both Jack and Max are under the age of 5, yes they love watching shows on the ipad, which Brent and I keep an eye on, but when dad get’s home around 5pm the boys are all over him! They wrestle, sword fight, build forts, play outdoors, you name it these boys are busy! I do think because they are on the younger side, distractions like iphones and texting, play stations and tv don’t consume them toooo much yet… Also, my boys from an early age have loved being outdoors, Jack more so than Max, but because these guys do everything together, Jack usually drags Max outside with him (even when a storm is a-brewing!), lol its pretty cute though.

I work part-time from home throughout the week while Jack is in school. Max is at home with me and I do find he watches a little bit of the ipad while I’m in work mode. However, Max is also much more independent and he is willing to play alone with his toys for hours, where as Jack is more social and needs company. When Jack is done school for the day, the boys are usually busy playing together or in the kitchen with me while I’m preparing supper until Dad gets home!

In time, I know our little family dynamic and quality time will change, the boys will have more friends, be into the digital world more and more and that’s when family time will begin to feel sparse. With that being said, I wanted to share a few ways we can all take advantage of quality family time!

10 Ways to Spend More Quality Time With Your Family

1. Cook + Eat Meals Together • My kids love cooking and making a mess while doing so, haha but I can’t complain. If cooking is going to strengthen their learning skills, I’m all for it! Plus the boys are more likely to eat their food knowing that they helped me cook it. Also eating and praying together as a family is something we do almost every night. We also enjoy chatting about our day, sharing stories and sometimes we have to focus Jack to be quiet so he can finish his food (he’s Mr. Chatterbox ’round here).

2. Reduce Off Screen Time • Set a scheduled time so that family members can have on-screen time. This also allows everyone to be on the same schedule making it easier to spend quality time together. The boys usually watch a show when Jack gets home from school, this allows for me to get a few extra things done or prepped before Brent gets home + the Jack is usually tired from a busy day at school.

3. Create New Traditions • Create new traditions by planning pizza night every Friday night where the kids help make pizza, followed by a family movie. We love pizza nights in this household! Also, Saturday breakfast with homemade egg, bacon and english muffin sammies are the specialty.

4. Join Extracurricular Activities • Get the kids involved in sports, this is a great way to get the kids to interact with others and be apart of a team. It’s also great for the whole family to watch and cheer on one another! Jack joined soccer last year, but this year we’ll be putting both boys in- we cannot wait!

5. Church on Sundays + A Day of Rest • On Sunday we go to church and we like to have a lazy day relaxing at home afterwards. Sometimes we have family or friends over. It’s also another great way to show routine and for our kids to learn about something we should all value and have faith in.

6. Do Household Chores Together • A great way to get the house cleaner, faster is if everyone helps out! Sometimes when I fold laundry the boys will help put it away. When we are all helping out, it definitely shows accomplishment and that we are all on the same page ;) ;)

7. Play Board Games • Our kids love playing board games, even if they don’t play the game right, they still love the idea of us all sitting around the table together. Plus its a great opportunity to make some hot chocolate and play on a cold day!

8. Vacation/ Weekend Getaways Together • Weekends are definitely busy around here but I think that’s because we are a go go goooo family. I usually like to leave the house on the weekend (especially if our house is clean, lol!) so we can come back home to a clean house. By planning day trips or vacations we are creating new memories together and those are priceless!

9. One-On-One Time • Do something special with each kid. I’m a firm believer that spending one-on-one time with each kids, helps to strengthen your relationship with them. It’s also great because they don’t feel the need to compete of attention and a wonderful opportunity to do something you know they love!

10. Go Outside • This is probably our number 1 thing to do in the warmer months! Our kids live and breathe the outdoors (even in the winter). They boys love getting wild with their imagination outside and the activities are endless! We love to turn on the sprinkler and run around, eat popsicles on the patio, pull weeds out of the garden, go for four-wheeler rides and etc. There is SO MUCH to that can be done together outside + fresh air makes everyone happier :) We are outdoors people :)

Now, do you ever keep track of how much time you and your loved ones spend together?!

#ProjectSmartFurniture has opened my eyes to something we may not realize affects us in North America… at the end of the day, we are all consumed by the digital world. If I could have it my way, I would love to live back in time before phones ever existed- life would seem so much less complicated. What do you think!?