Have You Seen This Yet?

It's completely official.  FamilyFun Magazine has declared it so.  August 9th is FamilyFun Day.  What does that mean?  Well, it's now "officially" a day for you to go and make some memories with your family.  Not that you needed anyone to make it official or anything, but hey, it's a great excuse to gather the tribe under the banner of "family fun."

So, as a result of the whole shebang, I thought I would give you a couple of quick ideas to get the brain going for an amazing Saturday.  There really will be no excuse now for you to not do something.  First and foremost, FamilyFun is running a contest along with this new holiday, so be sure to check out the details here.  $100 to publish a picture of your family having fun?  I'll sign up for that one!  Secondly, you can check out their Celebrate FamilyFun Day Pinterest Board for a slew of activity/craft ideas.  Or, if you'd like to make it more about extended family and packing a genealogy punch into the planned festivities, please check out my Youth and Genealogy Pinterest Board.  There are lots of great ideas for taking family time one step further and making it really count for the generations, past and present.

If all of that seems to be just too much, how about keeping it simple?  I am all for that.  Your Saturday can be easily spent doing really simple but fun activities that will foster conversation and bonding.  Pull out the board games for starters.  There is nothing like a little friendly competition in the spirit of fun to get the kids to engage with you on a hot Summer afternoon.  Can't get the phones and tablets out of their hands?  Did you know most classic board game apps actually have a feature where you can play against each other over WiFi?  I kid you not.  Check that out if you get a chance.  After some friendly game playing, you may have worked up some appetites.  Of course a cookout will always be a hit.  Even if it is just hotdogs--stuff just tastes better if it's been grilled.  I'm sure there is probably some scientific evidence to back me up here somewhere.  However, any kind of baking or cooking, generally speaking, is a great way to bond.  Let the kids just get in the kitchen with you and mix up a masterpiece.  Especially if it's a favorite family dish or one with family connections tied to it.  The memories will be far sweeter than any treat you actually make.  You could bundle up the freshly made treats and go visit a relative that you haven't seen in a while and interview him or her for personal records.  Or what about giving that old treasure hunt a try?  A bike ride, a walk in the park, a phone call to a distant grandparent (or Skype... even better!), build an indoor fort, make a craft, read a book... anything.  Just take some time to set aside the errands and yard work this Saturday and just be together as a family.  Do something that will make memories and then record those memories for future generations to look over.  Trust me, you'll be so glad you did.

(This is not a sponsored post.  I just thought it was a fun idea to share.)