Find More Family Time
With hectic schedules of work, school and extracurricular activities, it's harder than ever to find time to spend with the people you love most. So resolve this year to put family togetherness higher on your priority list.
A cornerstone of family time is dinnertime, so set up a family dinner night for as many evenings as your schedule permits. Invite the kids into the kitchen to help chop vegetables, taste-test sauces, toss the salad and set the table. Once you've settled into the meal, encourage everyone to talk about their day — what went well, what didn't and their plans for the rest of the week.
Also consider:
  | Making a dinner jar. Have the kids write their favourite meals on slips of paper, and once or twice a week draw for a special dinner. |
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| Featuring an international dinner each month. Use it as an opportunity to learn how to prepare new foods and discover other cultures. Make your table setting reflect the country you're featuring. |
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| Creating a family cookbook that everyone can help make. Organize it traditionally, by food categories or by family member. Let each family member choose the content and prepare and decorate a section for a truly personalized touch. |
Whether you're giving to a charitable organization, a local nonprofit arts association or a civic group, being a donor is a great way to help out in your community and feel the satisfaction of knowing you've made a difference. Resolve this year to find an outlet to strengthen your bond with your community, whether it's local, national or global.
To start, set aside time with your family to discuss what you value most in your community, and how you can help. Would you like to donate to a local animal rescue organization? To a community theater or museum? Is there a national environmental or educational organization you would like to support? Discuss the options and decide as a group where you want to contribute. And remember, most donations are tax deductible.
Other ways to contribute:
| Volunteer to sit on the board of directors of a local historical society. |
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| Volunteer to read on-air for radio reading services for the blind, which you'll find in most cities. |
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| Join the parent-teacher association at your child's school, or volunteer to help out in the classroom. |
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| Get the family to pitch in to collect gently used books, toys and clothes to donate to a children's charity. |
Don't Forget Yourself
As Sarah Ban Breathnach wrote in her best seller "Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy," "only dreams give birth to change." Instead of making resolutions, she suggested, take time at the beginning of the new year to write down your most personal aspirations. What dreams have you set aside because of the demands of everyday life? This year, treat yourself to pursuing a goal that will enrich you personally, whether it's taking a pottery class, learning a new language or just committing yourself to a restorative hour's private time once a day.
