Family Interests

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

Here in a couple weeks our family is taking off for Vegas to go meet up with Curtis's family. We are super excited to see them since we haven't been able to see them as much since moving to Alaska. But one of the reasons that we are excited to be going down is because we are going to be there for Passover.

Curtis's brother-in-law is from a Jewish family and for the past several years his family has invited us to come celebrate Passover with them, but unfortunately we have never been able to go. But it just so happens that we are going to be there for it this year.

Curtis and I are not Jewish and don't know much about the traditions and customs so we decided that we wanted to make sure that we knew as much as we could before going to celebrate this holiday with them. We sat down and looked up the prayers, customs, food, and reasoning behind this holiday. Doing this got me thinking about the importance of this holiday for their family and how I wish that I had tried to get more informed sooner.

This Family Moment Monday is a challenge for everyone to try to educate themselves more on their family. Not just brothers and sisters, but in-laws and extended family. To take a special interest in someone and try to get closer and understand that person more. By doing this it will not only help you to bring your family closer, but how special do you think they are going to feel that you are taking a special interest in them, their lives, and what is important to them.

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Hula Hop Game

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

Having game night with the family is always fun, but having a family game night that will help tire the kids out before they go to bed.... priceless!!!

To have your family play Hula Hop all you will need is a hula hoop or something to make a circle. Get two players into the circle and standing on one leg. Players will then grab hands and start to hop. The goal is to get one player off balance or out of the circle by bumping with shoulders and such.

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Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Carcassonne

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY
Us Rappleyes are board game people... we love em! Curtis and I spent many of our nights, while dating, playing card games and Life (we were so cool :) ). Once we got married we started throwing in Sorry, Monopoly, and Scene It. And now... well... we are game snobs that party with the elite like Settlers of Catan, Bohnanza, and Spy Alley. We love finding games people haven't heard of, learning new ones, and introducing them to people.

Our latest fetish right now is Carcassonne and don't let it fool you that it is made by the Germans... cause I don't know about you, but when I think of Germans I don't usually think of a fun jovial bunch.... but apparently they sure do know their way around board games.

Carcassonne is a fairly simple game about farmers, monks, knights, and robbers. Players will take turns grabbing tiles of land and laying them down to build a valley. As you lay your tile down you also place people to do actions. There are farmers who feed the cities you build, monks that watch over the monasteries, knights that guard a city, and thieves that plunder the roads. Players will try to give their lands as many tiles and points as they can while also trying to block off and upset the other players fields as much as possible. This game definitely keeps you on your toes cause the board and situations change with ever turn.

This game is truly addictive and fun to play. We especially like it because it is just as fun two player as it is with a whole group. The game says it is best for children 7 and up and can be played two to five players. You can find Carcassone on Amazon.com for about $22 right now and it seems to usually go for about $30 most places.

What are some favorite family games that you play?

Family Moment Monday Reminder

This Monday will be the beginning of me posting again and we will be starting with a Family Moment Monday. I just wanted to let all you regulars know that we WILL be having F.M.M. for this coming Monday and for all you newbies out there, feel free to join and post on F.M.M.; feel free to write a post about family activities, games, movies, crafts, lessons, thoughts, or even parenting tips. Post ideas can be for all ages or even for certain age groups; activities for a whole family or something just for the kids.

So... over review! :)
What: Family Moment Monday
Who: Anyone who wants to post is invited and welcomed
When: Mr. Linky will be up to accept your links on Sunday evening at 6:00 PM Alaska time (that's 7 for Pacific, 8 Mountain, and... well you get idea)
Where: F.M.M is hosted here at Motherhood For Dummies
Why: Because there is never too many things we can do with our families

Fred Claus

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY
Well, last week I asked people for their family traditions during the holiday season so I could post them and help pass some along to other families, but unfortunately though....... there weren't enough. I was going to post the top 10, but so many people already had the same traditions that there were only about 3 to choose from. So, sorry that there weren't more to share, but hey... there is always next year. So, for this F.M.M. I am going to share something our family enjoyed.

Curtis and I Netflixed "Fred Claus" and I have to admit that we were pleasantly surprised. We thought that not only was it a nice Christmas movie, but very funny and cheery. "Fred Claus" is about the brother of Santa Claus; with poor Fred living in the shadow of his saintly brother Nick. Fred finds himself trying to forget the family he comes from and trying to make a name for himself. But soon Fred is needing a little bit of help and is forced to turned to his brother for it.

It was a cute movie and Vince Vaughn was pretty freakin' hysterical. Appropriate for most ages, rated PG and starring Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, and Kathy Bates.

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Christmas Traditions

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

When I think about Christmas one of the main things I think of is tradition. We have so many wonderful Christmas traditions that I look forward to every year. One of my favorite's is the Christmas nut. On Christmas morning my mom always made a great breakfast and somewhere in the main dish was a nut and who ever found the nut was declared the winner and got a special present.

So, for this F.M.M. I am wanting to hear about YOUR family traditions. Please leave a comment or e-mail me at motherhoodfordummies@hotmail.com with your fun family traditions. I am going to read through them all and I'll post my top 10 favorite, with a link, and a clip about your blog for the next Family Moment Monday.

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Christmas Lights

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

Well we have some decorations up and soon we will be getting a tree... we just need to figure out a time that we can go tromping off into the forest to get one. With most of our Christmas "to-dos" almost completed we still have one more festive decoration that needs handling...... dreaded Christmas lights.

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My poor husband hates them, truly, truly, hates Christmas lights. ME on the other hand LOOOOVES Christmas lights and wants to be "that" house on the block that decorates every nook and cranny to help give the holiday feel. But even though we are still trying to decided if WE want to do lights or not (I hope we do!) we will just have to enjoy the neighbors.... which brings me to a fun F.M.M.

Every year a few days before Christmas, my family would all pile into the car and would drive throughout Anchorage enjoying the Christmas lights. We would spend time singing Christmas carols, asking ridiculous questions "what if" questions, and sharing our favorite part about Christmas while we enjoyed the beautiful festive lights. It was a wonderful way to do something Christmasy without having to spend money, plus it gives you a chance to spend some time as a family away from all the phones and tvs.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

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p.s. If you live in Alaska the news paper, every year, has a map with a list of the top 25 decorated houses in Anchorage and they are always pretty good.

12 Days of Christmas

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY
With Christmas approaching fast (yea!!!) I have been getting in the Christmas spirit. Yes, yes... I am one of THOSE people...a festive caroler that will listen to Christmas music at the first sign of snow and as soon as those Thanksgiving plates are put away the Christmas decorations come out! So, to help celebrate the Christmas spirit I will be posting Christmas activities and fun family traditions.

Christmas is all about giving, but unfortunately some kids get too wrapped up in all the receiving to remember that. A wonderful way to help remind the children about the true spirit of the holidays is to do the 12 Days of Christmas. Gather your family together and you all can decide on a family they would like to help. If you don't know a family that is in need this holiday talk to your church leader, an HR rep at your work, or a counselor/principal at your child's school. These people will probably know a family in need. Once you have a family in mind, think of 12 gifts/surprises that you can secretly drop off every night for 12 nights.

Great gift ideas to drop off are baked treats, toys, books, gift cards, or Christmas decorations. Some great places to buy some inexpensive gifts or little knick-knacks is the dollar section of Target; they always have some fun kid books or stuffed animals. Michaels also has a great dollar section for kid note pads, markers, and stamps. Michaels also sells some fun kids crafts and plastic animals.

The gifts don't have to get lavish or even something you buy. Just something that shows a family that someone cares and is hoping that they have a great holiday. Plus this is a wonderful way to show your children, by example, what Christmas is about. They will enjoy the planning, the door bell ditching, and the secret they need to keep about who the presents are from.

Family Vacations

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY
Hello one and all. I am officially back and on the blogging market. I was really disappointed with my blogging-while-traveling ability, I just had a hard time sitting down and getting it done and when I did I was always trying to figure out the Spanish on the internet (Curtis's whole family speaks Spanish and some of their stuff is set on Spanish not English). But I am back and in time for Family Moment Monday and I have to say that all I could think about for F.M.M. was family vacations.

What a great way to spend time as a family. Dad is away from the office, mom isn't having to be distracted with cleaning, and siblings are around not at friends' houses and school. Family vacations are really the only time that a family can get away from the every day issues and just be.... a family.

Trips can be expensive and even hard to plan sometimes, but whether the dream is to head over seas or to simply go on a three day camp out, you will have your time together, which is more important than the location.

The best way to get yourself started is to pick an amount you can afford to spend/save for, then with that in mind pick a location, and step three is simply start saving. Even have the kids help out with the planning if you want and let them put in their two cents... metaphorically and literally, because it is their vacation too so it wouldn't be a bad idea to let your children understand that they can help with family things too.

P.S. Sorry I have been trying to post photos from the vacation, but I can't get Blogger to post.

Diversity Night

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY
Wow, airplanes and baby... I have figured out that they do NOT mix.... well... they don't mix well :) Thank goodness we have a nice pit stop in Vegas before continuing on to Chile, because Lucy was in need of a break... I should probably say that Curtis and I were in need of a break. With our vacation on my mind I thought a great idea for a family night could be a culture night and I don't mean which fork is the salad fork culture night, but a fun country/ethnic night.

Have your family vote on a culture or country that you all find interesting then devote a night to that. For example, lets say your family votes on Hawaii, then go and do some research... find some clothes, foods, games, or traditions that are common and do them.

It can be a serious activity for your family where the kids learn about different cultures and tradtions OR a fun silly night where the family dresses in Hawaiian shirts and grass skirts drinking out of coconuts and watching Lilo and Stitch. Either way it will be fun and either way you are together as a family.

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Nothing Like To Flu To Tell You Its Winter Time

Unfortunently my family has come down with the flu and I was up all night getting a good view of the inside of a toilet and now I am taking care of my sweet hubby who seems to be coming down with it. So, I wont be posting for own F.M.M., but I still will host it.... sorry and happy Family Moment Monday

Ring Hunt Game

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

I always love family games, especially those silly little fun ones. A nice sweet game that is age appropriate for most is Ring Hunt.

Someone is picked to be "it" and that person will stand in the middle of a circle of people. You will also need a long piece of string or yarn. Cut a piece long enough to make a large enough circle that the "it" person can stand in, before you tie it slide a ring onto the string, now tie. Lay the string circle on the ground and have the "it" be in the middle. Now with the other people in a circle around the "it" person, have "it" close their eyes and count to 10, all while having the other people passing the ring around and hiding it in your hands. Now the "it" person needs to find the ring, the player has three chances to find the ring. If the "it" person finds the ring, players switch places, but if they loose they have to keep going till they find it.

This game is fun especially with the little ones, plus it gives you a valid excuse as to why you need to buy more jewelry... right?!

Homemade Envelopes

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

Something I always loved making as a child was my own envelopes. I had a huge collection of them; some nature scenes from the Nation Geographic, some high fashion from women's magazines, and some cute cartoons from comic books. I just loved making them, plus now as a mom.... I love how cheap they are to make and a great way to go through magazines and get some more usage out of them.

But what is truly great about this activity, is that it also presents a great way for the family to sit down and write some letters to loved ones.

1. Simply go throughout your house and find magazines and such that you and your children can cut up.
2. Then get some envelopes and unglue/open them to make them fold out completely.
3. Trace the unglued envelope onto the page that you want your envelope to look like.
4. Cut then tape.

Then, after you children have made them you have the kids sit down and write a letter to grandma and grandpa. This is a great family activity for all ages and for everyone in the family. Loved ones always enjoy receiving mail, plus it is fun to make a silly envelope.

If you are wanting to make really beautiful envelopes you can use scrapbooking paper. If you want one with a more personal touch, then on your computer make a photo collage and print that out for your pattern.

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Real Families, Real Answers

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

Anyone of you who reads my blog knows how much I value family time. I truly believe that most of our problems can go away if we are strong and together as a family unit. When your family life is good, your WHOLE life is good. Work doesn't seem so hard, annoying neighbors don't seem to bother as much, and the little stresses of life start to show their true insignificance when you are happy in the home. I know I freak out and stress over silly things when I am not being the best wife and mom and Curtis even notices that his job drags on him more when we are having hard family times. Because of this I am constantly looking for more ideas, activities, crafts, lessons, and just nice thoughts about families that I can share with you all and by doing so, I ran across a GREAT website called... "Real Families, Real Answers".

This wonderful website is posted by the School of Family Life and Home and Social Sciences programs at Brigham Young University. It has some wonderful ideas on families and how to help maintain them. Covering areas of how to strengthen a marriage, family relations, protecting family time, handling/dealing with anger, how to become a better parent, and dealing with family finances. They even go into some more specific areas that a family may have to deal with including overcoming family tragedies and how to keep pornography out of the home. I find this very helpful especially in today's world where sex is everywhere. It isn't a question of whether your loved ones will see it, but a question of teaching them to be stronger than it.

If you are a single parent, a blended family, or parent of a teenager they have information molded especially for your needs and situation as well.

My favorite section that I have seen so far is "Protecting Family Time" . Here they focus on the fast paced world that we live in, where everyone from children to adults are over scheduled and pulled thin on time. They have suggestions and guidelines that can help our families become more connected and less stressed. If you would like some more information about the website and their publishers you can read more about what they do here.

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Blind Bell

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY
It's always fun to play games; board games, physical games.... mind... games? Well, maybe not so much mind games, but I did grow up loving kick-the-can, hide-n-go seek, capture the flag... and so much more.

One game that is a fun little one to play is Blind Bell. In Blind Bell all players, but one, are blindfolded and told to scatter. The one player who isn't blindfolded is given a bell to wear around their neck, with having this bell around the neck it is bound to make noise with most steps that player takes. The blindfolded players goal is to try and catch the bell wearing player, all while the bell wearer is constantly trying to stay out of their way and free. The player who catches the bell wearer wins.

This game is great for indoor and outdoors, which makes it fun all seasons round.

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Date Night

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY
There is a center for everything. Everything has a center, a focus, a stabilizing character you might say; for a family, that would the parents.

Us as parents are the very center and stabilizing characteristic for the family. Children ask us for permission, come to us for help, depend on us being there and much much more. We, as moms and dads, need to be a constant stable factor in their always changing world. Where, to them, their life is ruined if pretty Jennifer Stevensen gave them the stink eye in class and and said her shoes aren't from the real Miley Cyrus collection. Harsh... I know.

When children's lives can so easily be shaken with silly things it is necessary that the REAL things are stable. That is why constantly reconnecting with our spouses is such an importance. In today's world, school, dance classes, soccer tournaments, bake sales, and PTA meetings are slowly taking over our lives, it is easy to over look the person that we should be making the most time for.

I believe date nights are a huge part in successful families and marriage. Showing each other and the children that your marriage is important and that family time is worth making time for. Not only is it great for the children to see how committed we are to our own relationship, but it is great to get some time with each other. How easily the stresses of the day melt away when the two of us are eating and laughing over dinner. No matter how bad a movie may be, it is never a waste if I get to snuggle up with my husband during it. I also find that I am a better mother when I have had time to enjoy with Curtis; it helps me to remind myself that we are a team, connected, together.

So, in this world of Blackberries, schedules, meetings, committees, and everything else.... let us try to remember the orgin of the family.... the parents. Making sure to put an effort into spending time with the most important part, each other.

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Scene It DVD game

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

Finding a game that is great for all ages can be hard to do. With kids varying in ages and interests, it is tough to get them to agree on a game to even play sometimes. So, instead of fighting over whether the family is going to play Polly Princess Dress Up or fight for global domination in Risk, have your family try one of the "Scene It" games.

In "Scene It" players answer trivia questions about films or pop culture. The game comes with a DVD that shows clips, puzzles, word scrambles, and pictures that have to do with movies. Players must answer and move their pieces around the board to win. It is a simple enough game, but truly one that Curtis and I have enjoyed.

The original "Scene It" isn't really appropriate for younger children, because they probably won't know the movies, but the company has other "Scene It" editions that are appropriate for all ages. These ones include fun family themes of, Harry Potter - edition 1 & 2, Disney editions 1 & 2, Nickelodeon, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Disney Channel.

They are really as much fun, or even more, than the original "Scene It". Curtis and I have played the Harry Potter one many times with friends and with our nieces and nephews. It's fun to see how they have made each edition themed with the game. For example, in the Harry Potter one, you can play as Hedwig, the Sorting Hat, Hogwarts Express, or the Snitch. You can win House Points for your team and answer muggle facts. It is really fun to see the creativity that is put into each game.

You can find the games at most places like Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, or anywhere on-line and they cost anywhere from $14.00 to $34.00. That can depend on what edition you get to where you buy it from. Amazon.com is a great place to purchase them for a good price normally. I would suggests the Harry Potter, Disney , or Scene It Jr. edition if there are children playing. To check out a list of all their editions, check here, they have them listed for their age suggestions.

How to Tie Dye

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY
What kid doesn't love making a good ol' fashion tie-dye t-shirt? Even though they may not be the fashion icon of the year, you have to admit that they are still entertaining to make. All you need is...

Shirts, onesies, aprons, boxers, or sleeper (anything 100% cotton to dye)
Fabric Dye
Rubber Bands
Salt

1. First make sure that surfaces and children are covered or you will get a matching dinning room for your shirts.
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2. Fill tubs and mix the fabric dye according to the instructions on the box (you can find fabric dye at most craft stores) . Add a cup of salt to help enhance the color of the dye. Shhh... that's a secret :)
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3. Take the rubber bands and start twisting and tying off ends and pieces of the shirt in a fun funky pattern. You can even draw out patterns as a guide on your shirts with colored chalk, because it will wash off in the dye. I have some links for tie dying patterns here, if you are looking for Bulls-Eye, the V-Neck, Spiral, or Stripes.

4. Dip your shirt first in hot water then really wring it out. Now you can soak it in the dye tub. Make sure to move it around a lot to get all sides of the shirt. It can take 10-30 mins, totally depends on how groovy of a color you are going for.

5. When you have the color or colors that you want on your shirt, rinse it under warm water and gradually turn the water cooler and cooler. Do this until the water starts to rinse clear.

6. Wear and enjoy as the hip chic family that you are.... all you need is a yellow submarine now. Also make sure that when you wash them for the first time, wash them alone in warm water, rinse in cold, then dry.

If you want to make this whole funk-a-delish processes as easy as possible you can find Tie Dying Kits at Joanns or Target for around $10.00. So go crazy, have some fun, and spread the looove. Get the family together and make some matching tie-dye shirts. They can be some fun PJ shirts, shirts to wear on camping trips together, or your special family night shirts when you all get together and play games. Whether you wear them or not, they will be fun to make and a memory to remember.

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Ticket To Ride

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

Need to teach your child how to build a railroad stretching from California to New York? WAIT... no, you don't? Well, then.... you need to to play the game Ticket To Ride and then you'll think other wise.

Ticket To Ride is a wonderfully fun and easy game where players are trying to travel to as many cities as possible, all along trying to complete destination goals where players connect/build a railroad between two cities.

The game can be played by 2 - 5 players and recommended for ages 8 and up, but I think that some younger children could play it. Besides being playing Ticket To Ride for just the pure pleasure of it, it is a nice way to have the children learn cities, color and strategy.

It has won the Orgins Award for Best Board Game of 2004, Diane Jones Award in 2005, the International Gamers Award in 2005, and several others. I definitely cho cho choooose this game (insert chorny laugh here). You can get in online anywhere from $25.00 to $39.00

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.

Extended Family

FAMILY MOMENT MONDAY

Everyday we spent time with our family. We wake up with them, come home to them, spend our evenings with them; but even with all of that so called "family time" that we have everyday, we are still missing another important type of family bonding.... the extended family time.

Families start usually with a mom and dad. Soon they have their first bouncing baby and later more follow. Those babies grow up and go to college, get married, and have babies of their own. No matter where you fall in your family, as the parent, child, in-law, or grand child, you are still part of a larger family and need to remember that and make time for it.

It is important to invite the grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins over more; to have play dates, movie nights, or even just a crafting parties. It doesn't have to be a party or holiday every time the whole family gets together, heck it doesn't even need to be everyone. Cause I don't know about you, but it is a mad house when we all get together. So, if you are like me and find holidays are a mad house, then just invite the ladies over, have a few cousins over for a play date, or ask the grandparents over for dessert. Grandparents are always looking for an excuse to come over and love on their grandbabies.

Our children need uncles and aunts to make them laugh, cousins to be friends with, and grandparents to spoil them. So have a game night with your brother's family, or invite your sister-in-law over for a movie, or go on a double with with your brother and his wife, because when we spend time with our family it is always time well spent.

Please remember to add your link only if you are participating in Family Moment Monday. Family Moment Monday consists of people who are sharing crafts, activities, lessons, ideas, service projects or anything else that you can learn/do/enjoy as a family in your post. Please remember to link back to Motherhood For Dummies, so others can learn about F.M.M. and participate too.