Tag Archive for laugh

What I Learned at Family Camp, 2015

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My family and I just returned from our annual trip to Family Camp at Camp Christian. Once again, Jim and Terry Jones organized a wonderful weekend of relaxation, fun, and worship. We enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and making new friends. This year, Tim Jones was our speaker. Tim and his wife, Lisa, minister through “Windows of Hope” with BLOC ministries in the inner city of Cincinnati. They are passionate, loving people with a great sense of humor and a deep love for Christ. Tim encouraged us to do several things to strengthen our families.

  • familysunheartHe encouraged us to “Be Real” in our homes. No one’s life is perfect. We all have our ups and downs. We grow closer, more intimate, and even stronger when we do not hide those ups and downs from one another but use them as opportunities to connect instead. It may feel vulnerable to “open up”, “get real,” and share our deepest emotions, but it will give your family an intimacy and strength you will never know otherwise.
  • Tim also asked the question, “What’s The Big Deal?” In this workshop, Tim shared the impact of sin in the lives of individuals and families. Every sinful action is connected to wires that “blow up” a series of consequences that can kill relationships and destroy lives. We may ask, “What’s the big deal?” but the consequences are deadly! In response, Tim encouraged us to live a life of faithfulness and integrity in our families, a life to protect them from the deadly consequences wired to sinful behaviors.
  • We also learned about “God’s Secret Weapon” (one of my favorite lessons, I might add). God has a “not-so-secret” weapon He has given to us, a weapon we can use to touch other people’s lives inside and outside our families. This weapon is “God’s favorite move” and has become one of mine as well. It brings release of pain and breaks the powers of loneliness. It breaks down walls and overcomes barriers. What is God’s favorite move, the secret weapon He has given to us? Kindness. One way to show kindness is through the open arms that welcome one another into the grasp of a loving hug! I think I’ll give a few extra oxytocin hugs (read 3-2-1 Release to learn about this “move”) today to celebrate “God’s favorite move.”
  • Finally, Tim reminded us that we have a “built in, self-activating, guilt free, God ordained party package”…and we need to use it to Celebrate family and life every day! Celebrate family and life by sharing activities like singing, dancing, laughing, and playing. After all, life is a gift. Family is a gift. Friendship is a gift. Every breath we take is a gift. Celebrate! If you have trouble coming up with ideas to celebrate family, try some of the ideas on the “Celebrate Page” of the Honor Grace Celebrate website.
  • One other thing, unrelated to the worship times, that I always find inspiring at family camp. Every year we have a talent show. People from preschoolers to adults share their talent. And, we truly witness some amazing talent at Camp Christian. Many times we experience the joy of watching this talent mature and grow as children grow up. Most of all though, I love that the talent show is fun and encouraging. The audience encourages each and every person who shares. There is a real sense of love and encouragement permeating the talent show. No competition. No ridicule. Just fun, love, and encouragement…a real celebration of the life and talent God has given.

Well, that’s what I learned at family camp this year. We had a great time. Thank you Jim and Terri for organizing another great weekend. We look forward to next year. Will you join us?

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An Instrumental Family Fun Night

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cat musicWhen I was in my early teens I made a washtub bass out of a washtub and a broom. I thought it was cool…and it worked. My parents, on the other hand, were less impressed and rather upset that I drilled a hole in the bottom of their washtub and cut the bristles off their broom. They still “remind me” about this incident now and again. In college, my friend taught me how to make an instrument out of a straw, later named a “strawboe” in my family. I loved it; Pizza Hut, on the other hand, did not. Still, these musical escapades were fun and educational. In fact, I still enjoy exploring unusual ways to make music…and I’ve learned to include my family in this fun adventure. You, too, can have a fun family night making instruments at home for your own little “band.” Think about it. You can make percussion instruments of various sizes and types ranging from garbage can drums to coffee can drums to cup drums. (How Wee Learn shares how to make these drums and 39 other creative instruments) You can also add maracas and didgeridoos (click here for instructions) to the mix. Add a few melodic instruments into the mix with the “strawboe” (click here for instructions), the tube bapgipe (click here for instructions), the water glass xylophone (click here for instructions), and, for the extra adventurous, the carrot clarinet (click here for instructions). You can find many more musical instrument ideas on the internet. Check them out. Make all the instruments you want. Serenade one another as a family. You might even march in your own parade to share your musical prowess with your neighbors.  No matter how you share your musical adventures, remember to have fun with your family on this instrumental family fun night.

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12 Inexpensive & Fun Family Summer Ideas

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The countdown to summer is coming to an end. School will soon “let out” and summer will begin. Do you have any fun family summer plans? I often find it difficult to come up with summer ideas due to financial constraints and time limitations. If you find yourself with the same struggle, try a couple of these ideas.

  • African American Family Parents and ChildrenVisit a local amusement park or water park.
  • The pools and beaches are opened. Go swimming.
  • Take a hike through the woods, in the mountains, along the lake…wherever you find the most enjoyment.
  • Turn on the sprinkler in your back yard, don some shorts, and run through the water. This is a great way to cool off on a hot day without even leaving home.
  • Fly a kite. (Check out A Family Activity that Does All That for more about the benefits and joys of kite flying).
  • Attend an outdoor concert in the park. In Pittsburgh, you might enjoy a concert in Katz Plaza, one of the local county parks, or on the Point (especially during the Arts Festival). Do a little research on the internet and you will find plenty of free, outdoor concerts to attend.
  • Enjoy a picnic or cookout with your family. You might picnic in your back yard or take it to a local park. You can eat hamburgers and hot dogs or grill fish and steak. Whatever your preference, be sure to enjoy your time together. And, don’t forget the s’mores.
  • Enjoy some bird watching. We have a growing number of hawks that I enjoy watching in our area. You can also find eagles’ nests in several places now. Or, simply put a bird feeder in your back yard and enjoy watching the sparrows, blue birds, cardinals, and finches come to eat. You can also put up a hummingbird feeder and watch the hummingbirds buzz in and out to grab a snack. All the birds are amazing to watch.
  • Do some back yard camping. Set up a tent in your back yard and spend the night. Throw in some stargazing while you’re out there.
  • Watch an outdoor movie or two. Several local parks schedule “movies in the park.” It’s free and fun. So, pack up your snack and head to the park on a cool night to watch a movie.
  • Catching fireflies is always a fun activity for the family. Get a jar and poke some “breathing holes” in the lid. Put your fireflies in the jar and watch them light up. Let them go before daybreak so you can catch them another time.
  • Go for a family bike ride. Hit the Rails to Trails for a great time riding together. Enjoy the beautiful scenery while you enjoy your ride. Be sure to pack plenty of water and some snacks. If you really want to splurge, stop for ice cream on the way home.
  • Most important, have fun with your family this summer!

 

What ideas do you have for fun family activities?

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The Family That Laughs Together…

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My family loves to laugh. Just last Friday we were walking back to the car after eating dinner at a local fish fry when my daughter said something that struck her older sister’s happy brother and sister laughing isolated on the whitefunny bone. She started laughing. She laughed so hard we had to stop walking to allow her to wipe tears of laughter from her face. Several weeks ago we were enjoying a little jovial banter around the dinner table when something struck my wife as funny. She started to laugh. My oldest daughter caught the “bug” and joined the “laughter contagion.” My youngest daughter and I looked at each other before sitting back with a chuckle to watch them roll around and cry in laughter. (PS—this happens a lot at our house…my youngest daughter and I actually instigate it when we can). And, we love it. I love to see my family laugh. I love to laugh with them.

  • Laughing together creates wonderful memories filled with unconditional acceptance. Laughter within a family indicates a feeling of acceptance, a sense that one is safe enough to “let go” and laugh. Laughing together bonds us together, increasing “group cohesion.” Who doesn’t want to belong to a family filled with memories of warm acceptance experienced in laughter?
  • Laughing together replaces fear and shame with togetherness, hope and well-being. It reframes fear into moments of acceptance and events that we can manage and resolve, even laugh at. It releases shame and replaces it with the knowledge that we are accepted in spite of our shortcomings, mishaps, and failures. Laughter also increases hope, self-esteem, and well-being.
  • Laughing together builds a sense of safety for everyone present. If we can laugh together, we can approach one another with humor and resolve differences together as well. After all, laughter enhances problem-solving ability, creativity, and perspective. We can all feel safer knowing we approach differences with the creativity and perspective provided by a good sense of humor and laughter.
  • Laughing together is contagious. One person with a genuine laugh will bring at least a smile to the face of each person present. As that smile turns to laughter, our lives become entwined in the joy of the moment. We become more intimate as moments of laughter release the frustrations, tensions, and even anger that separate us.

 

A family that laughs together stays together. So look for those moments when you might share a good laugh with your family…and let it out. Laugh it up…together. (If you have trouble finding something to laugh about, watch this video with your family.)

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Family Fun Without the Box Office Expense

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I love to go to the movies and the theater. But, it can be expensive to take the whole family to the movies today. Maybe you have had the same thought and would like to have a family theatrical experience without the box office expense once in a while. Like me, you may be mask dramalooking for a way to have fun at family gatherings, allow your kids to use their creativity and technological skill while involving the whole family in one activity…and avoid the box office expense. If so, here is a great idea: put on a play! You may think this sounds a little crazy, but it can really be a lot of fun. Everyone in the family can participate in the play or a few can perform while everyone else participates as the audience. In our family the children often put on the play and the adults participate as audience members. You may choose to do it this way, too. If you do, encourage your children, applaud, laugh, and acknowledge their hard work. But remember, adults can put on a play as well.  I remember participating in several intergenerational plays when I was a kid, particularly funny ones. Your play can be serious (we saw children put on a play focusing on the resurrection just before our Easter dinner) or humorous (like this men’s skit). You can make it a musical or keep it a straight up play. Part of the joy of putting on a play is the preparation.You get to pick a theme everyone can enjoy, write the lines, and practice (well, at least a little) before the actual performance. Each step involves time spent together, laughter, discussion, sharing of ideas, cooperation, and fun. Then, during the performance everyone offers encouragement and applause, laughter and “call outs.” Of course it’s a good idea to recruit one of the children to record the performance so you can post it on YouTube or FaceBook (just to share the fun with others). So, why spend the money to take your family to the theatre for a fun night (although this can be fun, too) when you can stage the next box office hit right in your own living room, written by your own creative geniuses and performed by the upcoming stars in your family? Have fun!

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Exercise Your Way to a Happy Family

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A survey based on ten everyday habits shown to increase happiness revealed the frequency with which people practiced the various habits. Acceptance, although one of the Roller skateshabits most strongly linked to happiness, was practiced least. (You can learn the 10 habits of happiness and 5 ways to practice acceptance to promote happiness in your family at Habits for a Happy Family.)  Exercise is another habit shown to promote happiness. You could say “a happy family is an active family.”

  • Exercise helps transform a bad mood into a good mood. One group of researchers even reviewed 39 studies involving 2,326 people to discover exercise provides moderate relief from depression.
  • In another study, Baron found people who maintained an exercise program for sixteen weeks slept better than those who did not exercise. A good night’s sleep promotes happiness. (My children will vouch for that!)
  • Exercise is fun, too…once you get started. Research suggests people enjoy exercising more than they predicted.

Overall, exercise promotes happiness. If you want to increase family happiness through exercise, make it part of your family lifestyle. Get active. Here are four tips to help make exercise part of your family’s happiness.

  1. Make it fun. Find an activity your whole family can enjoy. If you don’t like to run, don’t do it. Try hiking, biking, swimming, tennis, yoga…. The point is to find an activity your whole family can enjoy together.
  2. Encourage one another. Family activity and exercise is not about winning. It is not an opportunity to demean or belittle. You will likely enjoy some level of competition in your family exercise. Use that competition to teach good sportsmanship. Teach your family how to win graciously and lose in a dignified manner. Begin teaching good sportsmanship by modeling it.
  3. Model an active lifestyle. Let your family see you exercise and move. Talk about things you learn through exercise. Let them know how exercises impact your daily life and mood.
  4. Have fun. Did I say that already? Let me mention it again. Have fun. Exercising as a family can be a great time. Enjoy one another’s company. Celebrate one another’s victories, great and small. Encourage and support one another during the activity. Then sit down and reminisce about the game. Talk about the greatest play of the game, the climb’s greatest challenge, or the most creative shot. Laugh about the lucky goal or the awkward slip. Have fun!

 

Now get out there and exercise. You will feel better. Your family will feel better. And everyone will be happier because a family that exercises together is a happy family.

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A New Christmas Tradition

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African American father and mixed race son making Christmas cardsWhether we are savoring a slice of homemade cheesecake or the accomplishment of a life-long dream, we enjoy it to the fullest. When we savor something, we take the time to relish in the moment, get lost in the experience, and mindfully focus on every joyful sensation. I want to encourage you to have that same enjoyment by savoring your family this Christmas. Savoring your family builds intimacy. It establishes a family environment of safety and security. It creates joyful memories that will last a lifetime. How can you savor your family? Let me share four ways.

  1. Laugh together. You can laugh at funny stories, jokes, or even TV shows. Whatever you choose, find ways to share laughter. I don’t mean just a little chuckle now and again. Share belly busting, rip roaring, roll on the ground, bring tears to your eyes laughter. Let the laughter bring down the defenses and draw you into one another’s joy.
  2. Acknowledge your pleasure. Give voice to how much you are enjoying the family experience or activity. Talk about it. Tell your family how much fun you are having with them in the moment. Let them know how much you value your time spent with them.
  3. While you acknowledge your pleasure, label any positive emotions you experience and share them with your family. Happiness, joy, peace, calm, delight, elation, glee…name them all. If you find something beautiful, exciting, hopeful, or lovely, go ahead and state it for all to hear. Pleasure increases and positive emotions grow when we verbally share them with others.
  4. Take some pictures. Pictures keep the moment alive. After all is said and done, you can review the pictures and relive the joy. You can even put a few pictures on the fridge where everyone can see them. Every time you look at the pictures you can savor the moment of remembered joy…and repeat steps one through three for even more savoring!

 

Savoring family builds intimacy and establishes a family environment of joy. It builds a deeper sense of safety and security. It creates joyful memories that we will cherish throughout our life. These four ideas can get your started. Why not start today? The Christmas season presents an excellent time to build a tradition of savoring your family.

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Family Fun Night is for the Birds

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Yellow Billed HornbillSome people believe “this Family Fun Night stuff” is for the birds. Well…I agree. It’s a great idea. Head out to your local aviary and share a Family Fun Night with the birds. Now I know this may sound like a bird-brained idea, but you only need to check out your local aviary to see how much fun you can have with this flight of fancy. The National Aviary in Pittsburgh, PA (my hometown, btw) is celebrating “Owl-O-Ween” on October 18 and 25. Every day, you can watch the birds get fed…and, even participate in feeding them. To satisfy your artistic flair, you might pick your favorite colors for the penguins to use in creating an artistic masterpiece…and take the picture home! You can also celebrate your child’s birthday (“bird-day”) at the Aviary. To add soaring heights of fun to your flight, listen to “The Birds” as you migrate to and from the Aviary. Would it be too much to devour chicken sandwiches for lunch beforehand? Better not, stick with a burger. (My apology to the cows.) At any rate, Family Fun Night is now for the birds…and the ornithologist (bird-lover) in your family. Fly on over to the Aviary to see the unusual, the colorful, the graceful, and the bizarre (hey, that sounds like my family…I’m just saying!) and discover how a great Family Fun Night is for the birds.

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Arghh Matey, Send Your Family on a Treasure Hunt

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Pirates always seem to have fun in the movies. They search for treasure and share fun times together. (I realize the realism of the movies may be somewhat lacking, but we want families happy pirate familyto have fun not suffer scurvy or malaria.) This family fun night will allow your family to “sail the high seas” of adventure in search of the greatest family treasure of all—fun times together. Although this activity involves some planning, it will prove very “rewarding” in the end (I mean you get a treasure…how much more rewarding can it get?)! Here is what you do, step by step.

  1. Think of a simple activity your family enjoys. It can be anything from swimming, getting ice cream, having a campfire, or meeting friends at the park.

 

  1. Find a picture of that activity. Laminate the picture and cut it into pieces to form a puzzle.

 

  1. Think of different hiding places for each piece of the puzzle. You can hide the puzzle pieces in your own back yard or, to create a bigger adventure, hide them around your neighborhood or in a shopping center. (Do not hide the puzzle pieces yet. Read steps four and five before you actually hide the pieces of the puzzle.)

 

  1. Write a clue, on a plain piece of paper, leading to the place you plan to hide the first piece of the puzzle. Then write a clue leading from the first piece of the puzzle to the second, from the second puzzle piece to the third, and so on. When you have a clue leading to each piece of the puzzle, move on to step five.

 

  1. Hide the puzzle pieces. Keep the clue to the first puzzle piece wherever you plan to start the treasure hunt. Hide the other clues with the puzzle pieces. The second puzzle piece will be hidden with the clue to the third puzzle piece. The third puzzle piece will be hidden with the clue to the fourth puzzle piece and so on. Each puzzle piece will have a clue leading to the next puzzle piece hidden with the next clue.

 

  1. Now you are ready for a family fun night. Read the first clue and let the treasure hunt begin. When all the pieces are found, put the puzzle together to discover the activity pictured. Then, enjoy the activity together. (I am partial to ice cream as an ending, btw.)

 

Enjoy your family fun night sailing the high seas of adventure and following the clues to your family treasure.

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Discover Your Inner Musician for a Family Fun Night

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Everyone loves music. Whether you find the joy of music through singing, playing, dancing or cat musiclistening, we all have an inner rhythm and harmony. Really, it’s true. If your heart beats and you breathe rhythmically in and out, you have rhythm. If you can walk through a revolving door without getting hurt, you got rhythm. You experience harmony every time you interact with another person and “harmonize” your interests, pace of life, and conversation to keep everyone involved. Why not use your inner musician to have a great family fun night! Here are four “variations on the theme” of a musical family fun night.

 

  1. Go to a free concert. Each summer and fall, several communities offer free concerts. We enjoy the Jazz at Katz Plaza and South Park concerts in our area.
  2. Put on your favorite record at home…well, play your favorite CD…ummm, turn up your download…or just turn on Spotify. Whatever you choose, play your favorite music, grab your spouse or child, and enjoy a dance around the living room.
  3. Save up some money and purchase tickets to a concert by your favorite artist.
  4. Get together with your family (and friends if you want) and sing together. You can accompany yourself if you play the guitar, ukulele, or piano. If not, do some karaoke or sing along with the radio.

 

Come up with your own idea for a musical family fun night…any idea tailored to give your family a great musical fun night!

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