Quality Time is Everywhere

Being a single working mom, finding time to spend with the kids is always a challenge.  For awhile, we were stuck in a rut with our quality time only being dinner and tv watching.  I set out to find ways to spend more time with my kids while giving them each their own attention.  So I started thinking about the things I like to do and went on a mission to find ways they could be involved as well.

I love to cook, but I also found that I hadn’t been doing it as often.  With student loan payments kicking in, I decided that maybe I could do something with my youngest (who also loves to cook).  So, I jumped into being a consultant with The Pampered Chef and made it something that my youngest and I could do as a joint venture.  We have had so much fun trying out new recipes and practicing shows together!  She is learning more about cooking and we are having fun laughing together.

I also happen to love photography.  With money being tight and my daughter starting her senior year, it seemed like a great time to try out doing something more serious.  So, for the last few months, my second oldest and I have spent a couple of hours a week together doing photo shoots to compile options for senior pictures.  Not only has it given us time to talk with each other, but it has also put the focus on her while giving me opportunities to reinforce some self-confidence in her.

Finally, I couldn’t leave out my son that is still at home.  Our family has been wanting to add another dog to our home.  We all settled on the type of puppy to get and set a goal to focus on dog training.  But, the kids weren’t really sure what steps to take to train a dog.  So, Nathan got the job of main dog trainer.  He and I have spent time every day working together on training the old dog and new puppy.  I take the old dog while he has the puppy and we work on teaching them both things every day.

The best part of it all is that I am getting to spend one-on-one time with the kids while also doing things that I love doing!  Everyone seems happier and no one is complaining about never getting to do anything!  Quality time is everywhere!  What types of things do you like to do that you could include your kids in?  It’s always more fun when you can do what you love with someone!