This past week we had a heat wave that came in hot and took us all out to the beach to jump in that cool ocean water. We love beach time on the weekends and especially because those are the days we have Adam home with us so it really makes us cherish them more. My kids love when they get buried in the sand at the beach and Adam shapes them into a mermaid. We also love to pick up açaí bowls and it them on the beach in the morning, it’s something we’ve always done since Capri was a baby. I love having things that we look forward to every weekend and even throughout different times of the year. As a mom, I want more than anything to have a close relationship with each of my kids and for them to have one with each other as well. I hope that when they are older they will look back with great memories from being together as a family and will want to stick around even after they’ve moved out. I was reading an article the other day that said the key to having a close-knit family is having a bunch of fun rituals together and traditions that your kids will cherish forever. I loved this and really think that those little moments we create with our kids are what can make a big difference in your bond together. I think it’s easy to start creating those small traditions in your family even while your kids are young so I’ve listed a few things below that we love doing together and always look forward to. I love hearing what things other families enjoy doing together so leave a comment with your own tradition as well and maybe it’s something we can start doing!

And also, there is an amazing sale going on right now with all my favorite beachwear and swimsuits. If you want to take advantage I’ve linked everything below. Cheers!

STARTING WEEKEND TRADITIONS WITH YOUR KIDS

-Plan something that your whole family can do together (it doesn’t need to be fancy or cost any money)

-Have fun with it and be silly (think of things that will get you laughing together and letting your kids be in an environment where they can completely be themselves)

-Keep traditions that are doable to do every weekend together and a few traditions that you can do seasonally throughout the year

IDEAS:

-secret handshakes and rituals as you say goodbye in the mornings before school

-weekly dance party in the kitchen while making your favorite treat

-pillow fights with Dad before story time in bed

-homemade pizzas and movie night on Fridays (the kids get to take turns picking out the movie)

-bike or scooter rides together as a family

-a favorite breakfast or brunch spot that you go to on Saturday mornings

-go on a hike together every Sunday and pack a picnic

-watching the sunsets together on Saturday nights and kiss when the sun goes down

-game nights together on Sundays with rootbeer floats

-s’mores nights in the backyard around the fire pit

-pick nights where you will all be home at the same time to have dinner sitting around the table together (and do a family ‘cheers’ at the dinner table)

-everyone share their “smile” or happy moment from the day and their “frown” or sad moment from the day at dinnertime

-mommy/daddy dates where you get alone time with one child and they pick out whatever they want to do with you that day (we also started a girls trip tradition with my daughter before school starts just for a weekend getaway. it can be somewhere close by, just as long as it’s time with just the two of you)