Tag Archives: tv

The Importance of Quality Family Time

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As a parent, it can often feel like you’re burning the candle at both ends. After a long day of work, nothing sounds more appealing than sitting down and relaxing for the rest of the night to enjoy some peace and quiet while your child plays in their room or entertains themselves on a tablet.

Sometimes, you may not even have that option if your kids are involved in sports, arts, or other extracurricular activities.

When you do finally have some time for yourself, it’s understandable to want to “get out” and enjoy a social life with your friends.

However, none of these are necessarily healthy or acceptable routines to slip into. If you do, you’ll miss out on crucial bonding opportunities with your kids and/or teenagers that you’ll never get back. People like to talk about kids growing up in the blink of an eye, and it truly can feel that way sometimes.

Family time is important for both parents and kids, and it should be a priority in your life no matter what else you have going on. It’s normal to be exhausted sometimes and to just want a night to yourself. However, it’s crucial not to let it become a habit.

Let’s cover the importance of quality family time and how to incorporate more of it into your life with your loved ones.

Bring Back Family Dinner

Family dinners used to be a major component of the stereotypical American family. However, over the years, family dinners have changed. Parents and kids are busier. Activities continue later in the day. Electronics and technology have made it easier for everyone to eat at different times in different rooms.

However, sitting down for a meal as a family is about more than just fitting a stereotype or creating a Norman Rockwell-esque image. Regular dinners allow you and your family members to reconnect at the end of each day. It can take some creative scheduling and possible adjustments to make family dinner work every night, but even sitting down together a few nights a week is better than nothing. Family dinner’s biggest benefits include

  • Having fun with your loved ones
  • Learning about what your kids are going through
  • Strengthening your bond
  • Getting your kids interested in cooking and food
  • Teaching responsibilities
  • Sparking creativity

You don’t have to produce a gourmet meal every night. No matter what you have on your table, focus on the company and the time you have together. Create an ideal environment by choosing the right colors for your dining space, using warm lighting, and setting the table in an inviting and comforting way. When you make family dinner a priority, you might be surprised by how quickly it becomes everyone’s favorite part of the day.

Read Before Bed

When your child was younger, you probably had a nightly routine of reading them a book or two before they went to sleep. Unfortunately, it’s easy for life to get in the way again, and you might find yourself rushing through their nighttime routine now, so you can get some time to yourself.

If it’s been a while since you’ve read to your children, consider adding it back into both of your lives. Dedicating a special time to read a book with your child will strengthen your bond, and can have a profound impact on how they see the world. Reading to your child can also help them to develop a secure attachment from an early age, benefiting them into adulthood. Children with secure attachment bonds to their parents typically

  • Have high self-esteem
  • Get involved in healthier relationships
  • Have an easier time expressing their feelings

While reading before bed is a great way to help your kids wind down and improve their sleep hygiene, reading at any point during the day is beneficial for cognitive development and creativity.

You’ll also benefit from this dedicated time. Reading helps to improve sleep, can reduce stress, and can boost your concentration and ability to focus. Plus, you’ll learn new things along with your child and have an easier time seeing the world through their imagination.

Ditch the Digital Devices

Frankly, it doesn’t matter what you do with your family, as long as you’re dedicating yourself to it. Setting aside time to focus on your kids (and partner) is all that matters, whether you take a weekend camping trip or walk around the neighborhood after dinner.

A good rule of thumb, no matter what you do, is to leave cell phones and tablets behind when you’re spending time together. This shows your child that they’re getting your full attention and they’re the most important thing to you. It sets a positive example for them and can show both kids and teens that technology should never be more important than relationships.

No matter how you choose to spend quality time with your family, focus on being present. The things you do together now will shape your kids for the future and will create memories for you that will last a lifetime.

My Share: Gadget Grab

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So, I was given the Gadget Grab to do a review on and couldn’t wait to share what I thought of the product. The product arrived in just three days after I was told I would be getting one to do this review – that’s impressive and immediately wanted to give props to the company and shipper for fast delivery.

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The product comes in a nice tight box and I was a little scared that this is just a gadget with little quality and probably would not last long – I WAS WRONG. The product folds nice and tight which is great because you can take in on the go because it would easily fold in a pocket (small Gadget Grab used for a cell phone) or a briefcase pocket (for the large Gadget Grab used for a tablet).

I first pulled out the larger one and placed my Samsung Tab on it and placed it on my desk to be able to use that while I was working on my laptop. This item does not fold in great fear of the weight of my tablet and can easily be taken off or moved with the stand attached when needed. I usually use my Samsung Tab to look up references when I am writing so this makes this very easy. I was impressed that it was sleek and attractive and could easily go into any environment. It is a charcoal grey color over all and the part that grabs the tablet or cell phone is green.

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Then I wanted to test out the smaller Gadget Grab with my Samsung Galaxy S6 (I am addicted to Samsung products). This is a big cell phone and the Gadget Grabber had not a lick of problems holding it. I put this on my desk as well – I wanted to test its ability to hold the phone for easy access to answer it when I got a phone call (my desk is always messy with file folders, stacks of papers and other items so my cell phone just laying on the desktop isn’t the best of ideas). This eliminates that problem since it kept my phone on up at an angle and did not allow anything to go on top of it.

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I really like this product and have found that I will be using it more than I thought before I received it. It is sleek and clean in design and is very functional. The quality is good and the obviously took a lot of time to develop a product that consumers will be able to use for years to come.

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You can go to https://www.getgadgetgrab.com/ to get your Gadget Grab now – an awesome price for an awesome product!

Compensated Post

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!!!!!JUST CLICK ANY PICTURE IN THIS POST!!!!!

Spring Cleaning – Living Room

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Couches and Chairs: Use the vacuum cleaner attachment for crevices to get underneath the cushions of your couch. This might also be the time to rent an upholstery cleaner and steam clean the fabric of your couches and chairs.

Tables, Lamps and Knick-knacks: Dust and fully wipe your tables, lamps and knick-knacks. Don’t forget to vacuum the lampshades as they tend to get extremely dusty.

Bookcases: Remove all books from your bookshelf and clean the shelves. Don’t forget to dust the books before putting them back!

Entertainment Center and Electronics: If you’ve got a wooden entertainment center or armoire, you should dust and polish the wood surfaces. If you’ve got a laminate, an all-purpose cleaner will do. Most stereos can be cleaned with a damp rag. For your television, there are different cleaning methods depending on what kind of set you own. If you have an older, traditional tube, you can use glass cleaner and a rag. Avoid paper towels for any electronics because the paper fibers could slightly scratch the surface. If you have plasma screen, use just a clean damp cloth. If there is serious dirt, you can mix it with a gentle cleanser, but try to avoid using any cleansers if possible. For LCD screens you want to be especially careful. Wipe very gently with a damp cloth, then dry immediately with a dry cloth. Don’t press onto the screen or you could damage the display.

Free Yourself From TV

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Break the Boob Tube Habit

According to the A.C. Nielsen Company, the average American adult watches four hours of television each day. Some tips on cutting back:

Carve out TV-free times, recommends Frank Vespe, executive director of the TV Turnoff Network, an organization dedicated to improving quality of life through turning off the tube. Vespe advocates eliminating television during mealtimes, when first waking up, and right before bedtime.

Allot a TV-watching budget, says Louis V. Imhof of the Institute for Fitness and Health. Each Sunday, check the newspaper for the weekly listings, and highlight only six hours of program­ming to watch for that week.

Use a VCR to record shows, suggests White Dot, a Britain-based an ti-television organization. This lets you watch television on your own time and keeps you from getting sucked into watching that mediocre show wedged in between two better shows.

Remove the batteries from your remote control and watch television the old-fashioned way, advises Trevor Mowad, a sports-psychology consultant who motivates professional athletes. This eliminates the tendency to jump from channel to channel looking for something to watch.

Find an alternate outlet for television time. “Make a reading list, take a class, or learn a language,” Vespe offers. “We had one woman plant a vegetable garden, and each time she harvested a vegetable, she knew it was created from her not watching television.”