Many of you have already made New Years resolutions and our mailboxes are becoming cluttered with camping brochures and athletic registration forms. Take some time to evaluate what is really important to your family. Download our Family Activity Planner from our Calendar Page to help you chart how each persons activities impact the family.

To check out how strong your family life is, fill out the Family Report Card created by the Alliance for Children & Families, the people who are also behind National Family Week.

Posted by Susan at 1/16/2004 11:05:01 AM | Link

 
Saturday's St. Paul Pioneer Press featured a wonderful article about two local moms who have written and created the tabletop book titled "Keep Talking" (Back in October, we reported on this book).


I recently gave one of these books to a single mom with two young children that has been struggling with meal time. It has turned her evening meals around. Her youngest and finicky eater, craves for the conversation that "Keep Talking" promotes. The daughter is now more willing to try new foods and be positive at the dinner table, because of the rewarding conversation that will follow.

Posted by Susan at 1/13/2004 03:50:58 PM | Link

 
It is a New Year! Think about what really matters to your family. We know that the very foundation of child development is close family relationships.

• What are the cherished and absolute priorities for your family?
  
• What do you wish you had more time to do?
  
• When you choose activities for yourself or children, how does it impact your time together?

See our Calendar page for links to:

• Family Decision Month Flyer (full-size jpg or a smaller, 600 pixels-wide version)
  
• Newsletter
  
• Family activity planner, Pg 1 (chart)
  
• Family Activity Planner, Pg 2 (questions)

Posted by Susan at 1/05/2004 04:52:43 PM | Link

 
Many parents have approached PFF with concerns about sports leagues scheduling practices or games on Sunday mornings. Most often we find that our childrens activities interfere with family commitments such as mealtime, family celebrations or vacations. Now there is pressure between playing sports or attending church. Many families split up on Sunday mornings. One parent may attend an early service with some of the children while the other parent heads to the game with another child, all depending on the week's sports schedule.

This sports vs church dilemma has finally caught the attention of some media. Wayne Perry of Associated Press reports on these issues. To read the story locally, see the Jan. 3 Star Tribune newspaper/ Faith & Values section.

Posted by Susan at 1/03/2004 12:00:36 PM | Link