Go Ahead...Just Have Fun

Jordan and I were in the car the other day.  He was in the back seat laughing about something. I can't remember what exactly.  However, I remember looking at him and telling him "you remind me so much of your Papa."  Now, his Papa is my dad.  My dad is a funny man.  I love to be around him and I love to laugh with him.  There was something about how Jordan was laughing that just reminded me of dad.  I, then, began to tell him how I had not ever seen a picture of my dad when he was a little boy and so, I had to imagine what he would have looked like.  I often look at Jordan and am reminded of my dad.  Anyways, I was telling Jordan I had seen pictures of his Nana when she was a little girl, but never of Papa like that.  Jordan looks at me and as serious as could be says, "well, of course you never saw a picture of Papa as a little girl!"  It dawned on me how what I had said had come out and both of us just started to laugh.
We continued driving toward our home and I heard Jordan in the back seat singing.  He wasn't singing any song I knew, but rather He was making up some silly song about nine years old and how they are the greatest.  (Jordan is nine.) I asked him why he thought nine year olds were great and his response was "because I am nine."  Then, he said, "When I am ten, I will say ten year olds are the greatest."  We started laughing again.  My Jordan is just crazy silly, but I LOVE it!  Now, this was just a silly conversation between mom and son and wouldn't really mean anything to anyone else, but to Jordan and me it will always be a memory.  We laugh alot together and I am so thankful for that.  I am glad that my boys and I can be silly and have fun together because I know that these silly times will be ones they remember for years to come. 
When is the last time you laughed with your kids?  It seems these days families are so busy with this, that and the other that they are missing out on enjoying the moments that they are together as a family.  Our lives have become so scheduled (which is a good thing, don't get me wrong) that we almost forget to make time for the fun things.
The Bible speaks often of singing, laughing and rejoicing.  It is clear to me that the Lord wants us to be a happy and cheerful people and that would apply to our families as well. Here are some familiar verses on this topic:
Psalm 100:2    "Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing."
Psalm 118:24   "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."
Isaiah 65:18     "But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create..."
Habakkuk 3:1   "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."
As families in our daily activities, it is important that we learn to enjoy one another and being together.  It is important that we learn to have fun and laugh with each other.  We, as moms, need to teach our children to laugh, sing and rejoice.  They need to see through our example that life is fun especially, when serving and living for the Lord. So, here are a few ideas of things a mom can do with her kids to "just have some fun".  These aren't anything new, but I thought I would just share some that we have done:
 1.  Go outside and play ball
 2.  Have a picnic lunch
 3.  Play games together: plan a game night and let the kids pick the games
 4.  Go to the park
 5.  Build a fort in the living room and sleep in it that night
 6.  Have a theme based supper and try to talk with the accent of that nation (this can be quite amusing)
 7.  Go bowling (this is one of my boys favorites)
 8.  Make up silly songs
 9.  Read books together (when they are little and act out the characters)
10. Have a family pizza/movie night
11. Have puppet shows
12. Have a Wii or X-box family fun night (divide into teams and compete again each other)
13. Be involved together through your church (this teaches them that serving the Lord is fun!)
14. Create traditions that are special to your family; you don't have to be like everyone else.  For example, our family every year on the night of Thanksgiving, we load into the car at about ten o'clock and drive around to all the stores just to see how many people are lining up to shop the deals.  The boys think these shoppers are nuts and they get a kick out of this. After driving around, we always end up at Sonic for a treat. This year the boys were going on and on talking about how they should sell hot chocolate and treats because the people had been in line for hours upon hours. They just kept laughing and thinking up crazy things they could sell. They loved our adventure. This is crazy, I know, but it is a memory and the boys love it! 
15. Utilize time in the car with singing or just talking
These are just simple ideas, but anyone can do them.  Remember, your kids will grow up.  (All too fast I might add) 
What type of atmosphere are we setting in our homes?  Remember, "rejoice ALWAYS".  Home can be a fun and happy place if we work to make it so.
So, go have some fun today with your family!

From my Heart,
Robyn