Come Together—Right Now

Homework, errands, household chores, sports commitments, oh my!

In this dizzying pace of life, we often muddle through our days misdirected. Focus is on doing, not living. Or sharing, for that matter.

Many of us would love to slow it down a little and spend more “quality time” with our children and spouses. But who’s got the time?

We do. If you quickly calculate weekly TV and internet hours, you’ll see there is time. It’s how we choose to spend it that limits us.

Rid yourself of distractions for a night, a weekend or whenever you have free moments in your life. Make it a habit.

It’s hard, I get it. But parents like LooHoo Wool Dryer Balls proprietor Cyndi Prince are carving out the time and the rewards are plentiful. She and husband Scott are raising a happy, healthy and thoughtful 9-year old son, Graham. They’re a team. They laugh, they have fun.

The trio is enjoying their most precious resource right now—time together.

Weekday mornings are always hectic but Cyndi and Graham, an early riser, fit in a quick 15-minute walk around the neighborhood.

“It's incredible to spend that quiet and peaceful time with him in the early morning hours,” Cyndi says. “Routines are important and help keep us connected.”

The family kicks off most days with a healthy breakfast of homemade granola, yogurt, oatmeal or eggs plus a spinach smoothie before Graham heads to school and his parents are off to work.

Dinner is almost always together, sans television. It’s a great opportunity to converse about the day and afterwards they share in cleanup duties.

Family time and lessons in contributing to the household…check.

Every Thursday, Graham plans and cooks the meal. He has a budget to follow when he hits the grocery store.

“It’s always a creative mix of random food and always fun to see him in charge of supper,” Cyndi says. “Who knew cooked lasagna noodles can be rolled up with meat and cheese and be delicious?”

Lights out is preceded by story time. Lately, they’ve been reading selections from the Maine Student Book Awards for 2018-2019, most recently “Podkin One-Ear” by Kieran Larwood.

Another favorite is Friday’s documentary night. Family-friendly selections have included “The Short Game,” “Wasted,” “Making Fun” and “Valley Uprising.”

“It's triggered incredible discussions and actions and has been a great addition to our weekly family traditions,” says Cyndi, who’s looking forward to watching “Chef Flynn” and “Science Fair” sometime soon.

Weekends are spent exploring local towns, parks and museums. And lots of puzzles and board games. Exercising together and checking out the local farmers market fill the summer days.

Focus is often on communication, which makes Sunday’s family meeting especially important.

“This has been such a valuable addition to our family traditions,” Cyndi says. “We work together to brainstorm and come up solutions to family issues. Maintaining and improving our family connection is an important pursuit for us.”