Laurie’s Cobalt World Blog

1. family
2. work
3. finances
4. friends
5. social relationships
6. spirituality
7. self-development
8. physical well-being
9. personal interests
10. career interests
11. fun

I think that I will make myself a chart and evaluate myself on every category to see if I’m on track. You see, because I’m starting a new business, my life is being pulled even more out of balance than usual. It’s just normal that certain times in our lives - moves, new babies, falling in love, huge projects - tend to unbalance things for a while. That’s okay, as long as we work back to balance as soon as possible.

I expect that when I make my chart, I’ll see several deficiencies. But I already know that time is always set aside for family.

Luckily, our family instituted an insurance policy that provides family time each and every week. Even when things are crazy busy, Tuesday evening is Family Night. And it takes a funeral or major holiday for us to break that tradition.

We first started Family Night when the children were very young. We played Ants in the Pants and simple games that involved hiding people or things. As our family grew, we let Family Night fade away. And that was very unfortunate.

For two years after completing our family and finishing ten years of constant diapering, I was tied up building houses - first our own and then one for my parents. My father and I worked full-time plus on the building while other family members helped out as their work schedules permitted. Family Night was delayed during that horribly out-of-balance time in our lives.

But once my parents moved into their home, my number one job was getting our lives back into balance. In 2000, we re-instituted Family Night and haven’t wavered since.

At first, Family Night was a complicated affair. We had a family meeting where we taught the children to talk about their feelings, develop self-esteem, take turns talking and listening, and so forth. Then we provided a carefully planned activity like building boats from aluminum foil to see whose boat could carry the most pennies before sinking. We ended with a dessert.

These family nights were great, but planning them became a burden. When my husband and I had a busy week, Family Night planning seemed to be as heavy a burden as a boulder sitting on our shoulders.

But rather than giving up, we decided to simplify things. On a typical Family Night, we either play games and have a dessert, or we watch a movie and make popcorn.

We love the Cranium Games. Watch carefully for the appropriate age for your family. They really do have something for everyone. We also play traditional games like sardines, horse, and caroms.

Of course, I’ve watched virtually every animated film under the sun during Family Night, but now the children are getting older (the three still at home are between 11 and nearly 16) and they are occasionally willing to even try an “old” movie. And they often find that they like them. Of course, I like movies like Because of Winn-Dixie, Bridge To Terebithia, and Harry Potter just as much as the kids do.

Popcorn is made on the stove: 1/4 cup peanut oil, 3/4 cup popcorn, salt, and 1/2 stick real butter, melted, poured on top and shaken with the popcorn to coat evenly.

Dessert might be a homemade treat or it could be as simple as our favorite dark chocolate covered almonds.

From time to time, we spice up Family Night with a trip to a bookstore (a very pricy option for our family), miniature golf, going out to the movies, having dinner out (our favorite is a Thai cafe), or swimming.

The real secret to Family Night is to reserve it without fail. If something comes up that cannot be helped, have a second choice night that you substitute. Do not skip Family Night altogether.

I regard Family Night as the most important appointment I have during the week. So even if I’m working past midnight every night on my business or traveling often to show my rabbits, from suppertime to the kids’ bedtimes on Tuesday night, you know where I will be.

Laurie