For Families Eyes Only

If you've lost count of those rainy weekends and holidays that spoiled your children's fun, try these rainy day games for kids.

Just a little preparation now will bring a 'thumbs up' from your kids when they're stuck indoors later on. It won't cost much... in fact, you probably already have everything you need for indoor games and rainy day fun. Nor will it cost you very much of your valuable time.

Give yourself a break, and your kids a lift... be prepared for the next rainy day with these fun activities and family games for kids:

Record familiar sounds... Give them an inexpensive tape recorder to record the sounds made by rain, thunder, a doorbell, a ringing telephone, bathroom shower, buzzing of a fly, creaky stairs, someone snoring. With their fertile imaginations, they'll come up with an amazing tape.

Find someone who can put the recording on a CD or DVD, along with a little intro by your kids. You'll not only preserve a wonderful memory, but create a timeless gift for their grandparents.

Check out these great ideas for starting or adding to your own holiday traditions at Christmas... for a lifetime of family holidays memories!

Creating Lasting Family Holiday Memories

By: Blair Stephens

As every holiday rolls around, families repeat and make new traditions. These evoke memories of years past and celebrate the years to come. The Christmas holidays are a wonderful time to make memories together, decorating the house, baking delicious cookies and seeing family and friends. If you are looking for ideas of how to make your holiday this year special and new - or to come up with some wonderful new holiday traditions, we have a couple of ideas for you to use this year!

Start a Collection, and Share It!

Decorating the Christmas tree is fun every year and as your holiday ornament collection grows, so do your memories of Christmas past. The best thing about many ornament collections is the variety of styles especially as preschoolers and young children bring home their own homemade creations to grace the tree. What really sets a Christmas tree apart isn't its “style” or theme consistency; it is the memories and the personal touch of every family that goes into this holiday symbol.

I learned a lot about how special Hannukah is to Jewish families, and why it is such a cherished Jewish family holidays celebration.

Hannukah is a Joyous Jewish Holiday Celebrated Close to Christmas

By: Lynn Jebbia

Hannukah is a Jewish holiday celebrated in December normally a week or so before the Christian holiday of Christmas. It is not one of the important religious holidays in the Jewish faith but it is a joyous holiday. It is often referred to as the “Festival of Lights”. It commemorates the physical and spiritual victory of the Jews over the Greeks more than 2150 years ago.

Jerusalem was conquered by Alexander the Great. When he died his empire was divided among the Greek rulers who then gained control of the Jewish land. They forced the Jews to adopt Greek dress and customs to establish conformity in religious and political practices. They even changed the Temple in Jerusalem which was the national house of worship to a temple to the Greek god, Zeus.

Mattathias was a Jewish priest who began a revolution when he refused to worship the Greek gods. His sons joined him and later his son Judah Macabee led a small group of soldiers and conquered the temple. They were able to eventually drive the Greeks right out of Jerusalem.

After the temple was conquered it was rededicated and it is said that a miracle occurred at this ceremony. Hannukah means rededication in Hebrew.

Enjoying the same family hobbies makes everyone look forward to family time.

Family Time: Doing Hobbies Together

By: Veronica Scott

In today's fast-paced world, quality time with the family is getting harder to find. It's difficult enough to find the time to eat dinner together, let alone find the time to do hobbies together. But somehow we manage to find that time, even if it's just an hour or so each night. Since quality time is so precious, finding the right hobby for the whole family to participate in might be a bit of a trick, but it's not impossible.

Planning an Unforgettable Family Vacation - Rockies Style

by Marcel Finnigan

Planning an outdoor vacation with your family is one of the greatest favors you can do for them. Active vacations come attached with adventure galore such as hiking, backpacking, bicycling, and may even include camping.

When was the last time that your children slept under the stars with a campfire blazing, listening to the occasional, distant howl of an animal? Isn’t it time to make some memories?