Make ordinary days special

These are hectic times. More than ever, families need a "Home Sweet Home" to offer rest, renewal, and fun, so try some of these creative ways to celebrate each day—making memories and creating a home that's a haven.

• Have a family awards night. Give personalized awards for silly categories such as Best Sport When Kidded, Fastest Dishwasher, Quickest to Answer the Phone, and Most-Improved Laundry Folder.
• Make a big deal out of finishing a monumental task, such as putting up a basketball net, building a treehouse, or cleaning the house from top to bottom. Make a special dessert and enjoy it together.
• Pack an extra-special sack lunch on the day a student has a difficult test.
• Surprise your spouse and children by turning back their beds, fluffing up the pillows, and placing a chocolate candy or treat on their pillows.
• Hide affectionate notes throughout the suitcase of someone going on a trip.
• Make a young child feel special when baby brother or sister comes home from the hospital. Since babies usually receive a lot of attention and presents, buy your child a big-brother or big-sister present.
• Make a “Welcome Home” banner for a family member who has been out of town. Place it in the front of your house to celebrate his or her arrival.
• Draw a warm bath for a family member who’s had a hard day. Warm and fluff a towel in the dryer.
• Toast different family members regularly. It can be as simple as holding up a glass of lemonade and saying, “To Jimmy, the best kickball player in kindergarten” or “To Dad, the best hamburger griller this side of the Mississippi.”
• Have a first-things celebration. Make a big deal out of a child’s first bicycle ride without training wheels, first tooth lost, or first day at a job.
• On a wintry day, get out last summer’s vacation pictures and reminisce. Discuss where you want to go next summer.
• Kidnap someone who’s had a hard week, and take him or her to a favorite restaurant. Use a bandanna as a blindfold, and travel in a roundabout way to your destination. Have the person try to guess where you’re going.
• Turn an ordinary weekend into a minivacation at home. Choose a weekend and put it on the family calendar. Stock up on groceries and snacks. Get out board games, rent a few family movies, unplug the phone. Keep chores and cooking to a minimum. Plan some fun Saturday outings everyone will enjoy.
• Decorate your dining room with streamers and balloons for a special dinner on an ordinary day.

Kathy Peel is president of Family Manager Inc. and the author of 15 books, including her newest, Be Your Best: The Family Manager’s Guide to Personal Success (Ballantine, 2000).

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