It's a new dawn, it's a new day..

I'm reinventing my family.

I'm inspired.  I'm inspired by those who do fabulous things with their family that makes me envy them and wish that I'd had that idea.  But inspiring ideas are too juicy to keep to yourself.  We all need to share ideas and what works, then let each other shamelessly steal ideas and make them your own.

I don't know what's triggered this - maybe its the end of the school year and I feel like taking my brood under my wing and looking after them, protecting them, nurturing them.  Maybe that's just what I think they need, but they're actually just fine.  I'm watching my kids grow and I'm freaking out that they won't need me as much soon.  And you know what, I'm celebrating this as well.  Because isn't that a sign of successful parenting?

I'm tough on myself, I self analyse, I critique myself, and I stress that apathy creeps in and sabotages my brilliant mother-hoodness.  The Husband tells me "you're a smart woman, you should be doing better than this", and before you tsk, tsk at him, it's true.

I have a friend whose kids were into Zac Power, one day during the school holidays she set up a city wide Zac Power inspired mission for them, others were involved, professional people who had clues that they needed to give the kids, they drove across the city on the mission.  Inspired.  They will always remember that.  I do.

The same friend hunts out events where the kids dress up and do fun runs with adults.  Fun.

Another family walks their own path through life and their imaginative kids are a testimony to that - the kids painted murals on trees, make up their own science experiments, they draw, they play, there is no fighting over Playstation time, nor nagging mums

And look don't get me wrong, my little family is fabulous, I just feel we are stumbling into our fabulousness rather than creating it purposefully.  I'm the Captain of the ship, I need to steer us in a direction that will ensure my children have their best possible childhood.  I don't want my kids to remember me at the computer or vacuuming.  I think they probably may at the moment.

One friend does gorgeous family focused activities, she takes photos, they all look unstressed and happy.  She's taken Christmas by the horns and is shaking up the traditions, and reinventing her own. A new take on an Advent calendar minus the daily chocolate and lego characters.  A calendar where each day is an event - I know many of you may do the same, it's thoughtful and so appropriate for Christmas.

Yesterday I decided enough, I needed to pull myself out of my parenting fugue and haze.  We have a lovely advent calendar tree with 24 boxes that I normally fill with 3 Jaffas or Smarties for the boys to open each day.  But this year there is an addition - a slip of paper, and typed in my favourite font  is a daily task or activity.  And the mere effort of 5 minutes at my computer has brought on a change.  Maybe to our family, but definitely to me.  Because there are some beautiful ideas in there that our family will just love.  And it was that simple.

It doesn't need to be hard, or earth shattering, or require a lot of effort (unless of course you are planning a cross city Zac Power mission involving many people and locations), it just needs to be.

That's all.  It just needs to be.  

What have you done with your kids that they loved and will remember?