My children have been asking for a family day out even before the summer break began. To tell you readers the truth, all my energies are used up every single day by work and other everyday concerns so I hardly feel like going out. But I know, I owe it to my children to make the extra effort to make it happen. After all, it is not as if they are asking for an expensive out-of-town trip. All they asked was to be able to swim and spend time with their parents, without us always looking at the time to head off to work.

And so we finally made it happen and no one can be happier than these two...

So what makes a perfect family day out?

Food

For our family who absolutely loves to eat, food is always a major consideration when going out. I was sure that my children wouldn't even have the time to think about eating once they start swimming so we decided to eat first. We also went shopping for snack food and drinks a day before so we were very much covered while we are on the car. 

Food and drinks can be very expensive inside summer attractions so we limited our expenses by having only our lunch inside aside from some miscellaneous food purchases. My children were hungry and tired but happy on the way home. So we made one final stop to eat dinner before heading home so we can all rest.



Fun

Swimming will always be seen as the preferred fun activity during summer. We can all agree I suppose that the heat we experienced during this summer was extraordinarily brutal. So who can really resist water fun? Certainly not my family.

We all spent the rest of the day having fun in the water but always with primary concern about safety. My son, who turned out to be the bravest (and the most physically fit) tried everything, even the most daring ones. My husband and I encourage our children to try but never force them. We think they are in the better position to determine if they are ready to try a new activity or not.


Family Love

With work and studies set aside for the day, we had all the time to enjoy being with each other, joking about, and even talking nonsense. Don't let my husband's expression in our picture fool you as he was the one who enjoyed the day most. He was actually planning about our next day out even before the day was through.

I admit it's fun to be in places like this but I always fail to feel that way if I go without my family. Nothing beats hearing their laughter, seeing their happiness, and feeling their appreciation for the time I spend with them. That's family love and it feels good.




My Say

I am thankful that we were able to do this before my "forced rest". If I have delayed it a couple of days more, we would have to wait for next summer. That is something to think about for people who have the tendency to postpone spending time with family.

That said, I know work is not an excuse to do away with family fun. Come to think of it, we are supposed to be working so that we and our loved ones can enjoy the fruits of our labor. Let us all take time to be with our family...now.