Set aside time for a mystery date with your family! Mark your calendar and head back here to discover June’s secret challenge!
Many days it seems as if to dos rule the world, and we catch ourselves running here and there and everywhere.
This is why it’s so important to carve out the time to just breathe…
To slow down and enjoy one of the greatest things God ever created–your family!
I want to challenge you to commit to just one day out of each month to commune with your family. Throw your screens and devices to the curb and enjoy your family in a fresh, new way!
“Take” your family “out” on a family mystery date!
How Do Family Mystery Dates Work?
For each family mystery date, you will need to schedule a morning, afternoon, or evening once a month to spend time with your family.
The mystery date details can be downloaded early, but NO ONE in your family IS ALLOWED TO SEE the secret challenge before your date starts.
What this means is that as soon as your family date begins, every single member in your family will be reading or hearing about the challenge for THE VERY FIRST TIME. If anyone (even parents!) looks at the secret challenge before the date, that will be considered cheating (and won’t be nearly as much fun!).
In each edition you will find instructions, rules, and the secret challenge. Make sure you read the instructions and rules before reading the challenge.
How Can I Get My Family Involved?
Talking about how much fun you’re going to have on your date is one of the best ways to build up suspense and gain some interest from your family members! (Especially when it’s a secret!) Go ahead and set a date and put it on your calendar. Get one of your kids to count down the days till the date begins. And keep the discussion going before the big day!
What Should I Do about a Family Member Who Isn’t Interested?
Check out this mystery date edition’s post for a few ideas on how to get a family member interested!
How Can I Get the Most Out of Our Family Mystery Dates?
Be Realistic
When you’re making plans for you family mystery date, be realistic about the amount of time you will need to set aside for the date. Make sure there is enough time to get quality time with your family. Do your best not to schedule something else shortly after the starting time of your date. Remember this is a commitment to only one day out of the month.
I would also encourage you to be realistic about your family’s energy capacity. For example, if you know a particular day will be filled with tons of activities and events, you may not want to schedule a family date on that same day. The goal is to find a time slot in your family’s schedule when your family will have the time and energy to participate.
However, for some this may be a bit difficult. You may have such a busy life that your time slots may be very limited and HAVE to be squeezed into a hectic schedule. Sometimes our time isn’t so flexible. Yet, I want to still encourage you to look carefully and see if there might be something you could possibly cut out of your busy schedule. This would greatly aid in making this an enjoyable experience for your family!
Be Flexible
As you know, life is pretty unpredictable–especially when children are involved. You may have a family member fall sick on your date day. An event may have taken longer than you anticipated. Your family may not be very excited about your mystery date.
Be willing to be okay with your circumstances and do the best you can to work with what you have! This may mean you need to do things like postpone your date to a different date, possibly modify the challenge a bit to fit your family’s needs, or simply approach your situation from a different kind of angle. In the end, the physical, mental, and spiritual health of your family is what matters most.
Be Cheerful
In this fast-paced life many times we adults don’t have tons of energy like our kids do! That’s totally understandable; that’s how I feel a lot of the time! However, if you can muster up even a little cheer, your light-hearted attitude might just be contagious!
Be Mindful
No matter what happens, always keep the main goal in mind: spending time with those you love. This is always our aim, despite the things that can go awry. Don’t expect perfection.
Just plan seeds of togetherness one day at a time.
Blessings to you and your family! Have a good time together and stay tuned for the next edition!
