#familytime — Public Fediverse posts

Family is the one audience that claps for you even after the worst performance.

#FamilyFirst #FamilyLove #HomeIsWhereTheHeartIs #FamilyBond #Gratitude #FamilyTime #UnconditionalLove #Quotes #ShareInspireQuotes

I Love The Rain Too

It was the first day I decided to go any real distance with my two kids, by myself. One of my best friends was having a birthday party for her son, who is close in age with my first born. I really wanted to go, but I knew it would be no easy task – especially by myself.

The day of the party, my postpartum brain failed me again and I completely lost track of the time. The birthday party was from 1-4, but an hour’s drive away. I found myself remembering the birthday party at 12:00. Shoot! We need to be leaving right now! I hadn’t even packed the diaper bag or gotten ready. I began scrambling, and quickly got myself and my son ready and the diaper bag packed. My son was so excited to go to the birthday party – it was at a splash pad! Swimsuit on, he was ready to go! I was hungry, but didn’t have time to eat.

About 40 minutes into the hour long drive, my baby was not having it. He was hungry. I looked for an exit that would have a place for me to stop to feed him, and quickly got off the freeway. I fed my baby in a parking lot, noticing the hunger pains with every gulp my son took. I looked up from where I was at and saw an In-N-Out with not too long of a line. I got my son back into his car seat after he was done eating, and headed to get some food for me and my oldest. The short drive-through line seemed all too long as my baby did not want to be in his car seat anymore. I would pull up, put the car into park, get out, open the back door, put my son’s binky in his mouth and try to soothe him, close the back door, hop into the driver’s seat, pull up, rinse and repeat throughout the whole line. I finally got our food and drove to a place where I could park again, and again latched my baby. He instantly began falling asleep, and I ate my food with one hand while holding him in the other. Then I gently transferred him into his car seat and the rest of the drive to the party was fairly smooth.

We finally got to the party and the moment I stepped out of the car, I felt a *drip *drip coming from the sky. I got my sons out of the car, and it quickly began raining. We walked up to the pavilion as people were quickly walking to their cars. I was able to say hi to my friend for a few minutes, as we just watched the rain. My friend was sad that the party had to end early due to the rain, I was sad I ended up so late we had missed it. I was also feeling sad that the splash pad I had promised my son was a no go. So I asked him if he wanted to go see his grandma, who was now only a 20 minute drive away. He was excited by this offer, so we began the 20 minute drive to “Hunna’s house”!

The drive went fairly smoothly, but the final 3 minutes felt much longer than three minutes as the air filled with little baby cries. We got there and I took my kids inside to surprise my mom with the visit. She was so excited, as she was not anticipating that I would make the hour long drive to her house anytime soon. My sisters, who live with them, both had plans. So it was just me, my kids, and my parents. We had a lovely evening. Eventually, it was time to begin the long drive home.

The baby seemed happy when he got into the car, but he wasn’t asleep. I began driving, and not even 10 minutes into the drive, we made our first stop to try to console the baby. Eventually, I decided he was most likely tired. I thought that giving him a bottle might help him fall asleep in his car seat, so I decided to pump and drive while letting the baby cry. Another 10 minutes in the car, and we made our second stop. I was only able to pump about half an ounce of milk. I filled the bottle with the tiny amount of milk I was able to pump and when I lifted the protective cap off of the nipple, milk droplets were inside and I immediately began overthinking things. My exhausted brain convinced me that this bottle was old (upon returning home, the old bottle was on the counter [both of which were clean] – proving that this wasn’t the case).

I proceeded to dangle my breast over the baby, in an attempt to soothe him to sleep. He hated this – likely because there wasn’t even any milk left, as I had just pumped. Then I changed his diaper, and he was ecstatic to be outside of his car seat. The moment I put him back, he was angry again.

Again, I began driving. A long 15 minutes. All of which, the baby was crying harder and harder. The rain getting louder and louder as the drops hit against the top of my car, and my windshield getting more and more blurry to see through by the second. I had to click the windshield wipers up faster and faster and still felt as though I could hardly see. I was now on the freeway, so it wasn’t a simple pull over this time. I had to scope out the exits to find one where I could actually stop. Unfortunately, this took some time. I couldn’t drive with a screaming baby and a heavy rainstorm. So when the opportunity finally presented itself, I stopped at a gas station. I told myself I wasn’t leaving until both of the kids were settled.

I got parked at the gas station. I tried to park away from other people, because I knew I was going to try to breastfeed again – even if just for comfort. But people quickly filled in all of the gaps – I’m assuming to wait out the storm. I quickly hopped into the back seat and picked up my crying baby. I just held him for a moment, and he immediately began to calm down, but was still upset. I then offered my breast to him and he quickly latched. After feeding for a few minutes, he calmed down, pooped, and then started to fall asleep. I started trying to calculate in my brain whether we could make it home before he would get a sore bum or not. Feeling guilty for even having the thought.

Right then, my toddler chimed in, “Mommy, I need to go potty.” So I buckled my baby back into his car seat – he immediately started screaming. And we went and parked closer to the building. Then I got out of the car, and as I was getting out, the car on the driver’s side was trying to pull in. So I went to the back of the car to get the diaper bag. Then as I went to get my son on the passenger side – that car was trying to pull out. So I unbuckled him and told him to wait by the baby’s car seat. Then as I went to get them both, the car on the driver’s side was pulling out, so I had to wait for them. Then as I went to get my kids, another car started trying to pull into that spot. I was fed up with the car shuffle and left the door wide open, to block them from being able to fully pull in. I was trying to keep my toddler contained between me and the car while also grabbing the baby. Once I had both kids, we walked quickly into building. Mind you, it had been raining this whole time.

We got into the gas station and I looked around for the bathroom sign. Once I found the sign, I headed that way. I went into the large bathroom stall, since that’s usually the one with a changing table. We forgot the toddler seat. I usually just hold him when we forget the toddler seat, but I realized it would now be more difficult with a baby. I lifted my son onto the toilet with one hand, stabilizing him and asking him if he could hold himself up. He adjusted some, and then held himself up just fine. Then I started changing the baby’s diaper (which of course I have to make hard on myself because I Cloth Diaper my children). I pulled out all of the things I would need for changing his diaper with one hand, while holding him in the other. I laid the changing mat down and then laid him down, noticing that this changing table was on a slant. I shimied the edge of the table up onto my hip to hold it up. Then I changed the diaper. Mid diaper change, my son said he was done and asked me to get him down. I asked him if he thought he could get himself off of the toilet and he said no – thought about it, and then said yes. He shimied down the toilet and onto the floor. I finished changing the babies diaper and then asked my son why he hadn’t pulled his underwear and pants back up. He put his hands on the nasty gas station bathroom floor and shoved his tiny, cute butt into the air – signaling to me that he still needed his butt wiped. I was so flustered, I had forgotten to wipe his butt. He was fumbling with the toilet paper dispenser – and I was realizing it was empty. I went into the diaper bag, one handed, and found a wipe. I wiped his butt and then started packing up the diaper bag with one hand while my son pulled up his underwear and pants. Finally, we exited the stall together.

As we entered the main part of the gas station, I figured we should probably buy something as we had used their bathroom and spent a considerable amount of time in their parking lot. So I let my toddler choose a treat and we purchased it and then went out to the car. I got the two kids buckled in their car seats – doing the parking lot shuffle again. I gave my toddler a couple of treats out of the treat bag and put the rest of them in the center console. Then I drove back to the spot I had previously been in at the back of the parking lot. My toddler was screaming about not having the whole bag of treats and my baby was still crying. I hopped into the back of the car and picked up the baby and began breastfeeding him, and he actually latched well this time and meant business! *gulp! *gulp!

My toddler kept complaining – getting louder and louder. I grabbed the treats out of his hand and placed them on the blanket on the baby’s car seat and told him he couldn’t have any of the treats because of his attitude. He proceeded to scream and went into full blown tantrum mode. I let him scream for a couple of minutes and then told him I would return his treats if he would stop talking about the whole bag. He agreed. I gave him his treats back and he kindly asked, “can I eat them?” And I told him, “yes.”

He was quite pleasant after that. My baby fell asleep nursing, but was still in a fragile state. I put my legs up on the center console and laid the baby on my legs so I could have both hands available. I folded his blanket into a triangle and gently pushed the edges of the triangle through the arm straps so I could attempt to wrap him snuggly in his car seat. All the while, I was soothing him on my legs by giving him his binky and rubbing his forehead and nose.

Once the car seat was set up, I transferred him, soothing him the same way. I gently buckled him, and then wrapped his blanket snuggly around his arms. I rubbed his nose and forehead and held his binky in his mouth and he quickly melted into sleep.

Then I turned to my toddler for a moment. He said he was tired. I told him that he could drink his milk, close his eyes, and go to sleep if he wanted. He said okay. Then I remembered that often we ask him about his day before he goes to sleep. I didn’t want to recite the entire day, but I quietly asked, “what was your favorite part of the day?”

“The rain” he responded.

Tears began to well up in my eyes as I gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead. I had been so caught up in trying to make this day fun for him, and the one thing I had thought ruined the entire day – was his favorite part. I jumped back into the driver’s seat, and began the long drive back home.

I watched the lightning in the distance, and contemplated how wonderful it is to be a parent. And how precious it is to have children to point out the beauty in even the most stressful moments in life. And then I remembered…

I Love The Rain Too.

Tonight I will watch the first NFL game of the year with my dad.
#FamilyTime

Got siblings? Then you know the laughs never stop! Check out these hilarious sibling moments.

#SiblingGoals #FunnySiblings #FamilyLaughter #BrotherSisterFun #SiblingLove #ComedyMoments #FamilyTime #LaughOutLoud #SiblingRivalry #FunnyVideos #HomeLife #CrazySiblings

D'après une photo publicitaire américaine des années 1940
Acrylique sur papier 22,4 × 15,9 cm
#acrylicpainting #painting #figurativepainting #familytime #modernpainting

https://www.tkhunt.com/2512513/ なんでもないような瞬間こそ、後からいちばん愛おしく感じるもの🫶🏼 #familytime #ordinarymoments #summermemories #長谷川潤

A quick weekend getaway to Galveston with the family. ❤️ Good times, lots of laughs, and most importantly, some quality time together. 🌊☀️ #Galveston #FamilyTime #WeekendGetaway #MakingMemories

Your birthday weekend plus family news

I wanted to make the most out of our weekend together because it will be 3 weeks until I’ll have the chance to give you a cuddle again.

Soon it will be your birthday. It’s incredible how fast life moves on and you are at the cutest age where we can have chats, go for walks and I honestly will never tire of you calling me daddy.

Our weekend started with me picking you up from River Town. This is the routine now, for the foreseeable future, I’ll be heading over to River Town come rain, sun or train cancellations and then bringing you home for the weekend.

As it was such a special weekend I had asked our family to join us for lunch at home. During the last few days, I’d been getting things organised with meal planning and activities so we could have the best weekend possible. We can’t trust the British weather but summer is a great time for birthdays because celebrations can be outside, ideally!

Our Saturday with family and a street party

I got up extra early to prepare food and get everything ready, I couldn’t be sure the trains wouldn’t be disrupted so I asked grandma to be at home a little earlier to put the food on so we could eat when we arrive.

Grandma and the rest of our family arrived at our flat before us and hid your presents in my bedroom so we would have a nice family meal before celebrating with cake and presents. I didn’t want to distract you from eating.

I was delighted we could all be together. It’s so rare we can all be at the same place and I was thankful today we could make it, logistically though nothing’s perfect and Olivia had been away with family in Greenland so she wouldn’t be home till later.

It’s really unfair how things are. We all wanted you to cut the cake and take a few pictures but all the attention seemed a bit much so we had to hold back our excitement so as not to overwhelm you. We see you so little it’s almost impossible not to shower you with attention. I’m trying my best to create a warm relationship with us all but with 2 nights a month in the future, it’s going to be hard. Your mum makes building a relationship very hard, not just with me, but all of our family that loves you and think about you all the time.

Present time

Fortunately you ate really well and we were on schedule meaning a bit of cake for you and lots of presents! Clive lovingly had a special one made for you with your name on it.

The first present was Theresa, a doll that my grandma had and has been with our family for well over 30 years! She would now be passed to you and one day maybe you’ll pass it on to your own little girl. The fact that she’s almost the same size as you could mean it will take a bit of time to get used to! No doubt that before long you’ll be playing with her hair and dressing her up.

The other presents were very small but carefully thought about. Grandma and I had spoken about what you would like and I explained that you enjoyed wearing necklaces and putting clips into your hair. Also that I’d noticed that as your hair is still growing you also liked putting those clips on your fingers.

Grandma used this info to curate a beautiful collection of hair clips, ties, rings and even homemade necklaces. This was the perfect present, you couldn’t’ve been happier with it all and as you opened each package you put on even more accessories!

Your uncle got you a family of dolls for your doll house including grandparents, a child and even a doll for the doll! This present was picked to support your imagination and grow the stories you could make up with all the people and even included a little Pluto dog.

Family news

I used this occasion to let our family know about a new chapter for us. Daddy and Olivia love each other very much and decided that we wanted a little one to raise alongside you. A few weeks ago we went to the first scan and your sibling is on its way. You’re going to be a big sister!

With me you will always have a warm loving family and home. While I can’t have you with me as much as I would like, a time will come when you will be able to make the decision for yourself and join us whenever you like, including your sibling.

Brother or sister?

The rest of our afternoon and a street party

When it’s time for a nap you seem to prefer to go in the buggy, perhaps because that usually means waking up at the park, so I let our family know we needed to head out so you gave everyone a hug and a kiss then we set off for a walk. We went past the activity centre’s annual street party bustling with kids, music and even a bouncy castle. Of course you were interested so I let you know that we would come back. You soon dozed off and I listened to a podcast while doing loops of the quiet residential streets. I thought about how well the day was going and all the nice things still to come.

When we got back to the street party it was a bit too busy and loud so we were only there for a little while and returned home. All your new toys meant you were happy playing and then to my surprise you created a new game. It went like this: you’d close the door then knock and tell me which scary animal was outside! I learnt the rules of the game so we played it with you dreaming up a new animal each time and I would discreetly do the knocking!

Your creativity is wonderful to see, it wasn’t long ago when you came home from hospital as a newborn and just lay there, creating delight with any tiny smile or wriggle. Now you’re making up games for us to play and have so much imagination!

I created a game as well. Near your bedroom door I laid out Uno cards to make a barrier that you couldn’t pass. I then challenged you to get out by either walking around or jumping over. Each time you thought about how to avoid the cards like a cat planning a route with all its agility.

I almost couldn’t believe how perfect this time was. Just me and you playing and giggling. It’s everything I dream of.

Back at the street party

As the afternoon went on and I could hear the music settle down from the street party, I suggested we went back to see how it was going. I knew it was too noisy and busy earlier but it could be better now and ultimately the 1 minute walk meant if it wasn’t enjoyable we could come home to make dinner.

We got back to the party and Anya and Annie had arrived as well as Lilly, Anthony and their little one Oscar. The bouncy castle was much quieter too so I encouraged you to jump in with Anya. Both of you were really sweet, you held hands and chased each other around.

You have lots of little ones to make lifelong friends with in the neighbourhood. I’m trying to foster your relationships with local children so you have even more reasons to want to spend time with me in the Big City.

Lilly and Anthony gave Oscar dinner from the guest food vendor which specialised in kid friendly meals. I wasn’t sure if we should eat out or at home so I waited for a review from Oscar. He confirmed the food was tasty so I got us some and we had a rest from all the running around.

After you’d eaten I suggested it would be best to avoid the bouncy castle so you, Annie and Oscar played with the bubble machine until it was time to head home.

You enjoyed it so much you told me how much you loved it when we were at home. The day had been a lot of fun for both of us. I knew you’d sleep well.

Our Sunday tradition

In the morning I woke up to you calling me over. I checked the baby monitor and could see you were moving about but waiting in bed so I went over and gave you a morning kiss. As I tidied up your bedroom you hopped over to the living room to play with your doll house and as you remembered different gifts you asked where they were and I brought them over, some having been put aside so as to not distract you from bedtime.

Our morning of kids TV, playing and of course your morning milk continued with our tradition of crepes for breakfast when Olivia woke up. I love a lazy morning at home.

Birthday picnic

Bit by bit we got things ready for the picnic. All the usual stuff like blankets and countless containers with different foods. I was amazed how many bags there were in the end.

Ahead of midday we set off to the park. In the buggy you took the opportunity to nap and on arrival at the popular picnic spot you were still in snoozeville, so you were carried around in loops while our base for the day was organised.

Our friends arrived and more food joined the collection for us to nibble at. Harmony Park has a popular spot for kids picnics. It was buzzing with energy, all around us others were celebrating and families had brought lots of outdoor toys. At times it was difficult to figure out which kids belonged to which groups as the kids amassed around the toys that had effectively become communal.

The most interesting toy was the stomp rockets. It seemed to be the toy of the summer with all the kids circling them and taking turns to fire them off in the sky or at each other. I’ll get you one for next year for sure.

We spent the afternoon in the park chatting, snacking and keeping an eye on you. Everyone could see how delightful you are.

Once Annie arrived you both spent hours running around together like besties. Annie is great with little ones and was very patient with you.

Before Anya and Annie headed home, you gave Annie a lovely hug and I encouraged you to thank her for sharing her toys.

Inevitably time reached ever closer to 5pm so I had to ensure we were home for the handover.

A classic dropped-item-out-of-the-buggy moment

Jane, Mark and Cat kindly offered to help me with bags (Olivia had already gone back to the flat to rest) so we walked back. The timings were smooth but I hadn’t anticipated that you would drop a hairband. It had a little flower on it so as we noticed you were looking back and mentioned a flower, we assumed you were referring to a flower from one of the front gardens and didn’t think much else about it. When you burst out crying and explained a little more, I realised it was the hairband!

Mark offered to run back to look for it. Searching for a grey hairband against a grey pavement didn’t seem promising but he managed to find it after a bit of time. That time meaning that we were rushed to get home for 5pm.

Bumping into your mum

It was 5 to 5 and as we reached the junction near home, I noticed your mum waiting in her car so I decided I would let her know we would be a moment rather than walk past and pretend I hadn’t seen her. She demanded I hand you over straight away so I explained I needed to change you and give you a chance to go to the loo.

Jane, Mark and Cat stood stunned at how aggressive your mum was being. I don’t talk about your mum much but my friends must realise it’s a difficult situation for me. Now they witnessed the typical behaviour and atmosphere your mum creates.

I think that because we were in a group things didn’t become much worse. We went home feeling like a popped balloon.

Jane and Mark helped with the bags up to the entrance to our home. We were surprised that your mum had already got there and was creating panic as if it was very late. The time at this point was 5pm and I only needed a few minutes to organise you and go back down.

Getting ready feeling panicked

You know the routine before handover now so with no fuss you got changed and I encouraged you to wee. Naturally you wanted to take the bracelets home so I told you that I wanted to keep them with me for when you were back. You negotiated with me and asked if you could play with them as you got ready, which I of course agreed with, then you asked if you could show them to your mum, which was the point I realised it would be best to let you head off with them rather than upset you.

In the lift on the way down I told you I loved you. At the entrance your mum immediately started complaining that I was late. At this point it was barely 10 minutes past 5. She fired off so many complaints within a minute I could barely take them in. I didn’t know how or what to respond to so she moved on to quizzing you about food, to which you oddly said you had eaten bacon. It was the last thing I needed given the situation and I didn’t understand why you said that when we didn’t have any bacon.

It’s starting to feel like you say negative things because you’re triggered by your mum’s horrible behaviour.

A final hurdle

If the handover wasn’t already stressful enough, we realised I had forgotten your raggy so I said I’d quickly get it and literally ran up the stairs to save a few seconds not waiting for the lift.

When I got back outside your mum was driving and didn’t stop but reached out of the window to get the raggy while moving and rushed off.

I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye and stood in the middle of the street empty but with the heaviest racing heart.

As I walked back inside I checked my watch and realised it was barely 15 minutes past 5.

So much panic, negativity and issues over so little. I’ve been extremely punctual and this time I decided it would be best to be a little late rather than let you be upset over a lost item.

I won’t see you for 3 weeks and this was our last moment after such a lovely weekend. It’s another bad memory and tension that you have to put up with.

Wishing things were better

The irony is that if things were easier with your mum everything could have been sorted calmly and you would’ve been on your way much, much quicker.

I wasn’t able to say happy birthday properly and for the next few weeks you’ll be on holiday. A pleasure we’re denied.

Podcast Transcript August 14th, 2026— Taking our own advice on slowing down this summer

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.optimistdaily.com/2026/08/podcast-transcript-august-14th-2026-taking-our-own-advice-on-slowing-down-this-summer/

🍇 Oh, the zen of 🍓 berry picking! Nothing says "self-development" like ditching family for some quality time with the fruit bushes. 🤣 Ah, the sweet irony of hating your mom for making you do it back then!
https://www.tsoon.com/posts/picking-berries-meditation/ #zenofberrypicking #selfdevelopment #familytime #fruitbushes #ironyhumor #nostalgicmemories #HackerNews #ngated

After the solar eclipse, now hoping for some luck with the Perseids. An astronomical evening and the kids are loving every minute!

#Perseids #MeteorShower #Stargazing #Astronomy #NightSky #FamilyTime

Can't believe I'm doing this trend #🙈 #🤣 #familytiktok #trending #familytime #omg #funnytrend https://www.tiktok.com/@vazquezfamily5/video/7412342589388508459?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Today is American Family Day, we celebrate the happiness and love of family! Make treasured memories and savor every second spent together. We will be celebrating with our family as well. Give us a call after the festivities are over. #justcalldrpam #FamilyTime #Love

We recently caught up with Anika 'The City Makoti' Dambuza and her husband, Sihle Dambuza, to chat about their favourite movies, what they enjoy watching together as a couple and the shows and films they love watching with their son, Zakkie. 🎬❤️

Watch the full video!

#BabyYumYum #BYY #CelebrityParents #FamilyTime #ParentingJourney #SihleDambuza #TheCityMakoti #AnikaDambuza

Rayven/Heng, playing my rain drum & telling my Mom/his Grandma a funny story. We didn't understand what he was saying but laughed with him.

#FamilyTime

Ministry Proposes Tax on Nostalgia Posts to Save the Environment

https://satiregpt.wordpress.com/2026/07/23/ministry-proposes-tax-on-nostalgia-posts-to-save-the-environment/

Somewhat clear skies

We’re still under an air quality alert (because of the wildfire smoke), but today the atmosphere was much better than last Wednesday afternoon.

And the temps were a little cooler with a nice breeze.

We’ve been able to get out and enjoy the park again.

I just love visiting parks tucked away in neighborhoods near our house. The neighborhood parks feature a playground with paved walking paths good for walking and riding bikes or even skating.

One of my favorite features is how the walking paths go around the playground making it easier for us to keep an eye on the kids while we walk.

It feels good to see people out jogging, walking, riding bikes, and playing at the playground again.

Last week’s thick smoke made everything look like a ghost town because no one was out walking in the neighborhood or at the parks. Traffic was even lighter than usual.

I know the kids are thrilled to be back at the playground.

They’ve had the best time going to the park three days in a row. They asked me if we can go everyday. Lol 😅

Travis and I enjoy walking together while the kids play at the playground, so I think we just might make evening walks part of our nightly routine! ☺️

💜 XO

An unexpected visitor 🐣

A summer storm left our patio garden with one unexpected little visitor. 🐥

A front porch garden harvest 🫑

Enjoying a small garden harvest right from our front porch! 🫑🥬

Attack of the ravenous cabbage caterpillars 🐛

My broccoli never stood a chance. 😏🥦🐛

My favorite part of going to the movies is snuggling with my kids. It won't last forever, so it's something to be cherished.

#familymovienight #preciousmoments #familytime #parentingjoy #makingmemories

#familytime #familyfun #funnyvideo #funnyreels

Pool day ☀️

It was another hot day, so the kids and I spent some time at the pool today. The temps reached 94°F, but i think the weather app said it felt like 102°F! 🥵

I’ll be honest—for most of the summer, I kept putting off going to the pool because I don’t particularly like wearing a bathing suit. 🫤

But once we got in the pool and started swimming around, I really started to enjoy myself! 😄🏊‍♀️

It made me realize I need to just relax and take a break sometimes, stop being so hard on myself.

I mean, it is summer after all. Lol ☀️😊

Mj (24), my oldest daughter stopped by to hangout with us at the pool after she got off from work.

She has her own apartment in our neighborhood—just three minutes walking distance from our house.

It’s nice having my daughter live in the same neighborhood as me. I really enjoy having her live so close by to us.

I’m so glad we went to the pool around 1 p.m. and hung out for a couple of hours because the weather unexpectedly got bad later in the day.

All of a sudden, around 6 p.m. the air quality became hazy and unhealthy because of the wildfires in Canada. 😲 (We live about 40 minutes from the Canadian border.)

The atmosphere became very smoky outside as if the entire neighborhood had finished shooting off fireworks. You could even smell the burning wood!

I’m keeping Canada and all U.S. states affected by these wildfires in my prayers! 🙏🏽

💜 XO

Productive Monday 😎

I got so much accomplished on this busy Monday! 🙌🏾

One habit that has improved my life the most 🙏🏽

This daily habit has had the biggest impact on my life…🙏🏽💜

Flight of the bumblebee 🐝

Finally! Our first bumblebee sighting of the season! 🐝🌻

#familytime this evening making #fresh #cookies and #refinishing our old #table

Week Four: The Reward, and the Reckoning

https://samuellison.com/post/week-four-the-reward-and-the-reckoning

https://www.europesays.com/ie/581211/ Beyoncé, Blue Ivy Make Surprise Performances at Jay-Z Show #Beyoncé #BlueIvy #Celebrities #Éire #Entertainment #FamilyTime #IE #Ireland #JayZ #Music #News

Screen-free entertainment that kids actually love. Grab a family-friendly all-ages bundle for the weekend! #KidsReading #FamilyTime https://startercomicbooks.com/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

For the good weather that's in it, my kids and I spent some quality time making a strawberry cheesecake. It's not setting in the fridge for dessert tomorrow.

#baking #familytime

https://www.evshift.com/485634/meet-the-2026-toyota-bz/ Meet the 2026 Toyota bZ #2026ToyotaBZ #AllElectric #BestCompactEVSUV #BZCharging #BZExterior #BZInfotainment #BZInterior #BZRangeTest #ElectricCars #ElectricSuv #ElectricSUV2026 #ElectricSuv2026Usa #ElectricVehicle #ElectricVehicles #EV #EvBuyingGuide #family #FamilyMemories #FamilyTime #Meet #Toyota #ToyotaBz #ToyotaBz2026 #ToyotaBZWoodland #ToyotaBz4x #ToyotaElectric #ToyotaElectricSuv #ToyotaElectricVehicle #ToyotaEv #ToyotaEv2026 #ToyotaEVSUV #ToyotaUsa

🇺🇸 Happy 4th of July, America! 🎆
We wish all our friends and family a fun day to enjoy together!

#4thofJuly #familytime #madeinUSA #veteranowned

Brunch, Garden, Mass, and H-Mart

The day started with a cozy brunch at home. I’ve mentioned before on Fridays we have Pizza Friday.

I always order my pizza from a local Italian market. They always use fresh ingredients and cook the pizza using a wood-burning oven. It’s the best fresh pizza I’ve ever had! 😋

You get an 11″ pizza with unlimited toppings for just $12! Great deal! I always order the meat lovers pizza with artichoke as an extra topping.

For brunch on the weekends, I like to have my favorite tea with a slice of my leftover pizza with a fried egg and honey drizzle on top. I put on my jazz playlist and just enjoy the vibes.

Last Saturday, I introduced my pizza brunch recreation to Travis and he was amazed at how delicious the leftover pizza tasted with fried egg.

“Yo! This is REALLY good!” he exclaimed. “How did you come up with this?” 😲🍕

A little work in the garden

We did a little work in the garden. I planted another sugar baby watermelon start, and Zaya (5) wanted to plant a cosmos flower seed in her little baby pot. 🥹🌸

This makes two sugar baby watermelon starts we are growing in the garden.

Zhen (13) chose the mini watermelon to grow because she LOVES watermelon. 🍉

I’m a little nervous about having enough space for the watermelon to vine, but I’ve been researching ways to grow vertically, so I think we can make it work! 🤞🏾😁

Mr. Toad back again

And while I was tending to the patio garden, my little toad friend was hopping behind me. 😄🐸 It’s so cute because I often see this toad pop out when I am working in the garden.

It seems he was on his way to the garden section of our peppers and tomatoes. Lol 😅 That was perfect because some bugs have been hanging around the plants. 🪲

Mass and a quick stop at H-Mart

Later in the afternoon, we went to the Saturday vigil Mass.

Since Travis works six days a week, we have found going to Saturday Mass is a little easier on him. That way he can sleep in and fully rest on Sundays.

After Mass, we stopped by H-Mart to get lo mein noodles and a few other ingredients. I had a craving for homemade chicken lo mein and I wanted to cook it for dinner.

The kids LOVE H-Mart! 😍 Every time we go, they always want to get ramyun and snacks. This time, they found K-Pop Demon Hunters snacks, so of course, we had to get it! 😂🫶🏾

I love H-Mart because they sell so many varieties of noodles, rice, kimchi, and other unique foods that you can’t find at American supermarkets.

The kids wanted to check out the toy section (obviously lol), and they wanted us to buy something.

I told them to save up their allowance money so we can come back and they can buy the toy they really want to get. 🤓💡

Before leaving H-Mart, we played a game of Toy House—the claw machine game.

We didn’t win anything (does anyone ever win these games? 😏 lol), but it was still fun trying. 😊

💜 XO

Even the public library has seeds 😲🌿

The library offers a seed catalog, so I couldn’t pass it up! 😂

Midsummer seed order

Getting the garden ready for fall crops!

Toad pool

Such a funny surprise—a toad swimming in our rainwater bucket. 🐸💦

Three of my favorite people--Aria, Carter, and Carson, a few years ago. Watercolor and Markers. #art #artwork #arting #makingart #artist #artists #watercolor #watercolors #markers #marker #family #children #kid #kids #child #baby #babies #favorites #favoritepeople #family #familytime #friends #friendship #friendships #people #portrait #portraits #sketch #sketches #drawing #drawings #mifflincounty #lewistown

→ Family trips don’t have to be expensive. Our app helps you use rewards to cover the cost. Learn More Here: https://my.travelfreely.com/wphome?bref=yhw #TravelOnABudget #jrnyjoy #FamilyTime

YouTube's physician on screen time: what parents can actually do: Dr. Garth Graham, YouTube's global head of health, outlines age-specific tools, family contracts, and co-viewing strategies for managing kids' screen time. https://ppc.land/youtubes-physician-on-screen-time-what-parents-can-actually-do/ #ScreenTime #ParentingTips #DigitalHealth #KidsHealth #FamilyTime

Retro-Tech Parenting

https://havenweb.org/2026/05/28/retro-tech.html

#HackerNews #RetroTech #Parenting #ParentingTips #DigitalNostalgia #TechInEducation #FamilyTime

Daddy Son day at the Illinois Railway Museum! Even got a tour of the Illinois Terminal Diesel engine that was pulling the passenger coach and the CTA 100 year old 4000 series was running from the old CTA Platform.
#familytime

Mom & Rayven came back & picked some strawberries together ❤️🍓❤️

#Family #Mom #Nephew #AsianMastodon #FamilyBonding #GoodMemories #GrandmaAndGrandson #FamilyTime #QualityTime #strawberries #harvesting

Two years ago, Mom & I discovered Outerbridge Park, in Royal Oak. We love that small community park. We're returning for a Spring walk there, next week. I'm looking forward to seeing all the plants & maybe spotting the resident barren owl & great blue heron too 🙂

#Family #Mom #AsianMastodon #FamilyBonding #GoodMemories #MotherAndDaughter #FamilyTime #QualityTime

I'm hoping to be able to bring Mom back to Shirley, in Autumn. I took her there for our 2nd Mom & daughter bonding RV rental getaway, 2 years ago. We had a great time together ❤️
I want to keep creating more good memories, together, as long as possible 💗

#Family #Mom #AsianMastodon #FamilyBonding #GoodMemories #MotherAndDaughter #FamilyTime #QualityTime

The Engineering Marvellous Achievement, the beautiful and dynamic Kolkata Hoogly Bridge near Princep Ghat, My Kolkata Diary 2026

#kolkata #calcutta #kolikata #photography #kolkataadventure #kolkatatravel #kolkatadiary #kolkatatrip #familytime #familyspending #family #summer #summervaccation #summertime #summertrip #familyvaccation #vaccationtime #vaccationwithfamily #myfamily #travel #travellers #travelerlifestyle #travelerslife #amazingmemory
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