There are so many wonderful things out there to help families, kids, and parents live a healthy, satisfying life. Here’s what’s been motivating us this week….
Our Family Friday Five Roundup includes:
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1. Rachel Cruze’s book “Love Your Life, Not Theirs.” The daughter of Dave Ramsey, she has some practical tips for managing your money. Her chief point: we overspend when we compare. We need to live in gratitude for what we have.
This book comes at a good time, not because of the comparison aspect (we love what we have), but because we have some big travel plans we are saving for. Plus, we are reconciling the fact that we bought some things we didn’t need in August.
Nothing in Cruze’s book is revolutionary (unless you’ve never thought about money, talked to your partner about it, or decided what your values are), but it is an easy-to-read good reminder of some key principles.
2. Let’s Make Every Kid in a Park a Guarantee for Fourth Graders
Did you know that the National Park Service makes entry into parks free for fourth graders? This is a fantastic program. You all know how much we love National Parks. But this program isn’t guaranteed. This article looks at what the program is and how we can protect it.
Besides the personal benefits of health, exercise, mental well-being, and connections with nature, Jarvis adds something else that Every Kid in a Park produces—pride. Many fourth graders take pride in being the one to gain the family’s admittance into the parks. Some, like one rural Idaho student, have taken on the task of choosing the park and planning the family summer trip there. What better way to build self-esteem than to be the key to a family outing?
3. For women, heavy drinking has been normalized. That’s dangerous.
You may have seen this Facebook or Instagram post circulating. The woman shares a powerful message: “And I also know something that a $220 billion dollar industry predominantly ran by men and increasingly targeted at women does not want you to know 
We do not need alcohol to survive our motherhood.”
And it is a tough topic to think about. At our house, we like our cocktail hours. But do we feel like we need it to “survive” parenting? No. But it begs the question: how much is too much? We live at the beach and summer is here. We don’t binge, but we enjoy.
So this Facebook post got wheels turning again and reminded us of an old article from The Washington Post. This article is a careful study of the advertising industry’s marketing of alcohol (specifically to women and mothers) balanced against the health problems that have been ominously on the rise due to drinking (especially for white women).
Then the author writes this:
Women also are frequently shown drinking to cope with daily stress. In one image that appeared on a company website, two white women wearing prim, narrow-brimmed hats, button earrings and wash-and-set hair confer side by side. “How much do you spend on a bottle of wine?” one asks. The other answers, “I would guess about half an hour . . . ” At the bottom is the name of the wine: Mommy’s Time Out.
It’s good to take a step back and reconsider how we treat alcohol as parents.
4. This baseball hat with ponytail hole! It is such a simple idea yet brilliant for women. The hole is AT THE TOP! Messy buns, high ponytails are covered in this hat.
5. The Getaway Couple blog and website. How cute are they? There is a pull to stories of people who choose an unconventional path, those who get to see the world without being tied down. It’s nice when they share their experience with us.
We’re headed out to enjoy the weekend together: maybe some camping? Hope you have wonderful trips together, too. Happy Friday, families.