Summer Friday Nights
I’ve always thought that when I had a family of my own, I’d like to introduce a few traditions that would be something to look forward to, and a way to keep us all close as the kids get older. This summer, we naturally fell into the tradition of celebrating the start to the weekend with fun family Friday nights! It’s been fun to get creative with it, and it’s something to look forward to. Here are a few ways that we’ve maximized our Friday evenings this summer:
Pizza in the park (or at the beach, at the pool, wherever): Our favorite, by far, has been to get pizza and drive out to the beach. We’re lucky to have an oversand beach here, so we drive right onto the sand, pop open the tailgate of the truck, and chow down. T is able to run around and play, Alex and I get to enjoy each other and the views. It’s actually pretty romantic! But when the beach isn’t an option (nesting birds cause the oversand to close), we get creative! We bring pizza to the pool, or to a park, or even just to our own backyard!
Outdoor breweries FTW: One of the greatest “inventions” of our generation is the concept of a family-friendly brewery. A place where kids can run freely, and sometimes there are even games and entertainment, while parents can socialize and have a beverage. Bonus if the brewery is outdoors and has food or food trucks! We don’t do this as often, but it’s a really great option when we are trying to make plans with friends who also have kids.
Celebrate your town: We live in a somewhat small town, and so I’ve made it my mission to really soak up all that small town life has to offer. One of those things is town-organized fun, particularly in the summer. So I’m always scouring town pages and local media for information about things that will work for our family, like concerts in the park or the carnival which was recently in town!
I hope that we’re able to keep up with our Friday family nights through the winter, when it can be harder to come up with cool activities, and continue on as T grows up! What special family traditions do you have?
