Make It A Positive Recession

So I have been racking my brain all day trying to figure out a way to discuss the recession in a way most people overlook. Everyone wants to be stylish and seem like they still have money during this time when secretly we all know the person in front of you at the grocery store is probably hurting from this financial crisis just as much as you are. We have all read about the ways to stay stylish, your family vacations, and ways to save money. If your like me you could barely afford a vacation when times were good and now that they are bad you can just forget that picture of Jamaica you had in your head for the past year. Why aren't we more focused on our families? Our overall health together doesn't just mean physically. Is that relationship with your teenage daughter as good as it use to be? Or are you unemployed when you use to be a workaholic so you can spend time with your kids now?

We are all being negative about the recession when this is really what could bring a relationship to your family, or a friendship, or even a relationship with God closer. Lets start with the basics though. Are you spending too much time worrying and not enough time talking? Is your spouse or loved ones feeling left out because you are so down on yourself thinking that its your fault you don't have a job? Let me just tell you it's not your fault! To improve your self esteem start out with walking twenty minutes a day or less if you are physically unable to make it twenty minutes. Bringing yourself up is going to help your mentality with everything and everyone else in your life. After you have started this and making it a daily routine add in a spouse, friend, or even your entire family and talk about feelings or just every ones day, this will bring everyone closer together.

Now that you have improved your outlook on life just from simply breathing in fresh air and opening up, work on another area that you think could use improvement. Lets just say your family has become distant from each other, well, there are ways of fixing this. If your family is more physically active maybe find a sport everyone can enjoy together for an evening of fun once or twice a week. Game night was always one of my favorites growing up (even though I was horrible at Scrabble, my moms favorite). You could also try movie night. An all time favorite flick by the family or maybe a new one from the video store or Netflix. Grab some microwave popcorn (or make it yourself which is even better!) and a few sodas, cuddle up on the couch, and spend a good hour and a half with the whole fam!

As we are going into the fall or back to school season I tried remembering back to what I did when I was younger. I do recall a few parties I went to weather they were for school or church and what stands out the most to me now is that the parents all seemed to be having a good time just making sure we didn't get into trouble. So, then it made me think how cheap that must be to get a bunch of parents together to throw in some money/food/tractor and have a hayride and barn party or something of the sort. I know we are all embarrassed to talk about our financial situation but we just need to humble ourselves and realize we aren't the only ones and these parents will probably be so excited that you brought an idea like this up.

Now we all love our families but sometimes you just need a break especially if your one of those workaholics that is now a stay at home parent. You are not a bad parent if you take an evening away for a girls night out or even a girls night in. How bout doing a spa night with the girls at your home or a swap party where you bring old but still good clothes and swap with friends for their old your new clothes! How about an at home party for Entertaining at Home (which I sell so I had to mention it) , Tupperware, Mary Kay, and the options go on. While your thinking how can I have a home party when I can't afford new things? The thing that intrigues me about home parties is the socializing, the deals that you can find, and the hostess specials which are usually amazing! My other all time favorite is an at home wine and cheese tasting party which is great for a girls night but amazingly guys are getting into wine tasting more, so a great couples night idea! Another great couples night which goes along with that is visiting a local winery. Surprisingly, they are everywhere and not that expensive for taste testing! Plus wine makes everyone just a little happier!


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