speedbumpsign11 If you’re prepared to make some bigger changes, try out some of these medium-sized steps on the way to a slower life:

  • Cut one activity from your child’s schedule. Stay home and play together, instead.
  • Go for a walk every morning.
  • Knit, crochet, or do needlepoint. Kids, too. Even boys are learning to knit.
  • Take up acrylic or oil painting.
  • Go fishing.
  • Reheat leftovers on the stove instead of the microwave.
  • Establish an after-dinner ritual that keeps you lingering at the table. Read. Talk. Play a game. Drink hot chocolate or a smoothie.
  • List ten goals for yourself and your family. Prioritize 1 through 10. Cross off the bottom six and focus on what remains.
  • Scrapbook as a family. Remember when…
  • Schedule a weekly game night. “Chutes and Ladders,” anyone? “Apples to Apples”?
  • Stroll through an art museum. Stare at a sculpture. Read all the signs.
  • Repeat after me: “I’m sorry, but I’m not able to help with that at this time.”
  • Before agreeing to something, check with the rest of the family. Compare schedules. Say no if there are conflicts.
  • Organize your schedule so that you eat dinner at home most nights.
  • Eliminate all fast food.
  • Take off your watch. Live one day–maybe a Sunday–without watching the clock.
  • Why let yourself be instantly accessible, 24/7? Let calls go to VM on your cell phone.
  • No big destination for your next vacation; just rent a little cabin or go camping. Hike. Play games. Write stories. Read. Swim.
  • Camp overnight in a park or even just the back yard.
  • Cancel two activities next week.
  • Simplify your home (and minimize stress) by decluttering and organizing your space.
  • Reduce the crazies the night before a busy day by setting out everything and loading the car.
  • Choose one season to forgo all after-school activities.

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