I have a special treat for Go Gingham readers today – a giveaway for a newly released book by author Susan (“Suz”) Sachs Lipman. The book is “Fed Up with Frenzy,” and will surely be dogged-eared and marked-up by parents everywhere who are looking for ways to slow down and reconnect with their families.
Suz is a parenting and family expert whose blog is Slow Family Online and she’s also the Social Media Director for the international Children & Nature Network.
Suz and I have met virtually through our mutual friend, Amy Suardi. Amy writes the blog Frugal Mama, where Suz and I are both contributors. While Suz and I haven’t met in person (yet!), she and I are kindred spirits.
We share a love of slowing down, making family time a priority, and doing simple activities together.
This book is an excellent resource for families who want to break out of the technological grind and spend quality time together doing activities that are enjoyable and don’t cost a lot of money.
The book is filled with ideas for spending time in nature, in the kitchen, and the garden, together as a family. There’s also a section on celebrating simply which is good to remind myself of heading into the upcoming holiday season – and birthday season at our house!
There are directions for playing games and activities you probably played as a child but may have forgotten. You’ll find card games, travel games, and outdoor games, that will keep your family having fun whether you’re at home or on the go.
As a parent of two teenagers, I’ll also add that the introduction is particularly heartwarming. It’s written by Suz’s daughter, Anna, who is 16-years-old.
At the back of the book, you’ll find a list of resources in both print and web formats, to inspire you further.
Want your own copy? I have a brand new copy to give away and it’s not all dog-eared and marked-up like my copy is.
Leave a comment on this post below by answering one of the three questions:
- What is your favorite “slow family activity?”
- What is (or was) your favorite outdoor game to play?
- What is your favorite way to cozy-in with your family – reading a book out-loud or watching a movie together?
Rules:
- US residents only (sorry international readers)
- Number drawn by random number generator
- One entry per comment (but you are welcome to answer all 3 questions)
- Giveaway ends Monday, October 1st, 2012 at midnight, PST
- The winner will be notified by e-mail and announced later in the week
Good luck! Also, thank you to Sourcebooks for providing me with a copy of the book to keep and a copy to giveaway. Thank you to Suz for sending me the adorable graphics shown on this post for the giveaway – and for writing the book.
Go Gingham related links:
Frugal family fun – more ideas that won’t break the bank
Homemade cards – simple and not very elaborate – great for kids!
Time tested family rules – who knew these would work?
Take the night off and Let Your Kids Cook Dinner
Our weekly ritual – Technology Free Sundays
Sara
Sara, creator of Go Gingham, is passionate about cooking and feeding her family healthy, real food. She's a green enthusiast, too, who loves to grow food organically. Sara loves to travel - especially by trading houses. An avid runner, she can also be found chasing after her chickens in the backyard.
22 Comments
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We like to cozy up as a family by watching a movie.
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My favorite outdoor game would be wiffle ball for the younger kids and kick the can for the older kids.
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We love outdoors, but during the week it isn’t as feasible for nature adventures since my husband and I work full time outside of the home… so the clock is ticking and family time is a priority.. especially outside while the weather is nice. So we go for walks, play softball, soccer etc in the backyard… but our favorite thing these days is a cheap badminton/volley ball net we acquired this year. Not only do we play as a family, the neighborhood kids participate too. Quite fun and the laughter from the kids and smiles… priceless
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We love having a fire pit outside and spending the evening telling stories.
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What a wonderful-looking book! We love to cuddle up on the couch with a blanket over us all and read aloud for a while. Eventually, everyone ends up getting their own books and reading all together still! Every school day, we make a pot of tea (with animal crackers for the kids), and read our school books aloud. Best family times ever!
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Our family favorite “slow down time” is to watch a movie.
Hope I win!
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Our kids discovered Ladder Golf last summer with their cousins and really enjoyed it. It was a nice surprise this past Christmas when said cousins gave our family our own game of Ladder Golf; it has been the go to game this summer!
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When my kids were little, my favorite time of day was bedtime. We’d snuggle up on someone’s bed and I’d read aloud to my twins, one on each side of me. We’d also have family movie night on Fridays, with “popcorn and pop!” (the only time they’d get such treats). Miss those days, but now I really enjoy playing games with them. Those are so much more fun now that Candyland is past us!
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We have started having a family night every other Friday night where we watch a disney movie and have dinner that goes with the theme of the movie. For example we watched Cars and had Lighting McQueen Sandiwiches, (chicken salad sandwiches) Old tires (pickles) Sally Salad (fruit salad) Motor oil (grape juice) and Tunnel cakes (funnel cakes)
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Our family enjoys spending time on our boat fishing, reading books, napping, and talking.
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My favorite family activity is flashlight tag in the summer. My kids and I have a blast!
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I would love to win this book, as I find it more and more difficult to find an activity that all of my kids will enjoy. They are tweens and teens and are starting to get their own ideas! DRAT! I used to be able to get them to hike and read together, but not so much anymore. Bedtime is still a very cuddly time at my house and we like to play games in front of a fire whenever we have time. We have dinner together as often as possible, but I am finding more and more that our best family time comes from getting away together – in nature – no friends, no work, and only each other for entertainment.
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