This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and McDonald’s.
I’m a sucker for family time. In fact, if too much time passes without some really intentional activities with my people, I get all discombobulated and twitchy and grumpy. To me there is nothing more fun than hanging out with the people I love the most, and when we have that solid, uninterrupted time together, I just treasure it. It’s like a great big hug that lasts for days at a time.
I could probably bore you to tears with an exhaustive list of all my favorite family activities, so I’ll spare you. I will tell you, though, that right now I am really carried away with how our summer pool and beach time brings us closer together. In the fall I’m all about road trips to college football games and getting to hang out with old friends and their kids. The winter makes me long for big holiday gatherings with our extended family, and when spring rolls around, I’ll be ready for us to get outside and kick the soccer ball and spend Saturday mornings on the soccer field.
And then there’s the day-to-day stuff that knits us together – sitting outside while we re-hash the day, eating dinner together at the kitchen table, reading before bedtime and snuggling up for no reason at all. Those are the things that I treasure the most as a family, and those are the things that we can do together no matter where we are.
A few months ago we had a few days of family time in Chicago (with McDonald’s) – which was a little outside the norm for us – and one of the neatest parts of our trip was taking a tour of a Ronald McDonald House®. While I’ve known about the great work that goes on at Ronald McDonald Houses for the last fifteen or twenty years, seeing that work in person was something really special for our family. It’s a place that provides stability and care for families when they’re in the midst of difficult circumstances, and it gives them a way to continue to share family time with each other even when they’re navigating their way through medical issues.
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And here’s some exciting news from the McDonald’s folks:
As part of the “Family Time. Happy Time.†campaign McDonald’s® and Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) have developed the “Make Family Time Happy Time†online widget application. The “Make Family Time Happy Time†widget encourages moms to join other moms in the Family Time conversation and share “happy†tips for quality family time.
Through the widget you can pledge minutes or hours of activities with your family in celebration of what matters most – spending time together. We also invite you to join the conversation and share your favorite family activities with other families through the widget. You can then share the widget with your friends and family through Twitter, Facebook, and email. In addition, as part of this campaign, McDonald’s will donate 1 penny to RMHC® for every minute of time you pledge to spend with your family up to 1,000,000 minutes. Minutes and pennies are tiny amounts that, when added up over time, can make a big impact, so start pledging your family time!
Isn’t that great? You pledge family time, and McDonald’s gives money to RMHC®. That’s a win-win.
If the widget isn’t showing up here, you can find it – and pledge your time – on McDonald’s Facebook page.
If you’d like to win a McDonald’s prize pack – which includes a $25 gift card to McDonald’s, a Just Give gift card for the charity of your choice and all sorts of other fun stuff (estimated value $100) – go pledge family time on McDonald’s “Make Family Time Happy Time†widget and let us know what you pledged in the comment section for a chance to win! And after you share your pledge, feel free to share any favorite family memories you have that are tied to McDonald’s.
Be sure to visit the other bloggers who are participating in this giveaway (they’re listed over on the BlogHer.com special offers page). And by all means feel free to check out the official rules.
This giveaway is now closed.
I pledged 90 minutes to have a movie night with my family.
I pledged to spend time with my family on the beach this weekend! Love me some family time!
LOVE this! I pledged time with my family actually cooking some meals together. We always eat together, but honestly the kids also LOVE to help cook, which is something that I never take enough advantage of!!!
I pledge 30 minutes to play board games with my family
I pledge 30 minutes every night for story time and 30 minutes of any kind of family time.
I pledged to have a family movie night (120 minutes). My kids LOVE that!!
I pledge 60 minutes of family reunion time with my own kids and their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
I pledge 120 min to have a movie night with my family
I pledged 30 minutes to read stories with my girls!
I pledged 60 minutes to play board games with our family! :)
I pledged movie/popcorn night with my family this weekend! My girls’ favorite night!
I pledged 120 minutes of fishing with my family this weekend!
I pledged to hike with my kids.
I pledge to spend all day at the beach with my kids.
I pledged to take my boys school shopping…
I pledge to spend extra time reading with my kiddos, especially after I start back to work.
I pledged a weekend with my folks back home!
I pledged to spend an hour in the pool with the grandkids! Fun
I pledge an afternoon at the park together!
I pledge 90 min for a fun night of painting fingernail and toenails with my daughter and for building with legos with my son.
I pledged 60 min for a fun night of board games with the family!
I pledge 20 minutes to read more books with my little one – or do her workbook, since she loves learning!
I pledged 120 minutes for going to the zoo on Saturday with my family.
I pledged 90 minutes for dinner and game time with my family.
I pledged 60 minutes to go roller skating with my family!
I pledged MOVIE TIME tonight with the family:)
I treat my kids to McDonalds for Wednesday lunch. The oldest (8) son has 4 hours of therapy every Wednesday morning, so it is a reward for him for doing well, and for his brothers (5 and 6) for behaving in a waiting room for four straight hours, LOL!
I pledged 90 minutes for movie night with my family. We’re seeing Despicable Me!
we love working together filling the boxes for the people that come in.
I pledged 120 minutes @ the county fair with my family.
I pledge 20 minute a day per grandkid to do what they want. Read, color, walk, swing whatever each wants.
http://twitter.com/sodahoney/status/21122803054
I pledged 120 minutes of nature photography with my grandsons.
I pledged 120 minutes to have a movie night with my family!
bleatham*at*gmail.com
i pledged a special “back-to-school” dinner with our kids…
I pledged to make jewelry with my kids
I made my pledge of 60 minutes.
I pledged 60 minutes to collect and donate clothes to charity
I pledged time with my family collecting pop tabs for RHMC. It’s a way we’ve found to help out.
mattschmunk at gmail dot com
I pledged 120 minutes to collect clothes to donate to charity.
A special McDonald’s memory is watching my children play on the McDonalds playground after a lunch at McDonalds.
I pledge 20 minutes of family time a day. Reading, playing or anything.
I pledged 60 minutes to playing board games with my family.
I pledged 60 minutes at the library.
I pledge an afternoon at the library we some good books and my children
I pledged 120 minutes to go berry picking and make jam with my family. Would have made it a bigger pledge (time wise), but 120 was the limit! So fun.
I pledged 60 minutes outside with my kids!They love to be pushed on the swings!
I pledged 120 minutes to have dinner and game night with my family!
I pledge 60 minutes of story time!
I pledge the last 8 hours of the summer with my daughter to just be together, instead of working, and to have fun before 2nd grade starts! Where do the days go!?!?!?
I PLEDGED 20 MINUTES TO COLLECTING AND DONATING MY CLOTHING ITEMS I NO LONGER WEAR! FAV MEMORIES LINKED TO MCDONALDS? EVER CHANCE I GET TO GO IS A FAVORITE MEMORY! LOL kytah00@yahoo.com
I pledged 30 minutes a night to read to my girls.
I pledge to read w/my girls every night!
I pledged 120 minutes for a family bike ride. My daughter is just learning to ride her bike, and we have spent two hours the last few days just going around and around our neighborhood cul-de-sac circle. Next week we’re going to step that up to a real destination, now that her confidence is up.
I pledged 120 minutes to go to a museum (the Exploreum) with my family!
I pledge 60 min volunteering at an Elementary school.
i pledged 30 minutes of collecting clothes/items for the needy
my best mc d memory is that the first adult/big boy food my son ate was a mc donalds french fry..and he still loves them
nannypanpan at sbcglobal.net
I pledged 120 minutes to spend a day at the beach with my family for my husband’s birthday. Just us, no friends. We’re going tomorrow!
I pledged 30 minutes to write and illustrate a story with my family.
I pledged to spent 30 minutes donating my unused clothing to charity
I pledge 60 min volunteering
Bluegirl1423@gmail.com
i pledged to collect clothes/items for donation
Artisticbaker @ gmail dot com
My family prepares meals for families in need! I pledge to do this more!
shoppingchic2@gmail.com
I pledge to donate money to help families in need
seanm1999@hotmail.com
I helped families in need by pledging 120 mins to take photos of nature w/ my family.
I pledged more quality time with my 4 1/2 year old. Now that we have a newborn in the house with an unknown medical condidtion it has been difficult for that to happen. Thanks for the reminder!
I pledged to do 40 minutes of fort building
shopgurl101@gmail.com
I pledged two hours for a game night.
I pledge 120 minutes for a trip to the museum with my family – should be fun and we plan on getting in some education and lunch at the museum cafe :)
I pledged 90 minutes per week to eat out at a new place each week. My daughter is 21, and I work full-time as well as being a full-time student. We are all crazy busy and so this will be a fun, easy way to spend time together. Taking turns finding a new place each week that fits into our budget will add to the fun!
I pledged to spend an evening, 90 minutes, with my family playing board games!
I pledged 30 minutes taking my family on a family bike ride! We haven’t done that in a long time!
I pledged 2 hours to help clean up my local park with my family.
I pledged 120 to have a movie/family night with my kids & husband.
I pledged 90 minutes to hike on a nature trail with my family.
I pledge to do a family movie every week I pledge to do a family devotion once a week. I pledge to have a girl’s lucn with my daughter once a week. She loves fast food.
I pledged to have family night at our house once a week (5 hours). With four kids in sports and a husband that commutes an hour to work and back each day it is hard for family time. Love your blog! I am a Grits girl from Alabama that has lived in Missouri for the last 5 years!
I pledge to spend more time reading with my son.
I pledged 120 minutes to play (no phone or computer) with my family! I feel like even when we spend time together, there is always a phone ringing or vibrating somewhere or a ding on the computer. We just need them off!
I pledged to spend time with my family outdoors.
I pledge 30 minutes to play board games with my family and 30 minutes every night for story time.
Watch a movie.
I pledge to read 20 minutes daily with my family.
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