There [...]]]> If you’re like most Americans, you love your country. You can show your patriotism by flying the Stars and Stripes during major holidays. You can also decorate your home with red, white and blue decorations. Learn how to make a decorative 4th of July string of stars garland so everyone knows how patriotic you are.

There are several ways to make these decorations and many places you can hang them once theyíre made. Here is an idea you may want to try.

You may want to get your children to help you. It’s possible theyíve made something similar to this while in school, so theyíre probably old hands at it. If your children are ‘crafty’ at all, they’ll jump at the chance to make these decorations.

Gather together the following items:

• Red, white and blue construction paper
• Heavy-duty string or yarn in one of the patriotic colors
• School or craft glue
• Star template
• Glitter or stickers
• Hole punch

Find or make star templates in several different sizes. Crafts magazines and the internet are good places to find templates. When you have a couple of different sizes of stars, trace around the templates on the different-colored construction paper.

Cut the stars out and place them in stacks of the same color and size. Punch a single hole in each star. Your children can help you decorate the stars by putting patriotic stickers on them. They can also spread school glue over the stars and then sprinkle glitter on them. Let the decorated stars dry completely before stringing them.

When the stars are dry, take one star (all the same size or of differing sizes) from the various colors – making sure to alternate them in red, white and blue – and put them on the string. You can either tie the string which will anchor the star in one place or allow the stars to float freely along the string. Either way, youíll want to place enough stars on the string to stretch from one area to the next. Tape the garland on one wall or porch post and then stretch it across to the next. If the stars are floating freely, spread them out as evenly as possible.

Itís not hard learning how to make a decorative 4th of July string of stars garland. Your children may even be able to make them entirely on their own. Consider the abilities of your child and give them help if they need it. Then be sure to hang your stars garland with pride both for the country and for your childrenís crafting abilities.

It’s a common complaint of many families these days. Everyone is involved in so many activities that itís hard to come together and enjoy time as a family. Consider some of these ideas on how to enjoy a fun family night in instead of everyone going their separate ways.

Scientifically it has been proven that families [...]]]>

It’s a common complaint of many families these days. Everyone is involved in so many activities that itís hard to come together and enjoy time as a family. Consider some of these ideas on how to enjoy a fun family night in instead of everyone going their separate ways.

Scientifically it has been proven that families who eat meals together are more emotionally connected and more stable. And since everyone has to eat, why not start your fun family night in by cooking a meal together?

Family meals donít have to be elaborate or tedious to prepare. They can be as simple as cooking hamburgers, having chips, and drinks. Of course, you may want to prepare something that will get everyone involved in the cooking process. Someone can cut up vegetables, someone else be in charge of cooking the dessert, and another person in charge of the main meal. Have everyone pitch in and the work will be completed quicker. You can also use the time to reconnect and talk about whatís happened in each personís life since your last family fun night.

Once the meal is complete, take time to set a nice table and eat there rather than in front of the television. You can make clean-up a breeze by using disposable plates and napkins if you like, but you can also make the dinner seem more special by using nice place settings which are normally reserved for holidays.

After youíve eaten dinner and cleaned up the dishes, continue your family night by playing board games. Have everyone choose one of their favorite games and then decide together which one youíll play first. Games are meant to be fun and relaxing, so try to avoid becoming too competitive if thatís your personality. Depending upon the game youíve chosen, you may be able to play more than one game; and donít forget to play games even the little children of the family can enjoy.

If games arenít your favorite things, you can also plan a movie night. Find a movie everyone will like, or at least tolerate, and pop some popcorn. Comedies are usually a good choice even though people have different senses of humor. Unless the humor is extremely dry, everyone in the family should at least get a chuckle out of the movie.

Pull out the family albums and take a stroll down memory lane. Remember the way the children were when they were young. Everyone loves to look at pictures of or hear stories about themselves even if they can be slightly embarrassing. Talk about some of the things your children did as babies or toddlers that you found so endearing.

No matter how busy your family may get, itís vital to take time to reconnect as a family. You can use some of these ideas on how to enjoy a fun family night in or you can come up with some of your own. The important thing is to do something everyone, no matter what their age, will be able to enjoy and look forward to.  [Click here for more ideas for family fun]