Engaging Family Activities for Lasting Memories

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Ever wondered how to transform a chaotic family gathering into a serene and joyous occasion? This episode promises to equip you with the essential tools for crafting stress-free and meaningful family events. I'm Wondra Spencer, your guide on this journey, and together we'll unlock the secrets to successful event planning, emphasizing the power of communication, collaboration, and self-compassion. We'll touch on everything from assigning household tasks to organizing meal contributions, all while setting boundaries and maintaining a positive atmosphere. You'll leave with ideas for engaging activities and icebreakers that not only entertain but also strengthen family bonds and create lasting memories.

Stay motivated and inspired with a weekly dose of uplifting content by subscribing to my YouTube channel and podcast. The upcoming episodes promise an exciting exploration into the strength of community, with a special tribute to veterans like myself who have served. Connect with me across social media platforms and engage in a supportive network where personal growth and empowerment are at the forefront. Let's make each family gathering a delightful celebration of togetherness, filled with joy and cherished moments, while also finding time for personal reflection and relaxation.

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Episode Transcript

Wondra Spencer (00:01):
Welcome to the Uplifting, motivational Field
Podcast.
Whether you're tuning in viaYouTube channel or another
platform, I am genuinelygrateful for your presence.
Your decision to join ourcommunity fills me with joy and
I'm thrilled to have you here.
This podcast is designed toempower and inspire you, and I

(00:23):
am your host, ondra Spencer.
I am the owner and founder ofthe Inspire and Drive LLC and
remember our motto is motivationfrom within.
This podcast discusses the love, your health, your strength,
your self-care, motivation,inspiration, strength, your

(00:47):
self-care motivation,inspiration, lifestyles,
finances, personal growth andspirituality.
Me and my guests we're here toshare our experiences and our
stories.
Our podcast offers a uniqueopportunity for everyone to
learn and grow professionallyand personally.

(01:08):
With this podcast today we wantto share an update on family
gatherings and with the familygatherings you want to make sure
everyone has a say-so at thetable.
So, with the family gatheringsand I'm laughing because I want

(01:29):
to talk about doing the dishes,that's one of my favorites you
can have the adults do thedishes or you can have your kids
do the dishes.
They can have like a littleassembly line, such as washing
and drying, putting the dishesaway.
They can pick their chores outof a hat.

(01:51):
It can be a list of chores.
It's just so many things thatneeds to be done that they can
do.
Maybe the little ones they canfill the paper towels and the
tissue and the toiletries in thehome.
So definitely, with thisupcoming family gathering time

(02:16):
and you want to be gearing upfor those heartwarming
get-togethers as the holidaysare nearest, and definitely you
don't have any need to worry,definitely plan early and you
can make your event intimate andgrand.
So let's plan and prepare forour cherished memories and our

(02:38):
beloved family members.
Whether your gathering is smallor large, there's no need to
stress out and you can plantogether to make those beautiful
memories.
So let's take a deeper dive intothe family gathering because it
comes.
Some people do it yearly, somepeople do it daily, weekly,

(03:02):
monthly, and you definitely canprepare for it.
If you cook a large dinner, youwant to ensure everyone brings
their items, their cooks, ifthey're buying things, so you
can advance or prep for theevent or pay for it in advance.

(03:25):
And if you're not making manytrips to the store, sending
other family members your mate,your spouse too and you want to
add event dates, so you want tohave your date, your time, your
location and you want to rotatethe family gatherings at a home,

(03:47):
such as the major holidays willbe at everyone's house with
last name Z or last name A, andyou can rotate the following
holidays.
If you have family members fromout of town, they can arrange
to stay with a family membernearby and you can have a main

(04:09):
checklist because you want tohave it.
With your checklist you can doa group text or a social media
family page.
You can send out a questionnaireto gather input for planning.
You can send out aquestionnaire to gather input
for planning.
You can recruit and assigntests to family members.

(04:33):
You can establish a centralplanning command center, develop
a budget and you can preparefor those unforeseen
circumstances and keep all thelines of communication open and
arrange activities for everyonethere.
And you can kick off the eventwith an activity such as an

(04:53):
icebreaker.
You can share your familystories, your history, have a
room filled with board games andtoys and different things to
keep the kids occupied and youcan keep that energy going
throughout the gatherings andeveryone can take turns to clean

(05:14):
up and prepare the take-homeplates.
The family should assigndifferent dishes, such as
ensuring that everything iscooked and properly addressed If
you decide to cater it, youwant to start looking at your
prices, confirm the number ofpeople family members and any

(05:38):
unexpected family members andguests, and if it's a family
reunion, you can get yourcustomized shirts done to plan
for it, to make great memories,and make sure you take a lot of
pictures too.
And it's also important for youto take the time to thank

(06:01):
everyone who attended, whoattributed to the fruit in the
beginning and helping with thechores, so with the family
gathering.
You want to have a mental healthplan, so you want to do your
joy.
You want to not be so stressedand do your yoga.

(06:22):
You want to keep your anxietyand stress at a minimum and you
can make sure that youcommunicate healthy um with
everyone and ensure that yourwell-being remains a priority.
So you can reflect on the pastexperiences, such as walking

(07:00):
down memory lane, reflectingwith your family members.
You want to see how you feelbefore and after and during the
event.
If anything trigger you, youwant to make sure you take care
of it and understand theanticipation and event itself

(07:21):
and make sure things are notchallenging so you can get help
for your mental health and youcan set the realistic
expectations.
So it's easy to dream of apicture perfect family gathering
where everything goes smoothly.
However, it can be things thatunexpected that happen.

(07:46):
So you want to accept thoseunexpected or imperfection
things and make sure you take apart in the experience and focus
on appreciating the positivemoments and you can set those
realistic expectation for men toprepare you for the ups and

(08:07):
downs and any frustrations andturmoil for that day.
And you got to have boundaries,have boundaries, have
limitations.
You want to see what things canbe limited, what things that
you make sure people are notcrossing those boundaries and

(08:30):
make sure you protect yourselfand your boundaries of your
well-being and others and setaside some alone time.
Maybe get you a cup of coffeeor go and sit on the porch, take
a brief walk and you know,really take that dive into
yourself and have that peace ofmind and really enjoy nature and

(08:56):
you can identify your supportsystem.
That's with everyone who'snavigating with you through this
family gallery.
Make sure you identify the onesyou can talk to if you're
overwhelmed.
You need to pass things off andmake sure you have that

(09:17):
reliable support system andyou're managing your stress
levels and make sure that it'spositive planning and activities
, conversations that bring youjoy and peace.
So you know, if you have thosefamily car games, you know

(09:37):
someone might get angry, so youdefinitely don't want to have
those like car games.
Maybe the kids have some wantto have those like card games.
Maybe the kids have some othergames where they're they're
having fun.
But certain games you know youprobably don't want to have.
And make sure that everyone isuplifting each other,
encouraging each other and it'snot stressing anyone out.

(10:00):
And if you find that you'rebeing distracted you're stressed
out.
Maybe put on some headphones orread you a good book, step
outside and go to another roomto review yourself and your
emotions and you can make surethat you're making your stress

(10:25):
go down, not increase it whenit's the challenging time.
And if need Plan for an exitplan, maybe get there early,
talk, mingle Eat with everyoneand have an exit plan so you can
reduce your stress and controlit and you can drive your

(10:47):
separate car, you know, haveyour ride, pick you up early
where you're not waiting foranyone to take you home because
you're ready to go and it's yourbedtime sometimes and you can
practice your self-compassion.
Definitely be kind to yourself.
It's okay to be stressed andanxious or upset, but just make

(11:10):
sure you take care of you, allowyourself self-compassion.
If you offend anyone,definitely take care of it and
make sure you're not stressed.
You're not stressing anyone outbecause it's the holiday.
So if you plant early youdefinitely can accomplish a ton

(11:31):
of tasks.
One of my tasks I like to getdone is to start shopping in
October.
If I start shopping in OctoberI can get everything I want and
get things out the way.
So I'm not stressing towardsthe the end of the year and if

(11:52):
unexpected things come up.
So make sure that you'rereflecting on the event.
Maybe things that could beimproved for the next year.
Maybe talk about the positivesand negatives and consider what
strategies work for you and yourfamily and share with others.

(12:16):
If the other household with theletter S is contributing to the
family gathering next year, youcan share some pros and cons of
it and make sure you plan forthe future and share information
with the upcoming gathering forthe family.

(12:36):
Home and family gatherings canbe challenging.
They can go smoothly or not,but make sure you enjoy every
moment of it and remember toprioritize your well-being.
And it's not selfish, it isnecessary.
So with the family gatherings.

(12:58):
They are so fast in today'sworld where they can be coming
so fast.
People can do it together, theycan do it virtually, but you
want to make sure with yourfamily gathering, you're
enjoying it.

(13:19):
It gives you a chance toreconnect with your loved ones.
You're making sure that you'reenjoying it.
You're sharing the experiences.
Maybe someone has a new baby, anew spouse, extended family
member.
They're catching up on lifehappenings and make sure you

(13:41):
take many pictures and enjoythose moments.
And with the family gatheringsyou want to make sure that your,
if it's a family gathering andsomeone is celebrating a
anniversary or birthday or newmarriage, make sure that you get
a picture and you give them akeepsake for that so they

(14:04):
understand what that the meaningof that family gathering and
they can take a look at iteveryone in a group text or on a

(14:27):
social media page for thefamily member and make sure with
these that you are celebratingthe ones whom's not with you.
If someone has passed away, youcan honor their, their life and
celebrate their memoriestogether with their family
members and make sure youembrace and preserve on your

(14:48):
heritage one of the mostbeautiful aspects of family
gatherings coming together frommultiple generations and you can
have a powerful meaning through, have a powerful meaning
through sharing your stories,family histories, traditions,
that's passed down, differentrecipes, so you really make sure

(15:10):
you cherish those and thedifferent tales, the pros and
cons, the ups and downs.
Remember that card game wheresuch and such broke the table or
we had to find a table.

(15:31):
So definitely just rememberthat you cherish those moments
and it definitely can start anew tradition for the younger
generation and add values andideas and really enhancing your
family legacy and make sure,with those stories, that you're
taking advantage of yourtradition and your culture.

(15:52):
Your family is unique.
So taking a time to a young,sit with the younger generation,
sit with the older generation,sit with the younger generation,
sit with the older generation,sit with the next generation,
just really enjoy it and createthose joyful times together.

(16:12):
Take many pictures and you wantto make sure that you're
spreading that joy andtogetherness and make sure you
set a time aside for a chance toget to know each other.
So you're having that potatosack race or it's the time where

(16:34):
you're hiding the eggs aroundthe house because it's too wet
outside or snowing outside.
Just make sure that you enjoyit and enjoy the meals and the
laughter and the love and thecreation of memories because it
will be cherished for years tocome.
Your family gatherings are justmore than a gathering.

(16:57):
They are there to celebrateyour family, your life and the
love that binds us together.
And remember these are yourroots, connect to your past,
your roadmap to the future andin the world.
If you feel isolated, thefamily gatherings reminds of

(17:19):
your support and yourstrengthening your family and
welcoming others to your family.
So, with the family gatherings,the unsung heroes in
strengthening the ties that bindus across generations, and get
ready to make the most of yourfamily gathering by being

(17:42):
proactively, establishing a planto support it and really
supporting everyone's mentalhealth, and including yours, and
you can have a solid plan toempower and navigate your
challenges and confidentiallyand gracefully and remembering
prioritizing yourself is anongoing process.

(18:04):
Embracing these strategies inyour daily routine will enrich
your family interactions andcontribute to a positive and
having a more resilient mindset.
In conclusion, you got this.
You just planned your familygathering.

(18:27):
Just go back and get yourchecklist and you can do it.
And you don't want to doeverything.
Some things you can get somehelp with, such as the cooking,
the traveling arrangements, thecleaning, enjoying, enjoying.
So you have the time to enjoythat upcoming holiday and

(18:48):
remember motivation comes fromwithin and that's the motto here
at Expire and Drive.
So subscribe to my YouTubechannel and my podcast.
You can get the motivationalfuel on Fridays and also for my
military buddies.
You can get a cup of coffee,use the COVID and it will come

(19:13):
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(19:35):
see my listeners from throughoutthe world.
It's really cool to see.
So send me your email Atsupport At WondraSrespencercom
and I can give you a shout outon my upcoming podcast.
The upcoming podcast is aspecial one.
I want to get a tribute,definitely to my veterans,

(19:58):
including myself.
So stay tuned to listen for it.
Enjoy those family gatheringsthey're coming so fast.
Definitely enjoy it and we'lltalk soon.