Family Moments is about the wonderful experience of connecting as a family.
In this series, we encourage parents to take a look at those truly special family moments. Memories that evoke a feeling of pure joy because they represent quality time with the people we love the most. The realities of modern day life can make these family moments feel out of our reach a lot of the time. Through this series, parents take a look at the obstacles that can get in the way of these happy family experiences with a view to making some changes so that life can involve more of them. Today we’re speaking to Tracey Quinn.
A little bit about me and my family.
My name is Tracey and I am a mother of two from Dublin and I am the Strategy Director of Family Friendly HQ. My son is set to start big school this year and I gave birth to our daughter in May of this year (on the living room floor, as you do).
My husband is a great man altogether. He works a traditional nine to five job and has weekends off whereas I am a writer and a blogger so it’s pretty much the other end of the spectrum, but I absolutely love it.
Our favourite way to spend time together is...
Our favourite ways to spend time together as a family is usually food-related. It could be a trip to Marley Park for a scoot and some food market goodies or an early morning brunch at our favourite weekend spot.
Weekends tend to involve eating out or ordering in so that the chef (aka me) can hang up her apron and soak up some family time. I love the social elements of eating out. Sharing that with our children is a whole new experience but one we really enjoy.
Our most cherished family moment is...
Some of our best family memories have happened while on holiday. I love the person I am on holiday. I’m a lot more carefree and easy going and I know my husband and kids benefit from that hugely.
One particular memory sticks out. It was in February of this year and we visited our favourite holiday destination in Fuerteventura. I was pregnant with our daughter and sporting a little bump. We visited a local attraction where you could pay to feed the massive fish.
We had our feet in the water as they swam around us and my son was squealing with excitement. I remember feeling our baby kicking inside me and it really felt like our first adventure as a family of four. In that moment we were content, happy and carefree.
The thing that gets in the way of us spending time together is...
Work can definitely get in the way of family time. I have to maximise my time and be as productive as possible when time allows it.
I find it difficult to switch off and as a result, it makes me wonder just how often I am present for quality time. Housework comes in at a close second. I just can’t ignore it!
Our pledge as a family:
I could definitely add a little more structure to how I manage my workload. I am going to try to do my work in structured blocks of time rather than letting it feel like a constant that threads each day.
In the same way, I am going to set myself a couple of household chores every day. When those things are done, I am going to stop and enjoy more time with my family.
The reality is there will always be something to do but my children won’t remember the clean floors or the fresh laundry. They’ll remember the jigsaws, the times we baked and the snuggles on the sofa.
To maximize your quality family time, take our Family Moments Challenge.
We would like to thank Tracey for sharing her special family moments with us. To read more stories just like Tracey's, click here.
