Does your family already spend time together doing things everyone enjoys? If so, be thankful -- and participate! If not, do something about it by organizing some activities. Plan a once-a-week family activity for an evening when most family members are at home. Gather ideas and suggestions from everyone. Not all family members may want to join in at first, so begin with family members who are willing to participate. Others can be drawn in when they see how much fun you're having.

Here are suggestions to get you started. Some of these come from What Do You Stand For?: A Kid's Guide to Building Character by Barbara Lewis.

Take a walk...have a picnic on the porch...make cookies, popcorn balls or other treats together (half for your family to enjoy, and half to deliver to a neighbor!)...play some of the old games stored in your basement or attic (pull out Twister, Dominoes, Monopoly or anything else that looks interesting. You might even play hide-and-seek or tag. The older you are, the sillier and more fun this can be!)...have a pillow fight or water fight (whatever your family and neighbors will tolerate)...take a hike...ride bikes...swim...play street hockey with brooms or play family volleyball...sing or perform together (learn songs that parents used to sing. Play your guitar, flute, drums or rhythm sticks -- hey, make your own!)...teach each other dances (kids show parents the latest steps and moves; parents show kids how to do the dances they enjoyed when they were younger)...tell stories (parents can tell about "the good old days" or the "bad old days", share your favorite experience, or make a "chain story" -- the first person writes a sentence on a piece of paper, folds the paper over to hide the sentence, then passes it to the next person, who does the same, and so on. Read the story aloud after everyone has contributed.)...read together (books of quotations, favorite stories, silly poems, scriptures like the Bible, Koran or another book important to your faith.)...make and fly kites...look at old family pictures (children love to hear about when-you-were-a-baby again and again).

Got the idea? What else can you think of? The important thing is to be together and have fun!