Family :: The Importance of Spending Downtime Together

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The holidays can be a stressful time for most people – with all the shopping, dinners, activities, parties, school functions – you name it, most of us are running around from place to place trying to take it all in.  So when the weekends come around, I really value some downtime with the family.  Our usual attire around the house are sweats.  I wish I could say that if you rang my doorbell on the weekends, I would come to the door with my hair and makeup all done – but reality is… we are probably in our sweats chilling!  That is why when I was asked by the Clever Girls to try out some of Hanes new sweat outfits for the whole family I jumped at the chance.  Sure!  I’d be happy to try out one of my favorite brands and see how comfortable I feel in them! And I think you can look good in cute sweat outfits.

When we received the box of goodies from Hanes – my husband immediately grabbed the grey zipped sweatshirt to put on.  When I asked him why he chose that one he said he liked that it is lightweight – perfect for our mild weather in southern California.  But they also provided thicker sweatshirts which are perfect for laying when it is snowing outside (oh, how I dream of a white Christmas). My daughter favorite clothes to wear are soccer and sweat outfits.  She said she can relax in them and they ‘just feel good.”  I’d say that is as good of a reason as any!  There is nothing worse than when your clothes fit too tight or are just not comfortable to sit around in.  We love how durable the sweats are and you know they will turn into your favorites ones to grab when looking to chill. I have worn my new Hanes grey sweatshirt during the day, at night before bed and even slept in it when it was chilly the other night (chilly for us in southern California runs about 55 degrees at night). Spoiled I know – but I would love a little more variety with our weather! They’re available in basic colors like grey, black and blue, also bright colors (like pink, orange, and green) and look great wash after washing them.  Plus they are tag-free which is great for the kids!   You can find sweatshirts and hooded zip ups at Hanes.com and mass retailers

And now that the whole family is in comfy clothes – here are some ideas to try out this holiday season that helps you reconnect with the people who matter most to you!  Family.

Bake Together.  Why not pick a couple of your favorite holiday recipes and bake together.  This can be a relaxing and quite enjoyable activity for everyone to get involved in.  Especially if the cookies are for your family only – the pressure is off to make them look just right!  If they taste good – you will have some happy campers.  Here are some fun holiday cookie recipes to try out.

Take some Nature Walks. We love getting into our workout gear and head off to our local park.  We are always on the lookout for any interesting or unusual gifts from nature.  And my daughter likes to fill her backpack with “adventuring” items like a notebook to write down interesting finds, maps of the park we are headed to (she usually makes these beforehand), and of course her light saber or Nerf sword.

Watch Sports Together.  My husband and daughter love to watch football together.  I love to see this as this was something I looked forward to doing with my dad on the weekends when I was a kid.  It’s a great way for them to bond and he will talk to her about the teams and players and she really gets into it.  I think she knows more about the sport now than I do!

Play Some Board  or Video Games.  We love to play Monopoly together though my husband and daughter team up against good ‘ol mom!  We also enjoy playing Clue, Battleship, and Candyland.  And my husband and daughter always battle it out in a boat racing game. This holiday season splurge on some board and/or video games the whole family would enjoy playing together.  Next on our list is the game of Life!

Stream Your Favorite Holiday Movies. There are so many great holiday movies to pick from.  It’s a little different than when we were kids and had to wait to see Rudolph only once on either ABC, NBC or CBS!  Now you can stream a ton of movies with a click of your hand.  And why not make some yummy popcorn recipes to enjoy as well.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Do you have a favorite go-to comfy outfit you wear at home?