Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Top 10 Ways To Stay Connected: BlogHer/Sprint Contest Giveaway

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Sprint



Our family situation is a little unusual. We’re a typical family: mom, dad, teenage boy, two young girls. But my teenage stepson lives in Colorado with his mom during the school year, and with us during vacations. Staying connected with him doesn’t happen by accident.

Here are my top ten strategies for keeping us all close.

  1. Turn everything off. Just put down the Internet and walk away slowly. Shut off your cell phone while you’re at it, and the TV. Pay attention to the people in the room with you: the ones who are there so reliably they start to seem like part of the furniture.

  2. OK, now turn it all back on. Facebook, IM, Skype, and Twitter don’t have to be distractions from staying connected; they can also be tools. I see my stepson update his Facebook status in the middle of the day and I pause, laugh and think of him. My mom reads my mommyblog to get her daily fix of grandkids.

  3. Set time aside. It’s easy to get so busy with the business of living that we forget to stop and connect with the people we love. My husband and I have a weekly date night where we get to just be together. For my kids, I try to give each of them 20 minutes a day of my undivided attention for whatever they want – playing in their dollhouse, reading a book together or just talking about the day.

  4. Eat together. Strange but true: family dinner counts. Every evening, I find myself sitting around the kitchen table with a fussy toddler, a whiny five-year-old and an exhausted spouse and I think, ‘WHY DO WE DO THIS?’ We do it because it beats the alternative. And because in my imagination, the kids will grow into table manners, or at least stop mushing food in each other’s hair.

  5. Have a routine. Eating together is one important touchstone in having a stable domestic routine. Keeping a steady rhythm for meals, sleep and social time helps everyone get enough time together.

  6. Get away from each other. Spending some time alone, or away from family life, helps me stay connected to my husband and kids because I get to appreciate them more when I come home. This is especially important for me as a stay-at-home mom.

  7. Listen. Sometimes, kids talk about incredibly boring crap. Listen anyway. The blow-by-blow of your daughter’s last gymnastics class? The recitation of rules for a complex video game you are never going to play? These are the things they’re interested in, and they want to share it with you.

  8. Do Stuff Together. A companion piece to listening is doing. My stepson loves roleplaying games, so when he’s visiting, I break out my dusty old D&D books and run a game for him. I’m not that interested in swords and sorcerers these days, but I am lucky enough to have a teenager who still thinks I’m cool enough to hang out with.

  9. Help. People love helping hands. Offer to do a chore together, or help your teenager with a homework project. Even if they don’t normally seek out your company, they’re likely to appreciate the offer.

  10. Travel. Since our family is pretty far flung, we rely on a lot of travel to keep our connections strong. Frequent flier miles are our friend. We buy probably ten plane tickets a year. Mostly they’re for my stepson to make his trips from Colorado during school breaks, but we also travel once a year to visit grandparents in Arizona and every two years we make a summer trip to Argentina.



To check out other BlogHer Top 10 lists for staying connected, visit the main site. You have 9 chances to win $200 at the BlogHer.com special offers page. For yet more information, Check out the Family Connections Group at BlogHer.

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me What are your best tips for keeping your family connected in the New Year? - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in the comments below. The contest will begin at 1/13/2010` and will end 2/9/2010. Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US-residents, aged 18 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules

130 comments:

  1. We will take family walks (once the weather changes) and try our best to eat together as a family every night.

    jillk77 at aol dot com

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  2. We eat dinner together as a family every night, read books with the kids before bed, and do lots of family activities. I also make sure my husband and I get a regular date night!
    micahandkelsey1@cox.net

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  3. Family movie night is a fun way for us to stay connected.

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

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  4. I blogged about this:

    http://grandgiveaways.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/sprint/

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tweet:

    http://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/7748916911

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like the idea of remembering time to oneself. I also like it that my boys(16 & 20) have a good relationship, and I try to support that. Looking at planning a trip that includes them and their girlfriends to solidify all of our bonds this spring.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I plan to start a game/movie night once a month, and family dinners are a DEFINITE!!!
    mjf926 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm actually really glad that my family did family dinners together most nights when I was growing up. It's a great time to get together and hear about everyone's day. Now that my baby sister is in college and my parents are across the country, we use Skype all the time to stay in touch. I think we talk more now than we did living under the same roof!

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  9. My tip: Resume an activity with your partner or spouse that you used to do but for some reason (kids??) no longer do. My husband and I recently set up a babysitting swap so that we can go climbing together one night a week, like we used to do pre-baby. It's amazing what it's doing for our relationship. It's not just the one-on-one time that helps; it's taking time together to do a challenging activity we both enjoy.

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  10. This past New Year, our family has made a pact at staying more connected. We live thousands of miles apart and life's fast pace kept communications poor. This year we made a plan to call at least once a week (sometimes we would go 6 months without hearing from one another), and email at least a couple times of week. I also got my dad started up on facebook so we can be in more contact, which is helping. Now my immediate family, my husband and kids, we call one another every day and text every hour or so.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Tweet link

    http://twitter.com/HeartnSoulmom/status/7775340108

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  12. To keep the family connected I believe in establishing routine and traditions. Sitting down for dinner together every night, and taking a family vacation are great ways to do this.

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  13. Our family like to go camping together and we also eat family dinners together.

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  14. To keep the family connected, pick atleast one night a week to do something fun as a family - go to a movie (or rent one), have a family game night, etc. And make sure to spend time together talking everyday.

    oldnavyash@aol.com

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  15. Tweeted http://twitter.com/smash906/status/7800449507

    oldnavyash@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. since my family lives a long way from me I like to use Skype to call them from my computer- that way i can use my webcamera and we can talk forever without worrying of any fees
    ann.altima at gmail dot com

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  17. we bought bicycles to keep us active, and spend time together that ISNT in front of the tv. we get out a few times a week, and its been very fun !

    gina ceruti@ gmail .com

    ReplyDelete
  18. http://twitter.com/ginaceruti/status/7803828487

    tweet !

    ginaceruti@ gmail

    ReplyDelete
  19. We go out to eat on Sunday nights for half-price appetizers and catch up on our lives.

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  20. Do stuff together is great, it may take time to learn what you have in common, but it will be well worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  21. We try to have dinner together every night and just TALK! It is so important to talk to your kids and find out who they really are, what their hopes and dreams are or just how was their day. If you never talk, it is like living in a house of strangers.
    jedoggett@embarqmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. 1) Eat meals together
    2) Game night/movie night
    3) Read before bed
    4) Vacation
    5) Go to Church & pray together

    mdmerenghi@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. we sold our TV, which really encourages family-togetherness

    artisticbaker at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  24. blogged!
    http://artisticbaker.blogspot.com/2010/01/win-200-visa-card.html

    ReplyDelete
  25. tweeted

    http://twitter.com/artisticbaker/statuses/7909747719

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  26. Here are my plans:
    1) family plan on the cellphone
    2) regular dinners as a family
    3) outtings

    ReplyDelete
  27. Tweeted http://twitter.com/LisaSVance/status/7918001351

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  28. A family that eats together, stays happy together.
    I think it is a good idea to try and always eat at least 1 meal a day together to connect and talk about each others day.

    sarahjd766 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Tweeted:
    http://twitter.com/miss_moneymaker/status/7920879693

    sarahjd766 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  30. I stay connected with my sister who lives in another state through Facebook. We can just jot down our thoughts to share with each other immediately and there's no pressure to answer right away. We chat back and forth all day long, but in little bits. Of course, when we really want to chat, we pick up the phone!

    Kim
    turtles8861(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  31. we have a family website that we all post pictures and important news on. It's a great way to keep up with each others busy lives.

    jennyhasquads at Yahoodotcom

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  32. One of my favorite ways to stay connected to my family members is through my personal blog. It really brings people out of the woodwork in ways that are hard to keep up over the phone!

    carmensechristjunk at gmail dot com

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  33. I LOVE your #7. Listen. I treasure listening to my son's stories (at least I try to!) because I never know if/when he'll decide to just stop filling me in! I want him to know now that I love hearing about his day. For us, that extended time together is a huge priority. We love our nightly supper time together.
    joyful[dot]too[at]gmail[dot]com

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  34. My husband and I feel its important to stay connected in the middle of our busy lives so even if an official date can't happen we leave the kids home and run errands together so we can have that time to talk without interruptions!

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  35. Like you, I believe in the value of family meal time. With my two in college, texting is great!

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  36. tweeted http://twitter.com/annedoggett/status/8012028925
    jedoggett@embarqmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  37. Very best tip for keeping my family connected in the new year...SKYPE!! Set up a time each week to video chat with all the family is fun and the best thing to do, next to being physically in the same place, which can be hard. I love video chating with my family. Also, keeping instant messenger open all day, so family can leave messages as well as chat through out the day when we are lucky enough to be around at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
  38. tweeted!
    http://twitter.com/EpicTegan/status/8015535719

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  39. On the weekends, we like to go for family bike rides or hikes. We haven't done as much of that this winter, but I vow that we will get back into it. Not only do we get to spend time together, but it's also a great way to stay in shape and burn off some energy for the kids.

    cookincanuck@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  40. Our son is only 22 months old, but we make it a point to 'talk' to him on the phone with either one of us is away. He hears our voice and sometimes will actually talk back, but we want him to know we're thinking of him when we're not there.

    samanthajocampen at gmail

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  41. We stay connected with the kids by using the opportunities that come up naturally. So for example when we are driving them somewhere and they want to talk, we really enjoy that and take full advantage of it, to pump them for juicy info about their lives.
    jberntson@back2basics4kids.com

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  42. My daughter (an only child) just graduated from college and moved out of state. We stay connected by picking up the phone the minute we think of something to tell each other, being Facebook friends and email.

    We always encourage her to come visit (and bring friends if she wants) whenever she gets a couple days off. And we've been to see her twice so far.

    One time she called when we were eating dinner so we put the phone on speaker, set it on a placemat and included her in our dinner conversation!

    Nancy

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  43. All of my family live across the country. In keep in touch with them with weekly phone calls and Facebook. Facebook is great for getting daily updates.

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  44. weekly dinners as a family - crazy as it sounds I don't know a lot of people who do this frequently and a lot of good connections and conversations spring from family meals :)

    dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

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  45. https://twitter.com/DeeGee13/status/8103458950

    dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

    tweeted!

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  46. Family dinners and a date night for mom and dad!

    ReplyDelete
  47. My family knows the importance of keeping in touch. We make a point to reach out at least once a week, if not more often. Sometimes there is no news, or nothing much to say, but just hearing that person's voice lets you know they are safe and sound. With the kids, texting is the way to go. I've found that my children reach out to me more in texts than they ever do by actually talking.

    ReplyDelete
  48. tweeted http://twitter.com/tnshadylady/status/8116114055

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  49. blog link here
    http://tnshadylady.blogspot.com/2010/01/staying-connected-with-so-many-tools.html

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  50. In this day in age there are so many ways to stay connected to family and friends, but I like to do it the old fashioned way too, I know that I love to get letters and fun stuff in the mail;}
    So I think that others like to get mail also. I enjoy sending stickers,funny jokes, and some just because;}

    ReplyDelete
  51. Dine together every day! Take advantage of technology: facebook, skype, email, etc. are all useful tools for keeping in touch.

    ReplyDelete
  52. WE stay connected using Facebook and Email and ofcourse Dinner at Moms once a month. Yum!

    WE try to do family vacations at least 1ce a yr too

    nightowlmamablogs at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  53. For the first time since college, I once again live in my hometown -- where I was born and raised. Theoretically, this makes it much easier to stay connected with family. However - as we all know - life can get in the way. In 2010, I have resolved to do a better job at staying connected with all of my family. I will make more time to visit with my loved ones...no excuses! Additionally, we plan on hosting a big family dinner at least once a month.

    Thanks!
    Aimee
    sierranelsby (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  54. Tweet:
    http://twitter.com/Nelsby/status/8240501223
    Thanks!
    Aimee
    sierranelsby (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  55. There is one thing that I have started recently that has brought me closer to my kids and it's so simple..reading to them even though they're older. I used to read to my kids all the time when they were little but homework, me working nights and crazy schedules sort of phased it out. But recently. I've started reading a chapter a night of the Percy Jackson series to my two youngest (8 and 11) every night. My oldest who's 12 has already read them and loved them but even he listens in sometimes (perhaps to extend his bedtime!) And I am so surprised at how much they enjoy it and how much I missed those quiet times with them, laying all snug the bed looking up at me with far away eyes as they imagine the words I'm reading. I know alot of parents read to their little ones but everyone should try my simple example of reading to the older ones...it truly does make us closer.

    kessandcrystal(at)aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  56. tweeted: http://twitter.com/happyenchilada2/status/8251310725

    kessandcrystal(at)aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  57. While most of my family are nearby, my son is in New Orleans as a first year teacher. We try to keep costs down by talking after 9pm and on weekends via phone when our cells are free and other times we text or chat on Facebook. I also try to send him "care" packages at least once a month that include letters from his little sister and his favorite snacks.
    Here at home we've started a monthly "extended family" night. A few months ago, we all decided that we live too close to each other to just see each other on holidays. My siblings and I and our children all get together for a pot-luck game night once a month with a "theme". For February we're planning a sappy movie watching evening and we're all making our own valentines to pass out to each other with a few words describing our "intended".

    shel704 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  58. Tweeted:
    http://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/8272124748

    shel704 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  59. Blogged:
    http://auntiethesis.blogspot.com/2010/01/monday-giveaway-round-up.html

    shel704 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  60. My sister and I tend to have trouble catching up, so we've been making an effort to facebook chat once a week to catch up and keep informed on each others lives and families.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Let me say up front that I'm not a fan of Lunchables; however an ad by them in a magazine gave me a great idea - http://is.gd/7ijI2 - for keeping my family close. Both my husband and I work full-time, so we don't get to see our daughter nearly as much as we want to. So, every week day, I send a note to school in her lunch bag telling her that I love her or am thinking of her or that she's my star, etc. I make the notes into shapes, decorate them, & write in colorful markers. She loves getting the notes & showing them to her friends, & it lets her know she's in my heart & on my mind even when we aren't together! ♥

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  62. I also tweeted about your contest! :) http://is.gd/7iopA

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  63. make time for eachother- plan family nights- movies, games, making pizza

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  64. I have 5 grandchildren that live in the same town and 4 that do not. It is easy to keep up with the
    ones in town. For the ones out of town, I created Grandma Treat Letters. One a month I send a
    letter with clip art of things that they are interested in (soccer, guitar, gymnastics, Thomas the
    train, etc) or holiday themes), usually a question for them (What is your favorite class this year,
    how do you like your new soccer team, What are you doing at preschool, etc), and three one
    dollar bills “Grandma Treat Money”. Each child has their own colored envelope so they look for
    “their” letter at the beginning of each month. I talked with the oldest granddaughter who is in her
    second year of high school because I thought she might think this was too young for her and it
    was OK if she didn’t want these but she said she liked getting them and wanted me to continue. It
    isn’t a lot but it lets them know each month that I am thinking of them.

    ReplyDelete
  65. tweet here
    http://twitter.com/Grandma3710/status/8410326547

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  66. blogged here

    http://betty-n.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  67. My extended family all live in other states, so we keep in touch via Facebook and weekly or biweekly telephone calls. My 2 older daughters have their own children and homes, and I still have 2 children in the nest, so we keep in touch with visits and almost daily telephone calls (I learned my lesson on this when my oldest went away to college and complained that I never called her - I wanted her to feel 'independent' and she still wanted 'mommy attention')

    ReplyDelete
  68. My husband and I have family night every Monday. Games, talking, eating, fun

    poptartcrumbs@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  69. Yesterday my daughter and I collaborated during some volunteer work. We hope to connect more with each other and give back to our community this way.

    ReplyDelete
  70. We make certain that we eat a meal together. This is at the dining table, with place settings, courses, and no tv.

    ReplyDelete
  71. I like to use Skype to call them from my computer- that way i can use my webcamera and we can talk forever without worrying of any fees

    ReplyDelete
  72. On the weekends we go out to the local restaurant chain/diner for breakfast and catch up :) it's nice

    mjharvey26 at yahoo dot com

    Mel

    ReplyDelete
  73. we plan family vacations together
    justacakebaker@gmail.com

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  74. we text each other at least once a day to stay connected.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Trying to get my mother to use Facebook is out of the question, so I bought her a netbook in December to encourage her to use email. Now we're emailing back-and-forth a few times a week, in between our weekly phone calls.

    Clara B.
    cboza@vna1.com (that's a numeral "1," not a letter "l.")

    ReplyDelete
  76. Definitely write and call for overseas family members. Email, Skype, Flickr...etc. I basically use every technology you can think of. For family nearby, we'd visit and get together during holidays.

    ReplyDelete
  77. tweet.http://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/8694601460

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  78. blogged.http://tcarolinep.blogspot.com/2010/02/giveaway-childwildreviews.html

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  79. Choose a hobby that you can all enjoy! I show and breed dogs, and that really keeps us together. The boys are involved with caring for the dogs, socializing pups and Junior Handling. It began as my hobby, but it spread through the family like wildfire. It has really brought us all closer!

    spitfyr323 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  80. Tweeted:

    http://twitter.com/spitfyr323/statuses/8721824364

    spitfyr323 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  81. We have moved into social media to keep up with our friends and family. We use blogs, email, skype, facebook and twitter to keep connected this new year.

    ReplyDelete
  82. tweeted http://twitter.com/carogonza/status/8729397371

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  83. We have weekly routines that we look forward to

    jennifercausby at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  84. blogged http://theartofrandomwillynillyness.blogspot.com/2010/02/sprint-and-blogher-ends-29.html

    ReplyDelete
  85. I tweeted. http://twitter.com/JCausby/status/8729410185

    jennifercausby at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  86. Cooking dinner together is a great way to connect as a family, it's simple yet makes the dinner taste that much better. Social Networking is also a great way to check up on family!

    shevilkenevil1 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  87. Tweet:
    http://twitter.com/lipstickncandy/status/8729994192

    shevilkenevil1 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  88. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  89. We eat dinner together, spend weekends together and email pictures to extended family members.

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  90. One tip I have to keep family connected is to take about 1/2 hour each and every night to touch bases and see how everyone is doing...if they need to talk, etc. Of course more time is good too, but to insist on this really does help.

    mandjregan at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  91. I tweeted:

    http://twitter.com/EightyMPHMom/status/8776779898

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  92. We use Skype video chat when we are away from each other and have as many meals together as possible!

    ReplyDelete
  93. Tweet: http://twitter.com/princessla66/status/8789005140

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  94. take small family trips even if it is to a hotel with a pool for a night together.

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  95. This year we are making a concerted effort to watch TV a lot less and actually talk to each other!
    Angie
    one 4 earth at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  96. I tweeted this giveaway here: http://twitter.com/FotoMacro/status/8809546195
    Angie
    one 4 earth at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  97. One thing we are doing differently this year is to have more meals at home and have them at the dining table instead of at the computer and TV and that way we are not so distracted and can actually catch up with each other every night.
    Scott
    nynekats at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  98. tweeted http://twitter.com/RePurrPussed/status/8809624448
    Scott
    nynekats at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  99. Family dinner is a big way for us to stay connected, and we eat together almost every night and talk about our days.

    ajolly1456 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  100. I blogged
    http://lunaj1456.blogspot.com/2010/02/keep-your-family-connect-and-win.html

    ajolly1456 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  101. My family has discovered video chat via oovoo (which allows for multiple video screens at once) or skype. Since we are spread across the country from Hawaii to NYC and in between it helps us keep up with the rapidly growing little ones.

    kristilynngibson (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  102. We have family dinners together & i make an effort to find movies we can all enjoy together.

    gevin13{at}gmail{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  103. tweet
    http://twitter.com/pixie13sweeps/status/8819058721

    gevin13{at}gmail{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  104. blogged
    http://pixie13-justconteststuff.blogspot.com/2010/01/200-visa-gc-from-blogher-sprint.html

    gevin13{at}gmail{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  105. We eat breakfast and dinner together every day. We have a family game night. I try to have one of my kids cook dinner with me every day.
    Thanks for the giveaway.

    s.mickelson at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  106. You had some great tips I could use!

    My best tip to stay connected is to spend quality time with each child individually. Find out what interests them and spend time doing that activity. To stay connected to your spouse it is definately important to have a nice weekend getaway w/o kids or at least a date night w/o the kids. candaceotto32 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  107. I am trying to get all of my family on facebook mobile and texting!

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  108. Our kids are grown, and 1 lives out of state, so cell phone calls, texting, emails, and facebook helps us stay in touch on a daily basis. We’re all busy, but we keep up-to-date with each other’s lives, so we feel like we’re never far from each other.

    ReplyDelete
  109. Tweeted:
    https://twitter.com/amylou61/status/8839998593

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  110. Blogged:
    http://fibrofoggy.blogspot.com/2010/02/9-chances-to-win-200-from-blogher.html

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  111. My kids are 6, 3 and 6 months so I stay connected with them by getting down on the floor and playing with them. We always have a blast!
    ag1414@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  112. I tweeted: http://twitter.com/ag1414/status/8841065662
    ag1414@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  113. My son is grown and the family is scattered. I have a personal blog and a personal Facebook account. We keep in touch using those and the phone.

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  114. tweet http://twitter.com/vlbsweeps/status/8842530908

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  115. blogged http://vickieb52.blogspot.com/2010/02/win-visa-gift-card.html

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  116. keep connected through emails, social networks, text messaging and phone calls.

    shopgurl101 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  117. tweeted: http://twitter.com/shopgurl/status/8846415465

    shopgurl101 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  118. We try and keep connected through phone calls and emails. Hate to say it, but email seems so much easier with everyone's busy schedules and the different time zones we live in.

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  119. I think nightly famiy dinners are the best way to keep the family connected!

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  120. For the new year I plan to stay connected by using my cell phone a lot more. In the past I have typically opted for email, but these days I enjoy hearing the other person's voice, especially if I haven't seen them in awhile!

    -annalene
    email address is visible in profile

    ReplyDelete
  121. We can't always have dinner together but my family eats at least one meal together a day. Sometimes my husband works late so we have breakfast together before he has to go. Its a great way to stay connected.

    ReplyDelete
  122. I tweeted
    http://twitter.com/lunaj1456/status/8872364264

    ajolly1456 at gmail dot com

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  123. My mom and sis-immediate family mean the world to me. But I have lived out of state for over 25 years. We stay connected through phone calls, cards, and visits at least 3 times a year

    aunteegem@yahoo.com

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  124. family far away we send cards and emails the hubby kids and I go far a walk every week with no distractions it makes great family time and it is free! eaglesforjack@gmail.com

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  125. i tweeted http://twitter.com/eaglesforjack/status/8874662487

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  126. we stay connected by cooking together at least once a week

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  127. tweeted
    http://twitter.com/SWAGBUCKSIGNUP/status/8927939566

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  128. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog yesteray! hope your weekend is great!

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