Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

How to have family time on busy days

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In this house, we have five people with five different schedules. Sometimes those schedules overlap and sometimes they don’t. We’ve got three extroverts, one lingering right between extrovert and introvert, and one introvert. So many preferences and personalities happen when five people live together. Add in appointments and activities, and finding family time can be difficult. Plus for the past five weeks, my mother-in-law has been staying with us while she works through some health troubles. 

We believe making time for each other, especially during busy times, is important. Here are four ways to bring your loved ones closer during hectic days. 

Have regular family dinners

This is one of our favorite ways to spend time together. I’d prefer every night to be a home-cooked meal that my oldest daughter or husband helps prepare. But that just isn’t our reality right now. Our dinner together might be chicken nuggets in the air fryer, a Red Baron pizza heated in the oven, or a drive-thru meal during soccer practice. We had an omelet bar last night for dinner, which meant everybody got what they wanted in their eggs and us parents got to cook together. Perhaps I’ll try this crispy baked pulled pork recipe soon. 

I’ve had to reshape my views of family dinner, but it remains one of my favorite ways to connect with my people. In fact, I wrote a whole book about how gathering and nourishing loved ones change lives. I’m thankful that happens here in our home – or on the go together – most every night. 

Play family games together

Games are a great way to have fun and bond with your loved ones. Truly, there are so many good games out there – card games, board games, and video games. We like to take turns picking which game we’ll play because everybody has different favorites. We don’t do many video games, but we do like the original Wii for Wii Sports and Wheel of Fortune! Game Nights foster opportunities for inside jokes, healthy competition, and connections that go beyond the score. (Here are some of our favorites!)

Stay involved in your kids’ activities

One way to spend time with your kids and show them that you care is by getting involved in their activities. Our kids’ soccer and basketball games are family events. It takes special circumstances for one of my kids to miss their siblings’ event. It’s just not an option because we value doing things together as a family. Of course, now that our kids are getting older, they have some of their own commitments that sometimes cause scheduling conflicts. 

Getting involved in your child’s hobbies and interests is a great way to connect with them and support them at the same time. The times are one way we spend family time together, but they also help foster community outside the home with other families who enjoy some of the same activities.  

Make time for yourself

Being able to work part-time from home allows me to have some time for myself to regroup and be ready for our busy evenings. I’m thankful for that kind of balance in my life. I know if I’m constantly running around trying to take care of everyone else, I will get burnt out eventually. I make sure to schedule regular preventative medical appointments, see a counselor when I need to process the chaos of life, and treat myself to massages. I also enjoy lunches and walks with friends. And y’all know I like to read. 

Yes, we live a busy life. Yes, I sometimes wish it would slow down. But I also want to make the most of the season we’re in – right here, right now with my people. 

Abel in the Stable

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My favorite Christmas traditions are the ones that are focused on Jesus. Maybe that sounds simple, but this world is so loud and the main message often gets lost. I love Abel in the Stable because this simple tradition helps young children discover the truth that Jesus is the reason for the season. 

Abel in the Stable was created several years by my friends Shelley Crowell and Abbey Kelly who are the kids and preschool directors at my church. They revamped it this year and I was fortunate enough to offer some editing and brainstorming about the project. 

The Abel in the Stable set includes a guidebook for parents, a storybook for kids, a do-it-yourself stable, and a stuffed donkey. While the devotions and activities incorporate Christmas elements beyond the Bible, such as Christmas music, marshmallows, and canned goods, the point is the earthly birth of our lord and savior. The 25 devotions are brief and activities simple so this would be a meaningful addition to an already busy season. It works well to start on Dec. 1 and finish on Christmas morning. 

Yes, this tradition is geared toward elementary-aged kids helping Abel discover the true meaning of Christmas, but it’s a great way to have the whole family involved. It’s likely to prompt conversations and create memories. 

The Abel in the Stable kits are $20 and can be shipped for an additional $10. Local purchases can be picked up at Hardin Baptist Church. All proceeds go to the church’s outreach ministries. You can order it online at abelinthestable.com. The kit I have doesn’t include the new stuffed Abel, which has been delayed shipping for distribution, but Abbey and Shelley are doing everything they can to make sure families have the new and improved Abel in their hands as soon as they can.

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Nobody asked me to review this product. I’m just excited to share it with y’all. I did get a free kit for helping edit the books. These opinions are 100 percent my own and not compensated. 

What adoption looks like years later

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When a family is preparing to adopt and bringing a baby or child home, you may hear much about it. There’s such anticipation and preparation. Perhaps you’ve given money to an adoption fundraiser or prayed for people waiting and working through a pile of paperwork. 

We brought home three kids through three separate private adoption processes. Now those babies are 14, nearly 12, and 6. We don’t talk as much about adoption in our everyday conversations.

But we still talk about it. 

A dear friend who adopted kids and has worked with families in the midst of trauma advised me: If you can’t remember the last time you talked about adoption, you should talk about it. That really made sense to me and I’ve carried that truth into this season of parenting that is less about how they came to be Taylors and more about what it means to be Taylors. 

Rachel is the age Cate was when she met her birth mom for the first time. Rachel had multiple coffee and lunch dates with her birth mom and me in the months after she was born. She may not remember but I do. Ben hasn’t met his birth mom, but we’ve told him more and more details as he’s gotten older. He expresses less interest but wonders more about what ifs. Cate is very matter of fact about it all. Rachel is still asking lots of questions. 

While their adoption stories have similarities, they also are as unique as their personalities. Adoption has common themes regardless of the details, but each story comes with its own highs and lows. And that’s okay. 

We have a community of other families created through adoption, so, thankfully, it’s not weird for my kids to know others know how God built our family. These stories are our testimony of God’s faithfulness. While some details are private, we never wanted to hoard the celebration of God making ways through the wilderness.  

In Rachel’s kindergarten class, four of the fourteen kids were adopted. One of Cate’s closest friends has two brothers who were adopted. Her health teacher knew she might not have as much medical history as her classmates. When Ben was a kindergartner, I got to be friends with a classmate’s mom because we were both adding to our families through adoption and our families still share life together. 

These ties and others that bind are strong and valuable — and that’s one of the reasons we will always talk about adoption. 

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I’ve written much more about bringing these babies home in my book, “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family,” which is available on Amazon or from me directly. I also have some free goodies, including a sample chapter and lists of resources, available on my website.