There was a time in my life when Friday meant a few drinks with friends and an evening out on the town. It was fun while it lasted, lots of fun, but now that I have children the weekend means something different.

It is only noon here in Germany, but I am already excited about Friday night with my family. I’m not excited just because the Christmas Market in the town where we live starts tonight.

No, but Christmas Markets are fun too.

We have a new Friday night routine. After a quick dinner of fish sticks, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli, we go swimming in nearby Dreieich.

I am not sure if I am more excited about swimming on “warm water day” or the fact that we’re now doing something the way my family did (although not every week) when I was a child.

I can already taste the delicious fish sticks!

Post from: Babylune

Summer is over for my family here in Germany, for my relatives in Canada and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. Make no mistake, I am not melancholy about the return to school, to routine, to grey skies. No. This time of year is full of opportunities to start fresh, to think anew, to harvest what we’ve planted.

There’s a seed of hope and inspiration in each of the carnival posts this month. As usual, the ten best of all submissions received are full if thought-provoking, practical tips for staying fit and getting healthy as a family. And, as an added bonus, the health of the planet comes into everything.

The Thoughts We Think

How to manage family, work, stress, stress and more stress. Really, is attitude everything? It probably is, say some bloggers.

Dancers have a culture of weight and control issues, Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes wants the rest of us to learn from it.

Terri talks about seashells and the secret to giving your child a long and healthy life.

The Food We Eat

Inside Fatherhood is watching out for the expecting father condition couvade syndrome.

Want to save oil stores, protect global food supplies and save the environment? Then be a 21st Century Citizen and eat locally grown food.

You know, I’ve never been able to figure out why buying in bulk is considered thrifty if you’re buying more than you need. Wenchy has also thought of a few reasons why Buying in Bulk is Unhealthy.

Nature Mom is packing a healthy lunch box.

The mom of My Two Boys is making applesauce.

The Things We Do

There is no healthy or fit family whose lives don’t include exercise, fresh air, and fun.

The blogger at Fish Creek House tells us how to be happy campers.

And Tree Hugging Family has launched to tell us how to get more of all three while living in harmony with nature.

Ten bloggers told me how they spent some time together getting all three on their family vacations.

The Sixteenth Healthy & Fit Family will run on October 2 at the Health & Life Mixing Bowl. Submissions are now open.

Post from: Babylune

It’s time to link back to the blog carnivals I’ve participated in over the past little while. All of them are full of interesting information, entertaining anecdotes and ice cream…sweet, sweet ice cream. I am sorry to be so lazy about linking back, I get a little overwhelmed at times

The latest Carnival of Family Life is up in the Expatriate’s Kitchen.

Allerjeez presents the second edition of the allergy carnival.

The Carnival of the Recipes is up at Everything and Nothing.

And the Stories of Change Carnival is up too.

Post from: Babylune