Three Tips for Better Family Time

MISSION, KS--(Marketwire - Sep 7, 2011) - (Family Features) When looking for ideas and inspiration to create meaningful family time, it helps to get advice from those in the know -- other families.

Whether it's finding ways to bring everyone to the dinner table or delivering a dose of sunshine to a rainy day, it sometimes takes a dash of clever to overcome obstacles like busy schedules to create quality family time. To celebrate the everyday ingenuity that happens in homes nationwide, the Kenmore® brand has launched Genius Tips -- a creative collection of real-life, inspirational ideas from families across the country. Anyone can be inspired by -- and add to -- the ideas and solutions that are meant to celebrate the many ways Americans bring their families together.

Here are three Genius Tips for making family time happen in new ways:

Create fun dinner table topics. Play "high, low" around the dinner table by asking each person to share the "high" point of the day as well as the "low" point. This ensures you know what's happening in each other's lives and can be a great way to laugh, offer advice and support one another. Even if your family shares one meal together a week because of hectic schedules, this tip ensures your connections continue to grow and be strengthened.

Establish no tech hour. Unplug from the digital world and reconnect. Take a cue from airlines and designate anything with an on/off switch as off limits for an hour -- especially for mom and dad. During that hour, break out board games, read together, or go for a family walk. Let everyone come up with ideas for fun things to do together.

Bake some memories. Get everyone involved to bake some delicious treats for sharing. Keep it simple and use refrigerated cookie dough slices the kids can decorate, or make a batch of your favorite boxed brownies. Step up the family fun by trying to recreate some of Grandma's homemade recipes. Either way, spending time together in the kitchen creates treasured family memories and something delicious.

Have these ideas sparked some of your own? Family time, among other Genius categories such as designing on a dime, staying energized throughout the day or even keeping your kids' rooms organized, are all available to learn from and add to at www.facebook.com/Kenmore. Beyond learning and sharing, your ideas could win some great prizes.

To enter, participants are asked to submit an idea in the category of their choice and every month, the idea with the most Facebook community votes is awarded a $3,000 Kenmore gift certificate. Quarterly, an independent panel of judges will select the top idea to be in the running for the ultimate prize -- a trip to Chicago to have your Genius Tip featured in an upcoming Kenmore advertisement. Share your Genius Tip today!

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