Our Traditions Have Built A Tightly Knit Family

We have bottles of shells all over our home. It's a tradition we started very early in our family life together. As we have traveled we have gathered shells, driftwood and sea glass from beaches along the Pacific and Atlantic shorelines. Every time we look at those jars we are reminded of some of our very favorite family trips and beach days.

One one trip we came to a much neglected beach and found loads of sea glass and shells everywhere. It was clear no one ever visited this beach that was surrounded by shipyards and buildings. Every day we would take the small bag the hotel packed our breakfasts in and walk across the road to the beach and gather shells and sea glass to our hearts content.

Each beach we visit has shells of different types and sizes and I have enjoyed researching the different varieties we have found. Gathering shells is one of our family traditions. As a family we have also spent many happy hours riding bicycles together, since the little one had a seat on the back of dad's bike. Then we transitioned to a trailer bike and now she is riding her own bike all around the park. We hope soon, with a little more experience, she'll be ready to ride around town with us.

Another tradition is family dinners: homemade pizza night, spaghetti night, tacos night. Each of these meals holds a special place in the family's hearts and are requested often. Everyone of these dinners involves cooking with herbs and tomatoes we have grown in our garden -- another family tradition and source of happiness. We also have our family tradition museums, ice cream parlors, and trips around town.

Building traditions as a blended family have helped us create our own family history, to bond together through our activities and our memories, and give us good things to look forward to. There's nothing like having a funny memory to laugh about together or a special day to reflect back on to help a blended family feel tightly knit.

What traditions have you established in your family? How have they strengthened your bond?