The Active Family Project - Take the pledge!

If you are like me, everyday is spent managing the day-to-day activities of your family...kids' doctors appointments (which we have had too many of recently!), dentist appts, school functions, getting kids to and from school and activities, grocery shopping, making sure everyone has breakfast/lunch/dinner, laundry, vet appts.....okay, I could go on and on, but I think a lot of you are living in my world. It's a full-time, all day, every day job and it is exhausting.  At what point do we, as moms, stop and say...enough.

Instead of spending all of my time spinning my wheels chasing the illusive dream of a perfectly clean and orderly house, and actually feeling "caught up" on everything, I have decided it's time to LIVE a little.  I want to spend time doing stuff with my kids, instead of allowing them to entertain themselves with computers, Nintendos, iPods, and television, while I clean and cook and do all the other mundane things that go on everyday (every.single.day.) When they grow up, are they going to remember how well the closets were organized and if the bathrooms were always spotless, or will they remember the 'fun stuff' we did together?  Will they remember that their mom actually played with them? 

That's where The Active Family Project comes in. "The Active Family Project provides moms, from sources like its Play Council, with family-friendly tips and advice. Brought to you by Merck Consumer Care, Inc., this health and wellness initiative is designed to help moms overcome their worries about doing it all and truly be at their best by being active and enjoying time with the ones they love." (from the Merck Active Family Project Fact Sheet)

That is why I am taking the pledge right now!

I am taking the pledge to make a playdate with my children!  Join me, along with celebrity mom and Active Family Project spokesperson, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who is encouraging families to celebrate the first annual National Family Playdate by scheduling family play time on May 11. She is working to build a community of moms who can share their own playtime experiences with one another. Head over to Facebook to learn more!   {There is also a Family Playdate Sweepstakes. Click here to enter to win weekly prizes, including a Family Beach Vacation Prize Pack! Sweepstakes ends 11:59:59pm ET on 5/26/13.}

I am so fortunate to have so many things I can do with my kids, right out my back door! We have a swimming pool and nice yard to run and play in. Why don't I have a volleyball net set up? My girls love volleyball! We also live within feet of a large body of water....this summer I want to go fishing with my kids, go kayaking, take walks around the neighborhood, have picnics - little things that would get us active and enjoy our time together as a family.  Not to mention we are less than an hour's drive to the ocean.  I see lots of beach days ahead! I want to enjoy this time while I can, and one thing I know for sure...the laundry and dishes will still be there tomorrow!

How about you? Will you take the pledge? How do you maintain an active family? Check out the activity finder for active play opportunities in your area.

Disclosure: I received $100 from Merck Consumer Care, and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience. This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Merck Consumer Care