One of the most challenging things about family life today is finding time to do the things you want to do as a family or as a couple. I am not talking about the scheduled activities such as attending the kids' soccer games or the visit to grandmother on Sunday afternoon. I am referring to an enriching family experience that you make happen every week.

As working adults we all have experience in structuring our workday for maximum efficiency. We may not achieve that maximum efficiency goal every day but at least we try to be pointed in the right direction. Conversely, when we arrive home, we want to relax, kick off our shoes and do only what is necessary to get through the evening or the weekend. Minimum programming becomes the goal once at home.

When I became a single parent, I was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of caring for two kids, putting some jet power into my career, and finding the time to run a house, pay the bills, and do some fun activities with my kids. Time constantly ran away from me. I decided to organize my weekends the way I organized my workday and I set some simple goals:

1) I vowed that each Sunday the kids and I would do one enjoyable activity together even if it was only for one or two hours.

2) I created a "Sunday Outing" file. When I read about a family activity in the newspaper I would clip and save it. Examples were hayrides, pie-eating contests, or a special exhibit at a local museum. Each Sunday the kids and I would decide together what to do.

3) To achieve goal #1 we first had to accomplish all our chores on Saturday - housecleaning, errands, laundry, homework research. We divided up the chores into little blocks of time. It took many months but eventually we developed a system that worked for our family.

From there it escalated. Once a month we would plan a day trip. I talk about this in my book, "The Single Parent Travel Handbook," and how big things start with little steps. We found exciting things to do as a family that didn't cost anything - hikes in state parks, picnics by a lake, visits to historical villages. Playtime had become an integral part of our weekends.

Planning a vacation became a family endeavor. My "Sunday Outing" file expanded into a "Vacation Places" folder. The kids and I would choose a place we all wanted to visit and the research would begin. We would then have family "pow-wows" to craft an itinerary that was fun, educational and an adventure. We started with road trips, then fly/drive throughout the USA, then Europe, Central America and eventually some very remote places such as the Ecuadorian Amazon. The world had become our playground. We had learned to budget our time and our money and travel with joy and confidence. "The Single Parent Travel Handbook," takes the reader through each step, starting with that simple "Sunday Outing."

If you liked what you read, please support The Single Parent Travel Network by buying The Single Parent Travel Handbook. Read about how you can buy a book, by clicking here. Or you can join other single parents who take trips with Single Parent Tours, click here to see where Single Parent Tours is going