Keeping Your Blended Family Close – Even When Apart

Keeping Our Blended Family Close Can Be So Hard!

Did you know that we are a blended family?  Sawyer and Priscilla’s dad and I divorced five years ago.  He lives nearly four hours away, and we meet half way every other weekend for the kids to have a weekend visit with their dad.  They were only one and three years old when we began this journey of seemingly endless car-rides and time away from mama.  It’s their – and my – normal.  But a new challenge has arisen since we’ve transformed into a blended family.  Four years ago, I met and fell in love with Clifford.  That love has welcomed our sweet J.C. (now age 3) and a perfectly imperfect wedding to make it “official”.  Now with longer summer visits and a lonely little brother at home, it can be a struggle to keep connected over these absences.  Here are some tips I’ve come up with that might help if you’re in the same situation.  We don’t do them all – all of the time – or right.  But we keep them in our back pocket to help our blended family stay close even when we’re far apart.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CloudPets™.  However all opinions are authentic and my own.  Please see my disclosure policy.

Tips to Keep Your Blended Family Close – Even When They’re Far Apart

• Plan Ahead & Keep Organized – Planning ahead can be really difficult when you’re co-parenting and including more parents in the mix than typical.  And I’m certainly not always good at it!  But it’s definitely helpful when I am.  Keeping a command center or family calendar can help you make sure your blended family’s all together when you plan fun family outings and events.
• Connect When You’re Together – It can be hard to fit in big outings and vacations when part of our family is often away.  It’s not that we never do that stuff, but we also try to make sure our everyday time together when they are home is memorable.  It doesn’t always have to be big expensive vacations.  My kids love our family movie nights and evenings at home, too.
• Consider Your Family Name(s) – I never realized how tricky this name business could be!  When I married my first husband, I took his last name.  And Sawyer and Priscilla took that last name as well.  When I had J.C., he took his dad’s, Clifford’s, last name.  And when Cliff and I (finally!) got married, I decided to change my last name to a hyphenated one of both those last names.  Yes, I kept my ex-husband’s last name.  And just added on my new husband’s last name, too.  Of course, it doesn’t really matter; it’s only a name.  But symbolically, it feels like my name connects me to ALL of my children and brings us together as a family.  I know my solution might not be possible for you, but here is the clever way Kelly of The (Reformed) Idealist Mom handled her family name situation.
• Set Sacred Holidays – This is another tip that might not work in your situation.  BUT since J.C. has been born, I have set Christmas as SACRED to our blended family.  My older kids spend some other holidays with their dad, but we have agreed that we want them to spend EVERY Christmas here with their little brother.  This works for us since they don’t have any siblings at their dad’s house.  So on Easter morning when we’re apart, we know to remind our little man that at least he has Christmas to look forward to with his big brother and sister!  Lemon Lime Adventures has more tips on dealing with holidays as a blended family.
• Keep a Countdown – This isn’t actually something that I’ve done… yet.  But it’s something that I need to start.  My J.C., being only 3, has a hard time understanding when his big brother and sister will return.  The next time they go away for a week with their dad, I plan to make him a countdown calendar so he can have something tangible to keep track.
• Use Transitional Objects – My kids have special blankies and stuffed animals at each home.  But some kids might do better having a special object that transitions and travels with them.  Maybe a stuffed animal that reminds them of mama?  Or a small note from mom in their pocket?
• Connect Using Technology – This is definitely one of the times when I think of how lucky we are to live in this era of technology!  We have so many options to talk with and see our kids while they’re away using technology.  In fact, let me share our newest tech toy that we’re using…

CloudPets™ Help Kids Connect Over Long Distances!

We were recently sent a CloudPets™ plush dog toy to help us stay connected while the kids are away. CloudPets™ combines mobile messaging app technology with a soft and cuddly toy to allow you to give and receive “hugs” from afar via personal messages.

Sure, we use texts and webcam, but you can’t HUG those!  J.C. was loving how soft and snuggly his new CloudPets™ dog is.

Here’s how it works: 

1. Download the CloudPets™ App (from the Apple Store or Google Play) onto a device that will be within 30 feet of your CloudPet.
2. Follow the easy steps to sync your CloudPet.
3. Have far away friends and family download the CloudPets™ App on their devices, too.
4. Far away family and friends record messages for the child through the app.
5. A parent or guardian at home gets that recorded message on their app and approves it to be delivered wirelessly to the CloudPet.  
6. The CloudPet’s heart starts to glow when it has the message, and your child presses a button on it’s hand to hear it.
7. Your child can send a message back by pressing a button on the other hand and recording!

Super cool, right?!  I was sending J.C. messages with it within minutes of taking it out of the box.  He loved it.  Can’t you tell by his smile?

I can’t wait to get Sawyer and Priscilla sending messages to J.C. through his CloudPet!  CloudPets™ come in four different pet options: a kitty, bunny, bear, or dog.  Which would your little one like best?

Do you have a blended family?  Do you spend much time apart?  How do you keep everyone connected and close?  I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

More Parenting Tips from B-Inspired Mama:

    

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CloudPets™.  However all opinions are authentic and my own.  Please see my disclosure policy.