One day or more a week, eat dinner together as a family with the TV turned off and talking to each other as a family. Don't eat on the couch or at the kitchen counter but clean a table, put out place mats and silverware and eat at the dinner table.

Make a regular date night with your spouse. Even if it’s just a couple of hours every other Thursday, set aside time to re-connect with your spouse, kids or pets.

Turn off the TV and read a book. Who really cares what Entertainment Tonight has to say about Brittany Spears or Tom Cruise! Turn the TV off and find a good book at your local library and read for 30 minutes every night. If reading isn't for you then turn the TV off and go sit in front of the fire in the living room or sit out on the front porch and wave to your neighbors as they drive by.

Take time/make time for a monthly call to out-of-town relatives and long-distance friends to catch up and share news. Better yet, take the time to write them a letter and enclose a couple of recent photographs of you and your family, your favorite local restaurant or park. This way they will get to know more about where you live and what your neighborhood is like.

Reach out to a neighborhood family that you don’t know well and commit to getting to know them better. A simple plate of fresh baked cookies is a great ice breaker to get to know your neighbors. Also, spend time with an elderly neighbor who may live alone. Offer to run to the grocery store for them or ask them if they need any help with anything around the house. It is also great to simply knock on their door and ask them if they have some time to sit down for a cup of coffee or tea. Most would welcome the company!

Every season change, plan a family weekend to package outgrown clothes, toys and little-used household goods to deliver to a local charity collection site.

Reconnect with yourself. Start a daily journal, start attending a weekly worship service or take a yoga class or go on a walk after dinner.

Start learning a new language as a family. For example, every Tuesday at dinner, learn words and phrases in a new language and practice using them (perhaps in advance of a trip.) Buy a book to learn simple everyday phrases.

Expand your vocabulary. Discover new and interesting words. Help your children learn new words to communicate their feelings. Celebrate a new 'word for the week'.

Weekly card giving. On New Year's Day, begin a list of people you interact with on a regular basis. From church members to your pharmacist, begin listing all of the individuals who provide a service to you at some point during the year. From this list begin sending a card each week of the year as a way of expressing gratitude for their service and care.

Park by a lightpole. When you go to the grocery store or mall or even when you park in the parking lot at work, park near a pole, preferably one that is not so close to the entrance. This way you will get a little extra exercise by walking a little bit further. It will also help you remember where you parked your car when you leave.