This content originally appeared in the newsletter to subscribers of Hinson.co and Family Fun Lab. To subscribe, just send us an email at hello@hinson.co, or look for the sign up forms on the site.
We've decided to rename and rebrand this project. Formerly, we called it Family Fun Lab. The purpose of the project was to be intentional and spend more time with our family, but out of that we realized that it's bigger than just Family Fun Lab (FFL for short). We realized that our whole expression of who we are should be encapsulated in this, so we decided to rebrand as Hinson Co. (which was convenient 'cause we have a site at https://hinson.co).
But enough housekeeping, let's get to the good stuff.
Our latest videos
We released some new videos from our time in Florida. Specifically, our trip to the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Refuge, we got locked out of our truck in Crystal River, we watched the sunset at Pine Island, and drove to Flagler Beach. Florida is an amazing place. We also went to Washington DC recently and visited the zoo.
Also, if you haven't checked it out, we put out a video fo how you can save some money by getting a reciprocity pass to museums and science centers.
Anyway, if you want to see all of these, you can go to hinson.co/videos.
A Consistent Release Schedule
We've created a schedule and will now be releasing content EVERY Sunday unless something serious comes up. Every Sunday, you can check our youtube channel (at https://hinson.co/youtube). Or our videos page (https://hinson.co/videos). I'll also try to update you via email (which is a system I'm still getting in place).
Our current transition
Those of you who know us, know that we're working our way toward taking off and traveling the country with our 3 kids in an RV. It's a pretty busy season for us right now, and downsizing (which is what we're having to do) is hard. Like, one of the hardest things we've done. I wrote a short blog post about it, which you can read here.
Resources
We're hoping to release more resources soon, but since we're in the middle of the aforementioned transition, it's tough to get around to it. I don't want to tell you something I can't stick to, but that's not my nature, my nature is to share everything. So here you go:
I want to create courses for families. The first one is going to be about teaching your kids how to program, even if you don't know yourself. The idea here is that it's a self-guided course for you and your kids to do. So my daughters will work with me as I teach them the fundamentals of programming. We'll use a free software and a book, and you can follow along with us. If you like the way this sounds, let me know. I'd appreciate the feedback.
I created a resource last week that I wanted to send to you all — it's super simple, but I hope it will inspire you. It contains some of the ways we've found to transform downtime into family time.
Something to Read / Listen To:
I listen to books more than I read them. I'm always on the go, and I am an audible learner, so I have a subscription to audible. If you don't, you can get a free trial and get this book for free by following the link. The book is The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting, by Brene Brown. It's not a “book” as much as it is a session, or series of sessions with the brilliant Brene Brown. If you don't know her, she's an author and researcher, who spends most of her time researching…wait for it…Shame. Yes. She's a shame researcher. If you are really concerned about making sure that you're not going parent with the regret of having shamed your kids, check this out. Just click this link. It's not just about shame, it's about ways to equip your child to be a healthy adult. I can't recommend this audio program enough. In fact, I might create some content around it in the future.
Other Recent Listens / Reads:
Wonder
OMG this book! You guys! This book is so incredibly good. We read the book, then we watched the movie, but the book was so good. Because of the pace of the book, this was a great experience for the family, and allowed us to work through the issues of the story together. Talk about great conversations with your kids…this book has it in droves.
Get the book. Read it with your family. You won't regret it.
Chronicles of Narnia – The Magician’s Nephew
I had never read the full Chronicles of Narnia with my kids, so we started from the beginning, with the Magician's Nephew. We really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to any family. It's a really interesting book and a fun journey into a strange world. Check it out.
Ok, that about does it for this issue. I'll talk to you again — probably next Sunday after I release the next video, where we'll go to the Science Center in Jacksonville Florida. Stoked about that one.
Don't be surprised if I follow up with more about Brene Brown and parenting — I'm really digging that stuff right now.
