Remember this
Good morning. I’ve been thinking about the power of making memories before we even realize we’re making them.
A porch drink that goes cold.
A question asked at exactly the right moment.
A silly game that becomes a family favorite.
We don’t always know which ordinary moments will become the ones we talk about years from now.
But maybe that’s the point.
Psychologist Roy Baumeister found that we build meaningful lives less through big milestones and more through everyday connections.
The small moments we don’t realize we’re collecting until later.
Here’s what’s on the table today. We saved you the best seat.
This Must-Try Fishbowl Game Will Keep Everyone Laughing ⬇️
Some of our family’s best memories didn’t come from big trips. They came from scraps of paper and way too much laughing. This game has become that for 7,000 families this year
TABLE WISDOM
“Happiness is not a goal… it’s a by-product of a life well-lived.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
These years go fast…
The Questions Every Parent Should Know to Connect With Their Teen
Getting teens to open up can feel impossible… until you ask the right questions. 💬✨ These go beyond one-word answers and spark real connection.
Don’t Just Gather – Connect, Laugh, Play
The best fall parties are the ones where everyone ends up laughing together 🍂
Louise says, “At friends gatherings, I am the one designated to come up with games and activities. Thanks for your wonderful, fun ideas! They are a great help!”
Top 10 Must-Have Sam’s Club Items I Never Leave Behind
Not everything at Sam’s Club is a win. But these must-buys are worth every penny. Once you know, you’ll never shop the same way again.
STORIES FROM THE TABLE
The Last Thing on the List
Every September, Marnie taped a new list to the fridge.
This year it read: carve a pumpkin, drink cider on the porch, rake a leaf pile and jump in it, tell Grandma Jo a memory.
Her daughter Lily rolled her eyes at first. She was fourteen now, too old for lists, she said.
But by the second week, she was the one reminding everyone: we still haven’t done the leaf pile.
They got to almost everything.
The pumpkin got a crooked, gap-toothed smile. The porch cider went cold twice because nobody wanted to go inside.
The last one waited until November.
Grandma Jo was tired that day, tucked under a blanket in the recliner, and Marnie almost crossed it off as not this year.
But Lily sat down on the floor beside her anyway and asked, “Tell me about the fall you met Grandpa.”
Grandma Jo’s eyes lit up like she’d been waiting to be asked. She talked for forty minutes. About a bonfire, a borrowed coat, a walk home in the cold that took twice as long as it needed to.
Lily recorded it on her phone without anyone noticing.
Six months later, Grandma Jo was gone. That recording, a story about young love, became the thing the whole family listened to on hard days.
Marnie still makes the list every fall.
Not because the pumpkin needs carving or the cider needs drinking.
But because that ordinary piece of paper turned into the last time anyone heard that story in Grandma Jo’s own voice.
She never would have asked without it.
And sometimes, this is how the most important memories are made.
CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK
Make a fall bucket list
But make it about memories, not accomplishments.
Choose 5 things you’d love to do together this season.
Keep them simple.
Then actually put a few of them on the calendar.
AFFIRMATION OF THE WEEK
I say yes to simple joys.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
If you knew one ordinary moment from this week would become a treasured family memory, would you do anything differently?
MORE FROM THE TABLE
You don’t need an elaborate plan to make a family memory.
All it takes is a game, a few people around the table, and 20 minutes together.
That’s why so many of our readers (1,000+ so far this year) love the printable games in the shop.
They’re ready to play, easy to use with groups, and (most importantly) they give you a reason to put the phones down and gather.
The games are free on the site. The PDFs in the shop simply make gathering even easier.
Get More Screen-Free Connection →
SOMETHING TO CHEW ON
How much does an adult brain weigh?
No Googling. 😏
Find the kids trivia answer at the bottom of the email
TABLE TALK
I live in fear of the day my kid asks “Where’s all my other drawings?”
Trivia answer: 3 pounds
Put your phones down. Stay at the table a little longer. Ask one more question.
We rarely know which moments will matter most until they’re already behind us.
Thank you for sitting with us. I hope you enjoyed today’s edition. If you have anything at all you’d like to share, ask, or say, just hit reply. I’d love to hear from you.
I appreciate you!
See you tomorrow at the table,
Jenn Kropf
Founder of Healthy Happy Impactful