I have been trying to come up with ideas for the "Maker Mom's contest." Tonight I realized I already had everything that I needed to write up the instructable that best suited my idea of what scoochmaroo says:
"Yeah, we want to see how you have fun with your families - building things together, crafting, camping, cooking, whatever it is. To enter the contest, simply make a new Instructable showing others how your family has fun. If it's bringing your family together, we want to learn how you do it!"

A few weeks ago my son and his new bride spent three wonderful weeks with us. We had so much fun! It was the first time in ten years that I had more than just a few days once a year to share quality time with my son. This Instructable is how we created unforgettable memories by combining work and pleasure through instructables!

Step 1: Insight to This Instructable

My son was able to take three weeks off work so we could meet his new bride, he could help his dad, and we could have some quality time together. We are trying to get our house ready so we can move closer to our children. We spent three weeks getting to know and love our new daughter, work, play and make Instructables! My son did not know much about instructables except; when I would send him the link to something that I posted here and he would email me and comment about it.

I made my (new) daughter some clothes and posted them on Instructables. Both of them had been part of the process and was able to see what Instructables was all about. They saw one of my entries make finalist for the sewing contest : https://www.instructables.com/contest/fashion2012/?show=FINALISTS and that excited them. My son decided to make an instructable and that's when instructables grabbed their attention!

Step 2: What You Will Need

A family member you have deeply missed.
Hungry mouths.
Comfort food.
Beverages.
A little help for Dad.
A desire to have fun with your family.
An idea.
Crafting supplies.
Lots of pictures!
Basic writing skills.
Knowledge of using a keyboard.
A little extra time.
A great imagination.
Artistic flair.
AND A WHOLE LOT OF LOVE for your family and Instructables!

Step 3: Tools

Camera.

PC.
Internet access.

Step 4: We Played

We spent time exploring the local attractions, played with scorpions, and visited art galleries.

Step 5: Bought Sewing Machines

My son was so excited about Instructables that he bought 2 sewing machines! One industrial heavy duty sewing machine for me and one very dusty one for himself! He secretly wants me to sew him some Karate gi's. Meanwhile we looked at all the old ones the sewing repair shop had for sale.

The interesting thing about this is . . . . . I have been trying to win an industrial sewing machine through the Instructables contest for a couple of years. In the end because of my involvement with instructables I got this one! Pretty cool huh?

Step 6: We Worked!

We worked hard! Working together builds strong relationships! It is also a great teaching method for kids. It builds confidence!

Step 7: We Built Harder

When we were not working or sight seeing we were building INSTRUCTABLES!

We made shirts, dresses, Texas Ranger outfits, cooked, and published Instructables to share our experiences! My daughter-in-law painted me some very pretty pictures!

We published a lot more instructables than what I am sharing here and the interesting thing is I have tried to get my son to open an account for 2 years! He finally did!

We uploaded all our pictures and began writing the script and published them!

My son's instructable under my account https://www.instructables.com/id/Doncha-want-Shoe-Booties/

https://www.instructables.com/id/Revamp-A-T-shirt-With-Puff-Paint/

Step 8: Sunshiine's Final Thoughts

I can think of no better way to bring families together than working and playing together building Instructables. I think the kids enjoyed building Instructables more than sight seeing. I know in my heart when they remember this summer's visit with Mom and Dad ; it will bring fond memories and joy into their hearts and ours forever! There were only one thing that would have made this even more perfect! The presence of my daughter, grandson, and son in law!

In closing I would like to thank Instructables and our sponsors for making this a great place to bring families together!
Have a splendorous day!
sunshiine