Tell Matalan what modern family life looks like for you - £250 prize draw! NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

Matalan have asked us to find out about your modern family life… who do you consider “family”, how do you stay connected, what makes you laugh out loud together?

Here’s what they say, “A family-run business for thirty years, Matalan has always worked to support UK families by taking the time to listen, understand and evolve in order to make sure our products are the right fit for happy homes.

What’s right for the modern family however, looks very different to what it did when we first opened our doors three decades ago. We’re seeing that family today comes in many different sizes and forms and that it is being reshaped and redefined to meet the demands of modern life”.

So what does family mean to you? Tell us about your favourite things you do as a family, what makes you smile and how you stay connected with loved ones.

Everyone who comments on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win £250 to spend in store or online at Matalan.co.uk!

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Our favourite things to do as a family usually involve getting out in the fresh air somewhere. My kids love parks, picnics, farms, nature reserves, woods, the beach etc. With quite a large age range within our children we find outdoor activities are the thing most likely to keep everyone happy.

At home we love getting together with a favourite tv show or a dvd and making popcorn to eat under a blanket on the sofa. Or playing a game over dinner with lots of chat and laughter and good things to eat.

Bedtime can also be a great time of day when me and dp both read stories to the kids. Whatever else has happened that day we always make sure they have a quick cuddle and story at the end.

Although it's important to have time together, I also value time with my kids individually. I don't often get the chance to do this, but I try to take each one of them for a special day out at least once a year, just the two of us. They remember these days for a long time and I hope it reassures them that each of them is loved and special.

I think we are still quite traditional, in spite, or perhaps despite of the invention of tablet technology. It is still important to get out and communicate and bond as much as possible.

Family is people you have known for a long time. Family is feeling relaxed and not having to pretend or impress. Family can be stressful - or rather work and family do not always sit happily together. Family is very emotional - and you do not know what you have lost until it is gone.

I love to be with my immediate family, exploring new places, breaking bread, thinking about the past and the future.

Like most parents commenting here my family life means the world to me. When it's just the 4 of us laughing and joking around at home I'm never happier! We're not a sporty or particularly outdoorsy family but we do love getting out and seeing new places, eating out or picnics (in fact most things revolve around food for us!!).

My favourite thing to do as a family is turning off the tv and playing cards. My son particularly loves to play cheat! It's such a joy to see them having fun and I think laughing together as a family is very important. Also, playing badminton together is another way we enjoy each others company.

We love games night. All devices are turned off and we get out board games, huge bowls of sweets and popcorn, a fizzy drink for the kids and something grown up for the adults. ;) A fire is lit, pyjamas are on and we sit on cushions on the floor around our coffee table playing games.

We recently moved house and Plusnet messed us around with our phone line. We had no connection so every night became games night minus the treats. As a family it made us reconnect. We really began to talk again. It surprised me how easy it is to get into bad habits of turning the TV on or just playing on a tablet. We now have a no device after 7pm rule. It seems to work well and we have also agreed to make gaming a regular event.

I would describe my family as a tribe :). I am one of nine so have sister`s, brothers, nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews in abundance. I have three grown up children and now I only work part-time I am much in demand as a babysitter.
Childcare seems to be one of the hardest areas for young families and I am amazed at the cost of childcare.

Teenage daughter teenage son and 9 year old son so life is pretty busy, we run our own building firm from home so weekends are especially important to us and we like to go out and do things as a family during the day and often get together with friends of a weekend evening, we are lucky enough to lie near the coast so a lot of days out involve the beach whether its winter or summer, we also love to have a film~fest Sunday afternoon with a great family films some snacks and a blanket or two on the sofa

It means to me the warmth and peace at the end of a long day. When I'm with my family I can be me, I cuddle up on the couch with cuddles and kisses and just relax. Nothing feels better than having my whole family together regardless of whether we're watching a film or jumping in puddles (we did this earlier today) A weekend at home with us all is just perfect!

Family for us is unconditional love. We respect one another and work together to ensure universal happiness. Everyone gets their say on matters that affect them, though obviously within their understanding for the littlest members!

DH and I both work full time, so weekends and holidays are important to us for spending time as a family. We try and do household jobs in the evenings after the kids are in bed to ensure as much family time is available as possible.

What we do together ranges from simple things around the house like baking, gardening, playing board games, building dens, drawing, etc. And who doesn't love a trip to the local park? When funds allow, we also try and arrange day trips that we can all enjoy.

We live several hours away from our nearest extended family, so for staying in contact we use Skype regularly and make arrangements to visit whenever we can. Even if that means driving for an hour or two in order to meet up mid-way for a pub lunch!

family is much more spread out these days, we have relatives in different cities, far away from us. we use facetime and skype to stay in contact which is lovely.

My family is me, DH and DD. Wider than that there are a selection of grandparents, siblings and cousins, but none geographically close enough that we see them regularly, sadly. Skype helps although DD gets bored easily - she's utterly baffled by 'normal' phones though - you can't see the person you're talking to!

Important things for us as a family are eating together, reading stories and getting out and about to places we can all enjoy - the farm is a great favourite. DD is forever making us smile as we learn about a 3 year old's view of the world!

I consider myself very lucky to have a reasonably large and very happy family. I live with my husband, our two boys and we have baby number 3 on the way. We have lots of extended family- grandparents, sisters, aunties, uncles, cousins. I even have a few close friends who are as special as family. xx

I consider my close friends my family too. We would do the same for each other as we would for our families

My favourite way of having quality family time is going for early evening walks just my my wonderful boyfriend and our girls aged 9 and 4 months.
Its amazing how refreshed and relaxing it can be after a hectic day of housework / school / at the office. We dress to the weather, be it wellies and raincoats or shorts and sunglasses. We laugh, talk and more importantly just enjoy being with each other.

My family is my 3 sons, DH and me. We are a very close unit - we laugh a lot. The oldest 2 are 5, so we laugh a lot at misunderstood words, slapstick and jokes about bottoms.

We stay connected with lots of chats and cuddles, and with routines like Friday night pizza and DVD, Sunday walk on the beach and roast dinner etc.

My family consists of me, husband, son and daughter living at home, and daughter, her partner and their daughter living 70 miles away. We are very close, have been through thick and thin in recent years as my husband has been diagnosed with serious mental health problems but it's made us closer as a unit. Laughter is the way to cope we have found, the 4 of us at home eat together round the table every night and catch up, and chat on social media with daughter and grandaughter as often as possible, and when we are all together we love nothing more than a walk on the beach with the dog. Really looking forward to all going on holiday together in South Wales this summer, together with my 85 year old mum!

My family all live local to me.

As a family we love to visit the cinema and have fun days out at theme parks, local caves, ice creams parlours....anything really!

My family are supportive but times have changed so much. For example, when I was younger, my grandparents had already retired so provided childcare for me. However, my parents are still working so I have to rely on after school clubs or the odd day when my parents are able to finish work early. Its such a shame that pension ages have changed, it has essentially changed family dynamics :(

My immediate family consists of myself, my partner, our daughter, our two cats (yes, they are family too!) and then everybody else, Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers etc etc. I think family is whatever it means to you.

Our favourite thing is to spend family time together, whether that be picnicing, going to the seaside, days out at theme parks, or just all snuggled at home on the sofa watching a film. Family time is the best and most important time ever!

In our house there's hubster and I (in our thirties) and our three wonderful monsters who are 6, 8 and 9 years old.

We're pretty calm and collected and like to spend time together, we do archery at a local centre, go go-karting, we LOVE going to the cinema or visiting local farms. On rainy days they love cake decorating, crafting or playing with Lego's or making funny video's on the camera.

While these things cost money I'd much rather go to see a movie or visit a farm as it helps to create good memories that they'll remember as they get older. For hubster and I having family time is so important especially as it's only really us as other family members are now elderly or disabled. We also spend time catching up via phone with those members and the boys love to send photo's and pictures to them too.

My family is made whole through the blessing of adoption.

Our family is very small. Me, my partner and our two children. The children have 3 uncles (although one lives overseas) and two Nannies. Sadly both their grandfathers have passed away.

It's important to keep close to family... even those overseas. My kids love talking to their Uncle through the webcam... the think it's magical!

We are all taking a trip to Tokyo for my brothers wedding in August... it'll be the first time we have all been on holiday together so we are all very much looking forward to it :)

We are only a small unit of 10 and that includes both sides, but we are close and support each other

My family consist of me, dh, our three children, my husbands parents and my sister. We are all pretty close and spend a lot of time together. Me, my husband and children make sure we eat together every night possible so we can sit together and chat, and we have regular Sunday lunches round my inlaws. We also have lots of days out as a family to have some fun.

Family is the people who are the closest things in my life, the people who make life worth living, who I can laugh with, cry with and share all my secrets with. They make getting through each day worhtwhile and I can think of no other people I would rather be around.