National Stepfamily Day is a nationally and an internationally recognized holiday that is celebrated on September 16^th each year. It’s a time for stepfamilies to get together and celebrate being part of a stepfamily. Christy Tusing-Borgeld is the founder of National Stepfamily Day and you can read the inspiring story of how she started it HERE. This year, National Stepfamily Day falls on a Saturday, so get ready to celebrate this special day over the weekend.

8 Ways to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day:

1. Have a family picnic. Enjoy the outdoors and have a picnic. You can even get a fun picnic basket for the occasion!
2. Try cookie decorating. Cookie, cupcake, or cake decorating is a fun side-by-side activity that is perfect for the whole family. Plus, you can enjoy all of the goodies that you decorate!
3. Go on a bike ride. Go on a bike ride around your neighborhood or load your bikes up and check out a new trail. You can even get bike lights and go at night for a real adventure.
4. Play board games. Scrabble, Monopoly, or Clue, anyone?!
5. Go out for ice cream or a boba tea. You don’t have to do anything too elaborate- just enjoy having a treat with each other.
6. Play a sport together. Frisbee, sand volleyball, softball… Get everyone together and have some fun! Miniature golfing is also a fun, low-key activity.
7. Rent a pedal boat or a kayak. Check local lakes or parks to see if they have pedal boats or kayaks available to rent. Get out on the water and cool off!
8. Enjoy fall activities together. Find a sunflower field, go apple-picking, or visit a pumpkin farm. Make the most of the fall season!

About the Author

Elizabeth Mosaidis is a Certified Resilience Professional through the Trauma Institute International. She is also a Stepfamily Foundation Certified Coach and an author. Her books are available here.

The post 8 Ways to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day in 2023 appeared first on The Stepmom Project.

National Stepfamily Day is a nationally and an internationally recognized holiday that is celebrated on September 16^th each year.  It’s a time for stepfamilies to get together and celebrate being part of a stepfamily. Christy Tusing-Borgeld is the founder of National Stepfamily Day and you can read the inspiring story of how she started it HERE. This year, National Stepfamily Day falls on a Friday, so you can still do something fun over the weekend to celebrate with your family.

9 Ways to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day:

1. Have a family picnic. Enjoy the outdoors and have a picnic! You can even get a fun picnic basket for the occasion.
2. Try cookie decorating. Cookie, cupcake, or cake decorating is a fun side-by-side activity that is perfect for the whole family. Plus, you can enjoy all of the goodies that you decorate!
3. Go on a bike ride. Go on a bike ride around your neighborhood or load your bikes up and check out a new trail. You can even get bike lights and go at night for a real adventure.
4. Play board games. Scrabble, Monopoly, or Clue, anyone?!
5. Go out for ice cream or a boba tea. You don’t have to do anything too elaborate- just enjoy having a treat with each other.
6. Play a sport together. Frisbee, sand volleyball, softball… Get everyone together and have some fun! Miniature golfing is also a fun, low-key activity.
7. Rent a pedal boat or a kayak. Check local lakes or parks to see if they have pedal boats or kayaks available to rent. Get out on the water and cool off!
8. Enjoy fall activities together. Find a sunflower field, go apple-picking, or visit a pumpkin farm. Make the most of the fall season!
9. Take a day trip. Check out a nearby town or attraction. Recently, we went to Brownville, Nebraska (population 150) to explore the town and go on a boat tour of the Missouri River.

About the Author

Elizabeth Mosaidis is a Certified Resilience Professional through the Trauma Institute International. She is also a Stepfamily Foundation Certified Coach and an author. Her books are available here.

The post How to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day in 2022 appeared first on The Stepmom Project.

National Stepfamily Day is a nationally and an internationally recognized holiday that is celebrated on September 16^th each year.  It’s a time for stepfamilies to get together and celebrate being part of a stepfamily. Christy Tusing-Borgeld is the founder of National Stepfamily Day and you can read the inspiring story of how she started it HERE. This year, National Stepfamily Day falls on a Thursday, but you can still do something fun after work or school to celebrate with your family.

8 Ways to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day:

1. Family picnic. Enjoy the outdoors and have a picnic! You can even get a fun picnic basket for the occasion.
2. Cookie decorating. Cookie, cupcake, or cake decorating is a fun side-by-side activity that you can do. Plus, you can enjoy all of the goodies that you decorate!
3. Bike ride. Go on a bike ride around your neighborhood or load your bikes up and check out a new trail.
4. Board games. Scrabble, Monopoly, or Clue, anyone?!
5. Go out for ice cream or a boba tea. You don’t have to do anything too elaborate- just enjoy having a treat with each other.
6. Play a sport together. Frisbee, sand volleyball, softball… Get everyone together and have some fun!
7. Rent a pedal boat or a kayak. Check local lakes or parks to see if they have pedal boats or kayaks available to rent. If you’re in the Phoenix area, Tempe Town Lake and Kiwanis Lake offer boat rentals. Get out on the water and cool off!
8. Go on a mural tour. Take a driving tour of the murals in your area. We went on one in Tempe, Arizona, and we saw some incredible artwork!

No matter how you choose to celebrate, make the most of every moment that you spend with your family.  Celebrate the unique qualities of each person in your family and make some wonderful memories together!

Have other ideas? Wanna share how you’re going to celebrate? Share in the comments!

The post 8 Ways to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day in 2021 appeared first on The Stepmom Project.

National Stepfamily Day is a nationally and an internationally recognized holiday that is celebrated on September 16^th each year.  It’s a time for stepfamilies to get together and celebrate being part of a stepfamily. Christy Tusing-Borgeld is the founder of National Stepfamily Day and you can read the inspiring story of how she started it HERE. This year, National Stepfamily Day falls on a Wednesday, but you can still do something fun after work or school to celebrate with your family.

8 Ways to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day:

1. Family picnic. Enjoy the outdoors and have a picnic! You can even get a fun picnic basket for the occasion.
2. Cookie decorating. Cookie, cupcake, or cake decorating is a fun side-by-side activity that you can do. Plus, you can enjoy all of the goodies that you decorate!
3. Bike ride. Go on a bike ride around your neighborhood or load your bikes up and check out a new trail.
4. Board games. Scrabble, Monopoly, or Clue, anyone?!
5. Go out for ice cream or frozen yogurt. You don’t have to do anything too elaborate– just enjoy having dessert with each other.
6. Play a sport together. Frisbee, sand volleyball, softball… Get everyone together and have some fun!
7. Rent a pedal boat or a kayak. Check local lakes or parks to see if they have pedal boats or kayaks available to rent. If you’re in the Phoenix area, Tempe Town Lake and Kiwanis Lake offer boat rentals. Get out on the water and cool off!
8. Go on a mural tour. Take a driving tour of the murals in your area. We went on one in Tempe, Arizona, and we saw some incredible artwork!

No matter how you choose to celebrate, make the most of every moment that you spend with your family.  Celebrate the unique qualities of each person in your family and make some wonderful memories together!

Have other ideas? Wanna share how you’re going to celebrate? Share in the comments!

The post 8 Ways to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day in 2020 appeared first on The Stepmom Project.

10 Ways to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day:

1. Family picnic. Enjoy the outdoors and have a picnic!

   

2. Cookie decorating. Cookie, cupcake, or cake decorating is a fun side-by-side activity that you can do. Plus, you can enjoy all of the goodies that you decorate! I found an awesome cookie shop called Smith-O-Lator that also offers cookie decorating classes.
3. Bike ride. Go on a bike ride around your neighborhood or load your bikes up and check out a new trail.
4. Board games. Scrabble, Monopoly, or Clue, anyone?!
5. Day trip. Find a natural attraction, national park, or an amusement park in your area and enjoy the day there.
6. Visit the zoo or a museum. Do you have any unusual museums in the area? If you do a quick Google search, you might be surprised by what turns up. We found the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting which is really cool!
7. Go bowling.
8. Go out for ice cream or frozen yogurt. You don’t have to do anything too elaborate– just enjoy having dessert with each other.
9. Play a sport together. Frisbee, sand volleyball, softball… Get everyone together and have some fun!
10. Family-friendly comedy show. Laugh together! Find a family-friendly comedy spot and enjoy the evening together. We’re teaming up with JesterZ Improv again this year to bring you Stepfamily Appreciation Night. Get $5 off your tickets with promo code stepmomproject!

No matter how you choose to celebrate, make the most of every moment that you spend with your family.  Celebrate the unique qualities of each person in your family and make some wonderful memories together!

Have other ideas? Wanna share how you’re going to celebrate? Share in the comments!

The post 10 Ways to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day appeared first on The Stepmom Project.

The post National Stepfamily Day appeared first on The Stepmom Project.

National Stepfamily Day is a nationally and an internationally recognized holiday that is celebrated on September 16^th each year.  It’s a time for stepfamilies to get together and celebrate being part of a stepfamily. Christy Tusing-Borgeld is the founder of National Stepfamily Day and you can read the inspiring story of how she started it HERE.

A BIG Thank you

Thank you to all of those who joined us at JesterZ Improv on Stepfamily Appreciation Night, a fun night of laughter to honor stepfamilies on National Stepfamily Day! As you know, being part of a stepfamily requires a great sense of humor, and sometimes you just have to laugh at some of the situations that you find yourself in. We definitely spent the night laughing during the show!

The night wouldn’t have been complete without all of the support from you and your families! We hope to celebrate with you again next year!

The post Thank You for Celebrating National Stepfamily Day at JesterZ appeared first on The Stepmom Project.

10 Ways to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day:

1. Family picnic. Enjoy the outdoors and have a picnic!

   

2. Cookie decorating. Cookie, cupcake, or cake decorating is a fun side-by-side activity that you can do. Plus, you can enjoy all of the goodies that you decorate! I found an awesome cookie shop called Smith-O-Lator that also offers cookie decorating classes.
3. Bike ride. Go on a bike ride around your neighborhood or load your bikes up and check out a new trail.
4. Board games. Scrabble, Monopoly, or Clue, anyone?!
5. Day trip. Find a natural attraction, national park, or an amusement park in your area and enjoy the day there.
6. Visit the zoo or a museum. Do you have any unusual museums in the area? If you do a quick Google search, you might be surprised by what turns up. We found the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting which is really cool!
7. Go bowling.
8. Go out for ice cream or frozen yogurt. You don’t have to do anything too elaborate– just enjoy having dessert with each other.
9. Play a sport together. Frisbee, sand volleyball, softball… Get everyone together and have some fun!
10. Family-friendly comedy show. Laugh together! We’ll be enjoying Stepfamily Appreciation Night at JesterZ Improv Comedy on September 16th. Join us!

No matter how you choose to celebrate, make the most of every moment that you spend with your family.  Celebrate the unique qualities of each person in your family and make some wonderful memories together!

Have other ideas? Wanna share how you’re going to celebrate? Share in the comments!

The post 10 Ways to Celebrate National Stepfamily Day appeared first on The Stepmom Project.

What lengths would you go to for a cause that you strongly believe in? What steps would you take to support that cause? Christy Tusing-Borgeld is the founder of National Stepfamily Day, a nationally recognized holiday that falls on September 16th. I’ve always firmly believed that we can do anything that we put our minds to, and Christy embodies that mindset of perseverance even in the face of rejection. Christy shares her determination behind getting National Stepfamily Day recognized, and she offers some advice to those who want to champion a cause.  She also shares 101 ways that you can celebrate National Stepfamily Day.

What is your story? How did you become a stepmom?

After being a single mother for almost 3 years, I met my husband, Jim. We didn’t introduce each other to our children while we dated. So after months of dating and soon a proposal, we set the date and I became an official stepmom to two children on July 1^st, 1992.

What prompted you to start National Stepfamily Day?

A lot of heartache! Dealing with exes on both sides. At first, we all merged together just fine. After a few years, things became incredibly hard.  I was on the computer one night looking for some help and support for our stepfamily and there just wasn’t a lot out there. I also noticed that night that President Clinton proclaimed “National Parents Day.”  This sparked the fire.  I went to bed that night telling my husband that there should be a National Stepparents Day. But the more I thought about it, I wanted to include all the family members in such a day. So National Stepfamily Day was conceived.

I think our stepmoms would be very impressed with your persistence in getting National Stepfamily Day nationally recognized. What was the process like to get it recognized?

A lot of work! I wasn’t sure how to go about doing such a task. I did research on Anna Jarvis, founder of Mother’s Day, and took her lead.  I remember those first few years I was faxing for days. I was faxing the offices of every government official that I thought would help me and support the day. This was before free long distance calls.  In three months, I would rack up between $600-$1000 dollars in long distance charges.  I paid it because I believe in this movement. I believe in second chances. I believe in supporting the family and children to be successful. For the record, I’ve never received not even one penny off National Stepfamily Day. However, soon I was getting support from stepfamilies who took my lead and began to organize events on National Stepfamily Day.

2017 was the 20-year anniversary of the date you founded National Stepfamily Day.   How has awareness for National Stepfamily Day grown or changed over the years?

The first year came and went. I was still learning how to organize a national event.  I knew I needed to come up with some activity to bring families together, so the second year I added a family picnic to celebrate the day.  If a family wasn’t able to be together that day, I’ve always encouraged them to celebrate it when they could. Soon more activities came into play, and I created a video with 101 different ways families can celebrate National Stepfamily Day.

Can you share a special memory related to National Stepfamily Day?

So many wonderful moments…but three things come to mind:

1. Receiving a letter from President Ford thanking me for my work with National Stepfamily Day.
2. Michigan’s United States Senator Debbie Stabenow placed National Stepfamily Day into the United States Congressional Record.
3. Honey Maid created a beautiful commercial for National Stepfamily Day.

What advice do you have for other women who believe strongly in a cause?

Stand Firm. I’ve always said, “To succeed, you need to take that gut feeling in what you believe in and act on it with all your heart.”  I remember that first year I received two letters from two United States senators: one agreed with supporting a National Stepfamily Day and the other didn’t.  I remember crying about the letter that didn’t support the day, but that senator has no idea of the drive he put in my heart at that moment.  I learned that not everyone is going to agree with your cause. I learned that getting tough skin was part of the journey, and I discovered that my passion became my strength.

Connect with Christy 

Have a question for Christy? Want to thank her for all of her hard work on behalf of stepfamilies? Let’s show her some love! You can connect with Christy on Facebook, Twitter, or her website.

Celebrate National Stepfamily Day

If you’re in the Phoenix area, join Elizabeth Mosaidis, Certified Stepfamily Foundation Coach and Author for a special Stepfamily Appreciation Night at JesterZ Improv on September 14th.  See all the details and buy tickets HERE! Get $5 off your tickets with promo code stepmomproject!

For other ideas on how to celebrate National Stepfamily Day, click HERE.

How will you be celebrating National Stepfamily Day? Share in the comments!

The post Interview with the Founder of National Stepfamily Day: Christy Tusing-Borgeld appeared first on The Stepmom Project.

Details and link to buy tickets HERE.

The post Stepfamily Appreciation Night at JesterZ appeared first on The Stepmom Project.