You’ve probably had dozens of barbecues before, and they’re usually great, or average. The warm weather can quickly drain your energy, the food gets hard to cook and relaxing inside becomes more and more appealing.

That being said, barbecues are a great way for you and your family to get some outdoor time, while enjoying a delicious meal. Summer is the best time of the year for them, and it’s important to make the most of the warm weather. You know it’ll be gone as quick as it arrives!

So, with the warmer weather just around the corner, here’s your checklist to throwing the perfect family barbecue. Have a read down this post when you’re planning things, to make sure you don’t miss a trick!

The cooking

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Sure, you could run down to the store and pick up one of those cheap disposable barbecues, or you could do things right. Think about the cost of buying multiple disposable ones each year; it can add up! Plus, they’re just annoying to light and setup. They have no protection against the breeze, and that can put your fire out as quickly as it got started.

Think about what you need to do to enjoy a barbecue. You need to cook quickly, before the warm weather disappears. You and your family also don’t want to be sat out in the sun too long, for obvious reasons. Cooking and eating fast is key here.

You also need to cook lots of food at once, so everyone gets fed. Don’t let one of your family members go hungry while everyone else munches down! That would be extremely unfair.

So, how do you combine both these issues into one solution? The answer is a full, proper barbecue – as big as you can get. That being said, you don’t want something too confusing. Ease of use is key when it comes to your enjoyment of the occasion.

You should be looking at full sized outdoor grills, that can cook a lot of food and are quick to get going. Most modern grills possess these traits in spades – you could read this review of the Kamado Joe Classic Grill to see what I mean.

You want to start with a clean, well-oiled grill, so the food does not stick. Scrub it with a grill brush then with some vegetable or olive oil. Don’t flip the meat constantly, either. Once will do. You risk not letting it cook thoroughly if you’re constantly moving it.

The food

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When you’re planning the food, think variety. You have to have a bit of everything so you can appeal to everyone’s tastes. Start with the meat. Burgers and sausages are good staples, and think kebabs, steaks and drumsticks too. Make sure you buy a good mix of spicy, and non-spicy. Not everyone is partial to that taste!

You should also keep an eye on those side dishes. A burger in a bun is fine, but it’s the sides that make it special. Think couscous, garlic bread or potato salad. Don’t overdo the sides, though. Keep them minimal and put focus on the meats.

Next, you need to factor in some desserts. This is a perfect time to bake together as a family to produce some buns or cakes. Again, like the sides, you don’t want to overdo it. Meat is expensive, and desserts and sides will fill people up before they can finish it! Keep it simple. Fairy cakes, ice cream and fruit would be good choices for you.

Don’t forget your vegetarian family members, either! Be careful if you’re cooking meat and Quorn on the same barbecue. You could possibly buy a small disposable, just to cook the vegetarian food separately.

Lastly, there are your drinks! You’ll want to buy in some cheap water, cola and lemonade; they’re staples of any gathering, especially a summer one. The adults will perhaps want some beer in a cooler, or maybe an alcoholic punch would be a good idea? Sangria is rather easy for you to make, and is a tasty treat that will go down well.

The entertainment

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Your perfect family barbecue won’t be complete without some form of entertainment! Obviously, you don’t want to be spending a lot, but it’s quite easy to keep people occupied while the food cooks.

Perhaps you could choose a party theme. This will extend to your food, and to your decor. It must be a theme that goes perfectly with an outdoor setting. Hawaiian, surf or sports would be good choices in this situation. Consider playing dress-up, or wearing masks.

Then, you should build a basic music playlist. This should be all-inclusive, and not too distracting. Think relaxing dance songs, and maybe some acoustic tunes. You shouldn’t just factor yourself in; think of your family’s tastes!

Next, because your barbecue will be based outdoors (hopefully!), cook up some outdoor games and activities. The kids will be occupied with some sports equipment, like a football, tennis ball or badminton rackets. As for the adults, card and trivia games would be good for you to include, which can be played once the food is over.

You should also consider putting on a water fight, weather permitting. Be sure to store plenty of spare towels for guests, and ask people before you drop water on their head! You could build a slip n’ slide, buy in hundreds of water bombs, or get some cheap plastic toy guns. This will make the day more memorable and fun for the kids, and give the adults something to laugh at!

The result

If you followed this post, then congratulations! You’ve created an awesome family barbecue, and a lot of family memories. And that’s the most important thing you can do this summer. Your family is the most precious part of your life, and enjoying your time with them is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

So make the most of that warm sun, and enjoy a wonderful meal to boot! Leave a comment down below with your own barbecue tips, tricks and memories.

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Looking back through history is a fascinating pastime. Especially when it involves your own family. A lot of people choose to recreate their family tree, and explore back into their past. It throws up a lot of secrets, and reveals hidden identities. You might find that an old relative was part of a major historic event. Or perhaps they grew up in a different country before migrating to where you are now. Modern resources and records allow you to search back many centuries, and you’ll be surprised at what you find. The only tricky part is knowing where to start.

Speak to your relatives

Your existing relatives should always be your first resource. Sit down with them, and ask them to tell you everything they remember. Grandparents are great for this, and they’ll love to tell you vibrant stories of their past. Ask them everything they know about their parents, their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. Write everything down, and this should give you another layer to your family tree. It will also give you key biographical information to take your search further back in time.

Search the house for scrapbooks and memories

Most of us keep boxes of memories and trinkets. We keep scrapbooks as our children grow up, and capture our lives with photos and diaries. It’s likely that your grandparents, and their parents, did the same. These scrapbooks hold all sorts of memories, stories, and information about the family lineage. Photographs might be dated, with names scribbled on the back, for example. Search the attics and basements of your family’s home, and see what you can find!

Use the internet

There are now plenty of genealogy resources online. It’s easier than ever to sign up for an account, and tap into huge databases of family information. Genealogy accounts allow you to access censuses, newspaper clippings, and vast numbers of personal records and data. There are also plenty of army records for military families. If you knew your great grandparents were in the forces, you can find Canadian military records and service history. These are some of the best kept records, and you’re bound to find something useful.

Search the census and newspapers

Before the days of the internet, the best way to research the family tree was in the library. Here, you’d get access to all the most recent census data. That’s a clear list of everyone in the country at a given time. It lists their address, next of kin, and occupation. If your family were in the country, they’ll be on this list! For extending the research further, you’d use newspaper clippings to find local information about your relatives. You can still use this method in most major libraries.

Keep notes of everything

While you’re doing your research, be sure to keep a note of absolutely everything. You never know which small piece of data or information will become crucial. Tracing the family tree is a little like a detective hunt! So, keep your eyes open for anything that could lead you to the next family name.

You’ll soon learn everything there is to know about your family tree!

These days it’s easy for people to travel anywhere and everywhere. That’s lead to many of us having family scattered all over the world. But thanks to tech, we’ve been able to keep in touch and stay in contact. Or at least, we should have been able to. Thanks to video calling and social sites like Facebook, there’s no reason for you not to know where your family is or even who they are. Yet, it’s true to say that some people are still missing large parts of their extended family. Here are some great tips for staying in touch with those far away, yet dear to your heart.

Create A Family Tree

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If you have kids, it’s highly likely that at some point they’ll come home with the school project quest of building a family tree. But if this hasn’t happened yet, why not get a jump start on it. It’s a great way to start building your family back through the ages and you can even find out who’s missing. What branches don’t you know about and how can you find where they’ve grown to? You’ll need to get on the phone and speak to some of your relatives. You might be surprised to learn that you’ve got more family members than you realised. But it’s true what they say. Blood ties are strong and they’re probably just as eager to find you as you are to find them.

Finding Missing Family Members

Once you’ve built your tree, you might discover the branches that you’re missing. You may have even found out some information about them through your mom and dad. What’s the next step? You’ll have to decide whether you want to try and find them. Remember they could be anywhere in the world but there is a solution to this problem. DNA tests have evolved and grown to the point where they can help you track people down. MyFamilyDNATest has got more information about this and what you can do to find missing family members.

When You Find Them

When you find the family members, you might never have met, it’s important that you reach out to them. You could locate them on Facebook or any of the other major social networks. Once you do that, you’ll be able to introduce yourself and let them know who you are. At that point, you may have discovered a beautiful new, family relationship.

Keep In Touch

Now that you’ve found them it’s important that you don’t drift apart. You need to keep in touch. You can do this using social media or even just sending out Christmas cards each year. If you want to make a particularly strong impression you could even send a gift. We recommend that you send something that isn’t fragile if they are a great distance away. Then who knows, you might even want to get them to come and visit. Particularly, if they have children the same age as your own.

Family is such an important part of our lives. But it’s true to say our own family is usually a lot bigger than we realise. We just have to start looking.