Sometimes it's difficult to squeeze in dinner AND bath AND family time, so try combining some of them... no, I'm not suggesting that you eat in the bath tub- haha..... But there are games and activities you can do at the dinner table. I know my toddler has a hard time sitting for very long at dinner time, so maybe a game will help. We actually have one we bought at a toy store... this is what it says on the back:
Gather 'Round Dinner Game www.familydinnergames.com
It is a blue disk and you press a button in the center-- there are sounds and a moving light and the light lands on something and you read what it says and everybody does it-- like name all of the shapes on the table, name as many US presidents as you can, tell a joke, take a sip of your drink...etc
It comes with lots of disks so you can change them. It's so perfect because EVERYONE can participate together. When my toddler has his turn to press it, no matter what it lands on, we say something he can do, like we'll say, "It says bark like a dog." It keeps the kids focused on eating, too, because before the next person can press the button, everyone has to take a bite of dinner (or sometimes I'm specific and I say everyone has to take a bite of a veggie!)
You can make bath time fun, too.You may not want your son and daughter to take baths together anymore, but you and your husband can alternate evenings bathing your daughter while the other spends time with your son. Make a point of setting aside 20 minutes every night for something specific you do with each child while the other one is in the tub. I know you said you wanted family time together, but it's equally inmportant that you and your husband get quality time with each child doing age appropriate things while the other one is otherwise occupied. It doesn't have to be anything complex... in our busy lives, sometimes my husband forgets how much he enjoys tossing a frisbee or football with my son, and sitting on the floor doing puzzles with a toddler is a mindless way to wind down your evening. If you make it routine, your toddler will see her brother headed to the shower and say "puzzle time!"
Also, pick at least one night a week for a family walk around the neighborhood. The weather is getting so it's the perfect time of day for a walk. You can bring flashlights if you are going after dinner, or walk before dinner and collect some leaves and acrorns for new weekly centerpiece for the dinner table. With everyone out of the house, there are no distractions like laundry and phones ringing.
