Resolutions for your family

With the New Year comes lots of resolution making and breaking. Often people forget these resolutions by the time February arrives. So what can you do to make them last? Since the point of this blog is family and being happy with baby I want to focus on resolutions that emphasize creating a healthy and happier family.

1) To take care of yourself. Remember, it is very hard to take care of your family if you are being neglected. Maybe one of your resolutions could be to go to bed earlier. When you are not getting enough sleep, it can greatly affect your day-to-day activities. Sleep deprivation can lead to mood disorders as well as other physical issues. Read more here. Eating better can also be good for your health. By making time to make a healthy menu for the week will help ease your mind. Make time to spend by yourself with mediation, going out with friends some afternoon or evening, or even taking time to exercise or making yourself feel good with a pedicure, haircut, etc.

2) To make time for family. It is so easy to get distracted by day-to-day chores and work that it can often take away from being in the moment with your family. Eating as a family involves sitting down at the table without TV, cell phones or texting. Let this be a time you take to talk with each other and check in about your day. Maybe you can state 3 things that went well in your day (great idea a friend told me about), even if you have small children/babies you can talk about what they have done for the day. This helps increase their exposure to vocabulary. If you run into a rare day when there is not enough good to share, 3 things can also be “tell me something good, tell me something bad, tell me something you learned/fun” (you can utilize this with your kids when they are older). Plan a family fun outing even if it is just going to the park or story time at the library as a family. Check Sacramento Sidetracks for more fun activities, as many of them are free.

3) To make time as a couple. When you add members to your family it is easy to let time as a couple go to the wayside. Don’t let this happen! Research shows that happy families have happy parents. Schedule a weekly date night, even if it is to sit down for an hour or two after the kids go to bed to play a game, watch a movie, or put a puzzle together. Schedule at least one or two weekend getaways as a couple. This could even be a local hotel or bed and breakfast where you can spend time together and not need to take the additional time for travel.

What is your commitment in the New Year going to be to make your family a strong unit?

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