14 Ways to Enjoy Being a Family

  1. When you’re tired, hand your kids a brush, point to your head, and tell them to play beauty parlor.
  2. Take a bath with your infant. Make sure your husband is around for the handoff, so you can relax until the last minute. (Don’t forget to smell your baby right afterward. Heaven!)
  3. At the end of every summer, take a family photo for the holiday card (you’ll be happy to have this accomplished once December comes). Every year, add a framed 11-by-14-inch print to your front hall. Your kids will be proud now and laugh later at the funny styles.
  4. In the dead of winter, fix some snacks, get under warm quilts, and watch Happy Feet on DVD.
  5. Go to the beach in the off-season. Throw rocks in the water and collect shells. Put them in a vase and use it as shelf decor in your living room.
  6. Skip the Dora and Barney. Turn your kids on to Bob Marley, Whitney Houston, and Gwen Stefani.
  7. Take your kids to live music performances from very early ages. Cheap ones outdoors are great to start with in case you need to make a hasty exit (like when a diaper explodes).
  8. Use your kids as an excuse to do the things you want to do, like going to silly feel-good movies, eating mac and cheese for dinner, and jumping in the moonbounce.
  9. Every Mother’s Day, have a picture taken with your kids. Keep the photos all together – along with special cards, ticket stubs, mementos, and anything else that makes you feel good about being a mom
  10. Give your kids quiet time every day. Let them learn to be by themselves with books, crayons, or blocks.
  11. Let your whole family take a day off and hang out in pj’s all day long.
  12. Pitch a tent in the backyard. When there’s a full moon, plan a family campout with sleeping bags, a transistor radio, and s’mores, of course.
  13. Sit on the floor with your children and play with toys.
  14. Every night, remind your children to brush their teeth, tuck them into bed, read them a story and tell them that you love them to the moon and back times infinity!