Parenting Pointers: Happy Family

Farm Rich and SocialMoms want to know how moms keep their families happy. It's important to know that what works for one family isn't going to work for every family, due to age, interests, and plenty of other factors. But here are some things our family does to stay connected to each other and happy that I think have wide appeal and would work for most families.

First of all, make sure that love is communicated. Verbally is the easiest, but it means the most when there are actions that go with it, whether it's taking a few minutes on Saturday morning to cuddle, hugs or quick kisses, helping each other out, or just taking the time to listen to each other without other distractions.

Try new things! Everyone gets bored if life is always the same, and one way to make things interesting is to change it up. Try a new activity, something that looks like fun, or a new attraction in the area that you've never been to before. Let your kids call the shots for a day, or eat dessert first. Anything unexpected shakes boredom and generates new interest in what's going on.

Keep a positive outlook. Right now my daughter yells out "I'm the loser!" when she loses a race just as happily as she yells out "I'm the winner!" when she wins. Modeling a positive outlook and good sportsmanship, and helping everyone look on the bright side is a great way to stay balanced.

Celebrate each other's talents. This can be a recurring thing, like a dinnertime question for each person such as, "What did you do well today?" Or it can just be encouraging siblings to support each other, even if they're in different activities.

Volunteer together. Helping others out provides a lot of benefits. It helps people feel like a productive member of the community when they can provide a service to others - and even small children can help do things like singing at a nursing home or cleaning up trash at a park. It obviously helps the recipients of the service. Plus, it also helps your family be grateful for what they have.

Finally, find a spiritual center. For our family, that's our Christian faith. Prayers, devotions, and regular church attendance are little ways that we regularly reflect on our faith, even though our girls are very small. Even if you don't practice a religion, encouraging your kids to be curious about the "big questions" in life and instilling a strong sense of morals and values will give them a healthy sense of spirituality and wonder as well.

About the sponsor:
Farm Rich® foods are made with 100% real ingredients like real cheese, high-quality meats, and fresh vegetables. Their snacks, appetizers, and breakfast foods are quick-frozen and carefully packaged so busy families can prepare great-tasting food within minutes. Farm Rich® is a Rich's Consumer Brand, which brings to market some of the food industry's leading retail brands including SeaPak® Shrimp Co., Casa Di Bertacchi®, and more. For more information, follow @farmrichsnacks on Twitter or check out the Farm Rich Facebook page.

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Farm Rich blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”