Day 4 - Finding Harmony with the Kids

A couple of years ago, our family went through a tough time. You know the phrase, "When it rains, it pours"? That's a good description of that time. As soon as we were able to come back up for air, something else would happen, and we would feel like we were drowning again. The hubs and I tried to protect the boys as best as we could, but kids are smart (sometimes too smart), and knew when things weren't right. While I never want to go back there, I'm glad we were forced to go over those hurdles together, as a family. We are now stronger as a unit, and it made us reevaluate how we were raising the boys, and we began to brainstorm ideas to make sure our boys have the best lives we can give them.

We found that making just a few small changes can make the biggest difference. A few that we have made are:

Daily Journals - I bought composition books for each, and let them decorate them to make the books their own. We started out requiring them to write at least 3 good things about their day, but have since changed it a little. Now, they can write pretty much whatever they want. We just ask that they write at least 1-3 (minimum) things that make them happy, along with whatever else they want to write. J and I don't read the journals, unless the boys ask us to. When there is something that is really bothering them, they usually write about it, then ask us to read that part of their journal. Once we've read about the issue, they are much more willing to talk about it.

Me Time - 15 minutes, every night. If I'm with Awesome, J is with Bug (we alternate boys and nights). The boys get one of us all to themselves for 15 uninterrupted minutes. I love this time. Sometimes we talk about our day (if we don't get it all talked about at dinner), music, or plans for the weekend. Sometimes, we just cuddle.

Picnic Time - We try to go on a minimum of 2 picnics a month. When there's 2 feet of snow on the ground and it's below freezing, none of us are really excited at the thought of sitting outside to eat. That's when we have our in-house picnics. We just decide what room we want to picnic in, lay out a blanket, and sit on the floor to eat. Or, we build a fort and eat in there!

Game Time - No, I'm not talking about video games. I'm talking about good old fashioned board games. This is a weekend ritual that we all love. Lots of snacks, laughs, and good times!