10 Ways to Make Your Life Simpler with Kids
photo credit: renfield
Our kids can bring us lots of joy in life, but they can also bring a great deal of chaos to life as well at times that is. So, how do you make your life a little simpler, even with children, so that you can all enjoy the day to day? Make your life simpler (even with kids) by:
1. A routine. I know some people do not like routine but some semblance of one will help you more than you might think. After all, don’t we all create routine even if it isn’t positive routine? So being proactive about it can only do you good rather than harm.
2. Set chores. Another bad word, especially for kids is chores. But, think about the order it is helping to create in your home as well as the discipline it is establishing in your children. That is a win-win.
3. Don’t take on too much. Extracurricular activities, volunteering, and the like can be good things, but as the old saying goes you can have too much of a good thing. So, take this into consideration as you take things on and learn the power of the word, “no”, as hard as it may be to say it can pay off big time.
4. Honor old traditions and create new ones. Whether it be the old ones that were passed down from your parents or grandparents or the new ones you have created traditions can truly make your lifes simple, after all you’ll already know what is expected year after year.
5. Assign personalized items to each child. This works well with clothes baskets, shoe cubbies, and other areas that can help to keep you organized. It is a great way for each child, especially younger ones to know right where their belongings are or go saving you all time, and simplifying the process.
6. Always be prepared. With kids this is a must. You never know when one of them is going to make a mess, get sick, be hungry, you know all the normal things. These are all things that you can be prepared for if you truly try and plan ahead.
7. Prioritizing. With multiple children especially there tends to be a tendency to simply get too much on your plate, therefore you have to sit down, prioritize and often rearrange your schedule and your life in order to keep first things first.
8. Take your time. All too often these days we tend to rush, rush, rush, never taking the time to slow down and truly enjoy each other and the activities that we are involved in. You can make a decision to change this and it can help your life be a little easier .
9. Work together. For families everything is a learning experience and that’s why working together can be important. Working together to make meals, clean up or plan an outing all of which can help your children to learn valuable life lessons and make things simpler at the same time.
10. Talk to each other. A lot of times things are complicated in a family due to a lack of communication, good old fashioned conversation can save you a lot of trouble. You will know what is expected by each other and conflict can be avoided. So, open up!
