New Year’s Eve hits differently when you are a parent or caregiver. These days you may find you are not able to stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve to party and watch the ball drop.
However, families can look forward to new celebrations and of course making New Year’s resolutions together.
Here is a New Year's Eve countdown that the entire family can appreciate.
Spending hours scrolling mindlessly through social media has become a habit for many the last few years.
Make a resolution to simply be more present with those that need you and love you. It is as easy as putting down your phone to play peekaboo, blow raspberries with your baby or talk or take a walk with the older kids and partners.
You will catch those heart melting firsts, and milestones, and reconnect as a family and you may even catch a smile or sweet little laugh.
Getting enough sleep is important for everyone in a family, yes, even adults. This year, try consistency in your bedtime routine for everyone, yourself included.
Stop using electronic devices 30 minutes before bed and instead discover new lands, meet interesting people and open imaginations by reading a few chapters from a favorite book with the whole family.
Putting away electronic devices before bed is good for your overall health and family’s overall wellbeing.
The health benefits of exercise are innumerable. In addition to the obvious physical benefits, exercising also helps to lower stress and lift your family's mood. Regular physical activity is vital to growth and development and is necessary to maintain good health.
There are plenty of ways to exercise while having fun that do not involve sitting for extended periods of time. Play miniature golf, go for a swim, go to a petting zoo, or head to an indoor climbing gym.
Put your baby in a carrier and go for a hike or an easy family walk around the neighborhood. What about playing tag or hide and seek? The more active you and your family are, the greater the health benefits!
As parents and caregivers, if you wish to help your children make good decisions about money, like smart spending habits and how to save, creating financial goals as a family is a surprisingly effective way to help prepare your children for future financial stability.
You can even include toddlers by choosing fun goals like a trip to the zoo or favorite amusement park. Cut out pictures and choose a date. Put it all on paper and talk about how you will achieve your plan.
Place your goal sheet in a public area along some way to keep track of your family's progress (i.e., money bank, check list etc..) so your child can be involved at every step.
In the hustle and bustle of daily life it is not always to make personal connections, even within our own families.
Plan one-on-one dates with your partner and your children. By having a standing date, you are letting that person know that they are important.
This does not have to be elaborate. Call the grandparents while you and your significant other gets dinner, or once a month take just one of your kids to get donuts on Saturday morning.
Is it hard to get away? Staying up after the kids go to bed and playing a board game or just talking with your partner can be special. Enjoy the special time that comes with individual love and care.
Something that your whole family can do that is good for overall health and your family's budget is to do away with soda or sugary fruit drinks in your home.
If you like carbonated drinks and the idea of going cold turkey seems unthinkable, try switching out your favorite cola with flavored carbonated water instead.
If your little ones like fruit drink, choose 100% organic real fruit juice or for fun make your own together.
Use words thoughtfully and with the intention of only lifting the family up. When we switch from negative language to positive language, families quite often find that there will be fewer hurt feelings, miscommunication, and power struggles.
When we use positive language with our children and partners, we take more time because we are showing respect for the whole person.
Mental health is paramount for a full year of family health. Every member of your family should be equipped with the knowledge and strategies to support and maintain their mental health along with physical wellbeing.
Keeping the lines of communication open with each other and evaluating what your family’s resources and plans are for daily support and long-term mental health, can make a significant difference in improving the quality of family life.
The best way to cultivate real family communication and to introduce new or healthier foods in the new year is to eat together.
Dining together with your partner and little ones tends to promote more sensible eating habits and opens up conversations that may not have happened if the family is separated or watching electronics during mealtime.
Recently we have seen mounting evidence that food raised organically is richer in nutrients, such as Vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus, than those that are not.
Grown with less exposure to nitrates and pesticide residues, organically grown produce and animal products that are sourced from organically grown pastures are better for short- and long-term health of the whole family.
Choosing organic, when possible, will have benefits beyond nutrients, such as antioxidants, then their conventionally grown counterparts. Family members with allergies to foods, chemicals, or preservatives may find their symptoms lessen or go away when they eat only organic foods.
For the littlest family members, organic baby nutrition is especially important for growth and development.
In the United States, organic baby formulas follow overly broad guidelines as to what nutrients should or can be included in each container. American baby formulas labeled as “organic” pick up chemicals, toxins, and heavy metals during the manufacturing process.
These loose regulations often lead to the use of inexpensive, processed non lactose sweeteners such as corn syrup and ingredients that have been sourced from farms that use pesticides, growth hormones and questionable animal keeping practices.
By choosing European baby formulas, you can be sure your baby has a solid foundation for a lifetime of good health. EU strict organic regulation ensures that only the very best in pure, clean ingredients sourced from eco-friendly, socially conscious farms will ever be used.
Each step from farm to packaging is carefully inspected and will not receive the organic label if any quality checks are not met.
The standards for European baby formulas vs American baby formulas have remarkable requirements including no GMOs, no pesticides, and no use of hormones or antibiotics.
You will never find any unwanted ingredients, only pasture raised cow milk and goat milk formulas that are closer to breast milk than any formula you can find in the US market.
European formulas also offer a wider variety of organic nutrition to meet the unique needs of your baby.
As families evolve, New Year's resolutions can be a helpful exercise toward growth and positive change.
From organic nutrition to financial solutions, choosing family aspirations on the first day of January or the very last day of the year should easily fit into your lifestyle and be good for the entire household.
My Organic Company is thankful to your family for allowing us to be a part of your family's organic infant nutrition choice.
This year we will continue our commitment to offer exceptional support and European baby formulas that are well suited for your family's way of life.
