As adults we are always looking for things that we want to change or do better at the beginning of every year. When our kids reach a certain age of understanding they are excited to join in on the tradition but do not usually know how. Here are some helpful tips to help them set their new year’s resolutions and succeed at them.

1. Be a good example. One of the best ways to teach your kids anything is to do it yourself. Children are big copy cats and learn almost everything they know from their caregivers. When you set your resolutions do it with your kids so they can watch your process and learn from you. If possible, align your goals so that you can work on them together. That way when they see you working towards your goal they will be motivated to work towards theirs.
2. Keep the list realistic. If I sat down and wrote down every single thing I wanted to do better in 2018 I could write pages. Unfortunately, those types of list usually get thrown away. Keep it short and to top priorities. Kids do not usually have that many goals so helping them figure out a few important ones will help them stay focused and on task.
3. Set some of the same goals. Just like aligning goals so you can motivate each other choosing one or two of the same goals will have the same effect. Spending more time outdoors is a goal that families can do together and mark of other goals such as getting more exercise or spending more quality time with family. It is also a good idea because then you have constant reminders to work on your goal. No alert is better than a nagging kid!!!
4. Stay positive. Resolutions can get us down when we are not meeting them like we wanted. Staying positive and encouraging ourselves verbally will help our kids learn to not give up or be too hard on themselves. I can take time to find the best way to be successful at something and when working towards a yearlong goal it can be necessary to change up our approach.
5. Finally, but maybe most importantly, do not criticize. It is hard to not helicopter our kids sometimes especially when we can see things that they do not. But, nagging and criticizing their efforts to accomplish a goal will likely result in them losing interest in their own success and feeling like a failure. It is good to follow up and stay involved but allowing them room to figure things out on their own will be good for them in the learning process.

Remember to make the experience worthy of becoming a fun family tradition!! Happy New Year!

About Grace:

Grace was born and brought up in Bessemer, Alabama but has a great love for exploring new places. She has been married for 8 years and has 3 kids, expecting number 4 in December. Having been a student off and on for the last 10 years she is excited to say that she is finally graduating from BYU-Idaho with a degree in Marriage and Family Counseling this year. She loves to learn and share what she learns with as many people as possible. Strengthening and encouraging positive relationships with couples and families is a life goal and passion. Her biggest hobby is her family and finding new and fun ways to accomplish the above life goal in her home.

We’re teaming up again with the AH-Mazing Hillary Gamble, with Jevois Photography to bring you our 3rd Annual Bad Santa Photo Contest!

We want to see your funniest, scariest, most over the top entertaining or downright awkward photo of your child with Santa for a chance to win a mini-session. ($200 value,) includes 30 mins and your favorite 5 images on DVD with print rights. (Expires one year from issue date)

Email your pictures to angie@birminghammommy.com or message it to us through Facebook, no later than December 16th, 2017. We will narrow down to the 5 best entries, then open to reader voting.

Our Sponsor:

HUGE thank you to our sponsor, Je Vois Photography. To see some of her amazing work, check her out on Facebook and Instagram @jevois_photography.

If you’re looking for some great Lifestyle photos of yourself or your  family, give her a call to book a session!

(Fine Print: photo submission gives BirminghamMommy.com and Je Vois Photography permission to use your photo for this contest, and for promotion of this contest on our sites, and social media outlets. We will not use photos in any other way except for this promotion.)

The Holidays are busy and stressful and many of our good habits can fall by the wayside, so we’re super excited to announce this next giveaway from our friends over at Pure Fitness that will help get you back on track with your exercise goals AND help you relax and de-stress!

Pure Fitness offers Personal Training, Group Fitness Classes, and Nutrition Services. They truly have something for everyone. From Pilates to Paddle Board Fit (you might have seen our coverage on this a few months ago.) If getting fit now or in the New Year is on your list of things to do, Erin and her team will take great care of you. She’s also offering 1 BirminghamMommy reader an Amazing Prize!

The Giveaway:

2 Personal Training Sessions and 2 One-Hour Massages with Pure Fitness

To Enter:

LIKE COMMENT and SHARE on Facebook

For more information on all that Pure Fitness can do to help you reach your goals and stay healthy all year long, visit their website!

We love the idea of giving gifts with a local story and the one from DAK’s Spices is a good one!

Karen had been blending her own spices for years but had never thought about sharing her spices with others. When she met Drew, he fell in love with her and her cooking. He had the idea that she should offer her spice blends to others which was the start of DAK’s Spices.

Currently, DAK’s Spices offers a number of different spice blends and each spice blend is created with love in the kitchen of newlyweds, Drew and Karen.

All spice blends contain a unique combination of spices and are completely SALT FREE. So much flavor is packed in one bottle, no other spices are necessary to make any dish gourmet

You will fall in love as we did with DAK’s salt free spice blends

The Giveaway:

1 Dak’s Variety Pack

How to Enter:

LIKE, COMMENT and SHARE our post on Facebook for a chance to win.
(Winner will be drawn on Saturday, December 2nd)