How to find happiness after life hands your family lemons…

My family has definitely been handed a bunch of lemons but somehow we still pull through stronger than before. What is our secret? Read more to find out.

Get Fit. “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands. They just don’t!” -Legally Blonde

Quality Family Time. Obviously spending time with your family is a given, but even just sitting on your couch, watching, and enjoying every moment you have with your children or your loved ones, it can help you to feel pretty fulfilled and content. That what I find anyway…I love watching my husband play on the floor with my kids. It makes me feel so blessed that 1. I have a great husband. 2. He is a great dad. 3. My kids love him so much. + 10 Happiness

No TV Sunday. This is something that I have been trying to establish for my family. We have done this 3 times so far and we love it! Of course it gets irritating at times because when you get bored your first instinct is to turn a power button on, right? This is a great way to dedicate, again, Quality Family Time together. We do this usually on Sundays when my husband is off of work. We usually make a big breakfast and chat. We catch up and visit. + 10 Happiness

Outside Tuesday. It’s awesome how fast your mood can change just by stepping outside into the fresh air. Not that you are in a bad mood, calm down! LOL Pick a day as a family to go outside and do something fun. Go kick a ball around, or play Frisbee! + 10 Happiness

Hobbies. Either finding a hobby as an individual or as a family can be healing. I actually find coloring very therapeutic and calming. My daughter and I do this a lot, and puzzles. Finishing a project together is fun, and it teaches kids not to give up. +10 Happiness

Shut off the news! This one should be a no brainer… 90% of the time, the only things casted on the news is horrible, sad, depressing things. We know this world sucks, we don’t need to be reminded of this every day. My husband and I decided from day 1 of our marriage that we would not have cable. We don’t want to see all the poo this world offers. Everyone feels differently. If you do have cable, maybe you can choose not to watch the news for a while and see how you feel? + 10 Happiness

“I’m walking on the sunshine…” Vitamin D is essential for happiness. If you live in an area where it rains often, you may want to look into Vitamin D supplements, but if the sun is out then you need to get out! +10 Happiness

Unplug yourself. Try living in the moment rather than trying to tweet pictures of every constant thing you see. One person wrote “The concept of always being reachable without any way to escape has become commonplace in our new digital society.” That is a scary thought. Not being able to escape. If you think about it, it’s true! You become so attached to electronics and networks that you feel compelled to check every few minutes if you have a text or voice mail. I find myself clicking that top little bottom of my iPhone consistently. On a day that I can’t find my phone (which happens too often) I feel relieved. It feels nice to not be reachable. You should try it! + 10 Happiness

Do more for others. There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving. Maybe all you can do is call your grandparents. You will be surprised how happy they are to hear from you! I LOVE spending time with my great grandma (Yes she is still alive and full of life). I paint her nails, and take her shopping. I have so much fun with her because I know it means a lot to her. Of course my first choice wouldn’t be to spend my afternoon in the petite older ladies section of JC Penny’s. LOL. I have so much joy in finding her cute outfits to try on. Even if your circumstances are different, you could try fostering an animal who needs love, or just simply go out of your way to bring someone you love some flowers or write a “thinking of you” card. +20 Happiness

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Never neglect date nights again

“I’m too tired, let just stay home tonight” I say this all too often. We become so wiped out with trying to have a good life and that we actually forget to have… a GOOD LIFE! It’s time to shape up, get up, dress up, and go out…

Keeping your date nights a necessity will keep your marriage strong. What do you think happens when the husband and wife work all day, spend their days apart, and even when they are home, they are on separate ends of the house busy doing different things? They forget who their spouse is, they can even forget who they are as themselves. Whether you have kids or don’t, you will always find something to distract you and take your time away from your spouse. This I promise.

Schedule.

Sit down with your husband and look at each other’s schedules. Put date night down in pen! Don’t let anything come up.There’s nothing more disappointing that receiving a phone call from your husband at work… “Hey, Bill needs my help doing something tonight so maybe we can schedule our date for another day” No! If you MUST reschedule, sit down right then and reschedule it. Your spouse should ALWAYS come before your friends.

Don’t resent your kids.

Make sure you have a baby sitter scheduled to watch your kids. Always have a back up sitter if they cancel. Otherwise you may spend your evening at home resenting your kids. How awful is that?! lol

Save Money.

Dates these days are expensive! Our local movie theatre is $10 a ticket. Then you have to add up all of the snacks and drinks (Pshhh… I don’t sneak in dollar store snacks…..I don’t know what you’re talking about…) Check your area for a dollar theatre. Try to find a restaurant that offers 2 entrées for $20. Apple Bee’s has awesome deals for date night! Don’t just say “Oh we don’t have the money” You have to put forth SOME effort! Look online for local deals and discounts! Here is the link to your local movie times, hope you find something good to go see 🙂  http://www.fandango.com/

Save up.

Like I said before, dates can be expensive. If you are wanting to do just a simple nice date or something more elaborate, then you might have to start saving for either plan. Never just plan on “having” the money. I want you to go get an envelope right now…go do it….NOW! lol. Now grab a marker. Write on the back, “Date Night”. Inside of this envelope you will put in $5 – $20 per paycheck. Let’s say you and your spouse get paid twice a month each. Even if you just put in $5 a pay check that comes out to $20 by the end of the month. Go have some drinks somewhere!

Date ideas. 

Pack a Picnic. Rent a paddle boat for the afternoon. Mini Golf. Bowling. Poker night. Roller skating. Spontaneously get in your car and drive nowhere in particular, and spend the day there. Take your spouse to test drive their dream car. Go for a Hike. Sunset picnic. Attend a concert. Play pool together or against another couple. Movie Marathon. Make your own fire pit together and roast marshmallow’s. Camp in your back yard. Board Games. Pick a series of movies and cuddle up with popcorn (Cheap, I like it….). Take your husband to a brewery (I know mine would LOVE that). Stroll through a farmers market.

Statistics.

The percentage of married individuals, over the age of 18, who respond that their marriages are “very happy” has gradually declined over the last four decades, though the numbers have leveled out in the past 20 years.  The most recent studies show that 63.1% of men and 60.7% of women classify their marriages as such. We have to remember to take our marriage seriously. Think about the reason you married them in the first place? Maybe you both have changed so much…even if that’s the case take that as an opportunity to rediscover each other.

“Always strive to give your spouse the very best of yourself; not what’s left over after you have given your best to everyone else”- Dave Willis