Family

As a cornerstone priority at A Better Life Lived, solutions to put all things family front and center in our lives are super essential! Sometimes, we all need a little help demonstrating the value that matches how we really feel about our family. Here you’ll find articles that will help you do just that.

3 Awesome Chapter Book Series to Read to Preschoolers

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Do you have a preschooler that you love to read to? We do! Reading has always been a part of the bedtime routine in our house, since before Zach understood what the heck we were saying. Now, he loves reading time so much that I went on the hunt for some chapter books to read to preschoolers that he might like. This post contains affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links will provide me with a small commission at no additional cost to you. Your support helps me run this blog and I thank you! They aren’t super easy to find, if you can believe it. It seems authors and publishing companies think that if kids aren’t … More…

Why We Need to Teach our Kids Marriage Takes Work

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A marriage takes work. Sometimes it takes a lot of work. All relationships do! Expecting relationships to just be perfect and lovely all the time is not the way to produce any healthy relationship, especially a marriage. That’s why it’s critical we teach our children this as they grow. Otherwise, they may not know. I know that may sound silly but it’s true. Our world is full of images and stories of perfect marriages and perfect relationships. Social media highlight reels, celebrity breakups, and TV shows like The Bachelor all peddle this storyline. They all perpetuate the false idea that relationships are magical and nothing but joy and excitement filled. If they aren’t, then there is something wrong and the … More…

How to Create a Family Mission Statement

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If you find yourself struggling to find time with family because your family is over-committed and overwhelmed, then you might need to create a family mission statement. If you’re not sure why a family mission statement is important, check out these five reasons a family mission statement is beneficial. When you create a family mission statement, what you’re really doing is creating a family path. It’s a clear path dictating your family’s core values, goals, direction and general purpose in life. Without one, many of us do what we do in our individual lives. We react. This is why family mission statements have become so popular these days. They are really helpful! A family mission statement allows your family to be proactive. … More…

Why You Should Take an Annual Vacation Without Kids!

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If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I’m in love with my family. I am all about spending as much time as possible with them. So it might sound a little strange when I say that you should take a vacation without kids every year. Obviously, I love the idea of an annual family vacation (family cruise vacations just happen to be my favorite). But I think it’s also really important that you take a mini-vacation without your kids. Every year. It doesn’t have to be something expensive or fancy, or really far away. Although it certainly can be! It just needs to be a little extended trip that gives you enough time and space to … More…

The Decision to Only Have One Child: Why it’s completely okay and we don’t feel bad about it

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There are lots of great reasons to have more than one child. If I’m being honest, I agree with a lot of them. Yet we made the choice to only have one child. Most people assume that when parents of only children say they aren’t having more, it’s a choice based in selfishness. I don’t think that could be further from the truth! The decision to have one child is built around a lot of thought. Each couple has their own considerations and whether they’re known or not, they should be respected. It’s incredibly unfair to pass judgement on any parents for their choice in having however many kids they chose! Whether you only have one child or you decide … More…

Why You Need to Plan Family Nights (Plus Ideas!)

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These days, families are really busy. So busy sometimes that family time doesn’t get to just happen organically. That’s why it’s so important to plan family nights regularly. Whether it’s because mom works late, the kids have sports events, or Dad works the night shift, there are tons of things that interfere with our time together as a family. And that time together is critical! Plan family nights to create memories and bonds that last a lifetime. The days are long, but the years are short. I don’t know who said this, but damn is that true. Who among us hasn’t spent the day praying for bedtime to come swiftly so we can put the monsters we love to bed … More…

10 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day as a Family

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I love celebrating the holidays with family. There is no better way to celebrate the holidays than with the people I love. That’s why today I’m sharing 10 fun ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day as a family! Previously I shared 5 ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with kids as well as 7 ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your spouse. But this time, I thought it’d be fun to give family friendly ways to celebrate all together! It’s great to spend a little time alone as a couple, as well as a little one on one time with the kids for holidays like Valentine’s Day. The day is all about love and one on one time allows us to give … More…