You want your family to always be as healthy and as happy as possible. Instead of making big resolutions that you struggle to keep, here are some small changes you can make to help your family happier and healthier.
Walk to School
While not always possible depending on where you live, opting to walk to and from school, each day gives your kids a chance to wake up properly in the morning and unwind after school. Come rain or shine, you can ensure that your children are starting their day on the right foot. Walking to school allows you to have a little bit of quality time with them free from other distractions. Ask about their day and what they are learning about on the way home. Simple moments like this can provide a real boost to the family’s mood.
If your children are a little older, you could consider letting them walk to school by themselves. This is a great way to let them feel a little more grown and responsible; especially if you are also trusting them to keep a sibling safe on the way. Letting them take the reins in this way will give you an indication as to whether they are ready for some more responsibility at home too.
Have One Plant-Based Meal a Week
Many experts are concerned about the amount of meat we are consuming in our diets. While it is often unfeasible to make the complete switch to vegetarianism or veganism in one go, you can ease your family in by introducing one plant-based meal each week.
There are many fantastic resources out there for you to pull from when sourcing recipes. It is also a great way to introduce your children to the joys of cooking from a young age. Get them involved in the kitchen; no matter what age they are they can help out. The youngest can help with measuring and stirring (with adult supervision if it’s near a heat source) and any children could potentially be trusted with knives and other more technical aspects of cooking.
Consider Vaping
Every adult has their vices. If you find yourself needing your nicotine fix but don’t want to smoke around your children, consider switching to a vape. It is an excellent way of making sure that you don’t expose your children to any behaviors which could be considered unsavory to other parties while still allowing you to indulge in your habits. Nowadays, you can even find all sorts of e-liquids with interesting smells so even your home won’t smell like smoke. Take a look here for some of the examples of different e-liquids: https://greyhaze.co.uk/.
Eat Dinner at the Table
Got a group of kids who grab their dinner and then bolt for the table or their electronics with their plates? Watching TV while eating might be a good way of keeping everyone quiet but it is not the best for spending time as a family. Banning electronics and making everyone sit together at the table for meals can be called old-fashioned but it really helps a family feel more connected.
Designating even one night to sit together as a family and enjoy your meal can really help you to feel closer to each other. Use this time to address any problems you may have as a family and make sure you talk to each other about the week you have had. Asking your family to put aside their electronics might be met with resistance at first, but they will soon come to treasure their time together. Be kind but firm.
Spend Time Outside
During the school holidays, it can be easy to just let your children sit and do their own thing. However, with a little guidance from you, you can easily ensure that they make memories which they will treasure for the rest of their lives. Get the bikes out the shed, go for a walk, or even make a den in the garden. There is always something to do.
Why not take a look at what is going on in your local area? If you have any monuments nearby you might find that they have a great program of free events. There might even be some local galas or other community events which you can join.
Buy Second-Hand Clothes
Whether you are heading to your local vintage store or just the charity shop up the road, you never know what gems you can find in second-hand clothing stores. To think they are nothing but rubbish or low-quality is simply not true. You can find some amazing pieces in second-hand shops and you can even find designer brands with a little luck. There are clothes for all the family in these shops and you can even find new unworn clothes a lot of the time.
Buying second-hand is also a great way for you to avoid fast fashion. Many people raise questions about whether or not we should be shopping from places which make such clothes. By shopping at places like charity shops instead, we can ensure that our money goes to a good cause while also dressing ourselves in the fashion we love. Start looking into ethical fashion solutions if you want to make a difference to the way you and your family approach your clothes.
Reuse and Recycle
Both reusing and recycling can come easily to a family if you make small changes and build up to it. Let’s start with reusing. Buy a tote bag and keep it on you or in your car just in case you decide to pop to the shops. It will save you both the cost of the plastic bag and the use of one. You could even grab a plain one and decorate it with your family so everyone has a tote which is unique to them.
Another reusable extra you could get is a metal straw. Straws are one of the places we are actively trying to cut down our consumption of. By buying a pack of reusable metal straws, you can make sure that every member of your family has their own personal straw to use wherever they go.
Recycling has been around for a while, but not enough people do it. Start small, with your glass and cardboard waste, and build up. You can recycle so many things from batteries to old clothes if you know where to take them. If you start with just a few things, you will get yourself into the habit of checking whether or not something is recyclable.
Final Thoughts
The changes listed above are all small ones which are easy to make; perfect for your family to begin implementing at any time. Change does not last if made around snap decisions. If you instead choose to make small changes which you know you can maintain – like recycling the cardboard and taking a tote bag out with you – you can work to a more sustainable and happier future for both you and your loved ones.
Take a look at some of the areas of your life where you are unhappy. What changes can you make there? They might be smaller and easier than you think.
Leave a Reply