115 Ways to Be a Better Mom in 2015

Many moms are asked these questions pretty frequently,

So, how are things at home? Don’t you just love being a mom?

As you stand there with your hair up and three toddlers hanging off every limb after just cleaning the whole house three times and finally getting a shower during a ten minute nap time somewhere around 3pm……

Do you answer truthfully?

Do you tell them how emotionally and physically drained you are after your day of terror and tantrums or do you simply smile and say how much you love it?

It can sometimes be easy to get washed away in the mundane and stressful life of mommy-hood.

It’s so important to know that even when things get overwhelming as a mom, you can still find fun in every day.

With that in mind, I have spent some time building a hugs list of 115 Ways You Can Be a Better Mom in 2015. Look through the list and find a few ideas to turn your daily routine of nothing but clean, clean, clean into a fun and productive 20-15!

Start Your Day off Right

Each day is a new opportunity to better your life. How you start your day will sets a tone for how productive you will be and even how you will treat your husband and your kids throughout the day.

Make an effort to wake up before you “have to” and prepare yourself for your day ahead. Here are some quick ideas on how to make your morning something you look forward to.

1. Prepare for a better tomorrow, today: An effective and fun morning begins the night before. Backpacks, lunches, outfits (yours and theirs), the works. Fumbling through dirty laundry pails at 6am to find a pair of favorite jeans as your kids try to get out the door leads to a stressful day ahead. Plan the night before to decrease the amount of stress you have in the morning.
2. If you snooze you lose: It’s tempting but by hitting the snooze button to get just a few more minutes in the morning can throw off your entire day. You are telling your brain to drift back into the beginning of the sleep cycle, which is the worst time to be woken up and makes getting out of bed even harder. Be excited to greet every day as a new opportunity to grow. If avoiding the almighty snooze is just too tough to handle, try placing your alarm/phone across the room next to a refreshing glass of water to rehydrate you and wake you up.
3. Meditation is a Must: As a mom, quiet time is a myth. It exists somewhere, just not at your house right? Finding those miracle moments of mommy time is rare throughout the day. Spend time in the morning to find silence and meditate. Some find it beneficial to pray or ponder on the day ahead. Whatever you choose to do
4. Early bird gets the Endorphins: Most of us know endorphins as our “Happy Hormones.” They are great natural stress relievers and this is why I recommend early morning exercise. This doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon every day but getting in 30 minutes of exercise every morning can give you the boost you need to feel even better throughout the day and look good doing it too.
5. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail: Successful moms don’t become successful by chance, they plan. They schedule and know who has to be where and when. During your morning routine take time to sit and plan out your day. Try to schedule time for everything, even down time activities for your guilty pleasures such a Pitnerest. Keep this list available throughout the day on either a piece of paper or on your phone.
6. Dress the part: It is so easy to stay in your pajamas all day, especially when everyone is sick and nothing seems to be going right. When that day ends though, you never feel good emotionally or physically. Put forth the effort in the morning to put on real clothes even if that is a t-shirt and jeans. Mentally if you get ready for the day you have better morale throughout the day and you can take on the challenges you know are coming.
7. Master the Mess: You’re a mom so you know what’s up. You know by the end of the day the house will be destroyed. It’s just going to happen. Take 15 minutes every morning to tidy up from the night before. Make your bed, pick the clothes up off the ground, take out the dirty diapers and start fresh. It may seem like there is no reason to clean because it’s just all going to get destroyed again anyway but when you start fresh every day you will find you are less stressed to begin the day and are in a better mood to greet your kids when they wake up.
8. What Smells? I am a big believer in the power of aromatherapy. Every morning I light a candle to diffuse some of the smells that come with babies and husbands. Your family will love waking up to a fresh smelling house. It truly makes a difference.
9. Stagger Wake up Times: As the house starts to wake up, be prepared to take on the hustle. If you have more than one child, try waking up the ones that need assistance first before waking up those who can handle themselves. This allows you to make sure every kid gets the focus they need from you and contains the wave of sleepy heads coming your way.
10. Know Yourself, Better Yourself: What do you do when you know something you don’t enjoy is on the horizon? You avoid it right? It’s important to remember that changing, though tough to do, doesn’t have to be terrible. It can be fun. Pack your morning full of activities that you know will excite you for every new day. Find fun and challenging new ideas that will stretch you to become a new and better you.

I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” ~ Estee Lauder {Tweet This}

Spice Up Breakfast Time

Studies show that a well-balanced breakfast is the key to having a great day both physically and mentally. If breakfast isn’t a priority for your family, now is a great time to try switching things up and try some of these fun ideas to bring some excitement back to breakfast.

11. Make Time For Breakfast: So many of us just skip this part of our day. If you’re a busy family on the go, it can be hard to find time but worth it. Make time to meet as a family to prepare to tackle the day. If that means setting a part 5-10 extra minutes it will set a great tone for your day as a family.
12. Be creative: Bring some fun back to the breakfast table. Cereal and milk is great but every once in a while make something out of the ordinary and fun. You can even go as far as making your food into master pieces of art. This can be a scheduled thing to look forward to or a surprise for everyone to enjoy.
13. Be fruity: Fruit is a great food to add to any breakfast diet. Whether it’s in a tasty parfait recipe or in a yummy smoothie, fruit is one of my favorite things to have in the morning.
14. Game Time: Have you ever played a game at a meal time? It is so fun and will help your family start off the day with a smile. One of our favorites is to tell a story one sentence at a time. After a sentence is finished, another person takes over and creates the next sentence in the story. This goes all the way around the table until the story is done, or it’s time to go to work/school. Check out this simple list of ideas for fun games for your family.
15. Vegas Style: Living in Las Vegas, we are very familiar with buffets. One of our favorite breakfast time traditions is when we have Vegas style omelets. We put out all of our daughter’s favorite mix-ins in buffet style fashion and have her choose what she wants in her omelet. She picks and dad cooks it up. She loves being a part of the cooking even if she’s too little to do it herself.
16. Birthday in Bed: Breakfast in bed is such a fun tradition for parents but we make it a point that not only Mom and Dad get breakfast in bed but our daughter does too. She loves it and your kids will too.
17. Breakfast on the Go: Breakfast only restaurants are becoming wildly popular in Las Vegas and I am sure they are wherever you are too. On special occasions, take the family out for a breakfast burrito or some yummy waffle house waffles.
18. It takes a village: “Moms love to do all the work around the house without any help.” – No mom ever. Engage your kids in meal prep time. Allow them to help. Setting the table or even just making toast gives your kids an opportunity to help out which will help them feel a part of things.

“What nicer thing can you do for somebody than make them breakfast?” ~Anthony Bourdain {Tweet This}

Daily Do’s

Breakfast is over and your day has begun. Wow, you have so much ahead of you. Some of you head off to work, others send their kids off to school and some of you stay home. However you spend your day here are a few life hacks to add a boost to your busy schedule.

16. Share your digital calendar with your husband: A huge time saver in a marriage is knowing what is going on and when. Take some time today to digitally sync your calendar with your husband’s. It may take a few minutes to figure out how to do it but once you have everything set up, it will help you in the long run to be on the same page and know what is happening with your family throughout the day, week and month.
17. Treat Basket: One little thing I love to do for me and for my little one is to have a treat basket. It’s an incentive based reward for getting a job done throughout the day. As we do chores or other activities that aren’t our favorites, we get a treat and it helps us find motivation to tackle the not so fun jobs during the day.
18. Don’t Miss a moment: A mom friend of mine told me once as I asked her what her favorite thing about being a mom was that she loved every stage of being a mom. It’s true, these hours that feel like days and days that feel like hours will eventually all be gone and our kids will be having kids of their own. Throughout the day, take a second to really take a mental picture of your life. When someone spills something or you change yet another dirty diaper, count that as a mommy moment. Find a way to record those moments mentally or physically because one day they will be missed.
19. Be confident in yourself: One of the hardest parts of being a mom is knowing whether or not you are doing a good job. Take some time today to look in the mirror and tell yourself, you got this. Today has nothing on you. You are a mom. You are powerful and even if things get ugly throughout the day, you can handle it. Your thoughts will always listen in to your subconscious feelings about yourself. Don’t let your mind get distracted by your insecurities. Be confident and believe that you can do anything!
20. Sweat the Small Stuff: There are many who say that we should disregard the small things in life and let them go so we don’t get too stressed. I would say that the opposite is true. Taking care of the small things allows us to be prepared for the big tasks on our horizons. Whether it is laundry (doing a little every other day is much less stressful than a mound later this week) or trying to reach a goal such as getting healthy (losing one pound is much easier to do than 50 pounds), when we take things one step at a time, we conquer the big things by taking care of the little things.

“If you take care of the small things,the big things take care of themselves.  You can gain more control over your life by paying closer attention to the little things.” ~ Emily Dickinson {Tweet This} 

Social Hour (Be a Force for Good on the Internet)

It’s going to happen. At some time during your day you are going to find the Internet and the Internet is going to find you. Some of us use it as a way to escape, to catch up with friends, to find videos of cats or even to post pictures of our kids. What does your social media behavior say about you as a mom? Here are some ideas that can bring some positivity into your profile and just maybe help someone in need.

21. Avoid the dumping Ground: Life is full of hardship and we all have tough times. When we focus on broadcasting our problems to the world, we will in turn feel like the world is broadcasting its problems back to us. Asking for prayers for loved ones is appropriate but daily dumping of personal problems should be avoided.
22. Practice Positivity: The Internet is a great place to find ways to be an influence for good in the lives of those who are in need of help. By promoting and sharing material that is positive you can be an answer to someone’s prayer that day. You can provide them with material that will uplift their lives and help them to find ways to have positive thoughts. Stand out from the crowd and be a force for good instead of being a negative Nancy.
23. Postings are Permanent: Everything that goes out into cyberspace can’t be taken back. The power of the screen shot has ended careers and even caused relationships to end. Be careful what you put out there because once it’s done, it’s out and available for everyone to see.
24. Post with a Purpose: Many years ago my husband spent hours and hours online posting political information. He shared his opinions and people were very willing to share their opinions back. He had many conversations and some were so intense that friendships ended over a silly article posted in passing. Whenever you share an article, ask yourself…why am I sharing this? What is my goal with this tweet? If your goal is to make your girlfriends jealous of your brand new car or your, you may want to rethink pressing the send button.
25. What does this say about me? Every social media platform has rooms full of information on every one of us. They know when we’re born, when we’re in a relationship and even if we prefer paper or plastic. Every click we make and everything that we share tells a story about us. What do your posts say about you? Scroll back over the last few weeks of social media. What did you post? Do your tweets or pins properly represent who you are? Make sure you know what is there and continue using social media to uplift and not divide.

I’ve realized that instead of posting all my problems on Facebook, its better to find solutions for them on Google.” ~Barbara Franco {Tweet This}

Nap/School/Down Time

I love down time. For now, my down time is during nap time. When is yours? Whenever it is, isn’t it great? Here are some ideas of what you can do during your down time to make sure your time is valuable and fills your whole day with productivity.

26. Set up atuo-ship services: What’s one of the hardest things to do as a mom sometimes? Getting out the door with the kids is high on my list. Help save yourself some time and some money by setting up auto-shipping services. Amazon has a wonderful program called “subscribe and save” that will automatically ship things to your house at a discounted price. Need diapers? No worries, their on the front porch waiting for you. I use this service and love it!
27. Put Yourself in Time Out: If your kids are older or younger, you know the power of time out. As a mom though, time out kind of takes on a whole new meaning. It’s time to get away. It’s time to just have 5 minutes of quiet. Schedule a time out for yourself once a day and spend time just soaking in the moments of zero responsibility.
28. Create a “Me-Time” Bucket List: Just because you’re a mom, doesn’t mean your life is over. Take time to find a hobby. Something you are good at. Something that is fun and exciting. Something you can look forward to doing during your “me-time.” Create a whole list of these amazing activities and you will never have to find something to do because you will be busy having fun!
29. Start a Blog: I have absolutely loved blogging. I run into so many moms that have told me they have always wanted to start one but don’t know how or just don’t know if anyone would read what they would write. If you are looking for a fun way to connect with others and make the world a better place, blogging is great for moms. You can make some extra money and create lasting friendships all from the comfort of your own home. If you have been thinking about doing a blog, I encourage you do go for it! Find out what message you have to share with the world and go out and share it! I only blog during nap/down time and have had such a fun time learning new skills that will benefit me and my family for many years to come.
30. Readers are Leaders: My husband is a big time reader. He always tells me that those who wish to succeed, read. I am not the best reader but I do love audio books. I love taking time while driving or while I am cleaning to listen to books or podcasts. This is a great tool to do for 20-30 minutes a day and will improve your life and your family. You are the leader of your home and your kids will look to you as an example. Show them reading is fun and that you like to do it too!

There’s no such thing as down time for your brain.” Jeffrey Kluger {Tweet This}

Cleaning the House

Nothing is better than how clean feels. Sitting in a clean house is one of the best feelings in the world. It’s much like a full moon, it happens about once a month and when it does happen, it’s beautiful. There are so many ways to clean your house and everyone has different opinions of what “clean” actually is. Here are a few fun clean hacks I found that I use and love.

31. Use a Shoe Organizer for Cleaning Supplies: This is such a fun mommy hack. It helps me keep everything organized and I just love how easy it is to set up in any room of the house too!
32. Control Your Mail Flow: Mail seems to come by the truck load full around our house. Bills, letters, credit card applications I’ll never open, the works. Create a cute place to keep your mail and make sure at least once a week you clean out the pile.
33. Manage Your Children’s Masterpieces: Have you ever heard of Artkive? It’s a great app that stores away all of your kids’ masterpieces for you. I love using this app because it allows me to remember every doodle without having to worry about the cluttered mess each work of art creates over time.
34. Rubber Band Tissue Box: Runny noses a constant at your house? The problem is I am always either too far from a tissue or too far from a trash can. Why not make it all a one stop shop? I saw this little mommy hack a while ago and it has saved me so much time.
35. Use a Lazy Susan in the Fridge: My mother-in-law found this mommy hack on Pinterest and I have since adopted it. It saves space and is very convenient when looking to store things in the fridge.

35. Turn Cleaning Time into a Game: I am very big on incentives. My daughter loves to help me clean because we make her chores into a game that has a prize at the end. True, eventually she will have an allowance for her chores but while she’s too young to understand money, chore time games are so much fun.
36. Command Hooks for Bibs on High Chairs: Biggest pet peeve in the world for me as a mom is never knowing where bibs are at dinner time. Weeks ago I saw this hack on Pinterest and it has made life so much easier.
37. Set up a Cleaning Schedule: Responsibility is a big teaching tool for adults and kids. Sit down as a family and agree on a cleaning schedule so everyone is aware when and where to clean. A family that cleans together, stays together.
38. Take Advantage of Bath Time: As babies get older and turn into toddlers, they are able to take care of themselves during bath time. While they play, take two seconds to wipe down the mirrors and counters. It’ll add a quick shine to bath time.
39. Pillow Case Ceiling Fan Cleaner: L-O-V-E this idea. Fans get dirty, fact of life. Nothing is more frustrating than all the dust that falls on your head while cleaning. Try throwing an old pillowcase or trash bag on the blade while you dust. Anything that keeps dust out of my hair is a great idea.
40. Dish Washer Deep Cleaner: This little cleaning hack has helped get rid of the hard water stains on our glass plates and cups.

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.” ~Phyllis Diller {Tweet This}

Family Fun Time

Treasuring the time we have together as families is one of the most important things about our lives. Creating time to make memories is something every mom should do. No matter what your schedule is like, make time to make memories. Here are a few ideas on how to make that time fun for everyone.

42. Create a Family Fun Bucket List: Need an idea of what to do together? Take one night and sit together as a family. Go around the room and ask each person something they have always wanted to do (within reason). Create a list of everyone’s answers and do your best to accomplish everything on the list together. This helps everyone have a voice and adds variety to your family activities.
43. Save for a fun day: Last summer our family in-laws got together once a week and created goals. If you accomplished your goal during the week you got to add a pebble to a jar. Once the jar was full of accomplished goal pebbles, the family got to go on a fun outing. Create a goal with your family and reach it together.
44. Field Trip: Take time this week to go somewhere as a family to learn something new or have a fun adventure. Getting out of the house every once in a while is a great idea.
45. Family’s that serve together, stay together: One of the greatest things to do as a family, is to serve others. Set up a service project that will help your kids understand the need to serve.
46. Family Home Evening: At the beginning of every week our church has a program in which they encourage members to spend one night a week with family. Typically, during that evening the family will gather and a faith based lesson is prepared followed by an activity and refreshments. Set a part time this week to spend one night as a family and have fun together.

Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.” ~ Michael J. Fox

Dinner Time

Meal time is when everyone can come together and talk about their day. The kids share about their adventures and it is a great time to laugh, learn and be together. Whether you are the chef in your house or Colonel Sanders takes over for the night, make sure you use this tips to bring joy into your dinner time.

47. Eat dinner Together: Whether it’s pizza or Grandma’s famous lasagna on the menu for dinner, make an effort to eat at least one meal per day together as a family. It helps build bonds and memories together and though it may sometimes be crazy, you’ll be glad you did it.
48. Crock pots are amazing: I seriously love crock pots. Making meals for a large or small family is much easier when you use these amazing machines. Try some of these yummy recipes.
49. Awkward Silence Breakers: Ever have awkward silence at family dinner? I know we do sometimes. Here are some fun ideas on how to break the silence and have fun together.
50. Safe Words: It’s true, arguments arise in families. Some of them are minor and some of them go nuclear. In our family we have a “safe word” in place that if someone is arguing and things are about to get out of hand, you use the safe word. It’s agreed that when the word is used that those who are arguing must stop for 2 minutes and calm down.
51. Mommy Meal Swap: I was invited to one of these a few weeks ago and it was so fun. A few of my friends got together and we each made a yummy recipe that had enough to serve at least 5 other families. When we got together, we each traded and each got 5 different meals to take home without having to cook them. It was a fun way to get together with friends and save a lot of money on food for the week.

Some of the most important conversations I’ve ever had occurred at my family’s dinner table.” ~Bob Ehrlich {Tweet This}

Date Night With the Husband

Love is a verb and is like a muscle, if you don’t exercise your love, it weakens. Make Date Night happen with your man and make it happen often. Find some fun date night resources here.

52. Free Date Night Ideas: Great ideas and all completely free!
53. Group Date Ideas : Super fun group dates ideas for you and your couple friends.
54. Get Creative: Break the trend of just dinner and a movie. Get creative and have fun doing it!
55. Getting Intimate: Date nights are about being together. As the evening turns into night, try some of these and treat him right.

Marriage is work. Your marriage is going to be only as good as the work you put into it.” ~Kristy Hemmele {Tweet This}

After the Kids Go To Bed

Spice up the night for you and your husband with some of these fun extracurricular activities after the kids go to bed.

56. Game Night: Remember back to date nights while you were dating? Relive those days after the kids go to bed and break out a fun board game or a video game you can play together. Around our house we love Phase 10 and Settlers of Catan.What’s your favorite?
57. Clothing Optional: Being intimate with your spouse is so important. Find time to show love to each other and find ways to be excited to be with each other after the kids go to bed. Have fun and ditch the clothes.
58. Go Outside of the Routine: Just because your kids are driven by routines, doesn’t mean you should be all the time. Spice things up and go outside the ordinary and find something fun an spontaneous to do every once in a while.
59. Find a Show You Both Love: Being able to share a passion for something together is important in any relationship. Now, with the ease of Netflix and DVR you can find a show that you can spend your time watching together. Try shows like Lost or the Walking Dead. They are some of our favorites.
60. Talk About the Future: Setting goals together as a couple is something so important. Spend time at night talking about your goals and dreams and how you can accomplish those things together to make your dreams a reality.

Even though you’re grown up, you should never stop having fun.” ~ Nina Dobrev {Tweet This}

Preparing for Tomorrow, Today

Your day is coming to an end. In preparing for the coming day here are a few quick tips to make your life a little bit easier in the morning.

61. Clean the Clutter: Spend 15 minutes at the end of the day, not to deep clean but to just put things back to where they came from. Doing this will save you time and sanity in the morning.
62. Invest in Yourself: Find a good book on an attribute you want to improve on. Read one chapter a day and as weeks pass you will find yourself improving day by day, chapter by chapter.
63. Go over your day: The best thing to do at the end of the day is to go over what you accomplished that day. This helps me realize that even though I may have been at home all day playing with playdough, there was a lot of things that I accomplished.
64. Write 5 things you are grateful for from the day: I started doing this about a year ago and have loved the results I am seeing from it. I have a little journal I call my “gratitude journal” and it sits on my night stand. Every night I write in it and see blessings from the day.
65. Relax, you deserve it: At the end of every long day, take time to do something you love. Whether it’s a bubble bath or keeping up with the Kardashians, make sure it’s something you can look forward to and will prepare you to slip away to dream land.

The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.” ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr. {Tweet This}

Bed Time

Whether it’s bed time for your kids, or for you this special time of night can sometimes be amazing and sometimes can just be the worst. Getting that head down on the pillow is easier with these tips.

66. Routines are King: If you don’t know yet, routines and kids are like bread and butter. When they’re young, having a night time routine is so important so they know bed time is coming. It helps calm their bodies and minds down at the end of the day. The same is important for adults too. Get yourself a good night time routine and reflect on your day.
67. Turn Your Phone off: Studies show that having an electronic device in your face as you go to bed can throw off your whole sleep schedule. Put your phone away at least 30 minutes before bed. It will help you sleep better.
68. Pillow talk: Make sure as you go to bed you say goodnight to your husband. Tell him you love him and share with him 3 things you are grateful for from the day. I started doing this and have loved to reflect with my husband about our many blessings at the end of every day.
69. Take a Shower: Is your morning just too crazy for a shower? Take a shower at night and get ahead of the game for the coming day.
70. Pray: Nothing is more important than prayer. No matter what your faith is, spend time before your head hits the pillow praying. Doing so has helped me keep true perspective of the things that are important in my life and has also helped me see how blessed I am even when I’ve had a rough day.

I’m not great at bedtime stories. Bedtime stories are supposed to put the kid to sleep. My kid gets riled up and then my wife has to come in and go, ‘All right! Get out of the room.” ~ Adam Sandler

Fun Hacks that Only Moms Will Love

Once you become a mom there are is almost a secret language we all speak that only those who have gone through a similar journey can understand. These ideas are for those special mom moments that only moms can understand.

71. Monster Spray: Best applied to those pesky monsters who live under the bed or in the closet at nap/bed time.
72. Use Glue and Glitter to make “Tooth Fairy Money”: I can’t wait for the day when our daughter loses her first tooth. This is such a fun parenting thing to try when your kids lost teeth this year.
73. Cut a hole in the tip of a pacifier to administer medicine: I wish I would have known about this idea when our daughter was younger.
74. Transform a DVD case into a travel art kit: I love this idea. It has helped so much on our car trips out of town.
75. Put temporary tattoos on your kids in case they get lost: I have never tried this before but it seems like it’d be a great idea for big crowded areas like Disneyland.
76. Learn to love and Embrace Dry Shampoo: Have you ever tried this stuff? It’s absolutely perfect for those days when a shower just isn’t going to happen.

The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.” ~Mother Theresa {Tweet This}

Love Yourself

Nobody else is as great as you are. You are a child of God and are so special to everyone around you. It is so important that you know that the most important person to love in this life is to love yourself. You are a unique bundle of gifts, talents and experiences that need to be developed and shared with others. If you have gotten this far in the list it is because you are looking for ways to make your life better. The very best place to start is right in front of the mirror and these ideas will help you get a jump start.

77. Write Down Your Best Qualities: What are your favorite things about you? Have you ever really sat down and thought about that? I encourage you to take time this year to learn your highlights. Write down one list of the things that you are good and another list of the things you want to improve on. As you improve, you will see that things will move from the “improve” list over to the “I’m good at” list.
78. Change Your Story: Our stories are our identities. Where we come from, why we are here and where we plan on going. If you look around your life today and you don’t like where you are, change your life story. You don’t always have to live as the villain, you can be the hero. After all, the only real difference between the villain and the hero is their attitude.
79. Admit Your Mistakes, Don’t Dwell on Them: Everyone makes mistakes. Spend this year learning that the past is the past, learn from it and learn from your mistakes. Take those lessons to build a future full of wisdom and better choices.
80. Think Love: Many times we get offended easily. We look for negative behavior and begin to believe that others think negatively of us. Change things up and choose to think positively and give others the benefit of the doubt before being offended.
81. Take Care of Yourself: There are so many of us that put others needs before our own. As a mom it is very important to take care of your family. However, just like on an airplane, when oxygen masks fall down, you are instructed to first secure your own before you help those sitting next to you. Taking care of yourself first so you can help others is not easy but is super important when being a mom.
82. Love your Body: Being a mom brings lots of surprises. One of which is the change In our bodies. We gain our stripes as we labor to bring our children life. We come in all shapes and sizes but we are all moms. No matter what shape you are in, remember to love your body. Take care of it, feed it the right fuel and get exercise as much as you can. Make sure you are around for many years to come.
83. Speak Love: Speaking positively of those you love and those you don’t care for is not an easy thing to do sometimes. Make it a goal this year to avoid negative self-speech. Whether it is out loud or in our mind, be positive about yourself and positive about others.
84. Be Yourself: Nothing is more important than showing your true self to everyone you meet. You are a unique gift to this world and those around you deserve to get to meet the real version of you. Always be yourself and love every minute of it.
85. De-Clutter the Issues: We all have issues from our past that shape who we are today. Rarely do we choose to face those issues and sort them out. Take a moment and organize your issues and make a game plan to overcome them and take advantage of resources available to you to do so.
86. Serve Others: After spending all of this time learning to love yourself, remember to take all of the growth you gain and use it to better the lives of others. As you serve you will come to know a better part of yourself that you may not have even known before.

Love yourself. It is important to stay positive because beauty comes from the inside out.” ~ Jenn Proske {Tweet This}

Love Your Marriage

Years ago you fell in love with the perfect guy. He’s not the same person anymore. Daily experiences change and mold you and your marriage. Make sure those changes are for the better by constantly working on your marriage and learn how to have fun together. Take a moment to think about how you can improve your marriage this year by trying a few of these.

87. Listen to Listen, not to respond: So many times I have found myself talking with my husband and he speaks to me and all I can think about is how I will respond. I often miss what he was trying to say because I fail to really hear him. As you have discussions with your spouse, make an effort to really listen instead of just listening to respond.
88. Fight Less, Love More: Seems simple right? Seriously though, there are so many things we fight over that waste so much of our time. Make a goal for yourself this year to evaluate what makes you upset and how you can have at least one less fight per month. That alone will add some happy back into your marriage again.
89. Disagree without being disagreeable: It’s okay that we think differently. If we all thought the same thing, life would be boring. Your spouse has a perspective on life that is very different from yours. You’re not always going to see eye to eye, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love you. He can disagree with you and still be your friend. When you have a disagreement, find a way to compromise and communicate your feelings effectively.
90. Secrets are for sissies: Open communication is so important in your marriage. Don’t hold anything back this year. Put everything on the table. Go over budget without telling him? Have a secret stash of candy you don’t tell him about it? Tell him everything and encourage him to do the same. When you have no secrets from each other, you can communicate much better.
91. Taboo Topics: Have a sensitive area that doesn’t get discussed much? Find a way this year to be able to talk about the things that you shy away from. Confront your fears as a couple and grow closer by being able to overcome the obstacles in your way.
92. Share your joys and excitements: Share with him not only the difficult things but also the fun things about your day. When he comes home, find at least 3 fun things from your day to tell him with a smile. It may be hard sometimes to find 3 but as you look for the good you will eventually be able to see yourself becoming more positive about your daily schedule.
93. Try something he likes to do: Life is about living outside your comfort zone. If you never try anything new, you never grow. Show some love to your man and do something he likes to do with him at least once a month. He’ll appreciate it and return the favor more times than not.
94. Don’t assume, ask: Heard this before, “Well, I assumed you knew I was angry!” I know I have. I’ve said that so many times. Women spend a lot of our time assuming our men know what we are thinking. Do him a favor and don’t just assume. Spell it out for him and he will be happy you did.
95. Go on a trip, just the two of you: When was the last time you did something just the two of you? Set aside a date this year when you are going to say goodbye to the rest of the world and just spend some time as husband and wife. Rekindle that flame together and make it into a bon fire!
96. Serve each other: You never know how much you love someone until you serve them. Things can get rocky in marriages sometimes. When things get tough, or while things are going well, take some time to truly serve the other person. Do something nice just because and you will be surprised how much your love grows.

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” ~ Mignon McLaughlin

Love Your Family

Families come in all shapes and sizes. Regardless of what your family is like, one very true principle is that our families are the foundations of success in our lives. It is where we turn to for love, for understanding and for help. Learn to increase the love for your family by trying out a few of these ideas.

97. Be An Onion: Maybe I watch too much Shrek but one of the funniest lines in that movie is when Shrek proclaims that Ogres are like onions, they have many layers. In many ways, moms are like onions too. Moms are much prettier and better smelling but onions nonetheless. Show your family your layers this year. Show them you can be fun, serious, loving, stern, intelligent, funny and much more.
98. Be a Kid Again: Don’t get caught up in being a serious mom! What’s the point of life if you’re not living. Show your kids how fun you are and be a kid again this year. Have fun, laugh and enjoy life.
99. Hear What they Don’t Say: So much goes unsaid with our kids. Be aware of what they’re going through. Read between the lines and be there when they need you the most.

100. Be Present: One of the most precious things we can give anyone is our time.  Show your family how much you love them by giving them your full and undivided attention. They know you are busy but they love when they know they are more important than everything else on your plate.

101. Create the Family You Want: This is the year you make the effort to lay the foundation for having the greatest family ever. Make a family mission statement together and make a goal to start working on supporting each other to help each other overcome obstacles and celebrate success.

102. Positivity over Punishment: We learn so much more from positive reinforcement than punishment. There is definitely a time and a place for punishment but often times we forget to praise our kids when they do small things well. Don’t just focus on punishment this year, add a little more praise to your game plan and you will be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

103. What you Give is What You Get: At the end of the day, if you want great results you have to put in a great amount of effort. Go all in for your family this year and work hard. You will see greater rewards as you work hard to build up your family.

104. Simplify and Delegate: One of the greatest advantages of having kids and a husband is you have helpers to get your stuff done during the day. Don’t be a hero and take it all on yourself. Delegate some of your tasks and feel the weight of the mommy mantle lessen as you teach your kids to be helpful.

105. Speak Love: Sticks and stones definitely do break bones and words will always hurt much worse. Don’t let yourself get trapped this year in speaking down about your family. Be positive and speak positive! Tell them you love them and tell them often. Take it one step further too by not only telling them but show them as well.

Family is where life begins and love never ends.” ~Unknown {Tweet This}

Love Your Life

You only have one life (YOLO!). What you choose to do with your time here on Earth is what you will be remembered for. Make the moments count. Spend your days finding ways to improve not only your life but the lives of others as well. Learn to make every day the best day through these simple practices.

106. Move Your Mountains: Miley Cyrus (before she went off the deep end) said it well. “There’s always gonna be another mountain, I’m always gonna wanna make it move.” Trials will come and will make your life sometimes unbearable. Find ways to climb those mountains. Put your trust in God this year and strive to face your fears and overcome your trials. You will be surprised at how powerful you are when you put your mind to something.

107. Mom has friends too: Show your family that you have friends too. Have a girl night at least once a month where you can be with other women who have the same struggles and successes you do. You will find happiness in having friends to laugh with and share your struggles with.

108. Don’t be a Martyr: There’s no reason to be. Try to give others the benefit of the doubt and if you do happen to be in a situation where someone says something cruel to you, turn the other cheek and fill them with kindness. Not easy to do but definitely worth trying.

109. Find a New Angle: To get results you’ve never gotten, try new theories that you’ve never tried before. When problems arise, try finding a new angle to solve the problem. You will be surprised to see how so many times the answer is right in front of you and you didn’t even know it until you tried looking at the problem differently.

110. Surround Yourself with Goodness: You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Make sure the people you surround yourself with build you up and encourage you to be the very best version of yourself.

111. Tap the Brakes: Slow down every once in a while. Take in the experiences that you are currently having and enjoy the journey. Learn to say no to others and to find time for the truly important things in life.

112. Life of Learning: There is always a higher level of accomplishment that we can reach….. a new skill to learn, a new game to try, a new book to read. Make time to grow and challenge yourself daily. As you learn, you will be able to use your skills to help your life and the lives of others.

113. Be present: I’ve talked about this before but it is just as important to be present in your own life as well as the life as your kids. Don’t just go through the motions every day. Decide to be present in your daily tasks and appreciate the time you have been given.

114. Parenthood is a lifetime gig: As your kids grow, your parenting evolves as your kids do. Your relationship with them will always change. Be prepared for the road ahead. Talk with your more seasoned friends and read up on the things to come.

115. Show Gratitude: Life is an experience unlike any other. There will be challenges this year and there will be successes. Take time every day to show how grateful you are. Whether you are struggling or currently having success, gratitude is a great way to gain perspective and truly find meaning in every day.

I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.” ~Arthur Rubinstein {Tweet This}

You made it to the end of the list! Wow, 115 things to try this year. I encourage you to not try and tackle the list all at once but instead try one idea and save this post to your bookmarks and come back for more later.

I am so grateful for you and for your desire to be a better mom and woman. It is so exciting to have a whole new year of time to have fun and challenging new opportunities. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to hearing from all of you throughout the year about your progress.

Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day!

January 13, 2015 by Danielle Davis | 10 Comments