When you think of someone who is happy, what do you think of? Maybe a bright smile that lights up the room? Or maybe a laugh that is so funny, it makes you laugh too! Did you know that being happy is absolutely contagious? If one person is happy, it can rub off on another, and it can then rub off on another and have a complete domino affect.
One of our favorite family songs is We Are A Happy Family! “I love mommy, she loves me. We love daddy yes sir-ree, he loves us and so you see…. WE ARE A HAPPY FAMILY!” Today I wanted to share with you 7 Habits of Happiness – for you, your children and whole family! These are habits that can change your relationship with your spouse, your children and even yourself.
1. ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE – Be grateful for what you have and count your many blessings. As a family, be grateful for each other. Be grateful for who each individual is and what they bring into the family. “It is not happy people who are thankful, it is thankful people who are happy.” {Happiness comes to those who FIND THE GOOD!}
2. LOWER EXPECTATIONS – Often times in the family unit, we set high expectations for each person. We want our husbands to look good, provide for the family, help with the kids and make us feel like princesses. We want our children to get straight A’s, have good friends, not make mistakes, be quiet when they are supposed to and listen to everything we say. We also want ourselves to clean the whole house, cook three meals a day, do the laundry, play with the kids, show love to our husbands and be super mom every single day. Speaking of expectations, I have heard, “Keep ’em low and let them go.” {Happiness comes to those who FIND JOY in their family, just the way they are!}
3. HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR – Learn to laugh. I absolutely LOVE full-blown belly laughs! Sometimes in our families, things can become so serious. Make light of situations and learn to laugh at yourself. As the mom of the family, we can begin to get hard on ourselves. “If you learn to laugh at yourself, you’ll never run out of smiles.” {Happiness comes to those who learn to LAUGH!}
4. A FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER – This is the best part of a family! I LOVE playing games. Get together and have some friendly competition. Now that Summer is here, there will probably be a lot more spare time as a family. Pull out the old Monopoly or Scattergories and just PLAY! {Happiness comes to those who PLAY!}
5. PRESENTS VS PRESENCE – As a family, get in the habit of actually BEING together. These days we have laptops, iPads, phones, kindles and so many more little gadgets that can get in the way of our actual presence. Try to unplug from the world for an hour each day. Put all electronics away and eat dinner together, watch a movie, play a game, just VISIT. Truly listen to your family about how they are doing and what their needs are. By being together and being actually present, will make a difference. {Happiness comes to those who are PRESENT!}
6. STAY YOUNG AND FUN – Your children are young, so be young with them! Get on the ground and start playing. Be the tickle monster and make them laugh. Be active and try to keep up with them. They will absolutely LOVE being together and having fun! {Happiness comes to those who have FUN!}
7. IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE – Love your spouse. Love your children. Love yourself. The happiest people I know, LOVE. Not only do they feel it, but they show it. I have learned from experience, as we put ourselves in other peoples lives and show them service and kindness, it brings the greatest happiness! “Happiness means loving yourself first, so you can share that love with someone else.” {Happiness comes to those who LOVE!}
Choose one of these Habits of Happiness and focus on it. As we spend time with our families, unplug from the world, have fun and show gratitude – our relationships with our spouses, children, those around us and even ourselves… will be happier!
This week we have been celebrating happiness and I have LOVED seeing your happy families! You can keep sharing your photos with us by posting them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, tag Today’s The Best Day and use #HappyAndIKnowIt.
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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! 
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Samantha
October 26, 2014 at 1:40 pm (10 years ago)AH I LOVE THIS!!! I have read it before, but gladly read it again through the newsletter! And it is JUST what the doctor ordered. The past few months have been so stressful, I had forgotten what matters most. #7 is what really hit home.
Love the blog and love the weekly newsletters!! Keep up the great work!! 🙂
Emily
October 24, 2014 at 2:55 am (10 years ago)I just saw this post, by clicking from your weekly newsletter. I love getting your weekly newsletters and I loved this post! Just what I needed to read. I love the last one the best, to just love. Especially to love yourself too instead of getting down about not having everything perfectly done. What a great list!
Danielle Davis
October 24, 2014 at 7:26 pm (10 years ago)Hi Emily! It’s so good to hear from you! Thank you for responding to the newsletter. I am so glad you loved the list. It’s so important for us as women to love ourselves. So many of us worry about the imperfections in our lives but quickly forget that some of those imperfections are what make us unique! Thanks so much for your comment today!
Christina
June 16, 2014 at 3:56 am (10 years ago)A great reminder- thank you!
April
June 6, 2014 at 10:59 pm (10 years ago)I need to start writing down all these cool hashtags to use! I am making a note of this one now! These are all fantastic points!!!
Jennifer
June 5, 2014 at 3:22 pm (10 years ago)I couldn’t agree more! Especially about keeping your sense of humor – it can be hard at times but can get you through some really bad moments. Thanks for this reminder!
Danielle Davis
June 5, 2014 at 5:33 pm (10 years ago)Laughing and having a sense of humor gets me through the tough days! Thanks for your comment Jennifer!
Ana Lynn
June 5, 2014 at 11:24 am (10 years ago)Aside from tickle monster, I am also known as cookies monster too. Parents should remember to keep their inner child alive while their kids are growing up.
Danielle Davis
June 5, 2014 at 5:41 pm (10 years ago)Ana, that is such great advice. I work hard to keep my inner child alive. Thanks for your comment today!
katy
June 5, 2014 at 7:30 am (10 years ago)Just waking up here in the UK and I totally needed to read this today! Everything has been getting on top of me recently and you have reminded me to strip it all back and focus on the basics. Great post as always. X
Danielle Davis
June 5, 2014 at 5:41 pm (10 years ago)Katy thanks so much for your kind words! How is the UK today?
katy
June 5, 2014 at 10:19 pm (10 years ago)It was sunny for a change! We spent the day by the river feeding the ducks 🙂 Little G spent ages collecting feathers. I took stock of my life and let go of all the stress and enjoyed my day with my girls. Plenty of smiles 🙂
Heather
June 5, 2014 at 4:02 am (10 years ago)What great reminders. I love #1, I try to live by that concept. I always catch myself tell my kiddos, “would that be using a grateful heart”. I think those are words I stick with and live with 🙂 I pinned your quote.
Danielle Davis
June 5, 2014 at 5:42 pm (10 years ago)Heather, it sounds like you are a great mom! Thank you so much for pinning my quote and for commenting. You are amazing!
Betsy
June 5, 2014 at 1:56 am (10 years ago)I’m so glad you reminded me of what makes a happy family. After supper tonight and cleaning up the kitchen we all went outside (my 8 yr old daughter’s request) and played frisbee in the backyard. All I could think about was the laundry I needed to change over and why did I offer to make ice cream cones because it was going to be a mess. To make a long story short the ice cream was a success and not a mess at all. We all came in except my 11 yr old son. I could hear the basketball on the concrete and it hurt to see him playing ball by himself so I grabbed my flip flops and out the door I went. Just my son and I had a good time playing together. He doesn’t see me “play” as often as I should so I’m glad you posted this because I needed to see this.
Danielle Davis
June 5, 2014 at 5:44 pm (10 years ago)Betsy that is such a great story! Thank you for sharing it. Your son was probably so happy that he has such a great mom! Thanks for being so awesome!
Rena (An Ordinary Housewife)
June 5, 2014 at 1:42 am (10 years ago)Great tips! I always try to remember to be thankful for what I have and put things in perspective. I try to do the rest of those things too. It is easy to get distracted by other things.
Danielle Davis
June 5, 2014 at 5:45 pm (10 years ago)Rena, the distractions are everywhere! Thanks for commenting today and for helping me remember to stay away from the distractions!