Happiness Box

There is nothing that I love more than being able to spend time with my kids.  Before I had kids, I never really knew what kind of a mom I would be.  I knew that I wanted kids, but that was about it.  Now that I have them, they are just the loves of my life!

I am all about traditions and making lasting memories. My mom was so good at this and I know that she got it from her mother as well.  I am always looking for new things to do with them that don't cost an arm and a leg because I really want them to learn to enjoy the little things in life.  One thing that I use is the "Happiness Jar". 

Anyway, here is what the Happiness Box is all about:

* Sit down as a family and think about some fun activities that you enjoy doing together.  It can be anything from going for family walks, reading books, or going out to dinner.  The activities can be as big or small as you want (however, I encourage as many small things as possible!) 

*Create envelopes for each of the special activities.  Whenever possible, include things in the envelope that go along with the activity.  For instance, buy some discount movie tickets from the credit union and put them in there or when you get gift cards for restaurants or fun places, place them in the envelopes.  If the items are too big, wrap them in coordinating paper and place them in a closet. 

*  Whenever you feel like the family needs a little bit of "happiness" have someone pull something from the jar or box.  This could be a job for someone in the family that has accomplished something special or just because you feel like you need a new and fun idea for the day.

Some activity ideas:

*Date Night with Mommy 

*Date Night with Daddy 

*Movie night at home 

*Family hike at the park 

*Family Game Night 

*Pizza Dinner

*Family Slumber Party 

*Make cookies together 

*Go to the science museum or other local attraction.

*Picnic Lunch or Dinner

The other part of this is that the family gets to decorate the box or jar that you are going to keep these items in.  It is a fun art project for everyone and usually becomes a very interesting topic of conversation when someone stops by.

My goal is to use this to show my kids that the memories that we make together are so much better than the material things that we can get.  Remember, be sure to take lots of pictures!!