Today's post is from Stephanie Bates who blogs over at Military Travel Mama. Below she shares some ideas on how to spend quality time with the family and encourage healthy habits even as a busy mom. 

I love that these tactics are not just about physical health, but also mental health by encouraging quality time spent together. Check them out below!

In today’s world, it is of utmost importance for everyone to know how to juggle between work and private time. Matching the perfect balance while maintaining productive working habits is a skill that not everybody has. 

However, no matter how much pressure there is on work, we must ultimately strive to maintain healthy habits within our closest family in order for the family to stay as cohesive as it can be. 

It’s a known fact that today people are working more hours while living up to bigger expectations. That doesn’t give us an excuse to put our family aside. There are certain things that we, as parents, should always be aware of.  

Following these guidelines will make sure that your family will preserve all the healthy habits it should, which is I believe top priority for all of us.

Spend Quality Time Together

Even though we all know you need some time for yourself and to spend time with your friends away from your family, making sure that your family is spending enough time together and consistently is very important. 

It’s key to make sure that your family is dining together at least once a day. Take your time, cook a dish and try not to buy or order something, and spend some quality time over dinner.  

You will be able to chat with one another, talk about the day that has passed and how did it go for everyone and you’ll eat something healthy.  

And if you have some time and energy left, you could go on a quick after-dinner stroll in the neighboring park. It’s an excellent way of burning calories and getting prepared for a good night’s sleep.  

Related Post: 7 Tricks to Help You Create a Good Habit

Rearrange Your Kitchen

You won’t always have enough time to prepare a meal, but you can make sure that you have healthy vegetables and snacks ready around the house. If you’re not cooking yourself, it doesn’t mean that your family will have to eat junk food and drink up sodas and sugary beverages alike.  

Try not to fill your shelves with candies and salty snacks as your kids will eat up everything they see in your kitchen when they get hungry. Instead, pay a regular visit to the local farmers market and buy fruits, vegetables and everything that you’d want to see your kids to eat. 

Always Improvise

Improvisation is the key to life. Even if you had no extra money, you should know how to make the most out of your time with your family.  

Don’t forget to stay active. Organize picnics, take your children out in a park and encourage them to participate in sports.  

If you are a stay at home mom, you will have more time to try out different recipes and to improvise in your kitchen also. Not working a regular 9 to 5 doesn’t mean that you don’t have a job. Staying around the house and keeping your family healthy and together is perhaps the most important job a mother can have.  

If you are a working mom, you can still get creative with activities for the whole family. Short on time? Turn housework into a game and get the whole family involved. See who can match the most socks, or clean the counters like the karate kid, wax on wax off.  

Stephanie is the founder of MilitaryTravelMama.com; she is the wife of a military professional and mother to two children. Follow her blog for more about military life, military discounts, family trips, healthy eating, and parenthood.

I hope you enjoyed this post by Stephanie. Share your thoughts below!

Cheers,

Emily