Last week I came across a tweet from Meagan Francis, author and blogger at The Happiest Mom. She tweeted about alphamom’s Family Manifesto and how inspired she was by this. Well, this of course sparked my interest and I clicked on the link. Gotta love twitter. Anyway, after reading alphamom’s post about how she put together her Family Manifesto, I was inspired too.
I’ve been thinking some time now that I would like to put together a family motto of sorts. Something that captures what our family is and hopes to be. I haven’t gotten around to it yet. I excel at procrastination. Well, no time like the present and with inspiration from Meagan, alphamom, and the book I’m currently reading, The Happiness Project, I decided it was time to tackle this project.
I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what key words or concepts I would want on our own Family Manifesto and it’s not as easy as I thought it would be. I really would like it to be applicable to our family as we currently are. We are in the midst of kindergarten, preschool, picky eaters, and constantly tripping over cars and tutus.
So, here are some of my ideas along with some others that I’m not so sure will make the cut:
Smile first thing in the morning. I’m not a morning person. This is hard but I’ll try…maybe after some coffee.
Dance with abandon. Our kids are already quite good at this. Me and my husband have some work to do on this one.
Be generous with hugs. There’s no such thing as too many, is there?
Think twice, be nice. Kindness matters.
Laugh and then laugh some more. Whenever I get frustrated or annoyed, it always helps to laugh. Not always easy but in the end…you’re laughing and the lifted mood usually follows suit.
Help each other. I hope I can instill this in our kids. It’s okay to ask for help and we should readily provide it.
Family Dinners. Right now, it’s still a struggle to get the kids to sit long enough to talk about our day. But, we still try every night and remind them this is our time to sit, eat, and talk.
Watch the sunset, everyday. I’m the one who needs reminding on this one. I get so caught up in our schedule and bed times that I often rush everyone upstairs without enjoying the beautiful sunset right in our own backyard!
Let Mom and Dad sleep in on Sunday. This is really a plea to our children!
Find your passion…and just do it.
Read, read, and read some more. Love me some good books and I hope our children will too!
Listen. Yeah, this one is for all of us. Take time to listen. And…I don’t really like having to repeat everything 10 times or more anyway!
Ask questions. Find the answer. My son has got the questions down pat. We still have a lot of investigating to do.
Try something new. I hope my picky little eaters will take heed on this one!
Explore. We love to travel and so do our kids. It’s never easy with two young ones in tow, but usually worth it.
Be grateful. Say thank-you.
Speak up. Clean up. Shape up. I hope we can learn to say what is on our minds, clean up after ourselves and exercise. It’s always good to have such high aspirations, isn’t it?
Naps are good.
Surprise each other. Little things matter, it’s good to show each other that we care.
Play games as a family. We just discovered a game the whole family can play…Uno Moo! Even our three year old can play and follow along!
Compliments are like treats for the soul. They really are.
I think that’s a pretty good initial brainstorming session, don’t you? And now…for some others that keep popping into my head but don’t necessarily mesh with the whole Family Manifesto vibe:
Please put the toilet seat down.
Don’t scare your sister.
Food is for eating, not throwing.
Give Mom coffee in the morning and everything will be okay.
Paint is messy.
Listen…or else!
Jelly beans are not part of a healthy breakfast.
Hurry, or we’re going to be late.
Yeah, I don’t think these will make the cut but you can see why I’m tempted.
Have you ever thought of creating a Family Manifesto? What would be on yours?
wait….jelly beans are NOT acceptable breakfast fare??? darnit!! 😉 i like this idea…i think we need a manifesto in the shoaf household too…
wait….jelly beans are NOT acceptable breakfast fare??? darnit!! 😉 i like this idea…i think we need a manifesto in the shoaf household too…
Mine would be: Give mom coffee in the morning and no one will be hurt. LOL This is a great idea! I can see how it would be difficult to narrow it down though.
Mine would be: Give mom coffee in the morning and no one will be hurt. LOL This is a great idea! I can see how it would be difficult to narrow it down though.
I love this. I am going to have to work on one.
I love this. I am going to have to work on one.
Can I borrow your manifesto? I think this is a great idea, but really, yours is so well said, I don't know what I could add to it.
I'd make some small edits, though. Namely, the part about letting mom and dad sleep in on the weekends would be in ALL CAPS!
Don't forget to flush!
Most of the items on my Manifesto aren't quite in the right vein – for example, “Don't get ketchup on Mom's white purse,” or “I am not a human paper towel!”
I might have to print and use your version for obvious reasons.
Most of the items on my Manifesto aren't quite in the right vein – for example, “Don't get ketchup on Mom's white purse,” or “I am not a human paper towel!”
I might have to print and use your version for obvious reasons.
I love this, Melissa! I'm so glad you were inspired by my tweet–I was sooo inspired by Isabel's post at AlphaMom. I'll definitely be working on ours soon and posting about it as well. This is a great brainstorming session (I particularly like the part about Mom and Dad getting to sleep in…)
I love this, Melissa! I'm so glad you were inspired by my tweet–I was sooo inspired by Isabel's post at AlphaMom. I'll definitely be working on ours soon and posting about it as well. This is a great brainstorming session (I particularly like the part about Mom and Dad getting to sleep in…)
My motto is, “Hey, we haven't killed each yet, right?”
I should go put that on my blog header. Gotta go!
Excellent post, BTW!
My motto is, “Hey, we haven't killed each yet, right?”
I should go put that on my blog header. Gotta go!
Excellent post, BTW!
My husband and I have a list of rules about how to treat each other, which have helped prevent fights. But I haven't thought about creating a list of rules for our family. We're still working on “you still have to get dressed every day” and “Yep, everyone sleeps at night.”
My husband and I have a list of rules about how to treat each other, which have helped prevent fights. But I haven't thought about creating a list of rules for our family. We're still working on “you still have to get dressed every day” and “Yep, everyone sleeps at night.”
We're working on ours. So far, we are stealing the family motto from our pastor, “Be the Blessing.” We have a lot of work to do!
We're working on ours. So far, we are stealing the family motto from our pastor, “Be the Blessing.” We have a lot of work to do!
I love your manifesto. I especially agree with the “Think Twice, Be Nice,” “Help Each Other” and “Laugh and then laugh some more”–I think these will go a long way. Wow, you get an amazing view of your sunset from your backyard…that's fantastic. What a great evening tradition to try to watch it together as a family when you are home. I have to admit that our family can use some help when it comes to Family Dinner time. My husband teaches in the evening two days a week and then I do on one evening…and well, I want it to be something where we can all sit down together, but usually someone has something to do or somewhere to be…I can go on and on about other items you posted on your list–all are great!
I love your manifesto. I especially agree with the “Think Twice, Be Nice,” “Help Each Other” and “Laugh and then laugh some more”–I think these will go a long way. Wow, you get an amazing view of your sunset from your backyard…that's fantastic. What a great evening tradition to try to watch it together as a family when you are home. I have to admit that our family can use some help when it comes to Family Dinner time. My husband teaches in the evening two days a week and then I do on one evening…and well, I want it to be something where we can all sit down together, but usually someone has something to do or somewhere to be…I can go on and on about other items you posted on your list–all are great!
What a great idea to have these family mottos! I don't have kids yet but I definitely think this would be good to do with my husband.
I personally vote for Listen.. or else. But that's just me
Love it! This is such a good idea, I love the concept. Family dinners are a must in our house, at least when the hubs can make it. The sunset one is something we should start doing- something so simple that can be such a great memory. Thanks for sharing your brainstorming!
Great list! I think every family should do this!! One of the best parenting tips I ever received was to consider the values and morales you want to instill in your children and then work backwards. What behaviors and habits do you need to create to reach that goal? This really ties it all together to have a manifesto to uphold!
Great list! I think every family should do this!! One of the best parenting tips I ever received was to consider the values and morales you want to instill in your children and then work backwards. What behaviors and habits do you need to create to reach that goal? This really ties it all together to have a manifesto to uphold!
I love this idea and I love what you have put together as your family's manifesto. Everything you mentioned above has to do with respect, love, and appreciating life and those who are around you. And I think that's what's important :). Thanks for a meaningful and touching post!
I love this idea and I love what you have put together as your family's manifesto. Everything you mentioned above has to do with respect, love, and appreciating life and those who are around you. And I think that's what's important :). Thanks for a meaningful and touching post!
Wow! I LOVE this, but have to be honest that I don't even know where to begin. I'm not sure if my blog name “From Chaos comes Happiness” is really a manifesto, but it sure feels like it is a big part of who we are in this house. Although, the “Give Momma Coffee in the morning” one cracks me up, and is my personal favorite! 😉 I'm going to check out the links you've included and spend some time thinking abou this. Really great post! Thanks for sharing)
Wow! I LOVE this, but have to be honest that I don't even know where to begin. I'm not sure if my blog name “From Chaos comes Happiness” is really a manifesto, but it sure feels like it is a big part of who we are in this house. Although, the “Give Momma Coffee in the morning” one cracks me up, and is my personal favorite! 😉 I'm going to check out the links you've included and spend some time thinking abou this. Really great post! Thanks for sharing)
We do, we do.
Our boys are older: 2 teens, and then baby e.
What is important to us is:
1. everyone gets a chance to speak. Even if it's to disagree on a rule, they get one minute to vent. We listen if it's respectful. And we listen with respect back.
2. Dinnertime is pleasant. No sore spots or arguments, or disagreements or tattling or bickering. If anything like this is done, I will pick up their plate and they will leave the table. (and, oh yes, I”ve done it.)
3. We always say good night, and we always say good morning. tired, crabby, angry, no matter: we always say good night, and good morning.
That's the important stuff. What is wonderful about older children, is you finally see all the years of the labor you've put in pay off. They do say Good morning, good night. And they do keep dinner pleasant, if not, I just remind them, “would you like to hand me your plate?” and they say, “no, mom. sorry.”
The only thing you have to be consistent about, is consistency.
signed, the weary old hag (-:
We do, we do.
Our boys are older: 2 teens, and then baby e.
What is important to us is:
1. everyone gets a chance to speak. Even if it's to disagree on a rule, they get one minute to vent. We listen if it's respectful. And we listen with respect back.
2. Dinnertime is pleasant. No sore spots or arguments, or disagreements or tattling or bickering. If anything like this is done, I will pick up their plate and they will leave the table. (and, oh yes, I”ve done it.)
3. We always say good night, and we always say good morning. tired, crabby, angry, no matter: we always say good night, and good morning.
That's the important stuff. What is wonderful about older children, is you finally see all the years of the labor you've put in pay off. They do say Good morning, good night. And they do keep dinner pleasant, if not, I just remind them, “would you like to hand me your plate?” and they say, “no, mom. sorry.”
The only thing you have to be consistent about, is consistency.
signed, the weary old hag (-:
This is such a fabulous idea! I need to copy this idea, especially for the sake of my husband and myself. We tend to guide the kids to do the right thing, but then we get stuck when it comes to ourselves.
This is such a fabulous idea! I need to copy this idea, especially for the sake of my husband and myself. We tend to guide the kids to do the right thing, but then we get stuck when it comes to ourselves.
Such a great idea, Melissa. When my firstborn was little, my husband I sat down and wrote out a Family Mission Statement. We framed it and it hangs in our entryway. A great reminder of what and who is really important.
Such a great idea, Melissa. When my firstborn was little, my husband I sat down and wrote out a Family Mission Statement. We framed it and it hangs in our entryway. A great reminder of what and who is really important.
This is a great idea! We've not done this yet, but we have talked about some of our family values. They are things like extending hospitality, being generous, preferring each other over ourselves, humility… And then there's the unspoken ones: Don't wake mom too early in the morning, give me some space before requiring intelligent morning conversation, and turn down the volume on the freaking television! (Esp when it's football!) 😉 Love this idea.
What a wonderful idea! I must work on one
The Empress's sounds pretty good too.
What a wonderful idea! I must work on one
The Empress's sounds pretty good too.
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