5 Ways to Stick to Your Resolution as a Family

Every year, families tend to create their own New Year's resolutions to try and live healthier lifestyles, spend more time together, improve their finances, and more. It's much easier to craft a New Year's resolution than it is to stick to them. This is especially true when you make them as a family and everyone has to do their part to achieve the goal. However, it is better to work as a team and support each other. Resolutions are also a great way to teach kids about the effectiveness and importance of setting goals, and how to see them through. Here are 5 tips to help you make and stick to your New Year's resolution.

1. Come up with an idea together.

As a group, your whole family should come up with ideas together, and then decide on which works best for you all. Typically, families want to save more money, use less energy, get more fit, or spend more quality time together. Have every person contribute one idea so everyone feels included. Then, think of some creative ways to actually meet your goal. Will you take a short walk every evening? Will you designate a movie night?

2. Give yourselves rewards.

Often achieving the resolution isn't enough to keep us motivated. Come up with a clear reward for each person involved. Ideally this is something that can be broken into mini-rewards and given out along the way by meeting your mini-goals. If your resolution is a lofty goal (like loose 20 pounds or save a bunch of money), you'll need to find some way to reinforce your sense of accomplishment and keep you going.

3. Track your progress.

It's important to set milestones for yourself so you know if you're working towards your goal or just slacking. Set up a calendar or list somewhere public in your house that everyone can access. Then, write down what each person's responsibility will be so everyone knows how they're accountable. This will help everyone stay motivated and working toward the goal.

4. Tell everyone about your goal.

Once you spread the word that you'e trying to change yourself with  a New Year's resolution, it's good to let the people in your life know about it. This will make you feel accountable to them and keep you motivated. You don't want to disappoint your friends! Plus, with all the support and cheering you'll receive, it will make the whole task easier. You might even convince them to make a change in their own lives!

5. Try something different.

Break up the monotony of a boring routine by meeting your resolution differently. If your resolution is to be more environmentally conscious, do 1 new thing each month to ease yourself into the new lifestyle. This will help prevent sliding back into bad habits. If you're trying to loose weight, perform different exercises so the same routine doesn't get boring. Don't try to do too much at once or you risk giving up all together.

Guest blog by Sandy Clark, Inventor of San Diego Bebe Eco-Nursing Pillow

San Diego Bebe® was designed by San Diego native Sandy Clark, a passionate breastfeeding advocate and mother of twins. Clark was inspired at a San Diego beach one day where she witnessed a young mother unsuccessfully nursing her baby. As the mother struggled to keep a blanket across her shoulder while her baby wailed from heat and hunger, Clark vowed then and there to design a product that would help resolve the issue of privacy while nursing. San Diego Bebe® was born that day.

When Clark sent her nursing pillow to Duke to be tested and reviewed, Duke University Chemical Scientist Dr. Heather Stapleton, who is a mother herself, said, "The San Diego Bebe® Eco-Nursing Pillow is not only a very supportive pillow with amazing features for discreet nursing, but is also free of flame-retardant chemicals that have been shown to cause adverse health effects in animal studies. I applaud Double Blessings (Clark’s company) for taking steps to produce high quality products that meet the same flammability standards without using these chemicals."

San Diego Bebe® Eco-Nursing Pillow is the healthiest and most innovative nursing pillow on the market. Made with virgin polyfiber Eco*Loft™, a non-toxic and hypo-allergenic foam-alternative, it’s void of harmful chemicals. It’s also recyclable and eco-friendly. San Diego Bebe® is available in two versions, for nursing one baby or twins. The entire line is baby-safe, and is covered with deluxe plush fabrics including organic cotton.

Click to view a Nursing Pillow Comparison Chart to learn more.

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