Happy New Year! Traditionally people like to make resolutions for the new year to improve their quality of life or take steps to achieve a goal. This year, we encourage you to try to come up with a new year’s resolution for your entire family to work on together. It can be really hard to stick to our resolutions, but when you have other people to hold you accountable and you’re working together as a team, it suddenly becomes a whole lot easier. Plus, it’s a great way to bond as a family. Here are some ideas for a family new year’s resolution.

Eat dinner together

Most families today are so busy and have such hectic schedules that it’s almost impossible to sit down every single night to eat dinner together. This year you can make it a resolution to eat dinner as a family at least one night a week. Everyone should pencil it in their calendar and rearrange their schedule to be able to fit in this one dinner night.

Be more active

Sometimes after a long day at work, the last thing you want to do is hit the gym or have a workout. But not being active can just cause you to end up feeling even more sluggish. Plus, you want to set a good example for your kids and show them that it’s important to stay active for our overall health and wellbeing. If the whole family makes time to take walks together or go for a bike ride or even just have a dance party at home it’s a lot easier and more fun to stay active.

Go green

We should all be doing our part to help protect our environment and there are many small changes we can make at home to go green as a family. For example, remind your family to always turn the lights off after they leave a room and unplug electronics once they are done using them. You can also make an effort to use less water and less heat (just bundle up more in the winter!). If you want to take an extra step, opt for using public transportation, walking, or biking when you need to go somewhere instead of taking the car.

Game night

Make it a resolution to spend one night a week playing games together as a family. It’s a great way to relax and something that every family member can look forward to during the busy work week. It’s also an ideal time to check in with your kids and ask them about how their week is going – they will be more likely to open up in this relaxed and fun setting.

Volunteer

Have you ever wanted to volunteer at a soup kitchen or animal shelter? Make it a resolution to volunteer as a family! Everyone can choose a different organization they would like to volunteer at and you can take turns volunteering at each place. You can walk dogs, feed the homeless, collect toiletries and canned goods for a shelter, maintain a community garden, etc. There are a ton of opportunities for volunteering – just go out and find them!

Written by Alicia Overby - Founder & President of Baby Elephant Ears

Alicia is wife, mother, and creator of Baby Elephant Ears. Baby Elephant Ears was created out of parental concern, not financial desire. In 2005, when their second child was an infant, he cried all the time and just couldn't seem to get comfortable.

After seeking advice and suggestion from the medical community and alternative medicine, they eventually ended up in the chiropractors office where their baby was successfully treated for a subluxation, discomfort most likely the result of the strain during labor, which was now being exacerbated by the normal lack of infant neck strength. Only proper neck, head, and back alignment would offer him relief. When they couldn't find a product to give their baby the necessary support, Alicia took matters into her own hands and crafted her own infant support pillow. The first Baby Elephant Ears was born!

For more information, visit www.babyelephantears.com.