01of 13Kelle Hampton,@etst:We buy matching rubber bracelets at the beginning of the school year for every family member. We all wear them on the first day of school to help remind us all that we are connected and loved (first days can be scary!). These also work great later in the year for test days or particular challenges. It’s so nice to have a secret reminder when you’re away from your family that everyone has your back and is rooting for you.
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Kelle Hampton,@etst:We buy matching rubber bracelets at the beginning of the school year for every family member. We all wear them on the first day of school to help remind us all that we are connected and loved (first days can be scary!). These also work great later in the year for test days or particular challenges. It’s so nice to have a secret reminder when you’re away from your family that everyone has your back and is rooting for you.
02of 13Ceta Walters,@clarkandstone:I have a “Mommy/Clark and Stone check-in.” I ask Clark and Stone every day after school pick-up about how they are doing. I ask what could they improve about themselves, what would they like to remain the same and what was the highlight of the day? After they each answer, I turn the tables on myself and I ask them what I can work on, what I can keep doing more of and then I ask them to share their highlight with me from the week. I turn the tables on myself so they learn the lines of communication go both ways. I want them to hold me accountable, too. It’s my relationship checklist that I’ve created for the three of us. I want to raise boys that will become men that know how to communicate.
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Ceta Walters,@clarkandstone:I have a “Mommy/Clark and Stone check-in.” I ask Clark and Stone every day after school pick-up about how they are doing. I ask what could they improve about themselves, what would they like to remain the same and what was the highlight of the day? After they each answer, I turn the tables on myself and I ask them what I can work on, what I can keep doing more of and then I ask them to share their highlight with me from the week. I turn the tables on myself so they learn the lines of communication go both ways. I want them to hold me accountable, too. It’s my relationship checklist that I’ve created for the three of us. I want to raise boys that will become men that know how to communicate.
03of 13David Bacque,@life_with_benjamin:It seems like when you live with a toddler, the rituals and routines add up over time until your day is one long sequence of rituals. However, one thing we’ve done for a long time is singing made-up songs at bedtime. But, the songs aren’t entirely random. Benjamin always wants the songs to be about different things eating too many beans and getting the farts. So currently he is into Peppa Pig and wants me to sing about the different characters going to the store to buy beans, bring them home, eat them, and of course, get the farts from eating them.
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David Bacque,@life_with_benjamin:It seems like when you live with a toddler, the rituals and routines add up over time until your day is one long sequence of rituals. However, one thing we’ve done for a long time is singing made-up songs at bedtime. But, the songs aren’t entirely random. Benjamin always wants the songs to be about different things eating too many beans and getting the farts. So currently he is into Peppa Pig and wants me to sing about the different characters going to the store to buy beans, bring them home, eat them, and of course, get the farts from eating them.
04of 13Courtesy Andrea LavinthalAndrea Lavinthal, PEOPLE Style & Beauty Director,@andilavs:Every morning while I’m getting my almost 3-year-old son, Saxon, dressed for school, we talk about all of the friends he’s going to see that day and sing silly songs using their names. It gets him excited for the day and adds a little fun to his daily routine.
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Courtesy Andrea Lavinthal
Andrea Lavinthal, PEOPLE Style & Beauty Director,@andilavs:Every morning while I’m getting my almost 3-year-old son, Saxon, dressed for school, we talk about all of the friends he’s going to see that day and sing silly songs using their names. It gets him excited for the day and adds a little fun to his daily routine.
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06of 13Kate Hogan, PEOPLE Digital Specials Director:My husband grew up eating crudités with his parents every night and for whatever reason, they called them “chunks.” So we started doing the same with our kids Henry, 3, and Lucy, 18 months, when they were old enough, sharing a plate of veggies before dinner and talking about our days. Somehow, using the word “chunks” instead of “vegetables” seems to make them forget they’re eating their greens, and watching them down tomatoes and cucumbers makes me feel less guilty on the nights they hardly touch their dinners (which, as toddlers, is often).
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Kate Hogan, PEOPLE Digital Specials Director:My husband grew up eating crudités with his parents every night and for whatever reason, they called them “chunks.” So we started doing the same with our kids Henry, 3, and Lucy, 18 months, when they were old enough, sharing a plate of veggies before dinner and talking about our days. Somehow, using the word “chunks” instead of “vegetables” seems to make them forget they’re eating their greens, and watching them down tomatoes and cucumbers makes me feel less guilty on the nights they hardly touch their dinners (which, as toddlers, is often).
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Aili Nahas
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10of 13Desiree Fortin,@theperfectmom:Something our family does every night at dinner is “highs and lows.” We take turns going around the dinner table sharing the best and lowest parts of our day. It is always pretty special to hear what my triplets share and what parts of the day that meant the most to them and the parts of the day they were bummed about. It opens the door for great conversations even at nearly 4 years old.
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Desiree Fortin,@theperfectmom:Something our family does every night at dinner is “highs and lows.” We take turns going around the dinner table sharing the best and lowest parts of our day. It is always pretty special to hear what my triplets share and what parts of the day that meant the most to them and the parts of the day they were bummed about. It opens the door for great conversations even at nearly 4 years old.
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Courtesy Greg Hanlon
12of 13Amy Tan,@amytangerine:One of the practices I’ve started doing to start my morning off right is with an intention, and my son Jack, 5, enjoys it, too. Sometimes he will just say “everything good,” or other days he says his intention is “to be silly.” It’s been a fun way to have a little, positive and mindful moment before our day gets going.
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Amy Tan,@amytangerine:One of the practices I’ve started doing to start my morning off right is with an intention, and my son Jack, 5, enjoys it, too. Sometimes he will just say “everything good,” or other days he says his intention is “to be silly.” It’s been a fun way to have a little, positive and mindful moment before our day gets going.
13of 13Mia McNiece, PEOPLE Senior Writer:We have a “happiness jar” and every day we write down our happiest moment of the day down and put it in the jar — just a quick sentence on a scrap of paper or whatever is lying around so it’s quick and easy. On Jan. 1 of each year, we open the jar and read all the notes. It’s a fun way to remember little moments that happened throughout the year.
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Mia McNiece, PEOPLE Senior Writer:We have a “happiness jar” and every day we write down our happiest moment of the day down and put it in the jar — just a quick sentence on a scrap of paper or whatever is lying around so it’s quick and easy. On Jan. 1 of each year, we open the jar and read all the notes. It’s a fun way to remember little moments that happened throughout the year.
source: people.com
