Formula for Happiness this Summer with Baby

It's hot! It's dry! It's summer vacation! YIKES! I can't be the only mom who's starting to feel like maybe it should be time to go back to school. I've decided it's time to reevaluate our summer to keep things rolling smoothly. Here are  a few of the things I've learned really help the happiness level at our house along with a few things we're going to try adding to our formula for happiness.

Sleep - this is the most important thing at our house to keeping everyone happy. Even when we're out and about or on vacation it's important to make sure you and your little ones are getting enough sleep. For us that means that all my kids have nap time every day. It's great because it gives mom some quite time and puts the kids back on tolerable terms with each other. Not sure if you're child is getting enough sleep? A chat with a sleep expert is a great idea! They can help you not only learn how much sleep should be happening but also help make sure you have safe sleeping environments and help you conquer any sleep challenges you may be having.

Keep it simple - having a simple daily plan can help keep everyone on track. If you and your children know what to expect it helps keep everyone happy. At our house this means that we do chores first thing after breakfast and once they are done the kids can play until lunch time. After lunch we have naps and then do one more chore before they are able to play for the rest of the evening. The chores and play activities change but having the basic structure of our day be standard helps everyone's experience be better.

Keep it clean - another part of having a basic schedule is that it helps us keep our home clean make it a more enjoyable place to be. I love looking at a clean house and even the baby loves crawling on a clean floor. Who wouldn't? It's another simple thing that helps keep everyone happy.

Plan meals in advance - I've discussed this one before but I've found it's especially important to plan meals ahead during the summer. With the long hours of light there is nothing worse then having a screaming child before you realize it's way past dinner time. We like to keep meals simple but filling and eat early enough that we have time to enjoy time as a family once we're finished. It's another small step to keeping everyone happy.

Go with the flow - yes, structure is important but sometimes you need a day to just do what you feel like. Go to the park, the zoo, or visit with family or friends. You children will love spending a day relaxing and it's a great way to change things up a bit and keep things moving.

If you like these tips then you'll want to go check out these great ideas for helping to keep you children happy. We'd also love to hear from you. What tips and tricks do you have for us that we can add to our formula for happiness?