happyhome Habits
Building Strong Families from the Inside Out...
Building Strong Families from the Inside Out...
At first glance, today’s fast pace world seems exciting: easy-to-access information, endless opportunities, and all those cool technological advances. But instead of giving us more time, it gives us more to do. To stay on top of it all, we work harder and harder, go faster and faster. Yet we feel as if we haven’t accomplished anything worthwhile. We are having a hard time unplugging because racing about has become a way of life. Like it or not, we have gotten into the habit of being busy. The dizzybusy habit. It’s a bad habit because it puts work before family and accomplishments before connections. It’s an unhealthy habit because it distracts us and prevents us from doing the things that really matter, so we feel guilty, stressed and out of balance. We have gotten so revved-up we don’t know how to slow down and enjoy ourselves. It’s time to take a deep breath, jump off and create some new healthy habits. The happyhome habits make it easy for families to get what they need with less effort and less stress.
These habits are based on the “protective factors” that decades of research have shown will protect families from the negative influences that surround us. The happyhome habits are things we can do with our families once-a-day, once-a-week, once-a-month, once-a-year and once-in-a-while. They give us peace of mind and leave us feeling guilt-free, knowing we have accomplished the important things in our lives.
We can teach our children and grandchildren the value of honesty, respect and responsibility in just minutes a day or create a joyful sense of family togetherness in just two hours a week. One simple tradition a month is all it takes to build the warm memories that will bring our grown children back home every holiday. The happyhome habits make all this possible (and more) by helping families understand what to do and when.
Habit #1 Once a Day Dinner Conversations Habit #2 Once a Week Family Fun Night Habit #3 Once a Month Holiday Traditions Habit #4 Once a Year The Family Story Habit #5 Once-in-a-While Gifts of Love
For example, happyhome habit #1 is Dinner Conversations. Research indicates that clear communication and shared family time are two of the most important protective factors that will positively influence our children’s lives. Eating family meals together combines the power of those two factors. We need to sit down to dinner with our families, and we need to talk — talk about anything and everything. It doesn’t matter if we make a home cooked meal or pick up hamburgers, as long as we eat together and talk.
The dinner table is where it all happens. It’s a perfect place to connect and learn about what’s going on in each other’s lives. It’s where we can give each other support and help solve problems, where we honor and celebrate our victories and accomplishments. It’s where we pass on precious stories and talk about family values and family traditions. Dinner time is our best opportunity to teach our children what we want them to learn about life.
The happyhome habits are similar to the habits we strive for to achieve healthy bodies: exercise three times a week, drink eight glasses of water and eat six or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The happyhome habits are the key ingredients to a healthy diet for modern day family life. These habits are like vitamins for the soul; they protect us and our families from the inside out.
Any one of the five happyhome habits will make a huge impact on your family. Start with the habit that best represents your family’s needs and personal goals, and weave it into your life until it becomes second nature. Then try a second one. A habit is something you don’t have to think about anymore, such as brushing your teeth. If we want to build a happyhome for our families, we have to make it a habit...
…because happyhomes don’t just happen.
A hundred years ago, no one had to think about eating well and getting physical exercise because it happened naturally. But today we have to be intentional about these things if we want to live a long healthy life. Family has come to that same point. Many of us still assume that “family” happens naturally because it used to when our parents were raising us. But our lives today have become so overwhelmingly busy that the simple, good things - like sitting down to dinner together and talking - are getting lost in the shuffle.
Lorle Campos, CEO/Founder of Once Upon a Family, author of happyhome, and mother of five, is helping families say NO to today’s dizzybusy lifestyle and get back to the basics of a simple, joyful, meaningful life. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing less and doing the right things. Read the book, take the Personality Test, and partake in the Five-In-One Family Fun program and join the thousands of families who are experiencing the powerful difference these simple habits can make in their lives.
These habits are based on the “protective factors” that decades of research have shown will protect families from the negative influences that surround us. The happyhome habits are things we can do with our families once-a-day, once-a-week, once-a-month, once-a-year and once-in-a-while. They give us peace of mind and leave us feeling guilt-free, knowing we have accomplished the important things in our lives.
We can teach our children and grandchildren the value of honesty, respect and responsibility in just minutes a day or create a joyful sense of family togetherness in just two hours a week. One simple tradition a month is all it takes to build the warm memories that will bring our grown children back home every holiday. The happyhome habits make all this possible (and more) by helping families understand what to do and when.
Habit #1 Once a Day Dinner Conversations Habit #2 Once a Week Family Fun Night Habit #3 Once a Month Holiday Traditions Habit #4 Once a Year The Family Story Habit #5 Once-in-a-While Gifts of Love
For example, happyhome habit #1 is Dinner Conversations. Research indicates that clear communication and shared family time are two of the most important protective factors that will positively influence our children’s lives. Eating family meals together combines the power of those two factors. We need to sit down to dinner with our families, and we need to talk — talk about anything and everything. It doesn’t matter if we make a home cooked meal or pick up hamburgers, as long as we eat together and talk.
The dinner table is where it all happens. It’s a perfect place to connect and learn about what’s going on in each other’s lives. It’s where we can give each other support and help solve problems, where we honor and celebrate our victories and accomplishments. It’s where we pass on precious stories and talk about family values and family traditions. Dinner time is our best opportunity to teach our children what we want them to learn about life.
The happyhome habits are similar to the habits we strive for to achieve healthy bodies: exercise three times a week, drink eight glasses of water and eat six or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The happyhome habits are the key ingredients to a healthy diet for modern day family life. These habits are like vitamins for the soul; they protect us and our families from the inside out.
Any one of the five happyhome habits will make a huge impact on your family. Start with the habit that best represents your family’s needs and personal goals, and weave it into your life until it becomes second nature. Then try a second one. A habit is something you don’t have to think about anymore, such as brushing your teeth. If we want to build a happyhome for our families, we have to make it a habit...
…because happyhomes don’t just happen.
A hundred years ago, no one had to think about eating well and getting physical exercise because it happened naturally. But today we have to be intentional about these things if we want to live a long healthy life. Family has come to that same point. Many of us still assume that “family” happens naturally because it used to when our parents were raising us. But our lives today have become so overwhelmingly busy that the simple, good things - like sitting down to dinner together and talking - are getting lost in the shuffle.
Lorle Campos, CEO/Founder of Once Upon a Family, author of happyhome, and mother of five, is helping families say NO to today’s dizzybusy lifestyle and get back to the basics of a simple, joyful, meaningful life. It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing less and doing the right things. Read the book, take the Personality Test, and partake in the Five-In-One Family Fun program and join the thousands of families who are experiencing the powerful difference these simple habits can make in their lives.
happyhome: the book
America is experiencing an epidemic of frantic frazzled families, over-committed and disconnected, too busy and too stressed out to fully enjoy life or each other. We go faster and faster, take on more and more and often feel off balance, like we are spinning out of control. I call this dizzybusy. There seems to be little time left to do the important things that connect us as a family and allow us to create the loving, supportive safe haven we all need at home.
A happyhome is more than a place to live. It’s the quality of connection we have with others that makes us feel "at home" no matter where we are. It's the comfort of knowing that we belong somewhere and we matter to someone. When we send our children out into the world with a strong sense of family, values and self, they are able to make good choices based on those internalized values and they are naturally drawn back to that loving, safe haven we created for them at home. What we build inside ourselves is what makes us strong, not what we build around us. A happyhome is like a family vaccination for the modern day world. The happyhome habits protect our loved ones from the inside out and protect them when we are not there.
The happyhome habits are based on five scientifically proven "protective factors" that families need to be strong and happy in today’s world. They are simple, fun activities that make a big impact on family life and represent five different ways we build connections with our loved ones and weave the values that make us strong into our family life. They are dinner conversations, family fun nights, treasured traditions, the family story and unexpected gifts of love. The happyhome habits decrease stress and give us the confidence that we can be successful at work and great parents too.
Complete with interesting statistics, real life stories, five pull-out activities and a personality test to identify your style of connecting, this surprisingly simple, but remarkably powerful book will become a trusted reference for families everywhere who want to create a happyhome for their loved ones.
Bibliography
"We live in a world where there are countless things demanding our time, effort, and attention. Virtually everyone talks about spending more quality time with their family. The happyhome family guide will help us all do it."
Jim Stovall, President/Narrative Television Network, Author/The Ultimate Gift
"What makes this book unique is its practical approach. Even those with very little time can benefit from what Lorle has created. The happyhome guide makes it simple, allowing you more time to spend enjoying your family!"
Eric and Jennifer Garcia, Co-Founders, Association of Marriage and Family Ministries, Inc. (AMFM)
A happyhome is more than a place to live. It’s the quality of connection we have with others that makes us feel "at home" no matter where we are. It's the comfort of knowing that we belong somewhere and we matter to someone. When we send our children out into the world with a strong sense of family, values and self, they are able to make good choices based on those internalized values and they are naturally drawn back to that loving, safe haven we created for them at home. What we build inside ourselves is what makes us strong, not what we build around us. A happyhome is like a family vaccination for the modern day world. The happyhome habits protect our loved ones from the inside out and protect them when we are not there.
The happyhome habits are based on five scientifically proven "protective factors" that families need to be strong and happy in today’s world. They are simple, fun activities that make a big impact on family life and represent five different ways we build connections with our loved ones and weave the values that make us strong into our family life. They are dinner conversations, family fun nights, treasured traditions, the family story and unexpected gifts of love. The happyhome habits decrease stress and give us the confidence that we can be successful at work and great parents too.
Complete with interesting statistics, real life stories, five pull-out activities and a personality test to identify your style of connecting, this surprisingly simple, but remarkably powerful book will become a trusted reference for families everywhere who want to create a happyhome for their loved ones.
Bibliography
"We live in a world where there are countless things demanding our time, effort, and attention. Virtually everyone talks about spending more quality time with their family. The happyhome family guide will help us all do it."
Jim Stovall, President/Narrative Television Network, Author/The Ultimate Gift
"What makes this book unique is its practical approach. Even those with very little time can benefit from what Lorle has created. The happyhome guide makes it simple, allowing you more time to spend enjoying your family!"
Eric and Jennifer Garcia, Co-Founders, Association of Marriage and Family Ministries, Inc. (AMFM)
