We’re guilty of packing too much into each day…”slow family living” sounds impossible, between home, work, homework :), activities, sports, and life with kids.  This new book, Slow Family Living:  75 Simple Ways to Slow Down, Connect, and Create More Joy, really caught my eye as a great concept to embrace.

I asked the author to share some tips at The Lounge.  Many thanks to Bernadette Noll, author, for these great tips:

  1. Talk less. It is becoming increasingly clear to me that the less I talk, the more I connect with my kids – especially my older kids. When I talk less, they talk more and then I can really get a glimpse into what they’re thinking and feeling.
  2. Eye contact is immensely powerful. In the day to day of family life we are so busy so much of the time that we don’t take/have the time to really see each other. Pause for 2 seconds, literally, that’s all it takes, and look your people in the eye. It is profound in its effect.
  3. Decide to be done. In my book I talk about the importance of this – the realization that there is no finished so we have to sometimes make a conscious decision to be done in order that we can spend a little bit of time hanging out with family.
  4. Make a “done” list. The to-do list is of course never ending so it’s crucial every now and again to take stock of what we’ve already done so that we can see how much we are actually kicking butt as a parent. It’s a lot of work. Celebrate how hard you work!
  5. Schedule family time. We give everything else it’s rightful place on the calendar and we tend to fill in family time with whatever dregs are left. Try instead putting family time on the calendar and let the rest of life fill in around it.

Editor’s Note:  Love it!  What can YOU do to slow down in your own family and smell the roses?