We all want our kids to be happy but how can we achieve that in a world that's constantly pulling us in different directions? Buckle up because we're about to embark on a journey that's all about spreading positivity, gratitude, and strategies to foster happiness in our kids. We're delving into the incredible power of celebrating what we already have while keeping an eye out for strategic opportunities to move forward. Trust me, the key is to find excitement in every opportunity that knocks on your door!

Let's start by making gratitude a daily practice. We'll uncover the magic of celebrating the small victories throughout the day - from that morning coffee you sipped while it was still hot to conquering your to-do list. We unravel foolproof strategies that will have you dancing with joy over your accomplishments, even if they look a bit different from your current goals. Remember, it's all about taking a step back and expressing gratitude for the opportunities and accomplishments we've already got!

I'm going to challenge you to take a moment today and jot down five things that you're grateful for. It's a simple yet transformative exercise that has the potential to shift your perspective and ignite a fire of positivity within you. Get ready to soak in all of the wisdom and strategies that will help you raise happy kiddos while keeping your own spirits high and setting a positive example!

What you'll hear in this episode:

[0:00] We want our kids to be happy.

[1:35] Yahtzee is a good game of remembering and teaching gratitude.

[2:50] Do you keep rolling or do you keep going?

[4:25] Making it a practice to be grateful.

[6:05] How to start celebrating your wins.

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Kelsey Smith 0:00

As a parent, we want our kids to be happy most of the time, we want them to celebrate the good. But if we're not doing that, then how are they supposed to see it? If they don't see us celebrating all the small things, maybe we didn't get the close parking spot we wanted, but we go somewhere farther. Maybe we didn't get the exact show or movie or food or whatever it is.

Kelsey Smith 0:27

Welcome to mama has goals, your weekly reminder that you shouldn't have to sacrifice your dreams to take on the role of mom. I'm Kelsey Smith, mom of two boys. Why an entrepreneur who's passionate about helping other moms current and aspiring to reimagine mom life. I'm bringing you the resources, support and relatability to debunk that limiting belief that you may have about your ability to achieve your goals while raising human. We're covering everything from mom guilt, marriage, relationships, careers, finances, mental health, physical health, you name it, your life doesn't have to fully shift once you become a mom, you can have it all. And we'll show you how.

Kelsey Smith 1:20

The other night, my husband and I were playing Yahtzee. We used to play games all the time. And we definitely don't as much anymore because life and kids. But when we remember, that's not a real excuse. And we should play games together, we get back into it. And yatse is one of our favorites. And as I was playing, I just kept thinking about how Yasi is such a good game of remembering and teaching gratitude. I don't know if you've played before, if you haven't, this is your sign to go onto Amazon or go to your local store and go pick up Yahtzee and start a new family game. But if you have played before, you know that when you're rolling, sometimes let's say you're trying to get four or three in your top, and you're like, Okay, I need to get three threes to hit my top. And you're rolling, and you get three fours. And you're like, oh, that's what I needed, though. And you're like, I can't put that in the top. It gives you this realization that you're not even celebrating something that you used to have before, if you already have your fours, you would have been so excited if you had three fours or four fours, but now that you don't need it anymore. It's not even exciting, you can't celebrate it. And I feel like it's the same thing when you like, get a full house, and then you get the full house. And you're like, Oh, I still need my full house. But I really don't know if I should keep rolling my three of a kind for four of a kind or more. So a full houses a three and a two. And if you get that like on your first roll, it's like do you take the full house? Or do you keep going? Do you keep rolling? Do you keep going for the next thing. And as we were playing this just kept showing up in so many different areas. And it just made me think how we so often don't celebrate something that we wanted before that we now have? And once we get something, are we even excited that we got it? Are we just thinking about what it could have been in Should we keep going and not being grateful for what we have received because it looks different than what we expected. When this is the thing like when we start going through life and we start unpacking our dreams and our wishes and our desires. Sometimes we get delivered things that are a little bit different than we expected. They look a little different. Maybe we thought we wanted a small street and then we actually rolled a full house. And if it's different than what you were expecting, are you going to still be happy about it? Are you going to celebrate? And you don't know if you're gonna get your small straight later, you might have to cross it. But you have to celebrate what you do get. You have to be excited about what you do have. Because otherwise, what's the point of even playing? And we're all meant to play. We're all meant to play the game of life or Yahtzee, whatever it is, and we should be celebrating what's given to us, we should be excited about the opportunities that come our way. And we should look for opportunities to be more strategic or move towards the next thing. And I know sometimes it's so hard because Dang, when you really want that large street and you get a full house, you're like, ah, but the thing is, you just gotta keep going. You just kind of play. And it's hard unless you make it a practice, right. And I think this is where it's really important to even while you're playing Yahtzee or anytime throughout your day, where are the opportunities that you can just be grateful that you can say thank you that you can celebrate the small things and think about your kids watching this right? So if your kids are watching you play Yahtzee and they roll right off for you did they get a full house and they really wanted to get It's a four of a kind, but they're bumped. It's their third roll that wanted a four of a kind, it didn't get that four of a kind. But instead, they got a full house and they're mad. And they're like, I didn't want this, I wanted a four of a kind, you would hope that they would see they got a full house, and they would be excited, right? As a parent, we want our kids to be happy most of the time, we want them to celebrate the good. But if we're not doing that, then how are they supposed to see it? If they don't see us celebrating all the small things? Maybe we didn't get the close parking spot we wanted, but we go somewhere farther. Maybe we didn't get the exact show or movie or food or whatever it is that we wanted. What else can you celebrate? And when you can create a habit of celebration and concrete a life of gratitude and finding the good and finding the positive, it becomes easier. And it doesn't mean that you're not going to have days where it's gonna feel really hard because I have worked to make this a practice. And yes, I think it's easier for some people than others. But I've worked to make this a practice. And now I will tell you, I also notice it so much more when I'm not being honest. Because now it's not my norm. So when I catch myself being like, Ah, you're not even celebrating what you did get, I can catch it. And sometimes I need to be reminded to buy, it's so much easier when you're just deviating a little bit versus trying to get on a whole new track, right? So if you're in a habit of finding the negative rather than the positive, or feeling like you just can't win that every time you roll, you're getting a full house when you want it a large Street, where can you start celebrating that you're just playing the game. Even if you don't win Yahtzee, you're still having fun, you're still spending time with the people that you're with. You're celebrating life, it might not always feel good, you might feel like you are constantly rolling the wrong thing. You might feel like you cannot win, it is so hard to celebrate. But if you can take a step back, and you can say, okay, you know, I am grateful for the opportunity to keep trying, I'm grateful that I can be here today and roll a dice cup. I'm grateful that I can listen into this music or this podcast or go for a walk or a ride or stroll. Then you can sit and say, okay, there are wins, even if they look so much different than what I'm currently striving for. Maybe you're not winning the game that you're trying to play right now. But you're actually winning a different one instead. That's what's really special and important. But you're the only one that can see it. Even if someone else comes to you. And so you got a full house, you're gonna probably not going to be like, Yeah, you're right, right away. Maybe you get there. But you might be like, Yeah, but that's not what I wanted. So you have to find it, you have to find the positive, you have to find the beauty in the full house or whatever it is that you're rolling and looking for. So go play Yahtzee or another game that you love, and look for opportunities each day to be a little more grateful. I love you so much, Mama, I want to keep this sweet, I want you to take a couple moments right now. And just write down five things that you're grateful for today. And if you can't think of five right away, I want you to just take a moment and look around you. Take a deep breath. Think about wherever you are right now that you're listening to this. Look at the space around you. Think about the rest of your day or the day you've had so far the things you've experienced the people you've interacted with, and write down five things that you're grateful for. And if you're feeling extra courageous, send me a message or post one on Instagram. Because we should all inspire each other a little bit more to share more of the good. And if you can share something you're grateful for today, you just might inspire someone else. And if social media postings out your thing, I'll give you one more opportunity. Send a message to a friend that you're grateful for. And say I was thinking about the things I'm grateful for today. And I want you to know that you're one of them. Spread a little love. Spread a little gratitude, and have a great rest of your day mama. There's so much more where this came from. Take the next step in download the mama high schools app or visit our web platform. real authentic, full supportive community is available at your fingertips and we can't wait to create space for you mama