Being a mother is wonderful, but it's also exhausting. Between diaper changes, feeding, rocking, doing laundry, cooking dinner and cleaning a house, sometimes it's hard to find a little bit of time for exercise.

Often, moms are just too tired to even think about adding an exercise routine into their day. There are, however, some simple exercises that can be done, even when you're really busy. For exhausted moms, the best exercises are those that involve the baby — you get active and give the little one some individual attention at the same time. Here are five exercises that even exhausted moms can do:

1. Squat with baby

Stand with feet hip-width to shoulder-width apart, holding your baby safely in your arms. Your baby should have his or her legs wrapped around you. Pretend to sit in an imaginary chair, ensuring that your knees stay behind your toes and that your back stays straight. Making funny sounds usually delights the little one. Playtime and exercise rolled into one — saving time and keeping you active!

2. Push-up with baby

Your baby will love this game. Every time you do the down phase of the push-up, you kiss baby's forehead, complete with sound effects. You tone your arms, get a stronger chest, and spend extra special time with baby. Perfect!

3. Hip Bridge with baby

This exercise keeps your hamstrings (back of your thighs) strong, while giving the baby a fun ride. Lie face up on the floor, with your baby sitting across your belly. Lift your hips off the ground as you smile and talk to your baby. Return to the starting position, but lift your hips up again before they make full contact with the floor.

4. "Swimming" with baby

Put baby down on the floor, as you pretend to swim while making funny faces. Ensure your hips stay glued to the ground as you move your arms. This exercise works your upper back.

5. Mountain Climbers with baby

Your baby will have lots of fun as you "climb a mountain" (Take turns bringing each knee to your chest and back again while in the above position) and sing or make funny faces for him or her. This one is a full body exercise that also helps you with some conditioning.

Doing these five exercises with your baby each day will help you connect with your little one while staying active and strong — even when you're exhausted.

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You had to stay late at work, you're behind on the laundry, you didn't have time to plan dinner, and you feel like you haven't had time to breathe. You have a distracted dinner as you keep track of everything you need to get done before putting the kids to bed - and hopefully before getting a bit of sleep yourself.

Most of us are going from one thing to the next; feeling like the "To Do" list almost never gets completely checked off. We're overwhelmed and our plates are too full, and far too many of us are missing out on real opportunities to connect with those whom we love the most.

It's time to slow down, put things in perspective, and reset our priorities. Perhaps a full lifestyle overhaul and career change isn't possible for you at this time, but if you're living to work instead of working to live, perhaps a career change should be a consideration. In the meantime, here are 5 things you can do to reclaim quality family time, even with a hectic schedule.

1. Re-claim family dinner

If you're not having dinner as a family, now is the time to start. Little children love to help, so they can feel like the grown-ups. Take advantage of that, and involve the children in the dinner ritual, starting with setting the table. The 2-year-old can put the napkins on the table, the 4-year-old can carefully help with dishes, and the 5 year-old can help with the cutlery. If you have teenagers in the house, they can guide the little ones, too.

If you're already having family dinner, you can take full advantage of this great quality time by establishing dinner rituals.

2. Start a dinner ritual

Think of something you can do every day at dinner time to re-connect as a family. You could go around the table and have everyone say something good that happened to them that day, or everyone could go around and give each family member a compliment.

Having a no electronics policy at the table can help make dinner rituals something each member looks forward to doing.

Make dinner about more than just eating. Sit and talk for a while afterward, and really involve even the youngest members in the conversation. These are memories they will cherish for a long time to come.

3. Get active together

After sitting and talking awhile, set aside 20 or 30 minutes of your day to really play with your kids in an active way. Don't just take them to the playground- really go to the playground with them. Get silly on the monkey bars, play tag, and learn to be a kid again.

Don't have 20 minutes to spend being silly with your kids? Then you need to set aside an hour. The time you spend with your kids is more valuable than anything money could buy. If you work long hours to make more money to buy more stuff, that still won't replace the time you could be spending with your children. If you choose to clean house instead of playing, what they'll probably remember is that mommy was always cleaning, so she didn't have time to play with the kids.

Think about how you want to be remembered by your kids and what kind of memories you want to create from them. Once you do that, how you should spend your time will become clearer.

4. Work on a project together

Find out what your kids are interested in, and come up with a project together. It doesn't have to be elaborate, and it doesn't need to be expensive. If your child is into fairies, make fairy wings out of cardboard, and decorate them together. If your child is always bugging you as you're cooking, find a recipe to make together. Whereas having your child help you with dinner will probably mean it takes twice as long, the quality time you're spending makes up for having a bit of a later dinner.

Take a true interest in your children's passions and hobbies, and soon you'll find that you're not only spending more time with them, you might even enjoy their hobbies, too.

5. Establish your priorities... and act on them

If having quality family time is important to you, establish that as a priority, and then act on it. If you're offered overtime at work, and if accepting it will encroach on your family time, say no. The extra money won't make up for time lost.

If you're afraid to lose your job for putting your family first, then maybe it's time to consider a different job.

Once you've decided that quality family time is a priority, work together with your family to find out what each member enjoys doing the most. Cycle through suggestions so everyone gets a chance to make memories they'll never forget.

In the end, memories are really all that's left.

The post 5 ways to reclaim quality family time appeared first on FamilyToday.

Flowers and jewelry are nice, and I'm sure many women appreciate getting these gifts. But a gift from a store means a lot less than a gift truly from the heart.

For many moms, receiving service means a lot more than getting a last-minute gift from the local flower shop.

Here are five things most mothers would be thrilled to get for Mother's Day - gifts that don't cost you any money at all.

1. A full day of not dealing with anyone's bodily fluids

Knowing that for one full day she won't have to change anyone's diaper, wipe anyone's bum or deal with any other bodily fluids will leave Mom ecstatic.

Doing all of these jobs for her for one day says you understand these everyday tasks are hard work and you think she deserves a break.

2. A full day of using the bathroom without interruptions

For many women, becoming a mother means giving up a lot of privacy.

Getting a full day of using the bathroom without any interruptions is a gift worth more than any flower bouquet.

3. A full night's sleep

Anyone with young children can probably tell you that a full night's sleep is a thing of the past.

Allowing Mom to sleep all night long with no interruptions is a gift of immeasurable worth.

4.A fully clean house

Waking up to a house she doesn't have to clean is a dream come true for any woman.

Whether you clean it yourself or hire a cleaning service, give your mom the gift of a clean abode.

5. A full day off

Most moms love spending time with their kids, but they do need a real break once in a while. They're on duty 24/7 (This is especially true of moms who breastfeed on demand.). So a full day off is better than anything money could buy.

Whether you take the children out of the house or you book a bed and breakfast for her solo day and night, an entire rest day is a great way to show her how much you appreciate the hard work she puts in.

Showing appreciation to Mom does not need to cost money. Most women are thrilled by kind acts of service that show you understand being a mom is rewarding but also very hard work.

The post The 5 best free gifts your mom wants for Mother’s Day appeared first on FamilyToday.

There's a right time and place for rebellion; and here's a list of 11 of them:

1. You're living someone else's dream

You have everything you could want. But it really isn't what you want. You crave adventure, and you want to give your family great experiences. It may be time to rebel against the American dream, sell everything and hit the road. You might be called a rebel, but you'll be much happier following your dream.

2. You have debt

Our culture tells you that the only way to be happy is to accumulate as much stuff as possible, even if it means putting you several thousand dollars into debt.

If you have debt, you're closer to disaster than you think. Rebel against a culture that values having stuff over meeting the needs of your family.

3. You're not comfortable with the education system

Whether you're not happy about the emphasis on standardized testing, or the lack of truly individualized education, pulling your kids out of school and educating them yourself is a perfectly valid reason to "rebel." No one knows your child better than you do.

4. You hate your body

If you are constantly worried that what you eat will make you "fat," it's time to rebel against a culture that values your looks more than they value your contributions. Learn to love your body.

This doesn't mean you should stop exercising and eating healthily - but don't deny yourself the occasional treat just to fit in to society's unrealistic expectations of the "perfect" body.

5. You don't have time to exercise

You are so busy with work and housekeeping, you have no time for exercise.

If your work and life won't allow you time to take care of yourself, soon enough you won't be able to take care of others in your charge.

Rebel against a culture that values money-making over health. Ask for more time off. Or work toward a career that will support the time off you need to be healthy.

6. You've given up your favorite hobbies

You are so busy with work that you have no time for things you love.

Rebel against a culture that tells you the things you enjoy aren't important. Demand the ability to decide what to do with your own time.

7. You're spending more time at the office than with your family

Exchanging time for money doesn't work well for families. A job that allows you flexibility of time and location is ideal.

If your work refuses to give you the flexibility that you need to spend more time with your family, it's time to remember what Socrates said: "Beware the barrenness of a busy life."

Rebel! Start working toward goals that will allow you to be truly present with those most important to you. Whether that means working to change policies in your workplace, starting your own business or another career change, start today.

8. You haven't taken a vacation in several years (or have only had very short vacations)

You're too busy to take time off.

Time off is a psychological necessity.

Rebel against a culture that tells you material goods are more important than experiences. Yes, money is a necessity, but learn the difference between needs and wants. Spend the money on the needs, and then prioritize your wants. If too much work gets in the way of the meaningful wants, you've got an excellent excuse to rebel.

Prioritize time off. If you don't get it, see #7.

9. You're just "floating"

Your life has no true purpose. You go to work, come home, have dinner and watch TV — every single night. You can't remember the last time you did something that really helped someone else, or that truly made a difference. And everyone thinks that's just fine. If you don't, start now to get involved in meaningful activities. Take a class, start a new sport or become a volunteer, for example.

10. You're not making a difference

You have everything our culture tells us you should have - but no one's life is changed for the better because of yours.

Rebel against a culture that tells us having things is more important than loving people. If having less helps someone live a more fulfilling life, then rebelling against a culture of wants is not only acceptable; it's necessary.

11. You're doing something good, but you're not getting support

You're making changes for the better. You've taken a lower paying job that helps more people, or you've started an online business where you hope to have a positive impact on the world. And you've encountered a lot of naysayers and unsupportive people. There is no better time to rebel than now. Prove them wrong. Keep doing good.

Ignore the naysayers, and let them call you a rebel. Better to be a rebel living a life of purpose, than a conformist living an empty life.

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