Excellence does not imply a long face and only a shoulder-to-the-wheel attitude. Family life is just too much fun to spend all our time being serious. A sense of humor is one of the most valuable tools to achieve excellence. Without it we can become too critical, and it is easy to become discouraged when we make mistakes and backslide a little. Our humor should never be at the expense of others or be unkind, but it is healthy to be able to laugh at our own mistakes, pick up the pieces, and start over. In fact, I think humor and excellence go together. (Petrea Kelly, The Joys of Motherhood)

My husband makes me laugh. So do my children. We enjoy having a good time! Friday he took the kids to do burnouts in the pick up. They laughed so hard!

When one of the kids gets a little too eager to drink their shakes and tips their cup all the way up . . .and then all the shake comes out at once on their face, we laugh.

When the baby comes down the hallway dragging and unrolling a whole roll of toilet paper behind him, we laugh.

When someone too eagerly dances for the baby while holding a cup of milk, we laugh.

When we plan for a picnic and get everything laid out and a big gust of wind comes and blows it all over, we laugh.

We someone puts ramen noodles into the oven to toast for a salad topping and then forgets so they catch on fire, we laugh.

We have learned that laughter is really good for the soul. In the kids’ bathroom, which is also the guest bathroom, there hangs a saying I cross-stitched when we were first married. It’s something Mr. Ferrero Rocher and his family say all the time. “Don’t take yourself too [darn] seriously.” You can guarantee that almost every first time visitor in there comes out giggling.

We know when to be serious. We know there are times for stillness and quiet. And they are precious.

We also know that laughter diffuses anger and does a heart good.