Being a parent is no easy task. It can be overwhelming and stressful. Find true contentment by parenting from your heart (and getting out of your head) in these 5 simple steps.

Be Present- Living in the moment is perhaps the one piece of advice that is crucial to happiness in all areas of your life, especially parenting. How many of you rush through that mundane game of chutes and ladders to get to the piles of laundry? And then lay in bed at night feeling guilty that you didn't engage with your children enough? Yep, I'm guilty too. Problems, and therefore stress, do not exist outside of the present moment. They are in our minds, an illusion, and they steal your peace and happiness. Be mindful in all interactions with your children. And when you find that you aren't? Redirect your attention to the "now" and don't beat yourself up over it.

Fill Yourself Up- If you don't have it, you can't share it. That's right, not just material objects, but energies and emotions too. How can I give joy away to the people in my household if I don't hold joy within? Do whatever you need to do to get the inside right and a happy home life will be yours for the keeping. Exercise, time with friends, time with your spouse, a good book, a reality TV indulgence; whatever fills you up, do that. Then, give that abundance of good feels away and happiness will be all around you.

Find like-minded mommy friends- We have all kinds of friends that we meet along the way, but there is a special group of women you need to surround yourself with to ensure a happy parenting journey. These are the women that lift you up and promote you. These are not the women that compare whose baby crawled first or turn their nose up to the mention of your weekly fast food habit . These are the women that encourage and support. They share the good times and the bad and want to see others happy. If you walk away from a play date or a mom's night out and feel bad about yourself or how you are raising your family, that is your signal to find a new group of friends.

Drop the labels- Key to any happy life is your ability to accept all things that come your way. This means ridding yourself of the "my 3 year old should not be sleeping in our bed" or the "it's 11 am, we really shouldn't still be in our jammies." Own it! Or change it! But don't waste your mental energy on the in between. There is no should or shouldn't in a happy world, there just is. Accept every situation for exactly what is (without the worry of how else you wish it was) and you can handle all of your mommy ups and downs with true peace.

Let them guide you- I truly believe our children are our spiritual teachers and therefore our teachers of peace and love. Watch them and then model your behavior after theirs. They are so carefree and are naturally present in all that they do. They have no worries about what others will think and no expectations of how things should be. They just live. Be more like your kids and happiness will be your way of life.

So, as you can see, there is no need to complicate an already complicated world. Getting out of your own way and living from your heart is simple, attainable and will create a happy home.