"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."
Words of Wisdom by Burton Hillis
A wonderful reminder at this busy time of what this season is truly about: love. Don't get swept away by the materialistic ads and end up buying more than you can responsibly afford. Instead, make lasting memories by sharing quality time with family and friends. There are so many activities you can enjoy in family togetherness that are free: play a board game while enjoying hot cocoa and home baked Christmas cookies; let the kids camp out with pillows, blankets, or sleeping bags under the Christmas tree, falling asleep beneath the sparkling lights (be sure to unplug the lights once the kids have fallen asleep); put on knit hats and mittens and go Christmas caroling around your neighborhood (let your kids invite a friend to come along and sleep over); bundle up and take a walk or a drive around town to look at Christmas lights and decorations your neighbors have put up; spend time as a family volunteering to help package food, wrap or deliver gifts to less fortunate people - there are many organizations to choose from that are looking for extra hands and hearts at Christmas time!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Parenting Quote for the First Week of December
"I want my kids to become the best originals they can be, not modeled after what I think they should be, or what others think they should be, but what they have been created to be."
Words of wisdom from a very wise but anonymous author.
As hard as it may be to do at times, as parents we must refrain from comparing our child to others - whether they are siblings, or classmates. Each child is an individual, and praising your child's accomplishments and talents is so important in encouraging your child to become his or her best.
My son was once on a little league baseball team, and the coach was the father or a mildly mentally retarded boy who was also on the team, though he was two years older than his teammates. He was their miracle child - after many miscarriages, his mother was able to carry this baby into the fifth month, when she suddenly went into labor. He was born in an ambulance enroute to the hospital, and spent months in the NICU. His parents were told he had less than a 30% chance of survival, yet he lived and grew into a happy, healthy boy though small for his age and with impaired intelligence.
When this boy hit his first single, his parents went wild. They were so completely thrilled with their son's achievement, and it was such a beautiful thing to watch! It didn't matter at all to them that other kids were hitting home runs; they never compared their son to others. It was a wonderful lesson for me as a young mother, and I have returned to that memory many times throughout my parenting years for inspiration.
Words of wisdom from a very wise but anonymous author.
As hard as it may be to do at times, as parents we must refrain from comparing our child to others - whether they are siblings, or classmates. Each child is an individual, and praising your child's accomplishments and talents is so important in encouraging your child to become his or her best.
My son was once on a little league baseball team, and the coach was the father or a mildly mentally retarded boy who was also on the team, though he was two years older than his teammates. He was their miracle child - after many miscarriages, his mother was able to carry this baby into the fifth month, when she suddenly went into labor. He was born in an ambulance enroute to the hospital, and spent months in the NICU. His parents were told he had less than a 30% chance of survival, yet he lived and grew into a happy, healthy boy though small for his age and with impaired intelligence.
When this boy hit his first single, his parents went wild. They were so completely thrilled with their son's achievement, and it was such a beautiful thing to watch! It didn't matter at all to them that other kids were hitting home runs; they never compared their son to others. It was a wonderful lesson for me as a young mother, and I have returned to that memory many times throughout my parenting years for inspiration.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Ways to Make the Advent Season Meaningful, not Materialistic
With family budgets much tighter this year, many parents are worried that their children may be disappointed at Christmas in not getting all they dreamed of, or worse yet, many will consider going into debt trying to purchase things they can't really afford.
So how do you bring the true meaning of Christmas back while lessening the materialistic aspects? My suggestion is to celebrate Advent with your family this year, which is the preparation time anticipating Christmas, and you can easily celebrate it by counting down the days from December 1st through the 24th. Set aside time each morning if you can, or do what we did - we read about the following day's Advent surprise at the family dinner each night, and discussed ways we could complete the assignment the next day. Please read my Advent article on the Helium website (click on the link). It explains in detail how you can create a simple Advent calendar that focuses on the true meaning of Christmas, and how to make your own Advent candle wreath to light each night during the season of Advent. Get busy: December 1st is tomorrow!
(You can cut and paste the address yourself also:
http://www.helium.com/knowledge/578080-how-to-make-the-advent-season-more-meaningful-and-less-materialistic-for-children)
So how do you bring the true meaning of Christmas back while lessening the materialistic aspects? My suggestion is to celebrate Advent with your family this year, which is the preparation time anticipating Christmas, and you can easily celebrate it by counting down the days from December 1st through the 24th. Set aside time each morning if you can, or do what we did - we read about the following day's Advent surprise at the family dinner each night, and discussed ways we could complete the assignment the next day. Please read my Advent article on the Helium website (click on the link). It explains in detail how you can create a simple Advent calendar that focuses on the true meaning of Christmas, and how to make your own Advent candle wreath to light each night during the season of Advent. Get busy: December 1st is tomorrow!
(You can cut and paste the address yourself also:
http://www.helium.com/knowledge/578080-how-to-make-the-advent-season-more-meaningful-and-less-materialistic-for-children)
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Parenting Quote For the Week
"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children." Words of wisdom from Charles (Chuck) Swindoll
During the upcoming busy stress-filled holiday season, when our nerves are on edge and our tempers are often quick to snap, this is a valuable quote to keep in mind. Nothing has greater impact on the self-image and inner confidence of a child than the words and actions of his or her parents. Many parents believe they will help their children become stronger and better equipped to face the world by criticizing them and pointing out their shortcomings, but a child perceives this as disappointment and failure, not inspiration. Make sure you are filling your child's memory with positive thoughts, praise, compliments, and love - these are the tools which will build a strong self-esteem which is what a child needs most to have a happy and successful adulthood.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Black Friday Deals Often Extend into the Weekend
If you were too tired or too burdened with the Thanksgiving clean up to be able to make the opening Black Friday sales in your area, don't despair. Many retailers offer great deals into the weekend following Thanksgiving, helping you stay well within your budget for this year's Christmas shopping - although you probably won't be able to find that 42 inch flat screen LED HDTV for $100!. And many stores offer fabulous deals for online shoppers, like free shipping or 20% off your already discounted order. You can also research coupon codes for each retailer, and enter those in the coupon code box or promotional code box when you check out online. I have saved a fortune using coupon codes - try it and see how much more you can save.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Parenting Quote for the Week of Thanksgiving
"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving."
Quote by H.U. Westermayer.
Always remind your children to be thankful for all of the good things in their lives, not resentful because of the things they do not have. It is this resentment and way of thinking that will lead to a lifetime of unhappiness and dissatisfaction, because there will always be someone out there with more.The things which truly matter cannot be bought.
When my children were young, they had friends who always had the newest video game system, a new and improved TV every year, and their parents drove the latest models of cars available. Our family, in contrast, didn't trade up our old but still working cars, TVs, or games - unless Santa brought it at Christmas. Today, our friends have lost their home and their cars in bankruptcy while we are still in our home (and I'm still driving the same car with 200,000 miles on it) even though my husband was laid off almost 3 years ago.
Here is a very appropriate prayer of thanksgiving which you might like to use as a Grace before beginning your own Thanksgiving feast:
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy Goodness sends.
By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Note: You might want to substitute "The Good Lord" for "Thy Goodness" with young children!
Quote by H.U. Westermayer.
Always remind your children to be thankful for all of the good things in their lives, not resentful because of the things they do not have. It is this resentment and way of thinking that will lead to a lifetime of unhappiness and dissatisfaction, because there will always be someone out there with more.The things which truly matter cannot be bought.
When my children were young, they had friends who always had the newest video game system, a new and improved TV every year, and their parents drove the latest models of cars available. Our family, in contrast, didn't trade up our old but still working cars, TVs, or games - unless Santa brought it at Christmas. Today, our friends have lost their home and their cars in bankruptcy while we are still in our home (and I'm still driving the same car with 200,000 miles on it) even though my husband was laid off almost 3 years ago.
Here is a very appropriate prayer of thanksgiving which you might like to use as a Grace before beginning your own Thanksgiving feast:
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy Goodness sends.
By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Note: You might want to substitute "The Good Lord" for "Thy Goodness" with young children!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Make Your Family Thanksgiving Celebration More Meaningful This Year
"Help! I don't want my kids growing up thinking that Thanksgiving is just a day off to pig out and watch football."
This comment made to me by one of my friends with young children might resonate with others out there as well, so I thought I would share the advice I gave her with the rest of you who might be thinking the same thing. An inexpensive way to bring a little meaning back into this holiday starts with a trip to your local public library (or your own bookshelf if you have a good selection of Thanksgiving holiday stories). You can also
look up "first Thanksgiving" or "Pilgrim life" or a similar search term on your computer, and copy/paste your favorite facts, and then print them out. Call a family meeting the day before Thanksgiving, making it special by serving hot chocolate, or make this the topic of discussion around the dinner table. Talk about the first Thanksgiving with your family, asking your children to share what they can remember from learning about the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving at school. You might be surprised at how much they already know. Discuss why they made this very long, hard, and dangerous trip in the first place, and discuss what the voyage must have been like for them. (If you don't know, google it, or look in the books.) About half of the Pilgrims died on the voyage - it was definitely not a pleasure cruise! Discuss what they found when they landed on Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims were exhausted, weak, sick, and arrived in a wild land where there was nothing - no houses, no hot showers, no stoves, no fireplaces - they had to build everything and figure out how to find food, water, and survive. And a cold winter was quickly approaching! Luckily the Native Americans they met were friendly (but they didn't know that at first) and helpful in teaching them new ways to survive. After their first harvest, the Pilgrims held a feast to celebrate their survival in this new land, and invited their Native American friends to join them. These facts are all great conversation starters for talking about standing up for what you believe in, perservering even when it's hard, the meaning of true friendship, bravery and courage, trying new solutions to solve problems, and more. Challenge your children to think about and list all the things they have in their lives that the Pilgrims did not have, and what things are most important and valuable to each of them.
Then on Thanksgiving day, just before you begin your own feast when you are all gathered around the table, let each family member and guest give thanks for something they are grateful for in their own lives. This is a wonderful way to bring meaning back into your Thanksgiving holiday. The first time we did this in our family, my son, who was six at the time, announced, "I am thankful that I wasn't a Pilgrim!". Clearly, he got the point of this exercise! :)
This comment made to me by one of my friends with young children might resonate with others out there as well, so I thought I would share the advice I gave her with the rest of you who might be thinking the same thing. An inexpensive way to bring a little meaning back into this holiday starts with a trip to your local public library (or your own bookshelf if you have a good selection of Thanksgiving holiday stories). You can also
look up "first Thanksgiving" or "Pilgrim life" or a similar search term on your computer, and copy/paste your favorite facts, and then print them out. Call a family meeting the day before Thanksgiving, making it special by serving hot chocolate, or make this the topic of discussion around the dinner table. Talk about the first Thanksgiving with your family, asking your children to share what they can remember from learning about the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving at school. You might be surprised at how much they already know. Discuss why they made this very long, hard, and dangerous trip in the first place, and discuss what the voyage must have been like for them. (If you don't know, google it, or look in the books.) About half of the Pilgrims died on the voyage - it was definitely not a pleasure cruise! Discuss what they found when they landed on Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims were exhausted, weak, sick, and arrived in a wild land where there was nothing - no houses, no hot showers, no stoves, no fireplaces - they had to build everything and figure out how to find food, water, and survive. And a cold winter was quickly approaching! Luckily the Native Americans they met were friendly (but they didn't know that at first) and helpful in teaching them new ways to survive. After their first harvest, the Pilgrims held a feast to celebrate their survival in this new land, and invited their Native American friends to join them. These facts are all great conversation starters for talking about standing up for what you believe in, perservering even when it's hard, the meaning of true friendship, bravery and courage, trying new solutions to solve problems, and more. Challenge your children to think about and list all the things they have in their lives that the Pilgrims did not have, and what things are most important and valuable to each of them.
Then on Thanksgiving day, just before you begin your own feast when you are all gathered around the table, let each family member and guest give thanks for something they are grateful for in their own lives. This is a wonderful way to bring meaning back into your Thanksgiving holiday. The first time we did this in our family, my son, who was six at the time, announced, "I am thankful that I wasn't a Pilgrim!". Clearly, he got the point of this exercise! :)
May you and your family and guests share a very Happy Thanksgiving!
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