Archive for January, 2007
How do you teach a four year old to be grateful? My grandmother had always impressed on me the importance of thanking people in writing, but four years olds aren’t exactly known for their penmanship or spelling. Still, I wanted the children to give something back when they received a gift – something more than an empty “thank you.”
My solution was to purchase blank greeting cards and let my sons use crayons, pencils, stickers, stamps, and anything he could glue on to the card to decorate them. They would dictate to me the written part of the note, and I began working with them on letter structure – greeting, body, salutation. In the beginning, I prompted them with questions like “what was your favorite part of having the gift?” The cards would be sent out for each gift received, although sometimes writing the notes would drag on for weeks with a card here and a card there.
As the boys grew older, they took over the written part of the letter. I also laid down a new rule. There is no playing with a gift until the thank you note is in the mail. The notes get written much quicker now.
The thank you notes have had some additional benefits as well:
1. The children actually take time to look at the gift they receive instead of tossing it aside for the next wrapped surprise.
2. The children who receive the cards enjoy receiving the mail so much that we get thank you cards for the thank you cards
3. Mom and Dad spend time with the kids (we learned the hard way not to leave them alone with glue.).
4. The kids enjoy making the cards so much that they look for other opportunities to send cards to family, friends, and neighbors.
5. Making the kids do their thank-you’s prompted Mom to do the same. It’s hard to play with my new gifts with them glaring at me from the craft table.
After six years of doing the cards, the boys are getting more creative. They have added poems, inserts, and origami. It is something they (almost) look forward to doing. This last Christmas, my middle son went directly from unwrapping gifts to writing thank you notes.
I’m thankful that my grandmother’s ideals have managed to seep through to the next generation. Thank you notes are no longer a dying art in our family.
January 24th, 2007
Christmas always seems to be a budget busting moment in our home. Even this year, when gift giving was modest or homemade, I still felt the crunch.
In the past, I have used our tax refund to help me catch up our bank balance and to pay those couple of bills I let slide. That meant a rush to the accountant’s office in order to file as quickly as possible (and has also meant refilling when some other piece of paper work came in late).
Enough is enough. 2007 is the year of my Christmas budget breakthrough.
I started with the January paycheck, and I set aside just $50 out of that. Now I think I’ll add just $5 a week to that monthly savings. I can easily save $5 in gas by coordinating my errands. I could save $5 by packing lunches just one or two days a week. I could save $5 by not buying burgers for dinner and cooking when I get home instead.
Saving the money is going to be a breeze – keeping my hands off of it until Christmas might be a different story. It’s got to be somewhere that I forget about it or just plain can’t get to it. It may take some creativity, but I will find away to horde the gift money until its time has come.
1. I could open a savings account with an out of town bank. It might be a hassle to get the money deposited, but it will be just as big a hassle to get the money out. Just say NO to the bank card.
2. I could keep the money in a coffee jar up in the cabinet (maybe on the top shelf – I’m short, it’d be a job to get to it). It has to be out of site to be out of mind.
3. I could pay extra on my credit card each month so that I end up with a positive balance come Christmas time. It would function almost like a debit card.
4. I could open a Paypal account or other online account. Not only would it be like the out of town banks, but some of these accounts offer high interest AND I could shop online when Christmas gets here.
However I decide to bury my treasure, I have to have something to bury. By practicing the “no” word, I can turn away from the sales, the discounts, and even that perfect pair of boots. With just $5 saved a week and $50 out of the paycheck each month, we will be all set to have the perfect Christmas in just 52 weeks.
January 21st, 2007
My goal for this year is to do it all. I’m trying to start up a content writing career, maintain my home, homeschool my two boys, take care of the new one year old, finish editing my novel (and find an agent), write a bible study, and get in shape.
So far the only thing I have done consistently is fail!
A friend suggested that I had too much on my plate. I wrote out a detailed schedule. I even set aside time for doing nothing. The numbers don’t lie; there is time to do it all. My problem is that I’m trying to pile all the leftovers onto a full plate! If I could just keep doing what I have to do, I wouldn’t feel the need to catch up.
The keeping up is easier than the catching up. But how do I keep up? I’ve made the schedule, the to-do list, and every other formula that I’ve read about. At the end of the week, I still haven’t posted to my blog (one of my resolutions), finished my assignments, mopped the floor, dusted the furniture, or even touched my novel.
I’ve decided to take Paul’s advice and just forget about those things that are behind and reach towards the goal right now.
I will work for today. Thinking and focusing on either the past or the future does not get anything done right now.
I will prioritize what I need to get done. I have to get the to-dos in order.
I will do things in the order of priority. First thing in the morning, I will do the most important items on my list. By getting them done when I am fresh, I free up my day to tackle other projects that are not as time sensitive.
I will use my spare time to catch up on past projects or to get a jump on future tasks. If I don’t feel pressured to do things, I’m more likely to want to do them.
I will not schedule my weekends. I want this time free for family, fun, and complete relaxation. If I don’t have it scheduled then I won’t feel bad about not doing anything. If I have done all of my must do’s, then I will be free to enjoy the not doing that much more.
I know I am capable of succeeding in all that I see for my life. I know that there is time enough in the days to work, play, and relax. I’ve just got to get myself in the habit of doing things in a way that allows me to do them all.
January 20th, 2007
Eating is hindering my blessings in life. It sounds silly, but it’s true. I’m not talking about the basic, help the body run eating. The kind of eating that is my stumbling block it the emotional and spiritual eating.
I eat because I feel fat and I just don’t see the point anymore.
I eat because I’ve been working out and I feel good and deserve a break.
I eat because there is chocolate cake and it’s just wrong to walk past chocolate cake.
I eat because there is only one bite left and one bite won’t really hurt will it? (I defer to Adam for the answer to that one.)
This type of eating is a sin.
So if eating too much is a sin and sin blocks my blessings, then my eating is hindering the blessings that God desires for my life. The real painful part is that my eating is also hindering the blessings of my family. You would think that thought alone would be enough to keep my mouth shut.
Sin has a strong pull though. The worse part of this sin is that the world has so many excuses for me to ignore it.
I am only overweight because of your parents.
I am only overweight because of the restaurant industry.
I am only overweight because of all the processed foods available.
Where’s my responsibility in my problem?
I need to be called to task about not living a life that reflects positively on my Father. If I were out drinking every other hour, my friends and family would have plenty to say. This eating is just as bad and kills far more in the US.
Today, I’m starting fresh. I’m starting different. I’m going to WAR!
I’m going to pray my way past gluttony and to a fitter, trimmer life. Breaking the sin will not be easy. I know it doesn’t want to go. But it’s time, and I’m determined to be free.
January 9th, 2007
With the Christmas rush finally over, it is time to take a breath and . . . start getting ready for next year!
I know the decorations are still out, the leftovers are still stored in the frig, and the gifts are still piled up in the corner of the living room surrounded by discarded bows. That’s okay.
Trust me when I say that starting today to get ready for next year’s Christmas “rush” will be completely painless – at least mostly painless anyway. Planning now will definitely save you time and money in the long run.
This is not even going to be all that time consuming. It might turn out to be a fun family bonding time.
Here’s all you need to start planning for the Christmas yet to come:
1 expandable file folder
Colored pencil or pen for each member of the family (different for each)
Regular file folders for each family member
Notebook paper
Everyone gather around the table – get a pen, file folder, and some notebook paper. Now just make a list of everyone you think you will be buying for next Christmas. Leave some spaces between names for notes and ideas.
Start listening to these people talk about what they need and want. Add their thoughts to your list. Cut out pictures of things that would be perfect for them. Add those to the list. When the shopping season rolls back around, you’ll have a template for the perfect gift for everyone on your list. Store your lists in your own file folder and keep the file folders together in the expandable file folder (this was the lists will be easier to keep up with during the year).
If you’re crafty or need to save a couple of pennies, then start making that perfect gift today. Make a clock for the grandparents with the grandkids pictures in place of the numbers on the face. Make a Snowman wood cutout for the neighbor who just loves to decorate. Cut out ideas from magazines, or make notes from crafts shows or websites.
Which ever direction you choose to go, don’t wait until December.
You say it every year, “Next year I won’t wait until the last minute.” Make this the year you finally hold yourself to that promise. It might be so much fun that you just start doing Christmas year round.
January 1st, 2007
