gratitude Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

Eight Ways to Teach Gratitude and a Gratitude Jar Craft

Paula — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 15:30:00 +0000

Gratitude is a funny thing. It’s hard to teach at times, but such an important value to hold close for life. Without gratitude life can ring hollow. For me, gratitude ties in closely with mindfulness. That’s why I like this gratitude jar kids’ craft idea for families. I’ve talked about self esteem before and self esteem crafts that help kids to grow more self esteem, but what about gratitude? How do you build a sense of gratitude from a young age that permeates a lifespan? Eight Ways to Show Gratitude Here are several ways to help build gratitude in kids as they grow. Model Gratitude Talk about the things YOU are grateful for as a parent. This can be a simple way for kids to understand that there are many things to be grateful for daily. I find that this works in conjunction with mental health. It is also a bonding activity in some ways. When my kids were tiny I would often state: I am so grateful we adopted you and that would support positive adoption language as well. All good things. Share Something Sweet Giving helps kids and adults feel good about themselves and also it can help to show and make gratitude concrete. So bake those cookies, cupcakes or brownies and deliver them to a neighbour. Watch them light up. You get the distinct feeling of baking something nice and sharing something sweet with a neighbour. Share Your Time Volunteer together. Look for chances to give back to your community. You can also model this by volunteering yourself as an adult. When you communicate to kids that this is just part of being a member of a community they are more inclined to understand that over the lifespan and find ways to give back as well. List Five Things You Are Grateful For Each Night One of my daughters does this thing before bed sometimes where she comes in to see me and gives me a hug and then recounts five special things about the day. I enjoyed taking a walk with you. I’m grateful for seeing the neighbour’s dog and having the chance to pet it on our walk, etc. You get the idea. This small thing helps lift us up before bed. Some people do this daily at dinner as a family. It is also a trick the kids learned at camp one year. We love it. Start a Gratitude Journal Remember your childhood diaries? Well, a gratitude journal is a little like that, but by stating the positive things every day in the morning or at night and creating your own positive little journal, you can help to create and explore positive grateful sentiment. I like this idea because it is a positive space for everyone. Obviously kids and teens have their own version of this and it is simple to do. Mine is sometimes on my phone and occasionally I use this space to explore gratitude as I did here – 85 Things I am Grateful For. These are often very simple daily details but they make me smile. Scooter Kid for instance and Mindy the dog. Draw, Create, Make Something Beautiful Art has many therapeutic benefits. One of my kids is very much tiny making art as a therapy tool, so you can also help elevate someone else with this. Draw something and post it in your window to brighten the neighbourhood or paint a picture and deliver it by mail to a relative you haven’t seen recently. Pay a Compliment Show gratitude and share some joy by simply eating a kindness forward and paying someone a compliment. My youngest daughter is excellent at this. They tell random strangers how much they love their nails or hair or simply say have a great day. It all helps and the positive smile is rewarding. Make a Gratitude Jar Craft This gratitude jar craft is a great craft for families. Here’s how to make yours. Gratitude Jar for Kids You can do this gratitude jar craft a couple of different ways. Print these two sheets out and make it a fun little two dimensional drawing activity. Or, go get a mason jar and make it a fully hands on gratitude activity that resonates. I veer towards hands on here because that’s the kind of thing that’s always spoken to my kids. We’re a hands on kind of family. It’s how the kids learn. Finding Gratitude How do you find gratitude or how do you show gratitude? Sometimes I write down things I am grateful for. When things seem overwhelming I give that a lot of work. There are many days when it’s hard to find any reason to be grateful for anything especially during the pandemic, but doing these every week or even periodically can help to shift your mindset. That helps everyone in my family and I hope it helps yours too. Don’t Miss These Other Craft Ideas

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Happy Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt for Families

Paula — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 07:07:00 +0000

This season, I am hunting down easy activities that remind us to find gratitude and give thanks. This Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt is a fun way to find some gratitude and involve the entire family in the process. What are Your Thankful For? Finding Gratitude in the every day and celebrating that can be hard work. I have been working on this during the year and I can tell you some days I succeed and others not so much. This year has tested most of us, I think. Typically, I start my day with a gratitude exercise, but to be very honest that is sometimes forgotten when I am dragging myself out of bed and I am totally drained of energy. Food is Worth Celebrating Thanksgiving is one of my daughter’s favourite holidays because of the turkey actually. She lives for turkey cooked by my husband and sometimes cooked by her uncle or aunt. So there’s always food to be grateful for and frankly sharing a meal and laughter with friends is one of the greatest ways to celebrate and enjoy each other’s company. Even on the hardest days, I still believe that it is always worth trying to find and express gratitude daily. Thanksgiving is a time traditionally when we make a moment for that practice. Ultimately, I like to remind myself though that no matter where I am in the world on Thanksgiving Day, I have a lot to give thanks for. What are Your Plans This Year? This year we will be here in Ontario, Canada for Thanksgiving. For a few years, I travelled every Thanksgiving, but our tradition is to visit my brother and his family in Toronto. I look forward to making that trip again this coming month. Hopefully, Ontario continues to heal from Coronavirus and numbers don’t climb again. Of course, we will be watching the numbers and advisories closely and if they creep up then we will need to adjust our expectations. Thanksgiving is for Family It seems like it has been forever since we drove to Toronto. For months we were all social distancing and unable to drive even so far as Toronto just two hours away. As soon as the restrictions lifted though, they drove to see us and to stay with us for a weekend in July. That was so overdue and welcome. In August, we visited them in Sauble Beach at a cottage. How to get this Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt This year I might print this Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt out and take it with me. I will most definitely be collecting seed pods and saving them for the spring. Checking that off the list soon. You might also appreciate the seasonal Crossword Puzzle. Happy Thanksgiving! My family, good health and a job I love are all things that I give thanks for today and every day. What are you grateful for today?

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Love Out Loud with Teleflora for the Holidays

Paula — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 12:54:04 +0000

Love out loud. Christmas is a wonderful time to celebrate all your loves. Around Thanksgiving we start reflecting in earnest on the year that has gone by and the spirit of gratitude and thankfulness is high. It would be lovely if that was the case all year round but sometimes we need reminders of what we are grateful for. That’s sort of what Teleflora’s #LoveOutLoud campaign is about. Gratitude, thankfulness and love. Love Out Loud is more than the tag line for Teleflora’s #LoveOutLoud campaign. The idea has been around forever, as long as love has existed. Live out Loud and Love Out Loud sort of mean the same thing to me. Go Big or Go Home. Show your feelings and let people know that you appreciate them, love them, and are thankful they are in your life. When you care about someone, let them know it through both words and deeds. Remind them often how special they are to you. I do that with my girls all the time. In fact, love out loud is part of my daily style with family. This is also how I was raised actually and I am forever grateful for that. Expressing love has always been easy here. It’s something we do daily. I never want my kids to question how much I love them or even whether I care enough to show it. I love you. Three little words that show so much. They matter and I tell my kids daily. To me, flowers show love. They are beautiful to look at and appreciate and they make the home so much cheerier this time of year especially. Flowers lift everyone’s spirits on gloomy dark winter days. Maybe you are not as expressive as we are. A beautiful bouquet of flowers, a lovely seasonal arrangement can be a way to help facilitate the words. Love Out Loud with Teleflora Teleflora wants everyone to #LoveOutLoud this holiday season. To get everyone in the love out loud, holiday spirit, Teleflora will be unveiling a series of sharable online videos beginning on December 13th. These videos will profile real people as they declare their love one bouquet at a time! The holidays are the perfect time to go overboard, so check out all of Teleflora’s social media platforms as well as their website to see how other people went above and beyond in their #LoveOutLoud videos. These videos are the perfect inspiration for us so we can love out loud, as well. And since I’m a big Teleflora fan, I’ll be sharing love out loud with their beautiful bouquets for the holiday season. Holiday Bouquets Teleflora has some amazing holiday bouquets to share this season. These bouquets make the perfect holiday gifts, because they’re more than just flowers in a vase. They are works of art that bring the spirit of Christmas right into the home, making them the perfect addition to the mantle or a great centerpiece. Winter Pines Centerpiece I already have this one looking stunning as a centrepiece in the dining room of my home, and I love it. This gorgeous bouquet features two red candles surrounded by creme roses, holiday greens, metallic gold pine cones, and ornaments. There’s a hint of sparkle to this one that the girls love. And the vase is beautiful. It will make a great keepsake long after the flowers have faded. That reminds me, it’s time to get the Peanuts, Snoopy themed cookie jar keepsake out from last year’s collection! Vintage Sleigh Bouquet Love out loud with this sleigh bouquet. Filled with red blooms, matte copper ornaments, snow-tipped pine cones, and the scents of fresh Douglas Fir and cedar, this bouquet is a perfect addition to Christmas decor. LOVE this one too. So pretty and cheery. Classic Pearl Ornament Bouquet A keepsake ceramic ornament jar holds an explosion of red blooms, pine cones, evergreen sprigs, and pearl ornaments. Send a Hug Bear Buddy Bouquet An explosion of red and white blooms, holiday greens, and red berry and snow-tipped pine cone accents are drawn together with a frosted, hand-blown glass cube. And even the cube has a little something extra because it’s hugged by an adorable holiday polar bear. Woodland Winter Bouquet A beautiful reflective glass cube holds gorgeous red and white blooms, accented with Douglas Fir, eucalyptus, snow-tipped pine cones, and silver ornaments. Thomas Kinkade’s Family Tree Bouquet Nothing says the holidays like Thomas Kinkade. Teleflora has an exclusive bouquet featuring a hand-crafted, hand-painted tree picking scene surrounded by red and white blooms, holiday greens, red ornaments, and pine cones. Gorgeous!! Love Out Loud with Amazing Bouquets This Christmas Every year, Teleflora sends me one of their stunning winter arrangements. I can’t tell you how happy they make me. Teleflora has some of the FRESHEST bouquets you can find, and that’s why I love them. They don’t just ship out bouquets from a central location and hope they get to you in good shape. They have over 10,000 florists in North America alone, and these florists prepare your bouquets, so you have the freshest gift possible! This year, I’ll remember to love out loud with words and flowers and the gift of time too. I received product or other compensation for this post. My opinion is all my own and it is also truthful.

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