Memories and healthy recipes for your dinner table.
Artwork: “A Picnic Party” by: Blacklock William Kay Courtesy of RussianPaintings.net My favorite area in San Francisco is the timeless scene of Golden Gate park. Upon entering the large grassy area we are greeted by dozens of blankets spread across the lawn. There are bicyclist, …
A tradition of family handiwork has a long history. In centuries past mothers passed on the art of sewing to their daughters. Fathers taught their sons to hunt and fish. In today’s society there is a plethora of resources available for instruction in every facet …
Photo and Art of decoupage box by: Haru
It is a brand new year with many amazing possibilities. The kids and I spent New Year’s weekend going through a box of my belongings from long ago that my mom sent to me for Christmas. The box was filled with old letters from another lifetime and volumes of classic literature. The kids were delighted by the colorful array of cards. The New Year Treasure Box is a fun way to hang on to all the treasures and maybe even a few nuggets of coal.
During the month of January gather the family together to decorate envelopes or small boxes to hold their personal treasures.
Treasures can be the recording or lyrics to a favorite song, tickets to a memorable concert, a journal entry, pictures, art, trinkets from a vacation or outing, a dream, a wish…. anything that makes a memorable impression.
At the end of the year on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day during a scheduled family time give everyone the spotlight to share their favorite treasures. The New Year treasure box gives us, the parents, a clear view of our children’s interests by what they view as treasures. We may even find that what we thought was a treasure at the beginning of the year is of no interest later on. Pick a few of the most treasured pieces to reamin in the box. The rest may be disposed of or placed in a separate remembrance binder or box.
*This activity can also be done by hanging a string on the wall. Clip the treasures to the string.
Artwork: Tres Reyes Magos, (Author’s name unavailable) Our daughter was not in the mood to take down the tree and put away the Christmas decorations. I can sympathize with her; I felt the same way. December seemed to rush by like the wind. Next thing …
Artwork: Home Dinner II (Family Series) by Yau Bee The smell of the hall closet in my home growing up is one of my favorite smells. The closet is where my mom stored all the Christmas boxes. I remember as a child becoming so anxious …
This month’s website review is on one of my three favorite craft sites: Root and Wings. I came across the site last year when I was looking for a book my sister-n-law recommended on the importance of family traditions. I am not sure if this website is related to the book Roots and Wings. I did find that the sister’s who own the site Roots and Wings have a passion for the Holiday’s and the traditions surrounding them.
“Parents must give their children two things: roots and wings. Give them roots to keep them grounded through tough times. Give them wings to soar above everything, explore new worlds and fly farther than we ever did.” (Helen Bateman) Traditions are the roots that hold the family together. When our children feel safe they feel secure and confident. Their wings of imagination and creativity will let them soar to discover new things and share those ideas with their children someday.
Erika, Rebecca, Anjeanette and Katrina hope to help families establish the roots to grow from, and wings to soar with by sharing their ideas for fun traditions, stories and crafts.
Art: The Children Were Nestled by Pat White I remember as a girl when my dad went out of town for work related conferences my mom would let us sleep with her in her room. We wished we could have slumber parties all the time. …
Photo: (info unknown)
One of the best ways to bring out positive behavior is to acknowledge it. Children and teenagers especially need our encouragement. They enjoy knowing good deeds have not gone unnoticed. One way we show recognition for the positive things done throughout the day is to give a big HooYah! at the end of a day or week. At the end of the day when we gather together before bed the high fives are dolled out. As each person is recognized we all take turns giving them a high five.
This week for example our daughter got a HooYah for using a cutting board to cut her fruit on. Our oldest controlled his temper when the baby destroyed his Lego car. It also helps me focus more on remembering the positive moments during the day rather than the negative ones. The idea of applauding their successes has taught the children to feel genuinely happy for each other while learning how to help build one another up.
Photo: Dancing in the Rain, courtesy of Photo Bucket Someone once told me they were leery of overly happy people because they must be hiding something. I think that there are individuals out there who are genuinely happy. The faults of life roll off their …