Ingraining an Attitude of Gratitude

Have you ever realized how whining and complaining can just wear you down?  This behavior can either make or break a day.
I am a firm believer that you can break a whiner and you can instill gratitude with intentional practice.


The old saying that the "apple does not fall far from the tree" is quite accurate.
Are you a grateful person?


My mom is a woman who is often speaking thanksgiving and blessing and because it was ingrained in me at a young age I feel like I have the much the same attitude.  I saw it day in and out.  I heard it daily.  It was a natural thing.


www.cumchb.org/sermons/2009/090426_sermon.doc

You will find the above story interesting.  It tells of a man who puts a bracelet on in an attempt to keep it on the same wrist for 21 days straight.  If he complained he would have to switch wrists and start counting all over again. 
You could use any latex bracelet and write on it with a marker if you wanted.

You know what?  I think that it is worth a try!  Go get a bracelet for each member of the family and see what happens.  Yes it will be work...Yes it will take time to break a habit.  Yes you will do all those around you  a huge  favor if you are able to get your whining and complaining under control.

It simply draws our attention to something we don't even notice anymore.  
Come on !  Let's try it!
Ice cream sundae for the winner!!

Blessings!

March

OK I believe we will all agree that it's time for winter to be over. The calendar is even saying it... about 2 weeks left ..then SPRING

Here's a fun thing to do with the family.

Turn the heat up, everyone get on their bathing suits and/or shorts and t-shirts and celebrate spring with the First Picnic of the Year!

Lay a sheet /blanket/tablecloth on the living room floor . Get out the paper plates, chips, and pickles. Maybe Dad will even fire up the grill for some hamburgers and hot dogs. You can do s'mores in the oven or microwave and talk about summer. This does not have to be fancy, just memorable.

Have each child find one thing in the house that reminds them of summer; towel, shell, sand pail, plant, tennis racket etc and then let them tell why they picked it. Perhaps you can take turns making up a story that includes all the items. Turn the lights off after you eat and lay on the floor in the dark. Think...sing some songs....tell a secret or favorite summer memory, or just dream out loud of your favorite summer vacation! You could play a game of memory with some items on a tray that everyone can look at for one minute and then mom takes the tray and removes one or two items and everyone needs to guess what is missing....or just take the tray away totally and see who can remember the most things...you could make teams.

Sometimes we just need to be spontaneous (with a little planning) If this is not your norm..TRY IT! It can't hurt ! This will make a memory and the kids will have something fun to talk about in school the next day!

(Mom go to the dollar store and buy everyone a pair of sunglasses!) You might even want to put on some Beach Boy music and dance.. The sky is the limit!

Have fun!
Blessings

Company

When was the last time you "entertained"?

I can imagine that some have just started to turn off the computer.

Entertained???? Are you crazy???? Do you have any idea what my house looks like? How busy I am? What my life is like??!!

Whoa!
Take a deep breath....

How about a cup of tea with a good friend? I know (for a fact) that someone's cluttery house does not bother me at all . Why?...Because it's not mine!

In this ultra busy time of the 21st century we have lost touch with our neighbor. We actually may not even know our neighbor! Even family visits are far and few between. We have lost touch. Busyness has taken over.

The computer's email, twitter and facebook and your cell phone have all aided in this dearth of physical, personal contact.

Isn't it interesting that people add porches, scattered with rockers, to their homes and they're not for use but curb appeal! Crazy.

Take some time back...Be intentional. Make a plan and a date. It can be tea at the kitchen counter, lunch on paper plates or an easy dinner of delivered pizza. Don't make it too difficult or complicated.

JUST DO IT!!

It's important. Our children need to know that people are important, that these times can be fun. Get the whole family involved! Turn off the TV .... the show is not that important!

Paper plates and peanut butter sandwiches would be such a treat to many young families.You could even invite them to the indoor picnic that I wrote about a couple of days ago. Let your company bring part of the meal. Be creative....have fun!

This is also a good time to see how your children are doing with other children and adults. This can be fodder for many teachings in the days to come
Blessings!

If you are enjoying these parenting tips I would ask that you forward them to friends. They in turn can email me at marnie.gileadsbalm@gmail.com and I will put them on my mailing list. They can also be found on my facebook page by friending me and lastly by going to http://www.comeinandrest.blogspot.com where you will see the compliation of all that has been written.