Tapping Into Creativity

I didn’t start learning to really be creative until I was an adult. I feel like such a novice at it most of the time…but love exploring and tapping into new and different creative sides of me that I didn’t realize I had!

I really want to encourage my children to be creative as well because it will open up so many doors for them. I strive to find ways to let them be creative and the more I do; the more they continue to seek that creative side of themselves on their own!

Here are just a few ways that you can encourage and help your children learn to be creative:

*Keep a craft drawer or cupboard for them. Fill it with scrap paper, glue, scissors, glitter, felt, stickers, fabric, and more.

*Give them journals or notebooks. Encourage them to write stories, thoughts, sketch, etc.

*Have play dough, legos, etch-a-sketch, magna doodle and other toys that encourage them to create something from their imagination.

*Let your kiddos make puppets out of bags or old socks.

*Play games together that reinforce creativity…like charades, pictionary, scrabble, or Cranium.

*Sit down and draw together just for fun. Have everyone take turns telling everybody what he or she will draw and then have fun seeing each individual’s interpretation of how to draw the specified object.

*Invite your children to create their own “thank-you” cards or birthday invites.

*Save extra cardboard from boxes, inserts in calendars, etc and allow your children to paint on them.

*Purchase craft projects to work on – beads for beading, crochet, needlepoint, scrap booking, wood projects, etc and let them keep their own mini project center.

*Invite them to bake or cook with you in the kitchen. Let them create their own recipes on occasion.

*Go on nature walks and gather pebbles, sticks, leaves, pinecones, pussy willows and more to do projects with.

*Sidewalk chalk!

*Music instruments – try to have at least some in your home – maracas, keyboards, harmonicas, microphones, recorders, and bongos.

Have fun relishing in the joy that creativity will bring – not just for your kids – but for your whole family.

Name Your Home

There are so many fun ideas and traditions you can implement as a family to
create memories. Some are everyday rituals that you do together to grow and
develop close bonds. Others are zany, fun, and create laughter. Then there are
those things you do to create meaning into your lives. Naming your home fits
under that category.

Your family might move a lot of times over your children's lifetimes. Maybe you
will only live in one home. Whether you move over the course of time or stay in
one place, naming your family home will make wherever you are a very special
place with a special mood, atmosphere, ambiance and flair that belongs just to
your family and creates a special identity that creates a special bond for everyone in the family.

Our family has dubbed our home " Casa Sanchez" which in Spanish means 'home of
Sanchez'. It fits us and adds to our desire of drawing upon my husband's
Mexican ancestry. My sister and her family like to call their residence “Hudson
Farm." They have quite a few pets and live in the country so that name fit the
mood they felt within their family. There are so many fun and different ways
you can choose to name your home. You can choose to take that one special name with
you wherever you go or name each place as you discover it and experience the different tone of your new home.

Once you name your home you can use it on invitations when inviting people over,
put it on your mailbox, make a special plaque or choose to have it engraved in a
special rock that sits outside your front door.

Enjoy the legacy you create as your family and friends refer to your home by its
chosen name and you weave the cords of love for all who enter!

Holiday Touches of Love

There are so many opportunities to give of ourselves around Christmastime. You can give gifts to children who need them, donate food to shelters or churches, and even volunteer your time.But in our quest to give; let us not forget to give to our own families. Children already receive so much attention over the Holidays. But, how about your spouse? Does he get forgotten or rushed past too quickly amidst the entire buzz?

Here are a few simple ways to add some special touches to the Christmas Season for your husband:

~ Find a Christmas movie that he recalls from his childhood. Buy it, and snuggle together under a warm blanket as you watch it together.

~ Make a tree ornament for him that symbolizes your love. Let him hang it on the tree.

~ Dance to one of the slower Holiday tunes.

~ Make some hot chocolate for him to drink as he hangs up the Christmas lights outside.

~ Utilize candles to add the atmosphere of peace and warmth each evening as your man comes home from work.

~ Hang Christmas lights around your bedposts or near the ceiling of your bedroom for a magical and romantic Holiday glow.

~ Make one of his favorite Holiday treats.

All it takes are a few small efforts to re-connect with your husband. Each romantic and thoughtful moment will draw you closer to one another and fill the Season with more love than you thought possible.

You've Been Thanked

Type or write out the words “You’ve Been Thanked” in huge letters in the middle of a piece of paper. Then draw or put a picture that represents Thanksgiving on it (something like a turkey, cornucopia, pumpkins, fall leaves, pilgrims, etc).

Put together a little bag of fun surprises or treats…. Maybe a bag of candy corn, a Thanksgiving coloring book for the kids, and a small Thanksgiving decorating item to place around the house. Give them something small and simple to show your appreciation.

Then attach a little note to the bag that tells them they are being thanked for being a great (neighbor, pastor, friend,) person and that you just wanted them to feel special and have a great Thanksgiving.

Keep one copy of the sign and put it on your door so people know you’ve receiving a bag (if you started this you don’t want to have to put together two bags) and tell the recipient that they have to thank someone else and “pass it on.”

You ring the doorbell and leave before they see who thanked them.

This is a great way to pass on a sense of appreciation in your children and in others.

A Gripe Box

I read about the idea of starting a Gripe Box once and loved the idea. As the mom of kids who sometimes bicker and complain, this can be a wonderful tool to diffuse anger. This can help everyone involved sort things out in a calm, rational manner.

Get a box or a jar - whatever you prefer and decorate it. Put it somewhere where you can see it on a daily basis - in your kitchen is a great spot. Then as you have gripes, you go in and write them down on a small piece of paper or an index card and put them in the box.

At the end of every month, you can empty the box or jar out and take a look at everyone's gripes. You will all be surprised at how irrelevant most of them are at a later date. Some of them you might want to discuss and talk about, finding a solution or coming up with a plan for your children of how to handle the problem later on.

You can teach each other how to problem - solve and how to work together as a team to talk out your gripes. Watch it even turn into a fun thing.

Secret Piece of Trash

Both of my children had a wonderful first grade teacher. To motivate the students to pick up garbage and trash at the end of a school day, she would have them play a game called “secret piece of trash.” She would choose one child to secretly select one piece of trash around the room. Then when everything was all cleaned up, they would tell her which student threw away that particular trash item. The winning student got a small piece of candy.

I adapted this game and use it in my home sometimes. When toys and things seem to be getting a little out of control – I go through my whole house and write down some “secret items.” Granted, they are not trash, they are toys. I tell my girls to pick up and that we are playing “secret item” and they go and clean up. Depending on how messy things are, I will select anywhere from 3 to 15 things. Maybe it’s a hat that didn’t get put away, shoes left in the kitchen, or just some toys lying about.

When my girls come to me and tell me they are done picking up – I walk through the house. I ask which girl picked up my secret items. Whoever it was, gets a small piece of candy. I am not big on candy rewards, so I use very small candy – like an m&m per item, a lemonhead, sweet tart, etc. If the particular item I wrote down did not get picked up – no one gets a piece of candy but they still have to put it away. And sometimes, one girl will get more than the other. I don’t compensate for this. It’s just the way it gets played out. They need to learn that life’s not fair and you earn what you get.

This method has worked really well for me. I do not do it all of the time. I want my children to pick up because they care about their toys and belongings, because they choose to obey me, and because they are learning to be responsible. But every once in awhile, when I feel they need a nudge and the job can be overwhelming – I use the “secret piece of trash” game to help them along.

Happy Birthdays

Your child’s birthday is coming up again. It gets harder and harder to come up with new and fresh ideas.

Here are a variety of fun, low-cost, and unique ideas that hopefully can put the fun back into your birthday party planning.

*Have a football party for boys. Let them watch the game together with pizza, chips and pop. Just like the adults!

*Have the kids decorate the cake for a change. Have them come up with the them and let them have fun in the kitchen together while they do it.

*For older girls – have them decorate old jeans. They can put on school colors and draw mascots and wear them all to the basketball game together.

*Have a backyard campout. You can either do it in sleeping bags on the back lawn under the stars or in tents. (You may want to have parental supervision all night long if the kids are younger).

*Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes – Pour cake mix into a cone and bake for 30 min.

A hand party for younger children. Have a tablecloth decorated with handprints. Use finger foods and have goodie bags with playdough and finger puppets.

*Girls will love having a Beauty Parlor Party. Get a few moms to help out and have stations. They can get their fingernails and toenails painted, their hair curled or French braided, simple makeup or glitter applied and a dash of purfume. They can even drink sparkling cider out of plastic goblets while they wait their turns!

Make sure to take pictures…….