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.