17 Thanksgiving Games Your Kids Will Obsess Over…(not my title)

Okay—I must admit.  I sat down to find a simple activity for today for my kiddos.  Today, in Poland, is All Saints’ Day.  It’s a day that families spend time together at the graves of their family members and later with family.  It’s a very peaceful day.

Because Max has pneumonia, we have decided to stay quiet at home.  My husband just arrived home Monday night.  Tuesday night, Ada had half her class over for a Halloween party, and then there is today.  A beautiful day of rest.

We have played Sorry.  We have cuddled next to a fire.  We are currently coloring around the table.  We have made sugar cookies.  We are loving each moment.

But I thought—Why not start today being thankful?

I know many of you do the entire month.

I do not.  I am not that organized.

So I sat and Googled and found this:  Woman’s Day Thanksgiving Activities for Families

It really has fun and simple activities.  I can tell you—we’ll probably only do about 3.  But those that will do will be fun!

Maybe you’re more proactive and active than we — so I hope you REALLY enjoy this site!

Happy 40th birthday to my brother, Casey!  Happy All Saints’ Day in Poland.  And Happy beginning of a beautiful month of thankfulness to YOU and YOURS!

xoxo b

The Way a Toddler Prays. Don’t Hinder It. Learn from It!

My son does not start his prayers reverently with, “Dear Heavenly Father…”
Or even, “Dear Lord God…”
Not even, “Dear…”
He starts them by folding his hands in front of his body.
He hovers over his food.
He looks at his plate of food.
He looks all around him.
And then he prays.
“Mommy, Daddy, Sissy Adelyne, GoGo (our family’s affectionate name for Josephine), Nana, Papa…”
This is where he pauses and looks around,
“Apple juice, nana (for banana this time), Minnie plate, ah, (short pause and then he points his finger up in the air as if he thought of it) Ruby Max (as in the television show), fork…”  And the list goes on.

Maxwell takes his time when he prays.  He prays for those dearest to his heart first.

After that, he begins thanking God for what he loves (not people related).

Following that, he takes time to look around him and thank God for what is in his surrounding, appreciating even the fork that he uses to eat his food.

Sometimes we hold our hands forever while we wait for this little boy to finish his lengthy prayer…I may even sigh.  Or try to hurry him along.

But, and perhaps it’s because it’s the 2-yr-old age of stubbornness, he does not allow our influence to affect his prayer.  When he is done sharing with God what he is grateful for—when he is finished sharing his heart of gratitude, THEN and only then does he shout excitedly, throwing his hands into the air, “AMEN!”

And his small sister next to him, Josephine, gets a HUGE grin on her face and wildly air slaps her hands (because the coordination of clapping them together is still to be learned—she is 10 months).

Maxwell and Josephine rejoice in prayer time.

And by the end of his prayers, no matter how cold our food is getting, his heart of gratitude and devotion to express praise for it all, rubs off on us, too.  Where we may have found ourselves sighing moments earlier in hopes that his gratitude would run out, seeing his excitement and rejoicing about those he loves and the gifts of life around him rekindles sparks in our hearts that serve to remind us that our time with God, no matter the circumstances, should never be rushed.

Even at the dinner table.

Thanksgiving all Pilgrim and Fajita Style

From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the definition of thanksgiving (not the holiday) is:  1.  the act of giving thanks  2.  a prayer expressing gratitude  3.  a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness

And pilgrim is:  1.  one who journeys in foreign lands :  wayfarer  2.  one who travels to a shrine or holy place as a devotee  3. capitalized  :  one of the English colonists settling at Plymouth in 1620

And, therefore, today as we celebrate capital THANKSGIVING, we do it as pilgrims full of thanksgiving.  Ones that have journeyed to a foreign land and participated in the act/prayer/public acknowledgement of God’s divine goodness in our lives.  

But, because we live in a foreign country and are a bit on the side of rebels anyway, we decided to be Pilgrims all Fajita style!

We hope your day of family and giving thanks was fantastically wonderful!

Thanks for joining our crazy,

B and R and our gang of rebel Pilgrims…Enjoying life fajita-style

*Only cows and chickens suffered at the hands of our meal.  All turkeys were spared*

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.  4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.  Psalm 100 (NKJV)

Knockdown, drag-out fight in Costco…Today, I appreciate my family!

We had just walked into Costco, flashing our membership cards and happy about our adventure together…

Yep.  My sister and I had no children and a large factory store in front of us.  Giddiness was bubbling up inside our carefree souls!

Costco to adults is like a toy store to children.  Except better.  Because it also gives out free samples of food!

Of course we saw Tina when we walked in, “Hello, Tina!”  Small chatter, chatter, chatter.  Tina’s one of the leaders of our Bible study that we attend.  Boy, we were off to a great start.

Sisters.  Together.  Costco.  Seeing Tina.  No kids.  Free samples of food awaiting a breastfeeding momma (in case you didn’t know, breastfeeding mommas are always hungry!).

We had our carts and our spirits of adventure.  Off we went…

Clothes.  First stop.  Look at all of those clothes!  And the prices, “Oh my!”  I felt like Dorothy on the yellow brick road.

Piling the carts with unneeded clothes was easy…and then maneuvering part two began.

Fresh fruits and veggies.  Yep.  Freezing cold.  Run in, grab produce, run out!

Oh, can we stop by the diaper aisle?  Cart’s getting full now—I have my Costco-sized box of diapers that will basically barely last a day (I can’t imagine how my mom raised 3 under 3 with cloth diapers…she must of spent her days dumping diapers and washing them to only dump and wash again).  Oh, and don’t forget the Costco-sized box of baby wipes.  All at bargain prices.

Wee…This really was fun!

Then it happened.  We entered the water aisle.

I bet you never thought the water aisle was so dark, eh?!

And then she happened.  That’s right.  My sister.  My OLDER sister.

She told me what to do.

Whoa there.  Hold back.  Stop the horses, missy!  Did you just tell me what to do?  You do realize that I am a 36-year-old mother of two with a husband.  And I have been living in a foreign country for 12 years.  Yes…you do realize that is me, right?!  The person that you feel you need to direct and “boss” around!

Uh-oh…Because then it REALLY happened.  She started to cry.  Not just a small tear.  Nose blowing, loud, sobbing, tears.  And she is a tall redhead, which means, you can’t miss her!

Shoppers were running out of our aisle, trying to get out of the way!

I took one look at my sister and realized that I had really done it.  Flew off the handle.

Sisters!  One older…One younger…Both in the water aisle of Costco.  Fighting.  And neither of us are quiet…

One offended and huffy.  The other offended and crying.

And then it hit me.

My sister is my sister, and forever my sister she will be.  Just because we are now grown doesn’t mean that she stopped being my older sister.

When we were younger, I would walk in the house after school and she would say, “Unload the dishwasher!”

And I stubbornly would retort, “You are not my mom!”

But, you see, that’s the precious thing about siblings.  There is a pecking order.  And there is an order of responsibility and care.  I see it every day in my home with my own children, Adelyne and Maxwell…

Adelyne is the oldest.  And a lot of responsibility is heaped onto her shoulders. But the precious thing is, she doesn’t seem to mind.  She gladly watches over and takes care of her brother.   And she always seems to do it with such joy.  Why?  Probably because Maxwell is her brother.  Her little brother.  She is proudly his big sister.  Just like Darby is mine…My big sister!

That day, in the water aisle of Costco, watching my sister cry, I realized one thing.

My sister didn’t boss me around to be bossy.  She bossed me around because she had my best intentions at heart.

Thinking about it now, in hindsight, telling me to “unload the dishwasher” wasn’t such a bad command either.  Part 1:  It helped my mom not have to do it when she got home (we were all assigned chores, dishwasher must have been mine).  Part 2:  If I got my chores done and out of the way, I actually had the rest of the afternoon to play.

And no matter how old we grow, how many children we have, how many years of marriage we have under our belt, how many countries we live in.  No matter what, she will always be Darby, my older sister.  She will always be looking out for me, caring for me, making suggestions that she thinks will benefit me.

Not only will she forever be my friend…but forever my older sister she will be.

And I can either learn to huff when she makes a suggestion.  Or I can learn to pause and think…

After all, she has been taking care of me my entire life.  Why should she stop now?

Yep…A snotty, loud fight in Costco brought me to reality.  And that reality is this:  family is forever.  And that’s a blessing.

Even the pecking order.  Just ask my younger brother, Casey!

Teaching your children an attitude of gratitude

Helping your children learn the art of THANKS!

Our son, Maxwell, is 18 months old and he is finally starting to string a couple words together.

Before now, it was mostly singular words.  His favorite appear to be:

BaBa for Blankie

BoBo for Pacifier

Crack-a for Cracker

Mommmmmmmmmma!!!! (Imagine it shouted with great excitement at the top of his voice)

Dadda

Sissy

Ada for Sissy’s Polish name

Woof-Woof for puppy

Hop Hop for bunny

& Hot dog (he probably believes it’s one word)

Well, you get the idea…

But now it’s progressing.  He said “A ball” the other day.  I know.  Genius!  And, “Bye-bye, Sissy!”  I’m telling you…straight to university for this kid.

Problem.  The two words Thank and You put together to make “Thank you!”

As much as we use it with EVERY instance that he is given something or does something or completes a task as asked and we say, “Thank you,” the adorable little booger does not say it back.

We serve him food and say, “Say ‘Thank you’, Max.”  And he stuffs his face.  Nom, nom, nom!

Those two words simply do not roll off of his tongue.

And, in my humble mom opinion, I think it comes down to this…He says what he is excited about.

So what I need to do is teach him Gratitude with the right Attitude!

I need to help my son become EXCITED about Gratitude.

How do you do that?

It’s a great question!

My daughter is 7, and she has, since about 6 weeks of age, been involved in our foundation for the homeless and poor in Poland.

At first, of course, there wasn’t much she could do.  I mean.  They (the people at our soup kitchen) could hold her, and kiss her, and cuddle her.  They considered Adelyne “their” baby!  And it was precious.  And she was a blessing.

But she was a baby.  And it’s hard to teach a baby gratitude, even though the bundle that she was brought great joy to the people that came for breakfast.

As she grew, however, we tried to involve her as a wee one in our events.  Now at the soup kitchen instead of only being held and cuddled, she began to serve the food.  Bringing plates and cups or picking up trash.

At our church event, “Don’t Go to Church, Serve Sunday!” she and many other little hands helped make banana bread, plant flowers, and serve meals.

She did all of these things with a GREAT attitude because she was excited about them.  She got to be involved.  She got to get her hands dirty.  She got to participate.  And she was made to feel like an important part of the team!

And these are a few key elements in helping your children develop the right attitude for gratitude.

Here are five ideas to help you teach your children an attitude of gratitude:

1.  Pray —Teach them how to pray with thanksgiving in their hearts for what God has given them in their lives.

2.  Passion — Find their passions and start with those.

*Are they passionate about animals?  Take them to an animal shelter to help.

*Cooking?  Help them make cookies for an elderly neighbor.

*Nature?  Take them to the local park and help them clean up.

*Christmas?  Help them choose a Christmas Angel (or other locally sponsored event)

*Clothes?  Help them choose a couple of their outfits that are too small but in great and beautiful shape to donate to a local clothing closet.

3.  Serve — Take them places that they may not initially be passionate about and teach them how to serve along the way.  Lead them by example!

*There is probably a soup kitchen in your local area that will let children participate.

*Feed My Starving Children allows kids and parents to pack food for children that are starving throughout the world (age 5 and older can participate).

*Take them to homes of single mothers and children and help them put together a program of fun!  We have always brought Adelyne with us to homes such as these.  It’s great for her to interact and see that kids are still kids.  Living conditions and life conditions may differ, but, in the end, the joys of being a child remain the same!

*Nursing homes.  Not only are you teaching your children to love, the joy you bring into a home is indescribable.

*Help take care of an elderly neighbor’s property.  Perhaps you have an aging neighbor.  Can you help pull weeds, paint a fence, or go grocery shopping for your neighbor?  Maybe it’s even as simple as making and delivering a meal to them or drawing a picture for them.  Any act, whether big or small, will bring smiles to their faces, light in their eyes, and joy to their hearts.

*Mission Trips.  Gasp. I couldn’t do that, it’s too dangerous.  Um.  I am pretty sure there are children in other countries, too.  Showing them the world may give them the passion to help change the world.

But, if you are unable to go during this time in your life, do what these amazing 6th graders in Oklahoma did for kids in Ivory Coast—they made them clothes!  So when you can’t go—send!  It still opens the world up for children and is a blessing all around.

4.  Love — Show them that Jesus loves without barriers.

Yes, it’s important to be careful but, at the same time, teach your children to shake hands, hug, or love on people that may be considered forbidden.  The Pope recently embraced a man that many would have shunned.  The depiction of the beauty in that embrace touched my heart and soul.  I want my daughter to have that same passion for every person she meets—whether they are clean and pristine or whether they are poor and unkempt.  Love should never have a boundary. Teach your children the same!

5.  Give — Help them save a portion of their money for a charity of choice.

*Adelyne saves money every year for the participants at our New Life Center.  And once a year she gives the money towards the Center (usually for Christmas gifts).  She made a piggy bank that specifically ONLY goes towards these men.  So, on top of teaching tithing, savings, and “fun” money, she has been taught OFFERINGS.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  Money is very exciting to children.  So it’s sometimes hard for them to release it from their grubby fingers.

My daughter went once and robbed her own piggy bank.  She really wanted a Barbie, and she descended the stairs with a bag of money.  I said, “Adelyne, where did you get this money because I know your Toy Store piggy bank is empty?”  Eventually she told me she robbed her own piggy bank.

And so I asked, “And what about the money for the men at the New Life Center?  Did you rob that bank too?”

She admitted, “Well, I wanted to, but I couldn’t remember where I put it!”

Hahahahahaha.  You have to admit, that is childishly adorable and cute all wrapped into one.

My point is—it’s not always easy for children to learn the art of giving—but it is possible to teach our children that sharing even our money with others brings great joy to their hearts and blesses those that receive.

Pray, Passion, Serve, Love, and Give.  These are 5 words with great impact.

And with Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, it’s the perfect time to start incorporating them not only into your own hearts and lives but into the hearts and lives of your children, too.

An attitude of gratitude? 

If you raise your children with this heart of appreciation for what they have and a heart of giving to others, “Thank you” will become a beautiful part of their vocabulary…

And this is our hope for Maxwell, too!

Our washer and dryer sit on our porch, and I am thankful. Thrilled even!

I love this 30 days of thanks.  I’ve seen many Facebook funnies that have said that it’s the time where everyone else that has been complaining all year takes a break and gives 30 days of thanks.  Well, even if that is the case, I am still enjoying reading why people around the world are grateful.  Why they are thankful.  Why they are blessed.

It’s a whole bunch of warm fuzzies going around, and I am appreciating each post read.

And so, today, I would like to share two things I am especially grateful for:  our washer and dryer.

Where are they located?

On our outside porch!

Now, you see, when I was teaching in the States before we ever moved to Poland, I remember the counselor talking about the “poor” kids that came from other countries that lived in small apartments and had their washers and dryers (gasp!) on their porches outside.

I had just come from a honeymoon in Mexico, and while we were there we traveled to some pretty remote areas.  We talked with many locals.  And we saw many things.  Things such as kids walking a mile to go to school two days a week.  Things such as children going down to the local creek to scrub their clothes with a bucket.  Things such as kids having to use outside toilets with no water—therefore they had to go and scoop water into a bucket to pour into the toilet so it would flush.

These were just a few of the things we saw or experienced, and I thought, “Man!  I am pretty sure these people that we had just visited would really appreciate a washer and dryer—even if it had to be located on their porch!”

And then we moved to Poland.  Half of the time in our first flat, we wouldn’t have electricity.  Our washer wouldn’t work, and we would be scrubbing our clothes by hand.  And, let me tell you, jeans and sweaters being washed by hand and then DRIED in a cold environment was no piece of cake.

So, when we moved back to Arizona for this year and we were forewarned, “Oh, by the way, your washer and dryer are outside,” I didn’t think twice about it.  I was so thankful that we would have them (on loan, of course, from some GREAT peeps!).

And, truthfully, the Arizona weather is so gloriously beautiful, that doing your laundry on the porch is actually pleasant.

But then it made me think, “What would my former coworker think of my situation?  Small home, washer and dryer on porch, coming from a foreign country?”

And I giggle.  Truly.  Sometimes people lack perspective.

Roof over the head?  Check.

Health?  Check.

Clothes?  Check.

Education for my daughter?  Check.

Food in our bellies?  Check!

Love?  Abundantly!  Check.  Check.  Check!

So, this November, I am grateful for many things—including our awesome washer and dryer on our porch in beautiful Arizona!

And sunshine, and our chickens that cluck, and my baby boy that is always sick and smiles readily anyway, and my daughter that came to a foreign land (America) and yet has made great friends, for family close by, a husband that serves, and a baby in my belly that has made it past the most dangerous stages of pregnancy.

Yep.  I think as long as we keep it all in perspective, a washer and dryer on the porch are luxuries.  And, for these, we are truly thankful!