THE AWKWARD MOM

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Tag: holiday (page 2 of 2)

Holiday Rerun: Happy Thanksgiving! FREE Scripture Art

November 25, 2019 / / 0 Comments
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Happy Thanksgiving! I love that we still celebrate a day of gratitude. I don’t want to hop over it in my scurry on to Christmas.

I’m hoping for more than a quick, compulsory burst of gratitude tending to last five minutes over some corn muffins. I’m thinking about how to make lifestyle of Thank you, God–over and over, thank you for us as a family. Because naturally over here, we lean toward patting ourselves on the back.

We’re working on covering a window with sticky notes of things we’re grateful for. (You can grab more you-can-totally-do-this gratitude ideas for families in this post. Threw some free printable thank-you notes for kids in there.) read more

Spiritual Life Skills for Kids: Gratitude (PRINTABLE THANK YOU NOTES!)

November 15, 2019 / / 0 Comments
Reading Time: 3 minutes

1. The running list.

At dinner each night of November, see if your family can collectively think of 10 more things you’re thankful for. Keep a running list.

2. Turkey day decor.

A vase filled with your list written on slips of paper, or written scrawled on kraft paper doubling as a Thanksgiving tablecloth—complete with Sharpies or crayons prompting guests to add their own.

I am thankful for... craft paper table cover

3. The classic: Thank you notes.

Set a small, doable goal for yourself to send out a certain number of thank-you notes to people who might be a little clueless as to just how much you appreciate them. You might also consider enclosing a small gift card (think Starbucks, Amazon, iTunes) to add an exclamation point to your gratitude.

thank you notePrint polka-dot thank you notes here.

airmail thank you notes read more

How to Help Kids Create New Year’s Goals (FREE PRINTABLE)

January 1, 2019 / / 0 Comments
Reading Time: 2 minutes

new year goals for kids

So–it’s cool that I have a lot of friends who are are smarter than I am in a smorgasbord of ways.

Last night, sitting with my friend Amber–a stellar junior high teacher, which means she is to be praised in more ways than one–she mentioned she’d be helping her kids with New Year’s goals. She bases their goal-setting on Luke 2:52: And Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.  read more

A Christmas Blessing. Sort of

December 21, 2018 / / 0 Comments
Reading Time: 4 minutes

May all your kids come home, and may they get along with each other. Or at least fake it.

May you have a white Christmas to the point that you feel Christmas-y and can say no to an activity you didn’t really want to go to, but don’t lose electricity and heat. May everyone wipe their boots. read more

Why You’re Holding Christmas at Arm’s Length

December 18, 2018 / / 0 Comments
Reading Time: 5 minutes

This morning I schlepped over to the home a friend of mine. A stay-at-home mom of three preschoolers, she feels limited in what she can offer the community. But my hat goes off to her: She invited an adult day program to her home to sing carols, read the Christmas story from the Bible, and a enjoy pretty great spread of snacks.

Somewhere in the middle of the singing, I remembered that besides just wanting to love on the participants or go through the happy holiday motions, I wanted the carols to sink into my heart, too.

But I also know that somewhere, a part of me resists this. read more

16 More Fun, No-Screen Ideas to Occupy Kids on Christmas Break

December 14, 2018 / / 0 Comments
Reading Time: 5 minutes

Missed the first list? Grab it here.

Note: You are not the cruise director/court jester/general fun planner for your home. There are great benefits to kids being bored– and there are even dangers to our kids having the expectation they will always be entertained.

My kids will have some extra chores over break (trust me; there will be extra mess), and it’s really important to me that they not think their world is about them.

But sometimes it’s great to have a few ideas up your sleeve to create memories, get creative, serve others (the first list has printable thank you notes, too!), and have meaningful quality time together, soaking up childhood. read more

Quick-tips Holiday Survival Guide to Awkward Family Situations

November 21, 2017 / / 0 Comments
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Holiday gatherings with family can be fraught with frustration, hurt, and old habits–right alongside the pumpkin pie. Here, a few ideas to help you cook up a happier, freer Thanksgiving and beyond.

Deeper: 12 (Printable) Journaling Ideas for a Christmas of the Soul

December 2, 2016 / / 0 Comments
Reading Time: 4 minutes

One thing I picked up from my Christmases in Uganda: All the glitter and hype of Christmas does have a purpose beyond the secular.

God created seven feasts for the Old Testament Hebrews, which clues me in; these occurred in the same seasons. Maybe the Israelites knew Hadassah made the best matzoh, or Great-Aunt Hephzibah made the best lamb broth, or that the air was filled with chaff after harvest. Heck, Jesus’ big debut was making wine from water for a wedding. The Bible ends with His own wedding. God’s the pinnacle of our joy, of our feasts and revelry. And I think He uses our senses—the whiff of evergreen; the clam dip (it’s a Breitenstein thing); the twinkle lights; Jack Frost nipping at your nose—to cement our minds to what we can’t see.

9 Simple, uber-practical ways to express gratitude this month

November 17, 2015 / / 0 Comments
Reading Time: 3 minutes
9 Ways to Express Gratitude This Month!
  1. At dinner each night of November, see if your family can collectively think of 10 more things you’re thankful for. Keep a running list—and consider making it into a creative decoration for Thanksgiving Day: A vase filled with your list written on slips of paper, or written artfully onto craft paper that covers the table—complete with Sharpies or crayons prompting guests to add their own.
I am thankful for... craft paper table cover
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