THANKFUL TRADITIONS.

 

Photo via Missy Heid. Project Thankful printout from martawrites.com.

With Thanksgiving almost a week away, I thought it was time to share a few Thanksgiving traditions. You all know how much I love traditions. 

I asked Missy, a blogging friend, to share some of her family's thanksgiving traditions with Mamas Who Know. Missy and her husband, Devin, live in Southern California where they are parents to two young girls. 

Thanks for sharing your ideas Missy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

So happy to be a "guest" on Mamas Who Know. November is a favorite month at our home as we decorate with pumpkins and experiment with new turkey art projects.

Last year we started a tradition called our Thankful Jar. On November 1st I gathered my little family together and announced we would be filling the jar with things we are thankful for. Each day, we would each write something on a slip of paper (of course I helped my little girls) and stick it in the jar. It was fairly easy to figure out what my 1 year old was thankful for each day and my 3 year old caught onto it quick!

By Thanksgiving day we had just over 100 slips of paper. The results were even better than what I hoped for! Once we started writing things, more kept coming and we didn't limit ourselves to just one a day. It ended up being 2 or something 3 things a day. Small and big things alike, as we read them before eating our turkey dinner my eyes filled with tears. After a particularly tough October last year, the feelings overwhelmed me.

And so we started it again this year. My (now) four year old remembered it. My two year old understands and loves coming up with things. My husband is traveling more this year for work, but still drops in slips of paper when he is home. When he is out of town, my daughter Avery asks him what he is thankful for so we can add it to the jar. It makes me happy that she wants to hear what we as parents are grateful for each day! Again we are finding out that once we begin writing things down, the number multiplies and I find myself jotting 2, 3, or 4 things each day.

I look forward to going through them again before eating Thanksgiving dinner.

Some other things we like to do around our home...

* I got this book and my four year old loves it! We read it together and she is fascinated by the facts it provides (what do pilgrim children wear? did they take baths on the Mayflower, what was the pilgrims first winter like?) and I love that it teaches the history behind Thanksgiving day and why we celebrate it.

* I picked up a pack of multi-colored feathers at Michael's and plan on hiding them around the backyard for a turkey-hunt (think: egg hunt at Easter, but with turkey feathers!)

* Both my girls love to help me in the kitchen. So, we have been baking lots of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! We always end up taking some to our neighbors with a hand print turkey card made by my girls which they love (they always get shy at the door dropping it off though;)

I would love to hear what traditions other families do! I think it is my favorite holiday as it kicks off the season with what it really is all about.

Me too mamas, what things are you doing with your family to get the spirit of gratitude in your home?