Thanks and Giving

November is always a busy month at our house. We have two birthdays, a wedding anniversary, and that little holiday called Thanksgiving usually gets squished in between cleaning up the birthday streamers and setting up the Christmas tree. This year, I am going to try to place more importance on the holiday that gives us a chance to focus on counting our blessings and giving thanks to Heavenly Father for all he has given us as well as "giving back" with service to others. I have been concerned about my children's attitude regarding things and money and the overall feeling of entitlement that seems to everywhere these days. I want my kids to learn to be grateful for what they have instead of always wanting more, stop expecting to be given things without having to work for them, not expecting payment or some sort of reward for everything they do, and remembering to say thank you to people and express gratitude to the Lord for what they are given. Seems like a fitting Thanksgiving lesson right?
This year I am trying something new- a whole month of Thanksgiving!
We usually put up Thanks and Giving Trees the week before Thanksgiving, but we are starting tomorrow instead. I hope to have more leaves than ever before! We usually just make one tree and work on it as a family so it doesn't turn into a contest.
Then last week I saw this post about a Thanksgiving Advent and thought "I can do that!" 
However, I don't do a lot of paper crafting so mine won't be that pretty. Instead I'm going to make some construction paper turkeys and use numbered tail feathers. Just a brown pear-shaped body/head with colored feathers in a fan shape behind. Kind of like this:

A number on the front of the feather with a coordinating a blessing and activity on the back. You don't need a pattern, just wing it!
I had the kids brainstorm a list of things they were thankful for, from silly to profound. Ironically, my 3 yr old gave answers like "Jesus" and "My family" while her older siblings went silly with things like "toilet paper" or "Halloween candy" in a test to see if I would really write down all of their ideas. Oh well. They made it 100 without too much help, so I will use that list to get started. I tried to use all of their ideas, no matter how silly they seemed, so they knew their contributions were important. I also put in a day for each family member, even the ones who weren't having a birthday, so everyone was included. I aimed for a mix of service, fun, work, and thank you's. And I worked around our calendar as much as possible to avoid making more work for myself- like the open house that was already scheduled or the flu shots they were going to have to get anyway.

Here is our first week if you need some ideas:

1. We are grateful for books. Go to the library and bring a thank you note for the librarians.
2. We are grateful for music. Thank your music teacher for helping you learn and spend an extra 15 minutes practicing. OR listen to a new song and do a dance for mommy and daddy.
3. We are grateful for our beds. Make someone else's bed in secret today.
4. We are grateful for tv. Watch a good movie or show together as a family.
5. We are grateful for our family. Take a family picture.
6. We are grateful for B. Do something nice for her today to make her birthday extra special!
7. We are grateful for school. Go to the open house and volunteer to host. Tell visitors how great your school is and grateful you are for all of the special learning opportunities you receive there.
8. We are grateful for trees. Collect some colored leaves from outside and make a picture to hang on the wall. Send one to each grandparent.
9. We are grateful for modern medicine and flu shots. Go get a flu shot and don't whine about it!
10. We are grateful for dentists. Go to the dentist and get your teeth cleaned. Show off your shiny smile and take silly pictures of each other.
11. We are grateful for food. Help make dinner. Make extra to freeze and give to a relative who will have a baby soon.
12. We are grateful for pizza. Have a mobile pizza party- take pizza and treats to your cousins for a surprise. Play games and have fun!
13. We are grateful for church. Write a thank you note to someone at church who has helped you in some way.
14. We are grateful for L. Do something to make her birthday extra special!
15. We are grateful for new babies. Make a gift for your newest cousins and deliver or mail it.

I'll post the rest of our list next week as we go. Today, we still have to finish up with Halloween. There are pumpkins to carve and cookies to make and costumes to find one last time. And baby is asleep, so I better get started!

Happy Thanksgiving month!

Things to love right now

* Chubby baby cheeks with dimples and giggles
* Toddler tea party with mini pumpkin jack-o-lanters as the guests of honor
* Magic red and gold leaves, pink sunsets, and chilly mornings
* 7 yr olds with wiggly front teeth who make everyone waffles for breakfast
* Fourth grade student of the month, nominated by her peers for being  trustworthy- a good friend, honest, and reliable
* Finding a giant chocolate bar in a grocery bag while cleaning off the top of the fridge, that I didn't know was there, that had been bought and left sometime earlier by a thoughtful husband
* A kitchen that smells like pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
* An organized front closet
* One week until my mom getaway- room with housekeeping, a hot tub, a pool, no cooking for two days, and great company. And that is before the event even starts!
* Fresh picked apples, apple crisp, apple pancakes, and apple pie
* I found the box with my sewing machine inside- welcome back friend!
* Celebration season in our family- 2 birthdays down, Halloween, 2 more birthdays, Thanksgiving, Wedding anniversary, and Christmas! I can think about presents and celebrating, and baking, all the time instead of laundry and boxes and humidity.