I was reading my friend's blog when I came across a very heartfelt post all about Parenting with Purpose. Boy, did it hit home! Lately I've been feeling so....I don't know, "disconnected" from everything. I'm going through the motions, but there isn't a lot of meaning behind it. I've been pondering what the problem is and while I haven't figured out the answer, I do know that I want my time with my kids to be more meaningful. They're growing so flippin' fast, and I feel like I'm missing it. This (below) is what I want:
(photo)
I decided that I want to work extra hard to be more involved with my children this December...what better time than NOW?
A little while later, I came across another blog (which I cannot find now for the life of me!) that discussed doing an advent calendar for her kidlets. And so I decided to use her idea to create a month of more purposeful parenting by creating an Activity Advent Calendar for the family.
This will be a work in progress, but in the meantime, I really truly hope to create some amazing memories while creating a stronger bond with my two angels.
Here's the planned schedule for the month:
December:
- Put together birthday party goody bags (with both kids' birthdays in December, this'll probably be an annual thing).
- Address and mail out Christmas letters.
- Movie night (this year it'll be the Walmart family movie)
- Go to church Christmas dinner and take the "Journey through Bethlehem" while there.
- Take a family drive to Christmas Street. (It's at the end of our neighborhood, so it's nice and close!)
- Footprint and handprint reindeer art.
- Make sugar cookies
- Candy sleighs
- Christmas cookie ornaments (made out of paper)
- Hot cocoa and movie night.
- Go through closets/pantry and find stuff to donate.
- 3D snowflakes
- Christmas storytime (we'll read all the Christmas-y childrens books we have!)
- Christmas tree sizing activity
- Make neighbor gifts
- Go to Christmas street.
- Movie night - Polar Express maybe?
- Gingerbread houses
- Deliver gifts to neighbors
- Make chocolate chip cookies
- Christmas coloring pages
- Christmas symbols "education"
- ??
- Read the real Christmas story from the bible, family time
Now, as you can see, I haven't completed my list. Do you have any great ideas? I'd sure be grateful to accept any you may have.
Here's to more powerful and purposeful parenting...and to a very Merry Christmas season.
3 comments:
You could go Christmas Caroling. I bet the neighbors in your circle or ward would love that! I saw a really cute advent calendar. Basically, they used a mini cupcake pan and put numbers with magnets over each hole. Her numbers were cute, with snowmen, snowflakes, and stickers and were very scrapbooky and cute. Maybe you could make ornaments for the tree. I have been trying to do that each year. Miss you, Evelyn!!!
How about letting your kids make a hand made gift and wrap it and deliver to a fried? How about some Grandma time?
Thank you so much for the ideas! We've now got Grandma time scheduled, and I'm gonna replace the movie nights with some of these much more meaningful activities. Thanks again!
Post a Comment