Holiday Gifts and the “Magic Ingredient”

Dec 272012
 

It seems that that the pressures that have been squeezing parents for the past couple of years may have started to focus us in a way that is actually good for our kids. Is the scarcity of Zhu Zhu Hamsters a blessing in disguise?

I just finished assembling my all time favorite gift of a 4 year old (she’s brilliant but she can’t read yet– it’s a dress-up box!) Why is it a favorite? It’s a great ‘return on investment’ — inexpensive and, like so many of classics, lacking only one ingredient: the child’s imagination.

The cool thing about that magic ingredient? The more of it you use the more of it you have. Isn’t that an amazing value?

Check this link to read about some more timeless classics:

Forget Zhu Zhu Hamsters, Classic Toys Have Power – TIME.

Remembering With Thanks

May 282012
 
Silk Curtain Morning Glory

(Image by Bill Gracey via Flickr)

memorial |məˈmôrēəl|noun • 1.  something established to remind people of a significant person or event(s) • [ used as modifier ] intended to commemorate someone or something: a memorial service.   •2. a record or chronicle.  ORIGIN late Middle English: from late Latin memoriale  ‘record, memory, monument,’ from Latin memorials ‘serving as a reminder,’ from memoria ‘memory.’

freedom |ˈfrēdəm|noun   • 1.  the power or right to act, speak, or think as one chooses without restraint  • 2.  the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved: the shark thrashed its way to freedom. • 3. the state of being able to move easily: freedom of movement. •4. the power of self-determination; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity.  ORIGIN Old English frēodōm

gratitude |ˈgratəˌt(y)o͞od|noun  • 1. the quality of being thankful;  • 2. readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness: expressed gratitude to the committee for their support. ORIGIN from Old French, or medieval Latin gratitudo, from Latin gratus ‘pleasing, thankful.’

More or Less….

Jan 122012
 

Anyone having a holiday hangover??

Holidays can be tough. Although it flies in the face of  the story we tell ourselves every year there are gaps between what we WANT and what we HAVE…. between what we PLAN and what actually HAPPENS.  It’s hard not to get caught up in the swirl of gifts and get-togethers, meals and misunderstandings.  And then, of course, there are the overs:  over spending, over eating and all sorts of other opportunities for over indulgence.

It can really hurt when we see the results in our children.

Have you ever experienced that awful feeling in the pit of the stomach that goes along with mentally tallying up the time and money you spent on holiday gifts… only to see them tossed aside as your little ones clamor for “MORE”?

UGH.

MORE.

It’s in our brains: to consume more food, acquire more ‘stuff,’ conquer more space….  is one of those lizard brain survival ‘things’ that’s been with us for a long time.

But it seems to me that lots of people are paying attention to that feeling and using it  to move toward both a smaller budget and a simpler life.  Circumstances are pushing people to think more about the difference between wants and needs…. about how to live a life that better reflects their values.

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the way that resolutions and planning for the New Year can help us focus on what is most meaningful in our lives.

“In 2012 I want more ______________ and less ________________ for myself and for my family.”

How do you fill in those blanks? What changes do you need to make to turn those “wants” into reality?

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