Sunday, December 30, 2012

New Year's Eve and Day ideas ...

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day marks an end and a beginning. These days offer some fun possibilities to celebrate that ending and beginning. Below are some ideas that might trigger a thought for you … blessings to you and yours in this new year … Karen


• write a note, individually or as a family, and tuck it away in the boxes as you pack away the Christmas decorations … speak of the events of the past year and your family prayers for the New Year … read your letter next year, together, when you re-open the Christmas decorations … reflect upon how God has answered your prayers during the past year … (it might be fun to keep these notes from year to year) …

• plan a family dinner to talk about the past year … what happened, what you wanted to accomplish and did, what you learned, happy and sad events, what you look forward to in the New Year …

• keep a family journal and list the events of the past year … add to the journal each New Year’s Eve …

• tell each other your dreams for the New Year … discuss how family members can help one another reach their goals for the upcoming year …

• share your favorite event from the past year …

• pick a family member’s name out of a party hat and tell your wishes for that person for the coming year …

• plan to eat black-eyed peas for “good luck” in the coming new year … a fun New Year’s legend …

• create a family time capsule (a five-gallon bucket with lid) … each family member adds a small memento in that bucket on New Year’s Eve telling why he/she put that item in the bucket … bucket is sealed and stored until the next New Year’s Eve when items are again added (no peeking into it each year) … open at a future reunion for a “bucket of memories” … perhaps when kids are grown …

• print your New Year’s party initiation and paste it to the inside of a paper party blower

• have a family New Year’s Eve party … celebrate with the same families every year … even when the young children become adults with their own children …

• think of ways your family or your neighborhood might serve in the new year … collect food for a local food drive, donate time to help clean up a playground …

           ... and my personal New Year’s prayer that I will share with you …

                             Dear Heavenly Father ...

          for this New Year I pray I might have more “more” …

                               and more “less” …

                        more peace … less friction …

                  more hope … less discouragement …

                         more love … less division …

                         more joy … less grumbling …

                        more faith … less disbelief …

                     more gratefulness … less whining …

                        more service … less selfishness …

              more moving forward … less standing still …

                         more awe … less ho-hum …

                       more giving … less spending …

                   more forgiveness … less grudges …

                     more inclusion … less exclusion …

                     more kindness … less apathy …

                     more commitment … less wavering …

                                  more worship …

                                    more praise …

                      just simply more of You, Lord …

                                   and less of me …

                                                                             ©karen anderson

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Christmas Ideas ... for creating memories, traditions and acts of caring

Christmas is a wonderful time to create memories, traditions and acts of caring. It is also a challenge, sometimes, to remain peaceful and calm during this busy season and to keep Jesus as the focus of Christmas. Following are some ideas for this season of Advent (as we wait for the birth of The Christ Child). It is my hope that one or two ideas may have meaning for you … as you seek to enjoy your family and friends while keeping CHRIST as the center of your Christmas. Amidst the lights, bells and bows, may we just strive to keep HIM the reason for this season. And, may we all remember that our attention, love and presence with our loved ones is always, very simply, the very best present we can give …

• have a family devotional with a candle lighting each week of Advent … take turns reading the devotional entries and lighting that week’s candle …

• make or purchase an Advent calendar … open a “door” each day before Christmas … each day could offer a Promise (a gift!) from our Lord …

• create a family “Advent-ure” game … children look for the small, decorated box each day of Advent … carefully hidden somewhere in the house … each day the box holds a fact or scripture about Jesus … as well as a few piece of candy or an IOU to see a movie, etc.

• bring out the family Nativity scene … have the stable visitors (the shepherd, the 3 wisemen) begin their journey in a distant location of your home … and have the children move the figures a bit closer to the Nativity each day … Jesus and the stable visitors and the angel arrive on Christmas morning …

• invite small children to draw their interpretation of the Nativity to illustrate your Christmas
card …

• turn your Christmas upside down and join the “Advent Conspiracy” by concentrating on compassion rather than consumption … http://www.adventconspiracy.org  (worship fully, spend less, give more, love  all) …

• buy gifts at a church Christmas Alternative Market focusing on gifts thatsupport meaningful projects and ministries …

• share a Christmas family devotional each night around the Christmas tree … soft Christmas music and candles … everyone in their pj’s …

• visit a local Christmas tree farm and cut down your own tree … take a picnic and enjoy the day … slice off a piece of the trunk for each family member as a Christmas keepsake … and date it …

• encourage family members to write a note of what they want to do for Jesus the following year as their gift to Jesus (be more kind to brother, etc.) … explain that the notes do not have to be shared …

• hide a large, spike-like nail  (together as a family) at the base of your Christmas tree as a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for us …

• pray for each person as you wrap their gift …

• have a family “caroling” night around the Christmas tree … serving popcorn, hot chocolate and
candy canes …

• have a family slumber party under the Christmas Tree … read family favorite Christmas books …

• consider giving an “experience” as your Christmas gift …a day playing board games with a elderly family member, a trip to a museum or to the zoo with a young child or neighbor friend …

• pray for families as you receive their Christmas greeting card …

• take Christmas crafts to a local apartment complex to share with the children there …

• invite friends for a cookie decorating party … take plates of cookies to elderly neighbors or church members who may not get out during the holidays …

• consider giving a gift to a charity or to an organization in honor of someone instead of giving a present … make it a tradition between adult sibling or between all adults … (donation could be symbolized by giving a small ornament such a bike ornament for a donation given to a bike project for children) … or give a “family gift” to other families … (donation towards an Africa water well; donation for chickens for a family in Haiti; socks, shoes or a sweater for someone at the shelter for the homeless) …

• send anonymous family “thank you notes” to other families for special gestures they have offered to others in serving the church or community … leave the note with a candy cane at their front door … ring the bell and run …

• take a plate of goodies to the church staff who will be serving at many services Christmas Eve …

• buy a small, tabletop, artificial tree … attach miniature trinkets or bows … take the tree to a nearby nursing home or family service center… invite other families to join you … or make placemats for those who are bedridden during the holidays …

• celebrate the “Twelve Days of Christmas” by sharing 12 random acts of kindness, anonymously, as a family …

• bring canned goods to the local food pantry during the holiday season … or find a family “service project of good will” to share during the holidays …

• locate a family whose children might have a very lean Christmas and take the money you would have spend on each other to purchase gifts for their children and family …

• make “heat and serve” dinners in microwave disposable containers for elderly neighbors … deliver with cooking instructions and sign the card from “Santa and his reindeers” …

• give something you love to someone who has admired that item in the past … or pass along a family heirloom to an adult child or grandchild …

• babysit for parents who seldom get a “couple night” … tell them it is your Christmas gift to
them … share a Christmas movie and popcorn with the children or decorate a gingerbread house or Christmas cookies … or create a “hot chocolate bar” (crushed peppermint, whip cream, and chocolate kisses for topping the hot chocolate) …

• pack a Christmas gift box, or goodies for the New Year, as a family … for someone serving in the   military … (toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, hand wipes, hand sanitizer, shampoo, deodorant, sun screen, medicated lip balm with SPF 15, comb, first aid kit, cotton swabs, shower soap, gum, foot powder, ponytail holders, hard candy, current movie or music CD, devotional, travel Bible, Kool Aid, coffee, tea bags, hot cider, movie popcorn, protein bars, foot warmers, sunflower seeds, etc.) … add a note from your family and perhaps, your photograph and prayer for them …

• prepare a small gift box for each family member … include a note that says, “what I love about              you …” (place the note that holds your special words inside the box as your gift to them …perhaps each family member could do this ... a family yearly Christmas tradition?)

• consider each family member receiving only three gifts … just as Jesus received …

• place sidewalk luminaries along your curb Christmas Eve (paper bags, sand, candles) … lighting the way to Bethlehem for the Holy Family … fill the bags Christmas Day while listening to (and singing!) Christmas music …

• give a surprise gift basket of wrapped treats to toll booth workers on Christmas Eve …

• go Christmas caroling as a family … in the neighborhood or in a nursing home …

• take Christmas treats to a business who must work on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day … the local gas service station, fire station, etc.

• enjoy the neighborhood Christmas lights in the car together with popcorn, hot chocolate and Christmas music … or bundle up and tour the neighborhood on a Christmas walk …

• create your own family Christmas pageant each Christmas Eve … children can dress as Mary, Joseph, a shepherd, an angel, the Three Wise Men … have a doll in a basket for Jesus with stuffed animals surrounding the manger … invite an adult or child to read the Christmas story from the Bible …

• leave a note for Santa … along with cookies and milk … and find Santa’s reply on Christmas
morning … fun to save these letters each year …

• complete your family Christmas Eve celebration with lighted candles while singing, “Silent Night”…

• buy matching socks to wear to bed Christmas Eve … (or matching pajamas!) …

• encourage all family members (except Mom and Dad who have the camera) to enter the “Christmas Tree room” with their eyes closed on Christmas morning … (have special Christmas music playing, candles lighted) … fun to compare the “entrance” pictures year after year (sometimes Santa leave a “sign” in front of each child’s gift so that everyone knows which gift is his/her “Santa” gift … or family members can leave the same name-labeled duffle bag each year for Santa’s special gift ) …

• share your favorite Christmas breakfast around the Christmas tree on Christmas morning (with Christmas music and candlelight)… perhaps a breakfast casserole, various fruits and yummy breads or rolls … wear jingle bell necklaces (from the Polar Express story!) …

• bake a birthday cake for Jesus … and sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus …

• share your memories of the previous year while enjoying Christmas dinner together …

• write a note, as a family, and tuck it away in the boxes when you pack the Christmas
decorations ... speak of the events of the past year and your family prayers for the New Year … read your letter next year, together, when you re-open the Christmas decorations … reflect upon how God has answered your prayers during the past year … give thanks for His faithfulness …

Please leave YOUR ideas for making Christmas memories and traditions … you can leave your thoughts below as a “comment” … what do YOU do before Christmas, on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? … what are your special activities, menus, games, outings? … what are YOUR favorite childhood memories? Please share with us!
                 
blessings as you and yours celebrate God’s Gift …
for life's moments, Karen

             
                   

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Thanks Giving ideas for Thanksgiving season

a sweet moment ... something done once … or something shared enough times to be considered a tradition …


I have always been a “collector” of special moments … thoughts, words, actions, acts of caring that create a sense of belonging, or affirm, or encourage, or enhance, or rebuild, or restore, or build something new. Moments that just seem to say “I care about you” or “you care about me”.

memory moments.

I first began experiencing these moments in my growing-up home. I didn’t realize, at the time, that I was becoming a “heart collector” of moments. That realization did not happen until I, myself, was a new parent.

Through reflection, I realized what a gift my own childhood had been. As a young parent, I set out to create that same celebratory life for my family … “intentionally” creating memory moments.

It wasn’t until our family traveled through some challenging years that I realized what sustenance and joy came from not only from giving or making sweet memory moments, but also from receiving such moments. Getting past my own life challenges to invest in the life of another kept me focused on gratefulness. Receiving these gifts from others, during difficult times, also kept me focused on thankfulness.

Through both the light and through the darkness, I have continued to be a collector of memory making moments ... because I believe in the power of love and of sharing love. After some pretty spectacular family memory making decades, I promised my children I would “write down” our own memory moments … or ones they have since started in their own families … along with others that we might have enjoyed experiencing … or ones we might want to try in the future. Thus, my book (my passion!) “Love Lifts … through the generations” was  created … over 1300 ideas for creating a legacy of memories, traditions and acts of caring through all the ages and stages of life (“sample” memory making ideas at www.MomentsPublishing.com under “excerpts”).

so … book written.   book published.   promised kept.

but … I am still hooked …

and I am still "collecting" …

so … through this new wee blog, I would love to just continue sharing thoughts with you that, perhaps, might strike a thought for you from time to time ...

I will share periodically ... memory making ideas for not only for holidays … but also for times like the birth of a child, the growing up years, for that day when a child graduates or begins to build his/her own home, for the marriage of a child, for the grand era of GRANDparenting, for reaching out to others past our own family in acts of kindness or service, for parties and celebrations,  for new jobs and for retirements ... and for “just because” moments …

I would love for you to journey along … and  I invite you to share your own moments through your comments to a post … because we can all learn from each other … and together, we might just build up a bit more love for all of us … and maybe together, we can grow a “resource” here for sharing love and acts of kindness and caring for those days when thoughts just don’t come as easily …

so … for now … a few ideas for this season of  “Thanks Giving” …

• send Thanksgiving cards to family and friends instead of Christmas cards … (“I thank my God in all my remembrances of you” Philippians 1:3 … include a family photo) …

• leave “We are thankful for YOU” gift bags of fall treats at your neighbors’ doorstep … with a note signed by each family member … or leave treats anonymously … or give them to community workers … to your clergy … or mail a “thankful” box to those serving in our military …

• place an “empty” chair at your Thanksgiving table in honor of those family members who are no longer present with you … or light a candle on the mantle to remember those loved ones …

• give everyone a pressed “leaf” (or leaves) ... (or a real leaf from the yard)...  http://www.etsy.com/listing/83101816/real-pressed-leaves-50-qty-dried-autumn
when they arrive Thanksgiving Day … ask family/guests to write on the leaf something for which they are thankful … spread the leaves around the dinner table centerpiece or place in a basket to read together after dinner … (save the leaves from year-to-year for your “growing” centerpiece of “thanks” giving) …

• make an annual “vegetable” turkey or “fruit” turkey for a Thanksgiving Day appetizer (fun to make while the Thanksgiving Parade rolls across the TV     screen) … a creative tradition from my childhood (we always used an acorn squash for the base and a crooked neck squash or zucchini for the head/neck with wood sticks to hold the “feather-veggies”) … some sample pictures of other styles at: http://www.eatingwithfoodallergies.com/turkeyveggieplatter.html
and at http://www.apartystyle.com/search?q=fruit+turkey+instructions ... or
fill a “carved out” pumpkin with your favorite dip, surround with veggies to serve with left-over turkey sandwiches …

• make a photo placemat or photo name card for each family member for Thanksgiving Dinner …

• place 5 kernels of corn on each person’s dinner plate on Thanksgiving Day … in remembrance of this same gesture offered by the Pilgrims on their Second Thanksgiving … as they recalled God’s provision during the Pilgrim’s starving winter time after their First Thanksgiving (for a family “readable” version of this great story taken from “The Light and The Glory” by Peter Marshall and David Manuel, please email me (Karen) at info@MomentsPublishing.com) …

• create a fun “kids table” if several tables are needed … cover table with “draw on” brown paper tablecloth, offer Indian headdresses and Pilgrim Hats … and add other fun ideas: http://www.hgtv.com/entertaining/kids-thanksgiving-table/pictures/index.html ...

• encourage the kids to put on a Pilgrim’s Thanksgiving Story for the whole    family … write your own script or read from a favorite Thanksgiving story book as kids enter the room “dressed up” in simple costumes … (or act out the “Five Kernels of Corn” story that is referred to above …in honor of the Pilgrims)… add some special music to the beginning or end of the play like “We Gather Together” http://www.spritzels.com/thanksgiving/gather-song.html ... perhaps close with a blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 …

• create a “Thanksgiving Gratefulness Basket” … each day of November, family members write (or draw) something for which they are thankful … a new thought each day … keep strips of paper and pens near the basket … the family gathers together Thanksgiving evening to read the grateful notes and to remember…

• create a “thankful garland chain” of thankful notes throughout the month of November (or trace each member’s hand… and cut-out “the hand” for the note writing) … hook new links (or hands) to the chain after dinner each night … or make a “grateful tree” with sticks secured in a can … write what you are grateful for on colorful paper leaves and attach to the “stick” tree …

• begin a Gratitude Journal that can be kept and added to each Sunday night throughout the year in a special family time … maybe while eating cookies? …

• send letters of gratefulness to family members who cannot be with you for Thanksgiving Dinner this year … “I give thanks for you because …”

• purchase a smooth, large tablecloth … as family and guests arrive, trace each person’s hand and let them sign their name/year and write beside their “hand” two things for which they are thankful … continue the tablecloth “hand” tradition each year … fun to watch hands and blessings grow …

• ask if anyone would like to share a favorite Thanksgiving memory during     dinner … or a favorite family memory since last Thanksgiving …

• spend time as a family thinking of a special family project that might be experienced as a family in the upcoming year … for someone else who may not be as blessed … parents can offer “pre-thought” suggestions and children can offer their ideas as well …

• create fun Fall/Thanksgiving desserts: “Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats with Tootsie Roll Stump” http://grinandbakeit.com or search the web or magazines for a new special, fun, creative dessert … or gather around an outside fire pit for ‘smores Thanksgiving night …

• share favorite scripture before or after the meal … family members could take turns reading … (Psalm 31:19, Psalm 95:1-6, Psalm 100, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 145: 7, 1 Chronicles 29:11-13) …

• end Thanksgiving Day with a family game of football or … a favorite Christmas movie … the presentation of new winter pajamas for the kids (matching?) … a Christmas ornament exchange that has some special meaning (names drawn earlier) … take the annual family picture while everyone is together … decorate a gingerbread house together … sing Christmas carols as the family looks forward to celebrating the Christ Child …

• leave an “I am thankful for you” note under family members’ pillows … or write a note on their bathroom mirror (with special erasable window/mirror pens) … or leave note of gratefulness for that person in their car, or on their bike … or on their walking cane … or in their brief case …

wishing you and yours a blessed season of “Thanks Giving” …

for life’s moments, Karen

www.MomentsPublishing.com
www.MomentsPublishing.blogspot.com

P.S. If you would like to receive future blog posts from Moments Publishing blog, please submit your email in the box “FOLLOW BY EMAIL” on the main blog page … and if you would like to pass along this post (or others on the blog), please click the red M under comments to send an email to this blog link ..

and ... if you are looking for a Christmas gift idea … or a 31 day Christmas Devotional … or a reading for family devotionals, may I  invite you to review “Behold the Gift … the Blessings of Bethlehem” available at www.MomentsPublishing.com (excerpt from the book is available on this website) ... reflective words written in humble gratefulness ... seeking to comprehend The Gift given to us that Bethlehem Day ...

Monday, October 29, 2012

outside adventures ...

what memories/traditions do you have (or would like to start) when you and your family are enjoying the great outdoors? (one of our fondest memories was sliding down a snow covered mountain base (on plastic trash bags!) during a summer trip in Colorado!) what memories can YOU share with us? we might just need to try them! for outdoor memory making, Karen (Moments Publishing)

traveling ...

do you have an idea for memory making when you family travels together? like someone starting a story, then another family member adds a line or two, then the next family member adds a piece to the story, etc. and the crazy story continues ... we would LOVE to hear what you do as you travel! joy in the journeys! Karen (Moments Publishing)

need an idea?

do you need an idea for a special day or for a special event? or an idea to make someone feel special? or an idea of something to do for someone who could just use a "lift"? or an idea for a party or reunion or for a special "milestone" birthday? a holiday? a new baby? an engagement? I don't guarantee that I will have a brilliant, helpful idea but I am sure willing to try! just email me (info@MomentsPublishing.com) and I will see what thoughts we might exchange ... it would just be my joy to think upon it! together, surely, we can think of something that will make a memory for just that moment! because love does, indeed, lift! Karen (Moments Publishing)

building and sharing your faith ...

can you share ways that you are building a household of faith? do you have family devotionals? do you tell your grandchild the scripture that you are praying over them? we would love to hear the ways that you are seeking to nurture and share your faith ... for Him! Karen (Moments Publishing)

moving day ...

what ideas can you share about helping a new neighbor feel more welcome in the new neighborhood? did your family "leave" something special behind in the home you were leaving? did someone do something nice for you when you moved to your new neighborhood? did you have a special way of thanking people who helped you to move? ... please share with us! because moving is a huge milestone event for families ... Karen (Moments Publishing)

girl only time ...

do you have memories of (or plans for!) a special "girls only" time? mom/daughter or a 3 generation girl family trip or slumber party? a get-together with friends from college? tell us what you do or plan to do ... share your girl times with us! Karen (Moments Publishing)

blended families ...

what positive memories/traditions/ways of caring can you share with us when two families become one family? we would love to learn from you the little ways that love can grow as two families blend into one ... perhaps we can learn new ways to celebrate ... share ... love ... if we are part of a blended family or we would like to honor a blended family ...
Karen (Moments Publishing)

loss of a friend or family member ...

losing a friend or family member can be paralyzing ... sometimes our heart just feels like it has broken in half ... healing seems very far away ... how has someone helped you walk this difficult time? or what have "you" done to celebrate the precious life that was lost and now missed? do you organize photos of their life for the memorial? do you gather as a family and just "remember" special stories involving that person? we would love to learn from you ... Blessings, Karen (Moments Publishing)

comments to Karen ...

do you have a general comment you would like to make? or a thought for another blog category? please leave your comments here ... or if you prefer to leave a "private comment" (or have a "private response"), please email Karen Anderson at info@MomentsPublishing.com ... I would LOVE to hear from you ... for comments, questions, inquiries, how we can make this little LOVE LIFT blog a bit better, etc., etc., etc.! ... thanks! Karen (Moments Publishing)

loss of a beloved pet ...

loosing a beloved pet is often like loosing a human family member ... it hurts and the sadness lingers ... what have you done as an individual or family to grieve the loss and celebrate the pet? did you have a family memorial service? make a scrapbook? please share with us ...
Karen (Moments Publishing)

new jobs ...

the first day at a new job is usually the hardest ... how did someone make it easier for you? or how did you make it easier for someone else? tell us so we can be wiser for ourselves ... and more compassionate to others ... tell us your memories/thoughts/ of new jobs ... or ways you celebrated!
Karen (Moments Publishing)

gardening ...

one of my favorite childhood memories is of Daddy gardening ... then harvesting (and eating!), together, what was grown ... what gardening memories do you have? what do YOU do with your children (or grandchildren) in the garden? or what would you like to begin? help us have a fun and green thumb! Karen (Anderson)

patriotism ...

share with us the memorable ways you celebrate being a citizen of this grand USA ... do you thank a veteran when you see him/her in uniform? tell us how you make memories or begin traditions when you think about being a proud American ... God Bless America! Karen (Moments Publishing)

small groups ... for all family members ...

please tell us about the small groups that have meaning (and memories!) for your family ... Mothers of PreSchoolers (M.O.P.S.)? ... do you meet a group of teenagers for breakfasat and Bible Study? husbands that meet at 5:30 am for prayers? get-togethers with other moms to pray for your schools? tell us about these groups ... groups that have meaning for you ... groups that are building bonds ... groups that one day will become fond memories ... we would love to hear ... Karen (Moments Publishing)

moving day ...

do you have a memory about MOVING? did your family intentionally leave/hide something special behind (family photo , etc.) in the loved home you were leaving? did new neighbors have a special way of making you feel welcome? did you think of a special way to thank the people who helped you move? moving is a huge milestone event ... please share your ways to make the event memorable and meaningful ... Karen (Moments Publishing)

reaching out to others ...

sharing love with others during times of need (illness, grief, etc.) can be a wonderful way to share of yourself ... please tell us ways that you have shown you cared ... do you help organize food/drive carpool/babysit a pet? take a "gift" basket to a family member staying at the hospital day after day? or tell us about the organizations you or your family supports ... or the special acts of caring in the community that you or your family or church have created ... do you take your old magazines to the emergency room waiting room? do you simply say a quiet pray when you hear or see an ambulance? do you send Girl Scout cookies to our military troops? how have you (or your children or your neighborhood, etc. ) given of yourselves to spread a little love in this very big world? we would love to learn from your kindness, your thoughtfulness, your acts of caring ... so that each and every one of us can ponder ways that WE CAN make a difference ... because love really does lift! Karen (Moments Publishing)

school related special times ...

how do you celebrate the first day of school? the last day of school? do you do anything special for middle school or high school or college graduation? how about activities at school, gifts for teachers, field day t-shirts, etc., etc., etc. .... do you keep a scrapbook for kindergarten or for the athletic team? volunteer at school in special ways? can't wait to hear! Karen (Moments Publishing)

Fourth of July

America's birthday is a great day to celebrate and make memories and re-live old traditions! what do you do on this special holiday? community parade (with you in it!)? give us your ideas and read other's ideas right here ... happy birthday, America! Karen (Moments Publishing)

Mother's Day and Father's Day

how do YOU celebrate Mother's Day or Father's Day? do you pamper your mom or dad in a special way? or how has your family celebrated YOU? special gestures? special gifts? please tell us! thanks! Karen (Moments Publishing)

Memorial Day and Veteran's Day

how do you honor our veteran's on these holidays? how does your family show their thankfulness for being a free citizen in this fine country? we would love to hear your red/white/blue ideas! Karen (Moments Publishing)

gifts for special days ...

do you have an idea for a "special "gift? one you received, or one you gave, or one you would like to give? when a friend adopts, when a child become a "teenager" or is about to leave for college? when your child receives their Master's Degree? when someone is ill, when someone has retired, when a child has made a terrific effort at something new? etc., etc., etc.! please write! we love to hear gift ideas ... little gifts are another way to share a little lift with someone else ... p.s. the best gifts are not always the ones that cost money! Karen (Moments Publishing)

p.p.s. ... "special gifts" might be also found under other blog categories like a baby is coming, birthdays, grandparenting, celebrating each honor, engagements and weddings, holidays, retirement, etc. )

rainy day fun ...

what great ideas do you come up with for those rainy days when the kids (or grandkids) are er ... ummm ..."climbing the walls"? do you have breakfast for lunch? play a special game? pull out something from your "emergency craft shelf"? oh, do tell us! (quick!) ... Karen (Moments Publishing)

April Fool's Day ...

our kids used to ALWAYS get cardboard (that said "Happy April Fool's Day) inside their sandwiches on this day ... so I was sure to add some extra food! what do YOU do to add a little fun craziness to this one-day-a-year-you-get-to-play-a-joke day??? or what would you like to try!!! Karen (Moments Publishing)

party ideas ...

what great party ideas can you share with us? your annual party or "one-time only" party? Jingle Bells and Taco Shells, Fajitas and Fireworks, High School Spa Day (for the graduating granddaughter), 50's party, Pumpkin Carving Party, Neighborhood Christmas Caroling Party, Summer Kickoff, Crawfish Boil ??? ... maybe a grandmother's party where guests bring baby gifts for the local family shelter (and grandmothers bring their grandchild pictures for a bit of purposeful bragging)? what ideas have you read about that you would like to try? tell us so we can all plan a party! Karen (Moments Publishing)

anniversaries ...

anniversaries ... a great time for remembering! what do you do to celebrate? watch your wedding video? pull out those wedding pictures? send a card to your married kids with a memory from their wedding day? happy anniversary ... happy memories! please share with us ... Karen (Moments Publishing)

birthdays

most everyone loves to be remembered on his/her birthday ... what do you do to celebrate? sing to the honoree in bed on birthday morning? leave pictures of the birthday honoree on the kitchen table? make the "birthday person" turn around 10 times if they are ten years old? have friends send cards to grandmother on her 80th? can wait to hear how YOU honor on birthdays! (p.s. Happy Birthday to YOU ... when it is time!) Celebrate! Karen (Moments Publishing)

non-holiday special days ...

any day can be a special day to make memories! what do YOU do on the first day of school, when a tooth falls out, when someone gets an award (or works hard trying), when your child learns to drive a car, has that first date? what about prom or graduation day? how do you celebrate your child getting a college degree/graduate degree/new job? or when your child has just found out he/she is expecting a baby? or grandfather has retired? what do you do to make memories (or traditions ... or just show you care) on these non-holiday very special days? we want to learn from YOU! for life's moments! Karen (Moments Publishing)

grandparenting ...

grandparenting ... an absolutely fabulous time of life! what have you done AS a grandparent or FOR a grandparent when that new baby is announced? or when that precious grandchild has finally arrived? what special things do the grandchildren do "only" at the grandparents' house? what special gifts have been given TO the grandparents or received FROM the grandparents? how do the grandparents you know share life (make memories!) with the grandchildren? yes ... a wonderful time ... the grandparenting years! signed Queenie (my special grandparent name!)
Karen (Moments Publishing)

engagement and weddings

you or your child has fallen in love ... now you are announcing the happy news! what clever, fun, memorable ideas have you experienced as you "announce"? what fun parties do you hope to have or did have (or have read about)? have any great new gift ideas for the newly engaged or married couple? special memories or traditions connected to the wedding weekend or wedding ceremony? ideas you have read about or wish you had done? do you have ways to welcome the new couple home from the honeymoon? love is in bloom!
Karen (Moments Publishing)

"letting go" of your older child ...

as parents, we spend all of the early childhood years and older teen years preparing to "let our child go." we hope we have built a strong foundation for their next chapter of life ... outside of our doors. what things can you tell us about this tender time that YOU have experienced? have you cheered your child on by giving them a special scrapbook of their life on graduation day? a special family or friend celebration or party? have you found a special way for your child to experience a possible future career? what special memories have you made "preparing for college" (or leaving them there that first day!) or "finding that first apartment"? how have you loved as you "let go" ... Karen (Moments Publishing)

end of day craziness ...

what do YOU do at the end of the day when your kids (and YOU!) start to have a melt-down? do you put on soft music? tell us how you "try" to beat this "oh-can-be-so-crazy time"! Karen (Moments Publishing)

sharing values ...

how do you share values with (or model values for) your small childen or with your adolescents? or with your married kids or grandkids? how do you try to "live out" what you believe? do you have family devotionals? do you sign-up for service projects together? adopt a child overseas? visit a nursing home on holidays? serve dinner together in a homeless shelter each Thanksgiving? get together for late night talks? have dad/son campouts? we would love to learn from you ... Karen (Moments Publishing)

remembering the past ...

are there things you do (or have read about) to remember the past? remembering special family get-togethers of years past, special events in your child's life, remembering ancestors? special scrapbooks, reunion traditions? how do you teach your family about their heritage or remind them about something terrific you did as a child, or something they did as a child? do you journal? do you give your children a letter each birthday recalling the events of the year? can't wait to hear how you remember days past ... Karen (Moments Publishing)

celebrating each other ...

how do you celebrate each other on special occasions? do you pull out your "You are SPECIAL Today!" red plate? or put up banners on your fireplace? what do YOU do to honor your family members on special days? thanks for passing on your thoughts ... we can learn from you! because love lifts! Karen (Moments Publishing)

spontaneous family fun ...

please tell us about your family's memories of "spontaneous fun times" ... maybe when someone in the family suddenly yells "sandwich" and everyone has to stop what they are doing and pile up on each other in the family room? or maybe stopping in the middle of yard work to jump in the leaves? type on! we can't wait to hear ... so we, too, can cherish new, "spontaneous " and fun memories ...Karen (Moments Publishing)

food and art and music memories ...

What great ideas would you like to share with us about fun with food (cooking together, crazy meal ideas) or sharing or making music together? Can't wait to hear! Karen (Moments Publishing)

faith building and sharing ...

can you share with us the ways you are seeking to build a household of faith? do you have family devotionals? do you tell your children or grandchildren the scriptures that you are praying over them? please share the ways you are seeking to nurture and share your faith ... for Him! Blessings, Karen (Moments Publishing)

retirement ...

do you have plans to honor someone retiring? can you share your ideas with us? we would love to honor someone who is retiring and could learn from you! what have you done or what will you do? make a scrapbook of memories from co-workers? write that person a personal letter letting them know that they have made a difference? how have you passed on a bit a love to someone in the last part of a particular journey who is now headed to a new one? thanks for sharing .... Karen
(Moments Publishing)

family notes and gestures ...

do you have special places and ways you leave notes for your children? do you have a family hug or handshake? do you have a special thing you say when you say "good night" or "hello" or "good bye"? do you have your own special family sayings for your young children ... or sayings you have continued with your grown children? please ... share with US! thanks! Karen (Moments Publishing)

a new baby is coming

do you have some great ideas for making memories, developing traditions (or just showing you care) when a new baby is coming? a special way of telling the world about the happy arrival-to-be or a gift for the expectant parents? something you do when a couple is adopting, a gift for mom on delivery day or a gift for the siblings? a gift for the new grandparents or clever ways to announce the name of the baby? please ... share YOUR ideas and then receive new ideas from others! we can't wait to hear from you! for life's moments! Karen (Moments Publishing)

bedtime ideas ...

how do you end the day with your child? a bedtime story or devotional? a special kiss? a song? how do you lovingly end the day with your child? we would love to hear and learn from you ... Blessings, Karen (Moments Publishing)

children with special needs ...

parents (and families) of children with special needs yearn to just be considered a "loving family" vs. a family "who has a child with special needs" ... though their daily schedule may be very different from yours, that family dealing with special needs most probably would still like to build their own memories, create their own traditions and be included in community event (if it fits for their child) ... have you thought of ways to just "be there" for parents who have a 25 hour a day task of caring for a child's special needs? do you offer to babysit the child with special needs or take the siblings out for some individual attention? or perhaps, YOU are the parent of a child with special needs ... please, tell us ... how can we support you or give you a "lift" from time-to-time or affirm you? how can we do that for your child? we stand in awe of what you accomplish every single day ... perhaps you have all the usual parenting issues with other children PLUS the special challenges with a differently-abled child.. we'd like to learn ways we can pass a little love your way ... Karen (Moments Publishing)

a cookbook of ideas

THIS blog (and the book "LOVE LIFTS ... through the generations") is similar to a "cookbook"... this blog, hopefully, is divided into easy to find "categories" ... similar to the categories which divide a cookbook ...

browsing through the chapters of a cookbook, a cook would typically reflect on recipes within and then decide, "this recipe is appropriate for our needs, this recipe is NOT appropriate for our needs but it could be modified, this recipe give me an idea of another recipe which "would' be perfect for our needs" ... focus for the cook is on the recipe that fills the current need ... cooks know that a cookbook, filled with all those recipes, is certainly not a "to do" list that "should" be undertaken ... so may it be with this blog (and with the book) ... only YOU know which ideas might fit your particular needs or desires ... only YOU know which particular idea might trigger an idea for you or yours ... this blog (and the book) hopefully, will affirm the acts of love you are now sharing and will also serve as a resource for the future ... because love LIFTS ... enjoy! Karen (Moments Publishing)

a LOVE LIFT ... what is it?

A LOVE LIFT IS ...
a thought ... a word ... an action ...
offered to another ... or on behalf of another ...
during one of life's moments ...
a LOVE LIFT can be planned or spontaneious ...
generously given or gratefully received ...
during moments of joy
or in moments of sadness ...
a LOVE LIFT does not have to be costly
or continuous ...
a LOVE LIFTS can cost you nothing but time ...
but be measured priceless by another ...
a LOVE LIFTS can happen once
or it can begin a tradition ...
a LOVE LIFT is given for no other purpose
than to experience or to share joy ...
to make someone feel special ...
to connect or to care ...
a LOVE LIFTS is a simple moment shared today
that begins or continues
a legacy of love tomorrow ...

books for parenting and families and faith ...

no one has time to read all the wonderful books that might enrich and enhance our family and our faith ... do you have a special book memory from your childhood or a book that your child finds very special? or perhaps, a child's book about being kind and compassionate ... or ones with a "lesson" or "moral"? do you have a special place that you read with your child (the hammock, in a nook in your home ...)? have you found a particular terrific parenting book that has encouraged you? a great devotional for young children or teenagers? a meaningful book for couples seeking to build a stronger marriage and a Christian home? an inspirational book for yourself or a resource? books can create special memories ... books can also encourage us to love, to be positive, to be kind and to be all that God has created us to be ... we look foward to hearing your great "reads" ... Karen (Moments Publishing)

service projects for others ...

serving others through acts of kindness are truly love lifts ... how have you or others shared of yourselves in an act of service? have you helped rebuild homes and lives affected by hurricane or other disasters? has your child had a lemonade stand to raise money for a cause? have you participated in a mission trip a few miles away or across the world? are you teaching an adult to read? please share the ways that you or someone you know has served another or others ... we learn so much from each other ... we would love to learn from you ... Blessings, Karen (Moments Publishing)