We have been trying to focus on things we are thankful for in our family. Sometimes when things aren't really going the way you would choose yourself, if you had a choice, you have to instead focus on all the things you have to be grateful for. In November, we put a tree on the wall with leaves, and we wrote things we were thankful for on the leaves, until they were all full. We left it up for several months, because it was just a great reminder. 
My mom found an idea to do different pictures, like for a bulletin board, that would be around a different theme for each season or month, would be laminated to be reusable with a dry erase marker, and could be our 'thankful wall'. I loved this idea! My mom and sister have helped me figure out what pictures/die cuts, and get them laminated. I did the first one in April. It was umbrellas, with a sign in blue that said, "Showers of Blessings", with raindrops coming off the letters. It was so spring and cheerful!
Here is some of what my girl had me write:
rainbows, bum spinning (this is where she sits on her bum and spins around...pretty funny!), spending time with friends (like our visitors!), remembering things, finding tracks, visitors (HOORAY!!), rhymes, writing thankful notes (she has really gotten into this. Logan found her some cars at a garage sale, and put them out for her to find when she woke up. She came out and said, "Are these for ME? Did Daddy get these just for me?" After I confirmed it, she went right over to get paper and her crayons and said, "I'm making a thank you card for Daddy for giving these cars to me." When he got home she ran over and gave him the card. She is so wonderful!!!),
going fast, rain to make flowers grow, "I am thankful that Jesus was resurrected" (that was a direct quote from my girl!), floor posters, "I love you" (another direct quote, she wrote it all by herself on an umbrella),
making up rhymes, bunnies, love one another (she says this in her prayers a lot, that she is "thankful we can love one an each other"), "I love my name", Jesus, butterflies, riding bikes, being a good friend, snowy days (we do pretend snow inside with her scarves), "I love my family", good food in our bodies, "I can spell my name", for showing our love, shiny shells, the bike "pouch" (we got some bikes at a garage sale, and a bike trailer, which she calls her pouch), trying new things, new leaves growing, teeth for chewing food, doing things together, playing games together, making Valentine hearts (which she does for many occassions, it is one of her favorite ways to decorate. We have so many on our walls around the house. Sometimes she'll pull one down, color it, write a name on it, and give it to that person. It is very sweet!), watching birds eat at the bird feeder. And the one I wrote was being thankful for my special girl. Sometimes we go over to our wall and think of things to write, sometimes I write down things she says in her prayers, and sometimes we'll be talking and she'll ask me to write something down on the wall.
Then for May, we made a sign that said, "Garden of Blessings" and has bees and flowers all over the wall. We have been writing many things we are thankful for. One day this last week we were getting ready for a small friend to come play for an hour. We pulled out paper and crayons for a floor poster. My girl went over to our thankful wall and said, "My favorite word is washable. What is your favorite word?" I knew she meant from the box of crayons, which one of the words did I like, but I told her, "My favorite word is your name." She thought for a moment, and said, "Oh, well, my favorite word is LOVE!" We wrote ALL of our favorite words down on our wall. I have really enjoyed having this bright colorful wall, and a visual reminder of our blessings! And it is fun to see the things that my girl comes up with, that are sometimes things I don't often remember to be thankful for....like bum spinning!
I recently finished reading Pollyanna and Pollyanna Grows Up, and was just uplifted by how optimistic she was, and how she just tries to see the good in EVERYTHING. This thankful wall has helped us as we are trying to focus on the good, count our blessings, and realize how much we really have to be thankful for!
Here is some of what my girl had me write:
rainbows, bum spinning (this is where she sits on her bum and spins around...pretty funny!), spending time with friends (like our visitors!), remembering things, finding tracks, visitors (HOORAY!!), rhymes, writing thankful notes (she has really gotten into this. Logan found her some cars at a garage sale, and put them out for her to find when she woke up. She came out and said, "Are these for ME? Did Daddy get these just for me?" After I confirmed it, she went right over to get paper and her crayons and said, "I'm making a thank you card for Daddy for giving these cars to me." When he got home she ran over and gave him the card. She is so wonderful!!!),
going fast, rain to make flowers grow, "I am thankful that Jesus was resurrected" (that was a direct quote from my girl!), floor posters, "I love you" (another direct quote, she wrote it all by herself on an umbrella),
making up rhymes, bunnies, love one another (she says this in her prayers a lot, that she is "thankful we can love one an each other"), "I love my name", Jesus, butterflies, riding bikes, being a good friend, snowy days (we do pretend snow inside with her scarves), "I love my family", good food in our bodies, "I can spell my name", for showing our love, shiny shells, the bike "pouch" (we got some bikes at a garage sale, and a bike trailer, which she calls her pouch), trying new things, new leaves growing, teeth for chewing food, doing things together, playing games together, making Valentine hearts (which she does for many occassions, it is one of her favorite ways to decorate. We have so many on our walls around the house. Sometimes she'll pull one down, color it, write a name on it, and give it to that person. It is very sweet!), watching birds eat at the bird feeder. And the one I wrote was being thankful for my special girl. Sometimes we go over to our wall and think of things to write, sometimes I write down things she says in her prayers, and sometimes we'll be talking and she'll ask me to write something down on the wall.
Then for May, we made a sign that said, "Garden of Blessings" and has bees and flowers all over the wall. We have been writing many things we are thankful for. One day this last week we were getting ready for a small friend to come play for an hour. We pulled out paper and crayons for a floor poster. My girl went over to our thankful wall and said, "My favorite word is washable. What is your favorite word?" I knew she meant from the box of crayons, which one of the words did I like, but I told her, "My favorite word is your name." She thought for a moment, and said, "Oh, well, my favorite word is LOVE!" We wrote ALL of our favorite words down on our wall. I have really enjoyed having this bright colorful wall, and a visual reminder of our blessings! And it is fun to see the things that my girl comes up with, that are sometimes things I don't often remember to be thankful for....like bum spinning!
I recently finished reading Pollyanna and Pollyanna Grows Up, and was just uplifted by how optimistic she was, and how she just tries to see the good in EVERYTHING. This thankful wall has helped us as we are trying to focus on the good, count our blessings, and realize how much we really have to be thankful for!
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