Gratitude with toddlers

Good manners and being considerate of others is something that I value highly and thus it is something that I want to instill in my children as being important.

The little H boy has developed a charming habit of saying "No Thanks" when he is asked questions sometimes.
It is actually pretty cute - for example - "Is it time to get out of the bath now H?" to a reply "No Thanks!".

I do wonder though how long it will last.

His Birthday Party on Sunday was an event that wouldn't have gone anywhere near as smoothly without the help and love of some of our family members and of course his (and our) friends who brought him some lovely gifts.

So yesterday I made him some colouring pages that we could turn into thank-you cards that he could send to all of his aunts and uncles and friends.

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We sat down yesterday afternoon with a brand new packet of *washable* felt tip pens and he scribbled away all over the colouring pages - I printed out as many as I needed plus a few more.

Being a 2 year old colouring is really just a mass of scribbles but that was kind of the look I was going for.

Then I cut out around each of the Thanks! messages leaving a small margin, and we glued these to a bought set of blank yellow cards.

 

I think that it is important for these cards to not look overly 'done' as they are supposed to be coming from a small child.

I hope that small practices like this which we can talk about and have fun with as he is growing up will help him to appreciate and value when other people do nice things for him.

If you decide to have a go yourself - I hope you have fun!

How do you show gratitude in your family?

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Getting off to a Clean Start!

I am by no means a 'clean freak' - although I do like things to be tidy and ordered around the home. I find that spending a small amount of time on a routine of cleaning and tidying each day allows me to stay on top of things and stay cool calm and collected...most of the time! 

I was unsure how to start off this blog about rediscovering my style, however in looking around the web for a cleaning and organisation checklist, I just couldn't find anything at all that jumped out at me and was well...stylish! So I decided to create my own 'Daily and Weekly Housekeeping Checklist' and I decided to share it with you! (Click here to Download!!)

You might wonder what  a clean  and tidy house has to do with style at all? Well apart from a sense of accomplishment and being able to wake up each morning without a feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach about what lies ahead - I think that it is more about allowing you to feel in control of your life to some degree - even when the family tries their best to tear this away from you. 

Knowing that you have done these small things each day and week clears your mind of the clutter that thinking about chores can sometimes create. It gives you that extra 5 minutes to

I know only too well that commencing upon a new habit can be daunting and feel like a chore in itself. But...as I hope you will find... once these small things become committed to memory and become part of your day, you will find yourself just doing them without even thinking about it.

I don't make a concentrated effort to get everything done either, I just do things as I happen to be near that spot and with 5 minutes to spare throughout the day. For example - I often will wipe down the bathroom sink with my little one is in the bath playing.

Sometimes too all my organisation goes out the window for whatever reason and I go through a period of time where not very much at all gets done...it is at those times when I am feeling overwhelmed by the sheer weight of work ahead of me that I sit and think to myself 'What did I used to do that made it so easy?' and then the little light bulb goes off in my brain and I remember my daily and weekly organisation. Once I am back in the swing of things everything else seems to fall into place.

So I do hope that you enjoy your printable copy of my 'Daily and Weekly Housekeeping Checklist' - there is even space where you can add your own chores to the list.

Click Here to Download Now!