Empathy is one of the foundation character traits we want children to develop in order to care for and get along with others. Here are some thoughts from mothers about how to teach this important virtue: “Empathy is something we model by respecting the feelings of every member of our family. Even the feelings we… {read more}
Reaching Out for Help After You Have A New Baby
It can be isolating after giving birth to a baby. Not only are new mothers sometimes too tired to venture out as much as before but if their newborn doesn’t enjoy car rides, they may feel stranded at home. Regular “new baby” complaints include feeling lonely, being behind on the housework, being low on groceries, feeling utterly exhausted, and/or super emotional… {read more}
Gratitude Garage Sale to Support Local Food Pantry
Acts of Kindness by Real Families is a series of short interviews featuring stories about service to others. Whether big or small, planned out or spontaneous, hearing about any act of kindness can inspire us to give more to those around us. It’s fun to find new ways to show kindness in our communities, and I hope you will… {read more}
Preparing to Handle Stress With a New Baby
The transition period after giving birth to a new baby can be very emotional for all family members involved. Routines change, attention is divided, sleep is interrupted, and everything just takes time to balance out to a new “normal.” Though older siblings may be very loving and caring of their new little brother or little… {read more}
Setting Goals for 2015: Inspirational Prompts + My Personal Note to You
The impending arrival of a new year always inspires me to reflect on what has passed in the recent months and consider where my life is headed. I have a lot of dreams for 2015: some big and some small, some complicated and some incredibly simple. Instead of merely setting goals and creating a vast “to do” list, however, I… {read more}
How (and Why) to Host a New Sibling Party
When a new baby is born, sometimes the older sibling can feel a bit left out. Baby gets presents at the hospital, everyone oohs and aahs over him/her, and mama’s attention is now divided! When my second son was born, we held a Big Brother Party for my oldest son so he could introduce his… {read more}
Creating a Wall of Kindness (Bucket Filler Activities!)
After thoroughly enjoying our new Circle of Light CD over the past couple weeks (read my review of this awesome CD that teaches kids to live a lifestyle of kindness here!), I decided to do a simple activity with the kids to further discuss the message of bucket filling. The idea was that we would dedicate a wall in… {read more}
Review: Circle of Light CD (Bucket Filler Resources for Teaching Kindness)
When I found out that one of my favourite musical artists was making an album to accompany one of our family’s favourite children’s books, I could hardly wait to hear the result. I am very excited to share Red Grammer’s new album Circle of Light: Songs for Bucket Fillers, created in collaboration with Carol McCloud, author of Have You Filled A Bucket… {read more}
