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This has been a harsh winter for us here in the West Chester, PA area.  Many school days have been cancelled, started late, and ended early due to interruptions from Mother Nature. After being in the house for several days, the activity ideas were running low.  Also running low - the children’s’ patience and usually good natured attitudes!  Squabbles were all too common and this Mom was nearing the end of her rope.  

As I was clearing the breakfast dishes and rustling around in the pantry I came across a family project that we had started but had forgotten about: our Gratitude Jar.  

The idea was that starting on January 1^st, anytime someone does something kind, something that makes you happy, or something that you find yourself thankful for, you write it down and place it in a jar or container.  On December 31st, you spend New Year’s Eve opening the jar and reminding yourself of all the special moments you experienced and delivered throughout the year.  

The timing was perfect.  I couldn't think of a better way to refocus these squabbling siblings and adjust their attitudes.  It was time to re-visit our Gratitude project!

To give it a fresh new feel, we created a new container for our "Blessings" as the children decided to call it.  I found a large glass jar with a lid in the basement storage area, a tag from the Christmas gifts, a chalkboard sticker from my scrapbooking supplies, and we were all set!  I found a white paint pen to write on the chalkboard stickers, placed one on each side of the jar, and attached a tag to the lid of the jar.  We placed it on the center of the island in the kitchen with markers and paper close by.  (This seemed like the best place as it is our family hub.)  With this, our new "Blessings" jar was born.

 Everyone embraced this idea immediately! It was so nice to see the kids all have fun with this and really spend some time thinking about what they would write.  One of my favorite parts was watching the ten year olds help the 6 year olds with their ideas.  They helped them write their thankful notes and draw pictures to illustrate them since reading and writing is so new to them.  Makes my heart so happy

Just starting this small activity over the snowstorms helped to change the feel of our household.  Everyone started playing together again, scowls were replaced with smiles and laughter could be heard through the house again.  

Later that day, we all had fun melting chocolate, crushing candy, and creating our own candy pretzel rods.  Hot apple cider was the drink of choice on this day, and the candy pretzels and cider were the perfect combination.  My family was back in action and all was well. 

Both writing and reading our "blessings' has helped us develop our appreciation and all we have to be grateful for. We've found our kiddos like to go through spurts - some days they fill the jar with many different things they are thankful for and other days are quiet.  Sometimes we will all be sitting together and one of the kids will wander into the kitchen and we hear the glass clink as they set the top back on the "Blessings" jar.  Keith and I can’t help but smile and know they've added something to our collection. But what we love most is reading them after the kids are in bed.  It really is such a sweet experience to pick out random notes from our jar.  Some of them are silly, some are cherished memories and some are more serious.  But no matter what is written, I am looking forward to reading them as a family on New Year’s Eve. It is such a gift to relive these little moments.

If you are thinking about starting your own "Gratitude Jar" for your family I found these beautiful pieces on QVC.com by Valerie. They would be perfect and be a gorgeous way to hold your own precious notes.  

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do. XO