A Month of Thanks and November Goals

One thing I wanted to do between November 1st and Thanksgiving was to keep a journal of things we are thankful for. So instead of writing everything down in a journal, I came up with the idea of Gratitude Turkeys.

I printed out some turkeys from Childcareland and we each colored our own turkeys.

Then I did a search for bible verses on being thankful and found one I really liked - "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever" (Psalm 107:1) I printed that out too and mounted it on fall "leafy" scrapbook paper. We then glued everything to a large piece of poster board. And last night, My Marine and I spent the evening together cutting out over 60 feathers while catching up on our DVR'd shows. (Good quality time together!) And here's our finished product!

Our plan is that when we sit down together at dinnertime, that we each take a feather, write something that we're thankful for and stick it on our turkey.  Of course, we'll encourage doing it more often than at dinnertime, but that is the one time we'll do it as a family.  I can't wait to see what things the girls are thankful for!

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Over at Mama Smiles, she has this fabulous idea of setting monthly goals.  I found her about a month ago and had every intention of linking up with my October goals.  But time just got away from me.  (Ok, I'll admit it - I was just lazy!)   What I love most about this is that she has 5 different areas to target - like peace, charity, gratitude - and her goals revolve around those.  I just LOVE this concept! 

So this time, I really wanted to participate!  Inspired by Mama Smiles, here are some of the areas I will focus on:

Health:            Planning healthier meals for my family, getting more exercise.

Family:            Planning family time, eating dinner together, keeping in touch with extended family.
Community:    Spending time with friends, honoring volunteer committments.
Gratitude:       Making time to focus on what we have and to be thankful.
Charity:           Reaching out to others less fortunate, sharing what we have with others.
Faith:               Attending church services, praying for others and my family, regular quiet time with God.
Creativity:       Encourage my children (and myself) to indulge in our creative side.
Homemaking:  Remember to try to keep my home peaceful, organized and a welcoming place for friends



Goals for November:

• Go through the girls' toys and box up those they haven't played with in the past 6 months.  Donate to local charity, church or childrens' hospital. - Gratitude, Charity
• Have family time at dinner at least 3x a week where we work on our Gratitude Turkeys (see above) - Gratitude, Faith, Family
• Prayer time and reflection - Faith, Community, Family
• Take girls' shopping for items for Toys for Tots and Operation Christmas Child donations - Gratitude, Charity, Family
• Begin to make Christmas gifts for friends and family - Community, Family, Creativity
• Keep my chaos at home organized, try to stay on track with chores - Homemaking, Family

So do you have goals for November?  Come link them up with Mama Smiles!