We started "What Makes Me Happy" journals last November. We were all about them for 2 weeks and then...I don't know what happened. We kinda just stopped. Perfectionist me would have seen this as a failure. Lazy me to the rescue! This was an opportunity to revisit the journals each and every November to prepare for Thanksgiving! (Thanks goodness for Lazy Me!).
I call them Thankful Journals but we really list things that make us happy. Here is why:
When I ask my kids to write down what they are thankful for, I get the same answers from each of them. They list things they know they are supposed to write down when someone asks them about being thankful. By asking "What makes you happy?" - I got those moments of thankfulness I expected, like Alex's entry for his family. But I also got much more specific things.
This is David's. He is currently making a scrapbook of his best drawings. He works on improving it each day. He rips out any he finds sub-par and tosses them and replaces it with a new sketch.
(I kinda want to do that with my own scrapbook sometimes.)
It not only tells me he is thankful for the ability to draw but gives me a snapshot of what his life is like right now.
Max listed several things that make him happy today. I think he thought he was doing a week's worth of "happy" in an effort to not have to think about it tomorrow. Has he met me before?
This tells me things he likes and looks forward to right now in his life. And will remind of the year he was diagnosed with dyslexia.
Of course I am thankful for Alex. AND, I am thankful that he is the kind of kid who makes milkshakes for the whole family.
Instead of just listing his brothers as something he is grateful for, I love that David wrote about how he likes to watch them play video games. (David is the most knowledgable video game non-player I am aware of). Of which I am aware? That I know.
I bought the Moleskin mini lined journals at Barnes and Noble. They came in colorful 3 packs. But you can get something similar at Wal-mart that are slightly larger.
Just a little share of what we now have as a new November tradition at our house. Until e get distracted again.....
