We’re doing a family challenge for the month of February that I thought others might like to join in on.  We’re designating it Do Something Brave Month, and challenging ourselves to each do 20 brave things to earn a family reward.

What counts as brave?  Anything outside your comfort zone that could lead to good things but feels a little scary.

Some examples (for big and little people)…

• Go to sleep with the lights out
• Approach someone you’d like to befriend and start a conversation
• Audition for a play
• Jump into the deep end for the first time
• Sign up for a club or class
• Ask for a raise
• Stand up for someone (including yourself)
• Sing in public
• Face a phobia and take a step towards kicking it
• Climb a tree
• Send out a book proposal
• Go into the basement alone
• Compliment a stranger
• Write an author to say you love her book
• Get a daring haircut
• Go up high and look down
• Sign up for a half marathon
• Quit a bad habit
• Try out for a sport
• Look under the bed

Obviously, these should be tasks that are a little bit scary for you.  Petting a dog would be a great challenge for a child afraid of dogs, but not for someone who is always around them!  Each thing should be safe and positive. 

These can be small steps that help deal with shyness, fears and hesitations.  Keep it doable!

Want to join in?  Pick a family goal (we’re doing 20 each, for me and the four older kids, so a total of 100 brave things for the month) and a reward (we’re taking a trip to the Mall of America for the first time as a family so we can hang out with wonderful friends and see LEGO Land for the first time!).  Also decide on rules.  For instance, we decided that we can do more than one a day and that we can do extra to help the family out (for instance, if one family member is short on her/his 20, we can do extras to make the family goal).  Focus on making it positive and possible!

We’re tracking our points on the calendar, with a different color of pen for each of us to log our accomplishments.

Are you in?  Feel free to jump in any time and tailor it to suit your family!  I’d love to hear some of your challenges in the comments if you do join in.

Here’s to making some magic happen. 

Today’s quote comes courtesy of 3 month old Fiona, who is sticking her tongue out at anybody who disagrees. 

“If we are to reach real peace in the world we shall have to begin with children.“ 

~ Ghandi

(Back tomorrow with some magic and fun!)

]]> http://magicalchildhood.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/fionas-thought-for-the-day/feed/ 0 Magical Childhood http://magicalchildhood.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/10-ways-to-make-today-magical-112/ http://magicalchildhood.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/10-ways-to-make-today-magical-112/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:31:03 +0000 Magical Childhood http://magicalchildhood.wordpress.com/?p=1829 Continue reading →]]> Happy Friday!  I’m so out of order and behind in posts that I thought it would be fun to do a Friday list of ways to make a little magic.

Here’s ten ways to make some fun memories this week….

1.  Do some eyebombing!  You’ve heard of yarnbombing and seedbombing, well now there’s eyebombing!  Head into the world with your kiddos and some wiggly eyes and see what inanimate objects you can add some whimsy to.  Just looking at their gallery is sure to bring a smile!

2.  Write up a list of 50 reasons you love your child and slip it somewhere to be found later. 

3.  Bake a cake from scratch together and then decorate it outlandishly.

4. Got snow?  Do something wacky with it like fill the yard with tiny snowmen like these from Urban Debris.

No snow?  Make your own!

5.  Start a new tradition of setting the table with a theme once a week.  Years ago, I worked as a banquet server at a Marriott resort and we frequently set up rooms with decorating themes.  Some of the common table themes were beach (bright colored napkins, sea shells, leis, etc.) and hoedown (red and white checkered napkins, old fashioned lanterns, silverware in a weathered wood box…).  We also used mirrors, flowers and lots of creative props to just make the tables look opulent.  Add some fancy napkin folds and dinner is transformed!

6. Print out a bunch of wacky mustaches (PDF file) and do all different fun things with them.

7.  Grab a pair of beat up shoes and all sorts of fun crafty materials like spray paint, fake jewels, glitter, modge podge, stickers, anything and make some fabulous new pretties!

8.  Make some sandwich art in the style of famous artists.

9.  Give the kids an assortment of things to take apart.  Broken toys, old radios and other household items become fascinating experiments when kids are armed with simple tools like screwdrivers and allowed to see how they work.  Just be sure to avoid computer monitors, TVs and smoke detectors because of serious risks and be sure they’re not plugged in.  See this article for safety precautions and how to do this on a larger scale.

10.  Play family Minute To Win It.  Here’s some fun ideas to try and here are some more.  Make your own up, too!

This week, my two oldest girls are off on adventures.  Victoria is in New York City as a mother’s helper for a friend, and Anna is in Minneapolis with some wonderful family friends.  It’s fun having “just” the three youngest kids and seeing how our days are different. 

I’m planning on taking Jack and Fiona down to Nebraska to visit with our fabulous friend Tiffany and family tomorrow, too, so Daryl and Alex will be on their own for a few days. 

It will be great having our assorted adventures, but I’m also looking forward to being all together again!  I’m acutely aware of how few years are left before some of my chickadees are flying the nest, and I want to make the most of these days together. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Sunday!

Here’s a fun little activity my girls and I made up yesterday.  Newspaper acting!

I grabbed a copy of our local newspaper and a few junk mail flyers and challenged them to read lines in all different types of voices.  For instance, Victoria read a sentence about a basketball game as if it were an ad for a horror movie.  Anna read a sentence about a city council meeting as if it were heartbreaking news.  I read a sentence about a budget proposal with terrible rage. 

Want to play along?  Just grab some really boring or random reading materials like newspapers, ads and magazines.  Even homework pages would work!

Here’s some suggested voices and styles:

• As if it’s the funniest thing you’ve ever read
• Like an action movie preview
• In the voice of an evil genius
• With great rage
• As if you’re heartbroken
• With a strong, funny accent
• As if it’s a children’s book for very young kids
• As if you’re super excited
• With terrible sorrow
• As if it’s a line in a romance movie
• Like you’re terribly scared

We had so much fun doing this!  We were all laughing like crazy and the girls have asked repeatedly to do some more. 

Happy Thursday!

I was going to finally get back to posting just now (we’re freshly back from a wonderful jaunt to Nebraska!) but I have a purple-clad baby in my arms who would rather sit on the couch and cuddle with me.  And well, nothing can quite compete with that! 

So here’s a marvelous quote I’ll share instead…

I have no idea who the original source is, but if you know, please drop me a note!

Have a wonderful day!

Head on over to thirty handmade days to snag it!

“Draw a crazy picture, 
Write a nutty poem, 
Sing a mumble-gumble song, 
Whistle through your comb. 
Do a loony-goony dance 
‘Cross the kitchen floor, 
Put something silly in the world 
That ain’t been there before.”
― Shel Silverstein

Here’s to a new year of silliness and fun. 

]]> http://magicalchildhood.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/in-praise-of-silliness/feed/ 2 Magical Childhood http://magicalchildhood.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/a-new-years-wish/ http://magicalchildhood.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/a-new-years-wish/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:32:47 +0000 Magical Childhood http://magicalchildhood.wordpress.com/?p=1784 Continue reading →]]>

I stumbled across this quote and thought it was marvelous for the new year. 

(P.S.  Doesn’t that photo above look pretty, like a bokeh shot of holiday lights?  I thought so, but it’s actually a shot we took a while back through our microscope.) 

Happy New Year! 

May your 2012 be filled with magic and love.

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, Solstice, Hanukkah or whatever your family celebrates.

Here’s some ways to make a little magic this week, especially for the new year.

1.  Make nature confetti.  Let kids duplicate the fun of tossing confetti without the mess to clean up– and help birds and squirrels at the same time.  In a large bowl, mix up bird seed, dried corn, crumpled leaves, small dried fruits, flower petals and/or any other natural materials you have on hand.  Take the bowl outside and encourage the kids to toss handfuls up in the air.  They can shout happy new year, offer up wishes for loved ones and so on as they toss.

2.  Use sand molds to make a really whimsical supper.  Wash them really well and then use them to make mashed potato castles (make it thick, oil the mold, pack it in and then very gently unmold), sea creature ice cream shapes (soften ice cream and spoon into molds, freeze and gently unmold by dipping the mold side quickly in hot water) and so on.  You can decorate the creations with fancy toothpicks, blueberry eyes, peas and carrots, you name it.

3.  Be detectives.  Take the kids to any public place and concoct a story together of what occurred there.  The kids can use clues as small as footprints or litter to figure out what kind of people (or animals) were there and what they might have been doing.  Invent the rest of the story together and weave an exciting tale based on the clues left behind.

4.  Make ice ornaments and hang them outside.  Fill small dishes with colored water and small natural items, along with a loop of yarn.  Freeze outside overnight, then dip in warm water for a moment to pop out of their containers.  Hang on low bushes and trees.

5.  If you have snow in your area, get the kids wondering what kind of visitors have been poking about!  Use carpet remnant, large pieces of cardboard or other scrap materials to make some giant beast prints.  Cut them out (an exacto knife works well) and then poke two holes in each to tie them onto a pair of shoes.  Now go stomp around in the snow while the kids are sleeping or away, and really get them wondering!

6.  Go sledding or ice skating in the kitchen!  Pull little ones around on towels, or have them put on socks and slip around the floor.  Older kids can pull the little ones and accidentally get some exercise in at the same time!  If you’re brave enough, give them a bucket of warm soapy water and have them “mop” the floor with their stocking feet.  My girls used to love to do this, though it can get pretty wet!

7.  Spend an ordinary day in ball gowns, fancy clothes or costume.  Go someplace if possible!

8.  Have your child use magic markers or fabric pens to alter a pair of old white tennies.  Slip a bell onto each shoelace so she can jingle when she walks.

9.  Take a white crayon and write some fun and simple activities on random squares of a 2012 calendar.  Each day, let your child color the day’s calendar square with a marker to reveal any secret messages (the crayon writing will appear like magic).  Some fun ideas for messages are Go on a picnic, I love you, Smile!, Wear purple day, Cake for breakfast and 100 Kisses day.

10. Gather a few branches in a pot or heavy vase.  Give the kids strips of ribbon, small pieces of paper with a hole punched for hanging, and a pen.  Ask them to write wishes, prayers or blessings for themselves and loved ones for the coming year.  Tie the wishes to the branches.  Kids can decorate their blessing tree throughout the year to match the season.  At the end of the year, give them another color of paper to write out thanks and record accomplishments.  The papers can be saved in a small container or scrapbook.

And with that, I’m going off to start on the ceremonial New Year’s Week laundry pile.   

Have a magical week!