Letter of Reconciliation With a Parent
Dear Ma,
It has been a year since we last talked. Yes, I’ve been counting the days, each day dreading that we will never talk again. I’m sorry, please forgive me. The weather is a bit sad, but there is nothing to be sad about because I know you’ll read this letter and feel my sincerity in my apology.
I hope by this time next year we can look back and laugh at how we thought we could never settle our misunderstanding. Considering the problems we managed to hurdle in the past and how we conquered them all, how love grew despite the odds and how our love for each other managed to stay strong above everything else.
God’s plans are initiated on times when we least expected it. But it does happen for His perfect timing, with reasons we cannot understand sometimes. But whatever it is, and even if the going gets tough I’m sure we’ll go through it. Love can see us through and we’ll be Ok again.
Your Son
Weekend Games for the Whole Family
Do you remember playing games as a child that you absolutely loved? You may still long to play your favorite game even though you’ve grown up. There’s nothing that says you can’t still enjoy your childhood favorites. If you’re looking for things to do, here are some games for the kid in all of us.
Twister – Twister became popular in the late 1960s when Eva Gabor played the game on national television with Johnny Carson. This is the first game that was created that used the human body as a part of the game. While the game may be played with more than two people, it gets increasingly difficult when there are more than four.
Twister is played by placing your hands and feet on specific colored circles on the plastic playing mat. If you’re planning on playing Twister for your party, you can either purchase more than one game so more people can play, or everyone can wait their turn. Why not have a Twister tournament and get everyone involved?
Scavenger Hunt – Scavenger Hunt is another game that children have always loved playing. If you’re hosting the party, you are the one who makes up the list of objects to find. You don’t have to stay at your home to play. Update the game by having enough video cameras or digital cameras available for the number of teams you’ll have.
Get children and teens involved in this updated scavenger hunt game. When planning the list, have the teams find specific items that are common to each age group. Ask the groups to find the items on the list and take a photo or video of each one; that’s how they document what they’ve found on their list. You may also want them to include some items that the teams actually have to bring back to your home in order to win.
Monopoly – Break out some of the older board games that you used to enjoy as a child. Monopoly is one game that has been popular for many years. There are updated versions of the game that are different from the classic game, but the premise is still the same. This game can be played by several age groups at once so children can play with adults as long as the adults don’t mind.
You don’t have to give up playing your favorite games from childhood when you get older. Take the time on the weekend to reach back to your childhood and play one of these games for the kids in all of us. You’ll have fun and may find that you’re still a bigger kid than you thought you were.
Toddler Crafts for Mothers Day
Even smaller kids can make Mother’s Day crafts with a little help from an older sister or dad. Here are some examples of things kids can make for Mom on Mothers day.
Framed Photos
Every mom loves to showcase pictures of her kids, whether at home or at work. Pick out a favorite picture or yourself with Mom and create a beautiful frame for it. There are some easy ways you can go about making photo frames.
One of the most inexpensive and simplest ways to make a picture frame is to cut one out of paper. Construction paper, card stock and thick scrapbooking paper are good choices. Or, if you want to make the frame even less likely to fall apart, use corrugated cardboard.
Just make sure the opening in the middle is large enough to show the part of the photo you want to display, and make the frame any shape you like. Decorate with paint, glitter and stickers. Add a magnet to the back for easy display on the refrigerator.
You can also make frames out of craft sticks. Just glue the ends of four sticks together to make a square, and decorate with markers or paint. Or if you prefer, buy a plain photo frame and decorate it as you please.
Candle Holders
It’s effortless to make an enchanting candleholder out of a small jar. Know any baby food jars that could work well for tealights and votives? You may have some in your own pantry. Pint jars can hold votives or small pillar candles.
To decorate, use paper mache techniques, especially one that uses tissue paper and newspaper. Mix equal parts white glue and water, and stick the paper onto the outside of the jar, stopping below the rim. Use pieces of different colors to create a stained glass look. Cut some shapes out of the paper if you like, arrange them in a pretty pattern, and glue on top of the larger pieces. Coat with the glue mixture to seal, and let dry.
Christmas Holiday Traditions to Pass On to Your Children
If you’re of the generation that looked forward to having Santa in the house on Christmas eve, then you might want to pass on that holiday tradition to your kids. Now, you are the one stuffing the stockings with cute knick-knacks. Of course, ten years down the road, you will have to face some indignant faces asking why you lied about Santa. They WILL find out eventually, but who cares about that? What matters is you can keep the tradition alive!
Family traditions are just a few of the things that define you as a family. These traditions create memories, which can be very important if you have kids. Even when they’re adults, they will refer to the happy times you spent Christmas together and reminisce with their own kids. If you want to leave a legacy, you don’t need lots of money to pass on to your kids, you simply have to make them feel that they became a part of something really special and important as far as your family is concerned.
Important Traditions During the Holidays
- Traveling
- Opening Presents Under the Tree
- Santa
- Snowman Building (if you have snow)
- Sledding
If you’re religious, you can have mass together as a family. Also, meals are a great way to wish each other a happy Christmas. Don’t be too strict on these days, and let the kids run around excitedly with their new gifts. Christmas gifts are wonderful, especially if given as a part of a family holiday tradition.
Last Minute Halloween Decorations for Family Fun
If you have children, Halloween is a great excuse to have some family fun together. It’s an opportunity to dress up the whole family in weird and frightening costumes; and to decorate your normally peaceful home in the out-of-this-world Halloween theme, turning it into a scary haunted house to the delight of your children.
Every year can be such family fun opening up the boxes of your stock of Halloween decorations. Children love getting out the hairy giant spiders and spider webs, spooky ghosts, witches on broomsticks, ghoulish outfits and costumes, vampire teeth, witches hats and noses and everything else that goes into making up Halloween. You would think it would frighten them, but children take great delight helping put up the the haunting and eerie decorations that go with Halloween.
Everyone goes about their Halloween celebration in a different way. Some are too busy or not interested. Many people just make their Halloween decoration simple, such as simply carving out a pumpkin face, putting a candle inside and placing it in a window facing the street.
Others like to put in an all-out effort in their front yard, with subdued and changing lighting, lightning flashes, cemetery tombstones, zombies, ghosts, vampires, bats, spider webs and even fog machines and sound effects. It’s quite a wacky idea when you think about it, but all good fun. Yet other people concentrate on a Halloween decoration for their front door entry way, to offer a spooky welcome to trick or treaters.
It can be well worth loading up the family and friends in your car at dusk and driving around your neighborhood in the days leading up to Halloween, just to see and enjoy the amazing effort some people will put in to participate and share in the celebration. You can bet your children will be planning out their trick or treating when they know who is in the Halloween spirit and likely to welcome them with good fun, and a good stock of candies and sweet treats.
Occasionally you will find people who also decorate the inside of their homes, and perhaps have tours through their seasonally haunted house to show it off and to raise funds for a charity. Your family will take delight in the visit experience if you are fortunate to have one of these enthusiasts in your neighborhood.
Others like to decorate just a room or two in their homes as the theme for a Halloween costume dinner or party, and invite guests around for some Halloween fun.
Sentimental Letter for Grandma
Grandma…
You’re my favorite person in the world; warm and understanding, with a heart that sees the truth no matter how much I try to hide it.
My best ally … you make my world all that it is. Your presence brings me joy, even when you’re just holding my hand, without speaking.
Because of the warmth of your embrace, I wake up excited about life. Your gentle smile inspires me to do better and be the best I can be.
Grandma…
I don’t know where I would be without you. I want you to live long enough to see me reach my full potential.
I feel so fortunate to know that someone loves me unconditionally, I am trusted and understood by someone who sees me as pure no matter what happens…
In every corner of my soul, I hear songs of joy everyday you’re here.
You are my angel and my light… a blessing I will always be thankful for.
Help With Choosing Gifts for Your Family
Your Spouse - Does your spouse have a favorite hobby? Purchase things that can be used for the hobby – yarn and needles for knitting or crocheting, scrapbooking supplies for those that like to scrapbook, router and drill bits for a spouse that like woodworking. You get the idea, now go find a great gift related to their hobbies.
Younger Children – Children are pretty easy to buy for. It seems that advertisers begin bombarding children with ads for the latest and greatest toys earlier each year. Because of the ads during their favorite TV shows, they’ve probably been telling you since school was let out for summer break the different things they’d like to get.
Don’t let advertisers make you feel inadequate if you don’t buy your children everything they want for Christmas. Pick one or two toys your child has repeatedly said they want, and then get them other things to finish out the gifts they receive from you and your spouse.
Preparing for Christmas Gift Giving – Gift For Your Spouse
Most people go out to the store and buy gifts at Christmas time, but you don’t want to wait until the Christmas rush catches up to you before you start planning. In a lot of ways this is the easiest way to budget and plan for purchasing many gifts at one time. Take a trip to your favorite discount store and you can basically plan for gifts for everyone on your Christmas list.
Here are some ideas of possible gifts you may be able to give for the various people you may have to buy for:
For Your Spouse or Significant Other
Take into consideration what this person enjoys and listen for hints of things they would like to get. For women it may be jewelry, a trip to a local day spa, or their favorite perfume. Men will most likely enjoy tools of some kind, a book by their favorite author, or a CD by their favorite artist.
Clothing is usually a safe bet unless you choose a style and size that isn’t correct.
You may want to think twice about buying clothing unless they’ve gone with you to try something on prior to your buying it. If your spouse has told you they want a particular clothing item, your best bet would be to purchase a gift card that they can use to go pick up just what they want.
If you really want to impress your spouse, consider planning a weekend getaway for just the two of you. Ask the grandparents or a close friend to babysit, reserve a room at a local bed and breakfast, and then give them a written invitation as your gift they can open on Christmas day.
Gifts for Women: A Handyman Set or A Girly Tool Box
Guys often think long and hard about what item to give their moms, female co-workers, girlfriends or grown-up daughters. Well, if you have an ultra-savvy, independent woman with you and you want to make her smile on her birthday, your anniversary or on Mother’s Day, you can try giving her girlified versions of the best handyman tools around. A girl has got to have her emergency stash.
I’m talking about Apollo Precision Tools DT0773N1 135-Piece Household Pink Tool Kit
You can also try the The The Safety Girl Roadside Emergency Kit
The stuff inside is not as complete as the Apollo kit, but you have all you need to deal with a flat tire, and other “girl day” emergencies like losing a button, or needing to satisfy a chocolate craving. Here’s a list of what’s inside: Emergency contact list, accident record, safety Girl pencil, purified water, professional nail file, Ghirardelli chocolate, Zox breath freshener and a lip moisturizer. But… it’s cute, the logo on the casing shows a girl who knows her stuff, and there’s no way in the world anyone would guess the “emergency kit” contains a nail file and chocolate.
These two kits are practical, brilliant and fun gifts for birthdays and graduation. If you want to celebrate your girl’s first car or her new car, both these kits are ideal gifts!
Sentimental Letter to Mom from a Grown Up Daughter
Here’s a Mothers Day letter from a daughter who has grown up and left home. It’s ironic that we really learn how to appreciate our moms when we’re no longer under her care. Send a letter like this to your mom in Mothers Day and touch her heart in a sentimental way….
Dear Mom,
Sometimes I wonder if anyone else will care for me the way you do. I’ve been looking up to you for years and trying my best to be like you, but I know I can only be half the woman you are.
You are the best, Mom!
This Mother’s day, I hope to share with you my thoughts and prayers. I hope that through this letter you will feel the depth of my love, and I can touch you although I’m so far away.
Do you remember when I was younger, you used to tell me that not everything will go my way. And that I have to be patient and work hard to really get what I want? You were absolutely right. I know now how hard work and patience will always bear fruit in the long run.
Whenever I feel impatient, frustrated or lonely, I only need to think of you and your unending devotion to us, your children, to feel inspired.
I cannot thank you enough for the lessons that you taught me.
Mom, always remember that even if you can’t be by my side now, I’ll still be here for you. I will always be here for you, even if I’m busy or wrapped up in my work. You will always be special to me and I thank God for giving me a chance to live life with you.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Your Daughter
