Parenting is busy. Taking care of children wonderful and exhausting at the same time. How can parents who are already feeling overwhelmed with work, volunteering, homework, play dates, sports, laundry, and meals find time to share family history with their children? In last month’s link up, 15 moms and 1 dad told why telling kids about their heritage important, and this month we’re giving tips for how to actually learn about your family history. As you start...
I have a secret weapon for making family dinner happier. Every time I try it, it results in laughter, connection, and fun. Oftentimes when we sit down together to eat diner, all that can be heard is: “Ugh be quiet, stop making that noise, you’re bothering me.” “Please don’t eat until we say the prayer.” “I need a snack.” “We’re not having a snack right now we’re eating dinner.” “Can I have something else?” “I...
Anything that happened before your child’s birth is “history” to them. Do you tell them the story of how you and your spouse met? The story of their own birth? Those times in college when you wanted to quit? The time you were the last to get picked for a team? The time when grandma gave food to strangers stranded in a snow storm? The time when great grandpa rescued fellow sailors when their ship...
I asked my 3-year-old daughter if she knows what it means to be brave. She didn’t. I told her that it means “doing something you are afraid of, or doing something that is hard.” Then I read Seven Brave Women with her. We discussed several different ways that everyday women in the past were brave. Seven Brave Women by Betsy Hearne is a story about the brave deeds of the author’s ancestresses. Each of them did something...
I’m excited to announce that I’m hosting the very first “Family History for Children” blog link up. I loved the genealogy blog party by Elizabeth O’Neal at Little Bytes of Life and this is partly inspired by her. Thank you Elizabeth! Rather than focusing on genealogy in general, I am inviting you to share about the important topic of Family History for Children (ages 0-18). My hope is to add inspirational stories and practical tips...
ReallyColor is a website that allows you to create coloring books from photos. The website isn’t free, but it’s very simple! Anyone can use it. After you create a coloring page with their website, you can decide if you like it enough to purchase it. You can buy photo credits for about $0.40 each if you buy 10 or more at a time (if you just buy one, it’s about $1.50). I’ve made coloring pages...
How stories from the presidents’ childhoods inspired me to share family history in a way that kids can laugh at and connect with. President elect Trump is taking office in a week and a half. My six-year-old son was extremely curious about the election and asked his teacher and all our neighbors who they voted for. He is fascinated by the office of President of the United States, so when I stumbled across the book “Kid Presidents:...
My mom has been writing a series of short stories to share with our family about her dad. I decided to illustrate one of the scenes using StoryBoard That. Eventually I’d like to illustrate each of the scenes and short stories she is writing so I can read them to my kids at bedtime. The scene I did was about picking cotton in Texas when my grandpa was a boy, in the 1930s. The software...
Do you have any heirloom holiday decorations? My mother, sister and I were all married in December and have kept the ornaments used to decorate the trees at our wedding receptions. I also have a special advent calendar that my grandmother cross-stitched for me. Every year we tie candy or activity ideas to the advent calendar, just like my mother did when I was a little girl. My husband’s stocking was lovingly created by his Grandmother....
Just think – the journal you are keeping now might someday benefit your grandchildren. What? You don’t want anyone to read your journals? I agree, many of my teenage diaries may not paint a perfect picture of myself for future generations. Yet, I hold out hope that reading about those childish, dramatic, imperfect moments in my thirteen-year-old diary may help my descendants feel more connected to me. This is why I write in my journal...
