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December Fun

jami kirkbride — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:39:00 GMT

This is the last month in our 52 Weeks of Fun adventure. I hope the unique holidays have brought some extra joy and fun into your home. Feel free to visit the site and enjoy the activities randomly. No one says you can't make up your own holidays! Have fun and enjoy life!

December Holidays

Monthly Observances:
Bingo Month
Write a Friend Month
Learn a Foreign Language Month
National Stress-free Family Holidays Month
National Tie Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month

Weekly Observances:
Cookie Cutter Week (1-7)
National Handwashing Awareness Week (2-8)

Daily Holidays:
1--Eat a Red Apple Day
2--National Pie Day/National Fritters Day
3--International Day of Disabled Persons
4--National Dice Day/Wear Brown Shoes Day
5--Bathtub Party Day/Special Kids Day
6--Put On Your Own Shoes Day
7--National Cotton Candy Day/Letter Writing Day
8--National Brownie Day
9--National Pastry Day/National Children's Memorial Day
10--Nobel Prize Day
11--International Mountain Day
12--Gingerbread House Day/Poinsettia Day
13--Violin Day/Bicycle Built for Two Day
14--

15--Bill of Rights Day

16--National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day
17--National Maple Syrup Day
18--Bake Cookies Day
19--Oatmeal Muffin Day/Look for an Evergreen Day
20--Go Caroling Day/Games Day
21--National Flashlight Day/Look on the Bright Side Day
22--World Peace Day/Abilities Day
23--Roots Day
24--Christmas Eve/National Eggnog Day
25--Christmas Day
26--National Whiners Day
27--Cut Out Snowflake Day
28--No Interruptions Day/Card Playing Day
29--Tick Tock Day
30--Falling Needles Family Fest Day (?)
31--Make Up Your Mind Day

November Fun

jami kirkbride — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 04:23:00 GMT

This year has flown by quickly! There are wo months left and a lot of celebrations ahead. If you haven't been a part of the 52 Weeks of Fun...welcome! If you have followed the activities through the year...I hope it has brought you added joy!!

Monthly Observances:
Family Stories Month
I Am So Thankful Month
National Peanut Butter Lovers Month
National Pomegranate Month
National Roasting Month

Weekly Observances:
National Care Week (3-9)
Kids' Goal Setting Week (5-9)

World Kindness Week (7-13)

Children's Book Week (12-18)
National Family Week (18-24)
National Game and Puzzle Week (18-24)

National Bible Week (18-24)
Better Conversation Week (19-25)

Daily Holidays:

1--National Authors' Day
2--Look For Circles Day
3--Sandwich Day
4--Candy Day/Use Your Common Sense Day
5--Gunpowder Day (?)
6--Saxophone Day/Election Day
7--Hug a Bear Day/National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
8--National Parents As Teachers Day
9--Guiness World Record Day
10--Forget-Me-Not Day
11--Air Day/Veterans Day
12--World Orphan Day
13--National Young Readers Day/World Kindness Day
14--National American Teddy Bear Day/America Recycles Day
15--I Love to Write Day
16--National Moms and Dads Day
17--Homemade Bread Day
18--Mickey Mouse Day
19--Have a Bad Day Day
20--Universal Children's Day
21--World Hello Day/Pumpkin Pie Day
22--Go For a Ride Day
23--Buy Nothing Day/You're Welcome Day
24-- National Espresso Day
25--National Parfait Day
26--Shopping Reminder Day
27--Pins and Needles Day
28--National French Toast Day
29--Square Dance Day
30--Stay Home Because You're Well Day

October Fun

jami kirkbride — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:59:00 GMT

Enjoy the fun holidays ahead this month. Whether you have been a part of the 52 Weeks of Fun or not, this month has great things waiting for you. Make the holidays as fun and creative as you'd like.

October Holidays--
National Pizza Month
National Cookie Month
National Popcorn Popping Month
Children's Magazaine Month
Eat Better, Eat Together Month
National Book Month
National Caramel Month
National Chili Month
National Pajama Month
National Communicate With Your Kids Month
National Go On a Field Trip Month
National Roller Skating Month

Weekly Observances--
National Newspaper Week (6-13)
Fire Prevention Week (7-13)
National Carry a Tune Week (7-13)
National School Lunch Week (14-20)
National Character Counts Week (17-23)
Kids Care Week (21-27)
National School Bus Safety Week (21-27)

Daily Holidays--
October 1--International Day of Older Persons/Fire Pup Day
October 2--World Farm Animals Day
October 3--Balloons Around the World
October 4--National Golf Day
October 5--World Teacher's Day
October 6--National Story Telling Day
October 7-- World Smile Day
October 8--Chowder Day
October 9--Fire Prevention Day
October 10--National Cake Decoration Day
October 11--It's My Party
October 12--Old Farmer's Day
October 13--Pastor Appreciation Day
October 14--National Dessert Day
October 15--National Grouch Day
October 16--Dictionary Day
October 17--National Pasta Day
October 18--National Chocolate Cupcake Day
October 19--Evaluate Your Life Day
October 20--Reptile Awareness Day/World Toy Camera Day
October 21--Count Your Buttons Day
October 22--National Color Day
October 23--National Mole Day
October 24--United Nations Day
October 25--World Pasta Day
October 26--National Mincemeat Day
October 27--Make A Difference Day
October 28--Plush Animal Lover's Day
October 29--Oatmeal Day/Internet Day
October 30--National Candy Corn Day
October 31--Books for Treats Day/National Caramel Apple Day

September Fun

jami kirkbride — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:31:00 GMT

Can you believe how this year is flying by? I guess time does fly when you're having fun!

For those of you who would like a little dose of joy and laughter, you might want to try our fun celebrations. These simple little holidays are to add some fun to your day. These are creative and unique holidays that you have never celebrated before. These are not intended to be a stressor, so make them as simple or elaborate as you like. Celebrate as many as you'd like. Have fun!

September Holidays

Monthly Observances

Classical Music Month
Fall Hat Month
National Courtesy Month
National Piano Month
Baby Safety Month
Better Breakfast Month
National Potato Month
National Coupon Month
Library Card Sign-up Month
National Rice Month

Weekly Observances
National Waffle Week (2-8)
Play Days (4-8)
Popcorn Week (6-8)
National Clean Hands Week (16-22)

Daily Observances
3--Waffle Day/Labor Day
5--Cheese Pizza Day
6--Read a Book Day
8--Potato Day
9--National Grandparent's Day/Teddy Bear Day
10--Swap Ideas Day
11--Make Your Bed Day
12--Chocolate Milk Shake Day
13--National Peanut Day
14--National Cream Filled Donut Day
15-Make a Hat Day
16--National Women's Friendship Day/National Play Doh Day
18--National Cheeseburger Day
19--National Butterscotch Pudding Day
20-- National Punch Day
21--Mini Golf Day
22--World Gratitude Day
23--National Good Neighbor Day
24--Family Day
25--National Comic Book Day
26--Johnny Appleseed Day
28--Love Note Day
29--Family Health and Fitness Day USA

August Fun

jami kirkbride — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 21:16:00 GMT

What fun this year has been! For those of you enjoying the creative holidays we are celebrating...thanks for joining in the adventure. If you are new to this idea...jump in! We would love to include you in our celebrations of unique and silly holidays. For our family, this is a great way to learn things and have fun while doing it! We hope you year is full of joy!

Feel free to celebrate as many or as few of the holidays as you'd like. This is not to be stressful...just fun!

August Holidays

Monthly Observances
Children's Eye Health and Safety Month
National Inventor's Month
Family Fun Month
National Eye Exam Month
Peach Month
National Picnic Month

Weekly Observances
National Smile Week (week 2)
Friendship Week (week 3)

Daily Observances
August 1-- Girlfriends' Day
August 2--Ice Cream Sandwich Day
August 3--National Watermelon Day
August 4--National Chocolate Chip Day
August 5--Sister's Day
August 6--Wiggle Your Toes Day
August 7--National Night Out
August 8--National Underwear Day
August 9--Book Lover's Day
August 10--Kool-Aid Day
August 11--Son and Daughter Day
August 12--Middle Child's Day
August 13--Left Hander's Day
August 15--Best Friends' Day
August 17--Sandcastle Day
August 19--Daughter's Day
August 20--National Radio Day
August 24-- National Waffle Day
August 25--National Second-Hand Wardrobe Day
August 26--National Dog Day
August 27--Just Because Day
August 30--National Toasted Marshmallow Day
August 31--National Trail Mix Day

July Fun

jami kirkbride — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 02:37:00 GMT

Are you looking for ways to have good clean fun? Celebrating silly holidays is a great way to laugh more, learn more and enjoy life more! Why not give it a try! The July holidays are as follows:

Monthly Observances:
National Blueberries Month
National Baked Bean Month
National Grilling Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Make a Difference to Children Month
National Purposeful Parenting Month
National Recreation and Parks Month

Daily Observances:

1-Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day
2-I Forgot Day
3- Disobedience Day/Stay Out of the Sun Day
4-Fourth of July
6-National Fried Chicken Day
7- Chocolate Day/Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together Day
8-Video Games Day
9-National Sugar Cookie Day
10-Teddy Bear Picnic Day/Don't Step On a Bee Day
12- Hot Dog Day
13-Barbershop Music Appreciation Day
14- Shark Awareness Day
15-Gummi Worm Day
17-Peace Ice Cream Day
19-National Raspberry Cake Day
20-National Lollipop Day/Robin Hood Day
21-Cow Appreciation Day
22-Parent's Day
23-Vanilla Ice Cream Day
24-Cousin's Day/National Drive-Thru Day
26- Aunt and Uncle Day
27-Garlic Day/Walk on Stilts Day
28-National Cowboy Day/National Milk Chocolate Day
29-National Lasagna Day
30-National Cheesecake Day/Father-in-Law's Day

Have fun celebrating as many as you'd like. Remember this is supposed to be fun...not stress!

June Fun

jami kirkbride — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 02:21:00 GMT

Another month of fun... Enjoy!

June Holidays

Monthly Observances:
Effective Communication Month
Dairy Month
National Candy Month
National Ice Tea Month
National Rose Month
National Fruit and Vegetables Month
National Steakhouse Month
National Safety Month
Potty Training Awarenesss Month

Weekly Observances:
National Sun Safety 3-9
Take a Kid Fishing Weekend 8-10
Families in Business Week 11-15
Meet a Mate Week 18-24

1-Dare Day/Hug Your Cat Day
2- National Rocky Road Day
3- Donut Day
4- Applesauce Cake Day
5-National Hunger Awareness Day
6-National Yo-Yo Day
7- Daniel Boone Day/National Chocolate Ice Cream Day
8- Banana Split Day/ Best Friends Day
9- Raggedy Ann and Andy Day
10- Iced Tea Day
11- Hug Holiday
12-Red Rose Day
14- Family History Day
15- Fresh Veggies Day
16-World Juggling Day
17- Father's Day
18- Go Fising Day
20-Ice Cream Soda Day
21- First Day of Summer
22-National Chocolate Eclair Day
23-National Pink Day
24- Celebration of the Senses
25- Log Cabin Day
26-Forgiveness Day
27- Sun Glasses Day
28- Hand Shake Day
29- Camera Day

May Fun

jami kirkbride — Fri, 04 May 2007 02:29:00 GMT

For those of you who are new to the 52 Weeks of Fun, we are glad you are checking it out! We invite you to share in the exciting journey. Feel free to choose as many or as few of the holidays as you want to celebrate. This has been a fun way for our family to celebrate unique holidays, learn, and foster joy in our home. If you have been part of this journey already, we hope you are having fun. The 52 Weeks of Fun Forum has suggestions of activities or ideas for celebrating. Each week, a new set of suggestions is posted. Visit the forum for more information. Remember this is for fun...not stress! Enjoy!

May Holidays:

Monthly Observances--
Date Your Mate Month
National Hamburger Month
National Salad Month
Get Caught Reading Month
National Barbeque Month
National Bike Month
National Smile Month
National Salsa Month
National Family Month (May 14-June 18)

Weekly Observances--
Eat Dessert First Week 1-7
Be Kind To Animals 6-12
National Family Week 6-12
Teacher Appreciation Week 6-12
National Police Week 13-19
Reading is Fun Week 13-19
Work At Hom Moms Week 13-19
National New Friends, Old Friends Week 20-26
National Backyard Bames Week 21-28
National Etiquette Week 21-27

Daily Observances--
1- Mother Goose Day
2- Brothers and Sisters Day
3- National Day of Prayer
4- Respect for Chickens Day and National Hoagie Day
5- Garage Sale Day
6- Nurses Day and Beverage Day
8- National Teacher Day
9- National School Nurse Day and Lost Sock Memorial Day
10- Clean Up You Room Day
11- Eat What You Want Day
12- National Babysitters Day and Windmill Day
13- Mother's Day
14- Dance Like A Chicken Day
15- International Day of Families and National Chocolate Chip Day
16- Love a Tree Day
18- National Pizza Party Day
19- Armed Forces Day
20- Neighbor Day
21- National Waiters and Waitress' Day
22- Buy A Musical Instrument Day
23- National Taffy Day
24- Brother's Day
25- National Tap Dance Day
26- International Jazz Day
27- Sun Screen Day
30- Water a Flower Day

Have a fun month! Laugh lots!

April Fun

jami kirkbride — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 20:39:00 GMT

Happy Celebrating! If you have enjoyed the past few months of unique holidays, then hopefully you will enjoy this month as well. And if you haven't yet been a part of the 52 Weeks of Fun, this is a great time to jump in!

The following list includes the holidays for the month of April:
Monthly Observances--
Jazz Appreciation Month
National Humor Month
National Kite Month
National Poetry Month
Straw Hat Month

Weekly Observances--
Egg Salad Week (9-15)
National Library Week (15-21)
Cowboy Poetry Week (17-23)
National Dance Week (21-30)
Week of the Young Child (22-28)
National Playground Safety Week (23-27)

April 1 National Fun Day
April 2 International Children's Book Day
April 3 Pony Express Day
April 5 National Fun At Work Day
April 6 Good Friday
April 7 National Love Our Children Day and No Housework Day
April 8 Easter
April 10 National Sibling Day
April 11 Barbershop Quartet Day
April 12 Licorice Day
April 13 International Plant Appreciation Day
April 15 Husband Appreciation Day
April 16 International Moment of Laughter Day
April 17 National Stress Awareness Day
April 19 High Five Day
April 21 Kindergarten Day
April 22 National Jelly Bean Day
April 24 Teach Your Children To Save Day
April 26 Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day
April 28 Sense of Smell Day
April 29 National Dance Day
April 30 National Honesty Day

Have fun! Pick a few holidays that you would like to enjoy with your family. Use some creativity and have a blast! Make the celebrating as simple or as elaborate as you'd like.

March Fun

jami kirkbride — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 14:42:00 GMT

Hopefully you have been able to enjoy a few unique holidays together as a family. Taking time to laugh and have fun together builds an atmosphere of joy and life. Children thrive on knowing that things are good, and adults benefit from a less stressful life. There are enough parts of life that are serious and pressing...enjoy the lighter times and create more of them!

The month of March has some interesting holidays, and in my opinion, they are better than February. Take a look at the list and see which holidays your family may enjoy celebrating. And remember...this is not intended to create stress. Only celebrate the ones you want to...and make them as simple or elaborate as you'd like. My kids like having something to look forward to, and don't even mind if all we do is talk about it.

March Daily Holidays:
March 1- Pig Day
March 2- World Prayer Day
March 3- I Want You To Be Happy Day and National Anthem Day
March 4- March Forth-Do Something
March 5- Fun Facts About Names Day
March 6- Unique Names Day
March 7- Learn What You Name Means Day
March 9- Panic Day
March 11-Johnny Appleseed Day
March 14-National Children's Craft Day
March 15-Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
March 16-Lips Appreciation Day
March 17-Maple Syrup Day
March 18-Forgive Mom and Dad Day
March 19-National Chocolate Caramel Day
March 21-National Common Courtesy Day
March 22-World Day for Water
March 23-National Puppy Day
March 24-Yoyo Day
March 25- Pecan Day
March 26-Make Up Your Own Holiday Day
March 27-Kite Flying Day
March 30- Pencil Day and Doctors Day

Some Weekly Observances Include:
National Write A Letter Of Appreciation Week (1-7)
Celebrate Your Name Week (4-10)
National Sleep Awareness Week (5-11)
American Chocolate Week (3rd week)
National Agriculture Week (18-24)
World Clown Week (18-24)
National Bubble (blowers) Week (20-26)
National Cleaning Week (25-31)

A Few of the Monthly Holidays Include:
International Listening Awareness Month
Learn Russian Month
National Craft Month
National Nutrition Month
National Umbrella Month
Play the Recorder Month
Youth Art Month

My Best Valentine's Day...

jami kirkbride — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 21:38:00 GMT

     Yesterday, I was speaking at a MOPS group. Prior to my presentation, the coordinator had asked everyone to talk at their tables about the best Valentine's Day they had ever had. I couldn't really think of a particular Valentine's Day that stuck out in my mind. We typically go out on a date, just my husband and I. And that is special, but we do that every Valentine's Day. My answer was very similar to that and I added that just having the tradition to look forward to was special.
     As others shared about their romantic holidays, I kept thinking. My husband is wonderful, buys great gifts (which is important to me), and takes time with me (my love language). But truly, he is just not fitted with a romantic flair. That is just not his style. And that's okay.
     Then it occurred to me. I thought of our most recent Valentine's Day. I remembered my husband, and three sons walking into my bedroom on that morning and bringing me breakfast in bed. It wasn't my husband's thought, it was my middle son's idea. My husband carries the tray in, and my son announces, "Here's for you mom...'cuz you're the best mommy in the whole world!" His boyish grin was amusing. A gift by itself.
     The boys surrounded the bed and kept me company while I tried to devour more breakfast than we could all consume together. Cereal, donuts, fruit, milk, juice...you name it, it was there! The thought had been so cute, I didn't dare leave a crum, or he would have been crushed.
     Now, as I am thinking back on Valentine's Day, I am also reminded of my boys' response to me just this morning. It wasn't a holiday, just an ordinary day. I walked to the breakfast table to join the family. I was dressed for the day, but not much else. I am not a morning person, so I barely had my eyes open. Without skipping a beat, my youngest son, Jackson (3) looked up from his cereal and with his chubby cheeks full of cereal he says, "You look so beautiful."
     Carter (5) then turns around, cocks his head slightly to the side and adds, "You look so pretty, I can hardly take my eyes off you!"
     I laughed and thanked them both. I knew that they were being kind. A beauty queen I was not, especially at this time of day! I appreciated their compliments.
     As I think of these occasions, I realize that these are the things you couldn't ask for. And in their own way...they are romantic. My sons are learning things from my husband that they wouldn't know or do otherwise. I need to appreciate that more. It is easy to take those things for granted. That is his way of loving me, and he is in turn teaching my boys to love me as well.
     I decided that this Valentine's memory was one worth tucking away for future reference. This could be my favorite Valentine's Day. It was memorable and had a great lesson attached. When I feel that the romance is lacking, maybe I need to expand my perception and count my blessings!

February Fun

jami kirkbride — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 23:44:00 GMT

It's Febuary already! January has flown by, and I hope you had a chance to enjoy a few of the silly holidays. Now we have another cold month ahead, but it won't stop our fun. I hope that you will find a couple of the February holidays that catch your eye. Have fun celebrating and learning in new and different ways! We are having lots of fun, and we hope that you will join us.

There are numerous holidays in a month, and this is far from a complete list. I choose to list of few of the holidays that may be more fun or easier to include in a normal day. Feel free to search for more holidays...and share what you are finding. Remember, this can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose. It's not intended to create stress...just joy.

I would also like to encourage anyone to visit the forum and see some of the ideas I have posted for each week's holidays. You may want to try the simple suggestion, or it may just jumpstart some creative planning for you. Have a great month...and feel free to tell us about your fun! Sharing your ideas may encourage others.

February Monthly Observances--
American Heart Month
Bake for Family Fun Month
Learn Italian Month
Library Lovers Month
National Children's Dental Health Month
Relationship Wellness Month
Youth Leadership Month

Daily Holidays for February--
1- Bubble Gum Day
2- Groundhog Day and Wear Red Day
4- Super Bowl XLI
6- Pay a Compliment Day
7- National Girls and Women in Sports Day
11- National Shut-In Visitation Day and White Shirt Day and World Marriage Day
12- Lincoln's Birthday and Lost Penny Day
13- Get a Different Name Day
14- Valentine's Day
15- National Gum Drop Day
17- My Way Day and Who Shall I Be Day?
19- Chocolate Mint Day and Presidents Day
20- International Pancake Day
22- National Chili Day
28- National Tooth Fairy Day

Weekly Observances--
Freelance Writers Appreciation Week (11-17)
Jell-O Week (11-17)
Random Acts of Kindness Week (14-20)
NBA All-Star Week (16-18)

Hopefully this list of ideas will include a few ideas you just can't wait to celebrate! Take time to laugh and have fun...it truly makes life better.

Memorable Birthdays

jami kirkbride — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 03:05:00 GMT

How do you make your child's birthday memorable? There are many things we do for our kids to have fun memories of their birthday parties, and we all hope that they will remember. It was a bit disheartening, when we discussed past birthdays in our home recently. No one remembered the Dalmation party with human "dog treats"-- pretzel sticks or the other doggy treats served from clean/new dog dishes. And then there was a great confusion as to who had the party with the 10 inflatable jungle animals and green streamers flowing throughout the house.

Now I realize that the efforts I put into making those parties special was not wasted. The smile on the kids faces that day made it all worth while. I would do it all over again. And while they may not remember every detail...I'll just remind them with pictures. But this does raise an interesting question. What are you doing to pass on a lasting memory of your child's birthday?

I thought I might pass along an idea that I started when my children were babies. Each year on their birthday, I write a letter to that child. I mention things that are special about them. I talk about physical traits and character traits that will be fun to read about later. If there were any significant events that happened that year (like a child receiving Christ) or silly events (like things they say that make us laugh) I might mention those. I also talk a little bit about their personalities and how I relate with them. I want to create a vivid picture of who they were at that particular age.

I keep this file on my computer, and each year I just add another page to the file labeled "Carter's Birthday Letters", or whichever child it is. I also print a copy to put in a book that they can keep. I imagine them reading about themselves when they are older and laughing at the silly little things they did at each age. I also envision them having a very clear understanding of the depths of my love for them.

Whether reading about the day I first held them in my arms and kissed their tiny little hands or reading about how it felt to watch them make a basket and have the crowd cheer...I don't question that the stories they read will be a lasting and loving memory.

January Fun

jami kirkbride — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:29:00 GMT

Needing a reason to find fun this month. Look over this list of silly celebrations for the month of January. You just might find a reason to celebrate! Young and old alike will find this exciting.

January...

Family Fit Lifestyle Month
International Creativity Month
Jump Out of Bed Month
Learn Spanish Month
National Get Organized Month
National Hot Tea Month
Oatmeal Month

(you can find even more online or in books)

January Days to Celebrate:
1- New Years Day
2- 55 mph Speed Limit Day
3- Chocolate Covered Cherry Day, National Write to Congress Day
4- Trivia Day
5- National Second-Hand Wardrobe Day and National Bird Day
6- Bean Day and Cuddle Up Day
7- Old Rock Day
8- Bubble Bath Day and National Clean Off Your Desk Day
10- National Cut Your Energy Costs Day
12- National Pharmacist Day
13- Blame Someone Else Day
14- Dress Up Your Pet Day
15- National Hat Day
16- Nothing Day
18- Winnie The Pooh Day
19- National Popcorn Day
20- Penguin Awaeness Day
21- National Hugging Day
22- Blonde Brownie Day
23- National Handwriting Day, Measure Your Feet Day, and National Pie Day
24- National compliment Day and Belly Laugh Day
25- A Room of One's Own Day and Opposite Day
26- Fun at Work Day and Spouse's Day
27- Chocolate Cake Day
28- National Kazoo Day
29- National Puzzle Day, Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, and National Cornchip Day
31- Backward Day and Inspire Your Heart with Art Day

This is just a list of the holidays for the month of January. You may enjoy reading about them, but it can be even more interesting to discover some simple ideas for celebrating. Visit the Kaleidoscope of Life Forum to join the 52 Weeks of Fun. There you will find the holidays by week as well as some simple suggestions for celebrating. It would be wonderful for other people to contribute ideas for celebrating as well.

Enjoy the month of January. Life can feel burdened and stressed at times. Take time to enjoy the simple little pleasures and laugh. How can laughter make your life better this month?

Having More Fun...

jami kirkbride — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:09:00 GMT

Do you look at your life and see the need for more fun? Do you just enjoy fun and think a person could never have too much fun? Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, fun may be part of making this new year even better for you.

Our family has taken to celebrating silly and unique holidays over the past few years. The kids think it is a great addition, and I personally find it an excellent way to teach different concepts, facts, or just simply the value of fun!

We want to include you in our silly celebrations. Feel free to join in...it can be as simple or elaborate as you like. You may want to just talk about the holidays, think about the holidays, or actually do interactive things to enjoy them.

I will post some of the holidays each month here in the blog. There will be monthly observances and daily observances. Online resources and books list many more. This is just a sampling of some we will be celebrating. For more details, feel free to visit my forum...Kaleidoscope of Life myforum.jamikirkbride.com. There is a discussion titled 52 Weeks of Fun and will list not only the holidays, but also some simple ideas of how to celebrate. I would love to hear your ideas as well!

This is just an introduction, but see the post on January Fun for more!

Merry Christmas...of sorts!

jami kirkbride — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 23:35:00 GMT

Merry Christmas!

A couple weeks ago, God gave me a story about how the birth of Jesus was probably not like Mary had imagined. I wrote a short fiction piece about it, and the title was This Isn't What I Imagined. Little did I know He was preparing me for the upcoming holiday!

So glad God gave me perspective on a much larger scale, because quite honestly, our Christmas has not been at all like we imagined. The storm that hit on my birthday (the 20th) and cancelled all birthday plans has hung around. Living on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming is sometimes like living in a time warp...

The storm that the rest of life experienced five days ago and have simply moved on from, just blows and settles into a new snow storm each day due to the wild wind here.

We haven't had any snow melt, and these conditions on a ranch make it extremely difficult to feed the cattle. So, we are still battling the two feet of snow and massive drifting. I say we, but I am inside with all the children while my hard working husband does the labor!

So, several times today as I have felt tearful to be away from my family, where we had planned to be, I imagined how Mary felt even worse to be away from her family!

When I wished this could be a memorable holiday for the kids doing the fun holiday traditions, I tried to imagine how Mary felt as a young mom putting her new baby in a feed bunk and laying him in the hay. I am sure she wished different for him.

No, it has not been the holiday we imagined, but we still have a lot to be thankful for. Thankfully we can be together as a family (when my husband gets done working) and can all be safe together in our own warm home!

Merry Christmas!

An Easy Christmas Tradition Idea

jami kirkbride — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 22:04:00 GMT

Do you have any simple but meaningful traditions that your family shares? These traditions will create fun and excitement now, but can also provide exciting stories in the future. This easy Christmas tradition is one you might want to try!

Our family has a fun little tradition for Christmas. It has turned out to be one the kids are enjoying just as much or more than I am...and those traditions can be hard to find! This simple tradition serves many uses. Not only is it a Christmas tradition, but it is a way to slowly build up a collection of ornaments that your child can one day take with them and a "journal" for special memories along the way.

Each year, I purchase a small and inexpensive ornament (I can even purchase it the day after Christmas, if I want to get it at half price!). The ornament I choose for each child somehow represents a memory from the year. For example, the year my little boy started soccer, he got an ornament that had a little boy playing soccer. His first year playing basketball, his ornament was a snow man playing basketball. Our youngest son wants to grow up and be a fireman, so his ornament was a little boy dressed up in fireman's gear.

The best ornament came the year we found our one year old son holding a mouse, clenched in his fist and sucking on it, like you'd suck a thumb. Yes, it was utterly disgusting. But you can't imagine how excited I was to find an ornament with a mouse sucking his thumb and holding a blanket. Now that was cute!

I give the kids their ornament and we talk and laugh about the special memories. I also keep a sheet of paper that lists each ornament and a brief statement about the memory behind it. This is something fun to look at each year as we decorate our tree and come across the ornaments. In a way, it serves as a quick and easy journal of fun memories.

My hope would be that as each child gets married, they will be able to enjoy the ornaments and the memories with their own little families. I hope I will be able to part with them!

Christmas Memories...

jami kirkbride — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 04:44:00 GMT

What do you remember most about Christmas as a child? Do you remember what you received each year, the fun traditions, or maybe even a mood surrounding the holidays? Thinking about these two questions helps me get my focus during this time of year. Answering these questions gave me insight into the things that can and will be remembered many years later.

In my family, we had some special traditions. Each year we were given an ornament. My mom made spritz cookies that were green trees or wreaths. They were delicious! We read the Christmas story before we opened gifts on Christmas morning. We had a brunch and spent time together as a family. We usually spent Christmas Eve with my mom's family and Christmas evening with my dad's family. Our Christmas' felt special and fun.

I have thought a lot over the last couple years about the traditions I want my children to enjoy and remember as adults. I want to make sure that we take time to do fun holiday things...drive around town and look at Christmas lights, drink cocoa and listen to Christmas carols, buy a gift for someone less fortunate, and make Christmas ornaments and decorations. I want them to have the nativity story as their reference for Christmas, rather than just Santa and gifts. I want them to realize the gift of giving and not get caught up in receiving.

I want to enjoy holiday activities and outings, but I really want them to have special and meaningful memories of what our own little family did to make the birth of Jesus special. I don't want to get so busy and distracted, that we look back on their young years and wish we had done it differently.

What is your goal of Christmas? What will you do to make the memories that are important and lasting? Pausing long enough to think about it just might make your holiday a better one!

A Child's View of the Nativity

jami kirkbride — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 01:49:00 GMT

A few days ago, I read my little boys the Christmas story from their new Bible. They listened carefully as I read the story, then without warning my youngest left the room. He quickly returned with the baby Jesus from the Little People Nativity set we had just set out. Then my older boy ran to get Mary and Joseph. But that was still not enough. They ran and retrieved each individual piece, complete with the animals. I just wish I had my video camera going. It was so cute to watch them retell the story.

Have you ever heard the Chrismas story as told by a three and five year old? It sounded like this...

"You are going to have a baby!" said the angel.
"But I'm not married..." said Mary.
"That's okay. Don't be afraid and name him Jesus," said the angel.
"Marry her," said the angel.
"Okay I will," said Joseph.
Then Mary and Joseph rode a long way on the donkey to go pay money. They rode the donkey until they found a zookeeper, oh, I mean an innkeeper.
"Can we stay in your hotel," said Joseph.
"No, I don't have any room for you, but you can have my barn," said the hotel guy.
Yuck! We wouldn't want to sleep in the barn and never take a baby in a barn.
So then they went to the barn and baby Jesus was born.
"Go see the baby in the manger," said the angel.
A manger is not a bed it is like a box where you feed animals and it has lots of yucky slobber and stuff on it. Yuck!
And the shepherds ran and ran and ran until they saw the manger.
Then the angel told the three little people, I mean the wise guys about the baby. And the wise guys ran and ran and ran to see the baby.
They wanted to see the baby because he was a king. The end.

I was quite impressed with their retelling. Then I asked a few questions. "Why were all the animals there?"
Without skipping a beat, my youngest son responded, "Because they loved Jesus too!"
"Well, maybe," I responded.
Before I could continue, my older son stated quite confidently, "Well the pigs don't love Jesus!"
"Why do you think the pigs don't love Jesus?" I asked a bit confused.
"Well, do you see a pig here?" he responded.
"No," I added. Come to think of it, I don't believe I've ever seen a nativity scene with a pig! "You can add a pig if you'd like, We have plastic pigs down in the playroom."
"NO!" he said with surprise, "then there would be mud in our story!"
"Well, I think the animals were there because they lived in the barn, but maybe they did love Jesus too."

"Why was this baby so special?" I asked, curious if they would remember what we had pieced together over time.
"Because he's Jesus!" they shouted with joy.
"And what would he grow up and do?" I asked again.
I could tell that very minute that the reality had sunken in. They looked at the baby lying in the manger and then looked up at me with eyes wide open.
"He would die on the cross...and save us from our sins." They said in unison.
Then my tenderhearted youngest looked up at me and said, "I bet that made his mommy really sad that her baby would get big and then die on a cross."

The whole nativity story with my sons was very eye opening. I think as we celebrate Christmas year after year we get so familiar with the story that we take it for granted. Do we really stop and appreciate all the details that make it so unique? So many of the details were God's touch on a miraculous birth. This Christmas, I really want to remember the true reason for the season, complete with all the details that make it even more meaningful. Have you ever thought about the nativity story from a child's perspective? Maybe it would change your view of the Christmas story.

Mary's Perspective

jami kirkbride — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 22:05:00 GMT

Have you ever taken time to think about the Christmas story from a different perspective? Have you ever thought about the feelings and emotions experienced by those taking part in such a special event?

I read the Christmas story this morning and tried to put myself in Mary's position. Several fears and worries crossed my mind. What would people think? How will this all really work out? Will I lose all that matters to me in the process?

Mary was just a young girl. She was not even married but would soon be noticeably with child. She would have to convince her fiance as well as her family and friends that this child was not the result of sin. She would become a spectacle and risked a lot.

She was also taking quite a journey for this census. Can you imagine riding a donkey for four or five days when you are ready to give birth? I can't even imagine the physical and emotional toll this took on her. Then to arrive at a smelly, dirty stable and give birth in such conditions. I am sure giving birth in a stable was not exactly what most would envision, let alone the birth of a king.

I am sure that the situation was not all that Mary had imagined as she was growing up, dreaming of a wedding and having a baby. But God looked on Mary with favor and chose her to be the mother of the Christ child. God called her to circumstances and situations that He imagined. He had orchestrated all these events to bring the world a Saviour.

Maybe this Christmas I can stop and be thankful for circumstances and situations that are not exactly as I imagined. Afterall, as the Christmas story reminds us...things may not go the way we imagined, but God can imagine the whole picture and He has a purpose.