Parenting The Gratitude Habit: a new journal

Announcing New Book!!

I am so excited to announce the launch of my new gratitude journal -- Parenting The Gratitude Habit: a journal and resource for fostering gratitude in your heart, home, and family.

This new journal is specifically designed as a tool to support parents in creating a grateful environment in which to raise a child. The 365 journal entries and gratitude prompts help parents to deepen a personal gratitude practice in order to strengthen their ability to role model this powerful habit. The book is filled with gratitude prompts and suggestions, tips, and ideas for imparting a sense of thankfulness and appreciation in their children.

Check it out at: Amazon
 

Visual Gratitude - Month of May

I so enjoyed the Visual Gratitude "Journal" I completed in April that I had to create another one in May. Here's what I did. I love doing these!!

Once again, I began by painting a sheet of bristol board (11" x 14") and then glued some papers and sheet music to the page. Each day, I wrote 5 things I was grateful for using an ultra fine Sharpie.

Here's what it looked like before I began to write on it. 

I'll be back to share my June Visual Gratitude sheet next month. At some point I want to try creating a months worth of weekly pages...but I'm not ready yet. I'm enjoying these monthly painted gratitude sheets too much.

Click here to view the April Gratitudes page.

A Visual Month of Gratitude

I had fun last month with gratitude. Rather than using a journal book for recording my daily gratitude, I added each day's entries to a painted page.

Before the month of April began, I painted an 11" x 14" sheet of bristol board and cut out numbers from magazines. Then each day, I glued one of the numbers in place and wrote 5 things I was grateful for that day.

This is how the board looked before I began to add my daily gratitudes:

What a fun way to keep a gratitude "journal." I loved the visual aspect of this 30 day project. I am looking forward to doing this again for May. I had the new background painted and ready to go before May 1st. You can expect to see the May Visual Gratitude page sometime during the first week of June.

The Gratitude Habit: Gift Ideas

Only One Day to the Book's One Year Anniversary!!

The Gratitude Habit is an ideal gift for family and friends. It can be given on it's own as the primary gift or as part of a gift basket. Here are some gift giving ideas that include The Gratitude Habit Journal/Workbook.

Gift Idea #1: 
        Includes...

• The Gratitude Habit: a 365 Day Journal and Workbook
• Set of Pens
• Assorted Teas 
• Organic India Chai Masala Tea

 
Gift Idea #2: 
        Includes...

• The Gratitude Habit: a 365 Day Journal and Workbook
• Gift Card for Amazon.com

Gift Idea #3: 
        Includes...

• The Gratitude Habit: a 365 Day Journal and Workbook
• Micro Sherpa Throw (as pictured) Or Cozy Fleece Blanket Throw
• Thermal Ceramic Coffee Mug
• Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans
• Blank Strathmore Blank Cards for Making Handmade Thank You's
• 4" x 6" Photo Album

 Here are some additional gift basket ideas:
 

• Candles
• Classic Thank You Cards or Rustic Thank You Cards
• Ferrero Chocolates

The book is an ideal gift to have on hand for last minute gifts or to bring as a hostess gift for Thanksgiving or any of the social events of the upcoming holiday season. Order now to be prepared.

For more gratitude gifts, visit The Gratitude Habit Store.

The Gratitude Habit: Great Hostess Gift

Six Days to the Book's One Year Anniversary!!

With Thanksgiving just a couple of weeks away, consider bringing a copy of The Gratitude Habit...a 365 Day Journal and Workbook as a hostess gift. What a wonderful way to say thank you to your holiday hosts.

There's still enough time to order the book from Amazon.com for Thanksgiving. At under $10, it's an ideal price to order several and have them on hand when you need a thoughtful last minute gift this holiday season. This time of year is often filled with invitations to parties and dinners, and opportunities for socializing.

So order now to be prepared.

The Gratitude Habit: 100 Gratitudes

Seven Days to the Book's One Year Anniversary!!

The Gratitude Habit: A 365 Day Journal and Workbook has two opportunities to generate an extensive gratitude list. There's one at the beginning of the book and one at the end. The 100 Gratitudes list offers a challenge to those who would like to either complete it or start it before beginning the journal. The list becomes an easy reference and a reminder of the many gifts that fill your life. Time spent reviewing the list can be quite helpful when a pick-me-up is needed.

For those who feel that 100 Gratitudes is too long a list to start with, consider 50, or 30, or maybe 20 at first. Then go back and add to it in the future if you prefer.

This three page list was the first portion of the book I designed. It seemed important to begin with an opportunity to list as many appreciations as possible before even starting the journal pages. The 100 Gratitudes helps to create a foundation on which to start making changes in your life. It also helps in developing a relationship with gratitude before beginning to complete daily journal entries, and it makes it easier to begin focusing on the good things in life.

So, the initial list becomes a point of reference for assessing your relationship with gratitude. The second list, at the end of the book, is included for those who would like to create another list once they have completed the journal. It may also illuminate any changes in your experience with gratitude since starting the book.

Personally, I like to list 100 Gratitudes every couple of months or so. It feels good and reinforces positive thinking.

The Gratitude Habit: a bit of history

Ten Days To The Book's One Year Anniversary!!

With The Gratitude Habit Journal and Workbook about to celebrate it's one year anniversary, of the date it was published, I find myself reflecting on the journey of the past few years.

This morning I happened to remember the first time I had the idea of creating a gratitude journal. A few years ago, while I was walking Pickles, our dog, I got a real zing as I thought about developing a "Count Your Blessings" journal. The idea seemed to come into focus in a crystal clear way and I even got a glimpse of what it might look like, inside and out. So, immediately after returning to the house, I wrote down all my thoughts and ideas, adding to the page throughout the week. I did not look at that page again for about two years.

At the beginning of 2012, I began to make gratitude my focus, filling my days with reading, writing and exploring the subject in depth. The original goal was to develop a relationship with gratitude for another project I had in mind. Somewhere along the way, I ended up super charged by the idea of developing a gratitude journal with a workbook component. It was only after I began work on the book that I remembered my notes from two years earlier. How great to start a project in which "my past self" had left some building blocks on which to begin this new journey.

To purchase the book at Amazon, Click Here.

A Gratitude Journal for Relationships

Here’s a simple and fun way to put some time and attention into your relationship…

We all seem to have way too many priorities, activities, and tasks these days. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of space and time for many couples who are trying to meet their individual commitments. So, the relationship takes a back seat to all the other priorities tugging at their sleeves. A gratitude journal for couples is a simple and fun way to focus on each other and put some energy into your relationship.

My husband and I are doing a 30 day relationship gratitude journal. We each have a small pad we use to list three things we appreciate about one another, each day. It’s been fun and here’s why:

• We get to look for things to appreciate all day long. Not that we didn’t appreciate one another beforehand but now it’s as if we are shinning a spotlight on our appreciation.
• We get to share a moment of realization when we catch each other appreciating us for something. And, every once and awhile my husband will say, with a big grin, ”that’s going on the list!”
• I do believe that I am smiling more. 
• I am feeling love for my hubby more often throughout the day. 
• I think I like him even more than before and I LOVE the feeling of appreciating him and the things he does.

All of this and it's only taking us a couple of minutes a day.

When married couples have lived with one another for a number of years, it becomes easy to take some of what they do for granted. We may begin to overlook the little things we originally found charming or delightful and those things just become part of everyday life together.  A couple’s gratitude journal is a wonderful way to experience more appreciation for one another and to add a spark to the relationship. Whether you keep a journal on your own or the two of you go through the process together, there are benefits for both you and the relationship.

Instead of using separate journals you might prefer to share one journal and write on opposite pages. That way when you are writing your appreciations you get to see how much you are appreciated.

Any relationship can be improved with gratitude. This type of gratitude journal can also be helpful for...siblings, mothers and daughters, business partners, etc.

We are almost at the end of our 30 day journal and I know I will want to continue. Try this for yourself, for thirty days, and see how it benefits your relationship.