Thankgiving Traditions in the Shell Family!

TwitterMoms asked: "What three favorite family Thanksgiving traditions have you passed or will pass on to your children?"

Well, it used to be tradition that our whole family would get together, cook, watch movies, sing and have all the little kids put on a show for all the older cousins, aunts and uncles. Many of the kids (18 and under) in our family have no idea how strong these traditions used to be as we have all moved, began our own families and stopped really getting together.

It makes me really sad that we don't get together as often, especially during the holiday when we can express gratefulness for the values, stability and dedication to family that my great-grandparents instilled in us.

The most important (favorite to me) Shell Family Thanksgiving Traditions I want to pass onto my children are:

Getting together every Thanksgiving and playing Monopoly (my family members will appreciate this the most! lol)

Thankgiving night talent shows (much to the horror of the participants who get little advance notice) We have a family of performers (singers, dancers, musicians and actors!)

Going around and having each person say what they are thankful for.

Also to remind whoever's doing the cooking to get Nana's (Aunt Pat) and Grandmom's recipe for Banana pudding and Ouma's (Stephanie's) recipe for the Baked Macaroni and Cheese.

And don't forget "One More Time" either. We have to sing this and pray before the first person leaves, to thank God for allowing our family to be able to come together one more time (feel the tears swelling up...).

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am especially going to miss my great-grandmother, who passed away just after Thanksgiving last year: R.I.P Willie Mae Shell

(This post began as an entry to get aTarget gift card, but as I began to write it, it became much more.)

To (say I'm gon) Do Tuesday

Okay, so my to-say I'm gon-do list is more about things I want to keep doing on a regular basis as opposed to just this week: I need you all to hold me accountable because otherwise, this will just be a lost post in a sea of archives! Ne way, here goes:

-Finish laundry for the week (spent an hour doing laundry last nite, but felt accomplished!)

-Figure what I have in the house that could double as a costume for Saturday's party (either use Jo's painting smock, paint brushes and an empty plate and be a starving artist, with a will paint for food sign, or use his cape and be bat girl and try to convice the Man to dress up as the joker!)

-Vacuum twice this week

√ Comment on at least 5 blogs a day or week (starting tonight) Crazy Adventures in Parenting, Kingdom First Mom, Flying Giggles and Lollipops, All because I fell in love, Eight Helping Hands

-Grandparent card with JoJo

-Go to the gym at least one day this week......and actually work out!

√ Not feel like a bad parent for letting JoJo watch movies while I'm on the computer

- Post give-a-way (hopefully it's not too late) from guy who emailed me a long time ago (that has to be bad blogger etiquette!)

-Finalize Thanksgiving day plans

-Review Christmas Journal (double check card lists and addresses)

√ Take 2 items off of my personal gift list

Okay, so that's it for this week.... I'll probably do more than just this list, but it'll be a good start..and I have to admit, I usually cheat and have Julio do some of the stuff...Vacuuming will be his task most likely

And now a word from our "To Do Tuesday" sponsor, Lisa over at Crazy Adventures in Parenting"

"Today's motivation - take care of yourself. Ensure you're drinking enough water. Eat well, and often (6 small meals instead of 3 big ones helps bolster your metabolism). Get moving every day, whether it's a walk, dancing, working out, be sure to have some activity in there. But take vitamins, and pump in some Vitamin C, Zinc, and echinacea to try to keep yourself well. I'm fighting with the sniffles right now (although I haven't completely ruled out allergies, with all the cleaning out I've done), but I shall prevail because of my arsenal. (Positive thinking helps, too). How about you? What do you use?"


Okay, so get to it...unless you want to come over and help me with my list! Toodles

Ree Ree

Give and it shall be given unto You: 30 Day Giving Challenge

This is coming straight from Keeping the Kingdom First. I love her site. It's inspirational and is a real reminder on why we should, and ways we can, Keep God's Kingdom first...]

She got this idea from her pastor who has just finished preaching on Matthew 16. He said:

Spend 30 days with a journal in your hand. Try it for the next 30 days and see if I’m not lying. Take a journal and just jot down everything you give. Every time you find yourself being generous, write it down. Every time you feel prompted by God to give something you never would, or why would I buy THAT many cookies… from the Girl Scouts. I don’t know why, God just gave you the prompting to do something special for somebody! Write it down.

And then write down on the other side every time something comes back to you. Every time the cycle gets completed. Do it for 30 days, and you’ll never be the same again. You’ll never look at giving the same way again.

Jesus invites you in on the “Kingdom Dynamic”. You don’t have to be afraid to give in the Kingdom! I would imagine the anxiety about money- trying to keep it- is a real anxiety. You’ll start to be just utterly amazed at the freedom that comes to you from money… when you start being generous.

Next month is November, which just so happens to have 30 days and also includes Thanksgiving. A light bulb went off in my mind. The 30-Day Giving Challenge was born, right there in church.

She has challenged herself, and whoever wants to jump on board, to grab a journal next month and GIVE in some fashion every day in November. This could be large or small, simple or extravagant.

If you have a blog, she welcomes you to accept the challenge or simply help spread the word!

Here is how it will work:

• On Sunday, November 1st, she will post a Mr. Linky and invite all participants to RSVP.
• Post about the challenge on your blog, with a few ideas about how you plan to give each day.
• Update weekly with your results, as little or as much as you feel led to share.
• On November 30th, she will post a final update with a linky so we can all see the impact of one month of giving.

Are there prizes?

Nope. If her pastor is correct, the blessings that come back to you each day during this challenge will be better than any bloggy swag.

So, whaddya say? Do you accept the challenge? I can’t wait to see what God has in store!

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