Holiday horror!

• Is that you?
• Why?

      Noise– fights – MONEY…

I love holidays!

• Less rush
• Time to teach, play,catch up on jobs, train
• Build familyidentity – who we are as a team. Families need a bank of shared experiences, memories and happytimes to draw on in the future and build healthy relationships andidentity.

• Provided the motivation, momentum and passion to keep on going. 

• Helped to prioritize our lives and activities and

• Encouraged of the worth of all the ‘small’ stuff.

We must be thinking ahead to reach the desired destination.

The holidays can be a really important time in our child rearing years as the time pressure is generally relieved somewhat. We are in the drivers seat – not the clock.

Not every holiday period the same.  Depends on many different factors.

• New baby
• Fun focus
• Survival mode
• Boot camp
• Mixture

Certain things that we may want in every holiday.

List:

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Haveyou thought about your parenting destination? Not really a goal setting topic but worth a moments consideration or this topic is just nice rather than meaningful.

PR 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Somequestions to think about

1.  Do I have a ‘parenting flight plan’?

2.  What is ‘the way they should go’?  His way not my way.

3.  What does God desire for my children?

4.  What does God require of me as a parent?

5.  Has God already shown me something of Hisheart for my child specifically?

Never considered these things before?  That’s OK!!  Learner driver… few metres ahead… have to learn to look further down the road…

In thinking of your children’s future – there will be things common to all and others tailored to the individual.

Take a child inventory.  Sheets provided here…think later…

 

PS 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

The keys to a happier holiday are to anticipate, plan ahead and communicate clearly.

As the Holy Spirit goes before us and prepares the way, you go before your children and prepare the way for them.

Don’t like structure?  Me either?  I like planning – not maintaining!

Your plan might be a combination of:

• An over-all plan, spanning  the 2 or 7 week period of holidays
  
• Daily – at home
• Room time activities for each day – helps in overall contentment and
• Consider Dad in youractivites.

• Expect mess
• Don’t try to do too much.  Plan rest or free-play days as well as days out.
  
• Sleep needs of littlies
• Boys energy factor.

Hint for staying in:

I always want some time just to CHILL and stop running.  Kids still need structure though and this brings more peace into the home.  Less effort to drive a simple structured day than to play catch up all day long.

They help consolidate your thoughts and cut down on questions needing to be asked and answered.  Trains in patience, initiative and self control when they have to check out the information that is already provided.

• Holiday home program
• Bedtimes
• Job lists and settimes
• Jobs for pay
• Holiday and camping list

Specific Idea Area headings:

• Music
• Free concerts
• Shopping centres?
• Plays
• Art gallery
• Drama/plays
• Community theatre
• Dress rehearsals
• Studios, galleries, shoppingcentres, fairs – hands on activities
• Science – Dick Smithcheap experiments
• Library – specialinterest, reading days
• Astronomy night
• International foodnight.  Cook together.
• Invite people ofother cultures/missionaries and ask them to share experiences with yourfamily.
• Dress up?  Imitate customs – chopsticks, fingers.
• Satellitewatch.  Websites.

• Cooking
• Restaurant fun
• Fast food night
• Movie and popcorn –friends?
• Indoor picnic
• Clay – mud skating
• Painting
• Batik
• Tye dying
• Salt dough
• Backwards day
• Dinner undertable/on roof
• Family sportday. 
  Games with other families?
• Lounge room sleepout.  Best fun in winter.  Fire? - Spuds, marshmallows.
• Midnight feast

• Invite a friend (adult) to teach a skill
• Answering the phone
• Meal preparation
• Appliances
• Oven – red dot

• Ambulance
• Airport
• Cemetery
• Bakery
• Waiting patiently - Preactivity train.  Communicate.  Practice.  Diversions (games, puzzles etc)  I've been known to have the kids sit on the floor at home and 'practice' what it means to wait paitently if I'm in a shop or a doctors surgery with them. Teach them some games - memory or eye spy to use at these times.  I also had a season of carrying some lateral thinking puzzles printed on slips of paper in my handbag.  This was invaluable one day when on a school excursion with a goup of 11 year old boys who had to WAIT at periods of time throughout the day!
  

• Responsibility
• Respect for MUM!

                  Verbalfreedoms

                  Obedience

                  Timeout

• Honouring Dad

                  House tidy at his home time (kids planned activities or use movie here)

                  Take him lunch at work when out for the day       

                  Plan and pamper his homecoming

                  Explainwhat his being gone at work all day provides the family

• Etiquette - Teaparties

                  You fool around – you leave!

• Impromptu picnic –cheese and fruit.  Chips, sauce and bread. 
• Go to an indoor pool in winter
• Breakfast at the beach.  Anywhere!  (e.g. before school)
• Take them something special to eat after bedtime (their teeth wontfall out if you do this once in a blue moon)
  
• Some theatres sho films at reduced rates at certain times of the day or week
  

• Want to sleep in? – Set up movie for earlymornign risers
  
• Keep expectations real!!!
• They key for it all is in learning to think ahead.  
  

Proverbs31:18 She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits forthe day.

Proverbs31:27  She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive.