SPRING CHALLENGE IS OVER AND THE SUMMER CHALLENGE BEGINS - WILL YOU BE THE $1000 WINNER?
The drawing for the $1000 Once Upon a Family product drawing for one random participant will be held Wednesday the 8th during a live call with Lorle. Will you be the winner?
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JULY IS ABOUT COURAGE
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Once Upon a Family has developed the happyhome habits to make it easy and fun to build loving connections, instill strong family values and create a legacy for future generations. These habits are based on the “protective” factors” that decades of research have shown will strengthen families against the negative influences in today’s world. Using the power of rituals and traditions, the happyhome habits are things we can do with our families once-a-day, once-a-week, once-a-month, once-a-year and once-in-a-while. They are simple, fun and they give us peace of mind. We know we have accomplished the most important things for our loved ones. Use the download for July under the 'Activities' tab to complete the following happyhome habits. |
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Once a Day: Conversation Starters ~ Courage What is your greatest fear? How can you overcome it? Have you ever stuck up for a friend who needed support? What was the hardest thing you ever had to do? Name a person, living or dead, who has displayed great courage. |
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Once a Week: Family Fun Night ~ Uncle Sam Hats There is nothing more fun than a silly tradition the whole family can participate in. Here is one for the Fourth of July that encourages creativity and makes for wonderful annual family photos. It’s simple. Every family member must make his/her own Uncle Sam’s Hat and wear it for a group portrait. You can allow everyone the freedom to create anything they want (as long as it is red, white and blue) or you can choose themes for each year: paper hats, glitter hats, flag hats, moving hats, tall hats, symbolic hats, funny hats, etc.). If the Fourth of July involves several families getting together, each family can design their own “family hat” and make duplicates for the rest of their family members to wear. No matter what, make sure you capture this patriotic pastime on film for everyone to enjoy. |
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Once a Month: Fourth of July Tradition - Conquer with Courage Start a very valuable tradition that can make a big difference in your life and that of your loved ones. Dedicate this month to talking about courage and how our fears limit the quality of life we experience. Have everyone write down anything they can think of that they are afraid of or would like to do if they weren’t afraid. Older family members can help the younger ones. Cut and fold the Conquer with Courage Box from the Activities download and place your fears inside. Everyone picks out one fear to try to conquer for the month and shares it with the rest of the family. Be careful not to criticize or make fun of each other’s fears. Listen, validate, and be supportive. Help each family member think of ways to conquer their fear, instead of suggesting your own, and simply ask how you can be helpful. At the end of the month, the family should talk about how everyone has done and ceremoniously dispose of those little slips of papers. |
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Once a Year: Leaving a Courage Legacy with Your Family Story Use this booklet to record a personal story or life lesson that relates to courage. Share it with your family and talk about what that experience was like. Acknowledge acts of courage you see in your home during the month by recording them in your booklet. You will be surprised at how much the recognition means to family members of all ages. |
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Once in a While: Expressions of Love - Acknowledging Courage As a family, think of someone you know (a friend, neighbor, co-worker or family member), who has been courageous in some way and use this card to let them know you admire what they did. Taking chances, making tough choices, trying new things, standing up for what we believe in are all examples of day-to-day opportunities to use courage. A little appreciation goes a long way. |
Time for a Summer Vacation
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Etched Memories – Leave your family’s mark at every place you visit. While on vacation, find a spot to creatively write the location and year of your trip (Mexico 1998 or Hawaii 2001). Take a picture of your family next to this inscription. If you go to the beach, write it in the sand. If you are on a camping trip, write it with sticks or rocks. If you are vacationing near the snow, use your shovel to leave your mark. You can always adorn it with tropical flowers, seashells, leaves from local plants or pinecones. Get creative and remember, do not go home without your treasured destination photo! Place the photos in a special album to record all of your family’s exciting adventures. Look for other great vacation ideas and traditions under the Traditions tab like the Summer Memory Book, Cast Away Your Worries and Postcards From ? And be sure to add your own vacation traditions to the library! |
Four Ways to Cherish Family
1. Create a sense of belonging. A wonderful way to start is by making family a priority. Just because you live in a house together and pass each other on the way in and out, doesn’t mean you are connecting. Schedule time to do things as a family, and protect that time by turning off the TV and turning on the answering machine.
2. Stay in touch with family and friends far away. With families spread out over great distances, and our busy schedules, it’s becoming more difficult to stay connected to people we love. Those who make family a priority, find ways to stay close. They don’t allow distance and time to erode their bond.
3. Establish traditions your family will treasure. So many of our favorite childhood memories revolve around the family holidays and vacations that were repeated over and over again. Good smells, good feelings, good times…reading by flashlight on summer camping trips, sleeping under the newly decorated Christmas tree, Aunt Rose’s pecan pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. Traditions create the memories that connect us to each other.
4. Preserve cherished family keepsakes. Holding onto things that belonged to our loved ones, whether they have passed away or merely grown up seems to be instinctive. Saving items that represent a part of their life or a glimpse of their personality helps us keep alive the precious memories of the time we spent together.
Forum
$1 Challenge
Help me prove that our dollar still has value! Give A Buck, Save A Life, Pass It On If you could save a life for just one dollar, would you do it?? Join my Dollar Challenge! it’s so Simple… 1) C...
Tagged: donation, lymphoma, leukemia, dollar
Started by Bridget Toomey May 30.
Graduation Tradition Contest May 2009 3 Replies
Even the simplest traditions can become very special. Post your story and include photos if you can. Everyone in the happyhome Club will enjoy reading about them. You never know, you just might wi...
Tagged: traditions, graduation, contest
Started by Lorle, Once Upon a Family Founder. Last reply by Mia Russo May 27.
A note about Forum and Group Postings
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Even if you didn't finish the last Challenge, you can still sign up for the Summer Challenge and receive a happyhome Hero Kit PLUS become eligible for a $1000 drawing for Once Upon a Family products!
Photos
“Spend a Day with Us” Video – Set aside one day a year (preferably during the summer) that is dedicated to capturing “A Day in the Life of Our Family.” Film everyone in the family going about their daily business, and send a copy to loved ones far away. Older children can act as reporters and ask little actors what they are doing and what’s new in their lives. A loving “Hello Grandma, we miss you” is an added plus for the intended recipient, of course. Do this every 4th of July or Labor Day and start a cherished Family Tradition.
10,000 HAPPY HOMES!!!!!
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© 2009 Created by Lorle, Once Upon a Family Founder
