If you could learn something new in 2019, what would it be and why?
Read MoreNew Year Reflection Challenge: a re-do
If you could redo anything in 2018, what would you choose and why? What would you like to do differently in 2019?
Read MoreReflections on a new year
What was your proudest moment of 2018? What are you hoping for 2019?
Read MoreReducing stress by pretending
The art of pretending. I thought that as adults the days of pretending were over. But we can use it as a way to dream about the future with our partner to hear them better.
Read MoreAnother great stress reducer: meaningful touch
Making time to have intentional meaningful touch with our partner and children can be a great way to reduce stress. What rituals of touch do you use in your home?
Read MoreBeing a great listener - Understanding must precede advice!
Understanding must precede advice. A simple strategy for better listening.
Read MoreWhen is the best time for a stress reducing conversation?
Let’s make a plan to have regular stress reducing conversations with our partner and other significant friends or relatives.
Read MoreA ritual to keep stress from outside of our relationships from getting inside of our relationships
One way to reduce our stress is to find friends who are great listeners. Learn more about the stress reducing conversation this week at little-elf.org.
Read MoreThe December "Stress Reduction" Challenge
What can we do this month to reduce our stress and enjoy the holidays more? Stay tuned for more!
Read MoreA daily gratitude journal
How can we make the gratitude of Thanksgiving last all year long? How about a gratitude journal?
- Get a journal. Any journal will do, as long as it is dedicated for this purpose.
- Pick a consistent time of day.
- Pick a length of time that you want to focus on gratitude each day. It can be as little as 2-3 minutes, or as long as you would like.
- Write as many things as you can be grateful for in that time. If you miss a day, start again tomorrow.
Sharing gratitude at mealtimes
At Thanksgiving, many families take time to express gratitude during the meal. How about making this a daily ritual? How would your life change if gratitude were a part of family mealtimes?
Expressing appreciation with the Gottman Card Decks app
This week, your mission if you choose to accept it is to use the Gottman Card Decks app to express appreciation for one another.
Instructions: "Build fondness and admiration by using these simple phrases as examples of things to thank your partner for. Or just scroll through and show your partner the screen if it's hard for you to express yourself out loud!"
"You Rock"
I just can't enter the month of Thanksgiving without thinking about appreciation and gratitude. Your mission this week, if you choose to accept it, is to write someone a note of fondness, admiration, appreciation, and/or gratitude. For inspiration, consider this exercise.
The November "Expressing Appreciation" Challenge
Join us on Mondays in November for specific strategies to increase our gratitude practice.
Our family's rituals of connection
Hellos and goodbyes are part of our family's rituals of connection. They say "You are important to me." Each family has their own unique rituals that are important to them. If we are unsure of what rituals we want for our family, we can make some up! Here's a great resource to help us to do that: the rituals of connection card deck in the Gottman Card Decks app.
Instructions (from the app): "Select a card and discuss whether you would like to incorporate the ritual in your relationship, and if so, exactly how it should go, who should do what and when, and how it should end. Be sure to talk about if and why this is important to you, and how this ritual was handled (or mishandled) in your family or in previous relationships."
I think about you when we are apart
How can we let our families know that we think about them when we are apart? This week let's do something for our partner and children that tell them that they are worth thinking about when we are not together. It might be:
- a little, inexpensive gift (their favorite gum or candy, a flower that was pretty, or anything that they would enjoy)
- a text message that just says "I'm thinking of you" and "I'm looking forward to seeing you soon"
Purposeful hellos
What does a great "hello" look like to your family members? A warm hug? A kiss? Words of affirmation? What says to them "You are special to me. I missed you. You matter."? Do they need a few minutes to unwind or do they need to connect right away?
- Some rituals to consider here
- Kids often like to have choices about how they are greeted. This is respectful and is a form of abuse prevention by teaching them that they can control the way that they are touched. Here are some fun examples from Dr. Becky Bailey's Conscious Discipline program.
Great goodbyes
The challenge this month is to share greetings and goodbyes that show our family members how important they are to us. Our goal this week is to say goodbye with an "I love you. Have a great day! I will be thinking about you, and I am looking forward to being together again." A few great goodbye resources:
- The song "My Mama Comes Back" by Lou Gallo
- The (kids) book "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn, and the song "A Kiss In My Pocket" by David Kisor
- The (parenting) book "I Love You Rituals" by Dr. Becky Bailey
- Transition rituals
Greetings from Seattle
I am so thankful to be here and part of this amazing training. I’m a Bringing Baby Home Training Specialist in training!! I taught my sections and it was great! Thanks and congratulations to this new group of Bringing Baby Home educators!
First day as a training specialist in training!
Special announcement! I’m in Seattle today and super thankful for the opportunity to join the Gottman Training Specialists to lead the next group of future Bringing Baby Home educators. I’m officially in training as an upcoming Bringing Baby Home Training Specialist! Hope to post pictures tomorrow! Woo hoo!