The Soolip Fix

Portland Japanese Garden, Portland, OR by ahp_ibanez

While I try to take a minute each day to count my blessings, the hustle and bustle of life as a mother of three can all too easily put self-reflection on the back burner. That’s one of the many reasons why I love Thanksgiving. This holiday brings a special opportunity for me to express gratitude to others and teach my kids of the importance of being thankful as well. Whenever possible, I try to make learning an engaging and fun experience for my kids. And so, an easy, nature-inspired project comes to mind when I think of showing appreciation. I like to call it the thankful tree.

While hiking in Oregon this past weekend with my kids, we hunted for fall leaves and a beautiful, unique branch to serve as our thankful tree. Hunting for the most unique branch we could find was half the fun! Back at home, I gathered leftover cardstock, twine and waxed cord that I had laying around. Using our fall leaves, we traced and cut unique leaf shapes out of the paper. On each leaf, I had my kids write one thing that they were grateful for. Their answers both surprised and delighted me! Using a hole-punch, we punched holes in each of our “thankful” leaves. With colorful waxed ribbon and twine, we attached each leaf to the boughs of the branch. I also added the fall leaves we collected for a burst of vibrant fall colors.

Once finished, I place our decorative display on a tabletop by my front door entryway. Not only is our thankful tree beautiful enough to show off to the guests that I’ll be having over for during the holidays, but now each time we come and go, we are reminded of the bounty of blessings in our lives.