The Awesome Jar

On our counter sits the “AWESOME JAR.” It’s just a glass jar that we use to celebrate the good things in our day. When something happens that brings us JOY, my kids or I will write it down on a slip of paper and add it to the jar. You’d think we’d remember all these great things, but somehow we forget. This “AWESOME” Jar is a like our “remember the good” Jar.

Yesterday, for George’s birthday we put a note in our family’s Awesome Jar that simply says: “Clark’s birthday Surprise for George.” Let me tell you about it. After school, Clark gathered the neighbor kids and gave them each a gift bag. The kids put random (used) toys in each bag, placed them by our front door, rang the door bell, then hid. When George answered the door, they all jumped out and shouted, “SURPRISE! Happy Birthday!” He opened the silly gifts, and they all laughed about it and enjoyed a few minutes together for George’s birthday. It was awesome.

Every few weeks we sit down and pull out the notes from our Awesome Jar and “relive” those sweet moments. It also reinforces to my kids what they’ve done well and it encourages them to keep doing it! The notes in our JAR fill us with JOY!

Find a container and make it your family’s AWESOME Jar. Make it a habit to add one thing each day. It might be something like:

“(My son) put his dishes in the sink without being reminded”

– or –

“(My daughter) responded kindly when her sister was mean to her”

If it was a really bad day and you can’t think of anything, then write, “We all survived today!”

When you look for the GOOD, you will find it! And the more good you notice today, the more you will notice tomorrow. Not only YOU, but your CHILDREN as well. My sons have started to say, “Mom, did you see/hear that, it should go in the Awesome Jar!”

Leave me a comment about one “awesome” thing that’s happened in your house this week. And don’t forget to subscribe by putting your email in the box on the right hand column!