Giveaway: Josh Wilson CD
Today I’m happy to be giving away a new CD by Josh Wilson called See You
46 Responses to “ Giveaway: Josh Wilson CD ”
Today I’m happy to be giving away a new CD by Josh Wilson called See You
Well, it depends–are we just low or are we frustrated and snippy? If it’s the later, we all get a much needed time out. Either, we all take a nap or we get real snuggly and watch a video together on the couch (we don’t watch TV in our house and only get to watch a movie once a week, so this is a special treat for our kids!). If we’re just feeling down, then exercise! If it’s raining (we live in Seattle), we put on some music and dance. If it’s dry, then we get out in the sunshine for a nice long walk.
~Bethany
We like to have a “freeze dance” party! No matter how grumpy we feel, we all end up laughing and dancing. A sweet treat also helps;) I love to bake yummy treats & everyone’s mood improves when they smell something sweet in the oven. By the way, I love Josh Wilson!
I definitely try to get them all outside, weather permitting. Sometimes I load them all up in the van with no plan and just get out of here! One thing that works well with the kids is if I act silly. They try hard to keep the sad face but if I am making funny faces and dancing around like a crazy woman they end up laughing. Tickling helps too sometimes, and I am a big fan of popsicles! Popsicles can make any day brighter around here!
I would say unless it is really bad weather walking the 3 mile trail around our local lake is a great mood lifter. In winter when that isn’t possible looking through pictures of past vacations, etc helps everyones spirits. Good luck this time of year is tough everyone is ready for nicer weather
We either put on music and dance, or we sit down together and read a book. But then there are those times that call for a funny movie to lighten the mood.
Most of the time we have a spontaneous Hymn singing, We take requests from the kiddos and sing for all we are worth. However, when that doesn’t work, or My husband and I are just too close to being driven crazy we get everyone loaded up in the van and go for a nice long drive, just for a change in scenery.
Coming out (hopefully) of a long, cold winter in the mid-west, we have done a lot of music and dancing in this house. It always brings out the giggles…Ice cream never hurts either!
Put on music that I love and gets me moving. Pretty soon everyone is laughing at mom’s attempt at dancing and the mood has lifted.
Usually the park or the library. But I agree with some others, Mom doing something silly can usually diffuse a bad situation. Also, we’ll sometimes just stop to pray. These last two allow us to quickly get back to schoolwork where leaving the house usually means that is all the work we’re going to do for the day, which is okay occasionally, but you can’t do it the whole month of February, you know.
The library if the weather is icky. The lake if it’s nice. Watching our German Shepherd go wild in the water makes us all laugh.
We have little ones, so tickling, turning on music and dancing, piling all the couch cushions in the middle of the floor and jumping, or often I just pile them in the car and do a stay-in-the-car errand or two because it gives us all some down time!
I have to echo the great ideas above — naptime, send everyone outside for fresh air (or fresh rain, as we live in Oregon), turn on upbeat music and dance. Each of my kids responds to different activities so they may all be sent in different directions to recharge.
Take some time as a family and plan your next outing. Brainstorm about ideas, reminisce of old stuff that you did and plan. My kids love to do this…then they feel like part of the trip. Brings togetherness, laughter and something to look forward to. And the outing doesn’t have to be something big…we just took a trip this morning to a local lighthouse, that only cost us 18 dollars to visit!
I make the blinds are open and (hopefully)the sun is shining in. I also make sure to get outside every day…no matter the weather. I can actually do that here in California.
art projects and crafts!!! shrinky dinks are always a mood lifter for everyone!!
I do somethings that we NEVER do- like make fudge (we only make it at Christmas time), have a picnic in our living room, declare a “holiday” from EVERYTHING,or let each of my four girls pick one thing to do and everyone does those four things with a smile. These ideas have never failed…
Mine is so simple as to be downright boring. But I make us all pray together. It really improves attitudes.
We dance, or cuddle together and talk a bit about what’s going on. I have little, little ones so that helps us alot.
We tend to turn on a funny movie and spend time laughing.
Hope your day gets better.
Blessings,
Lucy
Put on fun music…put offending kids (or Mommy) in a time out or just off to their room to have some quiet time…I need to remember the power of cupcakes as well, in the past on a gloomy day I’d make those, I’ve not done that in a long time.
Usually my kids moods have a link to mine – this is advice for when there is more of a longer term funk in our home…I call it care taking burnout so disregard if that isn’t your issue at the moment!
looking at old pictures helps soften my attitude toward certain people half my height when I’m in a major care taking rut and they are being “stinkers”. I used to really struggle with (still do honestly) guilt over the times I really didn’t want to be “fully there” with my kids (5 of em), or choosing shortcuts, my counselor asked me “are you really hurting them or are you just human and can’t always be the mom you idealize?” Then she encouraged me to rest a lot and take good care of myself during those really low times. For me that has meant putting a movie on for the kids or getting a sitter and then having a good cry in my room and a talk to God about my disappointments, longings,thanksgivings, etc. Sometimes I’ve been pretty desperate and when I’ve stopped fighting it and just taken it right to God it’s amazing how He has always came to my side and loved on me in the situation I’m in. I remember that I’m also a child (His child!) and that He longs to care for me in my brokenness. I find when I struggle the most as a mom it is because I’m feeling that I don’t measure up to some idea in my head or some other expectation. Gets me down and sometimes a little angry.
I really resisted the advice to love on myself so that I could better love on others…but it’s true. Taking time for yourself shows your kids that it will be okay for them to do it for themselves when they are parents and that they will struggle too, we all do. Remembering that I’m only a broken human with limits reminds me where my true power comes from (also helps me have more grace and patience with others) and that I give Him what I can and He redeems that by His Grace
anything with frosting helps also
okay rant over!
Let’s see, memories, ice cream, cuddles, story time, old pictures.
I think that’s what works for me!
GOING OUTSIDE! That goes for me and my husband AND/OR my little ones!
I sing and jump up and down. It’s hard to feel blue when you are acting silly. Plus it usually makes the kids laugh, which will always brighten my day!
My kids are little too, but I take our coloring books and crayons into the living room (something about the change of pace from the table makes this amazing), put some veggie tales on the tv, and lay down on my stomach to color. Before five minutes has gone by all the kids will be sprawled out on the floor coloring, watching cartoons,and peacefully coexisting.
Sleep always makes me feel better!
Singing (and I do not sing well but it does lift our moods….usually) or if it is really bad I sleep and the kids get quiet time free reading or sleep if they need it also.
I like to have my kids take a bubble bath or a shower, then snuggle in my bed for a while. Mine are 6, 4, 2, and 5 mos, so this works well for us!
My kiddos are 3 and 1, so putting on a favorite video works well for them as they don’t often get such a treat. Baking anything they can use their hands for, they LOVE. Bread is a favorite because they can stretch it, roll it, knead it, etc. and then we make fun shapes, stick it in the oven, and periodically turn on the oven light to see watch the magic. Dancing! Jumping – my daughter (1) thinks that will solve the world’s problems, she has so much fun trying even though she can’t get her feet off the floor yet.
Playing a game of chase is great, too.
We turn the music up real loud and sing and dance.
We also go to the park and take a long walk or even a walk around the block.
When we are hit with a double dose of cabin fever, my 3 and 5 year olds put on their swimsuits and pretend they are swimming all through the house. Yesterday they even wore their suits for bath time.
I usually listen to Bach or Dvorak – my favorite non-contemporary Christian artists – when I’m in a bad mood. But I’m trying to build my Christian contemporary music collection a little more. Thanks for the chance to win this CD!
Naps, send them outside, distractions. Sometimes a punishment for one who refuses to be cheerfutl. But the best one of all is usually the hardest to do: Snuggle the grump till he/she calms down and cheers up.
Sing and dance for sure, seems to be the number one mood lifter by reading the responses. We loved Josh Wilson and Matthew West this past week too. My kids keep asking me to go get them the CDs. Mom only had $8 on her at the concert so we couldn’t pick one up there. Next time I have to have money on me for sure!
We tickle!! It’s definitely a mood lifter and stress reliever not to mention that it gets everyone laughing!!
We use humor, music, dancing, and tickling.
We love to sing! So if we all have the grumps I start them singing. We usually start with some silly ones like “Hip-hip-hip Hippopotumus! Hip-hiporay God made all of us” and move on to praise and worship songs and some hymns. After some singing we start listing things we are thankful for so we get our minds off of ourselves and on to how good our God is. We have so much to be thankful for – why not list all the reasons to be thankful!
We head outside to the backyard!
Usually I try to take a nap cause it is me that is keeping the mood down. If I can’t manage that I start praying and turn on some happy music!
I have 2 girls and a boy. Sometimes when the kids are at each other’s throats and I’m about to lose it I’ll tell them they have to kiss and make up. This get’s everyone roaring. Kissing is icky! Ha.
My kids seem to get grumpy with each other a lot at breakfast time. Often, putting on some music will help. Or at least it drowns out their bickering so it is less likely to get me in a bad mood!
I don’t think this will be a new idea at all…tried and true works for us. We frequently put music on as this seems to universally life everyone’s mood (including mine if needed. Ahem.
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Also, I once heard a saying from another mom, “If you have a crab put it in water” and sure enough a bath (scheduled or not) almost always does the trick.
Dance & sing with some upbeat or silly songs.
I am in need of some good uplifting music!!
I tend to get everyone outdoors or if that can’t work due to weather conditions, I’ll take the dogs outside myself and leave everyone else inside – my clear head usually helps.
baths, reading time all snuggled in our bed often works too.
A trip outside generally works — and a tractor ride is ideal for a couple of us!
Turning on Praise music always lifts my mood which then always makes everyone else more happy as well!