An Attitude of Gratitude: How to instill a spirit of thankfulness in our kids

teaching kids to be grateful and thankful

This time of year we tend to focus more on gratefulness and giving thanks. One tradition some families might partake in is going around the table at Thanksgiving and saying what you are thankful for. But what about the other 364 days of the year?What if you put this thankful tradition into practice year-round?  While you can’t teach your kids to be thankful in one day, you can help to foster a grateful attitude throughout the whole year.

It starts with you.

You’ve heard it before, and it’s true…the best way to teach your children something, is to model the behavior yourself! If you want your kids to enjoy reading, let them see you curled up with a book in your spare time. In a similar fashion, choose to voice your own gratitude, daily, for all the blessings in your life. Demonstrate your gratefulness by volunteering in your community, church or neighborhood to help inspire your kids to serve and offer a helping hand.

Be thankful in all times.

A true attitude of gratitude is about being thankful throughout the good as well as the bad times. When you or one of your children face a less than ideal situation, encourage some thankfulness training by motivating your kids to think of some things they can be grateful for. Bringing light to the silver lining will help your kids keep things in perspective and be more resilient throughout their lives. Challenges offer the opportunity to put true gratefulness to the test. An attitude of gratitude doesn’t mean your kids aren’t ever unhappy or disappointed, but a spirit of thankfulness can help them put any negative situation into perspective.

More than manners.

Children are usually taught “Please” and “Thank You” at a young age, as simple manners are very important. But how do you also cultivate a spirit of thankfulness? Sometimes these words become habit, but have no meaning to very young children. We can help explain the value and meaning of manners in simple ways. Help your kids write thank you notes after receiving a gift, encourage them to think of something nice they might like to do for others. The act of coloring a picture, making a necklace or crafting an art project to give to someone else helps your child to think about others.

More than me.

Selfishness is the opposite of gratefulness. It’s not so easy to teach little people about being thankful, when we are all wired to look out for number one. A child naturally develops a greater worldview beyond themselves as they age. Considering their family, friends and classmates. Parents can help assist in this development by teaching kids to consider the feelings of others in all situations. Taking turns, sharing, waiting in line, practicing patience: these are all examples of thankfulness training.

At Super Moving, we are grateful for all our friends, family members and clients!

Crafting ideas.

Life gets busy. Sometimes even us adults can forget to be thankful daily and express our gratitude. In the spirit of thankfulness, try to carve out some extra time to craft with your loved ones for a fun reminder of the season. Check out the fun things we found on Pinterest!

What gratitude tradition will you begin?

Great Tips for Moving with Your Furry Friends

Moving with animals can be tricky. We’re so busy prepping and dealing with the little details…one big detail we might forget is, “How is Fido feeling?”

Making a move can be stressful, not just for us humans. Our loving pets feel the anxiety and need our help to understand all the new changes. Even if you are a moving expert, hopping city to city every few years…your animal friend might not be so comfortable with his or her new surroundings.

Here are some quick tips to help you make sure your fur baby is not stressed out!!

moving-with-pets

At Home In The New Home

Dogs and cats encounter many of the same problems people have in moving to a new place. They must become used to a new house and neighborhood, unfamiliar sounds, strange postal carriers and other service people, water that does not agree with them, and a colder or warmer climate. Once accustomed to the changes, the pet will settle down and be content.

It’s a good idea to keep the pet confined to a smaller area, at least until it realizes that this is the new home and that the family is going to stay! We don’t want our friends to wander off and try to return to the old home. This is especially true of cats, and they should be confined for several weeks.

New house, new toys? They might not like that just yet…

To assist in speeding up that “at home” feeling, use their familiar food and water dishes, bed, blanket, toys…one big change is enough! Try to put them in a similar location as they were in the old home. Example: water dish by the back door, food dish in a particular spot in the kitchen, and so forth.

Don’t have a dog or a cat?

It’s best to keep our feathered friends where they will be undisturbed until it becomes used to its new surroundings. Other small pets usually have few, if any adjustment problems other than becoming used to a change in the water supply. This is also true of tropical fish. To avoid harming them, test the water for similarity to that in your old home and adjust it to the requirements of the fish. Your local pet store should be able to help you and suggest ways to ease the transition.

A little extra care for our family pets will help them settle into the new home and quickly be back to normal. Should you experience bad behaviors after a move or even a lack of appetite, you should contact your local vet for help. That’s their way of saying that they need some help to feel safe and adjust to all the new changes.

2016: Fall Favorites

Our Favorite Fall Decorations for 2015

Between the holidays and the colorful autumn changes outside, fall is a popular season for decorators. Looking for some inspirational ideas for your own home? Check out what we’ve compiled

Made From the Heart; Homemade Decorations

We buy beautiful store-bought decorations just about every year, but they can never quite capture the sentiment that goes into a homemade piece of décor. Every year the best decorations are the ones that are made by hand with the help of friends and family. Who can forget making turkeys with handprints or carving up a pumpkin with your own creative touch? Break out the scissors & glue, time to have fun!

Bring the Fall Foliage Indoors

Colorful autumn leaves are a beautiful way to bring the outdoors in whether you are using real or artificial foliage. Leaves are also extremely versatile and can easily be affixed with a few drops of glue. The dollar store is a great spot for inexpensive seasonal crafts.

Make a Modern Cornucopia

The cornucopia is a classic symbol of a bountiful fall, but modern details can provide an interesting twist. How about an edible cornucopia for example? We found a fun way to turn your centerpiece into a conversation piece, once you’re done chewing that is!

Create a Candy Corn Tree

Turn fall’s most popular candy into a delicious display. There are lots of creative ways to use colorful candy corn in your fall décor, but our favorite is the candy corn tree. Pick a few interesting branches from your own yard and fire up your hot-glue gun. Glue pieces of candy corn to the branches like miniature leaves. Fill a vase with the remaining candy corn and anchor the branches inside for a fall-inspired bouquet.

Paint Pumpkins Instead of Carving Them

Carving a pumpkin seems old-school to all the new options available today. Paint, gems, feathers, appliques and characters on sticks. Quite honestly this idea appeals to us because it’s a much less messy and a somewhat simpler way of dressing up pumpkins. Check out some of these great finds at Target.

What to do with all the decorations when the season is over?

Superior Moving has an assortment of boxes and materials for you to pack things up until next season!

Around the House: 10 Ways To Freshen Up for Fall

Fall checklist

It’s understandable that you would want to winterize your home in preparation of the cold temperatures that are coming. But when everything is shut up tight during the fall and winter, the air quality in your home can take a turn for the worse! With no fresh air flowing through, pollutants and allergens can quickly accumulate.

Fall is the perfect time to spruce things up around the house so when winter rolls around you’re not stuck in stuffy rooms. Use these 10 tips to get your home clean and healthy before the cold season.

Keep the Windows Open as Much as Possible

If you’re moving to North Carolina from another state you’ll be pleasantly surprised that October is very mild, weather-wise. While it’s still temperate outside, keep your windows and doors open as much as possible. This will help circulate the air and naturally freshen up the whole house.

Get Your Heating System Serviced

Having a professional come out to service your heating system is a good way to safeguard against mid-winter mishaps, and it can also impact your air quality. All equipment that uses combustion, including heating systems, are sources for pollutants. Getting the heating system serviced will make sure everything is working properly and clear out any gunk that may have built up.

Change Your Air Filters

The air filter helps to catch crud that’s circulating through the HVAC system. Install a clean HEPA air filter at the start of the fall season and change it out at least once every two months.

Clean Out the Fireplace

One look at a fireplace that has recently been used will tell you that it’s not the cleanest spot in your home. Fireplaces need to be cleaned regularly to keep soot from circulating in the air and releasing pollutants. The flue should also be checked to make sure it opens and closes properly.

Clean the Upholstery and Curtains

You vacuum your carpet on a regular basis, but what about your furniture and curtains? These fabrics can trap allergens, pollutants, dust mites, and even mold! Before everything is shut up for the winter thoroughly vacuum all of your furniture and put the curtain through the wash.

Keep Pets Groomed

Pets will be spending less time outdoors, which means there will be more animal dander indoors. It’s impossible to completely avoid this combination of hair/feathers and dead skin, but regularly cleaning your home and pets can help minimize the problem. Weekly baths have been shown to help reduce pet dander allergens by as much as 85%. Don’t forget about the pet beds and kennels, which also need regular cleaning to keep pet dander in check.

Invest in an Air Purifier

The EPA recommends using an air purifier as part of a three-pronged approach to improving air quality. An air purifier sucks in the air and traps the particles so they aren’t floating around freely. The one downside is that the air purifier only works in one room, but some models can clean up to 600 square feet!

Get Gas Stoves Geared Up

Gas stoves are another combustion source that emits pollutants. During cooler months stoves are used frequently for cooking warm meals, which releases gasses like nitrogen dioxide into the air. In addition to using the fan hood while cooking, a professional can service the stove to clean the jets and adjust the metering. This will help the gas burn more cleanly.

Use Low VOC Cleaners

Ammonia and chlorine will get things squeaky clean, but they’ll also release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the process. There are a number of low and no-VOC cleaners that work just as well without adversely affecting air quality. It’s also best to use fragrance-free liquids rather than sprays.

Evict Dust Mites From the Bedroom

Dust mites aren’t as big of a problem during the summer when the AC is running, because air conditioners remove humidity from the air that the mites thrive on. Declare your bedroom a dust mite-free zone this fall by giving all the bedding a good cleaning with hot water, thoroughly drying everything, vacuuming the mattress and covering it with an impermeable cover.

Need to make a move this fall? Superior Moving Systems can handle the moving logistics so you can focus on freshening things up in your new home before winter gets here!