Family Motto and Animal Craft Jar Idea

Last month when I learned about teaching my kids how to work, I gleaned some great ideas from The Parenting Breakthrough from Merrilee Boyack.  Finally, after all this time, I've (mostly) finished this one.  Update, 1.1.2014: I have mixed feelings about this book after thinking about it a little longer.  Not sure I would recommend it for parents of kids with ADD after reading Smart But Scattered by Dawson/Guare.

Her idea was to write down all the things you'd like to teach your children by the time they leave home at age 18.  She also talked about creating a family motto or slogan.  I read about this on this blog, too.

A couple of years ago, I decided if I could teach my kids only one thing, it would be "Love like His Son."  I made some vinyl lettering and it is now on our wall in the living room. 

Here is what my husband and I came up with to supplement the first slogan, with a few more nitty gritty details:

Below you'll find the sheets I made from www.Wordle.net to correspond to each part of the motto. They go in order Learn, Do, Be.  I know some of the things on my list wouldn't appeal to everyone, nor will they even apply exactly to each of my children (Eagle Scout, for example).  That is why I'm making individual ones for each child.  Plus, there needs to be some wiggle room as children get older and make their own choices.  For example, on the "do" list, I put "learn the Norweigian Concerto."  This is just symbolic of mastering an instrument, doesn't have to be that specific song or instrument.  I still haven't figured out how to display the sheets I made...this is just temporary.

We did another craft at the same time.  I wanted to make something for my kids to keep their tithing in when I saw a cute idea in Parenting magazine (so far, I wouldn't recommend this magazine, but I did enjoy this craft idea-- you can also see it with instructions here -- if I were to to it again, I'd do it exactly as it was done in the instructions...including using spray paint instead of acrylic).  It's meant to hold crayons and craft things.  My kids were playing so cute with the animals before we made them that I felt really badly taking their little playthings to make this craft.  Then they didn't want to paint "their" animals.  So I gave in and let them paint their own jars the way they wanted to.  They actually turned out really cute.  And my kids enjoyed themselves.  They even said to me "Mom, look how creative we are!  Aren't you glad we didn't paint our animals?"  I think they are right.