Happy slide into summertime.
This week we hit the two-month mark since a leak in our attic pipes threw us forward into serious house renovations and upgrades; this is how we {and our cat} are beginning to feel about the contractors and plumbers and painters, oh my.
As with life, it would be so so easy to see the weeds
in this remodel. And in doing so,
we risk missing the wishes.
It's a poignant reminder that every day
we get to decide where we put our energy,
because what we appreciate, appreciates.
Problems or possibilities?
Sometimes it's a problem just waiting for a possibility;
when our school bathrooms were looking trashy, for example,
we implemented The Bathroom Brigade program.
What a thrill it was earlier this week, to see our friends at
Southside Elementary showcased for all the goodness
in their character building, including an idea they
borrowed from us, The Golden Plunger Award!
Some see burdens ... others see blessings.
Today's PPBF is a blessing for our worry warriors.
Title: Winnie & Her Worries
Author: Reena B. Patel
Illustrator: Jared Hogue
Publisher: Kind Eye Publishing
Birth Date: August 9, 2018
Suitable for: 4-8
Themes: worries, anxiety, mindfulness
Opening lines: My name is Winnie and I love waking up on Sunday mornings and making pancakes with my dad. We love to flip them up in the air and try catching them on our plates.
Resources:
Check out these calming ideas at Coping Skills For Kids.
Visit my Mindfulness collection on Pinterest
Compare and contrast with these titles:
You've Got Dragons by Kathryn Cave
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
Is A Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff
Wilma Jean The Worry Machine by Julia Cook
Why I like this book: It's likely that I'm connecting more with anxiety this week because the remodel has definitely put me on edge. Truth be told, anxiety isn't exclusive to children although statistic definitely tell us that it's on the rise in our youth. If we're able to proactively model and teach these calming strategies, then when anxiety spikes, we are more likely to be able to access those therapeutic resources for combatting the stress, the panic, the anxiety.
This book explains in kid-friendly language what's going on in the brain as well as how the body might react to worries and stress as it tells the story of one young lady's walk through her daily what ifs? It also offers strategies to help when that happens; I used to use worry rocks with great success when I was working with kids like Winnie. In fact, our son Jacob could what if? a situation with the best of them. We would ask him, "then what?" and "so what?" to get to the root of his worries. Then we'd apply our strategies to help ease his mind or switch those thoughts to something more productive, kind of like the weeds or wishes idea.
In the back of this book, tools for parents and educators.
Check out this book, then head on off to Susanna Hill's blog
to see what might happen if you had your birthday party
on the moon along with today's other PPBF picks.
Oh, and if you find yourself near Friendswood, TX, with
no idea where to stay (once our remodel is done), don't stress;
we'll keep the light on for you at the Empty Nest B&B.
We just had a contractor walk through to talk about a remodel for our house....now I'm wondering if we should be doing it....what if?.....clearly, I need this book. And I know so many others who could benefit from it. Thanks for featuring! I hope your remodel is done soon!
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of worry stones!
ReplyDelete