Chain-Chain-Chain, Chain of Thanks

Shrike and I have been talking about trying to find ways to help Peeper to be more appreciative of what she has, and to not feel entitled to having her every whim fulfilled. (Yes, they may be fulfilled, but we want her to appreciate it, dammit.)

With Thanksgiving coming up, it seems like a great time to do some seasonally-appropriate things with her around the theme of "thankfulness." I made the leaf picture with her the other day, but had to drag the "thankfuls" out of her.

I've been poking around Pinterest for more ideas, though, and when I found several different versions of a thankful paper chain, I knew we had a winner.

We made a chain-chain-chain (Shrike and I kept singing that while working on it, so now that's what Peeper calls them - yes, she sings it) for her Christmas tree last year, and she loved it, even though Shrike and I did most of the work, because she didn't have the cutting skills required. We did another one at Easter, in pastels, and it's been hanging on our front window ever since.

It didn't take too much convincing to get her to make another one.

I wish I'd gotten some photos of us at work, but I was too busy actually being engaged in the project. (And my phone was in the office, on the charger.)

Peeper did all the cutting this year, following lines that I'd creased in the paper. This was a huge change from last year, and even last Spring. Shrike wrote our "thanksfuls" on the strips of paper, and I glued them into the chain.

We started out going around in a circle coming up with "thankfuls" but ended up just talking and shouting them out when we thought of one.

I was very impressed with some of the things that Peeper came up with:

• The pandas in her bedroom
• Voting on the baby panda's name (We're lobbying for "Bao Bao." It means "Precious Treasure.")
• Flowers
• Going Trick or Treating
• Having electricity (Shrike had just mentioned running water)
• Shrike said she's thankful "That Mama's a good cook," so Peeper said "That Mama roasts the food we need to eat, and for potatoes, but I'm not really a fan of tomatoes"
• The dogs
• Monkey Joe's (The bouncy place. She went to a birthday party there today.)
• Our town (Shrike had just said "That we live in America.")
• Shrike said "Music" and Peeper said "Listening to bands downtown."
• Her new (Nutcracker) toy soldier that she bought today with some of her birthday money
• Drawing
• Growing veggies in our garden that we need to eat to keep our bodies healthy, and growing the greatest and yummiest veggies in the world.

Not bad for a five year old, I think.