"Little things that can change your life... and maybe the world"
-Admiral William H. McRaven
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Greetings!
A newsletter about bed making and the little things in life. They may seem unrelated at first, but the more I studied the two, the more I found that they are pretty much one and the same.
Every morning therapeutic parents and respite providers have their kiddos make their beds A+. Every kid, any age, all abilities. Every single morning. I often get asked WHY? Who cares? Aren't there bigger issues to worry about? Don't you have bigger fish to fry?
But it's the little things that make the biggest difference. When we start the day off with great expectations and the child starts their day off with doing a job A+, it sets the tone for how the whole day is likely to go.
Enjoy!
With love,
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"It was a simple task, mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that we were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle-hardened SEALs, but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.
If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task will have turned into many tasks completed.
Making your bed will reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.
If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made - that you made - and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better."
-Admiral William H. McRaven
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Bed Making 101
Sheets: Fitted sheet on properly, flat sheet pulled up and smooth (some parents like it tucked in).
Blanket: Straight, right-side-up, no lumps! Smooth and beautiful (some parents also like this tucked in).
Pillow: Pillow case all the way on and smooth, in the middle, under or on top of the blanket or leaning against the headboard(parent preference).
Extras: If the child has a cuddle blanket or stuffed animal, they get folded neatly on the bed or placed on the pillow. Nice & tidy.
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If A+ bed making is new to your child or family, spend an afternoon doing it together and having fun! Teaching your child in a hands-on, loving way is a great way to promote attachment!
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Some days you will want to give up on The Epic Battle of the Beds, but stick with it! It is well worth it in the end. Your child is learning great work ethic, life skills, and that the little things matter. Making their bed first thing in the morning focuses their mind on a specific, positive task - keeping them from thinking about negative things. They are creating - not destroying, building - not tearing down.
Keep it up, Awesome Parents!
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"Start each day with a completed task. Find someone to help you
through life. Respect everyone.
Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often, but if you take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden, and never, ever give up... if you do these things, then the next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better
than the one we have today.
And what started here will indeed have changed the world, for the better."
-Admiral William H. McRaven
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Make Your Bed; Little Things That Can Change Your Life
...and Maybe the World
Admiral William H. McRaven
(U.S. Navy Retired)
Available on:
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Just for fun: I pulled this from a newsletter from several years ago. Enjoy it again!
Next time your small RADish gets 'sick' (you know, the "I can't do anything you say because I'M SICK") try this to put some humour into your day:
Take your child's temperature. Study the thermometer, clear your throat, and recite:
"Therapeutic, Elephantic, Diagnosis,
BOOM!
Pancreatic, Microstatic, Anti-toxic,
DOOM!
With normal catabolism,
Gabbleism and babbleism,
snip, snap, snorum
Cut out his abdonorum.
Dyspepsia, Anaemia, Toxaemia,
One, two, three,
and out goes he,
With a fol-de-rol-derido for the Five Guinea Fee."
Take their temperature again, study the thermometer some more, and walk away. -
Poem from Merlyn in The Sword in the Stone
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Note: I don't condone or agree with the practices of the US armies or all of the writing in this book; however, I love the motivational writings in it, and as you often feel like you're fighting a war in your homes I thought parts of it very fitting. K.P.
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Therapeutic Respite Provider Training with Nancy Thomas
Join our 4-day training at The RADish Ranch!
April 16 - 19, 2019; Limited spots available!
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"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE."
Jeremiah 29:11
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