Karol Ladd - A Positive Plan for Creating More Calm, Less Stress

Praise for
A Positive Plan for Creating
More Fun, Less Whining

This jam-packed creative manual is sizzling with ideas to keep a spark in your family time. Sweet is the sound of family laughter... memories last a lifetime... so have a plan!

Patsy Clairmont
Women of Faith speaker
Author, All Cracked Up

Karol offers fun-in-the-now by savoring each stage of your childs life with complete and concise tips for being the encouraging, positive, and FUN mom.

Jane Jarrell Author of
The Frazzled Factor and Simple Hospitality

a
positive
plan
for creating
more fun,
less whining

KAROL LADD

A POSITIVE PLAN FOR CREATING MORE FUN, LESS WHINING

2006 Karol Ladd

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotation in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by W Publishing Group, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, New Testament. Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scriptures marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible. Copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover design: Brand Navigation
Interior design: Stacy Clark

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ladd, Karol.
A positive plan for creating more fun, less whining / Karol Ladd.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 0-8499-0711-X
1. FamilyReligious life. 2. Family recreation. I. Title.

BV4526.3.L33 2006
649'.5dc22

2006005739

Printed in the United States of America
06 07 08 09 10 RRD 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

A good laugh is sunshine in a house.

WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY

A special thanks to my precious friends who
sprinkled fun ideas throughout this book: Beth R.,
Leslie H., Leslie C., Amy R., Karen S., Karen M.,
Beth D., Caroline B., Carol F., Leslie W., Liz T.,
Becky J., Jane J., and LaVerne D.

Contents

Introduction:
Pure and Simple Fun

Step One:
Adopt a New Attitude

Step Two:
Enjoy Family Time

Step Three:
Build Fond Memories

Step Four:
Welcome Friends and Family

Conclusion:
Serendipity

There aint much fun in medicine,but theres a good deal of medicine in fun.

JOSH BILLINGS

He who has a glad heart has a continual feast.

PROVERBS 15:15 AMP

D o the words Im bored strike a chord of fear and anxiety in your spirit?

Does your stress level rise when you hear a question like, Can Steve and Tommy spend the night tonight?

Is there tension in your neck and shoulders when one of the kids begins to whine, This isnt fun! Cant we do something else?

Breathe a sigh of relief; help is here.

Every person who has kids or works with kids knows the benefit of having a few fresh ideas to create more fun and less whining. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, teacher, youth worker, vacation Bible school volunteer, aunt, uncle, or neighbor, Im guessing you would prefer to enjoy the kids around you rather than being annoyed by them. Consider this book an essential resource to keep on hand whenever those precious charges are in your care. Within the pages of this book, you will find activities for any time, any place, any occasion, and kids of any age.

Recently an elderly friend asked me, So, Karol, what is your latest project? I told him the name of this book, and a big smile broke across his face as he glanced at the grandchild he had cared for during the weekend. Hurry up and write that one! he said with a slight tone of desperation.

Even the best of kids have their trying moments. I want to equip you with fun artillery so you will be ready just in case grumbling or whining should erupt. I also want to help you get to the root of whining and plant contentment and gratitude in its place.

Fun in the Making

Fun is an important element of a childs life, yet in our hurry-up, gotta-go society we rarely seem to fit it into the schedule. Certainly, there are times when amusing moments just seem to surface out of nowhere; but for the most part, fun must be deliberately planned. I would like to offer you a positive and practical plan for creating fun and building delightful memories!

We will begin by adopting a new attitude toward fun. I want to show you simple and innovative ways to create an atmosphere that welcomes delight into your home. Next, well move into fresh ideas for enjoying family moments together. We will cover terrific travel tips, dinnertime delights, sanity-saving shopping tips, and beautiful ways to reach out in compassion together outside the walls of our home. The third section of the book deals specifically with creative and unique ways to build fond memories for our kids. Most of us want our kids to reflect on their childhood memories in a positive way, so in this section we will explore ways to enhance birthday celebrations as well as ways to make the most of special themes and significant occasions.

Finally, fun happens with friends, so Ive devoted an entire section to creatively welcoming and enjoying friends and extended family members. You will find imaginative ideas for outdoor adventures as well as indoor ingenuity. And, of course, the book wouldnt be complete if I didnt offer survival tips for those times when the kids have friends visiting for a sleepover. Trust me, you will make it through with flying colors.

You may be wondering where I got all of the ideas for this book. Some of the ideas come from my own experiences as a camp counselor and as a teacher. I was trained in the trenches in how to rescue kids from boredom and create an experience that is meaningful and fun. Im also a mom, so Ive tested many of the parties, crafts, and games on my own family throughout the years. You will see that Ive also included ideas from a tremendous repertoire of resources. In fact, you will find a list of some of my favorite resources at the end of the book. One of the best resources was my friends, who will share with you in this book their own fun activities they have experienced with their families.

Stop Whining

Perhaps you read the title of this book and thought that you could use a little less whining around the house. Now, Im not sure if you are talking about your kids whining or your own whining. Either way, as you increase the opportunities for smiles in your home, your kids will whine a little less often, and you will find yourself uplifted as well. Fun cant get rid of all the whining, but it can make a huge dent in it. Whining is also a heart issue, so we will get to the nitty-gritty of whining in chapter 2. (You may want to turn straight there if this is an emergency.)