W E ' V E B E E N A W A Y
experimenting with a new venture,
blazing ourselves a trail,
& getting our feet wet.
the end result?
a "mini-mag", or maybe "magamini", or howbout "minazine"?!
well, the name will be changing and so will the format, but without further adieu i would like to introduce you to our first addition:
{today a letter. tomorrow a calendar. friday some fashion. saturday some fun. sunday some yum.}
E N J O Y M Y P E E P S !
D E A R {lovely} R E A D E R S ,
When Rae and I sat down to create ARMOMMY’S first ever magazine, our minds were swimming with ideas. When we decided to have it ready for December 1st {obviously didn't happen}, we had some serious editing to do and we knew we would have to be briefer than we originally planned. What follows is a sneak peak at what we will be doing in the future.
We decided to introduce our vision in a Christmas version, because it is a jam-packed time of year for families, and not surprisingly, we have much to say about it. The children are home from school for a fair share of December and here in the Pacific Northwest the weather doesn’t always lend itself to going outside to play. On top of that is all the baking, shopping, wrapping, decorating….. I know I am singing to the choir here.
Christmas is also the time of year when we want to share our love and joy with those close to us and a time to think of others who may not be as fortunate as we are. It can be a great time to get your kids involved in doing thing for others. Here are a few ideas to get the imagination going:
1. World Vision Catalogue 2010 – This catalog has items from $16 to thousand of dollars. You can buy rabbits, chickens, soccer balls, school supplies, and so much more for people in need from all around the world. Just go to www.worldvision.org to shop.
2. Have your kids pick out t toy they want to Target or somewhere and take it to the Toys for Tots drop off location. You can local drop off locations at www.toysfortots.com.
3. The Salvation Army has an angel tree program where you pick a child and provide gifts from a list of requests. You can get and angel card at any JC Penney store or go to www.angeltree.com to find out where other trees can be found.
4. Nothing says loving like a little time. If you have an elderly couple or person in your neighborhood, think of things you can do with your children to help them. If there is snow, maybe a little shoveling is called for, or in warmer climates maybe some leaf raking or weeding. Or maybe your family could put together a basket of goodies including fresh fruit, crackers and cheese, some paper decorations you can make with your children – or even the cute twig decorations featured in this magazine.
5. Write a letter to a soldier serving overseas. Christmas is an especially difficult time for those who serve in our military. You can find a multitude of organizations on line who forward things to our men and women in the military. Pick one you like and spend an afternoon writing a thank you letter and sharing your concern for them.
6. Have your children help you clean out and organize your pantry or cupboards and take extra supplies and duplicate food items to your local Hopelink or Food Bank. This is a win, win, win activity. If you are unsure of where these services are, look on line or call a local church and ask if they have drop off bins for your donations. Many do. And churches are great places to find out about any needy families in your area you can serve.
So there are 6 quick ideas for giving during the Christmas Holidays. I imagine you could add 6 ideas of your own and your children can add their own ideas. No one can think out of the box like a youngster.
As a closing note, in our homes Christmas is a religious holiday and we want to close this note from the editor by wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a prayer that you will know how loved you truly are.
Jane Kelly and Rae Friis
{but mostly gamma jane!}
