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Hi, I’m Sharlene!

A mother of 5 boys, grandmother of 12, and author of Good Music Brighter Children. I started the blog, “good parenting brighter children” to share my 40+ years of experience swimming in the delightful (and sometimes shark infested) waters of parenthood. It’s been quite the experience and one I want to share.

Hopefully, you find this blog helpful and inspiring as you travel your own unique parenthood journey.

the latest from the Blog

Read All About It: 6 Best Christmas Books for Kids in the World!

45 of The Most Amazing & Fun Christmas Traditions in the World!

10 Meaningful Gratitude Thanksgiving Activities for Kids & Grandkids!

Here are the Best Thanksgiving Activities for the Whole Family

How to Practice Gratitude in an Entitled World: 10 Powerful Ways

Everything You Need to Know About Thanksgiving Gratitude

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🌲🌟A TRUE CHRISTMAS STORY: GRANDFATHER’S CH

🌲🌟A TRUE CHRISTMAS STORY: GRANDFATHER’S CHRISTMAS TREE BY KEITH STRAND 🌲This true story takes place in the Rocky Mountains in 1886. An unexpected harsh winter storm descends upon the Rocky Mountains, burying the couple’s home in fierce wind, snow and freezing cold temperatures. 🌲Their supply of wood quickly diminishes and they are forced to consider cutting down a beautiful spruce tree beside their cabin. However, it’s now home to a family of geese and one is injured. If they cut down the tree, the geese family will die. 🌲What complicates matters—both the woman and the mother goose are expecting a baby… 🌟🌟But Christmas is a time of miracles and a miracle does indeed happen! 🌲A poignant story about family, new life, animals and love. It will warm your family’s Christmas season while reminding you of the power of love and concern for even the smallest creatures! 🌟❤️Included—3 activities to complement the book: link in bio

❤️BEST BOOKS FOR CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS: “THE

❤️BEST BOOKS FOR CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS: “THE WINTER GIFT” BY DEBORAH TURNEY ZAGWYN 📚🌟Christmas just isn’t the same without wonderful, heartwarming, and enchanting Christmas books to read throughout the month to your kids/grandkids! 📚🌟Throughout this week, I’m sharing some of our favorite Christmas books and a few pictures from each book to entice you to add them to your family’s Christmas book collection! 🌟Each featured Christmas book comes with lots of fun ideas and activities to complement the book and add fun & laughter to your home. And they’re available on Amazon—(links & activities on the post) 🌟Today— “The Winter Gift”—the perfect story for grandparents to read to their grandkids. 🎹Christmas was always at Gramma’s house—filled with lots of food, music, and family. 🎼But now Gramma’s moving; she’s selling her beloved piano and the grandkids are upset! They’re afraid Christmas won’t be the same! 🌟A charming story about inevitable changes—but the ones at Christmas are the hardest--and sometimes the most amazing! ❤️Check out these 10 fun activities you can do to complement this charming book: link in bio

❤️CAROLYN BERRY: AUTHOR, GRANDMOTHER, PODCASTE

❤️CAROLYN BERRY: AUTHOR, GRANDMOTHER, PODCASTER OF: “GRAMMY’S ADVENTURES” Monday Spotlight! 🌟Today it’s about Carolyn Berry—podcaster of “Grammy’s Adventures,” author, mother of 3, grandmother of 8! 🌟Carolyn, a Virginia native, is a talented, multifaceted woman. She has worn many hats—author, public relations professional; free-lance writer for newspapers, professional photographer & high school educator. ❤️Today, she is a grandmother on-the-go and is affectionately called, “MaMa Berry,” by her grandkids. Her goal: plan adventures with her grandkids that will create memories for a lifetime! 📚Every year she writes personalized books for her grandkids which are filled with stories, adventures & pictures they’ve shared throughout the year. Her Christmas book, “Mystery of the Missing Cat” is a favorite! Carolyn’s goal is to leave a legacy of love to these precious children that radiate from the pages 📚Recently, she wrote “My Family Tree”—a book to help children & grandchildren connect with their ancestors in a fun, exciting & memorable way. 🍪Other activities with her grandkids include bake-offs in the style of “Nailed It,” geocaching with historical, geological, or scientific themes, sleep-overs, pizza parties, etc. 🌟In October 2020, with encouragement from “outsiders”, she began repackaging her book, “Adventures with Grammy” for a larger audience and started “Adventures with Grammy Podcast” January 2021. 🌟Target audience: grandparents & parents wanting to cement loving relationships with their children. The podcast focuses on children’s books, grandparent/grandchild activities; road trip adventures & pertinent issues facing 3-generations.
🌟Her listeners are in 48 states & 35 countries. Her future podcast topics will include health, education, genealogy and multiculturism. ❤️Follow “Adventures with Grammy:” 🌟Etsy.com/shop/AdventuresWithGrammy Find: “My Family Tree” on Etsy; for 50% discount, use coupon code: Thanksgiving. Expires Dec. 26, 2021
Website: https://adventureswithgrammy.com/ Podcast: https://adventureswithgrammy.blubrry.net/ FB: Grammy Adventure IG: @grammyadventure Pinterest.com/adventureswithgrammy

❤️FUN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: CHRISTMAS CAROLING

❤️FUN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: CHRISTMAS CAROLING, NUTCRACKER BALLET & A CHRISTMAS CAROL! 🌟The decorating is done, the cookies baked, the presents bought & wrapped—what next? 👼🏻Time to take the kids or grandkids to see some music delights of the season—Nutcracker Ballet, A Christmas Carol production, Sing-Along Messiah or even door-to-door Christmas caroling or Phone Caroling! 🌲For over 20 years, we took our sons to see, “A Christmas Carol” –a staged production in the round of Dicken’s famous story of Ebenezer Scrooge. We also took them to see the ballet, “Nutcracker”—which your kids need to see at least once. 🎅🏻And there is nothing more fun than Christmas caroling—either door-to-door or over the phone to family members far away or even take the family & join in a “Messiah Sing-a-long!” 🌟It’s all possible at Christmas! ❤️Links to 45 Christmas traditions: in bio

🍪TRADITIONAL FOODS: CHRISTMAS COOKING & COOKIES

🍪TRADITIONAL FOODS: CHRISTMAS COOKING & COOKIES! 🍪Christmas is special because it is filled with memorable traditions that are repeated year after year! 🍪One of our favorite traditions is baking Christmas cookies and other delights that celebrate ancestors or the traditions of other countries. 🌲Our ancestors come mainly from Germany, England and France. To honor our German ancestors, we make Stollen (German bread eaten on Christmas morning), lebkuchen (molasses cookie) and gingerbread. For our English ancestors we make Elizabethan fruitcake and cream cookies and for our French ancestors—a Yule Log. 🥮And, check out this fun book about Christmas cookies and treats from around the world: “A World of Cookies for Santa” by M.E. Furman 🌲What kinds of traditional cookies and other delights do you bake/cook to celebrate the holidays? ❤️Check out 45 different Christmas traditions: link in bio

🌟DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW IN A ONE-HORSE OPEN S

🌟DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW IN A ONE-HORSE OPEN SLEIGH! ☃️Ever been on an actual sleigh ride driven by Clydesdale horses? They are a Scottish breed and their lower legs have heavy feathering. ❄️Among other things, they are used to drawing sleighs. Going on a Christmas sleigh ride is super fun and as the “Jingle Bells” song goes, “in a one-horse open sleigh!” Or in most cases—2 or more horses! ⛄️Sleigh riding on snow-capped hills is also a fun Christmas tradition and one kids and grandkids love. If you live in an area with no snow (as we did for 40 years)—find a place to take your kids to experience this white fluffy, cold stuff! ❄️Create memories as you celebrate the season with sleigh rides! ❤️45 more Christmas traditions: link in bio

🌲🌟CHRISTMAS PJS, SOCKS, BEDDING, PILLOWCASES

🌲🌟CHRISTMAS PJS, SOCKS, BEDDING, PILLOWCASES & TREES! 🌟Make the season magical in every way—add Christmas PJs, socks, bedding & pillowcases to your families’ traditions! Plus put a small Christmas tree in your children’s bedrooms so they can watch the lights as they go to sleep (gives new meaning to, “and sugarplum fairies danced in their heads.”) 🌲Make or purchase Christmas PJs for every member of the family OR—matching Christmas socks to celebrate the season! 🌟And, there’s nothing so exciting than kids/grandkids crawling into bed and finding warm, comfy flannel Christmas sheets and a fun personalized Christmas pillowcase to sleep on! 🌲Traditional reminders to celebrate the best season of the year! ❤️Check out 45 different Christmas traditions--link in bio

🌟CHRISTMAS ADVENT CALENDARS: COUNTING THE DAYS

🌟CHRISTMAS ADVENT CALENDARS: COUNTING THE DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS! 🌲Christmas is coming—the perfect time to plan your holiday traditions—starting with advent calendars! Nothing is more exciting for kids & grandkids than counting the days before Christmas! 🌟Years ago, one of my teachers made this wise observation when he said: “anticipation is greater than realization!” So true and that’s the fun of Advent calendars—it makes the anticipation of Christmas that much greater! 🌲Here are some of our favorite family advent calendars: *🌟Mr. Goody—an Annalee elf that appears on December 1 and stays until Dec. 24. He leaves daily goodies for each child and—he hides throughout the house each day. He’s been in our family since 1980—so he predates the ugly Elf on the Shelf! *🌟Advent in a Box or Advent in a Suitcase—put numbered felt socks or paper bags inside a box or suitcase—each filled with goodies—pick one out each day *🌟Advent Felt Calendar—fill each pocket with goodies and take one out each day leading up to Christmas *🌟Advent Sunday: lighting candles each Sunday before Christmas—a meaningful way to celebrate the “Reason for the Season”—and learn about Jesus! 🌲How do you celebrate Advent? ❤️For more details plus 45 fun & exciting Christmas traditions find the link in bio

❤️COURTNEY KIMBALL: “ONE COMMON THREAD!”

❤️COURTNEY KIMBALL: “ONE COMMON THREAD!” Monday—time for a spotlight! 🌟Today—Courtney Kimball ❤️Courtney is a humanitarian—helping poor women in Honduras. Her non-profit organization, “One Common Thread” began after hiring a girl from the Honduras slums to help her quilt. The girl needed to earn $5 for bus fare. ❤️This simple act triggered a response from other poor women in Honduras looking to make money for the barest necessities for their families “🌟One Common Thread” was created as a result. Its premise: women who love & want to help other women; children! ❤️When Courtney & her family moved to San Pedro Sula, Honduras for business reasons, she discovered it was one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Women ages 12-45 are more likely to be murdered than to die in any other way. Abuse, rape, sex trafficking is ignored; only 5% of these atrocities prosecuted. Her eyes were opened when listening to these women tell their stories. She wanted to help. 🌟Using similar principles of the microcredit movement, Courtney taught the women how to make hexagon quilts. Materials are minimal—fabric, scissors, thread, needles & paper punches. Friends sent scraps and supplies to help. The women make hexagon quilt kits to sell in the states. As their workmanship increases; they make hexagon top quilts sold on the website. ❤️Also, on the website, Courtney has an “Immediate needs” list—where people can donate for roofs, cement floors, diapers, formula, clothing, etc. To date, they’ve built 6 homes; replaced roofs, cemented floors, purchased refrigerators, diapers, clothing, milk & food. 🌟Many undiapered children are set on dirt floors and get bacteria and worms in the anus—even as young as 2 weeks, so cement floors are a blessing! She also helps the women enroll in classes to learn to budget, save, start their own businesses, finish high school, etc. ❤️100% of your donation goes to helping these women—Courtney doesn’t take 1 penny! 🌲Christmas is a time for giving---please help this worthy cause! ❤️To help; follow, email: Website: onecommonthread.org
IG @onecommonthreadquilts
FB: One Common Thread Quilts
Email: onecommonthread@gmail.com

🧡LEAH WOODWARD—SAVVY BUSINESS OWNER & UPCOMIN

🧡LEAH WOODWARD—SAVVY BUSINESS OWNER & UPCOMING “BRIGHT YOUNG THING!” 💋It’s Monday—time to spotlight… (not a family member today, I’m broadening my scope) the amazingly talented and savvy business owner of “New Lengths Beauty, Co.”—Leah Woodward! 💄I met Leah 6 years ago when she was a 17-year-old teen. It was obvious she was going places and I was intrigued by her smarts and business knowledge. 💄At age 21, she purchased her first home and in September 2020, (age 22) she opened her salon, “New Lengths Beauty Co.”
💋Four days after she graduated from high school, she started cosmetology school. Next, she completed her Bachelors in Business Management and from there she graduated with a Masters in Management and Leadership! And while pursuing her education, she rented space from Golds Gym doing eyelash extensions 💄Whew! And all of this in 4 years! Clearly, Leah does not let the grass grow under her busy feet! 💋New Lengths Beauty Co is a full-service salon and spa offering haircare, skincare, nails, lashes and brow services. Each of her service providers is fully licensed and insured. 💄Her #1 priority? Customer service! She strives to make the spa a comfortable place for women and a one-stop shop for all their beauty needs. To service each client to the fullest and have them completely satisfied is her goal—and with her staff—she’s accomplishing just that! 💋Leah is goal-oriented. Short-term goals: building her staff and clientele base. Long-term goals include opening more salons and spas in the surrounding area. 💄She says, “My favorite part about working in the beauty industry is helping others feel more comfortable and confident in their skin! Nothing beats seeing a client’s face light up when they look in the mirror after their service is completed.” 💋And her favorite part of being a business owner is the flexibility; the opportunity to lead talented individuals and the freedom to choose how she accomplishes everything! 🧡Follow Leah on: Instagram: @NewLengthsBeautyCo Facebook: New Lengths Beauty Co 🧡Visit Leah at
New Lengths Beauty Co
1857 N. Hill Field Road
Layton, UT. 84041
Phone: 801-678-3412

🧡GRATEFUL FOR NATURE: NATURE WALK—OBSERVING,

🧡GRATEFUL FOR NATURE: NATURE WALK—OBSERVING, CATEGORIZING & SEQUENCING 🖍Do your kids/grandkids love nature? Ours do! Every chance we get, we’re out playing or walking in nature. 🌲This is a fun activity to teach gratitude for nature and all the colors found in nature—Mother Nature certainly has every array of colors on her artist palette! 🍁Grab some cardboard, glue on 3x5 colored pieces of paper and a clothespin on each color. Then go on a nature walk, looking, observing and finding something to correspond to the colors on your cardboard—easy-peasy! Thank you, @mrmintz_crafts for this great idea! 🧡Details: link in bio

🧡GRATEFUL FOR LEARNING: DISSECT A PUMPKIN! 🖍Being able to learn is something to be grateful for! 🎃Life is learning—so to celebrate gratitude for learning, we dissected a pumpkin! 🎃I purchased a mini-pumpkin unit from Stephanie Hathaway Designs, @stephhathawaydesigns which was filled with fabulous information, pictures, diagrams, etc., that we used in our pumpkin dissection. (I highly recommend purchasing it!) 🖍We learned about the life-cycle of a pumpkin, parts of a pumpkin and different types of pumpkins you can plant. 🖍Kids are natural learners! And encouraged by you—they will understand how important it is to be grateful for learning! 🧡Details: link in bio

🧡GRATITUDE BOXES 🖍This is the perfect seaso

🧡GRATITUDE BOXES 🖍This is the perfect season to make a gratitude box with your kids/grandkids! 🖍I purchased wooden boxes at the Dollar Store and supplied Kwik Stix, permanent markers, and watercolors for them to paint and decorate their boxes. 🖍If you make a gratitude box, put 30 pieces of paper inside the box so your kids/grandkids can write or draw their expressions of gratitude each day. Or, purchase Thanksgiving bulletin board cutouts to write their gratitude on (that’s what we did—easier!). 🖍We took one of their watercolor leaves and ribbon to tie up the cutouts for safe-keeping inside their boxes. 🖍By the end of the month, their boxes will be filled with notes or drawings of gratitude and become memorable keepsakes! 🧡Details: link in bio

🧡I AM GRATEFUL FOR…GRATITUDE POSTERS 🖍The

🧡I AM GRATEFUL FOR…GRATITUDE POSTERS 🖍There are so many activities you can do with your kids/grandkids to write, draw, or verbalize their gratitude. 🖍Try this—make a poster with your kids/grandkids filled with thoughts and images of gratitude; frame it and display it somewhere in your house! 🖍Our gratitude posters have a lot of meaning—we did leaf imprints, washed over and highlighted with watercolors, ink drawings to illustrate our gratitude, and bulky letters to show what our poster was about. 🧡What are you doing with your children or grandchildren this thanksgiving season to show or express gratitude? 🧡Details: link in bio

GRATEFUL FOR ANCESTORS—GOING ON A LANTERN NIGHT

GRATEFUL FOR ANCESTORS—GOING ON A LANTERN NIGHT WALK! Thanksgiving is around the corner—just enough time to squeeze in a few meaningful activities! I wanted to do activities this week with my grandkids that were filled with being grateful and having fun! First, we focused on being grateful for our ancestors. I talked to them about their great-great-great-grandmother—Victoria Josephine Sandgren—born in Sweden in 1865. Victoria loved nature, learned foraging from the Piute Indians, and had 13 children who called her their “angel mother.” She relaxed by taking walks in nature at dusk. To honor her and her love for nature, we read the book, “Strange Trees,” and took a lantern walk at dusk with a picture of her. In the middle of the walk, we blew a kiss to her in the heavens, thanking her for her life and example of kindness. What ancestor can you honor, appreciate and feel gratitude for this Thanksgiving season with your children or grandchildren? How can you honor this person? Relate their life story? Display a picture of them? Do something they loved? The possibilities are endless! Special thanks to @herbmountainfarm for the inspiration to thank ancestors every day! Get all the details: link in bio

🧡ALENE VILLANEDA—EDUCATIONAL TUTOR FOR KIDS W

🧡ALENE VILLANEDA—EDUCATIONAL TUTOR FOR KIDS WHO STRUGGLE! Monday—time to spotlight another talented family member. 🧡Today, I’m highlighting my sister, Alene Villaneda—who for 25+ years has tutored and helped children who struggle with various learning issues. 🧡Her company: Integrated Learning Strategies. Using certain interventions and activities she helps children learn better in school. 📚Alene suggests to parents the importance of helping their children develop a strong foundation for learning. Children need help in meeting certain milestones before reaching school so they are primed and ready to learn. 📚Some things parents and even grandparents can do to help build that foundation include: · Teach your child to ride a bike · Provide plenty of different size balls so your child can learn to—dribble, throw and catch, etc. · Throwing and catching bean bags · Read to your children daily and take them to the library · Take your children outside on nature walks, hikes or to the park so they have opportunities to play, explore their world and develop core muscles · Get a balance beam they can walk on · Use mallet hammers to pound nails or golf tees into wood or Styrofoam · Art supplies so they can use their fine muscles to draw and paint · Enroll in music classes · Have friends over to play with your children—provides opportunities to socialize. 📚Once they have started school, continue with the above and establish routines for homework and studying and support them educationally in all they are doing. 🧡She offers different programs that help kids to learn— “Rewiring the Brain Handbook,” and her video membership that goes into specific activities to help a child with reading, writing, math, and different movement activities that assist with emotional regulation. 📚Last—she agrees with the latest research regarding screen time and kids—LIMIT screen time and it shouldn’t be used by children 2 and under. 🧡Follow Alene and “Integrated Learning Strategies” Website: https://www.ilslearning.com/ Facebook: Integrated Learning Strategies
Instagram: @ilslearning

🧡BOOKS ON GRATITUDE TO READ TO YOUR KIDS 🌟N

🧡BOOKS ON GRATITUDE TO READ TO YOUR KIDS 🌟No holiday is complete without reading books pertaining to and emphasizing the holiday! 🌟Here are some of our family gratitude favorites—hopefully they become yours as well! “The Blessings Jar” by Colleen Coble “I’m Thankful Each Day by P. Hallinan “Thankful” by Eileen Spinelli “Apple Cake: A Gratitude” by Dawn Casey “Being Thankful” by Mercer Mayer “Zen Pig: The Art of Gratitude” by Mark Brown “This is the Turkey” by Abby Levine 🧡Get the links & details here: link in bio

❤️DAILY—VERBALIZE YOUR GRATITUDE! 🌟Befor

❤️DAILY—VERBALIZE YOUR GRATITUDE! 🌟Before bedtime, gather your children together and have them share something they are grateful for—a meaningful or best thing that happened to them that day. 🌟It’s a quick exercise to help kids focus on the positives of the day. 🌟There will be some days that are more like a “Terrible Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” but teach your children/grandchildren that even bad days can have silver linings! 🌟On those days, remind your child/grandchild that these days are temporary. 🌟Suggest to them: *It’s only one day—tomorrow will be better. *Bad days have a funny way of helping you appreciate the good days” * For older children” help them understand that valuable lessons are learned from painful experiences. 🧡Details, links & more: link in bio

🧡DRAW YOUR GRATITUDE AS A FAMILY! 🌟Writing

🧡DRAW YOUR GRATITUDE AS A FAMILY! 🌟Writing down thoughts and feelings of gratitude in a gratitude journal is an amazing and powerful way to be grateful 🌟However, instead of always writing down gratitude—provide pens, markers, and paper and have everyone DRAW their gratitude! 🌟If you have teen kids/grandkids create a fun activity where everyone can draw gratitude by drawing a caricature of their faces! A fun way of expressing gratitude for many parts of your being—head/brain, eyes, ears, mouth, nose—etc. 🌟Save these gratitude drawings from year to year and post them on a family bulletin board. 🧡A fun way of building & creating gratitude memories! 🧡Details, links & more: link in bio

Gratitude! Link in bio! 🧡🧡🧡

Gratitude! Link in bio! 🧡🧡🧡

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