Todays finding special in the everyday

If there is one thing my kids will recall from their childhood it sure is my many attempts at making life special. Not only special but meaningful too. Some things last longer than others, and many days the effort feels useless but well at least I try.
There were behavior systems in the form of baby food jars with smile and frown faces moving marbles back and forth (prepinterest so this was MY idea), sticker chart, clips and coins. There has also been special time for each child marked on the calendar with a gold star. There are chore sticks, assigned dishwasher days and  electronic privilege time. Contest for polite words, and behavior outside of the house, races to complete mundane tasks, game nights and family meals are just the beginning of all that I instill. I could continue on but you get the point. Each idea met a specific need at the time and most worked well until they too grew weary like the kids.
While my latest concept was shown in a recent pinterest troll I do not give credit to the random pinner. I actually used this technique in my 5th grade classroom for a few kids who needed to speak in a safe confidential place. It worked very well and the notebook stayed in their backpack so the parent could see what was being said by child and myself the teacher. But when I first watched the movie Freedom Writers it set home that this could work for my own kids. Now of course in all things no person responds the same so to what extent it shall work is quite another thing. But well here goes..

Last night I handed out these pretty little journals. I of course called them notebooks as to keep my eldest son who despises writing interested. In the first page I wrote a silly rhyming paragraph. Each started with Me to you, you to me this is how I want to be. From there the rest was individualized but light and funny. 3 out of the 4 begged to read theirs and seemed thrilled.
I explained that they can write for fun, they can write because they  are bored AND they can write if something is bothering them. I added that we don't ever have to talk out loud about what they write too.
SO my thrilled eldest daughter hurried off to bed to write back in hers. This morning to my surprise youngest son also wrote in his. The sad part is both of them wrote about a frustration and not for fun but I am thankful that they have an outlet for such. Here's to this being a custom we continue for days, weeks and maybe even years to come.