Website Tools For Building Families: MeInATree - Part Two

It has been some time since my last post about Me In A Tree, so I figured I should write a quick update regarding the Family Website geared towards improving relationships and preserving the family unit.

My family recently went on a 10 day trip to Alberta, including a two day camping trip to BC. With a break from technology like that, it makes it a lot easier to focus on building ties within our family unit. However, I don't know about you, but I can only afford a trip like that once every year or two. Me In A Tree is a great way to refocus the family – for FREE in as little as 30 minutes per week.

Jeremy with the kids using MIAT
We connect our laptop to the TV
for better veiwing

My husband has really taken to the weekly Family Huddle, a fun family meeting which gives each family member a chance to share what is going on in their life. Now that we have been doing it for a few months, Jeremy is hooked. We go on the website almost every week and we follow the guided family huddle. Each of us get a turn to be heard. We also get to co-ordinate our schedules and refocus on the real world around us (as keeping the important things of life in focus has been a challenge for us in the past). 

How are the kids doing? They love it! Jason and Raina really enjoy getting the responsibility of their own surprise role at each Family Huddle. They also take the weekly challenges very seriously and never complain, even if it is “no TV for a week” or “no junk food for a week.” Their latest excitement is getting to add their own activities into the schedule, such as Jason's computer-time, and Raina's playing-with-ponies-time. They are really learning a lot about time management, days of the week, and more.

Having a functional family takes a lot of work, but tools like www.meinatree.com makes it fun and easier.

It's a great time to be alive!  What better way is there to celebrate life, than with your family?

Created by Rebecca Wilkins, daughter of social media expert and freelance writer

GT Bulmer.  Following in Daddy's footsteps!

Follow Rebecca on Twitter @mrs_r_wilkins and

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/rebecca-wilkins/4a/b29/821

What A Lovely Girl!

A couple weeks ago, I took my family to an indoor playground.  While my 4 year old son and I were playing in the ball pit, we met a girl.  We were working together, with the girl, to throw the balls into the other area.  Later on, when we were having a break, he told me "that was a lovely girl!"

This last Sunday,  I was talking with some ladies.  A lady who was relatively new to our church started up a conversation with my son.  Soon, he was having a grand conversation with her, and she found him quite charming.  Later in the afternoon we were playing in his sandbox and he told me that she was a lovely girl.

I bragged to my husband, who was nearby, about how he's only ever called two girls "lovely" and that he only says it about very special people.  A few minutes later, he told me, "Mommy, you are a lovely girl."

Picture Day Doesn't Always Go As Planned

This has been quite the day! 

It was School Picture Day for my kids! 

I forgot.

  

I wasn't planning on bringing my son to school because he had a bad cold, and as usual, I let the kids pick out their own clothes for the day.  We were running late, so I only ended up brushing 3/4 of my daughter's beautifully long, fine blonde hair.  As I dropped my kids off at school, I noticed all the girls were wearing cute dresses and had their hair done.  It was a nice reminder, but it was too late for me!

Slightly panicked, I ran back to the van and brought my son in.  As I was brushing my daughter's hair, the teacher was discovering (and fixing) my son's inside-out shirt!  I obsessed over my kids, straitening their hair and carrying their things for them.  I followed the line of children as they headed to the photography room, and at that point the teacher asked me to wait in the lobby.  We all know how hard it is for a teacher to have to work around the parents!  

Some parents may have gotten offended, but it is for that reason that my kids attend the school.  The teachers care for the kids.  They are brave enough to ask the parents to leave when the they are being too clingy. 

After school, as I was leaving, my best friend was arriving to get her daughter too.  I mentioned something about the pictures, and she was shocked!  She forgot too.  Only, I reminded her, at least her daughter was wearing a cute dress!! 

I find my day quite amusing...now that I am safe at home and the kids are napping.  Hope you liked it too!  Have you had a "bad" picture day?  Comment Below!

This blog was created by Rebecca Wilkins, the daughter of social media expert and freelance writer, GT Bulmer. Following in Daddy's footsteps!

Follow Rebecca on Twitter @mrs_r_wilkins

Website Tools For Building Families: MeInATree

My goal is to raise up balanced children who know how to love others even in the midst of conflicts. To me, life isn't so much about avoiding confrontations, but about going through trials without causing damage to my relationships.

“Where two or more gathered together, there will be disagreement.” 

I was recently introduced to a newly developed website called MeInATree. I signed up without really knowing what it was all about. Thankfully, I gave the site a few minutes of my time, and created a profile for my family. I was fascinated to discover that the website would involve the whole family in family meetings called “Huddles.” In the past, a family meeting always sounded like a good idea, but never went over as well as I had imagined.

I did a test run of the huddle, and was amazed! The creators of this website definitely know what they are talking about when it comes to families. The Huddle includes every member of the family, and covers all the important areas of family living – from schedules to feelings. Family Huddle time has an all important adjustable timer, so the meetings do not drag on. Mixing serious topics, with fun topics, the mood stays light and friendly. I would tell you about our first official family huddle, but I need to honour my family and live up to the rule, “what is said in the Family Huddle, stays in the Family Huddle.”  However, I can say this: I really appreciate it because it has already helped some of the less expressive members of our family open up and feel like they are important and have something to contribute to the family.

The ethics of the website are clearly to bring unity and stability to the family.  It approaches this in a fun way. MeInATree has many features, and intends on adding a lot more. I was excited today to discover the available features on the website.  There is a lot more that I have not tried out yet, such as the opportunity for older children to type their thoughts into journals, and then to express them safely to the family.  I believe that there would be fewer broken families if they would use tools like this regularly.

www.meinatree.com

I can see that this site will be productive for families of all sizes, dynamics, and ages. Even preschool kids, and possibly younger, can get involved.  

                     

It is a great time to be alive!  What better way is there to celebrate life, than with your family?

Created by Rebecca Wilkins, daughter of social media expert and freelance writer

GT Bulmer.  Following in Daddy's footsteps!

Follow Rebecca on Twitter @mrs_r_wilkins

Update: After I posted this, Kids In Cowtown started a contest in support of this awesome program. Check it out at http://kidsincowtown.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/win-flowers-for-mothers-day-or-a-tim-hortons-coffee-card/

You can win fantastic prizes just by trying out Me In A Tree!

Confrontation with my Worst Fear

It is a great day to be alive, even if it is less than we had hoped for.

Growing up, we get to learn a lot about our parents.

That includes what our parents fear.

My parents, while I lived with them, had a strong fear of the internet.  It wasn't so much the internet really, but the fact that someone out there could possibly see and hear us in the privacy of our own home - without our knowledge (and we didn't even own a webcam yet)!

Many years later, my Dad has broken through the fear and regularly sends video mail to my kids.  My Mom shows up on camera from time to time as well.

It is no surprise that I never did like video chat rooms (except for those brief years of rebellion where I would spend nights in those delightfully immature yet entertaining yahoo chat sessions - especially the prank phone calls room).

Alas, my parents' worst nightmare came true in my own life.  Being caught on a webcam without any control - or even necessarily knowledge - of what was going on.  A job interview is always stressful, and that is where it had to happen!

Sitting there, shaking and full of anxiety because I could not figure out how to make the video program work, I conversed with my potential boss, trying to prove that I knew how to work a computer.

I had several Google+ tabs open in my browser, and it resulted in the program crashing.  I could not see her, and I could barely use the chat window, but...I could hear her...and then she told me what I had feared...SHE could SEE and HEAR me!!!

I cringed...and tried to hide my obvious distaste for the occasion.  I had no idea if the camera was positioned correctly, or how I looked.  I had lost control over my computer!  Finally, my husband rescued me and told me to restart the browser.

Success!

 I could see my boss, myself, and all went well!  Now I can laugh.  And you can laugh at me too.

What fearful situations have you gotten into lately?

Friends

Friends and family are important!  Not only do they love us, but they continually remind us to love them.  Friendship is Giving and Getting.  If the balance is off, so will be the relationship.

Having friends from many different classes within our society, and from different societies across the world, I have learnt a lot about friends.

It is a challenging lifestyle for any one who does not trust friends and lives in isolation.  They think the isolation is protecting themselves, when it is really putting them in danger!  If there is no giving and getting going on, one gets stuck, often in crazy poverty-like situations - and they don't know how to get help (often even rejecting available help).

Do you know of anyone who tries to isolate themselves?  Take the first steps at becoming their friend.  It may take longer than average (even years), and it may take a LOT of giving on your side, but eventually it will balance out and you will have another great, loyal lifelong friend!

Stressful Day

It was a coldish day.  Only going on 5 hours of sleep.  Just found out my son has allergies to soap - and he managed to continually have problems with it all day.  House is a mess.  Stressful Day!

It is a GREAT Day to be ALIVE!  So thankful to have a loving family and wonderful friends, and to get to encourage people all day long (that's my job)!

I've learnt that happiness does not come from having a "good day," but being happy makes every day good!

However, I am very much looking forward to tomorrow!  The plan? Clean House.  Kids to Preschool.  Work. Kids home.  Work.  Clean House.  Dinner with the family (all four of us).  Church (to pray for other people).

What is your favourite part of today?