Thanksgiving is an opportunity to nurture gratitude in children. It’s a time to teach children that it extends beyond saying “thank you”—it’s about recognizing the value of the people, experiences and moments that make life meaningful. Here are some heartfelt ways Balmoral residents help their children cultivate a grateful heart:
Demonstrate Gratitude in Your Life
Children often learn best through observation. When they see adults expressing genuine gratitude in daily life, they begin to understand its importance. By consistently demonstrating thankfulness for the people and experiences that enrich your life, you can inspire your children to adopt a similar mindset.
Create Family Traditions That Encourage Thankfulness
Consider starting a tradition where each family member shares something they’re grateful for during dinner. Another idea is to create a gratitude jar, where family members can jot down what they’re thankful for throughout the year. During Thanksgiving, take time to read these notes together, creating a tapestry of appreciation that reflects the beauty and richness of your family life. These activities not only create a sense of unity but also allow children to see the world through a lens of gratitude.
Encourage Children to Give Back
When children engage in helping others, they gain a deeper appreciation for their own blessings. Simple activities like collecting canned goods for a food drive or donating outgrown clothes can instill a sense of empathy and community. Participating in local volunteer opportunities, such as helping at an animal shelter or planting trees in a park, allows children to see the direct impact of their actions. These experiences teach them that everyone has the power to make a difference, no matter their age.
Practice Gratitude Creatively
Encourage children to express their thankfulness through drawings, paintings or even simple crafts. Whether it’s illustrating a family picnic or crafting a thank-you card for a loved one, these creative projects allow kids to explore and articulate their appreciation.
Tell Stories
Stories have a unique ability to touch the heart and illuminate the significance of gratitude. Sharing tales where characters demonstrate thankfulness can help children grasp this essential value. Classic fables, such as “The Lion and the Mouse,” illustrate how even the smallest acts of kindness can leave a lasting impact. Personal stories from your own life can also be incredibly powerful. Recount moments when gratitude transformed a situation for you and discuss the emotions involved. Encourage your children to share their own stories of gratitude, no matter how small.
Teach Mindfulness
Teaching children mindfulness and reflection can be a gentle way to foster gratitude. Begin by encouraging them to take a few moments each day to reflect on their blessings. Encourage them to notice the little things that bring joy, such as the warmth of the sun on their face or the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. In these quiet, reflective moments, children learn to cultivate a sense of appreciation for the present, fostering a mindset of gratitude that can enrich their lives in profound ways.
Celebrate Small Acts of Kindness
It’s often the smallest gestures that leave the biggest impact. Teach your children to recognize and cherish these everyday acts of kindness. Whether it’s a friend lending a pencil, a sibling sharing a toy or a neighbor waving hello, these moments of connection are the threads that weave a tapestry of gratitude. Encourage your children to acknowledge these acts with a smile, a thank-you note or a small act of kindness in return.
Foster an Attitude of Gratitude Beyond Thanksgiving
While Thanksgiving offers a special time to emphasize gratitude, nurturing this attitude should be a year-round endeavor. To keep the spirit alive, encourage your children to integrate gratitude into their daily routines. Consider maintaining practices like the gratitude jar or journal beyond the holiday season. These tools serve as daily reminders of the many blessings in their lives and help build a habit of recognizing and appreciating them.
The time has come — you are meeting with your builder to choose the flooring for your home. Given that flooring can significantly enhance the look and feel of your new home, choosing the right option for each room is vital. Where do you start? With our handy guide.
Think Before You Choose
Before diving into materials, let’s talk considerations. Your flooring choice should depend in part on the room’s function. High-traffic areas will benefit from more durable, easy-to-clean materials. If you have pets or young children, you might want scratch-resistant options. Aesthetic preferences are also a consideration. Your flooring should complement the overall design of your home, creating a cohesive look. Budget constraints are equally important. And let’s not forget about the environment. Moisture-prone areas require water-resistant materials to prevent damage.
Living in Your Family Room
The family room is where family and friends gather. Selecting a flooring material that balances style and durability is crucial. Hardwood floors offer timeless appeal and are easy to clean. You don’t have to worry as much about allergens. For those seeking a more budget-friendly option, laminate flooring offers a similar aesthetic with added scratch resistance. Vinyl plank flooring is an excellent choice for open floor plans because it mimics the look of natural wood or stone to beautify the family room while offering the durability and water resistance you need in the kitchen.
The Heart of the Home
The kitchen is the busiest room in the house. Here you need flooring that can withstand spills, heavy foot traffic and the occasional dropped dish. If you have an open floor plan, it needs to blend seamlessly with the flooring you choose for your family room and dining area. Tile flooring, particularly ceramic or porcelain, stands out as a top choice. These materials are highly durable and water-resistant, making them perfect for kitchen environments. Vinyl flooring is a practical option. For a unique and eco-friendly choice, cork flooring provides a comfortable surface that’s gentle on the feet and has natural antimicrobial properties. Cork is also an excellent insulator, keeping your kitchen warm and reducing noise.
Get Comfy
By focusing on comfort and style, you can create a bedroom that is both inviting and restful. Carpeting offers a plush texture, as well as a soft and warm surface to step onto each morning. Available in an array of colors and styles, carpets can easily blend with any bedroom decor. Hardwood flooring, in addition to being beautiful, it is easy to clean and a great choice for children with asthma or allergies.
Moisture Proof the Bathroom
Bathrooms present unique challenges, requiring flooring that is both moisture-resistant and slip-proof. Porcelain or ceramic tiles are excellent choices for bathrooms due to their durability and wide range of styles. These tiles can mimic natural stone or wood, allowing for aesthetic flexibility without sacrificing functionality. For those seeking a touch of luxury, natural stone tiles like marble or granite can elevate the bathroom’s appearance. However, keep in mind that these materials require more maintenance to prevent staining and water damage.
Balmoral Builders Offer Plenty of Options
When it comes to choosing a new home, you want to partner with a builder that provides plenty of options. You want to be able to not only choose the perfect floor plan but also the perfect floors, paint, counters and cabinets. Balmoral builders offer an array of options so you can make your home uniquely yours. Visit us today.
Halloween is coming soon but not everyone wants to take part in the time-honored tradition of tricking and treating. If that’s your family, why not indulge in some fun activities at home? What type of activities? We’ve listed a few:
Create a Haunted Haven
Welcome trick-or-treaters to your home with spooky decorations. Bring out the carboard, foam, fabric and paint and get the kids to help make some blood-curdling decorations. Start with the front porch and lawn, then spook up the house with cobwebs, carved pumpkins, string lights and LED candles.
Host a Terror-ific Halloween Party
Choose a theme, invite some friends and have a “howling” good time. “Classic Horror” or “Favorite Movie Characters” are fun themes but if you have young children “The Nightmare Before Christmas” or other children’s spooky movies could provide inspiration. Be sure to provide lots of spooky treats and be sure to hold a costume contest with prizes for categories like “Most Creative,” “Scariest” and “Best Couple Costume.”
Do the Monster Mash
You don’t have to have an official Halloween party. Put on some music and do the monster mash with the family. Curate a playlist that includes Halloween classics like “. Thriller” by Michael Jackson, “Ghostbusters,” and other spooky tunes. Playing sound effects like creaking doors and howling winds can also enhance the experience.
Tell Spooky Stories
Turn down the lights and tell some spooky stories. Challenge family members to come up with creative tales or read from spooky books. Some tales to look into are “A Spoonful of Frogs,” “Gilbert the Ghost,” “The Best Halloween Ever” and “Ophie’s Ghosts.”
Halloween Movie Marathon
Pop some popcorn and host a Halloween Movie Marathon. Decorate the media room or hang a sheet and enjoy the outdoors. Choose classic spooky movies like Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice or The Addams Family. More kid-friendly movies might include “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” and “Harry Potter.”
Make ‘Eerie-sistible’ Treats
It isn’t Halloween without eerie-sistible treats. Kids can help make and decorate ghost-shaped cookies, pumpkin cupcakes and “witches’ brew” punch. If you want some healthier treats try fruit skewers shaped like monsters or veggie platters arranged to look like creepy creatures.
Get Crafty
Set up areas where kids can get crafty using paper, glue and other craft supplies. If kids want to decorate pumpkins but you’d rather not give them carving knives, provide paints and stickers for them to decorate their pumpkins safely.
Capture the Memories
Take photos of costumes, decorations and activities throughout the day. You can create a scrapbook afterward as a fun way to remember the festivities.
Celebrate Halloween at Balmoral
No matter how you like to celebrate Halloween, consider doing it next year in your new Balmoral home. Our community is family-friendly with plenty for kids to do on the spookiest night of the year. Visit us today.
Looking for a great place to call home? We recommend Humble. A blend of small-town charm and urban convenience, Humble (pronounced Umble, the “H” is silent) offers residents many advantages, including the opportunity to live in Balmoral. Here are five more reasons to call Humble home:
Houston Is Just a Short Drive Away
One of the standout features of Humble is its close proximity to Houston. The town is less than 30 minutes away allowing easy access to employment centers and Houston’s vibrant cultural scene, diverse dining options, museums, stadiums, shopping and nightlife. Once you’ve had your fill of big city life, you can return to the comfort of your suburban home.
There’s Plenty to Do
Whether you enjoy indoor or outdoor activities, there is plenty to do in and around Humble. Nature enthusiasts often spend the day at Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center. The 312-acre nature preserve features hiking trails, a playground and a variety of plant and wildlife species. Schott Park covers 24 acres and boasts picnic areas, sports courts and walking paths. Cypress Trails Equestrian Center offers horseback riding for all ages. Shopping is convenient, with the biggest draw being Deerbrook Mall. The retail center features more than 130 shops as well as restaurants and department stores. The Charles Bender Performing Arts Center is a great place to catch a concert, play or musical.
The Schools Are Awesome
Humble ISD boasts an A rating from Niche and ranks among the top 100 school districts in Texas. The 100-year-old district includes 47 campuses, more than 48,000 students and more than 7,000 employees. On state-mandated academic assessment tests, Humble ISD students traditionally score among the highest in Texas. Schools offer many special learning programs including gifted & talented, International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, dual credit, AVID and distance learning. There are also a number of excellent private schools in the area.
The Community is Spirited
Known for its strong sense of community, Humble welcomes visitors with open arms and embraces newcomers as part of the family. No matter where you go in Humble, people will greet you with a smile and a warm “howdy.” The town hosts many events and festivals, allowing the community to come together for food, fun and entertainment. A popular event is the annual Good Oil Days of Boom festival celebrating the town’s history.
Homes are Affordable
Humble offers a cost of living that is generally lower than many other areas in the Houston metropolitan region. This affordability extends to housing, making it an attractive option for families and individuals alike. With a variety of housing options—from single-family homes to townhouses — there’s something for everyone.
Learn More About Humble and Balmoral Today
Want another great reason to call Humble home? Balmoral! Our master-planned community has it all, including Texas’ first Crystal Lagoon amenity. Our builders offer beautiful homes for sale or rent. Visit us today to learn more.
When you hit your Balmoral builder’s design center, you are going to be asked to make a lot of choices. Lost in the excitement of picking out flooring and cabinets is what type of lights you will have. Yet, getting the lighting right in your home can significantly enhance both functionality and ambiance. How? Here’s a handy guide.
What Type is Right?
In general, there are three types of lighting. The type you choose depends on what you want to do. Ambient lighting provides the general illumination for a space. It’s the foundation of your lighting design and should be bright enough to allow for easy movement and visibility.
Task lighting focuses on specific areas where activities like reading, cooking or working take place. This type of lighting should be bright enough to reduce eye strain and improve concentration.
Accent lighting is used to highlight specific features in a room, such as artwork, plants or architectural details. This type of lighting adds depth and interest to your space.
Think Light Layers
Using a combination of ambient, task and accent lighting creates a well-balanced environment. Layering different types of lighting allows you to adjust the mood and functionality of a room easily. For example, in the family room you might want overhead lights (ambient), side table lamps for reading (task) and track lighting to illuminate wall art (accent).
Lights Have Color Temperatures
The color temperature of your light bulbs can affect the feel of a space. Warm white light (around 2700K) creates a cozy atmosphere, while cool white light (around 4000K) is more energizing and suitable for task-oriented areas. Choose the right temperature based on the room’s purpose.
Dimmer Switches Are Your Friend
Installing dimmer switches allows you to control the brightness of your lights, making it easy to adjust the mood for different activities. You don’t even need a switch. Most homes now feature smart lights so you can adjust lighting with just a command.
Position Lights Strategically
For task lighting, position fixtures to minimize shadows and glare. For example, place desk lamps to the side of your workspace rather than directly in front to avoid screen glare. In kitchens, ensure under-cabinet lights illuminate countertops effectively.
If You Have Natural Light, Use It
Maximize natural light by keeping windows unobstructed and using light, airy window treatments. During the day, rely on sunlight to reduce the need for artificial lighting. This not only saves energy but also creates a more inviting atmosphere.
Select Your Fixtures
Select light fixtures that complement your decor while serving their purpose. For instance, pendant lights can add style over kitchen islands, while sleek desk lamps can enhance a modern office space.
Safety First
Ensure that your lighting design considers safety, especially in areas like staircases and hallways. Use bright, even lighting to prevent accidents and consider motion-sensor lights for added convenience.
Check Out Our Lights
If you want to see lighting done right, visit Balmoral and check out our model homes. These professionally decorated homes demonstrate how your light choices can enhance the beauty of your home. Visit today.