december daily #5

for FHE tonight we talked about the symbols of Christmas. I found a great introduction to Jesus and Christmas, …at latter-dayhomeschooling.com

"Pretty soon we might have a special guest visit our house. You never know! I'm going to give some clues that describe this person and you guess who it is." The clues included:

• he sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good.
• he has a beard and a kind face
• he spent his life giving to others
• he's often pictured in red and/or white clothes
• he loves little children
• he gives the very best gifts
• you can never see him, but you can feel him
• he gives us a wonderful, special warm feeling
• he can get into our homes even if the doors are locked
• he has special, wonderful powers
• we want to give gifts back to him, but he doesn't need anything we could buy; he just wants us to give to other people. (My kids have been talking about giving a present to Santa.)
• I ended with, "He encourages us to be good so we will be ready when he comes."

do you know what they guessed? do you know how surprised they were when I told them I was talking about Jesus and showed them this picture?

we talked about how candy canes, wreaths and trees had other meanings, not just decorations for the holiday. it was eye opening for them.

we followed up the lesson with snowman ice cream sundaes.

december daily #12

tonight we watched a dvd about Christ's birth put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After having children of my own I am more in awe of Mary and the thought of holding a little baby, knowing what she knew, and yet just wanting to hold her baby as a mother. i don’t know that I said that right, but it makes me stop and think. as I talked about it with the kids tonight of course i teared up. they got worried because i was having a hard time keeping my voice even.
when were done we attempted a gingerbread nativity. xander and i had a fun time trying to figure out how to make the people. his star was the crowning glory though!

december daily #4

We snuggled up (or tried to with a fidgety 5 year old and an over energetic 8 year old) and read some Christmas books. We have a small shelf full, and never manage to read even half. But we thought we’d give it a good start this year.

december daily #3

i knew today was going to be a busy day, but didn't realize how much the kids would enjoy it!
today was the buford city holiday celebration.
the kids were scheduled to dance at 11:30, so we left the house at 9:45 to give ourselves plenty of time to get there.
we got a great parking spot and walked to the stage. because we were so early we had a bit of a wait, but it was so much better than rushing and getting there late. (will i ever learn?)
the kids performed and were fabulous. were they perfect? no, but they had a great time doing it. Love that dance is teaching them so much confidence.
they decided to perform in the parade down main street too. so we bought a pizza, ate at the car, then walked the whole length of main street to the gathering point for the parade. they complained a little, but showed a little more anxiety and excitement about being in a parade.
we left them at the float/trailer. cassidy sitting inside, xander walking with the older kids. and we left cassidy with a walkie-talkie.
then we headed back to the car. all the while checking in with the kids.
we waited and watched as the small town showed it’s spirit. and then before us were some kids doing flips and cartwheels. it wasn’t until they were even with us that we both realized it was xander doing the flips down main street! he and two other boys had gone in front of the truck pulling the trailer, and we almost missed him. we waved to cassidy as she went by and then set off for the end of the parade route to meet them. when we got there they were all smiles. xander was thrilled to have been doing tricks the whole way. crazy kid….i’m going to need to get him some tumbling classes.
walking through the shops and tents on the way back to the car made me realize i love living in small towns. it is such a thrill to be involved, even in little ways.
later that night we did a little shopping, starting to put together what the kids would want to get for each other and for their aunts and uncles. it is hard to keep them from asking for things for themselves, but again, their excitement grew as they thought about the gift ideas and the thought of putting them under the tree.

december daily #2

the end of the week! friday is here...and we don't have any plans.
we'll hang out at home and gear up for a busy day tomorrow.
i am getting our advent/countdown done. crossing my fingers that i'll have it finished this weekend.
i've been trying to plan an activity - large, small, religious, secular - all family oriented for each night leading up to christmas.
don't want to stress us out, but keep the focus where it should be!

december daily #1

First day of December. Wow! Time flies. Wasn't it just summer?
Well, here is my attempt at keeping up with December, and hopefully the blog.
The first day of December was a Thursday. Our house was already decorated - tree up, stockings hung, snow globes out, garland and red presents up the staircase.
Todd likes to get that done early, right after Thanksgiving!
We had signed up to have the missionaries over for dinner on the 1st. They were great company, and put up with the silly and slightly disrespectful antics of my children.
We listened to Christmas Carols while eating baked potatoes and chili, followed by sugar cookies. We talked about our favorite songs and traditions. The elders encouraged us to let our friend's know we are mormon, pass out mormon.org cards and to find a family or friend to invite to the Ward Christmas party.
It was a great night, a a wonderful way to start off the Christmas season.

attitude of gratitude - a collection thruogh november

i am grateful for....
a clean living room and (almost) kitchen

missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. they give their lives to the service of the Lord for 2 years, they bring such a great spirit into our home when they come for dinner, and they are so patient with and inspiring for my kids! 2 of my brothers served missions, my husband served a mission, 4 of my brothers-in-law have served, my father-in-law and countless friends! thank you to those who have chosen that path, and to all the families that supported them through it!

scrapbooking. i love being creative with paper and scissors. of course i love ribbon and embellishments and buttons and brads and.... but really, it is all about the paper and the pictures!

bodies that we can use to move, exercise and dance. our bodies are designed to do some amazing things, but most of us never use them to their full potential. (as for Insanity...not so sure yet that i am grateful for this exercise program just yet. ask me again in 52 days!)

the fall. the leaves changing colors. it is such a miracle and so amazing each year as i watch the world light up with vibrant colors. and i wish i had my camera with me so i could take pictures of it all around me. and yet, it is so fleeting...which makes it even more special and reminds me that i need to treasure the enjoyment and awe of it while i can, because it might not be there tomorrow.

this year i am loving the red trees in the "Family Church" parking lot on Hwy. 20 the beautiful array of color as i drive down Whitehead towards my house, the bright orange trees in front of Sugar Hill Elementary (but those leaves are falling fast!) and the vibrant yellow tree along the woodline in our backyard.

my mom who came to stay with my kids for three days!

cars and fridges when they work... :(

a house, a home...a warm place away from the cold winds and outside world

cassidy is grateful for....
my habitat. that's my house.

xander is grateful for....
families. because we have someone that can teach us. and we can have examples from.

todd is grateful for....
you (he means me!!!) and xander and cassidy

health. overall, i'm pretty healthy and grateful for it.