The Ornament

Receiver came home yesterday with a really sweet ornament. Her teacher took a glass ball, painted her little hand white then made a hand print on the ball with the palm of her hand on the bottom of the ornament and the fingers going up the sides of the ornament. Then put hats and noses on all the fingers to make them look like snowmen. Then she printed out this little poem about little hands and it was soooooooo cute.



When I was putting it on the tree the string broke. It was one of those things that feels like it's happening in slow motion. (We decided to put it up high because Mascot is now crawling and I didn't want her to get to it, knock it down and break it. HaHaHa.) So the string breaks and I can see it bouncing from branch to branch all the way down the tree, but I just can't get to it fast enough and it shattered all over the floor. We both started to cry. It was really sad.



So I got a box of clear glass balls from the store and we made another one. I finished the hats and noses this morning and was going to hang it on the tree and the string got caught on my finger and yep, you guessed it...AGAIN. My husband was sitting at the computer when this happened and all I could see was his shoulders shaking because he was laughing so hard.



Poor Receiver! I don't know what else to say. So when we get home from school today we will try again. I WILL get this right. We WILL have a hand print snowmen ornament from Receiver hanging on our tree this year. WE WILL, WE WILL, WE WILL!!!!!!



I may even attempt making one for my mom. It works out great because she had 5 fingers and we have 5 kids. Grammys love that sort of thing.

The real meaning of Christmas

I read a post recently about whether or not to tell kids about Santa. It got me thinking.....always dangerous. We talk about Santa and the kids pretend about Santa but if you ask any of my kids "Who is Santa?" They will say Mom and Dad. We decided a long time ago to explain Santa to the kids right from the start. I think this issue, like many issues, should be left up to the parents. Realizing that every family is different and thanking God that we only have to answer for our family, which lets face it, is daunting and freeing at the same time. I do not judge. This is just what we have chosen. (Alright, now that I am done with that huge disclaimer.) We felt if we tell them that Santa is real and the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny are real and then have to go back and say....no they are not really real..... It could set them up for questioning our faith in Christ, who is very real indeed. So now the question is what about the kids who do believe in Santa? What do we tell our kids to say to them? Well this can get tricky because we don't want them to lie, but we don't want to get the phone call from an angry parent that one of our kids has 'spilled the beans' about Santa. So we explain to them that some kids really do believe in Santa and that is OK. They can talk about him but if asked out right if he is real...they are to change the subject or just say "I can't answer that". So far it has worked. That is really all we can do.



This is one area of public school where I find myself disappointed. From Thanksgiving Day to Christmas break, all they talk about is Santa. All activities revolve around him. Honestly, I don't know why that is disappointing to me, what else would they talk about, but I do seem to struggle to find a balance at home. They love the gifts and the fun side of Christmas, but I want them to understand just how important it is. But then I too struggle with getting lost in the "festive" side of the season. I get excited about the gifts we get them. I get excited about spending time with family and eating food we only eat during Christmas. I love all the Christmas movies and old TV shows that only come on this time of year. So how can I expect their little minds to really focus if I can't. Much of it is just a part of the sanctification process, I know. And honestly, I want to celebrate Christmas every day of the year. I cannot wrap my mind around the amazingness of God's gift to us. I think this is more unimaginable if you're a parent. The thought of loosing a child is horrifying, but GIVING a son knowing His end is death. I can't... my mind doesn't even go there. So how can I make it a real part of our celebration? So why should we not celebrate all year long. And I have been known to listen to Christmas music throughout the year. It makes me think that we should celebrate the birth of Christ every day. And the Christmas holiday is more for the "worldly" traditions. I know you can tie the worldly side to the spiritual side. But I don't know just how to do that yet. This has just been heavy on my heart this year and I haven't sorted all of it out in my mind. Hopefully I will find some more things to help my kids make that connection. I already have some ideas.



Well, this turned into much longer a post that I intended. But my mind has just been full.



I will be glad to see Friday and have the kids off and home for 2 weeks. I hope we can stay healthy. And I thank God that my head is jumbled with concerns about how to make Him more real to my kids.



Deut. 6:4-9

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.