Tomorrow is Another Day. Channelling my inner Scarlett O'Hara.

I really shouldn't post at night, when I'm prone to discouragement. (I have felt down in the dumps lately, not my usual self.) I really wish my days were going as planned. But they are not, and I'm frustrated.

But Monday & Tuesday this week were good days. We did our Gingerpeeps on Monday night. And Tuesday night we watched "It's a Wonderful Life" and assembled the little nativities from Tuesday's post. Well, Isabelle did hers with my help. She loves to do crafts. Mimi was too tired and Max was engrossed in the movie. They all really loved the movie, which surprised me a little, since it is so different from what they usually watch. But they were glued to it the entire time.

Isabelle's nativity, on her nightstand.

On Monday, Jack got out of bed with the cutest little bedhead ever. All morning, I kept walking by his high chair and burying my nose in those ruffled feathers.

Isabelle, home sick, wanted him to play near her while she lay on the couch. She entertained him off and on throughout the day.
He thought it was pretty funny to have his favorite blankie as a cape and walked around like this for almost an hour.

I'm still taking pictures, nearly every day, of Mimi's school hairdos.

Yesterday Jack helped me put away the dishes, piling everything in the silverware drawer. I love this stage; I have vivid memories of Mimi doing this same thing, 5 years ago. Sniffle.


Yesterday Mimi & I went to get new dance shoes; she sneaked & tried these toe shoes on. She was in HEAVEN.

Tonight Jack had a hard time going to sleep. Again. When will it end??? Ever since Thanksgiving, when he got so sick, he's been really hard to get down at night. He went right down at 6pm on Tuesday, lulling me into thinking he was back to his old self. But no. Wednesday night and tonight were terrible. Tonight, after he finally fell asleep, I peeked in on him and found this:
His pillow and all his blankies, tossed out of his crib.

And there he was, with only his favorite blankie. I guess he'd been searching through everything, gotten grouchy and thrown them out one by one until he found the right blanket. I wonder if that is all he wanted, all along?

A closeup of his round, delicious cheeks.

Isabelle made the cutest Baby Jesus & manger in Activity Days yesterday! It's my new favorite Christmas decoration.

And the best Good Mail I've ever gotten was left at my door today.
I really can't believe it. I started to cry when I opened the little envelope. To think that someone would be so generous to my family at this time of year, when everyone is feeling an economic pinch, is beyond belief. It's humbling.

Thank you, whomever you are, little Christmas Elf.
I love you.

A Christ-Centered Christmas, Day 11

Activity: Get cozy on the couch & read Christmas in the Trenches, by John McCutcheon. (This gorgeous book is worth buying and comes with a cd.)
Quote: “My brothers and sisters, let us bind up the wounds-oh, the many wounds that
have been caused by cutting words, by stubbornly cultivated grievances, by
scheming plans to ‘get even’ with those who may have wronged us. We all have
a little of this spirit of revenge in us. Fortunately, we all have the power
to rise above it, if we will ‘clothe [ourselves] with the bond of charity,
as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.’ (D&C
88:125.)” Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Jun 1991, 2

A Christ-Centered Christmas, Day 10-gift to Jesus

Activity: Read "A Gift for Jesus" in The Friend. Have every family member cut out a paper angel. Just as Anna did, in the story, write on the angel something that you can give Jesus. Hang it on the tree to remember what you said you would give, and try your best to do that thing every day.

Scripture: Mosiah 2:17


* Idea from The Friend, FHE Ideas, Dec 2009

A Christ-Centered Christmas, Day 9

My favorite arrangement of "Silent Night."
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, at the First Presidency Christmas Devotional 2008.

Activity: Watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional; you can watch it on video stream HERE.

Scripture:

A Christ-Centered Christmas, Day 8

Activity: One of my all-time favorite crafts, printed last year in The Friend--a darling nativity scene you print, cut, and assemble.

Find it here.

This is a miniature version of a simple cardstock nativity we had in my home growing up. My childhood Christmas memories will forever be associated with it.

Scripture: Luke 2:1-7

Gingerpeeps.

I've had an alternately enjoyable and exhausting week. And it's all a blur. The first week of December is gone and I'm not quite sure how I spent it! I know I was running around a lot, trying to cross items off my list. But I'm looking at the calendar and I'm not sure what I did on which day. Annoying.

I've been trying really hard to finish any shopping for Christmas by the end of the first week of December. (That's two days ago.) And I've had two really sick kids. Exhausting.

My favorite part of Christmas is doing projects with my kids. I like to be finished EARLY with all the running around so I can slow down and enjoy the magic of the month with my kids. Instead, I feel like I am squeezing our Christmas moments between the busywork of daily life. It's been making me tense.

Taking care of sick kids has a way of taking over the daily schedule, leaving me feeling disoriented and wondering where the last two weeks has gone. I think if I would write a little blurb of a post each day, just to document the rhythm of life, I wouldn't feel like my weeks and months evaporate into a blur.

Little Jack (a.k.a. to some in our house as Baby Joe) has had a hard two weeks. He got a cough last month and then an ear infection. The cough turned ugly over Thanksgiving and he ended up with two ear infections--again. I don't think that first infection ever really got better. I'm ready for him to be his happy little self again. Meanwhile, Isabelle caught the bug and has been lethargic on the couch for the last three days. I realized this evening that I've neglected her a bit, being fully consumed with a high-maintenance baby.

I printed the first ten days of my Christ-Centered Christmas posts, put them in little baby-sized Christmas socks, and hung them in a garland across my upstairs mantle. I'll have to post a photo of it--it's really cute. So here are the little advent activities I've done this week with the kids:

Last Thursday, we made paper chains to count the days until Christmas.

Isabelle, writing her letter to Santa.

After making our chains, the kids wrote their letters to Santa.

I spent a lot of time last Saturday decorating the big tree. It's been up since November 1st and I had planned to just leave it undecorated, just enjoy all the twinkly lights. I am a bit overwhelmed by the size of this tree and feel like it would cost too much to decorate.

But I couldn't resist this idea I'd had a few weeks ago: nestle Christmas storybooks into the branches. I had fun doing it as the kids sat on the couch giving suggestions.

Yesterday, Sunday, it was snowy outside and I was in the mood to bake. Mimi wanted to make gingerbread men, which is a laborious process with kids, so we compromised and made a plan to do the cookies Monday for Family Home Evening. We got all the frosting made and colored in advance, on Sunday. When I do time-intensive sugar/gingerbread cookies with the kids, I finally learned to just have the cookies and frosting all done and ready for them to decorate. The kids wrote cards to Nana (day 2 advent), also on Sunday.


Today, Monday, we decorated the gingerbread boys and girls.

I had planned to take the gingerpeeps to a cute elderly lady in our ward (Day 4 advent...we're totally behind. Maybe THAT'S what is making me tense), but the kids decorated each and every one and, ugh--I could not stomach giving cookies away that had been pawed by germy kids. Blech.

Isabelle spent all of Saturday & Sunday on the couch, watching Karate Kid I, II, & III. I had left to cross some shopping off my list and came home to everyone lounging and watching--not Christmas movies--but Karate Kid, of all things. Isabelle insisted on watching all three movies.

She is the only person who can get Baby to sit still and snuggle. Don't they look sick and sad?

I am hoping I will post tomorrow in a more happy, more balanced mood. Not sure what is the problem today. I guess I had planned to kick off December and my Christ-Centered advent activities in a much more organized way. I need a good list-making session. Organizing out everything that has thus far only been jotted and scribbled will do me a world of good.

And maybe if I got to bed before 3am? Hmmm? Brother.

A Christ-Centered Christmas, Day 7

Wasn't Jimmy Stewart handsome?

Activity: Monday is Family Night! For Family Home Evening, watch an uplifting Christmas movie together as a family; "It's a Wonderful Life" is a great one. Or for younger kids, "The Muppets' Christmas Carol" (our very FAVORITE Christmas movie of all time). Both of these movies lead to great conversations about redemption and forgiveness.

Scripture & Quote: "[The Savior] came into the world to be the Lamb of God, to pay the price of all of the sins of His Father’s children in mortality so that all might be forgiven. In the Christmas season we feel a greater desire to remember and ponder the Savior’s words. He warned us that we cannot be forgiven unless we forgive others (see Matthew 6:14–15). That is often hard to do, so you will need to pray for help. This help to forgive will come most often when you are allowed to see that you have given as much or more hurt than you have received.

When you act on that answer to your prayer for strength to forgive, you will feel a burden lifted from your shoulders. Carrying a grudge is a heavy burden. As you forgive, you will feel the joy of being forgiven. At this Christmastime you can give and receive the gift of forgiveness. The feeling of happiness that will come will be a glimpse of what we can feel at home together in the eternal home for which we yearn."

~From "Home for Christmas," by President Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, Dec. 2009, 2–7