Fireworks Day and S'Mores

Tomorrow we celebrate our nation’s birthday. I know this because my Little G has been counting down the days since last month. She is so incredibly excited about the 4th. Not because it is the day we celebrate being free and independent. Or because we honor those that risked their lives long ago so that people could live in a nation where freedom and liberty are so central to its existence.

Roasting the Mallow

Nope, she is excited because we make s'mores and watch the fireworks. Last year was the first year we took her to see fireworks; it was the first year hubby hadn’t had to work that night in a long while. She loved every second and yelled “kaboosh” the entire time.

Fireworks Through Trees

She loves the tradition of the day and the time we spend together as a family. That is why every day for about a month she has reminded me that fireworks day was coming.



So tomorrow in celebration of our nation’s birthday we will make s’mores and watch the fireworks and enjoy the moments we have together as a family.

Resurrection Garden

Last year we made a Resurrection Garden during Holy Week for Easter. This was such a fun activity that everyone of us enjoyed. This year the kids asked if we could do it again. Without hesitation I said yes.

Here is what you need so that you can make your own Resurrection Garden with your kids.

1 wide, flat, clay pot or other suitable dish
1 small pot (or a cup will work if you don't have a pot)
1 roundish rock to fit over the opening of the small pot
little pebbles
6 twigs or short sticks (3 long and 3 short)
hay or straw (optional)
glue gun
dirt or potting soil
grass seed
water (in a spray bottle works best)

We glued the twigs to make 3 crosses and wrapped small pieces of hay around the middles.

We placed some dirt in the bottom of the pot and placed the small pot sideways off to one side for the tomb.

Then we built up the dirt around the pot to make a hill and we sprinkled grass seed all over the hill of dirt.

We put the crosses on top of the hill and then made a path around the base of the hill and into the tomb pot.

Then we placed the rock in front of our tomb.

Our little garden had a prominent place on our dining table. A few times every day we would spray water on the seeded hill. It was so fun to watch as the grass started to grow. Mowing this little patch of grass required using some little scissors.

On the Saturday night before Easter when I was putting out all the Easter goodies, I moved the rock over to the side. When they woke up they saw that the stone was "rolled away" and that made them very excited.

After Easter our garden had a special place on our porch and Little G watered it every day.

This activity was so much fun to do last year. I love this hands on activity that is becoming a tradition in our family. The kids are excited to do this again this year and I am excited to see how God is going to use it to reveal yet more of Himself to the kids and even me.

And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. ~ Mark 16:6 ESV

Groundhog Day

“That's right, woodchuck-chuckers - it's...
GROUNDHOG DAY!” Groundhog Day

Okay so not quite, but Saturday is. I love Groundhog Day. Seriously, it’s one of my most favorite unofficial holidays EVER. Why? Because that means the cold winter is half way over and the warm weather is on its way.

Frost - The only redeeming factor of cold mornings.

We celebrate the day with fun and games and of course watching the movie Groundhog Day. A few years ago we completed a Groundhog lapbook. Every year we make guesses about if the groundhog will see his shadow and we watch the proclamation made by Punxsutawney Phil.

Are we a bit crazy? Maybe but it is totally because winter is seriously my least favorite season. I hate being cold and winter is well by definition, cold.

If the day is nice, we also go out and begin prepping our garden for spring planting and will even start planting some peas and lettuce and other veggies that do well in the early spring.

So Friday we are doing fun groundhog themed school activities and then Saturday we’ll be enjoying the day that marks the midpoint of winter.

I am so excited for warmer days and getting to enjoy the outdoors digging in the dirt in the garden.

The Greatest Gift

I love watching my kids this time of year. They love Christmas time and all that the month of December entails. They love the family time, the traditions, the songs, the movies, the presents...

Oh yes, the presents. This year they bought each other so many gifts that under the tree was overflowing with presents. It was so strange knowing that the majority of gifts were not from me but that the kids spent their hard earned money on each other.

Christmas Morning

Each gift was carefully thought about and then lovingly wrapped. The excitement on their faces as they watched the recipient open their gift was more fun than anything. Seeing them more excited about giving gifts than receiving gifts makes this mommy heart so happy.

 
In our house there was much more anticipation from the giver than the recipient. I wonder if that is how it is like with our Heavenly Father. We are given the greatest gift of all. He came in the most humble and most vulnerable way. As a little baby who was born to parents who had very little means. There wasn’t a guest room for them so they stayed where the animals were kept. Yet shepherds came to see this glorious baby and worshiped Him. The magi came from miles away on a long journey to see this baby who was to be King. Not the king they were expecting, but the King of Kings. Our Savior is our greatest gift ever. The One who gave Him, I am sure is more excited about us receiving the greatest gift ever, than we could ever be about getting Him. I hope that train wreck of a sentence made even the slightest sense. What I am stumbling my words to get at is this. The Creator of the Universe the very one who spoke everything into existence at the beginning of time has given us this incredible gift, one that He planned out and prepared the world for. He set the stars and planets in the sky on their clock work of movement so that on just the perfect day the star would appear for all to see. It’s like when you go from store to store and search everywhere agonizing over that perfect gift for someone. God did that with Jesus. Then He gave the greatest gift to us, not wrapped in pretty paper with a beautiful ribbon but wrapped in a simple blanket. This gift though is such a great gift that angels sang about it in the sky. And stars shined more brilliantly.

Have you received this gift yet? This gift that was given to us 2000 years ago (give or take).

Christmas Tradtions

I’ve been thinking a lot about our family traditions this week. There are things we do every year during Christmas time. One thing we always do, is drive around to look at all the fun light displays while sipping hot cocoa. This year as we were driving around Little G was excited, you could hear her oohing and aahing at the displays and even at one point she exclaimed one as being “spectacu’ar”. I love it when my little one uses big words like that.

We also always decorate cookies and bake as many yummy treats we can fit into the month. Then whatever we can’t fit in we just bake in January. We love baking, in our house it’s not Christmas without a powdered sugar mess in the kitchen. This year we have baked but not yet decorated. We are hoping to change that this weekend.

Making Nativity scenes and other crafts all month makes this month so much fun and very glittery. But what’s a little glitter during Christmas?

Something I think of doing every year is sending Christmas cards with a family photo. It seems to be a tradition that is declining and I have never even succeeded in sending them out once in all my adult years. One year I actually bought some but then never took them out of the box. (Way to follow through, right?) I love getting cards from friends and family, each year and sadly I have never returned the favor. I have really decided that next year will be different. But then again I decided that last year too. So who knows maybe next year I will actually send them out. It’s the thought that counts, right?

Christmas Card Pic 2012

I'm linking up with Kent Weakly for Project 52 Photography Challenge.

Light of the World

This past week in the midst of Christmas shopping, decorating, and memory making. We spent our time also learning about Hanukkah. Jesus celebrated Hanukkah (also known as the Festival of Lights) so why shouldn’t we celebrate it? 

 

I have been thinking about the miracle of the oil all week. The Temple had been defiled in a horrible way. Antiochus claimed he was god and slaughtered a pig on the alter in the Holy of Holies. While they were cleansing the Temple they discovered that all the oil containers of the purified oil were smashed but one. It was important that the Temple be cleansed and rededicated. The Temple was the dwelling place of God. The Holy of Holies where God’s presence rested was in that building. With just enough oil left for the lamps to burn one day, they lit the lamps knowing that there wasn’t enough. It was important to light the lamp anyway; it was commanded that the lamp be continually lit. The lamp stayed lit for 8 days, this is how long it took for them to make more oil. It is like God making the gas in the car last until the next gas station even though you only had enough gas for one more mile and nearest station was 8 miles away. 

God was honoring the hearts of His people. The temple had been defiled before, by their own kings even. So rededicating the Temple after it was so horribly defiled was not just a physical act but a spiritual act also. Our very body is God’s dwelling place. I see Hanukkah not only about celebrating the miracle of the oil and how God is faithful to provide, but also about the very act of cleansing our lives. Giving Him free reign in my life so His light can be continually lit in me. So as I seek to gain knowledge and understanding about something that happened more than 2000 years ago and how it applies to my life today. I am at awe by the significance of the whole celebration.

Christmas Treasure Hunt

Wednesday night we took our junior high group downtown to give burritos to the homeless and the hungry. It was a chilly night and was raining right before we left but stopped as we headed out. The excitement of all the students was really overwhelming. It isn’t the first time we have gone downtown on a treasure hunt to bless anyone we found. Showing God’s love by meeting a simple need with no strings attached is the best way to show the gospel. Not everyone responds the same. Some actually won’t take something from you or give you a nasty look. But the ones who receive, those are the ones who you touch in a very real way. 

Before we left the church, we spent some time praying and asking God to lead us to those who needed some burrito lovin’. As we were praying students got words or pictures in their minds. One student got a lion and another got a monk. We went by a bookstore with lion in the name and there was a guy there taking shelter under the awning next to the store. So we gave him a burrito and wished him a Merry Christmas. He was very thankful and wished us a Merry Christmas as well. Then we walked toward a place in town that has monk in the name. Just past the business is a bike rack area and there was a girl sitting there. Her face lit up in shock that she would be offered anything like that. A gift with no strings attached. She took the burrito so gratefully as we said Merry Christmas. These could be coincidences or these could be more. I think these are more. We asked God to show us where to go to spread His love and He did. There were people right in the areas that we went. And honestly the bookstore was across from the direction we were originally heading and the business was several blocks down and not where the homeless would be hanging since the place was still open.

It was an amazing night. Feeding those who were hungry and praying for those who wanted prayer. Talking to those who wanted to talk and singing Christmas carols in front of a Jack in the Box with a group of homeless people. While we are celebrating the greatest gift this month, I challenge you to love someone with no strings attached who you would not normally even give a second thought to. You don’t have to do something like what we did. Just be aware of those around you and ask God to show you someone who you can show love to.

Love with no strings attached, that is Jesus; that is the gospel.

Making Christmas Memories

On Sunday we spent the afternoon searching for the perfect tree. We have had such bad luck with our trees over the years that there has been some serious contemplation about just getting a fake tree, but then the beauty and the smell wins out and we get a real one. One year the tree actually lost almost all its needles and was totally crunchy a week after we bought it. That year we bought a second tree. Then the next year the tree fell, twice. We actually tied a piece of rope around it and anchored it to wall. And pretty much every year after that, the tree has fallen. Even last year the tree leaned so much every night I was sure it was going to fall until one day it did.

This year we bought a new stand (probably should have done that in the first place) and made sure that the tree was not side heavy. We actually went to 3 different locations looking for one that fit in our budget and passed the Little G standard. She “scrutinized” every tree we looked at.

















I let the kids pretty much do all the decorating this year while we watched Elf (one of the funniest Christmas movies of all time) and I attempted to take some great pictures. (You know like the ones you see on Christmas cards and ads.)However the kids were moving so fast most of the pictures turned out not great at all. But we all had a lot of fun putting on our favorite ornaments. When it was all done, I let Little G take one of me while putting on the angel.

Isn’t she so adorable? I totally love her.

 
Every year, we have these lofty ideas that the fun Christmas activities planned are going to look like a Norman Rockwell painting. Full of love, joy, peace and good cheer. No bad attitudes or melt downs. But the reality is that life is messy and full of unexpected melt downs and attitudes. But in the end the memories that are made are not those from a Dickens novel but instead those of the real story of life.

How we respond to the tree falling and the unexpected melt down of a little one is key to making those magical memories.

If we respond to the non-magical moments with love, joy, peace and grace; the memories will still be magical. If we respond with frustration or even anger then the memories won’t be worth the effort. And really today I can laugh that for the past 8 years, our tree has fallen over at some point. (Except the 3 years we had a 3 foot fake one because of moving and life.)

I am hoping that this year, all of Little G's scrutinizing (and a new stand) means that the tree will not topple over.

Christmas Planning 2012

Thanksgiving week is upon us already and that means I am seriously planning for Christmas. Each year, we spend the month of December studying all things Christmas. I make it a point to make sure that Jesus stays the center of everything we do while having all the fun we can have. We take a break from doing "normal school" and focus our attention on the eternal while throwing in some math and reading along the way. By this time in our school year the kids are ready for a break from the norm and I am ready to give them what they need. We spend the entire month doing crafts, baking, watching movies, snuggling with good books and making sure we rest.

I have been scouring cyberspace checking out all the fun ideas for nativity scenes, lapbooks, games, and of course Advent. Every year I do a post that links up to the great ideas that I find. Below are the links that I have found this year. Some links are from posts past but many of them are new. I have just covered the very tip of the iceberg of Christmas ideas here, but hopefully it gives you a good start. This is such a long post, I have broken it into several smaller sections to make is easier.

 Lapbooks & Unit Studies

Every year, we do a lapbook and or a unit study for Christmas. It is the perfect way to get our school in and do fun things at the same time. The kids love them and I always enjoy doing them with the kids.

Christ is Born Lapbook – This is a quick little lapbook that is perfect for 2-4 year olds. The pieces go in a little pocket so the kids can act out the story over and over again.

Twelve Days of Christmas - We had a lot of fun putting this lapbook together a few years back. While there is no real evidence that the twelve days of Christmas has anything to do with the Bible it was a great way to help the kids remember some basic info like the books of the Bible, Fruit of the Spirit, Apostles and more.

The Legend of the Candy Cane - We really enjoyed completing this lapbook last year. Studying candy for Christmas and yet keeping Christ as the center is a win, win.

The Nativity Lapbook – This lapbook is great for elementary ages. It covers the whole Nativity and includes some parts from the movie if you want to use them. I used elements from this lapbook a few years back when we did an all-inclusive CHRISTmas lapbook. 

Names of Jesus Unit Study – A unit study of the names of Jesus. I really like this idea. 

History of Christmas Carols – This is a unit study about the history of several Christmas carols and hymns. It looks fascinating and something those who enjoy music and studies like that (that would be me) would have fun doing. 

Jesse Tree Devotional - Ann Voskamp has this free Jesse Tree devotional on her site for this year. I have never done Jesse Tree with the kids but this really looks amazing. I have been thinking about doing Jesse Tree for a few years now but just haven’t gotten to it. 

 

Advent

Growing up I didn’t do Advent. I didn’t even know what Advent was until I was an adult. We have been celebrating Advent in some form for the past few years. Last year we lit candles for the first time. This year, we plan on doing it again. Lighting a candle is a way of being intentional in how you celebrate Christmas. And since we want Christmas to be much more than presents and stockings we have over the years made a point to read the Bible and talk about how Christ came and why Christ came and focus our hearts on the Savior.  I have found that Advent has been a great tool in helping us keep Christ in the center of Christmas which is what I want. Advent starts on December 2nd this year.

Inductive Advent Bible Study - We did this Bible Study last year and it was so awesome. All of the kids enjoyed some component of this study and all of us got something out of it. If you have older kids I highly recommend this study. There are some elements for the younger kids also so the whole family can do this study. It has been updated for this year. I am thinking about doing it again. I know that we will get something new out of it each time.

Advent Treasure Hunt - This idea looks like fun. Every day the kids have to find the day's activity that is hidden somewhere inside or outside the house. Just the idea of hiding our daily verse and activities gets me excited about doing this.

St Margaret Mary Advent Calendar – I don’t normally link to something I am not able to fully check out first but I am totally intrigued and curious about what will be under each day. It says no peeking so I guess we will just have to wait until it’s time.

Advent Story Printable Book – I have printed this out for all of my kids to do at some point. I really like it. While you are on that site, explore, she has several Christmas activities and teaching ideas oh, and color pages. 

Felt Advent Calendar - This is a tutorial on how to make your own felt advent calendar. There are a lot of steps but it is so totally cute. If I had time I would make this, maybe next year. Seriously this is so cute.

Advent Activities – This is perfect for the little ones. There are so many great little activities to do and they focus on Christ.

 

 

Nativity Scenes

Tradition in our house is to make a Nativity Scene for Christmas. In years past we have all made some part of it and then we put the whole thing together. Often it is like a giant mural on a wall.  Two different years, we actually left the scene up on the wall until Easter, partly because I just never took it down and partly because the kids were just so proud of it. Last year we did something totally different, each of the kids made their own Nativity scene. I found so many different printable and DIY Nativity Scenes we were not able to do them all last year. We haven’t decided what we will do this year.

Nativity Scene Board - I have used these for bulletin board figures, or you can even put them together in a manila file folder and use them like you would a folder game. (Top right picture below.)

Nativity Scene with Toilet Paper Rolls - This one was made by Miss K last year she really enjoyed it and it turned out so cute. (Bottom right picture below.)

Make Your Own Nativity Scene - Little Man made this one last year. It's small and compact, perfect if you don't have a lot of room to display it. (Bottom left picture below.)

Nativity Scene Display – Miss H made this one last year. The figures are cone shaped, the animals we had to brace a bit to keep them standing but it still turned out adorable. (Top left picture below.)

Paper Doll Nativity Scene - This one is cute and gives you the instructions to make a diorama like Nativity Scene. 

Birth of Jesus Nativity - This one has two versions, one with and one without the Wise Men. 

Nativity Craft - This is really cute with little terracotta pots. Perfect for those who want to do more than just cut, color and paste.

Paper Nativity – This one looks sweet and pretty simple.

Spool Doll Nativity – Oh my goodness is this cute. It is perfect for an older kid who has moved beyond just coloring some paper.

Nativity Scene from a 2x4 – Okay so this one is for an older for sure. I know that a younger could totally help with making it. I love this. It can be played with over and over and is so incredibly cute.

Nativity Scenes 2011

 

Games & Activities

What is the Christmas Season without games and activities? It’s part of what makes the month of December so fun. Here are some resources for you.

Christmas Bible Printables - This site has puzzles, mini books, verse cards and so much more. If you want simple activities for a 3-6 year old that are Christ centered this is where you go. 

Christmas Folder Games - There are so many Christmas themed folder games on this site. We love playing folder games and what a better way to keep the learning going but by a folder game that is in the shape of a candy cane or Christmas tree?

Nativity Pre K Pack – This is a free packet full of things for your preschooler. Patterns, matching, cutting practice, and prewriting practice.

Nativity Pack – Here is another Nativity pack for 3-5 year olds. This one is also totally adorable.

Advent Activities – She has such great ideas all year round.

Nativity Dominoes – These are so adorable.

Nativity Finger Puppets – These would be fun for a little one.

My hope and prayer is that this post inspires you to do some intentional parenting during the hectic Christmas season that is upon us and remember to focus on the eternal. What do you do to keep Jesus the center of Christmas? Let me know in the comments, I am always looking for new ideas.

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Packing Shoeboxes

Do you know about Operation Christmas child? They give shoeboxes to children around the world who basically have nothing. In those shoeboxes are simple items that we take for granted like toothbrushes and soap. They also have school supplies and toys or other fun things. Whatever someone feels led to put into the shoebox. These are items that we take for granted but to these children they are needed treasures. I love that meeting this simple need opens the door for such a greater impact in a child's life. They get an eternal treasure also, the love of Jesus. And that is the greatest gift anyone can receive.

The junior high group packed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child a few weeks ago and I dropped them off at our collection site yesterday.  I am so amazed at how many boxes our tiny group was able to fill. I challenged them to bring in items all throughout the month of October for the boxes and then we put everything together to fill as many boxes as we could. I was really thinking we would be able to fill somewhere around five boxes and I was so amazed and blessed that we had enough items to fill 18 boxes!

That is 18 young people whose lives will be touched by receiving a little box filled with simple items like pencils, pens, toothbrushes and a pair of socks plus fun things like stuffed animals, yo-yos, puzzles, and so much more. (It is crazy how much is able to fit in a shoebox.) We actually put an umbrella and a rain poncho in each of ours also. We used the little plastic shoebox sized containers because those can be really useful to whomever receives them. I registered the boxes online so that we could track where they would end up and we know that they will bless a child in another part of the world. It is such an easy way to be able to touch the life of someone you would never be able to have any impact on otherwise.

There is still time if you want to impact a child’s life through a shoebox. Just go to the Operation Christmas Child  to find all the details. Collections for this year go through the 19th of November. But then there will always be next year if you miss the deadline.

We will be praying for the children that are going to receive those boxes and for their families. I cannot wait to see where our boxes will end up. I know that God will use each box in a mighty way.

P52 Challenge: Shadows

This week’s P52 Photography Challenge theme is, “Shadows”. At first I was going to go the obvious route and take a picture of a shadow but then I had a spark of imagination.

We love Groundhog Day around here. Every year, on the 1st, we make our prediction on whether or not Phil will see his shadow. In the morning we find out if Phil saw his shadow and look outside to see if we see our shadow. We read a groundhog book from the library or do some kind of school work related to groundhogs, or winter. One year we studied groundhogs and did a groundhog lapbook. We always watch the movie, Groundhog Day. Most importantly,  we always have some yummy dessert. This year I made a flourless chocolate cake with a groundhog checking for his shadow poking up from the top. I sprinkled the top with powdered sugar so it looked like snow except for a spot where I put a cutout. When I lifted the cutout, it made his “shadow”.

The kids thought it was genius and asked if I had superpowers. Not really, they thought it was cool and asked if I could make it again for Valentine's Day only decorate it with hearts instead. I told them sure, no problem.

This post is linked to P52 Photography Challenge with Darcy.

The Leaning Tree

I am in the early stages of putting away the Christmas decorations. It is such a bittersweet moment for me. All of the memories made, and fun that was had is now over and a new beginning is here. I find myself lingering every year, just wanting to keep everything out just a bit longer, but alas I know it cannot be. I must lovingly wrap up each item and store it away for 11 months until next Christmas season.

This year’s memories include all of the kids making their own Nativity Scene to put up in the house. We had one by the tree, one on the chest in the living room, one on the dining room wall and one in the media/play room. I love that pretty much anywhere you were you would see a reminder of why we as a family celebrate the season.

Our tree this year did not fall over as it did last year. For this I am so thankful. However it is leaning about 12 precarious degrees forward. It started out straight when we put it up. But every day it seemed to tilt just a little bit more than the day before. As I have been nervously watching the tree God keeps reminding me how easy it is for us to tilt in our walk with God, losing our focus on what is important. Just like it is so easy to lose focus during the craziness of the Christmas season.





I have been reflecting back on all the festivities of this past Christmas season examining how well we kept our focus on the Lord and all that is important in the midst of all of the fun activities and presents. For us, we have several gift-giving sessions with all of the family. When you have a large family, getting everyone together is almost a miracle in itself. In the middle of the packages and ribbons and bows with all of the oohing and aahing, did the focus tilt? That is where I am right now.

Every year, I want the focus to be on Christ. Why He came, and what He did and how important that is. I think we did really well not losing focus and I am praying that next year will be even better.

Christmas Decorating

Christmas decorating has taken longer than usual this year to the point that there are a few things I still have to put out this week. Normally I pull out the decorations and deck the house out the week after Thanksgiving, but this year it has taken a bit longer than usual. That’s okay though; the kids have been having lots of fun helping me get everything looking all Christmassy. I love pulling out the decorations each year and finding those forgotten treasures. It is kind of like meeting up with long lost friends.

The first thing out every year is Jingle. He is our little Christmas bear. He hides around the house waiting for the kids to find him. The kids love this bear.












We started the tradition a long time ago and it is one of the things the kids look forward to. Every year it gets harder and harder to find spots that the kids won’t find him right away which makes a fun challenge for mommy too.

I love this snowman. Isn’t he so cute? I won him at a Christmas party several years ago and he quickly became one of my favorite decorations to pull out every year. I actually even put him away last since he is a snowman and snowmen fit in very well with the winter season not just Christmas.








Christmas is the one time during the year that I have candy everywhere in the house. There are so many yummy treats to eat during the holidays. One of my favorite is spice gum drops. When I turned three, my mom made me a snowman birthday cake decorated with gum drops. I remember that cake and now gum drops are something that make me smile.

There are still a few finishing touches here and there and the kids are each making a nativity scene for display. We have lots of crafts and baking to do, presents to make and wrap. And our Advent activities to help us keep our perspective and focus on Jesus, the reason we celebrate at all. It is always fun to spend the last month of the year celebrating all that God has done and all that God will do in the coming year.



Linking up with My 3 Boybarians for the Holiday Bokeh Party Click on over and check out all the photo fun.