Holiday Traditions

Christmas, time when traditions come out to warm your spirit and remind you of Christmas past.  Is that really what is happening for you this holiday season?  Are you keeping up the traditions because you enjoy them and have made them your own or out of obligation and a sense of duty?  Have you grabbed onto your freedom to do whatever brings you joy and meaning during Christmas?  Keep your focus on Christ, the reason for the season, and then fill in the blanks after that.  If giving presents to others is a way that you show love and enjoy the holiday?  Then do it.  Making presents for others such as baking and crafting bring you joy?  Then do it.  Keeping it simple the only way to keep your sanity?  Then do it.  Don't be afraid to make your own traditions and do what is right for your own family and self.  1 Corinthians 14:33 talks about a God of peace not confusion - it is specifically talking about a church service but such advice can apply to every day life also.  Allow things in this season that promote peace and prompt order (1 Cor. 14:40).  At times that may seem like you need to get ride of your children but all things are a work in progress. :)
Slowly as my extended family has grown the gift giving has changed.  We now either draw names and only have one gift to give or this year we did a homemade gift exchange.  Both are very fun options and allow for minimal shopping with still the enjoyment of giving a gift and receiving something.  An Advent Calender has been fun to count down to Christmas day and build a manager scene.  Holiday books and Christmas decorations are around to promote the season as we try and keep the focus on Jesus coming down to save us.  Find what works for you and remember Christ this Christmas.
Merry Christmas and may the peace of the season find you this year.

Out of Sight - Out of Mind

I love bracelets and have been building a collection for many years.  The last two Mother's Days I have asked for a bracelet and any time I find one on sale, well I find it hard to resist purchasing.  Needless to say, I have quite a few wrist adornments and my recent quest has been finding the most ideal way to displaying/store them.  A friend looked on Pinterest and saw that many people used paper towel holders and slide the bracelets on them.  In going to a new home goods store in the area I found a paper towel holder that I liked and got it.  There were two display areas which was a feature that I found useful for the different size bracelets that I own.  (note picture)

So I have found that now with my bracelets out in the open instead of stashed away that I wear a bracelet almost every day.  What items of jewelry or clothing are you not displaying in a way that lends to effective wearing?  I think of my scarves that are kept in a box in the top of my closet and my earrings that are packed on top of each other in a jewelry box.  That can be my next organizing project along with my spice cabinet.  If such projects overwhelm you then I have a friend that is a professional organizer that is really fun to work with and has great ideas - check out her website Energy To Organize, linked below and happy organizing.
 http://www.energytoorganize.com/

What's Your Favorite Part?

To push the idea of giving thanks a bit early, one night at dinner I started a round of 'what are you thankful for'.  My son jumped into this game type dinner activity and we did quite a few rounds of thanksgiving.  Typical of a first born, my son soon took over as the leader asking me and my husband 'what's your favorite part?'  This came from one of the things that I was thankful for "all the things that God created", or was that one of the things that my son said he was thankful for?  Don't remember quite who said what but the term stuck and now when the kid wants to know what your thankful for he asked 'what's your favorite part?'  The thankfulness that was expressed at the dinner table that night was very touching.
So on our way home from our thanksgiving meal with family the game is started again, prompted by my son.  "Mom, what is your favorite part?"  I rattle of a list that I had composed earlier in the day and then the game took the rounds through the car.  Many family members were mentioned along with a list of my sons best pals, Rockford, Rocco, David and Elana...  Asking our kids what they are thankful for is a small window into their mind and gives a glimpse of what consumes their thoughts.  It was nice to see that my son enjoys his friends and family and the fact that God saved him.  One of the funnest things that come out of this game was the following statement from my son.  This comes from a background of my sister who is the fun Aunt of the family always giving my son a hard time because he is growing up, she is constantly telling him that he is not allowed to get any older.  So my son jumps out of the car, as we get home he says that he is not thankful for his Aunt because "she is always telling me to not grow up and it is just ridiculous."
Included in this post are some pictures from my sons' preschool Thanksgiving hunt.

 Hope your Thanksgiving holiday was full of family, giving thanks, good food and fun.

ThanksGiving Run

Thanksgiving is coming and in order to enjoy the yummy food I thought it would be good to get a jump on the exercising to counter act my indulgences.  I have recently been running with my sister on the weekends but braved it alone today and to get more inspired I thought I would bring my camera.  Now you can enjoy my run as well through my documentation - though not the benefits, you will have to get off the couch to get that.

My running partner for the day - looking to see if we are ready to go or asking for more cheerios hard to tell which.  Notice the pink shoes she has on.

View from the mile and one half marker.

She was checking to see if I was still there and I think asking where her big brother was - she does not have as much fun when she is in the stroller alone.

Pretty flowers that I found at the two mile turn around point. Yeah half way done!

As we got towards the end of the run she was getting a bit bored and started playing with her feet and lounging around a bit.

We left are mark on the trail today.  Guess we will have to hit the kids resale store again to find some little shoes.

Hope you had fun following my run today.  Keep up the exercise through this holiday season so that no unwanted pounds sneak on.  Find something that energizes you, gets your heart rate up and also get outside to basked in the great San Diego weather. 

Must Do's

My plan for the week - grocery shopping, a couple days of jogging, clean my apartment, laundry and the list goes on.  What my week has looked like so far?  Battling a cold, connecting with a friend, playing games with my kids, laundry (this is a hard to exclude from the 'must do' list for long), and putting together meals with the food already in the cupboards. 
How often does this happen to you?  You start out the week with lofty goals of all that you will accomplish, how organized you will be with your time management to allow you to fit in all of the 'must do's'.   Then life gets you.  When that occurs what is your reaction, anger, bad attitude, guilt or feelings of inadequacies’?  Let's step back and see what is really important and what God has called you too.
I don't believe that the Bible states anywhere how clean your house needs to be?  Yes, you should wisely take care of what you have been given but spotlessness is not next to godliness.  Physical fitness is important for staying healthy and having energy to tackle all that God has given you but don't let that take idol form in your life, think of ways to include your kids so that it is an easy pattern and habit to maintain.  Laundry is biblical to do, just kidding, it is a hard one to avoid without the dirty clothes soon taking over your house leaving your children to run around in pajamas, then just underwear and soon nothing... so be better at it then I and don't wait until 6 loads are overwhelming you.

 

Relationships are what matter, the one you have with God, your spouse, your children and others.  Make time for such connections to happen, enjoy them without a sense of guilt for the time you are taking away from your list and then see how God allows for all of the other 'must dos' to magically get done.  (My son is currently in a phase where everything God does is magic). 

Mission Impossible

I have been placed in Lakeside.  It was not my first choice but the community has grown  on me.  Lindo Lake is a nice jog away and has a library and great playgrounds available for enjoyment.  A variety of grocery stores and great Italian food are minutes away. 
God has been calling me to reach out the people that are around me, Lakeside.  The families in my apartment complex, the people that I come into contact when I am out.  With some prayer and a bit of planning I am re-purposing an activity that was already part of my weekly calender.  Since we live in an apartment getting outside means finding a local park to romp around in.  In thinking about how I can interact and shine a light for Christ in my community I thought about all the kids and parents that are at the park every time we go.  How can I interact with them?  I am not a 'walk up to someone, say Hi and start talking' kind of person.  I needed a plan, a way to get people to come to me.  Bubbles!!
                                         
What attracts kids more then bubbles floating their way.  A kids runs by and we invite them to blow bubbles with us.  Their parent wonders where the kid has gone to and soon finds them at our table at the park blowing bubbles.  Conversations start, interactions happen.  I find that I can encourage fellow Moms, talk to them about their kids and about life.  God is in this because I am remembering the Moms names and praying for them.  I am not adding an extra task or event to my week just using what I already do to reach out to those around me, develop relationships and shine a light for Christ.
Today was the second time that I did this with my kids and today we added coloring.  So easy.  Just construction paper and some crayons and kids flocked to us with their Moms not too far behind.
I thank God for this opportunity and look forward to how He is going to work.  I encourage you Moms to look at your week and see how God can work through what you are already doing to better interact with the people around you. 

Potty Break

I am a stay at home Mom with two kids under the age of 3.  Not much of an accomplishment I know, to those of you that have juggled 5 children under the age of 5 or some other crazy high to low ratio.  Well, for me, it is not so much the daunting task list that can pile up or the laundry that is over flowing, it is the conversations that I have daily.  If my husband works late and me and the kids have been home all day, I find that I have not had an adult conversation or interaction all day.  At those times I find myself being consumed or overwhelmed with the same things that cause a break down or all out tantrum in my child.  Having to share my lunch, or make lunch for my son before I can make mine, not getting the quiet time that I need, being interrupted while I am going to the bathroom.  It is so easy to get caught up in the petty things when I have not made it out into the "whole wide world", as my son would say.  Ones perspective gets warped when all you have is kids problems hounding you all day.  Just stepping outside the front door is enough to clear your head and when you start interacting with others or serving someone your view shifts more.  It allows you to get outside of yourself and see the world for what it is and all that is going on in it.

However, we all have days when things at home need to get done and the list is long, I am so thankful on those days that I have a God that sees the "whole wide world" and yet still has time to correct me in my pettiness and impatience with my children.  A God who cares about the little things that are going on in my life, "the sparrow that fell", and carries me through to the other side, allowing me to see the bigger picture of life and my issues through His eyes. 

On a another level when I find that I need more adult interaction or stimulation I have found a great online, free resource with no pressure but allows for academic reading, lecturing and even a test if you choice to challenge your retention abilities (which I have found as a Mom are sorely lacking, maybe it is because I have not gotten a full nights sleep in over 3 years??).   It is Hillsdale College Online Course. Currently they are in the middle of Constitution 201 about Progressivism which has been very interesting and informative.  The next one coming up is History 101.  This school comes at issues and topics from a conservitive perspective and I have found the lectures and reading material to be informative, making me think, opening my eyes to how our country has gotten to it's current standing.  I encourage all to check it out as you have no timeline in which you have to complete any of the course material as each week is posted online and then is available whenever you have time to view it.  And it is FREE, what could be better?

Happy Halloween

Halloween!!!  How did you spend yours?  Traipsing through the neighborhood begging candy off your neighbors, going to a local carnival or staying at home to see all the fun costumes that come knocking on your door?  The last couple of years my family has chosen to go to a carnival hosted by a local church enjoying the free fun and candy along with fellowship.  This year I got inspired.  I often get my inspiration from others (isn't that the case with most of us) and today it was from a missionary over seas.  She commented about her and her husbands previous Halloween tradition of passing out tracks and homemade cotton candy to the local neighborhood kids.  It got me thinking...why am I not choosing to interact with my neighbors as they voluntarily come to my front door?  I can put a smile on my face, let them know I care and maybe bring them one step closer to Christ. 

We have access to a popcorn maker and with some quick planning and shopping, popcorn kernels were bought a table set up and as the sun went down we hit the sidewalk shouting to all who passed by - "Hot, fresh popcorn!".  It was a family affair with my hubby making the popcorn (he had previous experience with the machine), me feeding our 8 month old and my 3 year old son hocking the wares.  I think he cute little voice yelling across the street "hot, fresh popcorn", was the reason most people stopped by. 
God is has been nudging at me to get out into my culture and make a difference.  Next year I am hoping to think ahead a bit more and have items other then just popcorn to hand out but it was a good start. 

Come one, come all.  Was recently reading an acquaintances blog and was re-inspired to go back to mine and be creative.  My fellow blogger had desired to meet other women that had the same interests and values and as I read more about how she started and what her blog had become I found that I had similar desires.  - Pardon me while I step away to figure out why my toddler has ink on her hands and around her mouth - So I am looking for anyone who wants to read what I have to say about books (political, non-fiction and other stimulating books), running and exercising, adventures of being a Mom (currently I am sitting at my computer with a St. Patrick's Day head band on that my three year old insisted I wear - bobbing clovers and all) and learning how to live for God, love my husband and bring others into God's kingdom. 
I invite you to join me on this journey of life, striving to live each day truly believing and extending God's Daily Grace.