First off, I want to explain how I fell off the blogging everyday in November bandwagon. Not too complicated. I was doing it with two of my favorite people and when they gave up, I did too. It's more fun when you have people holding you accountable. Plus, I still had things to say but it is time consuming and the approaching holidays started looking me straight in the face.
Speaking of Christmas... Last year I loved taking a real intentional approach at activities during Advent. We did all the things we typically do like bake cookies and drive around to see all the lit houses but added more planned out items like a few art projects and family game night and caroling and a Polar Express night complete with a necklace I made them with a bell hanging on it.
This year started out the same as last. The first of December came fast and I didn't have my plan laid out. It takes me a week of flying by the seat of my pants day by day until I finally sit down and make my list. So far I've added a few elements that are meant to enhance character building and intentional teaching of the real meaning of Christmas.
We've been dealing with some bad attitudes and naughty (not nice) behavior and it just didn't feel right to be planning all these fluff activities with out some reinforcement of values. So for our first art activity they painted Christmas trees on poster boards and then decorated (glitterized) construction paper ornaments.
(side note - don't clean your hardwood floors and then do a glitter project later in the day!) The trees are now hanging in the dining room and they get to put an ornament on whenever they are "caught" having good manners and using kind words. So far so good.
Then last night I found a great site for the addition of devotions to our nights in December. Everything I found was too wordy..too adult. This is 25 pages to color with scripture from the nativity story.
http://
www.dltk-bible.com/advent/index.htmI made each girl a folder with all the pages in it. Last night we did four of the pages and then they colored away - all of us picnic style under the Christmas tree. It was so perfect because as they colored all around my legs I quizzed them about the names of the people and practiced memorizing one of the scriptures. They said funny things like, "I think the angel was named Annie" and Ruby pronounces Joseph - Jofess. We ended the evening at the dining room table with a new Christmas puzzle and Christmas Bingo. I don't foresee us doing the devotions every night but a few nights each week.
It is harder to get the dinner dishes and other chores done when I spend my evening time like above. But oh so worth it.
The other thing we are throwing in this year are a few days where we plan "Random Acts of Kindness" and go about stealth mode to make someones day better without any recognition.
My dad used to always annoy us with his favorite saying, "Prior planning prevents poor performance". Oh, I hate to say it but it is so true, especially with kids. I'm not good at it. I bumble through too many things. Spontaneous, not disciplined, well meaning me. Sometimes that model can breed the best unexpected moments of joy. But good parenting really takes both.
I'd love to leave you pictures but this is as good as it gets for now.
The stories behind the pictures that uploaded in no chronological order...happy kids/happy cousins on Thanksgiving 2011....chubby 3 month old who found his thumb, smiles a lot and sleeps through the night...two sisters who spend a lot of mornings together creating pretend worlds and fun bath times before PM kindergarten...and a most memorable Friday during Advent where only the kids and I snuck away to our family beach cabin JUST for the day with cookie making, movie watching and rock throwing as the highlites of our "cabin day". 