A New Christmas Tradition

I've been trying to think of a way to keep our focus on the Savior this Christmas season, not just remembering Him (although that is very important) but serving Him by serving others.  I've been seeing little calendars with service/kindness ideas around, and I like the thought of that, but planning it out ahead of time just stresses me out, and I haven't ever found one that really resonates with me.  It ends up feeling like something we're supposed to do, rather than something we want to do.  So I started thinking about what would work better for our family, and I came up with this.  The first sheet we laminated so we can write in the box (with dry-erase marker) what our gift will be for the next day and erase it the following evening when it's time to write the next day's gift.  The second sheet has gift ideas or you can type up/write out your own.  We'll probably tape that page to the back so we can refer to it throughout the month and not lose it.  I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints so I also added a third page with ideas specific to LDS families, though others may find ways to adapt them for their own faiths as well.  I think we will keep track on our calendar of what we do each day, then review on Christmas.  There are other ways to keep track of what you have done: have little fuzzies to put in a jar each time you give your gift...or have slips of paper to write down what you do, then read through them on Christmas....  I've heard of people putting a piece of straw or yarn in a manger each time they do an act of kindness at Christmastime, to get it ready for baby Jesus to lay on.  You could put stickers on a paper Christmas tree, or foil star stickers on a paper sky, or something else altogether...lots of options!  Most of these gift ideas are small but meaningful.  For me, as a mom, the gift I always want is for my children to get along and be kind to one another.  I believe Jesus feels the same way about us.  When we are kind to one another, we are giving a gift of kindness to Him, and that is the gift He really wants this Christmas.

Gift for Jesus free printable

Other similar ideas:
mormon.org #LightTheWorld calendar
Kindness calendar
theredheadedhostess.com #LightTheWorld calendar with ideas

Merry Christmas everyone!

Gratitude Challenge Week 4

I am grateful for:
1.  The chance we had to visit family for Thanksgiving.  Not just on Thanksgiving Day, either--we had three different get-togethers (formal and informal) plus lots of unstructured play/visiting time.
2.  A lovely place to stay (thank you Melissa!).
3.  Sweet cousins who are so kind to my little ones.
4.  Rolls that all turned out well for Thanksgiving dinner (that was our contribution to the feast).
5.  BEAUTIFUL weather, though the kids did get a little hot in the van when we were out and about.
6.  Kids who were very patient with the tight conditions in said van and did not complain about it (much).  They were troopers and it was much appreciated!
7.  Christmas shopping mostly done before December so we can enjoy our time together and focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

Gratitude Challenge Week 3

I am thankful for:

1.  Herbal remedies and nourishing food that strengthen and heal us.  Everyone in my family, aside from me and Faith, has been sick in the past two weeks, and we're slowly recovering with the help of elderberry syrup (the last of last-year's elderberry foraging--yay for my horticulturist husband!), astragalus, orange juice, tangerines, leafy green vegetables (salad), and chicken soup.  I love that we don't have to be dependent on doctors for stuff like this (though they certainly have their place and I'm grateful for them too).  And I'm very grateful that Faith and I haven't gotten sick, that is a huge blessing.

2.  A working dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer.  I've done without all of those, and it is certainly doable, but I am so grateful I don't have to haul our little kids, clothes, and cloth diapers to the laundromat every week (been there, done that, not my favorite!), but can do my laundry a little at a time in the comfort of my own home!  It's currently sitting in baskets patiently waiting to be folded, but it is clean.  Except the (large) part that's not.  But I'll get to that. :)

3.  Windows that let in heat in the winter to warm my home, and let in sunshine year-round to brighten my spirits.  (We lived in a windowless basement for a year and a half, I do NOT take windows for granted!)  Note: these big windows shown above are the ones I'm talking about.  And our family room is even this clean once in a while, for a few minutes at least!

4.  Animals/nature.  I love that lots of animals live on our lot along with us.  Some we brought (chickens), some that come to visit and don't stay, thank goodness (coyotes and skunks), and some that just live here (squirrels and rabbits and birds).  This week I went to the sink to wash out my dish and there was a squirrel on my windowsill above the sink, looking in!  I think I scared it as much as it startled me!

5.  True friends: great people I've gotten to know here and others I knew before.  I'm very much a homebody, but I am so grateful to have friends who encourage me to get out of my house and into the sunshine, and others who live too far away for that but who encourage me daily with their love, support and great examples.

6.  A baby who (mostly) sleeps at night.  Apparently God knows I'm getting older and can't function on no sleep like I used to.  She still has her nights, and sometimes weeks, when she'll be up to nurse at three, but that is the exception, not the rule.  She does want to nurse all evening...but if it means I get to sleep at night, it is WORTH IT to me.

7.  My Savior, who makes it possible for me to repent and try again, over and over, until I finally get it right.  I love this quote from Jeffrey R. Holland: "however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines."

Love you all!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Gratitude Challenge Week 2

I am thankful for:
1.  The beautiful plants scattered throughout my house, [mostly] bought and [all] cared for by my horticulturist husband. 
2.  Beautiful fall weather.  (Disclaimer: the picture above is not of my house.  But it is in my area.)
3.  Indoor toilets.
4.  Healthy eggs from healthy, happy chickens.  They're on a laying strike right now (I think they're molting) and boy do we miss their eggs!  Grocery store eggs just aren't the same.
5.  Thrift stores.  The ones up here are not the greatest as far as selection goes, but the sales are AMAZING.  Bought three bags of clothes, a pair of toddler boots, and a bouncy chair yesterday, all for $4...can't beat that.  And my money stretches so much farther buying secondhand...and with such a limited clothing store selection in town, I can often buy better-quality clothes used than I can retail.
6.  Whole wheat waffles and buttermilk syrup (that's dinner tonight, yum!).  Simple pleasures.
7.  Phones--the ability to call and talk to family members across the street, the state, or the country instantaneously.  What a miracle that is!  Also, the blessing of having family members to call who like me enough to want to talk to me. :)

November Gratitude Challenge

I am grateful for...

1.  Running water.  We are blessed to share our neighbor's well here in Linden, and the water is good and clean and delicious.  I don't have to strap my baby to my back and go out to gather it every day; I don't even have to go outside to get it!  

2.  A warm home to live in.  My kids share bedrooms and learn to get along with one another.  We have property to roam and build in.  We are renting but have great landlords who are fine with our chickens and garden and lots of kids.

3.  A nice family to share this home with.  Our home is often filled with noise, clutter, and chaos, but it is also filled with love, laughter, story times, Uno games, my 8-year-old playing "Chopsticks" over and over on the piano, good smells (and bad ones too sometimes), sunshine, and the cozy warmth of a wood stove all winter.

4.  Good books, and kids who love to read them with and without me.  

5.  A very nice baby who loves to smile.
6.  Two vehicles that are reliable and get us where we need to go.

7.  Family pictures that turned out even though we took them ourselves. :)