Why so anxious?

I love Christmastime.  I love the season of Advent.  I wait 11 months each year, for it to begin again.  And then I try to slow down and treasure each moment.  Sure, some days are busier than I prefer...there's a bit of stress involved with fitting everyone and everything in, and we work at prioritizing our calendar AND the celebrating!  We have simplified so that gift giving is fun and a joy, rather than an expensive chore.  And when I unplug the Christmas tree lights on the 25th, I still look forward to waking up and seeing them again on the 26th.  After all, Advent does not end, officially, until January 6; Epiphany.  The day we commemorate the wise men finding Jesus, after a long search.

Imagine my surprise then, in reading Facebook updates, one after another, detailing how Christmas trees are packed away Christmas night...or, the 26th!  And how thrilled person after person is...to "set the house back in order".  To put Christmas away.  And to be fair, I understand that a Christmas tree takes up space.  I know the extra decorations can be clutter.  And honestly, I used to be one of those people; proud to be done with Christmas the moment the gifts were unwrapped.  But over the years, my heart has changed.  I am charged with providing the atmosphere of Christmas in our home; I do the planning, the buying, the wrapping, the baking, the cards, the decorating...and I love it!  The traditions we choose will become memories for our family, our children.  They will remember what we do!  Our Christmas, year after year, will be what they recall one day...what we do will be what Christmas "is" to them.

The JOY, the LIGHT, the FUN of Christmas...is so often represented, so often captured, in these decorations; both traditional ones, like the tree and Nativity, but also the extras placed here and there around our homes.  And then the outdoor lights sparkling on dark and cold winter nights.  I am indeed, surprised, that so many of us are so anxious to put Christmas away.  Can't we let it live a few extra days?  For actually, Christmas BEGINS on the 25th!  It does not end there!  The anticipatory joy of a newly born baby does not end on the day it is welcomed into the world!  The pregnancy ends, the waiting is complete...but the JOY of that birth begins the day a baby takes its first breath.  Likewise, Christmas begins the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!  So at our home, we let the lights shine a bit longer...we revel in the Christmas joy as long as possible and reflect upon all that this Advent season means.  For truly, the heart of Christmas, the heart of our Christ, should last year round; it is not something to be hurried through, packed away, and cleaned up.  I want to yell "slow down!!" to the world around me.

This year, I did not put up two Christmas trees; I felt the need to pare down what went up so that I could more easily handle taking it all down when time allows.  We have a tall, thin tree that is potted, and designed so that it can be left up through winter months.  Or year round, really.  And so, I decorated this tree, with felt ornaments and other bits and pieces that are non-breakable as I have little ones who constantly touch and rearrange the ornaments on it.  As I was perusing the after-Christmas markdowns at Target, I noted red and white felt hearts in the ornament section...and plenty of snowmen and snowflakes.  I picked up some silver glittered snowflakes, and these red hearts and white hearts...and now my Christmas tree looks like Valentine's Day!  All at a markdown.  I hope to grab some pink hearts later, as Valentine sales commence.  I took down Christmas garland, but left up greenery which was decorated with snowmen and/or pinecones.  My decorations are trending towards winter season, with a bit of Christmas thrown in.  This allows us to hold on to Christmas magic just a bit longer in our home.  To enjoy the lovely twinkling lights awhile, without feeling that we need to pack away "Christmas".

With every passing year,  I am aware of how quickly time flies.  My babies grow fast, becoming kids, then teenagers.  This time with them is precious; our family whole and unscattered.  I do not want to wish it away, to be done with this glorious season.  The day will come, that my children might not all gather at Christmas; they may come at different times, or God may lead them across the country so that visits are rare.  I want to take in these days in which we are all, blessedly (and sometimes loudly!) together. I want to take time to embrace the season, the heart change...to prepare for the pain of Lent and the coming joy of Easter season; to walk the Liturgical year step by step as Jesus walked the earth step by step.  Moment by moment, each, in its God-ordained time.  We cannot--or should not--rush through life, eager to pass each stage and pack away each holiday!  Savor time!  Relish moments.  Live purposefully.

Mornings

photo credit
Ohhh, the joys of having early risers.  Actually, it isn't as difficult as it used to be.  My older children are now able to get their own cereal, and will typically help the younger ones as well--if I'm not up--although most of the time, I am.  And the baby (18 months) has joined in the fun of rising early.  This morning, he was up at 6:30.  So, I poured the coffee early, thus starting my caffeine drip.

But there were moments to savor today.  My little man was able to wave goodbye as Daddy left for work.  Of course, he followed Daddy to the car, calling out "Ri!  Ri!" (Ride).  When he wasn't buckled into his car seat, the little guy switched to waving just as fast as his little arm would let him.  Then he strolled all over the front yard until we retreated to the back (fenced) yard.  The air was pleasant; not yet hot and humid, and with a gentle breeze whispering that Autumn is on the way.  You know when there's just the slightest hint of cool?  It's as though the air has shed summertime, just as trees are preparing to shed leaves and squirrels busily work all day, gathering acorns.  (We have a beautiful, tall oak tree so we enjoy watching their antics).  Anyway, in the back yard we played, enjoying the outdoors. First, he wanted to ride the tricycle (which means Mama pushes him along), then he wanted to swing (a big smile on his toddler face)...and then he saw the bottles of bubbles.  "Bubba!  Bubba!" he called out as he reached for one.  So we blew bubbles.  And blew bubbles.  He gleefully tried to catch them, especially pleased when a bubble landed and didn't pop.  Until, of course, he popped it himself.

And then, one by one, big brother and sisters each appeared to join in a few minutes of play before the sun heats up the air to an unbearable degree (107 is today's September 2 forecast...UGH).  The little girls were still clad in their sweet nightgowns, but this didn't stop them from joyfully swinging...nor from marching around the yard...nor from collecting acorns and acorn tops for their fairy house (a make-believe creation that encourages them to look for bits and pieces of nature, to add to the fairy house at the base of our oak tree).  Meanwhile I escape indoors to refill my coffee, pull out the first load of laundry for today, and wash/refill the bubbles bottles for next time.

And then, at last, the sun is high enough to erase the pleasure of outdoors, and so, inside they tromp.  Time to wash hands, eat breakfast, and begin lessons.  Another reason to love homeschooling.  Rather than waking my children, rushing here and there to get them dressed, fed, and out the door "on time"...we are able to wake naturally (remember, they are early risers on their own, so no one really sleeps in), to greet the mornings slowly and with joy.  If we are blessed with beautiful weather, we can take pleasure in God's creation before we begin routine.  If clouds and rain greet us, we can soak in the cozy atmosphere instead of running out the door and into the rain and away to school.  Our days hold order, but they are also our own.  We create the routine which works for our family; we structure our days to allow for childhood to emerge, to allow for learning to take place on its own (although there are still complaints over assignments that one child or another does not *like* to do!).  We order our time most days, rather than being ordered around by someone else's schedule, convenience, what-have-you.  There will be plenty of time to march to the beat of someone else's drum when my children grow up and gain responsibilities of jobs, higher education, families.  But why rush it? Childhood calls!  Nature; God's creation, waves to us daily.  Time is fleeting, and children are only children for a short time, but memories last forever.  I'm thankful that I can create daily memories with my most treasured ones.

To be fair, some days wax much less poetic.  Some nights with a baby allow little rest, and some days every one wakes up grumpy...on those days, it might be tempting to rush them out the door in order that they may be someone else's problem for a few hours.  But we charge through, correcting attitudes as necessary (including my own!), and we pray for patience and grace, and we know that the Lord's mercies are new every morning.  That is the everlasting hope we have while on this earth.

Time for the last of my coffee. Time to switch the laundry.  Time for lessons, for the day's work, to begin.

Ohhh, the joys...

...of taking a shower without interruption, without knocking on the bathroom door, or yelling outside of the door!    Today, I stayed home with our youngest (1) while my husband and other children headed to church.  He has been sleeping poorly, due to a huge molar breaking through--and--a plethora of mosquito bites disturbing his naps and night times.  He is highly allergic to mosquitoes, it appears, and so his bites swell up into huge welts of itchy irritation, and they take several days to heal up.  And he must have sweet blood, because if he is outdoors for any time at all, he comes back in with numerous bites.  But I am not a huge fan of spraying tons of chemical on little ones...so...we deal.  And today, that meant he would need an early nap (grumpy bear that he is this morning!) so Mama stayed home.

But, that means a quiet house...a moment to blog...time to clean up a few piles of this-n-that, watch a couple of Food Network recordings...or whatever!  Time to reflect, to pray, to read my Bible...to adjust my poor attitude, to frame positive thinking for the week ahead, to be grateful for the many everyday blessings of life.

I hate missing church, but when it happens, I enjoy the quiet.  And a shower without interruption :)

Back to School

We just picked up our first apples of the season!  Walmart had some lovely "Pink Lady" variety on sale tonight, and they are goooood.  Happy kids at this house tonight!  After a very tasty ham and bean soup, homemade cornbread, followed by a kid fave "sopapilla cheesecake" for dessert,  apples made the perfect bedtime snack.

I love this time of year...back-to-school season.  I love going to the parks, the zoo, the library, or anywhere else, and finding all these places suddenly void of activity.  Because everyone is in school, and in a whirlwind of activities...for the next NINE months!!  But for us homeschoolers, the world is our oyster!  No lines, no waiting, no crowds, and plenty of TIME.  The way Summer opens up the world for everyone else, Autumn opens up the world for us.

We school year round because learning is part of life, not an activity allocated for 7 hours 5 days a week, for 9 months. And because keeping our routine somewhat in sync, keeps our household running smoothly.  And because I like greater flexibility for all kinds of reasons. Still, this time of year brings unmistakable energy to the air.  Mornings are cooler again (or soon will be!); and evenings often carry the slightest chill in the air.  A hint of what's ahead.  Tthe city suddenly rejoins us in having a routine!  And back-to-school sales abound; freshly sharpened pencils, brand new crayons, sticks of glue, notebooks, packs of paper, zipper bags in every color, and miscellaneous supplies of every kind are on the front aisles of stores.  New clothing appears on store racks (although it's not quite time for long sleeves in Kansas!), and autumnal decor appears on store shelves. And for us homeschoolers, new books appear on our own shelves!

Another reason to love this time of year...the scenery will soon be breathtakingly beautiful as the trees turn rich shades of brown, gold, red, and orange. A simple Sunday drive will offer loveliness, just around every bend in the road.  A walk to the park, or just stepping outside the back door will bring a moment to savor God's creation, unfolding it's glorious color!  And I love the rainy days of Fall, overcast, chilly. Good weather for snuggling in flannel sheets, for lighting candles in the evenings, for daydreaming under a quilt, for family movies complete with popcorn and warm spiced cider.

Of course, it's football season!  And that makes my man happy!  This year, his (and therefore mine by marriage) favorite college team (GO BIG RED--HUSKERS!) is playing in a new conference.  Big 10, baby!

Then there's the food...cozy suppers; often soups or stews, simmering all afternoon.  Fresh bread baking.  Sweet potatoes. Cookies, still warm from the oven.  Apple crisp, topped with vanilla ice cream...pumpkin cake.  Sunday roast, and eventually, Thanksgiving turkey.  Christmas ham. And endless holiday baking!  Cooking (and baking!) is simply more fun in cold weather :)