Sick

Last Christmas we were sick and shoveling snow.  This year looks like we might squeak by and come out ‘oh for two.’ (I am not a sports person and this is the first time in my whole life I have ever tried actually writing that phrase.  I realize that I don’t know how to spell the ‘oh’ we use for the number zero.  Hmm…)

I actually enjoy shoveling snow.  Sadly, clear skies are forecasted for the whole week.  We have had picturesque snow on the ground for a few weeks, because of the eyeball-freezing tempuratures since the last snowfall.  Looks like we got a thaw just in time to have a brown, muddy Christmas.  I don’t remember ol’ Bing singing anything dreamy about gloppy doggie prints on everything I own! 

For the other part of the score, the kids have had what I am calling a 36 hour fever.  Thankfully, as sick goes, it’s  not so rough.  No stomach issues other than loss of appetite (please pause to sing the Hallelujah chorus from Handel’s Messiah with me), no wracking cough, no stuffy heads. Both kids more or less slept for two nights and a day, and had a recovery day of lounging. I am truly thankful for these blessings.

The nice thing about sick is the forced slow-down to our schedule.  We have some pretty phenomenal friends and I love spending time with them.  Our calendar can get pretty packed without much effort.  Being on lock-down gives us a chance to reconnect as family, serve one another when we are weak and take the time to rest.  I don’t ever like missing the neat things we had planned, but I am almost always appreciative for the restorative time together.

Hopefully, my husband and I will be spared this particular infection, our doggie will continue to get back to normal (the surprising wet spots on the carpet are getting super old) and we can have a very merry, healthy Christmas! 

Family Traditions

We have some family traditions to help us stay focused on Christ during the Advent season. Some evolved over time, initially happening either by chance or without any regularity, but over the years they have just come to be cherished activities our family anticipates each December.  Other traditions we have established more thoughtfully and with more purpose.  And some on this list are new-to-us traditions.  I’d love to hear from you about the things you do that acknowledge this special time of year.

Most of these are pretty inexpensive and not too time consuming.  Feel free to try some out for your own family.

 

Read Jotham’s Journey	Make and Send Christmas Cards	Donate the Christmas Coin Jar	Go Christmas Caroling	Make a Blessings Poster
Do a Random Act of Kindness	Make Christmas Ornaments	Bake for the Christmas Tree Lighting on Main Street	Decorate the House	Watch Charlie Brown Christmas
Make a Christmas Dinner with Friends	Watch the Grinch with Jim Carrey	Make Paper Snow Flakes	Write a Letter to Family Members	Watch The Santa Clause Movies
Make a Birthday Cake for Jesus	Have an Advent Wreathe	Go See Christmas Lights	Watch the Polar Express	Watch The Very First Noel
Family Game Night	Make a Pinecone Bird Feeder	Special Christmas Breakfast	Make Marshmallow Snowmen	Make Snowmen Pizza
Put on a Play	Christmas PJs	Play the Stocking Game	Make a Christmas Cookie Tree	Find New Christmas Music
Make a Countdown Garland of Green and Red Paper	Make a Christmas Craft	Bring Goodies to Fire, Police and Hospital Workers	Buy gifts through World Vision	Make Popcorn Garlands for the birds

Achievement

My kids had an exciting weekend.  My son tested for the next level in his red belt for tae kwon do on Friday night.  He has tested plenty of times before, but this one was a little nerve wracking.  His teacher told him that if he didn’t break his boards, he would not pass.  My son has his daddy’s long legs, so sparring is pretty easy for him.  He has a memory to beat all, so performing his form and reciting verses is something he can do on demand without much effort. That said, board breaking is his least favorite part of his class. His strength in the other areas has allowed him to skate a little on board breaking.  His teachers wanted to push him and not let him get away with being lazy.  He was pretty anxious about this task and we prayed about it all week. 

My husband took him to the testing while I hosted a Bible study and kept checking Facebook and texts for updates.  As much as we expected it, we know that bad days happen, so the reports that he flew through his sparring and then his form both came with welcome relief.  After too long a wait, we finally got word that he broke all of his boards!  Praise be!

Our daughter was preparing for a test of her own on Sunday.  She participated in a recital and had more dances than ever before, including a solo.  Let me tell you that this girl worked!  For months, she attended classes and practiced diligently at home, building strength, programming the choreography into her muscle memory and worked on elevating a series of moves to an expressive dance.  She was wonderful!  My sorrow is that we were sitting so far from the stage, that I didn’t get any photos or videos.  Great sorrow. 

Mirroring that loss, I didn’t get any footage of my boy at all.  Here are just a few pictures of them sort of around the times of their achievements.  Best I can do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Girl

During school the other day, my girl got the clay out and made a couple of yummy-looking creations while I was reading.  Check them out!

  Ice cream…

  And cookies!