In Which We Purge Christmas....And Also Elf Away.

I seriously backed off of Christmas this year.  In the past I've let it way over stress me, mainly because I've tried to make Christmas the major production that my mother (who I love, please don't get me wrong) makes it.  She did such a great job of stressing, decorating, baking, polishing, tweaking, wrapping and making magic for us.  With my kids, though, I've never really wanted Christmas to be quite the way it was when I grew up, even though it was perfectly magical. I really want our Christmas to be about family and tradition and most of all about Jesus.  Over the past few years I've really frustrated myself trying to make Christmas what I want it to be, and "competing" with my mom, who will buy 3,000 presents by the time it's all said and done :)

This year, mainly because I'm totally burned out on other areas of life, I really let it go.  I let go of competing with her on the number of presents we buy, because honestly, our kids play with 3 or 4 of them and then forget about them.  I let go of freaking out about stringing 4,000,000 strands of lights in the front of our house because it's always frustrating to me that Austin doesn't "man up and hang the lights" so I did wreaths with bows and called it a day.  I think next year I'll buy pre-lit wreaths and be perfectly happy.  I let go of going to as many events and parties as we could cram in, and instead I filled our days with family projects.  I kept our advent devotions.  I kept the tree.  I kept secret shopping trips and the nativity scenes and ice skating. Also, the homemade thank you cards, but only because we really like painting things.

I let go of individually made cards and got free ones from Shutterfly for writing about them on my PWC Moms blog. And you know, somewhere in the purging, I found the joy of Christmas again.  My kids and I have enjoyed the snow, and the reading, and the making treats for other people.  We haven't stressed or run all over the place any more than we normally do, and I've actually worked to cut that down, too, so that we can savor the season.

I still think that Christmas has been great so far for us.  By not deciding that I have to do the nine million things I've made myself in the past, we've allowed ourselves to do what is special for us this year.  For example, my kids apparently love gingerbread houses.  This is the 5th one we've done.  It's got chocolate rocks on the sides.  How awesome is that!

 I've also tried not to freak out so much about the baking.  I bake with our kids all the time, but during Christmas I want things to be perfect, so I tend to micromanage or do it myself.  So this year, since I know it's really fun and special for them, I've picked things they can do.  We did chocolate dipped pretzels tonight, which ended up with around 6 different non-matching toppings on them but are still cute, and we also did gingerbread man cookies (I told you they love the gingerbread!!) I also decided that I'd chill out on the monstrous cookie platters we end up doing for our neighbors and share some of our home-canned goodies instead, so I've started getting some salsa and peach butter ready to go out.  We're caroling tomorrow (keeper!!) so we'll hand out goodies to our neighbors on Saturday.

 I think that for next year there are a few more things I'll bring back, but for this year, this minimalist Christmas has really helped me figure out what I really want to have in our family's holiday, and what I, and our kids, don't need to be happy and joyful during the holidays.

In Which We Celebrate an Awesome Little Man

I still cannot believe that this little monkey baby turned into a SEVEN (7) year old this week.

Seven.

It just absolutely blows my mind.  He is so very much the person that God created him to be- he held his head up just a few minutes after he was born and kicked and screamed until he rolled over at 6 days old. He still will not hold still to save my life.  He looked and explored and marveled at things from the minute his eyes focused in the light- and he still wants to know everything about everything.  I never thought I would say "Hold on, I'll google it" so much in my life. Aunt Elaine is visiting this week and Riley instantly had questions for her like "How many species of plants do you have in Texas that we don't have in Virginia?".

He reads.  I'm not going to lie- that was difficult for the two of us.  He needed to learn to read and I couldn't remember learning because I'd done it since before I was in preschool.  But my sweet boy reads and absorbs information and writes books in his spiral notebooks.  The first time I listened to him choppily reading a chapter book, I cried.

Big old round tears.

I just cannot believe this little thing who used to go all Dracula on my shoulders when he was hungry has turned into a person.  He reads, he prays, he wonders and he knows so many things that he's learned or that he believes or that he postulates.  He is so amazing.  We are such a blessed family to have him.  I have never seen a child who is a better big sibling.  I think I hit my brother way more than I ever helped him and Riley, although he has the occasional temper, ties shoes and fetches blankets and gives huge hugs and tells mean big kids to BACK OFF MY BROTHER.  There are just no words for how incredibly full and happy he makes our lives.  And I, for one, am so thankful to God for letting me have him.

We spent Riley's birthday exploring Skyline Cavern and then hiking at our favorite Christmas Tree Farm.  Uncle Kevin and his girlfriend Lauren joined us and we had a great time.  A mad scientist party is in the works for his classmates.

Happy Birthday little man.  We're so very proud of you and who you're becoming.

In Which We Breathe a Sigh of Relief

It's a month to be thankful, and I am so very very thankful that the (stupid) Gala is over.  It was really stressful to me because I didn't feel like I could get the support that I needed from other volunteers, although in the end I was tremendously blessed by several of them.  I feel like our lives have calmed down tremendously, which is great because we're coming up on the holidays and Riley's birthday! I'm so happy to have more energy and focus for my family!

I thought I'd share a few pictures:

This was our table of prizes that the principal put up with some help from the teachers displaying many of our items that wouldn't "walk away".  It was a great way to get the kids excited!

Riley's teacher was so awesome about helping out! She offered a day of baking cupcakes with a student and my friend Martha, who's also a teacher, went to classrooms to help make crafts.  This is Riley's class' contribution- they're Turkey Placemats.  We won both :) We couldn't help ourselves! I think these would be really really cute with just one handprint in the middle, too, for family placemats.  The kids dipped their hands and fingers in one color and then painted over with the other colors to make "feathers" and a beak.

I have a quote on my facebook from Top Chef- "I rarely do anything without a deep fryer and glitter".  I actually don't use a deep fryer that much, but I do love glitter!! We had a workday on Veteran's Day at my house and embossed bags and programs and strung beads for the centerpieces.  I was happy to have the company and everyone did a great job! I've never had a heat gun, so we used my flat iron to emboss and it actually worked really well!!

And here's a picture from the event.  I think everyone had fun! 

In Which Mommy Drinks Wine Every Day

This weekend was my weekend to work at the Jewelry Store.  I really like it there, but I make absolutely no money.

You should see my pretty new baubles, though :)

Saturday, Austin took the kiddos to a Halloween Party (first of several!) at our friends' house in Alexandria.  The kids had a fantastic time roasting marshmallows and bobbing for apples. Their costumes aren't completely done (although they keep changing their minds) so they wore ones from past years.  Riley was a Transformer and Logan was a Ninja and Savannah wore a Disney princess dress.  Austin also burned his hand on Justin's outdoor grill. (Side note: Metal with fire below it gets hot!)

Sunday I was also supposed to work, but it ended up that the office manager was sick and I got to have the day off! That meant that I could join the family for a trip to West Virginia to see my Godmother, Beth, and her family. The drive it always gorgeous this time of year with lots of farms, vineyards, and trees along the way! Aunt Beth fed us some tasty food and helped the kids carve pumpkins and make tie pillows.  It was awesome!

Logan, however, decided to engage in this little gem:

"Aunt Beth, my Mommy drinks wine"
"Oh really?"
"Yep. She drinks it every day"

This is false.  In fact, it's very false.  Austin enjoyed laughing at me get embarassed, though- he seemed to think it was pretty funny.

I'm leading a small group for children at church on Sunday and I'm excited.  I think I'm going to use the pumpkin lesson- it's one of my favorites! If you've never done it, you basically start with a pumpkin and talk about how the pumpkin is a lot like a person.  Open the pumpkin up by carving off the top and talk about how when we do bad things like lie or disobey our parents, it's like having yucky stuff inside of us.  Jesus, though, can take those yucky things away. (Empty the seeds and goop- they make a tasty snack if you roast them!) But, that's not enough, because just taking out the yucky stuff leaves the pumpkin empty inside.  Jesus wants to fill us with his love (put in a candle).  But he also wants us to share that love with others, so he wants to transform us to share his light! (I usually put the lid on and we sing the this little light of mine song)


The face I carve goes with this poem:
I am a Jack O’ Lantern


My lights will shine so bright

For I’m a Christian pumpkin

My symbols tell what’s right



My nose is like the cross

On which our Savior died

To set us free from sin

We need no longer hide



My mouth is like a fish

The whole wide world to show

That Christians live in this house

And love their Savior so!



The story starts at Christmas

My eyes are like the star

That shone on Baby Jesus

And wise men saw from far



My color, it is orange

Just like the big bright sun

That rose on Easter Day

Along with God’s own Son



And so on Halloween

Let’s set our pumpkins out

And tell the trick or treaters

What God’s love is all about!

In Which I am a Bad Mommy?

So here's the thing.

I do all of these things to be a good mom.  Like volunteering in Riley's class and being involved with PTA and saying yes to being a den leader for boy scouts.....

But when I'm feeding my kids dinner out for the 3rd night in a row, I have to wonder if "being a good parent" isn't getting in the way of me being a good parent.  And I don't mean that to discourage other people from being active in leadership of children and children's groups, because for heaven's sake, if we all did a little, then the same 10 of us wouldn't end up doing it all.  Or at least trying to do it all.  Which would, seriously, make things way more fair.

It would also make it easier for me to make dinner.

(Okay fine, also if I wasn't running so far behind because I let my car run out of gas thinking I could squeeze just one more meeting in before I stopped.  That probably would have helped, too.)

I also have to wonder how my kids benefit from me being the only leader in their lives.  I always push that children need positive role models other than their parents, but how many are mine really getting? I've read the studies, for example, that say that kids need to hear people besides their parents telling them about Jesus.  If I'm always the children's pastor- who's stepping up to tell my kids that Jesus loves them besides me? Do I leave them at a church without me so they get other people to tell them? Not that that's an issue right now, it's just a thought that's occurred to me several times in the past, especially at my last "work church".

This next week I'm going to work really hard on finding more balance in our lives, despite all the things I'm trying to do.  It's such a shift from summer and I know that I should give myself more room to adjust, but I've never enjoyed failing (or mediocrity for that matter- although it seems to be my speciality lately) so it's difficult for me to admit that I need to re-find my groove.

In other news, somewhat related, Logan, Savannah, and I went to speak to the French Honor Society at the high school today because they're helping with our Multicultural Festival.  They are led by my former French teacher.  I still understand French really well, but to speak it? I totally lack the confidence especially when the first sentence out of my mouth is incorrect (pendant que vs. depuis my bad) and the little snot in the front row points it out.  I totally deserved that- I was SO that girl in High School.  However, the cute part was the whole club exclaiming that Logan looks JUST like Le Petit Prince when we walked in.

I can see it. :)

In Which We Travel to Philadelphia

My friend (who was originally Austin's friend...but I usurped her during a time of great emotional need- thanks Claire!) is moving to California to take a job in her now PhD-ed field.  It's a great opportunity for her, but I knew that since she'd be moving across the country seeing her this weekend was my last shot! The weekend was not without errors (for example me deciding that we could stay after driving up for dinner because "I worked at the Jewelry store LAST weekend....so I think I'm good!" ended up being false....as did the notion that the traffic wouldn't be bad going north).  However, we had a great under 24 hour trip!

Austin couldn't go with us, so the kids and I hopped in the car and headed up alone Friday afternoon thinking we would head up and meet Claire and Evan for supper.  That didn't happen because the traffic was horrendous.  However, we did have cheesesteaks at 10:20 pm.

Tony Luke's!!! Nice!!  We ended up staying with Claire and Evan and the next day (after an angry phone call from the aforementioned work and me freaking out because i.hate.messing.up.) we decided that we would see the PMOA (aka ROCKY STAIRS!!) and then we checked out the Franklin Institute. It was really weird for me to PAY for a museum!! I've decided that I will toss some money in the basket at the Smithsonian from now on because OhMYGoodness was this museum nowhere near as good and it cost $50 for us to go in!!  I think that maybe churches should try this technique because I never appreciated our fantastic FREE Smithsonians so much until I went somewhere that charged and wasn't as good!!

However, the kids and I still had a fantastic time and we were so happy to say goodbye to Claire and Evan.  We hope they have a safe and easy trip to the West Coast!!

In Which I Recap The ENTIRE Summer

Hmmm.....I think that journaling is a spiritual discipline...which would explain why I am so freaking bad at it!! I also think that many things have fallen by the wayside for me as we've gotten closer to school, so hopefully now that some type of order is returning to our lives, I'll be a little better about leaving a legacy for my children. (Or, alternatively, leaving something for everyone to laugh at!!)

Yay!

So.  Summer. My last post was July 1stish.  So I will now recap our summer using my facebook statii as my guide :)

We played with friends.  Lots of friends.  At awesome places like Burke Lake Park and the Sprayground and the Pool and our house for BBQs and smores and fun.  We went to the Dale City 4th of July Parade and the P-Nats Game and Fireworks.  Savannah left early with Daddy and thinks fireworks may be the 8th level of Dante's Inferno.

I also tried to be reasonably brave and let Riley be a little more independent.  I try really hard not to be a helicopter parent, but so many bad things happen and I think especially as someone who worked for a church and got training in all the horrible people out there, it makes me nervous.  I let him walk down the street to talk to a friend and cross the street and play at Kendall's house without me.  It was kind of a huge deal with tears and hyperventilating.

For me.

He was fine.

So.  The week after 4th of July, my mom and I took the kids to Myrtle Beach thanks to my VERY generous bosslady and her VERY awesome sister who let us rent their awesome condo for next to nothing!!  We had a great time in the water and relaxing and visiting a local children's museum.  We also went out to lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe one day! It was very awesome :)

Then we did some VBS.  High Seas Adventure and Egypt (where we did makeup and Ema Anne came along for the ride!!) and a kind of neat one done by a local Episcopalian church where they just all met up in someone in the neighborhood's yard!!  Savannah helped.

We went with our friends the Lamonts to Williamsburg and did Busch Gardens and Water Country and a brief (and unpaid) tour of Colonial Williamsburg.  We also visited the Yankee Candle Flagship store and made our own candles and saw Santa (in Bermuda shorts!) It was awesome!

I went a little crazy for 2 weeks and did nothing but scrub my house and take the kids to the park.  And bake.  It was almost like I was nesting, but minus the pregnant part :)  We made foccacia and cookies and dinners galore! And I think we enjoyed every park on this end of the county!!  Then we were dirty and needed baths.  So we did that.

                                                         Multitaksin- Ur doin it Rite.
We went to the beach for our annual trip with my family, which was fun to do, but also a little bit of the stinky because there were millions of jellyfish and lots of stormy days.  We got to meet Uncle Kevin's new "friend" Miss Lauren- and we all think she's pretty awesome :)

Ema Anne came for a visit and not only helped with VBS (she hasn't converted yet that I know of....but we would love to have her on team Jesus- she does some mean VBS makeup!) but also helped me put up some peaches from the farmer's market into frozen sliced peaches and peach jam.  Yum-o!

I cleaned out the PTA closet and with the help of some awesome friends and fellow suckers, got the budget, audit, bylaws and calendar planned for this year.  We're doing some really fun stuff together and I hope it all works out!!

I was reminded I am not a United Methodist. And, that Table-Flipper Jesus is still my favorite Jesus.  He's the same one who likes Kids and Sick People and the Poor.

We went to the fair.  It smelled terrible and felt greasy.  The kids got to see their first ethnic rumble between two groups of teenagers.  That was unexpected and not fun.

We.Read.7,000.Books.  And enjoyed our county's fabulous summer quest program.  We went to Vienna and watched the Great Zucchini.  He needed more of a shirt, but the kids enjoyed him anyway.

Auntie Elaine moved to Texas and Everyone Cried.

(This picture is actually from High Tea at the Willard Intercontinental for my momma's birthday, but it's the picture of Elaine that I have right now....and high tea is FULLY AWESOME!)

We babysat.  A lot.  And Logan explained me:

 ‎"Some mommies are nice, and some mommies are mean. My mommy is mean, but her rules are fair and she has them because she loves us."

Nice Logan.  Thanks. 

I got to see my friend from college, Jess, who came down for DanceSport.  We went to LuckyStrike lanes for date night with the Meeks'.  We bought school supplies and baked more and had fun and fell into bed exhausted and woke up excited.  We watched Derelict Dog with friends in Occoquan...and subsequently spent hundreds of dollars on Belgian Beer with friends.  Multiple times.  It was great :)

It was a fun summer.  A tiring summer.

And then, I had a glass of Lambrusco.  And watched the days get shorter and my children get older and smarter.  And waited both excited and sad to see them go off to school again.

And had a little more of that Lambrusco.