Hope Church Nativity

Today I had to get out my old church directory (not updated since 2005--that's my fault) to cancel my babysitter (see previous post). Little Sissy wanted to flip through each page so I could tell her everyone's name. Who dat? Who dat? Who dat?

When we got to Asher's grandma, she asked, "Who dat?"
"That's Asher's grandma. Her name is Mary."
"Dat not Mary."
"Yes, her name is Mary."
(Pointing to Holly, her daughter) "Who dat? Joseph?"

Hee hee. I love these kids.

It's a Good Day Anyway

Well, hubby finally got it--that thing. That bug that everyone in the entire country seems to have gotten at some point in December. Sadly, I had to call and cancel my babysitter for tonight. I guess I'll be going out alone after the kids are in bed. Poor him. Poor me...

But wait...there's good news today too!

First, I went to the Goodwill to drop off 3 bags of stuff. That's good news in itself. It's step #1 to getting my house organized. But the even better news is that while I was there, there was a couple in front of me who had brought a bookshelf. Apparently Goodwill doesn't take bookshelves, and guess who needs a new bookshelf? Me!!! It needs a little sand and a little paint, but I think it will look perfect with a few Mercer Mayer books, a few Berenstain Bears, and few Very Hungry Caterpillar (yes, we have a few. Little Sissy wants to read the big one and the little one every night). Man, I love free stuff. God always provides it too!

Second, I took some toy cartridges back to WalMart and they took them. These aren't even from this year. I've been trying to get rid of them since last Christmas (no receipt/Toys 'r Us won't take them/couldn't sell them at the M.O.P.S. silent auction/ they're even "free table" rejects). I'm pretty sure I tried WalMart last year, but maybe not. Anyway, I got $13 each for them, so the kids get an extra Christmas present--Horton Hears a Who!!! This makes me really happy.

So hopefully Hubby can sleep off the small earthquake rumbling in his abdomen. In the meantime, the sun is shining and I am still having a good day.

My Little Beauty

Big Sissy adores the movie Beauty & the Beast. She doesn't just love Belle, though. She loves the beast, too--even when he's being very, well...beastly. The first time she watched it she cried when he growled at Belle and she ran away from him. She didn't want him to be lonely. I think she has a heart for the underdog. For Christmas she got a Beast doll that transforms into the prince. Even though the transformation is her favorite part of the movie, she usually wants to leave him as the beast. I think I got a clue tonight why she loves him. He had a whole library of books, and he let Belle have free reign. That would win Big Sissy over too!!!

While we were home for Christmas, my sister cleaned out her kids' books and gave us a big box. I mean it's big. There are probably 20 Mercer Mayer books, preschool workbooks, first readers, sticker books, coloring books...you name it, it's in there. This is the gift that keeps on giving. Big Sissy is as excited about this box of books as any gift she got for Christmas. The wonderful doggy with green spots is already forgotten (sorry, Santa!). I think he's buried in a pile of books. So listen up, boys. (Yes, I'm talking to you, Asher, J.J., the Bailey boys--anyone who might be interested in 15 years or so. LOL.) If you ever want to win this girl's heart, skip the diamonds. Forget the chocolate (except for the occasional Snack Pack chocolate pudding). This girl is going to fall in love for books. Oh, and whoever marries her might want to invest in a little lamp and bedside table...

She can't help it. She's MY Beauty. :)

Christmas Highlights

I'm still unpacking, but I wanted to take a minute to reflect on the highlights of our week.

Sunday night we had our Carols & Candlelight service at church. That was a really neat time with music and drama, and remembering the light that Jesus brought to a dark world. I sang in the choir, and Hubby was in a drama. I was very proud of him. I don't think I've ever seen him so nervous, but he did it.

Monday we had a cookie party with our small group. I love this group of people. They took us in when we didn't know where church "home" was, and we've been with them ever since.

Tuesday we did Christmas with our kids. You would be shocked if I told you how little I spent on them, but they were thrilled. Big Sissy got Beauty and the Beast barbies, and the Beast transforms into the prince (her favorite part of the movie). Little Sissy got a Little People castle with a king, queen, horse, drawbridge, and a playground. Together they got a V-Smile TV game system that my cousin Julia gave us. Little Buddy got snap together beads. He mostly loved climbing over all the boxes. When we told them we were going to more parties and getting more presents, they said, "I thought we already did that." I love that they still are satisfied with simplicity. I wish I could keep that going forever.

Wednesday we celebrated with Hubby's dad's family. We opt out of drawing names on that side, so we took some Mr. Potato Head accessories for the girls to open and play with there.

Thursday was Christmas. That was the big day. We spent the night with my parents on Christmas Eve so we could make it there in time for the big Christmas breakfast with my family. My mom always makes quite a spread, then we do presents with all of them. There's a LOT of us, so that takes a while. Then we have a little break to regroup and make more food, then we go to my aunt and uncle's at 2:00 to celebrate with my dad's family. Again, that's a big group. We left there at 6:30'ish, and all 3 kids were asleep within minutes--never to wake up again until the next morning. Actually, Big Sissy did wake up briefly while Daddy was laying down with Little Sissy and I was nursing the baby. She cried until I came in there. She was so disoriented she thought we left her at the party. "Mommy," she said groggily, "this room sure looks a lot like our house." Poor babies. They were so exhausted!

The highlight from that day, though, was Santa making his visit. The two little ones really don't care yet, but Big Sissy was into it for the first time. She wrote Santa a letter and asked him for a doggy with green spots. Santa wrote her a letter and told her that his helpers just made brown this year. He hoped that would be OK since it was still different than her brother and sister's (they have blue and pink). Then he put green stickers all over it just for her. That was a great solution, and she was so excited that he came!!!

Friday we unpacked and repacked and went to IL again to celebrate with my mom's family. This year the adults brought gifts for Arms of Love, a pregnancy resource center, instead of exchanging gifts. It was like a baby shower looking through all the fun baby gifts. I hope we continue that tradition every year! The kids also did a repeat of the talent show that they did on Thanksgiving. Big Sissy seemed a little overwhelmed this time, but Little Sissy sang Away in a Manger (pretty well, actually).

Saturday we celebrated with Hubby's family and spent all day with them. This is a very fuzzy picture of me trying on my new scarf that my 11-year-old niece picked out for me.

Sunday we went to church with my family and then came home after naps. Whew! We may be going through withdrawal tomorrow--from sugar but also from seeing family. We enjoy our time together so much. The good news is that we doing a family weekend in January with my family and going to Indiana in January with Hubby's family. I have to come down gently...

I hope you all had a great Christmas and are preparing for a wonderful 2009.

The Tornado Has Struck

I'm back! Sorry for the blogging hiatus. It wasn't planned. I just got a little overwhelmed with all the activity, and the introvert in me just ran out of words. We had a great Christmas!!! I'll say more about it later, but for now...here's what my living room looks like.

ABC's--Fancy Style

We have all been a little stir crazy this week. With the weather being bad, we haven't really gone anywhere. The good news is I'm almost caught up with my laundry, I got 6 months of photos put into albums, and I'm about halfway done with Christmas update letters (I was too cheap for cards this year--sorry). The girls have done a good job of entertaining themselves--and us--while we're "snowed in." The other night they wanted to do a concert. They got themselves dressed in their fancy clothes, told us where to sit, and performed SEVERAL numbers. Little Buddy joined right in and was very excited.

So here's their ABC's--fancy style. Some funny details are Little Sissy's dress tucked into her bloomers (I think this is a gypsy halter top she pulled on), a necklace hanging from something random on her dress, my open dishwasher, and the bag of trash sitting there. (I don't know why I bother with a cute little trash can. It's filled within an hour and then the bag just sits next to it on the floor.) Hope you enjoy the concert. They would never do it if you were actually here. Well, Little Sissy might.

Snopes for God Rumors

I wish there was somewhere you could go to when you hear a religious extremist say something that just doesn't sound right, like a snopes for ridiculous religious ideas. There is actually something like that. It's called context. It means rather than trying to extract meaning from one isolated verse in the Bible, you need to read the surrounding verses, chapter, book, and ultimately the whole Bible to see the coherent message. Sometimes it helps to check out Bible customs as well to see what was going on. But since most people don't have time to read the whole Bible as often as we should or don't know how to access resources, there needs to be a "Snopes for God Rumors."

It has come to my attention recently that there are people who think God is opposed to Christmas trees. I'm really surprised that I've never heard this before, since I've seen a lot of bans in my lifetime: Disney World, Crest Toothpaste, trick or treating, Liz Claiborne products, McDonald's, etc. But the Christmas tree one is new to me. The supporters of this idea misuse use the scripture in Jeremiah 10:2-5 (from the King James version).

2Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

5They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

Here are some problems that I see. First, the King James Version is a translation from 1611. It's hard to understand because it uses Elizabethan language from that time period. There are other really good translations that use more modern language. Second, you have to understand that the Bible sometimes uses a word like "tree" to represent something made from a tree. Like when you hear that Jesus died on a tree, He actually died on a wooden cross--made from a tree. Third, you have to dig deeper to see what the heathens were doing with the trees. They were not decorating them with nice silver and gold garland and ornaments. They were fashioning images out the wood, then covering it with silver and gold to make idols to worship. This scripture was talking about worshiping created things rather than the Creator Himself. So unless you are praying to your Christmas tree, I don't think this passage is relevant to making your decision about whether to have a Christmas tree. If you just don't want one, that's your prerogative; just don't use this passage as your reason.

One legend of how the Christmas tree got started actually revolves around Martin Luther, a founder of the Protestant faith. The story goes that he was walking through the forest one Christmas Eve. As he walked he was awed by the beauty of millions of stars glimmering through the branches of the evergreen trees. So taken was he by this beautiful sight that he cut a small tree and took it home to his family. To recreate that same starlight beauty he saw in the wood, he placed candles on all its branches. This is only one of many legends, though. Even if the practice originated in pagan rituals of some kind, that meaning has been long lost. Now they are just beautiful decorations, and the evergreen still represents life. I think God is definitely in favor of life! So there you go. That's my snopes answer for "Does God hate Christmas Trees?"

Stay With Me Here

I am not a frilly kind of mom. We wear very comfy, practical clothes most days. On Sundays, though, I usually get the girls all dolled up in their cute dresses. Now that it's winter, they have to wear tights. Little Sissy doesn't like them because they're itchy and the toes are always crooked. Big Sissy doesn't like them because they're always coming down, bringing her panties with them. Today when we got home from church, she said, "Mom. I better take my tights off. They keep distracting my panties."

Focus, panties, focus. Girls have to start early keeping everyone on task!

Cookie Day

My very brave friend Mandy invited some of us "young" moms over to make cookies today. She has 5 children, I brought 3, and there were 6 from 3 other families. That makes 14. Three of them were older, and 2 were babies, so there were really 8 preschoolers and a 7-year-old rolling, cutting, and shaking sprinkles. Did I mention she's brave??? I'm just happy nothing got broken. Thanks, Mandy, for helping our kids create fun memories together!

My Little Presbyterian

We've been to a lot of different churches the past decade while we try to find the best fit for us, and I've noticed that each brand has their own key words, or points of emphasis. My husband graduated from a conservative Presbyterian seminary, and we noticed right away that they were big on emphasizing grace. We were not brought up in a church whose emphasis was grace (we were more "law" kind of folks), so it was very refreshing. We've tried to incorporate it into our lives as much as we can and teach our kids about it. We even named one of our children after the concept.

Tonight Big Sissy had her Christmas program. It was very cute, and somehow Little Sissy slipped into the mix of children and got to sing along with them. I'm sure the teachers were wondering why they didn't remember her, but she knew all the songs from listening to the CD over and over and over and over in our van the past few weeks. We thought it was kind of funny so we didn't make her get down. (It was informal, moving through the Christmas Journey with small groups of children.) By the time it was done and our children had consumed more than a reasonable amount of sugar at the end, it was late and everyone needed to get home to bed. At one point, after waiting for what seemed like forever for Big Sissy to get her seat belt buckled, Daddy told her if she didn't hurry up she was going to "lose" her new camel and star that she just got at the program (paper things glued on craft sticks).

She sighed and said, "Dad, can I get a little grace? I'm working on it."

I had to turn my face toward the window and hold my breath so I didn't laugh out loud. She's a good Presbyterian already.

Speaking of Hair...

This is the winning photo for the 1989 "Best Hair" yearbook picture. It's unfortunate that she was very sad. She is really not going to like this picture. I think she got syrup in her hair, or she found a 20-year-old bottle of AquaNet!

You Have a Nice Face

Daddy gave Little Buddy a buzz Sunday night. I'm not sure why we decided to do this when it was 17 degrees outside. Actually, it's just much shorter than we meant to get it. I guess it's hard to pick a clipper "number" for such a little head. Two things I've noticed are (1) he looks so big! and (2) his hair seems very blonde. I'm getting used to it now, but at first it made me sad, like seeing Aslan after he was shaved in Chronicles of Narnia. Now he just looks handsome.

Keeping it Real at Christmas

I drove by our local Christmas tree "farm" (tent) today, and they had a big sign that said "Christmas trees, wreaths, and grave blankets." At first I felt startled, like they were being joy stealers. I don't want to think about death. I want to think about Christmas lights, Christmas carols, and peppermint mochas from Starbucks. Then in a split second I grew up and realized that there are many people who have a lot more to worry about this season than what to feed the reindeer or how to coordinate their wrapping paper designs. I felt very emotional the rest of my drive to meet my friend for lunch. I was thinking back on the years that my sister was suffering with her brain disease, her first brain surgery, and the fear we felt while we waited for the surgeons to finish and let us know something. Then a few years ago my mother-in-law was diagnosed with leukemia. Thank God both of these women are doing great now, but I also know that not everyone gets to see the happy ending in this life. There are a lot of people who are suffering at Christmas because they miss someone they love. Christmas seems to revolve around families, and many who could otherwise suppress it are being forced to face their loneliness. As we pause to remember why we're celebrating CHRISTmas in the first place, let's remember the holy night that changed the world forever because of the hope that Christ brings. Isaiah talks about why God sent His Son--"to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release prisoners from darkness."

The greatest Christmas song ever written (in my opinion) is "O Holy Night," written by a wine merchant in 1847. The words talk about this very idea, of the holy night that Christ was born to break the chains of sin. Every time I hear it, I feel compelled to stop whatever I'm doing and just worship. My YouTube options for this song were limited to Josh Groban, Mariah Carey, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, and Celine Dion. I picked Celine. Enjoy.

Reindeer Nutrition Part II

I just had a LONG lunch with my childhood bff--long enough that we actually talked about reindeer food. She gave me a great idea for a reindeer snack: a bowl of "magic" oatmeal. You sprinkle some glitter in it to help them fly, but the oatmeal is a good nutritious snack that won't make them sick. Great idea!!!

Reindeer Nutrition

I'll be honest. I'm having a Santa dilemma this year. We watched Polar Express with the girls while we were in Branson as part of a fun Christmas family night. It was really the first time that Big Sissy had thought much about Santa, the idea of him checking a "naughty" and "nice" list, etc. It's not really a religious dilemma. I grew up in a household where we did the whole Santa thing, and I emerged from childhood knowing the difference between reality and fantasy. I enjoy the fantastic aspect of Christmas, although I want to stress the nativity above all. The dilemma is that I am committed to never lying to my children. I won't tell them everything, of course, because they just don't need to know everything. But I won't lie to them. So as Big Sissy wants to hear more about the story of Santa, I keep starting it with, "The story goes that Santa lives at the North Pole..." This is a smart girl, though. At one point she asked, "How can Santa be both real and pretend?" This could get tricky.

I told her we could leave some treats out on Christmas Eve for Santa and his reindeer, and she got very concerned, "Mommy," she said, "we have to be careful about what treats we leave out for the reindeer. Animals can't eat too many sweets or it really makes them sick." The lines are very fuzzy between pretend and real for us. So now I guess we're going to have to compromise and leave carrots for the reindeer and something a little more fun for Santa. (Unless she decides he should probably have a salad. She has seen his picture, after all.)

Crawler on the Loose

What a difference a few days makes! The first video is of Little buddy on Thanksgiving. I knew he could crawl, because he had gone a couple of feet before. I was trying to bribe him with grapes, which is the thing he had crawled for before. He just wasn't ready, and he got so sad. Sorry about the sideways video. Ever since the computer crash, I can't seem to edit my videos or pictures like I used to.

Suddenly on Monday, we had a crawler on the loose. After that, he didn't want to sleep or eat. All he wanted to do was crawl and climb. The second video is from last night. Again, he's trying to get Big Sissy's grapes. Time to get out the gate and step up the vacuuming frequency!!! He'll be 10 months old tomorrow. Better late than never!

Managing in a Recession

I read on MSN yesterday that we are officially in a recession, which actually began in December 2007. I think I knew that, but it's just a little creepy to hear it made official. The recession in our house actually began in August 2004. That's when I had to stop working to go on bedrest during my first pregnancy. I haven't been back since (except for a few odd jobs here and there, proofreading and working at Mother's Day Out). I didn't realize how spoiled I was, but we have learned a few tips for cutting back. I would love to hear your ideas too!

1. My husband purchased a nice set of clippers and gives himself (and Little Buddy) free haircuts. This is offset, of course, by the crazy number of dollars I spend to get my hair cut, colored, and my eyebrows done. But I've cut this from 4 or 5 times a year to only 2. You might notice my hair has gotten progressively longer and darker (as have my eyebrows).

2. We buy as much as we can in bulk from Sam's Club. I sometimes brown a whole bunch of ground beef and freeze the extra for another meal later. I shop at Aldi's when I can. (This is a bare-bones, warehouse-type of grocery store. No frills. Not many brand names. Bring your own bags.)

3. We don't go out to eat as much as we used to. I would like to say we never do, but we still do. We just try to make it a treat, and we try to go places that have a "kids eat free" night.

4. I buy a local entertainment coupon book. Their grocery store coupons alone make it worth the price of the book, but then they have tons of bogo (buy one get one) coupons and some "don't buy anything but still get one free" coupons--like McDonalds coffee. (Their coffee has gotten better over the years.)

5. I save the bulk of my grocery shopping for "no coupon Thursday" at Shop 'n Save. You get $10 off automatically when you spend $50.

6. We don't get babysitters very often, but when we do, we try to make it work where they can stay with family. Or we trade off babysitting with friends.

7. We pack lunches for picnics instead of picking up lunch on the way. Sometimes we pack lunches even for a day at the mall instead of eating at the food court.

8. We LOVE hand-me-downs. The kids aren't old enough to care yet, and it is so much better than having to buy all new wardrobes every season for growing children.

9. We have a coat and costume exchange in my MOPS program. Bring a coat/costume you're done with, take home one someone else is done with. I already have a nice coat for Big Sissy to wear next year.

10. Garage sale/ebay/Craig's List.

11. We got rid of all the extras on our home phone line. We only have one at all because of internet, but we don't even have long distance. We use our cell phones for long distance calls.

12. For fun get-togethers with friends, we meet at someone's house and bring snacks instead of meeting at a restaurant. This works better with kids anyway.

12. We drive used cars.

13. My husband changes our oil or uses a coupon that makes it cheaper than changing our oil.

14. We find all the free fun stuff around town. For example, the library has great kids' programs--story times, crafts, movie nights, etc. The Magic House is free one Friday night a month. The zoo is free. The science center is free. Grandma's house is free.

15. Redbox instead of Blockbuster, and we rarely pay full price at an actual theater.

16. Good coffee and creamer at home (with to-go cups from Sam's) instead of Starbuck's.

17. I buy our kids' clothes for the next year when they are being clearanced.

18. I try to keep lights off in the rooms we're not using. (This sounds dumb, but I really can't stand it to be dark anywhere close to where I am.)

19. We are currently trying to refinance our house and maybe pay off a vehicle. I'm really excited about that possibility!

20. I love to trade services with people. For example, I used to tutor a family's children in exchange for the dad laying carpet in our house. Everyone gets something they need, and no money is exchanged.

21. We try to arrange our errands in clusters so we're not driving all over town every day. It saves on time and gas.

22. We recycle paper. Today's mapquest directions becomes tomorrow's to-do list paper.

23. We recycle random things for crafts (toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, baby food jars, etc.)

24. Preschool choir at the church down the street instead of Kindermuzik.

25. Learning at home instead of preschool this year.

I would love to hear your ideas for managing in a recession. I think most of us can still have fun. We just have to be a little more creative! I also think it's important to help each other out. If you have extra, share with someone in need. If you're in need, I hope you have a place you can go to for help (church, family, mission, etc.). This is the time to help out your brother!