MercyMe It's Christmas! CD - A FlyBy Promotions Review & GIVEAWAY

I love the sentiment of Christmas and the entire holiday season.  Despite growing up in a very financially poor home I have very fond memories of the Christmas season.  It's a time to more acutely focus on the things that matter most; the little things.  Maybe at least in part that is why I love the winter so very much.  Yes, I am one of those peculiar individuals that will merrily answer, "Winter!" when asked, "What is your favorite season?"


Seriously.


What is not to like?


There is magic in winter, a simple joy that exists in none of the other seasons, and I have been blessed to call a region home for most all of my life that has four distinct season.  Yes, it IS a blessing!  Without winter there would be no snowmen, hot cocoa, crackling fires, cute hats, snow angels, dogs flinging flakes with their noses, and Christmas just wouldn't quite feel the same.  One of the most beautiful side effects of winter and Christmas time, I believe, is seasonal music.  I have loved Christmas music ever since my mom introduced us to John Denver and The Muppets all those years ago.

My last experience with a Pizza Ranch original CD was so joyous that I couldn't resist the opportunity to review their latest CD, MercyMe, It's Christmas!  This is BY FAR my most favorite Christmas CD ever.


No joke.


I 100% absolutely LOVE this CD!!!


I would gladly share with you my favorite song if I could actually choose one.  It really is that good.  It's crankable!  (I'm a blogger.  I can make up words.) Really!  This is a full of energy, praise, joy, harmony, and power.  It evokes emotion, commands your accompaniment (you cannot help but sing along), and puts your focus on the reason for the season.  Despite this being a Christmas CD I could seriously listen to this year round.  I've got no problem playing the whole album on repeat.  It's THAT good!

In our family we have a tradition.  Christmas morning my husband and I get to go downstairs alone.  We make a pot of coffee and make sure everything is perfect and tend to any breakfast details that may be needed.  It's a quiet, peaceful time just for us.  Once we start hearing activity on the floor above, we wait just a little longer.  Suspense is a beautiful thing sometimes.  Then, when it feels right we turn on the music loud enough for the miniature humans anxiously awaiting the cue upstairs.  So begins our Christmas morning together as a family.

I bet you can guess which CD we'll be cranking to call down the children this Christmas morning.  I almost cannot wait.  Take my word for it.  This is one amazing CD!

About MercyMe It's Christmas CD and its debut with Pizza Ranch:

Mercy Me It's Christmas CD is available in Pizza Ranch locations through December 31st of this year.  It has 4 exclusive songs that can only be found on the CD version being sold by Pizza Ranch.  Each CD will be sold for $5 plus tax.  Pizza Ranch will give away the CD with a $25 gift card purchase as well as sell the full album at each of its 200 locations throughout the Midwest and Great Plains states.  "We are so excited to debu our new Christmas album, MercyMe, It's Christmas. with Pizza Ranch", said Bart Millard with MercyMe.  "Pizza Ranch is a fantastic restaurant with a great mission to glorify God.  It's the perfect gift to give this Christmas season and the perfect CD to get you in the Christmas spirit."


You know what's even better than this CD?  A FREE COPY just for you!  Just leave me a comment below and share with me your most cherished Christmas tradition, and you'll be entered in a random drawing for your very own copy shipped to your door for FREE.  It's that simple!  Trust me.  You WANT this CD.  Deadline to enter is Sunday, November 22nd.  Don't miss out on your chance!

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

When Life Gives You Lemons - A Reflection on Being Burned Out and Overwhelmed

Let me start this by saying that I have NO ANSWERS.  You won't likely find any solutions to your personal plight of burnout and the feeling of being overwhelmed from me.  But, what did you expect from a lady that has been desperately trying to keep up with a blog titled 'The Zoo Crew'?  I mean, really.

When my older seven were young and all living actively at home I would enter each summer with such hope and zeal.  My idea of summer was a slow paced few months filled with books lazily read on the porch, glasses of lemonade, trips to the beach, and occasional stops at the local ice cream shop.  Maybe a fun game of putt-putt golf.  Honestly, they rarely resembled anything of the sort.  So, as the years passed, and my hair took on a little more silver, I grew to lowering my expectations and ultimately doing away with any expectations at all.  A quote that I heard once, but I do not remember the source, has stuck with me for many a year now.

"Expectations are the surest path to disappointment."

Does this mean we should never have any expectations?  Well, of course not.  I'm not sure how much we'd accomplish in life without any expectations at all.  However, there is some real value in knowing when to have expectations and when to just let them go.  It's really quite freeing, and I would argue just the prescription for preserving what little sanity one may be managing to hold onto within the confines of this insanity we call living life.

Yes.  I said it.  Living life involves at least a little level of insanity.  (Sometimes a VERY LARGE level.)  Dealing with insanity in others as well as ourselves is a non-negotiable part of living life.   Nothing is ever as simply played out as an episode of Leave it to Beaver or Andy Griffith.  We face challenges each.and.every.day.  Some things we self-inflict, and others things are imposed upon us by those we come in contact with by whatever means.  Some challenges are monumental catastrophes while others are minor inconveniences.  Yet all things pull together, piling on top of each other, to create our own personal pack of burdens to weigh heavily on our backs.

Sometimes our packs are light, but other times our burdens seem to spill out the top.  There are so many things to manage and process in any given day, any given moment.  We all find our ways of coping and sifting through.  If I'm totally honest, I have to admit that I have been living with a bit of anxiety this summer.  There is just SO MUCH that I need to do.  Now, more than ever, I totally understand why someone would hire a house keeper, a cook, a gardener, a farm hand, and/or a nanny.

When I was younger it was easier to juggle everything, even with seven children.  The hubby and I have been through A LOT these past 19 years, and we're just plumb tuckered out.  Honestly, I know that we've been through tougher times.  Way tougher times.  Trust me.  I know.  I lived them.  Live and in living color with all the vivid realities and emotions involved.  We face life head on and we survive.  It's just what we do; how we roll.  Being able to face adversity boldly and with determination has to be the one thing we both have in common that rises above whatever else it is that binds us together.

Just because we know how to face and manage a life challenge doesn't mean that we welcome them with open arms.  There comes a time when you just desire life to serve you lemonade, not force you plant, harvest and squeeze your own.  Sometimes you just want your lemonade handed to you on a silver platter.

"Yes, please!"

Even though I wouldn't consider us to be old, we have learned over time to appreciate the moments that make up our life.  I am reminded of a time when I was happy, felt accomplished, by the crossing off of each day on the calendar.  Then, one day it dawned on me that the crossing off of a day on the calendar is not something to be so readily celebrated.  That big X on the calendar is a visible reminder of another 24 hours behind us that can never be recovered, a day closer to the end of our time on this constantly moving sphere propelling us through space and time.  Days gone by are created by present moments, and the only way we can truly capitalize on them is by being as completely present as humanly possible in each and every moment that consumes our life.

Trust me.  I am working on this.  Really.  I am.  Like everything it is a process though.  I don't believe that you can't teach an old dog new tricks.  As long as our hearts are beating and our minds are working we CAN learn new ways of living.  We CAN become more present grandchildren, children, spouses, parents, fellow human beings.  There is SO MUCH to be gained by just being in the here and now.

"Therefore do not be anxious, saying. 'What shall we eat?' 

or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

For the Gentiles seek after all these things,

and your Father knows that you need them all.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,

and all these things will be added to you.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

~ Matthew 6:31-34

It's not only the worries that can bog us down, but the intricacies of just living life; the personal demands we have on us.  Learning to set priorities and just let things go has helped me tremendously.  Does it bother me that my house NEVER (Literally never.  I am NOT exaggerating.) seems to be clean anymore?  Of course it doesn't

BUT.  

Is that more important than cuddling my five-year-old when his cup needs to be filled?  Absolutely not.  The dusting CAN wait.  

Is it more important than coloring with my four-year-old when she just needs some quality time with mama?  Absolutely, unequivocally not.  The sweeping CAN wait.  

Is it more important than watching a movie with my 10-year-old while the littles slumber in quiet time?  100% no way!  The dishes CAN wait.

Is it more important than being there for a friend in need?  Not on a bet.  The laundry CAN wait.  

No matter what, the cleaning will always be there... 

...and the state of my home will NEVER be more important than being there for those that are in my life and need my time.  For time is more valuable than any other commodity of value in my life.  I cannot honestly say that I have always fully understood the true value of my time.  

This year is bringing forth a stage in life that I've never experienced despite the fact that I've raised seven children to adulthood.  We have three young ones in three different grades in our homeschool.  We've done high school like this, but never early elementary, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little bit intimidated by this school year.  I've had two cram sessions of planning so far, and one more on the horizon.  I'm not so sure I'll be fully ready after my last cram session this week, but I will at least be well on my way.  All we can do is just dive in and see what works and what doesn't.  

I am thankful for my more laid back approach to life, the friends and family that encourage me along the way, and the freedom that we have to live and learn together as a family and community.  Although my life is basically nothing like I imagined it would be at this stage in the game I'd be hard pressed to see it any other way.  So, even though summer didn't serve me lemonade on a silver platter, fall is just around the corner in all its glorious splendor.  I have hope that my plans for the school year will be blessed and that my attitude in regard to expectations and mindful living will provide the flexibility we need to find peace in our days and joy in our moments.

And...

...there's always hot cocoa!

Enter the Double Digits!

Time flies!  Really.  Even when it seems like it's dragging by it's really just an illusion.  You blink, and years have passed.  It's like a flash in the pan.  Seems like just yesterday the girls came to live with us, and we were celebrating Harmony's 7th birthday.  Just this past weekend we celebrated number 10!  How does that happen?

She's grown SO much in form and in spirit.  That little girl that moved in with Nana and Papa a few years ago with all that anger and hostility is quickly (sometimes it really does not seem to be quickly) growing into a more mature young lady.  How can that be?  We've seen enough children through to adulthood by now that we know it really is just a short period of time before they're off and on their own dealing with their own challenges and triumphs.  For now, we're going to enjoy them right where they are, and spend as much time in the present as we possibly can.

Her party was a blast!  Believe it or not we had a house/yard full, and it was pretty much all immediate family.  And, because this mama has no fear we pulled off a double party that day.  You read that correctly.  We celebrated Harmony's 10th birthday from 1-4 p.m. then we followed it up with a little farewell party of sorts to see our Navy son off for his first overseas deployment.  Still can't believe he's on the other side of the world.  Sniff, sniff.  Unfortunately, we didn't get too many pictures from our son's portion of the party, but it's all good.  We have our super fond memories.

With our first batch of children we had birthday parties each year.  Most of them saw their way straight through the public school system, and it was a nice way for me to see the friends they were choosing away from home.  I liked having a little glimpse into their school life.  As the younger portion of that batch grew older and we morphed into a homeschooling family our outlook on birthday parties changed.  Now, with this current batch of wee ones we are taking a totally different approach.  Of course we celebrate as a family each year with their choice of meals and dessert on their actual birthday, but at ages 1, 7, 10, 13, and 16 we will have an actual party with games, friends, and party food.  We all seem to enjoy it much more this way.

Since Harmony turned 10 this year, she got her party.  Unfortunately, her two best friends we unable to attend, but fortunately we have a HUGE family.  So, she got her big party, and it was a blast.  Here are some highlights:

Had a blast making these owl cupcakes!

All the kids got to make nature sun catchers.

All ages love to blow bubbles!

Lawn twister was a blast.

These always take WAY LONGER to fill than you would think...

...but they're SO MUCH fun!

All the kids have been liking soccer lately.

Waiting for cupcakes.

Past, present, and future.

Birthday Girl!

The matriarch and patriarch of our five generations.

Ice cream and four wheelers!

Best buds forever.

And, there were chickens.

Doesn't this just warm your heart?

Silly...

...silly...

...and more silly!

We thoroughly enjoy the natural progression of our family traditions.  It's fun to join the kids in their journey and watch the way they naturally create them along the way.  What traditions have developed over time in your family?  We'd love to hear about them!

*All photos shot by Leah Lauzon and edited by myself.

Experiencing 4-H

This past year was our second year in 4-H.  The first year we joined an official club, but unfortunately we didn't learn a lot about actually participating in a project and entering the fair.  It was a great year filled with fun activities and interesting learning experiences, but we left still not knowing how to prepare for and enter the fair.

Our second year was much different.  A fellow homeschool mom and myself formed our own little "farm group" with our two families.  The kids chose the meeting topics, and we planned the lessons.  Our meetings were run by the kids in a fashion very similar to an official 4-H club.  We chose to remain unofficial, and it seems to have been a perfect choice for us.

Anyone can enter the fair, so we spent the year facilitating the process of preparation for each child.  All in all five of our children entered the fair, and it was an amazing experience all the way around.  Bella and Avery are both looking forward to participating next year.  It was difficult to rope them in this year, but they are much more interested having seen Harmony go through the full process.  We also took some time in the still exhibit barn exploring what others entered in their age groups since they would be Clover Sprouts.  There were some pretty interesting things to behold.

Initially, Harmony was interested in entering two projects in the fair; drop cookies and photography.  Ultimately, we decided to go with one project; drop cookies.  She found a recipe via my vast Pinterest collection that sounded good to her, and she set about making it her own.  Beginning in February she started practicing her recipe and altering it to her liking.  The most challenging part for her was learning to make the cookies all a consistent size despite using a cookie scoop.  After a little concerted effort she's pretty well got it down.

She was super nervous about the interview process, but it went wonderful.  I'm glad she had the experience.  I'm sure she won't be quite as worried next year.  The judges are super friendly, and it really isn't an intimidating process at all.  The two comments she got on her recipe were "very, very good" and "good job knowing the recipe".  She worked on it so much that she pretty much had it memorized by the time she made them for the judges.

Here's a little scrap book of her experience:

She is super proud, and so are we.  I don't think any of us expected anything like this.  What a wonderful first time experience it was for us.  If you've been thinking about 4-H for your family, I cannot recommend it enough.  Whether you join an official club, meet with some friends, or do it on your own it's totally worth it.  We are fortunate to live right near the fairgrounds in our county, and fair week is much anticipated in our family.  Now that we're actually part of the program it will bring even greater anticipation and excitement.  So glad we finally did it!

All Work, No Play

I've been pushing myself pretty hard the last several weeks, and it's starting to show.  June started out with two weddings, one of them for our daughter.  Then, our oldest at home ventured off to summer camp for the third year in a row.  Right after that the hubby took a week off of work to work at home.  LOL  That's life married to a work-a-holic.  We did accomplish a lot here on the homestead though.  We've got 38 chickens and four sheep now.  Our new wood shelter is just waiting to hold our winter heating fuel.  The felled tree is still begging for our attention, but the bobcat is up and running and being useful.

Now, we're in full swing for our first time participating in the 4-H fair.  We're blessed in that the St. Clair County Fairgrounds are "just around the corner."  Attending every day of the week has quickly become a family tradition.  The kids spend all year looking forward to Dollar Day, the only day they actually get to ride the rides.  There is so much to see and enjoy, and it's a much anticipated event for us.  This year Harmony will be entering her Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Pecan Drop Cookies.  I can tell you first hand that they are wonderful.  We've been her test subjects for a few months now, and we will surely miss our weekly batch of cookies after her cookies have been officially entered.  She's both excited and nervous, but who wouldn't be.

In the meantime I have been laboriously re-purposing FIVE ROOMS in our home.  Talk about a HUGE undertaking!  I'm exhausted, but does it ever feel good to finally be reclaiming our space after all the changes our family has faced these last few years.  So many people moving in and out in such a short time, adding two children to the family, and plunging head first back into homeschooling has taken a tremendous toll on the state of our home.  We've still got a lot to do, but the dust is finally settling in the rooms...thankfully!  The next big project will be going through ALL of the closets.  I say, "BRING IT!".

The major reorganization of our space will have to be put on hold for at least a couple weeks while we enjoy our 4-H week as well as the company of our Navy son before he leaves for his next deployment.  Some things are just more important than projects.

Today, we took a much needed break from all the work around here.  We slept in, listened to Pam Rossi and Sunday Morning Overeasy while cooking a big breakfast together, played a round of the old board game LIFE, relaxed a while, took the kids out for pizza, stopped by the park, and watched them play in the sprinkler.  It was a much needed remedy for two very overworked parents.

Now, the evening is coming to a close.  We introduced the kids to The Dick Van Dyke Show, and now we're watching M*A*S*H, another family tradition.  The time has come for teeth to be brushed and kids to be tucked in.  Wonder what stories they'll choose tonight.

What have you been up to this summer?  Are you looking forward to any traditional activities this year?  Have you already honored some?  We'd love to hear all about it!

For now, sweet dreams!

Mourning - A Path Diverted

It's been said in a circle or two of my closest friends and family that if we knew what we were getting into when we got married there'd be far less married couples in the world.  The business of carrying on a healthy relationship with anyone over the course of a lifetime is a challenge to say the least.  Not to mention the complexities of the baggage we bring to the partnership and the reality of living in the same home, sharing the same bed in the same room day after day, night after night, week after week, month after month, year after year, and even decade after decade.  Getting along with someone, anyone, in those circumstances over that period of time seems darned near impossible.  Some of us succeed, but many of us fail, and plenty of us are just crazy enough to try multiple times.

I'm going to step out on a limb here and say that, if we are really honest with ourselves, the very same thing could easily be said about having children.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my children; all 10 of them.  However, this parenting thing isn't really turning out the way I envisioned it at all.  The one thing I could have never prepared for is the potential heart break.  I can say without hesitation that raising children has caused me more heartbreak than any relationship I've ever had in my entire life, and I've had some pretty devastating experiences in my lifetime; in my short 44 year lifetime, that is.  I can only imagine what I will have to share if I am fortunate enough to make it another 44 years on this planet.  I'm almost frightened of what I might have to share. 

I have a new found respect for my elders.  That is without question.  I respect the challenges faced to earn wisdom, and I respect that it quite certainly came through painful experience.  Wisdom is rarely gained easily.  More often the most valuable experiences come at the greatest cost.  True, valuable life lessons are not easily won.  We must work hard, be brave, and appreciate the value of failure in order to truly grow as individuals.  There are no guarantees.  There is no "magic" formula for the perfect family.  We can seemingly do everything right and come up with negative outcomes.  Conversely, we can do everything inherently wrong and come up with positive outcomes.  It's just the reality of living and loving.  Failure, despite our best efforts, is always a real possibility.

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, 

though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, 

though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 

I will be joyful in God my Savior.  

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; 

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, 

he enables me to go on the heights."  

~ Habakkuk 3:17-19

What is failure?  Failure is defined in two ways.  One - lack of success.  Two - the omission of expected or required action.  When we begin our journey as a parent we are so optimistic and hopeful.  We imagine great things for our children, and we pull out all the stops to assist them in achieving success; whatever that may look like.  It never dawns on us that things may not turn out as we expect.  What do you mean my child may not be successful?  What do you mean we may experience life altering, heart breaking, mind blowing circumstances that forever alter the course of our lives and the lives of our children?

Somewhere along the way we realize that we are not the only influence in our children's lives.  We are not the only guiding force.  We are not the only ones sharing wisdom and providing guidance to our children; both wise and not so wise.  Our children are not the only ones learning lessons.  As parents we will be learning some big lessons on the heels of the choices of our children.  Our lives will never fully be the same, and we have no way of anticipating just what our existence will look like after 15 or 20 or 30 years of being a parent.  

"A foolish son is a grief to his father 

and bitterness to her who bore him."

~ Proverbs 17:25

No one ever tells us just how hard it is to usher these young people into adulthood.  No one tells us the power they have to just shatter every perception we ever had about parenthood and relating to our offspring.  No one ever tells us the amount of sleep we'll lose, not when they're young and require more hands on parenting, but when they are older and require more hands off parenting.  Only an experienced parent knows that the newborn stage is the easiest it will ever be, and can speak so with gut wrenching honesty.  The challenges only increase over time.

Don't get me wrong.  It's not all bumps and bruises and tears.  There are times of joy and celebration.  It isn't the same for everyone.  Maybe your joys far outweigh your sorrows.  Praise God!  However, there are those of us that experience more challenging seasons; more winters than summers.  Some of us get rocked by the stormy seas more than we sail on the calm waters.  That's just life, and it really is normal; maybe more so than we'd care to admit.

I think it's safe to say that real life, for the vast majority of us, is not the sum of our well orchestrated Facebook and blog posts.  Real life is messy.  There is pain; more than we ever thought possible.  In real life we mourn a lot more than we share.  We mourn in ways we never dreamed. like the loss of a child that is still living, or the shattering of lifelong ambitions at the hands of the poor decisions of our children.  Nothing can prepare us for these things in life, but love can sustain us.  Hope can lift our spirits and strengthen our hearts to persist for another day.  Faith CAN move a mountain, and we can find joy within the trials, even when they belt us one after the other.

Sometimes it is difficult to maintain perspective when we are thrown blow after blow after blow after gut pounding blow.  We don't always feel like picking ourselves up, and it may even take us longer than we imagined to pull ourselves off the floor and rise again to face another day.  When we put our faith in God and truly learn how to hand over our burdens, then we can embrace our reality more openly.  We can take the bad with the bad and find that little bit of good to focus our attention and energy.  There is not a moment we are alone in our struggles, even when we can't necessarily feel it.

Here are some bible verses that encourage me.  Maybe they will bring you a bit of peace as well.

"He gives strength to the weary 

and increases the power of the weak."

~ Isiah 40:29

"My soul is weary with sorrow; 

strengthen me according to your word."

~ Psalm 119:28

"Finally, be strong in the Lord 

and in his mighty power."

~ Ephesians 6:10

"God is our refuge and strength, 

an ever present help in trouble."

~ Psalm 46:1

"As you do not know the path of the wind, 

or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, 

so you cannot understand the work of God, 

the maker of all things."

~ Ecclesiastes 11:5

"Just as a father has compassion on his children, 

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him."

~ Psalm 103:13

December in Our Home School

I've been looking forward to December for months.  This year is the first time I've ever just slowed our pace way down and enjoyed the season full on.  Thankfully, illness has pretty much left our home, and life is starting to become a little more normal.  If I can just manage a few, full-nights of sleep maybe I will start to feel a little more normal myself.

In the meantime the kids and I have been enjoying our special Christmas routine, and it's hard to believe Christmas is right around the corner.  I thought I'd share with you the things we planned, both what we've done and what's managed to slip through the cracks, and the things we still have on the agenda for December.  There is still plenty of time to enjoy a few crafts or activities together as a family.  Maybe you'll find something here that looks like fun, or you can visit my Pinterest board for lots of other Christmas ideas.

1.  Wrap 25 Christmas Books and Read Them - My favorite idea of all I actually failed to do.  Maybe we'll get lucky, and there will be no illness in our home next fall, and I can pull this one off next year.   I originally discovered the idea from Counting Coconuts who got it from The Picky Apple.  (Anyone else feel like they're in that old shampoo commercial?)  Anyway, the idea is simple.  You wrap 25 books with a Christmas theme and open one each night, and read it as a family.

2.  Make Tamales on Christmas Eve - Well, I didn't actually plan to do it ON Christmas Eve, but this is a tradition that I really want to implement in our home.  Our youngest son is 50% Mexican, and I totally believe in growing up with a knowledge of our heritage.  For me, food is such a fun way to learn culture.  Making tamales on Christmas and/or New Year's Eve is a Mexican tradition that I love because it's about family and friends coming together to cook, eat, and celebrate.

3.  Family Movie Night - We've already watched a few Christmas movies, but one of my favorite is to watch The Polar Express very close to Christmas and make it special.  I love the idea of taking the experience a little further with added activities.  Fantastic Fun and Learning shares some wonderful ideas that I plan to choose from before our Polar Express Pajama Party this weekend.  Typically, we make hot chocolate and pop a large bowl of popcorn.  I bought the book this year.  Can you believe I didn't own this one already?  We'll probably read it during the day and enjoy some activities.  Then, we'll watch the movie together as a family.  Honestly, I really look forward to this each year.

4.  Make Cotton Ball Snow - The month of December began with decorating.  Hubby and I got the tree together this year from a local lot forgoing the whole tree farm experience we had planned since all of our children were still sick.  We got the tree set up, and let it get happy for a couple days.  Meanwhile, the kids and I dug out all the Christmas decorations and sorted them out on the first day.  The next day we decorated the house.  Then, the next day we decorated the tree.  It was fun spreading the process out like that, and it totally took away any stress that may have been involved in the process and instead created anticipation.  The day after we decorated the tree we strung cotton balls on thread and hung it in the walkways of our home.  I got the idea here.  It was fun for all of the kids, and it does look really cool.  I purchase plastic needles so the little kids could do it without worry.

The Supplies

I knotted the thread on the needle so the kids didn't have to worry about it slipping out.

We later added snowflakes from the beams.  It created a really cool effect.

Other ideas still on the list include:

Crockpot Cinnamon Almonds

Footprint Snowmen

Fingerprint Art

Popsicle Stick Snowflakes

Borax Snowflakes

Craft Stick Snowmen

Scavenger Hunt while Looking at Lights

Christmas Sensory Bin

Tortilla Snowflakes

Toilet Roll Reindeer

Nativity Sun Catcher

Frosty Winter Art

Christmas isn't here yet, and winter hasn't even begun, so there is still plenty of time to enjoy all of the above activities.  From our family to yours...

Merry Christmas!

Canning

I am a huge fan of serendipity.  There's just something about it that I don't even know quite how to put into words.  Somehow it makes me feel comforted, driven; like maybe there really is real purpose to the things we do.  Even the little things.

Last year I was gifted a jar of green tomato relish that was purchased from a lady Up North at a garage sale.  It was one of the best things I've ever tasted.  Seriously.  I've wanted more ever since.  I even thought it would be fun to make.  Fast forward to this fall.  I attended a Fall Harvest Swap through our local homeschool group.  One of my friends made salsa and green tomato relish as her swap gift.  She even included the recipe.  I was so excited when I saw that it was green tomato relish!  This was my opportunity to get the recipe.  Never did I imagine that I would end up with her trade item as mine.  I found myself with a sample jar AND the recipe.  BONUS!

This past weekend, the hubby and I took the kids to a local, family owned orchard.  The best kind, right?  We enjoyed fresh donuts and cider, picked apples, and even took a hay ride.  The kids loved it, and it was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  We even ran into the fellow homeschooling friends that recommended the orchard.  Plus, all of their apples were considered seconds this year, so I was able to get a bushel for $8.  Bonus, again!

It had been about five years or more since I last did any canning.  My last experience was when I learned that you must not ignore the advice of wearing gloves when processing jalapenos for salsa.  Yes, I still insist upon learning some things the hard way.  Anyway, I dug out all of my canning gear on Monday.  I never did find my canning rack, so I just made do without one.  The kids and I had a wonderful time making applesauce with the $8 bushel of apples, and green tomato relish with our abundant harvest of green tomatoes that we planted this year.  I planted late, so we just picked them the end of last week.  

It made for a long day Tuesday, but the kids loved the process.  They learned a lot about history, where our food comes from, and being self-sufficient.  We sampled the relish that night, and it is amazing.  This experience canning was important for me.  I planned our next school year around the growing season.  We are gong to put up as much food as possible as it comes into season.  By doing this small project, 49 jars total, I was able to see that I can do it.  Canning is hard work, and it is time consuming, but there is no greater reward than feeding your family good food that you worked to provide them.  I got 49 jars of food for $8 and about six hours of my time.  Not bad!  Granted, I did already have the canning supplies, so there was no investment financially there.  (Double bonus - They were all gifted to me!)

If you never have canned before, it really is worth the effort.  The key is to be prepared, have all your supplies set up, and the time set aside.  Make sure you have all of your ingredients before hand, and that you have read the entire recipe.  The relish I made requires part of the ingredients to sit 12 hours before you actually make the recipe.  So, I did it the night before, and just let it sit overnight until I was ready to actually do the canning.  I made the mistake of thinking I had all of the ingredients, and then finding out that I didn't.  Fortunately, it was easy enough to pause the recipe and have the hubby grab the ingredients on his way home.  It all worked out, but it did remind me the importance of checking ahead of time just to be certain.

I am so glad I grew up helping my grandma, aunt, and mom can food.  It still is nothing to talk to my 80 year old grandma and have her say, "I put up 60 quarts of pears yesterday."  Of course, she says it off hand like it was nothing.  Let me tell you it's something.  Real work goes into putting up our own food, but doing so is its own reward.  There is everything to be gained, and nothing to be lost.  Now is the perfect time to look online to see what is in season when in your area.  Sustainable Table has a nice Seasonal Food Guide.  You just select your state, and they provide you with a list of in season items as well as information about the food and even some recipes.

The next thing we plan to put up is pumpkin puree.  We will be freezing that.  The big item on my wishlist is a pressure canner.  I hope to have one before spring so that I can preserve low acid foods like carrots and green beans and such.  It is my goal to can as much as possible so that our food stores are not reliant on electricity to last.  However, in the meantime I will be freezing some things as we go along.  Fresh pumpkin is wonderful, and it is so versatile.  It's also affordable and easy to process.  Another bonus!

Throwback Thursday

I originally published this post on July 1, 2008.  That means it has been six years, and I find myself in a similar circumstance.  At least I've grown to the point that it makes me laugh instead of cry.

Lost and Found

Well, as you know if you've read much here, our family is big. Over half of our seven children are off and on their own. In January we had an influx of kids hanging their hats here, so to speak. We had the uncomfortable task of assisting them in transitioning from one place to another on their life journey.

Anyway, in all the accommodating and moving around of things we experienced a few side effects that are just beginning to heal themselves. We keep finding remnants of those that transitioned here. I have three bags sitting in the office of said remnants waiting to be returned to their rightful owners.

The largest side-effect was the consumption of our garage by items that just seem to have planted themselves there. My big project for this summer is to go through the garage, return what is wanted by non-residents, sort and price the remaining items, and have a garage sale. Of course, we are all about simple living, therefor all remaining items will be donated to charity.

By far the most frustrating and puzzling side-effect suffered was the misplacing of my pictures from the living room. See our first set of transitioning individuals found their way to our home New Year's Eve. This means that Christmas decorations were still up, which in turn means that normal wall hangings and such were put away to allow for seasonal decorating.

You do realize that it is now almost SEVEN MONTHS since decorations came down, right? I could remember where they were before we changed everything around to accommodate unexpected residents, but where they landed after that has been a real mystery. I have searched high and low for these personal treasures.

I just love hidden blessings! We had to pull everything out of the office closet today to allow access to the space under our house for and unexpected meter reading for the city. See, here we have a water meter outside, and we have a water meter inside. Ours just happens to be located under the house in the old Michigan Basement accessed via the crawl space through the bottom of the closet. What at first seemed like a minor inconvenience became an unexpected brightener of my day.

Guess what I found? The missing pictures!!! I was SO happy. Remember, I said this was a personal treasure, right? My husband came home for lunch, as he always does, and he didn't even notice, despite that the living room finally looks all put back together! :-)

I Love John Rosemond!

Okay, I love my husband a lot more, and love might be too strong of a word, but I do have a great respect for Dr. Rosemond.  He is a breath of fresh air to this couple right here.  We both enjoyed listening to him very much at the GHC convention in Cincinnati.  I thought it might be fun to revisit my notes and share with you what I learned.

Dr. Rosemond is very easy to listen to.  He is matter of fact and quite funny.  At the end of each seminar he left us wanting more; not that his talk was missing anything, just that he was that enjoyable to listen to.  My husband and I both agreed that we could have listened to him well into the night.

We feel challenged by the ideas of Dr. Rosemond.  His insight is well founded and spot on.  With his help, we traveled back several decades to the 1950's, and beyond, where he reminded us of the parenting styles of our mothers and grandmothers.  One thought that stuck with me is, "My mother expected me to pay attention to her."  Why, yes.  Yes she did!  His charge is that today's mother pays too much attention to her children, and that attention has profoundly negative effects on the very children we are so desperately trying to positively influence.

Based on his education in psychology and his own experience as a parent, Dr. Rosemond contends that this parental shift of sorts happened in the 1960's when parents quit listening to and learning from their elders in regard to parenting their own children.  Rather, they started listening to the flawed advice of psychologists and so called professionals.  From that point forward the behavior of our children has disintegrated, and our stress level has sky rocketed.  Today's mom has the bar raised so high that she can never achieve the standards she's set for herself, but she wears herself out to no end trying.  I have to admit my guilt in this one.  I have tortured myself day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, and even decade after decade trying so desperately to learn the best way to parent my children without messing them up too much.  What a daunting task it has been at times!

Dr. Rosemond contends that today's mother works much harder than the mothers of decades past while she raises half the children her grandmother did.  It's really ridiculous if you stop and think about it, and think about it I have.  My husband and I had already been pondering some of these things.  We just hadn't found our way quite to the level Dr. Rosemond took us.  One thing that always bothered me was the level of effort we put forth to extract obedience from our children; never mind the multitudes of failures in this department over the years.  I had already been discussing this with my husband.  Don't get me wrong.  I wasn't a perfect kid.  I made some terrible mistakes growing up, but for the most part I did what I was told when I was asked to do something.  My mom didn't have to fight with me to do my part around the house.  I knew what was expected, and I did it.  There were no chore charts, no allowance, and rarely a remind.  She never had to correct how I folded the towels or go behind me because I missed the corners when I dusted.  There was no reminder to put the milk back in the refrigerator, and she didn't have to remove something from the cupboard due to me putting it in the wrong place.  It didn't happen.  I was taught how to do things right and to do it right the first time.  There were no battles.  I've never been able to understand why I wasn't able to pull that level of efficiency off with our own children.  I always chalked it up to being a combined family.  Now, I would have to say that would be incorrect.

Another thing that really stood out to me is the point Dr. Rosemond made about his mom spending time with her friends and what they did, or didn't, talk about.  He shared that he had asked his mother what she used to talk about with her girlfriends when he was a kid.  Guess what?  It was everything BUT him!  I know I have personally spent a lot of time talking with trusted individuals about my parenting challenges over the years.  Moms of the past did no such thing.  They didn't talk about their children.  Instead, the talked about their interests and how they were spending their time.  They were INTERESTING!  Are you interesting?  I know I am not so interesting, and it has been a struggle of my heart.  I have been frustrated very much in this department for quite some time.  I am so wrapped up in my children that there is NO time for ME.  I have felt lost in parenthood for many years now.  A couple of years ago I was just glimpsing the illusion of freedom, and it did feel good, then we became parents of three instead of one.  (For those of you that are unfamiliar, we had already raised seven children when we adopted one more.  Then, we also became parents to two of our grandchildren unexpectedly.  Vacation over!  LOL)  I say illusion, because I really didn't know that I was my own gate keeper.

This idea ties into another area of discussion between the husband and myself, freedom for the kids.  Dr. Rosemond hit on this as well.  Kids NEED time that is unstructured.  In today's society we are SO structured with an abundance of activities.  We cart kids from one thing to the next, and they rarely have time all to themselves.  One thing I have known for a long time is that kids actually NEED to get bored.  Boredom does breed creativity.  My conclusion?  If we actually allow our children unstructured time to explore, play, and just be children, then we mothers will have plenty of time to explore, play, and just be ourselves.  We can take off our hats and truly be who we are.  We CAN be interesting!  We do not need to be so wrapped up in the lives of our children that we cannot do anything relevant to ourselves.  Seriously!  If we do not make it a point to be interesting and be MORE than mothers to our children our children WILL view us as dispensers of entitlements.  This, dear friend, is a fact.  I have seen it plain and simple in our family as well as the families of those near and dear to my heart.

How do you feel when I make this statement?  "Children should be seen, and not heard."  It used to ruffle my feathers.  Now, I view it in a totally different light.  I love including children in conversation, but there is a distinct line that has been muddied over the decades of degradation.  Though the aforementioned statement may seem blunt and harsh to we parents of today, there is a value in the philosophy that has been going right over our heads.  It may be even more relevant to those of us that are homeschoolers.  When children are "seen, and not heard" they are cast in the role of the student.  The distinction between adult and child becomes clear, and children are effectively taught to become adults.

We, my husband I, are still learning how to be effective parents in our home.  Raising seven children in the circumstances that we did taught us a lot.  It laid the foundation for us to be capable of raising the children currently in our charge.  Our hearts and minds have never been more open to the prompting of God, especially with regard to the care and keeping of children.  I know what I have shared my strike a nerve with some of you.  However, when I am completely honest with myself I am acutely aware of the way things have degraded within our society.  I believe in the Biblical principles as the foundation for family, and I am constantly working toward understanding what the Bible has to say and how to apply it to my life.  I long for a self-sufficient life for my children based on Godly principles and Biblical virtues.  With this in mind I will continue to educate myself, keep my heart open to the prompting of God, and share with others what I learn along the way.  Over the coming months I will continue to share on this and related subjects.  I hope the things God has put on my heart with challenge your thinking as well as encourage you along your own personal journey with your Creator, your family, yourself, and your community.