Christmas Traditions

Last week was a heavy hitter week and so this week I am lightening things up a bit and blogging on one of the subjects I was asked to blog on.

Christmas Traditions

My husband would be quick to claim that all of my Christmas traditions couldn't possibly fit in one post. Christmas is my favorite holiday and I am kind of a tradition junkie. And I agree with him. We do many of the "usuals." Touring lights. A christmas ornament for each of our kiddos. And we are kind of obsessed with our creative Christmas card.

So, I thought I would choose 3 of our more "original" traditions to share.

25 Days of Christmas Books
I didn't make this idea up but I have successfully implemented it for at least 3 years now. Each year I wrap up 25 Christmas books and number them. (Usually I do it in January when I take down my decorations so they are set for the next year.) Then each night in December we open one and read it as a family along with our Advent Book. The kids absolutely love this. Its basically free and I love how we gather each day to snuggle up. Then once the books are open we add them to our Christmas book collection basket to be read over and over. The kids love waiting and watching for their favorites.

You are probably thinking "You have 25 Christmas books?" Umm...yes. Actually we have more. The basket isn't empty when we start. My kids get a Christmas book each year. It used to be each of them got their very own book, now we usually do just one to share. Most of our books were purchased second hand. With this tradition in mind I was able to find lots of options over one summer of yard sales. And I've picked up a few on ebay I wanted but couldn't find locally. And if you are wanting to start this year and be budget friendly I knew someone who actually wrapped library books.

Our Advent Book
The other book we read each night in December is our Advent Book. It was recommended to me by Jill Savage and I absolutely LOVE it. The book is heirloom quality. Each day it has a door to open. Inside is a beautiful illustrations and part of the biblical Christmas story. Each day you start at the beginning and open each door up to the current day. So you read day one twenty five times. I love that the words are straight from Scripture. My kids basically have it memorized because of the repetition. Before any of my kiddos were readers they would help "read" the days they had memorized.

Now you all want the book, right? Here is my disclaimer. Its expensive. Like I'm probably one of the most frugal people you know, right? So you are going to die when you hear how much I paid for this book. I think it was like $45 when I bought it. So not cheap. However, I would pay it again. I simply love it. While I know we could make the same memories with a cheaper book I really love this one and the heart behind the couple who made it. Their ministry is helping families celebrate and make traditions.

You should check out their website for tons of free ideas for celebrating and making memories with your kids.

(The book can be purchased there and I don't get anything if you decide to purchase FYI.)

Christmas Meals on Wheels
I saved the most unique of our traditions for last. You've probably never heard of this one. It has its roots in my very own childhood. My mom is amazing. If you think I'm a decent cook, baker, or food sharer its her you owe the thank you to. When I was younger she loved to bless others with good food. All of our coaches, helpers, and sunday school teachers usually got cinnamon rolls or sometimes a homemade pizza for Christmas. I remember I loved going with her to deliver them. She had a reputation and people were always thankful to get some of her cinnamon rolls. Over the years I've baked cinnamon rolls and cheese cakes for Jeremy's youth workers. But, when it came time to thank our kids' sunday school teachers we decided to do dinner.

I will make a dinner I can make in mass. One year I did homemade pizzas. One year I did soup and rolls. Then we load all that food and our children up in our van. We drive around delivering it to our children's sunday school teachers, encourager, and children's minister. It usually takes a good hour or more to do all the deliveries. We put a Christmas movie on for the kids to watch. When we get to their teachers house they get to get out and help deliver. When its all delivered (or sometimes as we are delivering) we eat fast food. ( a huge treat for our kids.)

We've done this for two years. Minus last year when we were getting ready to go to Africa. They got truffles on Valentines day instead last year, because the point of traditions isn't to make yourself want to scream. ;)

So there you have it friends. We love us some Christmas, mostly because we'd be lost if Jesus hadn't been born!

When God Gives You What You Need

I have opened this new blog post tab numerous times this week.

I just couldn't find anything to say.

I even took my plight to FB and got wonderful suggestions from some friends. But, alas I stink at forced creativity. Which is TOTALLY my mom's fault. When I have an idea its good, and when I can't find one and ask others for help I inevitably end up waiting for my own idea because I'm not good at running with someone else's creativity most of the time. (This make my husband adore me and never makes him supremely frustrated when he happens to be the person I'm asking for help!)

What I really needed was to go for a walk with a friend and talk for like twenty minutes until my idea surfaced. Its usually in there somewhere I just need someone to help bring it to the surface. (I said friend because this role frustrates my husband because apparently men don't talk to process. Go figure. Bless my husband for putting up with me!)

And so I "took a walk" over the phone with a friend this week and did some processing. And I knew from the start the reason I didn't have a post idea. Because the thing God wanted me to post about this week I had anchored down and tucked away. But, alas the Lord has made it clear that I should share what he taught me this week.

Right now my spirit is saying, "Boo to transparency!" But I type anyway.

Last week Jeremy and I spent in fasting and prayer. We have been seeking the Lord's direction for our lives. We had been planning this time for over a month and asked a few people to join with us. It sounds very spiritual. However, the week was much less romantic then it sounds. Jeremy was slammed at work. I was up to my eye balls in trying to finish up Orphan Sunday planning. We barely saw each other. We muddled through and prayed individually, but I'm not even sure we got to pray together.  And my fast was a total bust. I broke it early because I almost devoured our two smallish children with angry words. I've never done that-the breaking the fast early part- not the angry words part...apparently Satan really doesn't want us listening.

Random Side Note: The Lord was gracious to bring to mind a similar story from Greg Pruett's book Extreme Prayer  from when they tried to seek the Lord in prayer. I began reading the book again. You should read it too. I have a copy you can borrow. One of my best reads this year!

Okay, back from the commercial.

I was feeling very discouraged and frustrated. At the end of the week Jeremy and I both felt no closer to making decisions than when we started. We still have no idea what we are supposed to be when we "grow up."

So I was avoiding. Friend One calls Monday. We talk about everything...and she finally asks about how it went. I have nothing. I'm frustrated and discouraged and kind of embarrassed if I'm really honest. Friend Two texts on Tuesday. I don't text back. What am I supposed to say? It was a disaster? Friend Three messages on Wednesday. I ignore again. I'm feeling desperate at this point. I can't avoid them forever.

Enter my Thursday morning quiet time. God broke the silence. I decided to go back through the words and Scriptures that my friends had shared with me the previous week. I had wrote them all in my journal and read them numerous times. I finally admitted what I had already seen the week before. Over and over I saw a similar theme.

The curse words of my spiritual existence.

Wait

Wait patiently

God will honor your waiting upon Him

Wait

Keep on asking

Keep on seeking

Keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord

Patient in affliction

Faithful in prayer

Joyful in HOPE

Unfortunately the first time around these words didn't leaving me feeling hopeful. They left me feeling despair.

I DON'T WANT TO WAIT ANYMORE!

(Yes, I sound like a toddler throwing a tantrum but its the truth.)

But Thursday morning God opened my eyes and showed me he didn't give me what I wanted. He gave me what I needed. And every good parent knows that is the best plan. And so I once again sit in hope. Even joyfully. Thankful the Lord didn't forget me. He gave me something in the midst of the crazy.

He gave me answers I needed, even if they weren't the answers I wanted.

So,  I'm here waiting. And praying for the patience part. And writing this down so I can remember to be joyful when the truth of the God's word come alive grows cold.

The Red Plate

I've been pretty honest around here. And it seems like you appreciate that. But, at the risk of you thinking I am currently screwing up every area of this parenting gig I thought I'd share one of our parenting wins. I love it because its a great example of "good enough" getting the job done.

When my girls were little I was in a mamas book club. I loved it. We read marriage/parenting books. It was like professional development for a SAHM. It gave me a goal and kept me learning. And I had HAVE a lot to learn. This idea came from one of the books we read. To be honest I have no idea which book it was, but of the millions of ideas we read about this one somehow stuck for us.

I'm guessing you've heard of it. Or a version of it. In no way am I thinking I'm throwing out something super original that you are going to want to pin on pinterest. The reason I'm blogging about it is because its been wildly successful in a way that surprised Jeremy and I.

Basically the original idea was that your family had a special plate that was used to celebrate accomplishments/birthdays. I believe the author simply had a plain red ceramic plate that the person got to eat off. I liked the idea and hadn't had a chance to do anything with it. I was planning to purchase a red dinner plate from Walmart the first time I went shopping there that I didn't desperately want to leave as soon as I found everything on my list.  (aka never happening)

Then that Christmas someone brought us cookies/candy on this red charger and I thought. Our red plate has come home.  So I took a sharpie and wrote, "Humiston Family Star" around the outside. That's it. I thought it will do for now in a pinch- let's get started before I forget this good idea.

It's a $1 store charger with a fading message in black sharpie.

And my kids want to eat off it more than anything else. Seriously.

Well, you might of guessed that I never got around to purchasing a fancy one like this.

Apparently there is an entire Internet Site/Store! Who knew?
(No worries I make absolutely $0 dollars if you click through.)

And I am guessing my grandkids will be eating off the homemade charger plate, because at this point my kids are kind of attached to it.

The thing I continue to marvel at is how motivated they are to try and earn the red plate. There have been times for bigger things where we have given them a choice that they can go get an ice cream cone or eat off the red plate. And the CHOOSE the red plate! (Score- that is totally free.)

Here are some things we've used the red plate for:
-Accomplishing a personal goal. (learning to unbuckle your own carseat/tying your shoes)
-Doing an act of service that your parent sees and you don't point out.
-Receiving a compliment from an adult. (Someone else tells mom or dad something good!)
-Birthdays
-Awards at School
-Dad's promotion at work
-Sacrifice (giving up the last piece or turn of something)

Jeremy has also been great about pulling it out a time or two to celebrate "mom." And having the kids tell me what they love about me.

When the kids were tiny we basically made stuff up.

For example we might have celebrated a day of no crying. But, it got them attached to the idea before they got too old to think it was dorky. They totally bought in.

In the beginning of the tradition we might go months without pulling it out. We were still learning to remember to celebrate. But, now that our kids are older they remind us. Or possibly even beg for us to notice things. When Titus did something good at preschool he asked his preschool teacher to write a note so he could tell me. (and get the red plate). Another of my children asked for a copy of an award at school so she could bring it home that night and said it was her ticket to, "a good life." It was really fun when David began to catch on to the idea of the red plate and began asking, "I earn the red plate?" any time he did something good.

One of my favorite parts about this tradition is that it challenges me to look for the good. If a member of our family hasn't had the plate in awhile I will watch for something to celebrate. We also try to use it to reinforce the importance not only of accomplishment but also biblical character. We give the red plate as much for service as we do awards.

This past week ALL of my children earned the red plate- that has never happened.

Grace- Star Reading & Math Award

 Faith-Star Math Award

 David-Picture in Newspaper

Titus- Being the First One Dressed (When he is always last & late!)

So, whether your plate is red or blue. Comes from a fancy special store or is just something you made up. Start celebrating with your kids. They will love it and you will too!