Gotta Love That Red-nose Reindeer!

My kids are fascinated by Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer this year. Last year, John Ross could have cared less, but this year it is definitely a highlight! He sings, dances, and panics in all the right places.

Amidst all of his joy, I'll be the first to admit that this season has been rough on this mama this year. Advent is one of my favorite times of year. I thrive on the anticipation, joy, and dare I say peace of the season. When things are less than peaceful, I am good at remembering that riding on a donkey nine months pregnant and giving birth in a cave is anything but peaceful. But this year, that explanation isn't taming the stress in my heart.

We have two weeks of illness that has required a lot of laundry and cleaning, two ambiguous medical diagnoses, a basement remodel, work politics, holiday work obligations, sitter-drama, and two snapped underwires (this may seem trivial to some, but amidst the big picture bra shopping was a complete nightmare - ultimately resulting in me walking out of the store empty handed). At one point I ended up in tears, in my car, in the middle of a grocery store parking lot at 9:30 at night. I believe my exact phrase to my mother on the phone was, "I just don't know what to do anymore."

And yet, the next day, that sweet little reindeer was on for the umpteenth time this season and a few things resonated with my holiday plight. Here is the list:

She thinks I'm CUTE...sometimes all we need is a little pick me up. We all just need to feel beautiful, loved, and appreciated. A single kind work goes a long way.

We're a couple of misfits...as followers of Christ we don't always fit the mold. Not only that, but we're all different and our differences is what makes our community rich. It's not always easy, but embracing our own differences and standing strong in them is being the person God created us to be.

Fame and fortune...in one of the version of the movie, the song about misfits was replaced with a song called "Fame and Fortune". Fame and fortune in today's world is something that can often become very dark and very lonely. But the words fame and fortune for us a Christians can mean our call to lead an exemplary life and a life that is full of the richness of being - gratitude, generosity, charity.

No human can live on an island...We need to live in community. I'm an introvert (I know, I know...some of you don't believe me...) and most days I would prefer to hole up in my house. With two small children I often feel like I am living in a penguin colony with all the chatter going on. That being said, it is important for everyone to reach out once in awhile for some quality human interaction. We need the perspective, affirmation, and accountability of having others in our life. It's a human need, not just a social desire.
Even the abominable snow monster needs a job...we all have gifts and when we aren't able to use our gifts we can get a little cranky. Serving others does not have to be something out of the ordinary or something we consider a chore. The best type of serving is the type we do best and joyfully. To quote Bishop Bob, "Don't stay out of your gifted area too long."

Song of a Sick Day

Well, it's not been the most wonderful time of the year in this house for the past 4 days. We've passed a stomach bug, tips and tails, through all four of us. Clara got it first and seems to be the last to shake it. She's not really had an illness in her 18 months and I just don't think her body knew exactly what to do with it.

Suffice it to say, we've learned first hand that sick days as parents are no longer about getting well, just getting by.

Reality aside, we learned a very important family lesson. There we sat (I laid), two busy parents in the middle of the holiday season, huddled up in the fetal position bribing each other to care for the bare necessities of childcare. For an entire day our children took turns cuddling up with us both in billowing piles of blankets. By the end of the day my son was the most pleasant and content he's been in weeks and my little Miss Daisy had foregone her usual sassy, independent self in favor of a snuggly little lamb.

Our children had been craving some undivided attention and it took a massive sick day effort for us to realize it. While initially I felt like a terrible parent, I have come to believe that it was just me discerning some priorities in the midst of crisis - or finding God's silver lining!

The work on our basement is likely to be finished by this weekend, but you won't find me down there staining or painting. We're taking this final weekend of Advent to enjoy time as a family doing all the things I put off every year like gingerbread houses, light viewing car trips and holiday video viewing. I am going to cook like a madwoman for no one other than my family and spend lots of time snuggling with the kids and my sweet husband.

Fall: My Season

I love the fall. There is nothing quite like the feeling of walking out of the house and smelling the decay of leaves and the crisp fall air. I love the slight bite in the wind and the gently warmth I feel when I enter an establishment. I love bundling up and taking the kids for a walk.

For many, fall signifies a time of death and darkness. While I mourn the end of Saturday morning market with the final ritual canning and a savory butternut squash soup, I embrace the peace and life I find in the shortening days of autumn.

There is a slowing of life in the enveloping darkness of the late days of fall. I identify with a mama bear as my instinct to hibernate kicks in. I become more efficient and less concerned with the stress of the world. My priorities naturally shift to a greater focus on my family and for a short period of time each year society supports my priorities with sappy commercials about family holidays and especially patient church-goers.

John Ross was born at the end of November. Nothing more life-giving than that. I can't eat Thanksgiving dinner without remembering those last precious (and impatient) hours that my son was still inside me.

And on the tail of the fall season is Advent. The anticipation of the impending arrival of the Savior is certainly known to this mama. This year however, it is the peace and hush that I hope to embrace.

Yes, my children are 2 and 7 months.

Yes, I am a working mama.

Yes, I hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas is out of town this year.

I figure, if Mary can manage to give birth to Jesus in a cave and invite the shepherds in to view the little man a few hours later, I can find a few moments of peace each night to be quiet and remember God's provision. Perhaps, by Christmas, I will be ready to welcome the Savior into my heart and not just my home.