Our Family Circus

I was given money for my little preschool friends at church with a catch! It has to be spent before the end of the year. Yeah, right before Christmas I was blessed. I was ALSO blessed with my parents visiting that week and NO desire to shop when the rest of the world had the same idea! I did know, however, that I had all the help I needed in making good choices-experts you might say! I took those precious experts with me to 2 Wal- Marts, Good-Will, and to help them go to one more store, McDonald's . It was a long day of following directions but the sword fight with the toilet bowl brushes in the container aisle helped to pull them through. Miss Blake, got into the action as well with a musical presentation on the lids of "fancy" garbage cans. The last stop was our local Wal- Mart. The kids unloaded and Lydia went out the opposite door. She did not walk around the van with Clay. I spotted her through the van window attempting to retrieve a cart. I went to her and explained...

Here are a couple of ideas that I have read about and wanted to share with you before packing Christmas decorations away. 1. Read about this in Family Fun magazine and Dollar General had Christmas journals for $1, the kids got them for Christmas and they will write something about themselves from this past year. We will store it with the decorations and surprise ourselves when reading it next Dec. It will also be a good record of their progress in handwriting and writing in itself. Not to mention , those journals will warm their mama's heart. We will trace Blake's hand and record each of their favorite gifts for that year. 2. We are going to wrap our Christmas books in gift wrap and store them away! Then when December comes, we will pull them out and read one a day until Christmas. It was suggested on FlyLady .com that you rewrap your favorites to create 24 books. I am pretty sure we are at least 1/2 way there and my girlfriend, who had no idea I wanted to do this, blessed us...

I received this poem on a poster for my 18th birthday from my life long friend. I have it by my desk. With the excitment and the aftermath of the holiday, I find myself going over it's words. Just wanted to share it with you. A Quiet Place I daily seek a quiet place that's far from trouble and strife Where I can piece together all the puzzles of my life. It's there, away from TV and books and far from the telephone, that I can fellowship with God; just He and I alone. And there God pours His balm of love into the life I live, And there I find a peace and joy that only He can give. I will not fear the circumstances I face from day to day, for daily, in my quiet place, I'm learning how to pray. Glenda Fulton Davis

We all want the Norman Rockwell view of Christmas morning! After we moved further from our families, we learned to enjoy our little family at home on Christmas. This year will be different! My "frozen" parents are in from FL to the coldest temperatures of the season! Family celebrations are being juggled to fit every one's schedule. For us, that means, we will not be home for Christmas. I have wondered what God would lay on my heart to share with the kids to make Christmas thrilling this year. But you see this year, we will be the weary travelers who will search for a room in the inn. I can honestly say I am looking forward to this! Our kids will wear their snazzy new PJs and wake up in a hotel to stockings that they have no idea will be waiting for them there. We will pray with thanksgiving for the blessings of family and for a warm room. We will tuck ourselves away for a few moments from the family and festivities to rest, love one another, and worship the newborn Sav...

http://plaindealer-sun.com/main.asp?SectionID=41&SubSectionID=119&ArticleID=7396 Could not help but share this article with you. I am so proud of this mom and so thankful that God has put her in my path. This family is such a blessing to me. They are so deserving of this gift as they are a blessing to so many!

For our son's first Christmas, my life long friend made him a cake plate that reads," Happy Birthday Jesus!" Each year we bake cupcakes or a cake with candles and whatever decorations the kids come up with to celebrate Jesus's birthday! One year, while the kids were all preschoolers, we invited little friends over. They baked, decorated, and delivered cupcakes to our neighbors (which were so heavily decorated they were probably not suitable for consumption.) The kids ran through the neighborhood so proud and told our neighbors, "Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus!"

Here is another option to allow your children the THRILL OF CHRIST in Christmas! Last year, after opening presents, we read the Christmas story in Luke 2. We listened how the shepherds were told about Jesus birth and went to find Him. Here is what to do: Place angels in different rooms of your home like a scavenger hunt. I referred to the children as Shepherd Lydia (age 3) and Shepherd Clay (age 6) and we went on the hunt for Baby Jesus. The angels should be visible from one room to the other so they can spot them. Ours were more like a straight path with angels along the way to reinforce them. The end of the hunt lead us to our unfinished basement-damp and cold, probably like a stable. There, hanging from the ceiling, would be the final angel and under it was the Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Behind the figures, we chose to cover and reveal an additional gift for each of the children. Give it a try and add your own touches! Have fun as you teach the true meaning of Christmas!