Make Me Smile Monday

Spoiler alert!!! Mom and Nancy: If you're reading - please don't read this post until after Christmas!!! I don't want to ruin certain surprises we may have in store for you. :)


I wasn't crazy about Christmas when I was younger. Well, I might have been when I was very young, but (for reasons I won't get into) it lost it's sparkle somewhere along the way and unfortunately my disdain for the holiday only grew into my teen years. (As a side note, I could have chosen a better attitude regardless of my "reasons", but I didn't.) So as cheesy as it may sound to some of you, I'm so grateful that God used Jason coming into my life to help change that. Its been 12 years since I've chosen to look for and embrace the joy of the season, and there's no going back! ;)   

So now that we're married, creating family traditions for us to share with our children carries a lot of meaning and brings a lot of joy to my heart. One of the things I love about family traditions is that they hold the promise of forever. While it's true that we don't know how long we have in this life, we can commit ourselves to a lifetime of using the time we have to celebrating together as a family. And family traditions are a fun reminder to our children of the commitment we've made. Another thing I love about family traditions is that they have the potential be be happy memory makers.

So this year when I discovered a new tradition to introduce to our family...I was so excited!!! I saw this on (where else?) Pinterest and completely fell in love with the idea:

While (in recent years) I have loved counting down to the big day, I never really loved the little boxes you buy at the grocery store, especially since the ones they make now count down to New Years Day. (In our house the kids don't care so much about New Years but they get very excited about Christmas, so counting down to New Years isn't quite as much fun.)

So, after looking around online I found some bags on Etsy. They arrived (much to my delight!) on friday and J and I set it up this morning (no peeking was allowed) after I filled them on the weekend.

I also discovered another idea that I absolutely loved for filling our advent! And that is not only filling our advent with treats but activities! After looking around at a few different websites, I compiled my personal favourites and typed them out in Word. In case you're curious, here's what we're doing this year:

Have a family game night. 

Go ice-skating.

Put nativity set on display.

Bake some Christmas cookies.

Decorate a gingerbread house.

Choose something from Samaritans Purse or World Vision to buy together as a family.

Go visit Santa downtown.

Drive around and look at neighbourhood Christmas lights.

Fill the dining room with candles and turn on some Christmas music for dinner.

Go Christmas carolling.

Pop some popcorn, make some hot chocolate and watch a favourite Christmas movie!

Read a favourite Christmas story. (twice)

Put up a Christmas wreath on the front door.

Play a game of road hockey.

Make some fancy hot chocolate and snuggle up by the fireplace sharing favourite Christmas memories.

Go to the grocery store and buy food to be given to the food drive.

Fill the dining room with candles and turn on some Christmas music for dinner.

Make paper snowflakes.

Call grandma and sing Jingle Bells. Call grandpa and do the same!

Make paper snowflakes.

Mystery activity.

Make Apple Cider, grab a plate of cookies and have a Christmas family movie night.

Make some homemade pizza and have a Christmas family movie night.

It’s Christmas morning…it’s time to open your stockings!!!

I made a calendar in Word and planned activities based on how much time was available each day. That's why some activites are so quick, like put up a Christmas wreath on the front door. Most days have five treats I picked up at the Bulk Barn with Rebecca (it was her idea to go there, which was brilliant I might add, since I could count out the exact number for each day I needed). I left out treats on the days that involve something sweet in the activity. 

I also found the story of the birth of Christ (divided into 25 day segments) and put them into Word as well. Once I had the activities and verses in Word, I printed out one page of the verses as a test to make sure they would fit in my little 3x5 bags (Jason's idea, which is no big surprise...he's a planner). After I had the right fit, I cut them out and glued them onto red and green cardstock (red for the verses, green for the activities), cut those out and then laminated them (the laminator was a birthday present from my mom) and then cut them out one more time. Here's what it looked like:

And here's what it looks like now that it's all hung up:

I can't wait for the first of December!!! :)

What are your family traditions? Are you (like us) beginning any new ones this year?

Make Me Smile Monday

On Saturday R had her birthday party. We went with a Candyland theme. Some of you have maybe seen some pictures on Facebook, but I'm posting a few pictures here too, just in case you haven`t seen any. :) (I won't be posting pictures with any of our guests though, since this blog is public.) I was so happy to see the kids having fun and was even happier when at the end of the day R was still talking about how much fun her party had been.

Have you picked up on the fact that I enjoy throwing birthday parties? Even though there's a lot of planning involved, I really enjoy the entire process. From helping my children decide on a theme to seeing my "vision" through to completion. Theme's are certainly not necessary and of course my children would have just as much fun at their birthday party without one, but they're also rather quick to pick up on the excitement since this really is just a part of who I am. 

The reason I'm bringing this up is quite simple. There have been times in the past when during the excitement of planning (of other birthday parties) I have been confronted with unusual reactions from people. Reactions that made me feel embarassed by the enjoyment I have in being true to the way God made me (even in something as seemingly insignificant as the planning of my children's birthday parties). For a while I allowed it to impact me negatively. I pulled back a bit and downplayed this aspect of who I am.

Until I began to remember all of the incredible interests and passions of so many people surrounding me. Some love to take pictures, some love to cook, some decorate, some sew or crochet and I look at them and their creations and I'm in awe. Can I be completely candid? I could allow for just a hint of jealousy to mingle in there with my amazement and admiration but I've discovered there's so much more joy to be found in being truly and competely happy and excited for them.

I'm learning to embrace the person God has made me and to truly relish the things that bring me joy. I could compare myself to others and lament them being more creative or more talented than I am. Because honestly, I would not have a hard time finding people to compare myself to negatively to. But why bother?

I guess I want to encourage you not to hold back in fear of what other people think. And not to allow any jealousy to creep in and taint the enjoyment you get out of other people's creative interests and passions. Remember that you have your own unique interests and passions and the world will be a better place as we learn to embrace not only our own but each others!



P.S. A few "proud mom moments": seeing S sincerely share in her younger sisters excitement even though it wasn't her day (this time) and R giving some of her presents to S simply because she wanted to. Seriously! I wasn't sure what to think at first, but I certainly don't want to discourage a giving heart.... :)

A Discussion (cont'd)

Today's guest post is in response to something I wrote back in June. A couple of weeks ago Janice e-mailed me a link to an incredible article which I found to be both personally convicting and encouraging. It's written by a homeschooling dad (who has children that are now fully grown) for a homeschooling magazine. I hope that all of you who take the time to read it will find it to be equally as encouraging. A big thank-you to Janice for taking the time to share this artice with me and her willingness to write up the intro! :)


For a bit of context, I was schooled at home from the time I was 2 ½ (at the point when my eldest brother was old enough for school) and I stayed at it through grade 13. When my Mom began schooling us this way she got the idea from a book and eventually found that there were two other families in the Ottawa area (where we were at the time) starting this same mode of education. The movement has grown much since then and has, as pointed out in this article, begun to reach the stage of calculable 'results' where the first waves of children have graduated and begun their lives.

This article is titled Homeschool Blindspots and I believe that the problems listed here are pitfalls commonly encountered in families who choose to homeschool. But more than this, I believe that they can be found in any family that struggles to be conscientious in how to live out its Christian faith as a family. As I begin my own family I read this article not only with schooling choices in mind but also with the question of how can I most effectively pass along a love of Christ to the next generation. I hope you find as much to ponder and inspire from this article as I did.

http://www.joshharris.com/2011/09/homeschool_blindspots.php

Make Me Smile Monday

This morning I did some yardwork.

J did help for a few minutes and then was distracted by the need to run, jump, kick a giant ball, pop bubbles and play with the dog. :) While I was enjoying the fresh air it occured to me how incredibly blessed I am to own a rake and have a backyard for my children to run around in.

A rake is such a seemingly insignificant thing maybe until you consider that I`m raking the leaves in my yard primarily to make it look nice while there are some people in the world who have absolutely no means to provide food for their children or the tools they need to grow food for themselves.

I`m pretty sure part there I know what triggered this thought.

Last week we got our World Vision catalogue. As I was looking through it I felt a incredible mix of joy and sadness. Joy that I can do something and sadness over the fact that I can`t do more!

There are two different types of gifts you can through both World Vision and Samaritans Purse. Some of these gifts meet immediate needs and others will help families work towards more hopeful futures. I find it so hard to look through this catalog without wishing I could order everything inside!

Here are my favourites:

Agricultural Pack for 3 families - $35

2 Hens and a Rooster - $60

Fish Farm for a family - $65

Art and music for young children - $50

2 mosquito nets - $30

Educate a girl in need - $60

Feed a hungry family in Canada

Hygiene Kit for a child - $30.

School supplies for a (Canadian) child - $25

Make Me Smile Monday

Today's guest post is by someone really important in my life. Melissa is my cousin and very good friend and we're only a couple of years apart in age. I was indeed quite confident I knew what she would want to share here today (as she alludes to in her post) and I'm really glad she did! Knowing the journey she and her husband have been through it has been incredible to see God work this out in their lives. It has been incredible to watch and honestly...I couldn't be happier for the two of them! <3


I've followed Brenna's blog from the start, so when she asked me to do a guest post for "Make Me Smile Monday", I wondered if she had any doubt about what I'd post about.  Probably not.  I am the mom of a 3 month old little boy, and he continuously makes me smile.  In fact, he's learning to smile, and he's learning to find his laugh.  So, while it is somewhat cliche that I blog about my little one and him being the biggest joy in my life, I thought it would give me the opportunity to raise some awareness to a cause close to my heart and one of the many reasons this little guy makes me smile.

Speaking of cliches, another one is tossed around quite often is that of a 'miracle baby' and I'm going to say it... my son is, in fact, a miracle baby.  All babies are miracles, and I learned in such a real way how true it is right from conception to every day of their little lives.  My son has given me a purpose that I never knew possible, a smile that lights up my day, but he also found a way to give me a higher level of self esteem and has helped me restore my health.  


It seems as though I always knew I wouldn't be able to have children.  I was told this at a young age but never really knew why.  I accepted it and embraced the fact that my life would take a not-so-traditional route.  Over the next decade, I'd find my health deteriorating in a way that I couldn't understand.  It was also in a way that any doctors I had didn't understand.  Little symptoms would come and go and I packed on weight at an alarming rate.  I would be tested for diabetes and thyroid conditions to no avail.  Each doctor would advise that I should restrict my carbs and increase my level of exercise.  It wouldn't be until just a few years ago, working out over two hours a day with no results, that I would realize that something was really wrong.  I doubted my own perceptions, I thought that maybe my issue was psychological and found help from a psychologist who couldn't find any underlying reason that I would sabotage myself in a weight loss effort.  My self esteem and my trust in my own abilities and health deteriorated immensely.  


Once I started looking into my fertility issues, I was diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and my world started to make sense.  About 10 years after I first noticed my symptoms and about 5 years after the disease was discovered, I had my answers.  While this disease is now quite over-diagnosed and there are severe and moderate levels of it, there is still not a lot of knowledge about it floating around.  Only a few doctors seem to have the right knowledge to treat it, rather than just identify it, and I happened to have found one.  I began aggressive and experimental treatment and my life lurched into a bit of a spin.  Instead of symptoms, I dealt with side effects but I persisted.  I found support groups full of women who had become depressed with their diagnosis, frustrated and unable to cope with the aggressive treatment and full of despair.  But I was happy, I was simply happy to know that something was wrong and that I could now do something about it.  The weight of feeling like there was something wrong with me had been lifted and I had a new lease on life.  The diagnosis was the light at the end of my tunnel.  My treatment would continue for almost 2 years and then I'd get pregnant.


My son was my miracle though it all.  Once pregnant, I had to discontinue treatment which carried with it a 40% chance of miscarriage.  The days and weeks went by at a slow rate but he persevered.  Weeks turned into months, and I gave birth to my healthy baby boy.  He was strong, so was I, and it saved us both.  Weeks after giving birth, I realized that my journey to having him was bigger than I would have ever thought.  Three years after feeling discouraged, unhealthy and overweight, I was a mom who had lost 70 lbs through the ordeal and I can't stop sharing my story


Some statistics put PCOS as affecting 10% of all women.  There are many theories about how it comes to be, what all it encompasses and how to treat it, but it is prominent.  One can have all of the symptoms or only one, but finding the diagnosis is key.  Symptoms can include fertility issues, weight gain, irregular menses, acne, excessive facial hair, balding, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and the list goes on.  Untreated, PCOS can cause heart disease, seizures, diabetes and even cancer.  While many people keep these issues private (including celebrities with the disease like Victoria Beckham and Jillian Michaels), I decidedly want to scream them from the rooftops if I can help just one person.  My son changed my life and maybe he'll change yours.  Either way, I'm sure he'll make you smile too!  Happy Monday!

Could you have PCOS?

PCOS and Self Esteem

Painted Leaves and a Banana Smile

This year it's just me and my little man on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8-3. Despite the fact I miss my girls while they're away I enjoy having some time just the two of us. After all, he was born into a family with two older sisters, so this is the first time he's ever really had me all to himself (at least in this capacity).

Today we did a couple of fun things I thought some of you other mom's might just be interested in. :)

I helped J make his own version of this:

http://myblessedlife.net/2011/09/fall-kids-crafts.html

We didn't have brown paint so I traced his hand/arm with marker instead and filled it in with crayon. Here's how it turned out:

You'll notice it doesn't look exactly like the original. And there's a good reason for that. :) I could have stood right by his side showing him exactly how and where to put each little drop of paint but I resisted. ;) Though it was hard in the beginning I've learned that when I set my children up with crafts I need give them the supplies and instructions/guidelines they need and then give them a bit of space while I supervise. And I'm always glad when I do because it's always perfect just the way it is, and it's truly their creation!

For lunch we made "fun lunch faces" inspired by this picture I found on Pinterest:

http://thecreativemama.com/facing-lunch/

I pulled out a bunch of foods for him to choose from and he decided what would go where. Here he is with his creation:

I think everything pretty recognizable, but we used: roasted turkey, pecans, grape tomatoes, cheese and a banana cut in half lengthwise. (Did you notice there's already an ear missing? And this picture was taken about 10 seconds after the other one.)