Snowy Monday and 40th Post.

I'm 40. No, not that kind of fourty. I still have a long, long time (OK, 6 years) to go until I reach that milestone age-wise. But this is post #40 on Half-Baked and Firefly Free. And no, half-baked does not refer to one's cognitive state while partaking of illegal substances, as my brother-in-law suggsted (Here's a plug, Dan!). Refer back to previous posts to read about the reasons behind the name for my site. Anyway, I have really, really enjoyed making these blog entries a part of my daily routine. It is something that I do for me. To help me express and stay in touch with my thoughts, opinions, and musings. You see, once you have kids, it is easy to lose yourself. To lose touch with you as a woman. To just mindlessly go through daily life taking care of others without being intentional, reflective and quiet within your own soul. So this blog is really the beginning of a journey back to myself. In 2007, I am launching a "return to me" campaign in my life. More on that as the new year approaches, but I am eagerly anticipating getting started.

Here is a photo on the status of the paper chain that Kennedy, Hayden and I have been working on. I love how it is turning out.....so colorful and down-home. I actually worked on it by myself for over an hour this morning after Kennedy got on the bus and while I was watching Dr. Phil and the snow falling outside in the field. A nice quiet early morning.

Tonight, we watched the first classic holiday special on TV.....Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Matt and I both reminisced a bit about watching this as we were growing up. On those nights, we were always allowed to stay up an extra half-hour as it always seemed that they aired from 8-8:30. My favorite part of Rudolph is when Rudolph and Santa come back to the Isle of Misfit Toys to make sure that the toys find homes; I always liked these misfits, and I love that Rudolph and his new friends were learning to accept, embrace and celebrate their uniqueness and differences. Kind of a life lesson......anyway, my kids weren't thinking that philosophically about Rudolph, just enjoying and singing along! Hayden watches Rudolph and Frosty all year-round, as well as The Polar Express......he is my kid who always has Christmas in his heart....though there was a bit of the Grinch mixed in there yesterday! I love that these holiday classics were a part of the childhood holiday memories of both of our families, and that we can pass this simple family joy onto our own children.

The remaining photo is what I had to climb over to get into my bed tonight. This tower of blocks built right in the middle of my bedroom floor. We have tried the rule of "No toys in Mommy and Daddy's room" but somehow, toys always seem to congregate here. My kids just love being in our room, so the toys are soon to follow. This picture reminds me to embrace these little remnants of these awesome little people. All too soon, these kids will be trading in their toys for more mature interests, and I want to celebrate their play, creativity, and childhood interests for as long as possible. So for now, I'm leaving the tower there. I may even add a block or two to the tower myself. It is a reminder to let my kids play and be kids and not to get ruffled over the little stuff. For as a wise philosopher once mused, maybe the stuff that seems like little annoyances are really the true stuff of life after all.

A Sunday at Home and Around the World.

Well, today was a Sunday that was MUCH more stressful than I ever like Sundays to be. My son just seemed to be in fine form behaviorally.....he pretty much refused to listen to anything that I said, required several time outs, multiple warnings, and even a spanking. He was just downright frustrating today and seemed to be out to push, pull, grate on, and rip out my every last nerve ending. I really needed a little Sunday afternoon nap after dealing with him for the first part of the day, but we had our work Christmas party at the local gardens, so we headed off for an afternoon Christmas excursion. Hayden fell asleep immediately in the car, so I think that part of his problem was being over-tired. Anyway, the time at the Christmas gardens was pretty enjoyable for each of us. They have an awesome display of Christmas trees from around the world. Trees from places like Sweden, Japan, Australia, Belize, Peru, Austria, England and Scandinavia. Kennedy's favorite was the tree from Belize, decorated with colors feathers and colorful red scarlet macaws and brightly-painted ornaments. I just liked the unique features of each one, though my favorite was probably the one from Peru, which was adorned in handpainted nativity ornaments. It was just wonderful to witness that although each country decorates in a different fashion, so many pull together to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The gardens also had an awesome train that wound through the displays, so Hayden was at least occupied during that time we were by the train. Upon leaving, he decided to crawl up on a bank and plop himself in a huge pile of snow, refusing to come down. So, basically, I ended up climbing through the snow and manually picking him up and carrying him back to the vehicle. Amazing how three-year-old boys can be simultaneously so adorable but so ultimately frustrating and testing. Yes, God, this is only a test......I think that we will make the Gardens an annual visit for years to come, as it was a nice holiday afternoon.

Tonight, the kids and I started working on a paperchain to hang on one of our trees. I basically took strips of double-sided paper (lots from KI Memories and Paper Boutique) and started chaining them. Kennedy really got into it and was so disappointed when it was time for bed; however, I assured her that we could work on it again tomorrow. We are also planning to have every guest who comes to our home in December add a chain, including their name labeled on their link. This will hopefully become something that we can pull out year after year.....and it is much cheaper than buying garland!

I am in search of a Fisher Price kids' camera for my son for Christmas. I saw a whole row of them on the shelf at our local Target a week before Thanksgiving, so I thought that I would just wait a bit. WRONG DECISION! Now all of the stores are completely out of them, and they are going on E-bay for 90.00 or more (the shelf price was right around 50.00). So, now I have to decide whether I'm going to try to bid on one or just pay the higher price.....or just find a different type of gift. Hayden loves taking photos and is always trying to take some with my nice Canon Digital Rebel, so I would really like to get it for them. Reminds me of the year my parents searched high and low for Cabbage Patch dolls.....and they found them. Oh well, I still have a few weeks left to see what I can do to make this happen for my little guy.

First Saturday of December 06.

Saturdays with family are one of my favorite things, and today was a great day together. I started the day before 8 am, going shopping with a good friend and then treating myself to a nice Christmas shopping lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, Cracker Barrel. There is just something about the atmosphere at that place during the Christmas season that brings my heart home. It just reminds me of a down-home, simple approach to the holidays, one that we so often forget it today's busy culture. After I enjoyed my lunch, I came home and we did some picking up around the house. Kennedy and I sorted through some of my old scrapbook stickers and supplies, and she was so thrilled to acquire a huge stack of "new supplies" for her stash. It is so fun that things that I view as "scrapbook rejects" make her totally and entirely overjoyed.

The highlight of the day was our small town Christmas parade. This is our first year of attending, so I would call this a new holiday tradition for our family. OK, to put this parade in the proper perspective, think a bunch of freezing people standing beside the road to watch five parade entries and have a bunch of broken candy canes thrown at them. Seriously, the kids really enjoyed the parade but were disappointed that it wasn't longer. Hayden was very excited to see Santa on the float and to bring a candy cane home to Daddy (Daddy stayed home to clean the living room....what a husband!). It just reminded me of the simple joys that children so purely experience. Things that adults may view as "hokey" or not worth the time, kids can just be so content and excited with. Hmmmm.....along with Kennedy's joy over the old stickers that I gave her, I sense a theme for the day developing. Stop and take a look at life through the kids' eyes. Try to feel the joy that they feel for the simple things.

Tonight, we opened the second door of the nativity house. Tonight's ornament was one of the wisemen, and Hayden nestled it so carefully in his hand as he walked to the tree and hung it. I picked up an adorable 4-foot tree at Hobby Lobby today (Love, love, LOVE that store!), and I plan to let the kids totally decorate that over the next week. We are going to make some paper chain with some colorful 2-sided scrapbook cardstock, and make some fun ornaments by hand. My sister, Haley, is staying over tonight as she is in town Christmas shopping, so tonight, we took her out to eat at "The Chicken Restaurant." This is a restaurant--actually a remodeled historic hotel in our town--where on Saturdays, all you can order is chicken. Chicken, cole slaw and fries. Can I have a baked potato instead? NO! How about a tossed salad instead of cole slaw? NO! The only choice you get is whether you want white meat, dark meat, or half and half. Makes ordering really quick and uncomplicted! This is especially fitting for my husband, who always complain that I spend too much time looking at the menu and deciding when we go out to eat. Ah, you have to love quirky things about small-town America. Here's to enjoying a chicken dinner with family on the first Saturday in December!

On the First Day of Christmas......

For December, I thought that I would try to share a tradition, holiday project, etc. each day as I am inspired. First up is this gorgeous and fun Advent house that we got from Pottery Barn last December. The kids look so forward to opening the tiny doors, which are filled with treasures such as gold coin chocolates, money, and small trinkets. Hayden still has a hard time stopping with opening one per day--he would MUCH rather open them all in one sitting--but it has still become an anticipated part of each day. This year, I found an adorable set of tiny ornaments, each of which is a figure from the nativity--shepherds, sheep, a cow, wiseman, Jospeh, Mary and Baby Jesus. So, I have scattered these through some of the little doors and am going to let the kids hang the ornaments on a special tiny tree as they find them. Hopefully part of a long time tradition....I bought two boxes of the ornaments, as it will be a small miracle if we make it through to the new year without losing any! I'm sure those of you with preschoolers know exactly what I mean!

SNOW DAY!!

There are few childhood joys that are as vivid to me as that of awakening to find the house surrounded in snow mounds. I would run downstairs just hoping....praying....if only......waiting anxiously to see whether our school was listed...would it be there.....I can hardly stand it.........YES!.......NO SCHOOL!!........A SNOW DAY!!!!! The day lay ahead of us in unscheduled beauty; it usually involved going back to bed for an hour or two, followed by lots of time playing in the snow, resting, playing with friends, and just loving life. A planned day off school just wasn't the same....the sheer spontaneity of it....the realization that school was planned but nature intervened to give us this wonderful little snow-covered miracle. Today, in our area of the country, we received the beautiful gift of a snow day. This was extra special, because this was my daughter's very first snow day (she is in kindergarten)! Of course, the minute the kids woke up, looked out the window, and saw the snow, they wanted to go outside and NOW. But, I was able to convince them to wait and have breakfast and relax a bit.....at about 10 am, I bundled them all up and out they went....the amazing joy on their faces! They ran out and, in a matter of just a few minutes, made snow angels, made tracks all around the yard, ate their share of snow, and had a snowball fight! There is not much better gift to a parent than observing their kids just being kids, having fun together, and enjoying God's awesome creation. Thanks God....and the school administrators.....for this awesome gift of a snowday on the first day of December.

So, now that the snow is flying, I am feeling a bit more festive, but I also had a few brief though intense moments of panic this morning as I realized just how much I have to accomplish in the next three weeks. Lead the children's program at church; write our annual family Christmas letter; make and send Christmas cards; make candy gift jars for the neighbors; buy, wrap and tag all gifts; write, administer, and grade four sets of final exams at the university; fill my children's nativity house (first one is opened tonight!); finish the scrapbooks for my parents and siblings; decorate the house; decorate the tree; hang curtains; host the annual cookie-making afternoon for my kids' friends; plan and host my annual student Christmas party; host my parents and siblings for Christmas; and somehow try to maintain emphasis on the real reason for the season and on maintaining holiday joy. OK, that was actually quite therapeutic. I feel better, much better. Tonight, I think I'll start by designing the Christmas card and writing the letter.....one day at a time.

Yesterday was the final day of November and, due to the big ice storm, I was unable to get on my blog to write my final note of thanks. But, there are no rules in blogging, so I am going to go ahead and write the note today, the first day of December. Today's letter fits into the "last but not least" and the "save the best for last" category. I have thanked my children, my parents, friends, siblings, teachers, and many others in my life; however, in the past 6 years of my life, without a doubt, the person that has influenced me the most is my husband, Matthew. I am thankful for so many things about Matt. For his intensity. For the fact that he can't help but cry during a touching movie. For all the times that he helps me get the laundry done. For playing with our kids, even though he may be tired from a long day at work. Because when I look at Hayden, I see so much of Matt. For his commitment to me and our family. For his desire to learn and grow in his relationship with Jesus. For all of his silly faces, funny stories from his childhood, and quirky way of saying and doing things. I am thankful that even though we face challenges and frustrations and days where we may not feel very fondly toward each other, I know that we are in this together for the long run. We are a work in progress, and that is a good thing. Matt is my husband, my best friend, my partner in raising our gorgeous children, and just a good-hearted man. Honey, thanks for all that you bring to my life. Thanks for always wanting to do better and for all that you do for our family. On this last day of November (OK, first of December), I just want you to know that I honor you and I would marry you all over again. Thank you for giving me your heart.

70 Degrees and Hanging Wreaths.

First, a big HAPPY 35th to my good friend, Becky, up in northern Michigan. I hope you have a great day and remember......35 is still a very long, long, LONG way from 40! I hope you got lots of pampering, surprises and love today. Your gift is still sitting on my table waiting to be taken to the post office; hopefully tomorrow!! You know what it is, anyway, so get those new photos ready! Consequently, I just realized that this is also my 35th posting on this blog......if I was a gambling woman, which I'm not, I might have to go and play those numbers! Here's to another 35 years and another 35 posts!

I like a nice, mild-weather day as much as the next woman, but there is something that is just WRONG, WRONG, WRONG about hanging wreaths and pine garland when it is 70 degrees outside. In fact, we no more than finished decorating our front porch before it starting thundering and ended up developing into a huge, loud thunderstorm. Nevertheless, despite the unseasonably warm temperatures, the kids and I enjoyed getting the outside of our home ready for the season. Last year, given that we had only been in our house for two months, we didn't even hang our outdoor decorations. I really, really missed coming home to a house that reflected the holiday cheer. So this year, I look forward to snow flying and coming home to a "Burl and Ives" scene. After dinner tonight, we went for a walk and had to dodge the HUGE earthworms that came out on the sidewalks after the rain.....I would think it was May if I didn't know better!

Two more days of letters of thanks. I have really enjoyed the reflection and soul-inventorying that has gone into these letters. Even though I have not been very good at sending them daily as I had originally planned, I am still glad that these feelings are documented. I still plan to get them written and sent in early December, as I again think it very important not just to think those thank-yous but to say the words to those who have meant so much. Today's letter goes out to my parents who have shaped me and influenced me in so many ways. I know that I was a very strong personality to raise, and I know that we didn't always see eye to eye, but I appreciate so much about how you raised me. How you allowed me to pursue my interests, even though they may not have been your own. How you allowed me to make mistakes and to feel the consequences of those mistakes. For all the umpteen-hundreds of ball games you sat through, cheered me on in, and brought picnics for. For encouraging me in my educational pursuits. For all the cards and care packages as I was away at college and throughout graduate school.....they may have not seemed significant when you sent them, but they meant the world to me as they kept me connected to my roots. For moving me and my belonging to Grand Rapids and to Ann Arbor and to McBain and to Lansing and to Mason and back to McBain and back to Grand Rapids and to Cadillac and to Spring Lake and to........WHEW! Now that I have two beautiful children of my own, I am gaining a better understanding of what it means to nurture, and grow, and blossom a unique human being.....holding tight, but not too tight.......helping them to discover their own unique interests and talents........feeling their pain and triumphs possibly even deeper than they do.......pouring yourself into them. Most importantly, I am so thankful for the faith heritage that you instilled in me. For emphasizing a life lived for Jesus. And now I am passing that legacy down to my own children and am so proud to see them embracing Jesus. Thank you for just being you and for loving each other and for all those times where you hugged and kissed each other in front of us kids, while we all groaned and begged for you to stop. In reality, we loved it. We loved seeing you have affection for each other. And that is so important to a child as they develop an understanding of love, relationship, marriage and commitment. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for believing in me, loving me, and giving me such a critical foundation to pursue God's calling in my own life as a woman, mother, professional, and artist. I love you both very much. I just wanted you to know.

Laughs at Wal-Mart.

Just have to share a funny little story that happened yesterday when I was with my kids in Wal-Mart. We were busy shopping for this and that and, of course, the store was absolutely crazy-busy with people who forget that we still have a full month until Christmas. Anyway, to avoid a particularly large crowd of people, I cut through the ladies' undergarment section. As we made our way with my 3-year-old son in the cart and my 5-year-old daughter following behind, my son yells in a very, VERY loud voice: LOOK, MOMMY! THERE'S LOTS OF BIG BOOBS! Of course, he was referring to all the bras hanging on the racks. I heard several people chuckling and one particular lady who was pretty much guffawing at the top of her lungs! Oh, from the mouth of babes! I love this kid.