Archive for the ‘time’ tag

Runnin’ From Baby Jesus

So the other night, our neighbor set up the nativity scene in the front yard. It’s a fairly old version of the manger scene and this year, we have a new twist: the baby Jesus flickers a bit more than it has in past years. Which is why, Elf took one look at it and ran yelling down the hallway. When I asked her what happened, she said: “I’m runnin’ away from Baby Jesus! He’s scaren’ me!”

And as the final days come to a close on the month of December, we celebrate all that the season has to offer – menorahs, bells, snow, trees, advent wreaths, ginger-bread making, light-watching and Santa Claus – even if it involves walking a little faster past a blinking Baby Jesus every once in a while. And, of course, the humor that can be found in stories like the one above.

Blessings and gifts appear when you become aware and conscious of them. Hubby and I work hard to raise that awareness in our children, especially the joy in non-material items and experiences. It can be really tough work to go against what lots of other parents consider the norm for their children. But we strive to cultivate a sense of joy in nature, a sense of interconnectedness and appreciation for the work of others – even if we can’t see it.

Now that school is out for the year, we can breathe more freely. Freedom and flexibility are their own blessings. The need to adhere to tighter time frames is lifted for this brief time. Our family is free to linger a little longer, cuddle and snuggle a little longer and play with long-time friends who now attend different schools and various after school activities that conflict with our own. Hubby and I can enjoy the sounds of Elf and Giant calmly working out a problem together and all of us can enjoy staying cozy and warm inside on a chilly day. We can relish the ability to make choices about whether we do a craft or homework. We can wear pajamas all day.

And that is precisely what we’re going to do. Breathe, enjoy and create memories.

From all of us at the Little Yellow House, may this holiday season bring you peace, joy and love. And may your days be merry and bright.

Source: This is not my neighbor’s nativity set. This photo is sourced to an internet-based catalog.

Cold Days: A Different Perspective on Tissues, Thermometers and Sneezes

Check out this funny public service announcement about germs! http://tinyurl.com/ntejfr

It all started last Wednesday night at supper. “Aaa….Aaaaa….Aaaaaaaa…Chooo!” marked the announcement of Giant’s first cold of the fall. By Thursday morning, he was miserable.

With one in kindergarten and one in preschool, it was only a matter of time before germs invaded our Little Yellow House, so I took a deep breath and jumped into action armed with the mindset that this time I was going to try something new; I was determined to find something positive about our situation.

Needless to say, this past week turned out very different from what I had originally planned. And that’s okay. If I really think about it, there were unexpected gifts hidden amongst the tissue boxes, the hand sanitizer, the thermometer and the remote control. Giant’s cold provided us the gift of time. In between nose blows and fever checks, Giant had the time to sleep in, which nourished his tired little body. We had the time to watch our favorite kid’s television show and we learned a new word: “Dinosauric” (which means super big…as in dinosaur big). We had the time to discover that Giant likes to do crossword puzzles – just like his grandpa.

If we wanted to read until our eyelids turned inside out, we had the time to do it. We read lots and lots and lots of books and we had the time to dream and build skyscrapers — complete with a visit from Godzilla. We had time to pull out my cookbooks and read how to make gumbo – a direct result of serendipitously stumbling onto a lot of Louisiana-bayou stories. We had the time and space to make a big pile of hard-boiled eggs together and enjoyed eating hot and steamy bowls of chicken corn noodle soup with lots of crackers.

One morning, as they sat together and colored, I overhead Elf say to Giant, “I lub yew” and Giant countered, “I love you, too.” If Giant had been in school, which he normally would have been, this spontaneous and precious moment of recognition between them would have been lost.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a firm believer in school — always have been — but I have to admit that I loved spending time with my children last week. Time to enjoy and nurture both of my babies with nothing required on the “to do” list. Time to linger, explore, discover and reconnect.

Now that they’re headed out of here, I can say “thanks” to the germs.

Speaking of which, anybody see the hand sanitizer that was just sitting on my desk a few minutes ago? Helllooooo….anybody?

Best until next time,

Chris