Sunday, November 10, 2013

Decluttering Christmas


 
What is it about Christmas that so many have such a love-hate relationship about? I love the decorations, the music, wrapping gifts but I hate the traffic and the crowds.  Bah humbug, right?    Why do we feel the need to put things on the credit card that we can’t pay for?  What does it say about our Christmas busyness that we breathe a sigh of relief in January?  Do we feel guilt for the relief that it’s all over? For myself I felt caught up in the expectations of the holiday.  Not by anyone in particular but in general.  About three years ago my perspective and priorities began to change when I noticed something like a series of lanterns lighting up over the period of a few weeks until finally the path was clearly lit with the choice Paul and I were faced with.

A good illustration is the organizers ideal:  The best way to clean out a closet is to empty it and only put back what belongs there.  That approach makes it intentional.  So forget what you always do and what you’re expected to do at Christmastime.  Why have you been doing those things? 

Make every decision about what you allow into your schedule, your emotional tank and your bank account coincide with the purpose you are giving to Christmas (aka Jesus’ birthday).

First comes the statement that the changes we made to how we celebrate Christmas were personal decisions between God and us.  There isn’t any expectation that what we are doing is THE best way nor do we pat ourselves on the back under the illusion that we’re doing what we’ve been asked to do perfectly.  But oh let me tell you the JOY I’ve experienced these three Christmas seasons with a new purpose. I am so passionate about this revelation we’ve experienced!  I would love for everyone to experience a stress-free Christmas by decluttering what Christmas has become.

So what changed? Our perspective transformed when considering our schedule and commitments.  It wasn’t anything dramatic.  It was just being intentional about how we spent our time.  We planned the things that were important to us by putting them on the family calendar.   We planned things to do as a family that were just fun and also things that were about giving to and helping others.  There are ways to involve preschoolers!  My task oriented mindset needed to be checked before these “giving times” with our boys because it didn’t matter how efficiently it got done but that my children got to experience that Christmas isn’t about them. 

After all, what we DO sticks with our children more than what we SAY.

Sometimes we said “no” to invitations because we wanted to be home as a family.  We just needed to take a step back to avoid feeling like we were running around like headless chickens!  (Can I get an Amen?)

Money.  It should be a four-lettered word, shouldn’t it?  This was the hardest and the most enjoyable part.   After weeks of considering the changes we felt convicted to make, my husband and I both felt that there was a certain percentage of our Christmas budget that should be set-aside for Christ first.  The prodding to make changes hit near the end of Christmas in 2010.  We said “let’s put a pin in this and sit down and look at what changes we need to make after we get through this year.”  Shouldn’t that be a pulsing warning light that we aren’t celebrating Christ when we just want to get through it?!?  So almost three years ago we sat down and figured up what we spent on Christmas the month before.  We then made a Christmas budget for the upcoming year and put Christ’s portion first.  Our kids, each other, family members, teacher’s gifts, etc. all were fit in afterwards.  The hard part was wondering how in the world we were going to buy “good” gifts for others with the reduced budget. 

But the amazingly wonderful thing about it all was that there was so much more joy in the giving because our priorities had changed.

For the past three years our time and our money better reflect that it’s HIS birthday we are celebrating.  I never understood what the argument was about saying Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas.

Does it really matter that you’re saying Merry Christmas if you’re only tossing a small portion His direction while the majority of your expenses and activities look very similar to everyone else?

No one is critiquing our December calendars or our charity related receipts to tell us whether or not we are doing the right thing.  The freedom we feel to truly celebrate the point of Christmas and the joy we’ve experienced is validation that the hard choices are worth it.   

Christmas 2013 is 6 weeks away.  What better time to take a step back and prayerfully consider how God wants us to handle the resources He’s given us? There’s still plenty of time to plan ahead so you can produce more than good intentions.  Paring down on the excesses of the season frees you up to participate in Christmas and not feel like you’ve been hit by the Polar Express.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

The Boys' Big Move

We mentioned bunk beds to G about a year ago and he's been excited about it ever since.  G and D have shared a room for about a month now and for the past couple weeks Paul and I have enjoyed the silence that SHOULD happen at bedtime.  It was an adjustment for the first couple weeks as they were both so excited about the bunk beds that it took HOURS for them to give it up at night and stop the silliness, laughter and general spazzing that ensued nightly.  The nursery is now my office again and I am thrilled to be done with setting up my laptop and work documents at the dining room table!

The boys each had a theme during their time in the nursery.  Gabriel's was antique transportation and David's was cowboy.  Both themes had similar rustic primary colors so I took a chance and mixed the two in their new room.  This is the result:



 Here's the picture above David's bed since it's partially hidden in the previous photo.  I modge podged a poster (ebay!) to mdf that Paul cut and painted black.



 I found this sign at Canton last year!




David's personal items are on the nightstand and little shelf.  I plan to hang a cluster of 3 frames between the two.



Their names took turns hanging above the crib over the past 5 years and are now on either side of their shared closet.






 Gabriel's personal items are on top of the dresser.....out of David's reach.  :)





The print in this photo was also a poster that I modge podged to some mdf that we painted black.  Much cheaper than buying something, even at my much loved Hobby Lobby!



 And the closet.  Nothing extraordinary or straight from the Container Store magazine, but it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to see this and know that their individual closets were full!  With a little help from Pinterest, The Container Store and Target I got some affordable ideas to use the closet space more efficiently to fit BOTH of them.   Very few toys or books are in their room although the train table is quite large!  Our goal was to keep the toys in the play area so we did some "purging" and donated quite a few items they hadn't played with in awhile. 
  • The white bags hanging on each side are for their dirty white socks.  No more figuring out which sock belongs to which boy!
  • The LEGO binder replaced a tupperware box as storage for instruction manuals.  It is full of clear pages to hold the manuals so he can easily see what he has.


We have seen our boys play together better and share more than they did just a month ago.  Hallelujah!  <this is me bustin' a move>

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Project: Fort - Six More Weeks of Progress

It's been almost six weeks since the last fort posting.  A few things came up that pulled Paul away from working on the fort but now, except for a roof, it's finished!

 Paul cut out the front window and built the eaves on the front.
 
Next he cut out the second window and made the windowsills for both.

Now the boys like to enter and exit through the windows......

Paul engineered a trapdoor so that it doesn't slam shut on heads or little fingers.


We made a chalkboard for the boys from a piece of wood that was cut off the rock climbing wall.  And in this picture you can see the handles Paul added to help with climbing in from the rock wall.

 I finally got around to sewing the curtains that Gabriel wanted.  The Bear County Boys Club in a Berenstain Bears book have curtains so they were on his must-have list as well.




Next up:  the roof!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

David's Goes to a Birthday Party

 David was invited to a friend's carousel party this weekend.  It was his first time to ride the horses on the carousel and every time it stopped he picked a different horse to try out.  He had a great time!

This is the grin he comes up with when we say "Smile!".

Notice the "before" picture of his cupcake.


And this is the "after" shot!  You just can't see all of the pink icing down the front of his shirt!

Gabriel's Soccer Class

Gabriel took a soccer class through Frisco Athletic Center in April.  Every Monday and Wednesday he was with other 3-5 year olds to learn and practice soccer skills.  He had fun and it wore him out every time!





(We call David's camera smile his pirate face.)




Sunday, April 1, 2012

Project: Rock Climbing Wall

Mimi and Papa John's spring break trip was postponed because almost everyone was sick!  So they came up from Corpus to hang with the boys and help with the fort this weekend.  After a week of rest, more measurements and planning, Paul was ready to tackle an all-day project with his dad:  the rock climbing wall. 

My big boy likes hanging out in his fort.  And in case you are wondering, if a shirt has a hood, you MUST wear the hood (per Gabriel).  It was almost 90 degrees and he kept that hood up all afternoon! 


David went with his Mimi and I to shop for some fort interior decoration.  Our goal was to find something comfy and boyish but not go "Martha Stewart" on the manly fort.  So after a morning of planning and shopping, we came home and had lunch with the guys.

 "Say CHEESE!"

Gabriel was excited to play with some friends for a little while and christen the fort with popsicles! (And yes, that is a flamingo in the future doorway.  That was David's contribution to the decor.  A fort isn't a fort without a flamingo!)

We were so impressed that Daddy "planned" this interior bench on the backside of the rock climbing wall! 


This is a monumental photo of the last screw that completed the east wall of the fort.  It was an all day project that involved a lot of mathematical equations I haven't even heard of since high school. So yes, kids, you may actually need to know that stuff!

Mimi with her grandsons

Go Gabriel!

Project:  Rock climbing wall - Complete!

Front wall, door, window cutouts, trapdoor, staining and roof still to come.   Then the boys get to have their Grand Opening!  By the way, what do you call a house warming party for a fort??  "Fort Warming" just doesn't sound right.......