Big Tree Plantation

If you were to ask my girls, "What is the true meaning of Christmas?"  they would answer without thought, "Jesus' birthday."  But I know them better than that.  To my three, Christmas is really about opening presents, baking cookies, decorating the tree, and painting homemade Christmas ornaments. 

Sure, we read the Christmas story, attend Mass, and say over and over, "Jesus is the reason for the season!"  But there is much joy when we walk down the doll and Barbie aisles of Target.  If you could see into my children's hearts, you would understand that to them, Christmas is not only about the birth of Jesus- it's also about celebrating the birth of Jesus. 

Sometimes I feel like Jesus gets lost in the frenzy of the holiday season and I hope we are truly able to teach our girls the true meaning of Christmas.  In trying to see the innocense of the girls' excitement, I realized that I needto "come to the party and bring the kids!"  He is everywhere: in the lights, the songs, and the cards.  Sometimes we get caught up in all the trappings of Christmas only to discover that we need to join in the celebration- guilt-free! 

We will encounter the true meaning of Christmas, when we light the advent wreath, talk about the legend of the Christmas tree and how it represents a different Person of the Holy Trinity, talk about the legend of the candy cane, talk about why we place a star on top of our Christmas tree, and how angels are everywhere (especially our grandparents). 

My girls seem to hear better with their hands.  I can tell them something all day long, but if they get the chance to do something, then it is usually theirs for life.  Over the next few weeks, I hope to share with you our family traditions to help teach our girls the true meaning of Christmas. 

This past weekend, we packed up and headed just a couple miles down the road, and had fun watching my sister and her family pick out (and cut down!) their very own Christmas tree.  Of course I left my camera at my parents house for Thanksgiving, my cell phone is the best we have here at the Big Tree Plantation.  The girls were mesmorized with the "real" reindeer, sitting on Santa's lap in a dream treehouse, and drink the best hot chocolate ever as you were fascinated looking at the dream gingerbread house.  I can't wait to continue to make Christmas memories this year, as I will continue to gently prompt them to look beyond every song, every story, for the Best of All Stories.  Here we come, Christmas!!!!

A Penny from Grandma

A Penny From Grandma

I am like a penny, a very bright one.

Remember, my darling children,

I'll always turn up.

Whenver you find a penny anywhere

in the years to come,

you pick it up and say,

"There's Grandma!"

Here's a penny, take it.

It is the first of many.

In time you will have a thousand reminders

That I'm telling you how much

You are loved.

         (written by my cousin, Stephanie)

I find shiny pennies a lot.  Sometimes when I'm least expecting one, sometimes when I need it the most.  Last night Grandma wanted to make sure she knew she was with me.  This entry is one of those times when I am going to look back and be so thankful (oh!  I am thankful for shiny pennies!)  I wrote about this moment.  Three years ago, I lost my grandparents and mother-in-law in 6 weeks of each other.  It was the most trying time of our lives, we have never felt so much emptiness or loss.  The upcoming holidays are the hardest for me because Sandy turned her house into a Winter Wonderland and she made everything magical for the children.  Throughout this week, we have slowly pulled out some boxes and with Cork, my father-in-law moving into his first new place in 33 years, he has given me some special things of Sandy's.  Having some of her things in our house touches me very deeply, but it is also very painful to see and remember.  We also came across our box of snow globes which my grandparents were giving us each Christmas.  I am so thankful for the memories, but it's also times like this when it's hard to face reality without them. 

That's why Grandma leaves pennies (shiny pennies) for us to find.  Last night I decided I needed a bath to unwind, but something made me reach for the journal I worte in during the time when we were going through our losses.  It was so hard to read, but so good for me to smile and remember so many little things I had forgotten about during those very sad days. 

Later I had asked Emily to pull the towels out of the dryer.  She called me in and said, "Look at that shiny penny, Mom!"  It's so bright and it's right on top of the towels!  That is so weird!  It was just right there when I went to pick up the basket!"  I looked at the pureness of the towels with the shiny penny laying on them, and then I looked at Emily.  I knew Grandma was telling me to keep my head up and focus on my girls, and life was going to be hard sometimes, but just keep looking for those bright, shiny pennies. 

Thanks, Grandma.  I needed that one, especially. 

My family

I know, it's generic, but I am thankful for my family.  I am blessed and thank God everyday for my husband, my girls, our health, and our friends. 

I am also thankful for our first-ever family picture!  This is a picture of a picture  (:

Game Night

I'm thankful my girls are finally of age where we can all participate in game night!  For those of you that know Ellie, she's not the most passive, patient child (ha!), so trying to play games that she could not be included in made enjoying a game very difficult!  I have to say now with her age and competetiveness, she is quite the game-player!  (As long as she wins!) 

I think this might be a great year to get games as gifts for the girls this Christmas.  My mom always likes to go with a theme for the girls, and I think board games would make a great theme!  There are some great ones out there, Ellie is playing a strategy game called Blokus, which is an awesome game!  We also like Cadoo lots too.  But I would love to build up on some classic ones like Scrabble and Monopoly.  With all the technology out there, sometimes we forget the real fun can be a simple game of go fish!  Let the fun begin!

I'm Thankful for my Dad

I call myself pretty lucky.  As my girls are growing up, they want to hear stories of me growing up more and more often.  As I share these stories, I realize how different they are from what they are experiencing.  I wouldn't trade my childhood for a minute, and it makes me sad to think that my girls won't have the memories of riding horseback, spending night after night with cousins, combining the corn, baling hay, swinging on the barn rope, walking through the field to my cousins, playing Monopoly all night with my cousins.  Yes, my world revolved around my family and cousins.  I know my girls are growing up having fun with friends and neighbors, but it is very different.  There is a beginning and an end, and "how did my child do, did she mind her manners, clean up?  We'll have to do this more often..." type of thing.  Spontaneous at the Martin household was the word.  There were no playdates, just days....  days all day outside.  So many of my memories trickle back to my parents and their stability in my life.    My Dad... a man of little words.  But He didn't need to speak.  Love him!  With all my heart!  He has never stopped growing into something new... farmer, deacon, chaplin, nurse, director... and it's not over.   There are always forks in the road, we just have to have faith and choose.  I have Faith in my Dad.  And I know he will choose the right path, still to this day.  God has a plan for him and he has touched so many lives at Hospice in Middletown, maybe it's time he made an impact somewhere new.  Where?  I dunno, God has plans for him.  Big plans. 

Thankful for volunteers

Making up my mind and feeling good about it has always been bery hard for my.  Maybe part of it is the side of me that always wants to please everyone, or the part of me that puts everyone else first.  Whatever it is, I am definitely a wishy-washy kind-of person, which sometimes leads me to being taken advantage of.  I have been doing lots of slef-reflection lately, and I vow to all my friends and family to focus on what is important (YOU!) and to not worry about the little things.  Since I have worked the last two years, I feel like maybe I put off some of the things I take for granted in life (YOU) and I know that I am on borrowed time here on Earth. 
Right about now you are asking why are you thankful and why the calendar picture?!?!  Well, let me tell you, I can't say how hard it had been to leave The Academy and the staff and pull my firls away from an incredible educational experience, but for personal reasons, Rob and I decided I am a much better mom (and wife) staying home and I thank God everyday I can do that (this year). Transitioning from public to private was HUGE for my girls.  There is so much my girls miss about The Academy, but I have to say God (and Granny) was looking out for us when we decided to simplify life.  I have to say I have found my "happy place."  I am so happy being home.  I am blessed.  Some moms are better moms working, I am definitely a better mom (and wife) being home. 
The picture is a reflection of how we lucked out with Ellie's teacher in kindergarten.  She sent this schedule home for the volunteers- she actually had so many, we were only able to help out once a month.  Wow... I like that.  I am thankful that there are that many volunteers each month that want to help in the classroom in the public schools... I like it... I am thankful...

Thankful

So thankful living in a great town.  I love the downtown area in Lebanon, one of our favorite things to do is just go walk around.  Today, Ellie and I did just that.  It was a perfect morning, so crisp and cool, and great hanging out with my favorite little person.  She was a good sport and posed for me at a few favorite places.

Thankful

As I kissed my hubby good-bye tonight, hating sunday travel for him, I sighed a deep breath, and began our Sunday rituals: practice piano, finish homework, shower (wow 3 girls use lots of water with 3 showers!) and began our bedtime stories.  Emily is reading The Secret Garden to me (she seems to love books about hardships- Little House on the Prairie and Addy- American Girl are her favorites), and Erika is reading to Ellie, I am laying in bed and can't thank God enough for what an incredible life He has given me.  After hearing today's homily at Mass, I understand how important it is to live life to the fullest as we are all on borrowed time here on Earth; our true time is with God in Heaven.  Father talked about how important it is to be patient in today's world, that all good things come with time.  Wow, I needed to hear this.  Although I believe God has a plan for all of us, sometimes I feel like I should interfere just a bit and speed things up some.  Like with my Dad's job with Hospice, I want it to all work out for him RIGHT NOW.  And my friend's daughter with cancer, fix it NOW.  In thinking about life's day to day challenges, there is so much to be thankful for in the Here and Now.  Right now, in this tiny little moment.  So for the next 11 days, I look forward to posting the little things that I am thankful for. 

Babies, oh do I love them!  My sister had baby Landon last week and I can't tell you how precious he is, how beautiful Katie looked after delivering him, and how incredibly proud Brian was.  What more do you want?  Babies.  Love 'em.

What to do with all that candy...

So much candy... ever wonder what to do with it all? I found these great tips on Parenting.com website- some fun ideas...

In the kitchen:

1. Freeze it. Throughout the year, add it to milkshakes, sundaes, ice cream, and plain cookie dough. (For a quick milkshake, add mini Butterfinger or Snickers bars to ice cream or frozen yogurt and milk. Bonus: add a banana!)

2. Bake it into cakes. Try peanut butter cup cookies or brownies with fun-sized candy bars inside. Or just put on top of cakes and cupcakes, or stir into icing. (For great recipes see recipegoldmine.com/candybar)

3. Make it a (sort of) healthy snack. Fill celery stalks with cream cheese and top with Peanut M&M's.

4. DIY Trail Mix. Open bags of little candies like M&M's and make your own trail mix by adding pretzels, nuts and dried fruit.

Adults Only:

5. Pair it with wine. (starchefs.com)

6. Make homemade flavored vodka. Just drop it in a bottle and let it soak for awhile to make your own homemade, creative tasting alcohol.

7. Put chocolate into your coffee for a quick, easy mocha.

8. Keep some in your purse for when you need a sugar fix, or your kids need to be bribed.

Get crafty:

Make an advent calendar for November: Put candy in Dixie cups and cover with tissue. On the tissue, write numbers 1-30, and place the cups sideways on a large poster board to form a calendar. Let kids punch through the tissue to get their treats each day. (alphmom.com)

9. Use it as a learning tool. Let kids practice counting or do their math homework with little Reeses Cups or Hershey Kisses.

10. Turn it into a science experiment! (scientificblogging.com)

11. Save it for a gingerbread house.

12. Send to school for treasure box.

13. Take it to school's office, it will be gone in no time!

14. Donate to nursing homes, fire stations, women's shelter.

15. Send it overseas. (operationshoebox.com will gladly take donations)

16. Just eat it!