Of baby foods and Advent

This blogging is not off to a good start again is it.  I can't believe just how incredibly challenging it is to carve out enough time to get on the computer anymore, let alone type up a blog post.  If I have a minute without littles there are so many other more pressing things to do!  But I constantly have ideas swirling in my head about things to write and I'm trying to keep a running note in my phone to remind me when I do get the chance.  I'm still struggling to get Maddie to consistently sleep well at night so I feel sleepy a lot and prefer to take a nap with the kids as much as possible.  I keep thinking one day she is going to sleep as good as Isaiah and then I'll have whole nap times to accomplish great things but until then, I just keep napping.

I know my last post was about baby food and I did have pictures taken and another baby food post planned, maybe I can still share it, but Maddie is beginning to really take off with a lot of table foods.  I have been so pleased to not have to try to do a lot of different things.  I can make a big bowl of oatmeal for Isaiah and feed her some as well, or macaroni, or beans and rice dishes.  She even ate little chicken nugget bites the other day.  I'm still giving her some baby foods I have already made up for some meals that don't seem as easy for her like the other night we had super yummy One Pan Garlic Ranch Chicken & Veggies and I was a little nervous about the carrots being too firm as she only has two little teeth so far, so I just gave her a few little bites of potatoes.  She is also a cheerio monster, and loves the crackers just like her big brother.

Speaking of, Isaiah has been such a finicky eater for me for the last long while.  It's been since close to his first birthday that it started, and he seemed to progressively get worse and worse about what he would and wouldn't eat.  Recently though we've had some kind of breakthrough and suddenly he's trying things!  And eating them even!!  He's like a whole new child.  It does seem to work best if he sits with me and eats off of my plate but for now I'm choosing my battles.  If he will eat the food I'm okay with that.  Maybe soon we can begin to work on eating his own food in his own chair.  It feels crazy to say it because I know I have so silently judged moms before with picky eaters that they just must not be trying hard enough because surely the kid would eat something if they were really hungry?  But I swear there were days that all he had were three muffins over the course of an entire day.  Because I made them for breakfast and then he refused to eat anything else and I would not let him have more muffin unless he tried something else.  But last night he actually wanted the chicken, and he was totally fixated on the dark skin which seemed totally out of character for him.  But I'm so very excited to have him eating again I'm not even going to question it.

It suddenly hit me though this week that Christmas!  This week is Thanksgiving which means Christmas is coming.  And oh how exciting it will be with Isaiah this year!  He will be big enough to appreciate so much more.  I've been so in love with the whole Advent thing and I really want to incorporate some traditions into our family celebrations.  But how to do Advent with a toddler?  I've seen some neat ideas but I know there's got to be more out there.  I know Advent begins very soon so I really need to get on this!  I guess I should be hitting up Pinterest but do you celebrate Advent with your little ones?  If so, how do you do it?  I would love to hear about books or calendars geared toward the smaller ones.

Christmas cookies!

This afternoon Emma, Josh and I made cookies. I had found a few recipes I wanted to try from the latest Taste of Home issue. We set up sort of a little assembly line where I mixed up the dough, they placed it on the trays and then I covered some with the icing for the top. During the whole thing they were also busy working on their memory verses for the nursing home ministry next week. There were several interesting conversations throughout the afternoon.

Josh: "But Mary kept all this things and pandered them in her heart."
Me: "Pondered, Joshua, pondered."

Me: "Here is the dough in this bowl so I can wash this one and mix up the next round."
Emma: "You're making MORE?"
Me: "Yes."
Emma: "Why are you making all these cookies? Are we going to a party or something?"
Me: "We ARE the party."

Josiah: "But Mary kept all this things and pond-red them in her heart."
Me: "PONDERED."

Emma: "Josh you're making them too messy. They should be nice and round so they look nice for the party."
Josh: "What party?"
Emma: "The party we're having. Megan said we were having a party."
Me: "That's not what I said!"
Emma: "Yes you did."
Me: "No I didn't!! What did I say?"
Emma: "You said were a party."
Me: "I said we ARE the party."
*Emma looks confused and not at all convinced*

*a few minutes later*
Josiah: "Can I have one of these cookies?"
Josh: "No you can't we're taking them to the nursing home."
Me: "NO WE'RE NOT. These are for US."
Josh: "I thought you said--"
Me: "I give up."

Mocha Nut Balls

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Santa Claus

I have noticed through the years a great deal of animosity from Christians toward Santa Claus. While I think I understand their root concern I think that he has gotten a rather bad rap. One of the things that bothers me the most is something that was said at our church a couple of weeks ago. Someone I highly admire and respect mentioned that Santa Claus was based on fiction. I think I know what he meant but in all fairness the man that Santa Claus is based on was a real person. Wikipedia says:

Saint Nicholas of Myra is the primary inspiration for the Christian figure of Santa Claus. He was a 4th-century Greek Christian bishop of Myra in Lycia, a province of the Byzantine Anatolia, now in Turkey. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes.

Also attached to the evils of Santa is generally the idea that "you know if you rearrange Santa you get Satan!" Umm Santa actually means "Saint". I think this is one of those things where the fundamentalists or something have really gone overboard. It's okay to not want to participate in something but you needn't make it out to be some evil thing. Just don't participate.

Now this does not mean I endorse lying to children and telling them that Santa really exists as we see him in movies. That's wrong just because it's wrong to lie to kids. I don't think though there's any harm in having Santa movies or stories just like we have fairy tales about Cinderella or The Three Little Pigs even. No those things didn't really happen but do we say that Cinderella is evil or that the Three Little Pigs are satanic?? Of course Satan can use the whole idea of Santa Claus to distract from the true meaning of Christmas but if Santa Claus had a day all his own separate from Christmas would we really have that much to complain about? I really doubt it.

Personally I have never really considered Santa Claus to be "cute" so I do not own any Santa Claus decorations but I think if you want them have at it. In fact if you want to put a Santa Claus kneeling at the manger scene I'm not even sure why that should be a problem hehe. Okay I'm sure I'm gonna get comments on that one. ;-)

The Christmas "Spirit"

As I was driving along this morning running some errands, listening to the Christmas music in my car, and huddled in my coat with the heater on full blast it suddenly felt like Christmas. I instantly began thinking of all my friends who I've heard say recently "I just don't feel like decorating yet because I'm not in the Christmas spirit". Some indicated it was not time for Christmas yet while others just didn't "feel" it. I began musing on this and the thought crossed my mind--what is the Christmas "spirit" anyway?

When you think about Christmas and "feeling" what immediately comes to your mind? Mine thinks of the nativity, family, friends, yummy foods, and a general contentment and happiness. I suddenly realized why people might not be feeling in the mood. If you are missing some of these things can it be harder to feel in the "mood"? Why do we need these things to be in the mood? I think it's because the Christmas spirit depends on the attitude of your heart, and a CHOICE. Sure those things are going to make it EASIER to feel in the mood but they are not NECESSARY.

This is not to attack any of my friends who don't feel like Christmas right now but I decided that personally for me, if I sit around moping and pouting, and dwelling on my current situation I certainly wouldn't feel like Christmas. I have to make the choice to think about this time of year and what it means to me as a Christian. Does this mean that I'm "happy" and suddenly all is right in my world? Heck no! My situation is unfortunately still the same and probably won't change a bit through the holidays. I can however make a choice to dwell on the meaning of Christmas, what God has done for me, and have the joy of the Lord anyway. Just like sometimes we have to choose to be grateful at Thanksgiving, and choose to dwell on the good things we have and what God HAS blessed us with and NOT the things that are going wrong in our lives.

So I guess my challenge to you is this--if you are being a "Scrooge", scowling at everyone who tries to wish you a Merry Christmas and refusing to acknowledge the time of year just think about the real reason for the season. News flash! It's not about YOU anyway. :-) It's the time of year we celebrate Jesus' birthday, so think to yourself how you'd feel if it was your birthday and everyone walked around with their head to the ground whining "I don't feel like it's your birthday, I don't want to celebrate it right now". Attitudes are infectious and easily spread. If you choose to have the right attitude it will help others around you to do the same. If you choose to be depressed that same depression will dampen everyone around you. I'm not saying you have to pretend that your trials don't exist. It's about your RESPONSE to the trials.

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Phil 4:8

MERRY CHRISTMAS ;-)