What to Remember When Taking Pictures on Christmas Morning

As I was going through my camera after Christmas last year, I had to chuckle as I tried to find those perfect shots of our perfect Christmas.

This is what I found instead and decided to share with you so you will remember when you are trying to get those perfect shots on Christmas morning what really qualifies as a perfect photo.

You can forget about being in a photo yourself. Unless you can sign your name to each photo taken, there will be no proof that you were even there for Christmas. (And if there was a picture, it is pretty safe to say you deleted it before anyone had a chance to see it.)

Your subjects will move right when you snap the photo.

When you try to get pictures of the kids playing with their new toys, they will most likely be playing with the toys their siblings received.

Not everyone will cooperate with you. Okay, let's be realistic- no one will cooperate! And some photos may come out dark.

Hair will most likely still be messy from their night of dreaming about Christmas morning.

When you ask them to look at you, they will probably break out into some awkward pose you have never seen before. This is probably due to their extreme excitement.

But.... those aren't really the shots you will want to remember for years to come anyway.

The poses you will want to take are the ones when no one is looking at the camera because they are snuggling and so involved in the special Christmas movie that comes after all the gifts have been opened.

The photos of a happy child playing next to his exhausted father.

The smiles of gratitude for a day that went above expectations.

The sparkle of eyes that are truly experiencing Christmas and all of its thrill for the first time.

The way your child clings to his daddy because for some glorious reason, that he doesn't understand, Daddy didn't have to go to work today.

Your husband and son playing with each other and interacting with each other the way only fathers and sons can.

Because, after all, Christmas isn't about the presents under the tree. It is about relationships. The relationship that God wants to have with us, so He sent His Son Jesus as a Baby that first Christmas so long ago.

Intentional Christmas | Preparing Your Heart and Home for an Intentional Christmas

Brian and I have spent considerable time talking through what we really want for our children.

We want them to:

• value their relationship with the Lord
• value their relationships with us and each other
• find their worth in Christ, not in their stuff
• develop an attitude of gratitude, not an attitude of entitlement
• see that stuff does not matter, people do
• learn that the money God gives us has to be spent wisely
• choose experiences over things

With those goals in mind, we have altered what Christmas will look like for us this year and every year after.

We are choosing to scale back, not just on gifts, but activities.

For the last few years, I have wrapped 24 books and had my children open one every day until Christmas. This year, we are taking a break from the daily book. Instead, we will be learning about the character of God with Melk the Christmas Monkey. We want to redirect our children's focus back to the Lord and off of the commercialism of the season.

We are involved in many church related activities, but we are making sure that we do not overwhelm our calendars. We want to sit back after Christmas is over and reminisce, not crash.

Christmas will be practical, but it will still have the element of Christmas wonder that children look forward to. 

Our home is a decent size, yet space is still at a premium. Once the wrapping paper has settled and the toys have been played out for the day, the issue of finding a place for all of these things comes up. For us, practically speaking, the items we purchase for our children are already having "places" prepared for them. Bookshelves are being purged of "froo-froo" books to make room for books that will last for years to come. Toy boxes are being purged to make room for gifts that family may be giving.

It will have purpose, but it will still be fun. 

My children are involved in a co-op and we also take field trips and visit family frequently. One of the things I know they could benefit from is a backpack. Brian and I have chosen to use a back pack as their "stocking" and some of their smaller gifts (under pants and socks) will be put inside of it.

Addie is now old enough to have a "real" Bible. Because we also want Ian to have a Bible of his own, we have gotten both of them age/reading level appropriate Bibles.

We live in Florida. In the summertime, pools, beaches, and backyard water fun are a part of our daily existence. We decided to gift each child a beach towel featuring a character they prefer. 

The gifts that we are giving our children have been intentionally chosen, based on shown interests and needs that they have.

Addie is completely immersed in the Rainbow Loom phase despite the fact that she does not have an actual Rainbow Loom (hers is like a super simple version of the real thing and is not capable of making anything more than a simple bracelet). We have watched how she learns what she can from cousins and friends and has even learned to use her fingers to make some rings. We decided that she has shown us that she is ready for the real Rainbow Loom as well as a book to help her make some fun accessories.

Ian on the other hand needs a bicycle. Our road was recently paved, so we now have a great place to ride bikes (our road dead ends and we have no traffic). Addie has gotten to ride her bicycle while Ian chases her with the best attitude ever. Once Brian heard him say, "My legs are tired. I need a bicycle." No worries, Little Man. We have you covered.

We are staying away from the "toys" this year. In all honesty, they have plenty of toys, and I have found that the fewer toys they have on hand, the more they play with their toys.

I love that I can depend on several family members and friends to gift us things that are practical and are also needs. Several of my aunts are great at getting my children clothes and pajamas. One aunt in particular always purchases great quality shoes for them (a huge blessing to us!). One of my dear friends almost always gifts us pajamas- something I appreciate so much because it is a need but not something I like spending money on. One of their aunts always calls or texts to find out what our kids want or need.  

An intentional Christmas does not mean you have taken the fun out of Christmas. It means that we are making the thrill of Christmas last much longer with gifts that will be used for a long time to come.

Tomorrow I will be sharing a list of the items we have actually purchased for our children as we work towards as intentional Christmas. 

Guest Posting | Kids Don't Care About the Packaging

Today, I am posting at Frugal Homeschool Family where I am sharing about a frugal way to give Christmas to our families. Our children don't generally care about the packaging their gifts come in. I will be sharing how we have given a great Christmas to our children by shopping in places other than retail stores.

Melk, the Christmas Monkey

(Click on the photo to learn more about Melk)

That's right! There is an adorable little monkey who is creating quite a stir in the Ladouceur residence! He made a quick little appearance in the month of September and then scurried away to hide until late November.

Who is this little Monkey?

Well, his real name is Melchior Noel Yule, but he prefers being called Melk. Melk's mission in life is to tell children all about God and His great love. He would love to visit your family for 30 days to teach your children about the character of God.

Melk came for an early two day visit to our family, where we got to play with, interact with, and learn from him. 

Melk is nocturnal, so he is awake while your children sleep. When they wake up, your little ones will find out what Melk has been up to! He is never mischievous, but he is always involved in some kind of activity that your children can join in when they find him.

One morning, he had been gluing marshmallows to a paper to spell out the word "happy." He then went on to share (with Mommy as the interpreter) that it made God happy to create the world and each one of us. He shared some Scripture with the kids, and then invited them to help him finish his craft.

Another day, my kids woke up to find Melk reaching his way into a jar that had candy on the bottom. During breakfast he taught us that God's Word is sweet using the Psalms as the base for our lesson and discussion. Of course, being the sweet, kind, generous little monkey that he is, he shared some candy with my children after our lesson (I made the exception to let them eat candy after breakfast, because Melk asked so nicely). 

Melk will come back to visit us at the end of November to help keep our hearts and spirits in line with what the real purpose of Christmas is- the celebration of our Lord Jesus. 

Some reasons I prefer Melk as a daily Christmas visitor

I love Christmas, but sometimes, the act of preparing so many different activities can become overwhelming. Melk is going to be our only daily activity for Christmastime this year. Katie Hornor (the author of Putting on the Spirit devotional) has already done all of the planning. All I have to do is follow her directions. She has given a list of what is needed, links to the downloads of the crafts suggested, and what activity Melk should be working on when the children find him in the morning. 

I appreciate that Melk is never found getting into mischief. He is always doing something sweet, fun, productive, or enjoying Christmas with the innocent wonder of a child (like the morning my children will find him sleeping under the tree).

Rather than being someone who reports back to Santa about how the children are behaving, Melk points children to God and explains Biblical truths in easy to understand ways. 

What do I get when I purchase Melk, the Christmas Monkey e-book?

If you purchase the Melk, the Christmas Monkey e-book between November 1-8, you will also get a pack of free Melk coloring pages.

Melk, the Christmas Monkey: Teaching God's Character through Bible Lessons and Activities the Entire Family Can Enjoy is also available through Amazon as a paper back book or Kindle edition.

Katie is also including a set of journaling pages for your children to document their adventure with Melk. These can be downloaded after your purchase.

Where can I purchase Melk?

Your "Melk" will be a completely separate purchase. Although he is called the Christmas Monkey, you are free to use any stuffed animal you have on hand and change him to "Melk, the Christmas Moose, Giraffe, Puppy, Etc." This is the Melk we chose to go with through Amazon (you do not get to chose which monkey you will be sent, but we were happy with the Melk we received).

Your purchase of Melk the Christmas Monkey e-book will bless others

Katie Hornor is not only a great author, she and her family are missionaries in Mexico. The funds that come in from November 1-8 will go towards the yearly Christmas outreach they do for the children in the area of their church plant. This outreach includes a small, meaningful gift and Gospel tract. 

Would you like to try a Melk lesson before purchasing?

We thought you might! By visiting the Melk website, you can download a free lesson and give it a try with your family.

Melk is sure to become a family tradition

Melk came to visit us in September and my children are already looking forward to his next visit. I know that when he gets put away with our Christmas decor, my kids are going to anxiously await his next visit. This sweet little guy whose sole purpose is to point our children's hearts towards the Lord will always be welcome in our home.

Melk the Christmas Monkey

If you are like me, then you have already begun planning for Christmas- checking the gifts you already have on hand, planning for your annual family get-together, deciding what kind of decor you plan on using this year, and which traditions you want to begin.

I am so excited to be part of the launch team for a new tradition for our family. Melk, the Christmas Monkey will be joining our family this year and teaching us throughout the month of December what the characteristics of God are and how we can apply those characteristic into our own lives.

The concept is similar to The Elf on the Shelf, but with Spiritual benefits for our children and families.

I will be giving my review of the book during the week of October 8, but if you would like a sneak peek into what the Melk lessons are like for yourself, why not visit the Melk landing page to get two FREE lessons (or click on the photo of Melk to be directed there).

I love the fact that each of his quirky little activities have already been planned out , which eliminates me having to plan for one more thing each day.

More details on when you can purchase Melk and his book will be coming in October, so stay tuned!

Merry Christmas

I'll be taking the rest of the week off, but from our family to yours, we want to wish you a merry Christmas!

 

Personalized Gift Tags | Tutorial

We all want to make our gifts the most impressionable. Have some kind of "Wow!" factor to them. Gift wrapping has been taken to so many levels to up the ante on how attractive our gifts look. How we tag our gifts can leave an impression, too.

This year, I took a few of our family photos and turned them into gift tags to be put on our gifts.

Here is a simple tutorial on how to do that for your own gifts.

1. If necessary, resize your photos to 2 1/2 to 3 inches in order to get all of your subjects into a small area for cutting. I first resized my photos to 2 1/2 inches, but I found that the 3 inch size worked better.

2. I chose a 2 1/2 inch circle punch by Reflections. I centered all of the subjects and then punched out a perfect circle.

3. Most photos now do not have any printing on the back, so writing with a ball point pen or permanent marker will work for writing the receivee. Afterall, they know who they are receiving the gift from ;)

4. Make a little hole punch at the top of the circle and use string, yarn, and silver/gold thread to attach it to your gift.

5. You can line your tag with scrapbook paper to give the back a finished look. I did that with my first "batch" but it was difficult to punch them out because of the layers the punch had to cut through.

I love that I can personalize the gifts Addie and Ian give to their teachers at church. 

I walk by our tree and look at the gifts all lined up with their little tags and smile. They look darling and so personal.

I hope you give these a try. If you do, feel free to leave a photo of your finished gift tags of The Joy of Homemaking Facebook page.

Archive Post | What Do You Value During the Christmas Holiday?

We all enter the Christmas season with an idea of how we want the festivities to go and what we want to do with our families, but have you ever asked yourself What Do You Value at Christmas? In 2009, I took a good hard look at that question for myself, and this post is the answer to that question.

Guest Post | A Goodie a Day Until Christmas

Do you like goodies and treats?

How about one everyday until Christmas?

Do you like a good story behind a recipe? Such as how my future mother-in-law tried to get the ball rolling a little sooner than it did for Brian and me using her "Polar Bear"treats.

Head on over to So You Call Yourself a Homeschooler where I am guest posting today and sharing my recipe for "Polar Bears" (with my mom-in-laws permission, of course!).

Saint Nicholas Day

This post does contain affiliate links.

Today is Saint Nicholas Day, and I thought it would be interesting to look into the life of this man who chose to serve God with his life and resources and ended up becoming the "model" for the fictional character, Santa Claus.

I have read many articles in order to find out more about this man who chose to obey Jesus' words, "Sell what you own and give the money to the poor," literally.

Many of the accounts share a common thread. Many of the accounts talk about miracles that were performed. Many of the accounts talk about Nicholas' love for children.

Because there is so much folklore associated with St. Nicholas, I am not sure which, if any, of the miracles are true. However, when someone chooses to live for Christ, there is no holding back what God can do through that person.

I will mainly give you the facts of his life and also explain where we get some of our traditions from.

Nicholas was born a Greek in the city of Patara which was in a Greek region at the time but is now in modern day Turkey. He was an only child, and his devout Christian parents were very wealthy. During an epidemic, both of Nicholas' parents died and he was sent to live with an uncle, also named Nicholas, who was a bishop, and who later ordained young Nicholas as a priest.

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, persecution of Christians grew. Some accounts say that during this time, he began to work as a sailor on his family's fleet of ships, and others say that he suffered for his faith, was exiled, and imprisoned.

In 325 AD, Nicholas was one of the priests to accept Constantine's invitation to the First Council of Nicaea and signed the Nicene Creed.

Nicholas died on December 6, 343 in Myna, also now part of modern day Turkey.

In the years after his death, different accounts were shared of how this man had touched so many lives.

One of the most popular accounts was that of a poor man who had three daughters. In those days, if a girl did not have a dowry, she would not marry well or would most likely not marry at all and in some cases would be sold into slavery.

Upon hearing this, Nicholas went to the home in the evening and tossed three bags of gold through the window of the home in order to secure a dowry for these three young ladies. In some accounts there were stockings and shoes that had just been washed hanging to dry by the fire place and one of the bags managed to land inside a stocking. Hence our tradition of hanging stockings by the fireplace to be filled with goodies.

In some accounts, this happened over a series of days, in others it happened over a series of years (just before the girl would come of age). In one account, the father waits to find out who the secret benefactor is and goes out to thank Nicholas. Nicholas responds that he is not he one to receive thanks, but God alone.

Another account, which has a somewhat historical basis to it, tells of a time when the people of Myna were experiencing a famine. A ship loaded with wheat was anchored in port. Nicholas asked the sailors to give the people some of the wheat. The sailors argued with the idea at first because they needed to weigh and measure what was being given. However, in the end, they gave Nicholas, who told the sailors that they would not suffer any loss, an amount of wheat that fed the people of Myna for supposedly two years. When the ship containing the wheat reached its destination, the Emperor Constantine, the sailors found that the weight of their cargo had not changed. (This reminded me of the widow that Elijah helped.)



A few years ago, after watching the movie ST. NICHOLAS: A STORY OF JOYFUL GIVING, I was left in awe. I had not known much about St. Nicholas at all, but the movie stripped away the folklore and helped me see the heart of this man. The story in the movie is loosely based on the three girls who needed dowry money (these girls need one gold coin each to pay a fine for giving gifts).

I can certainly do without Santa Claus, but St. Nicholas has become a person that I respect for his willingness to give all that he had for benefit of those who had none, his heart of compassion for those who would have had no future, and his love of the One True God.

Don't Forget Your Husband This Christmas

Many of us are trying to make this the most memorable month for our children with Advent calendars, Christmas book count downs, Christmas parades, Christmas pageants, and a whole host of other activities to make the season bright for them.

What about our husbands?

How "bright" will this season be for them?

While we are marching our little wooden soldiers about town to hit every activity that is sure to make this the most wonderful time of the year for them, our husbands are most likely heading to work every morning and getting home after darkness has fallen (why do we save daylight, again?).

This year, in addition to the Advent countdown I am doing with the kids, I am also doing one for Brian. It isn't extensive or expensive and doesn't cover each and every day of the month, but it is sure to bring a smile to his face throughout the month.

What types of things can you do for him?

How about putting a favorite candy bar that he rarely gets for himself into his lunch box with a little note using the name of the candy in a cute pun. (For example, Day 2 for Brian was a Snickers bar with a note saying "Thanks for always making me Snicker." Corny, I know.)

How about putting a message in his lunchbox to let him know that he can expect a "special" evening after the kids go to bed. Let him think of that all day!

Maybe, once the kids are down for the night or after dinner if there are no kids in your situation, you can step out to the porch for a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and some talk time.

Take him to your favorite coffee shop for an hour.

Play a card game with him.

Sit and watch a sporting event of his choice..... and actually watch with him!

Buy a song he has been wanting and download it for him.

It's not too late to start!

Be creative!

Let this season not only be for the kids, but for your Honey, too!

Disclaimer: Do not go into this project expecting anything in return. You are trying to bless him, not seeing what you can get in return.

Archives | I WIll Be Calling It Christmas

There is a lot of controversy about what we should call this time of the year. In this home, We Will Be Calling It Christmas.

Archives | Yes, You Can Decorate for Christmas with Small Children

This post does contain affiliate links.

Decorating for Christmas with small ones can some times make mothers nervous, but it is possible.

If the expectation of obedience has already been established in your home, then your child knows that he expected to obey the "no touching" rule when it comes to the tree, gifts and any other decorations.

The post for today, Yes, You Can Decorate for Christmas with Small Children, was written last year when Ian was just over a year old. This year (obviously) he is just over 2. He is more mobile and more excited than he was last year. So here is an update on how he is doing.

Our first decoration to put out was our Nativity scene. It is a ceramic set. One day he got excited about the Baby Jesus and went to grab it. I gasped, said, "No, no. No touch," and he has been pretty good about not touching, although we did choose to purchase the Little People Christmas Story Nativity  set in order to help divert his attention and give him something he can actually play with and touch.

When we decorated the tree, I let Ian hand me some of the ornaments. He was thrilled! He has one particular ornament that he likes to flick around (an M&M ornament) and that is it. He has been told not to touch the tree and is now quite content to see under it and stare at everything with the wonder only a 2 year can have at Christmas.

Addie, on the other hand, has grown into a huge helper. She helps me string the lights, and helps with the decorating of the tree. It is wonderful seeing how the work I out into her early on has paid off now.

Have a great time decorating with your little ones!

The Great Santa Debate

This post does contain affiliate links.

In December 2009, I original posted about our family's choice to not instill a belief of Santa in our children in a post entitled "Oh, Santa."  Four years later, Addie cannot be swayed from the truth of the matter as is seen in today's post.

A few Sundays ago, as I was picking Addie up from Sunday school, I was informed that Addie and another child in the class had gotten into an argument.

Knowing my child and who the other child was, I gave the teacher a believing look which asked, "What was the argument about?"

"I asked the class what was the most important part of Christmas. {The other little girl} said Santa, and Addie told her that Santa wasn't real." She then gave me a look that said she was at a loss because Addie was right about Santa but should not have argued.

Both girls then walked out of the classroom together still saying, "Yes, he is!" and "No, he isn't!" Neither girl was going to give in to the other, yet one was right and one was wrong.

So how do we deal with the "Is Santa Claus real?" issue that almost certainly comes up each and every Christmas?

There are many parents, Christian and non, who want their children to experience the wonder of the season with every little aspect of it completely intact- including the belief that Santa is real and that there is a little elf who watches every little move they make during the month of December.

By that same token, there are parents, maybe not as many, who do not want to distract their children from the truth of the season- that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus..... and that God has given their Daddy and/or Mommy the ability to work to purchase the gifts they will open on Christmas morning.

As a mother, I want to teach my children How to Win Friends & Influence People, but not at the expense of sacrificing the truth for peace. I also do not want to tell her that she is right and her friend is right because that promotes a mindset of truth being relative and not absolute.

Instead, I took her back to something I had taught her the Christmas before she turned 3, and this was one of the moments when as a mother, I realized that there is a special satisfaction from having built a foundation with my child since the day she was born.

"Do you remember that we learned about St. Nicholas? (Side note: Veggie Tales has an awesome retelling of the story of St. Nicholas- ST. NICHOLAS: A STORY OF JOYFUL GIVING) Saint Nicholas was a real person who loved Jesus and chose to help those who were poor. Saint Nicholas is real. Santa is not. People took St. Nicholas and changed parts of his story around and turned him into Santa Claus. But Saint Nicholas was real. Santa is not."

I then went on to explain that we are never to bring up the subject/debate ourselves. If some else approaches us saying that Santa is real, only then is Addie to explain that Saint Nicholas was a real person, but Santa is not. If someone else's child is going to impose their Santa belief on Addie and one day Ian, then they have every right to speak up for themselves and the truth.

I understand and realize that this may disrupt some child's belief in Santa Claus, his 8 tiny flying reindeer, his toy factory with little elves happily slaving away making little wooden trains that children sadly no longer play with, but in a few years as these children grow up and learn that Santa is not real, and they will have one of two responses.

1) It will shake their faith as my friend Kristi posted in the comment section from the Oh, Santa post:

When John was about 8 years old he looked on the bottom of one of his toys and it said Made in Taiwan...and it clicked in his head "Santa isn't real...my parents lied to me...if Santa isn't real, then maybe God isn't real either!"

Or 2) It will not bother them in the least.

In fact, they may even think back to a time when their little 5 year old friend tried to tell them the truth. That Saint Nicholas is real. Santa is not.

From the Archives | Oh, Santa

Don't check your calendar!

You haven't missed anything!

It is still September, but Christmas is just around the corner, and this post, Oh, Santa is important for you to read before I share tomorrow's post with you. Almost like a little history to help the present make sense.

And take special notice of the last line of the actual post. It will give you a little head's up on what tomorrow's post will be about.

It Can Be the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

This post does contain affiliate links.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year (although, last year, fall came in at a really close second!), but sometimes it becomes extremely hectic because Christmas doesn't officially start until the day after Thanksgiving.

Not this year!

This year, I am participating in the 100 Days of Christmas eBook program ($8- click on the photo to go there), and I am already feeling relaxed about the upcoming holiday season. (Earlier this year I participated in the 100 Days of Summertime and we had the best summer on record in our family.)

Monday was the official 100 day mark until Christmas, making today 98 days! I have gotten my Christmas planning binder together and I eagerly await each day to add the next item to the binder or participate in the next assignment.

There is also a huge support system on Facebook where you can share in the excitement of planning ahead for Thanksgiving and Christmas with others who do not think of you as being nuts for being way ahead of the game.

The book helps you celebrate fall and all that it has to offer while still keeping your final goal in mind... a peaceful, relaxed Christmas that you can truly enjoy every moment of.

Looking Back on the List | Christmas

Well, it's that time again! Time to see what I was able to check off the list for Christmas.

I learned a valuable lesson this year. I can make plans, but I have to be flexible enough to change them for the health and comfort of my family. Not an easy lesson for someone as goal oriented as I am. But it was a good lesson to learn.

Make Christmas crafts with the kids. This was rather successful for us. Ian even got to participate with a craft, too.

Finally go to our church's Christmas program. Once again, we were unable to attend our church's program due to Addie having a cold, although the majority of the people I talked to said what a fantastic program it was. Maybe next Christmas......

Attend our town's Christmas parade. We were able to do this activity which we all loved and have decided to do it again next year, Lord willing.

Go to several state parks in our area to see their Christmas light displays. We were not able to do this due to colds and cold weather, but we will try again next Christmas.

Go to Sea World and/or Busch Gardens to see their Christmas displays. Again, we were not able to do these because of colds, but I am holding out hope for next Christmas.

Go to the mall and see the musical Christmas tree. Hmmmmmm....... I should just copy and paste the last two statements........

Go to Barnes and Noble and get more info on my Christmas gift. Sigh....... at the same mall as the Chirstmas tree that we didn't see......

Have a snowball fight and make a snowman with the kids Woohoo! Here we go! You remember our Snowman Day? This was the day we had our "snowball fight" and made a "snowman".

 

Attend a Christmas party for the kids. We had such a great time! There were about 70 people at our homeschool group Christmas party (elementary only). We made crafts, sang songs, listened to a retelling of the Christmas account, had a cookie exchange, ate a light lunch, and played on the playground.

Decorate some of our gift wrapping using my kids' feet You'll remember from this post that we made reindeer on our gift bags with Addie's footprint. So fun, fast, and easy. Thinking of what we'll do next year!

Make a Nativity scene with Addie using toilet paper rolls What a blast we had making this! Addie and I colored together, and I did all of the cutting. Then she got to set it up how she liked it and rearrange it to her heart's content.

Celebrate Advent using a gift for each day. We had a great time doing this. This is going to become a family tradition, I think.

Read to Addie by the light of the Christmas tree. This was one of my personal favorites. Having Addie snuggle up with me to read a story (usually our evening devotion and a Christmas library book) was a chance for us to do something together without interruption or distractions (you know, from this cute, adorable, pudgy little boy we have that walks around saying "uh-oh" and then "no-no-no" while shaking his finger.)

I will have a new list for the winter season up by the beginning of next week. I am looking forward to coming up with a new list of ways to build memories with our family and live life to its fullest.