"Of Things That Matter Most"

In the October General Conference, we were counseled to "slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on essentials."  I am taking this counsel to heart this holiday season.

Last year when we put up the tree, I was in a bad mood.  But this year, I decided to be in a good mood.  A desicion to not worry about the mess, the arguing, the need for everything to look perfect.  A decision to savor the decorating, clutter, music, lights, and kids.  A decision to focus on what matters most.

What doesn't matter most this holiday season?

The fact that the strings of lights on the tree don't all match.

The fact that we don't have enough time this year to go cut a real tree.

The fact that our fake tree loses as many needles as a real one.

The fact that I still don't have all the decorations up and everything is a mess.

The fact that little creatures got into the ornament box and ate all the tissue I wrapped my brass ornaments in.  (And that I seriously think they ran off with my little angel's bell.)

The fact that I look really tired in this picture, that I am wearing an XL T-shirt of Glenn's, and that half of us are in our PJ's already, and that it took a long time to get the kids settled enough to get one at least this decent (how old are these guys?).

Psst...notice anything different about Brooke?  Maybe that she has bangs now?  She cut them herself.  Yesterday morning.  Without asking.  And I didn't notice until today.  We could explore this in its own blog post, but I'm not sure I want to analyze what this says about me as a mother.  Or about Miss Independent herself.

What does matter most?

The fact that I love the majority of my Christmas decorations.

The fact that we all laugh to Elf as it's playing in the background.

The fact that Glenn is a kind and loving husband who is willing to tackle the lights and make adjustments as I see fit.

The fact that Leah was so excited to put the angel on the tree all by herself.

The fact that my kids love to do more together than just annoy each other. 

The fact that putting out all my nativity sets helps me think to that wonderful night when the Savior of the world was born.

I'm not saying I wasn't very ready to be done for the evening and for the kids to scoot off to bed (if you catch my drift), but last night was a great start to my holiday season.  This year I really am going to focus on what matter most.  I want to "make the changes necessary to refocus [my] life on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship--the path that always leads toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace."  Treasuring my family.  Serving others.  And celebrating the birth and life of the Son of God.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

The week in review.

Yes, it was a good week.

Wonderful trip to the temple, delicious buffet in German Village (which we saw later from Andrew on the drive home), a never-ending bookstore, nice drive around Ohio State campus.  Fun day with the fam.

No amount of touch-ups or filtering could counteract that late afternoon sun.  Shoot.

Got through three (or was it four?) of the Harry Potter movies.  Emma read like a fiend but didn't quite get all 7 books read.  I took Leah and Tyler to HP 7.1 (longest movie since Gone with the Wind), Emma gets to go with Daddy when she finishes.

Leisurely (rainy) Thanksgiving morning in PJ's watching the parade and scouring ads.  Ate hardly anything all day so as to be properly ready to devour all the delicious food.  Stood in the rain for about an hour with Glenn waiting to get in to Toys R Us while kids + Tyler and Becca watched Toy Story 3 and camped out in the living room.  Let's just call it date night.

Up at 3:30 for shopping.  Scored at Kohl's.  Walmart was a bust.  I can't compete with people who have been shopping since midnight.  Came home and found the same deals offered (but were sold out in stores) on Amazon.  Could Black Friday shopping be a thing of the past???

Glenn and Brooke got to spend Friday evening together at a Hoe-Down at church.  It was Daddy-Daughter night for the 8-11 year old girls.  Sources can neither confirm nor deny rumors that certain dads went a little nuts during the line dance competition.

Saturday we saw "Willy Wonka" at a community theater.  Not sure what I was expecting, but I was very pleasantly surprised.  It was a near-professional production, and a musical to boot.  Willy Wonka and Charlie were excellent.  It was long (think HP 7.1) but thoroughly entertaining and much cheaper.  A fun way to end the week.

Today I found myself back on the treadmill at 6 am, eating a salad for lunch, and attempting to tame the explosion of Christmas decor in the living room.  I love the holidays.

Small and simple things.

I am really looking forward to this week.

I get very happy when I think of what's in store.

First, there will be absolutely no exercise.  I work out five days a week, early in the morning.  I have missed a day here and there, and I took a break when we went to California, but I have been very consistent.  So this week, I am giving myself permission to give the workout attire, alarm clock, treadmill, sweat glands, and painful feet a huge rest.  What joy fills my heart.

Also on the agenda:

• Temple / Schmidt's Sausage Haus in Columbus's German Village
• Harry Potter movie marathon with any children who have read all 7 books (keep at it, Emma!)
• Zoo (free on Thursday!)
• Thanksgiving dinner
• Black Friday shopping
• New Harry Potter movie with Leah and Tyler (and Emma???)
• Pizza and movie night
• "Willy Wonka" play featuring Brooke's and Andrew's friends

I know it's not much...a token, really--a trifle.  But all these little things add up to a whole lotta stuff to look forward to.  This week, it's all I need.

Deja vu all over again.

November 18, 2002

November 12, 2010

First, he sings...

...then he gets sick.

After a lovely Veteran's Day celebration, Andrew found himself with a lovely case of strep. One day missing church and cousins, two days home from school, and three doses of antibiotics later, he was back to his usual crazy self.

The last time we went to a Cavs game...

...the Cavs won.

But someone slammed into our brand new car.

This time, the Cavs lost.

But the car was untouched. (We did drive Glenn's car down just to be safe.)

Andrew's school had tickets to give away to families who were interested. Of course, we were one of those families. A bonus ticket meant I got to tag along with the boys. We consulted our friends who have been very successful in getting their kids to be picked to be on the court as the players come out about how we could get Andrew down there. We were advised to get there early, but 45 minutes was not enough. Good thing there was stuff to do to fill the time...

...like hair painting...

...and poster making...

...and seeing how close we're getting.

We had great seats...no zoom on this picture!

And despite the loss, both the one over the summer and the one that night, the Cavs fans are still as supportive and excited as ever. It's always fun to be at a game.

Hallo-Weekend

The Halloween festivities started Friday night with the annual Parkside Halloween party. We sent off a princess and a tomato.
The next day was Andrew's final flag football game of the season, and possibly his last football game ever. This wasn't the greatest season for him, with the broken finger debacle and strange lack of time on the field. It was kind of discouraging, but Andrew was a trooper and is ready to move on to basketball. Next fall he's heading back onto the soccer field.

Saturday night our ward had an all-inclusive party--chili cook-off and trunk-or-treat. A crayon, the floor of a movie theater, and some static cling joined the tomato.There was a cake walk...

See the hobo there on the right? FINALLY! some one to follow in my childhood costume tradition!

...and the ever popular bite-a-donut-off a string game.

And of course all candy must be dumped on the living room floor for sorting while watching Halloween specials on TV.Sunday was the BIG DAY. But it was Sunday. So we decided against trick-or-treating. In order to still celebrate, we had a very fitting dinner with family and friends. On the menu--

• Dinner in a pumpkin
• Monster salad
• Scary smiles (apple wedges with blanched almonds for teeth)
• "Rest in Peas"
• Bone breadsticks
• Spider, ghost, and skull bread
  

Pretty scary, eh? But quite yummy!

Some of us thought there might be more Halloween fun to be had, but alas, it ended up being just another school night. Albeit one where we hid upstairs in the dark to watch "The Next Iron Chef" to hide from any trick-or-treaters that may be wandering by. (Don't worry, we never get anyone anyways.)

For me, it was nice to enjoy the beautiful weather, keep the costumes low-key, get a couple pieces of discarded candy from the kids, and spend time with family and friends.

Can Halloween be on a Sunday every year???