A Time for Quiet

Right now the house is quiet...so, so quiet. It's also very early in the morning, still dark outside and still very cold in the house because the fire Ben just built before leaving for work hasn't heated up the house yet. There are very few moments in my day to day routine that are this quiet. I've gotten up, said goodbye to my husband, fed the baby, eaten breakfast, read my Bible and a few blog posts that encouraged me. I still have 35 minutes before I have to wake up the kids and it is no longer quiet in here. In the quiet I am able to think and gather my thoughts. In the quiet I am able to reflect on what God is doing in my life and with our family. In the quiet I am able to meditate on Gods word and how it applies to me today, in this moment. In the quiet I am able to find perspective.

You see when it's no longer quiet what happens is the house is filled with the stomping of feet, the sounds of sword fights, the bangs of little boys pretending to be super hero's, the high-pitched squeals of a little girl laughing because her brothers are tickling her, the coos of the baby, the loud grunts from the just 1-year old who so desperately wants to be heard but has not found the words to speak yet. Sometimes the quiet is filled with squabbles and tiffs, crying about hurt feelings, someone not sharing or someone getting hurt. The quiet is broken by the demands of 7 little people all needing their mom for one thing or another from food and diaper changes to reading a book or finding a lost toy. The quiet is interrupted by emails that need to be returned or sent, doctor appointments that need to be made or rescheduled, phone calls that need to be returned,
phone calls that should be returned but never are, deodorant and shampoo that needs to be ordered on Amazon (with prime 2-day shipping of course) because that is faster than trying to leave the house, beds that need to be changed because we seem to always be in potty training mode over here! The list goes on and the longer the list the harder perspective is to find.

This quiet time I receive is a wonderful gift from God even though at times, in the pitch black of 4:30 am and the freezing cold of winter, I do not see it as such. It's not always easy to force myself out from under the very warm covers (these days an infant in the house makes it necessary) but I am always glad I did. As hard as it is I have realized that I need this quiet time more desperately than I need sleep. Sleep is important and I make sure I get what I can but the extra time in the morning alone with God, to reflect and meditate is just as needful to my health and mental well-being as sleep is. The uninterrupted silence that allows me to plan my day or week, to look ahead about what needs to get done and find Gods direction on what my priorities should be and what I need to leave behind. The time to look back and see how I can do things differently or better or not at all! To reflect on the countless blessings I have. Yes as I sit here at the cold computer, with just a lamp to light my words, I am reminded how necessary this quiet time is!

A Time for Chip & Dip Season

Did you know chip & dip season is upon us? You didn't? Well neither did I until recently. I saw an article that was saying Velveeta was going to be in short supply. Someone then commented that it was likely a marketing scheme to get people to stock up on it as we head into chip & dip season. I'm not sure how true all this is but since chips & dip (sometimes veggies too) is my all-time favorite snack I didn't need too much proof to be convinced. So, in the spirit of "chip & dip" season, I give you my top 3 favorite dips. Enjoy!

1. Clam Dip
I'm sure my family cannot claim this as their original recipe but I grew up with this dip. Every Christmas my Memere Albert, my Matante Ann and my Dad would make it...other times of the year too. It's my number one favorite dip. Since I don't follow a recipe and eyeball all the ingredients I will do my best to give you our version of this family favorite.

You will need:
1 pkg. cream cheese
1 can minced clams (reserve the juice)
1/4 tsp of garlic powder (or more or less, do so according to taste)
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce (about 4-5 shakes of the bottle into the dip)

Put the cream cheese and a small amount of the clam juice into a mixing bowl. Beat together for a minute or so, scraping bowl. Continue to add clam juice and mix till the cream cheese is smooth. Discard remaining clam juice. I use about half the juice. For a double recipe I use one whole can's worth of juice. Now add the clams, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce and mix well. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving. Serve with plain chips or the way my Memere always did...with Bugles.

2. Hot Crab Dip
This recipe comes from my very favorite cookbook. It was given to us as a wedding present and I use it all the time. It's called Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Wedding Edition***. I receive a lot of compliments on this dip every time I serve it and it makes my top 3 list!

You will need:
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C mayo
1/4 C dry white cooking wine or apple juice
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground mustard
4 medium green onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can crab meat, drained, cartilage removed and flaked
1/3 C sliced almonds

Heat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients except crab meat and almonds in mixer till well blended. Stir in crab meat. Spread mixture in ungreased pie plate. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with crackers (Triscuits are my favorite) or Melba toast crackers.

3. Mexican layer dip
Because Ben and I love Mexican food but we do not like beans, I had to create my own dip that I would actually eat. I'm not going to take credit for this even though I can't find a recipe anywhere like it. I'm sure it exists somewhere though. This is a great recipe to tweak and make your own. Add or remove any ingredient you think will make it something you can enjoy! You really can't mess this up.

You will need:
8oz cream cheese
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1/2-1 C salsa of your choice
1-2 C grated cheddar (or Mexican blend) cheese
1/2 green pepper, diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tomato, diced

Pre-heat oven to 350. In a mixer add cream cheese and taco seasoning. Mix scraping sides often till well blended and cream cheese is smooth. In an 8X8 baking dish, spread the cream cheese mixture on the bottom so that it is spread evenly. Pour Salsa over the cream cheese and spread evenly. Next, saute the peppers and onions on the stove till they are softened but not cooked through, approximately 5-6 mins. Spread the peppers and onions over the salsa. Now add the tomatoes over the peppers and onions. Spread the cheese over the veggies evenly. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Do you have a favorite dip you'd like to share? I'm always looking for a new one to try so go ahead and share it with us!

***Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Wedding Edition is excellent! I highly recommend giving this cookbook to a young newlywed couple as a gift. There are so many fabulous tips and suggestions in it along with practical recipes for a young family!

A Time for Birthday Parties

"Let your moderation be known unto all men. 

The LORD is at hand." Phil. 4:5

With my oldest turning 10 this month (yes, crazy!) I've had birthday parties on the brain. I think it is interesting to notice how everyone has a different take on how they do birthdays. Some of you put people like me to shame! I'll admit after seeing some of the spreads you moms put on, the guilt starts to set in, like maybe I'm not doing enough for my kids to acknowledge their day. But after 5 minutes it goes away. Because once I start remembering that I'm not just planning one or two birthdays I'm planning seven, I quickly remember why it is I don't go all out for birthdays. My reasons go something like this:

TIME:  I have a few kids. Whatever precedent we set for how birthdays will be celebrated needs to be consistent across the board. If I decide I'm going to be that mom who goes all out planning a birthday party I need to think about the time that is involved with that. Then I need to multiply it by 7...because that is how many times I'm going to be doing it. That is time I just don't have. I mean have you seen some of these birthday parties???? Handmade banners, fancy cupcakes, DIY party favors, themed games, and on and on. Just visit Pinterest and you'll see what I'm talking about. Or maybe you've attended a few yourself. Of course you can buy a lot of these things pre-made an save yourself the work, save yourself some time but that comes with a price tag, which leads me to....

COST: It is expensive to throw a birthday party. Even if you make everything yourself, buy everything on clearance (because you've had the theme planned out for the past 11 months and hit every clearance shelf you encountered) and have it at home, it still costs money. I would say a modest, low-budget birthday party costs what, $100? Ok, now I just have to multiply that by 7. Am I willing to spend $700/year just on decorations, party favors and cake??? No, sorry, I'm not. Imagine the parties where a place is rented out, lunch is served, and activities are prepared. You're talking some serious cash. I know I've attended birthday parties where I am almost certain the party favors we took home cost more than the gift I gave! To me that is insanity! Leading me to my next point....

SANITY: Do you know how crazy I would get if I was planning 7 themed birthday parties a year? I know myself and I can get really caught up in planning parties...I love to plan parties. Its not my lack of desire that keeps me from the all out birthday bash. I have so much to do that if I added birthday party planning to my list I know it would send me over the edge.I would obsess over the perfect theme, just the right party favors and games. I'd be on Pinterest day and night searching for the latest and greatest birthday trends. I'd feel the need to be at the stores constantly to see what's on sale and stressing over whether or not to make the cake myself (rarely a good idea) or buy one and if I'm going to buy one am I a bad mom if I go with Shaw's or does it have to come from a fancy bakery? You see what I mean?

EXCESS:  Also, I really don't like the idea of inviting 10 or so friends to a birthday party, every single year, for every child. First, all those families feel the burden of bringing a gift. Not everyone has it in their budget to provide a gift, and you know yours is not the only party they are being invited to. Its hard enough at times to just provide for your own family! Second, children do not need to be receiving 10 or so toys, most of which they will tire of in a week, on top of what they are already receiving from their family. Even if you tell people the gift is not necessary, you know they are going to bring one because that's what you do at birthday parties. Wouldn't it be cool if  parents had their kids choose a charity or two that families could give to instead of bringing a gift? 

Basically this is what it boils down to. Like the holidays, we tend to keep birthday's modest. We feel that our money is better spent being used toward an experience or outing for the child rather than on a big birthday party. Activities like going to a theme park, museum, movie theater, etc. are things I would much rather spend my money on since we just don't have it in our budget to do these things every weekend. The only time this is different is for the 1st birthday. This is my FAVORITE birthday. I don't know why, maybe because I'm just so proud of us for surviving another year of taking care of an infant but I love them and do plan a theme and invite family. The other time this will be different is for a milestone birthday, but even then it's low-key compared to what many do!

In our family we look at birthday's as an opportunity to make that individual feel like the day is all about them...because in a big family it very rarely is ever about any one person. It can't be. And I just don't feel the big birthday bash is necessary to accomplish this goal. What I will do is let them choose their favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner and make that for them...within reason. I let them choose the kind of cake they want and the theme. Sometimes I make it or sometimes I buy it...from Shaw's! I also will buy paper plates and napkins to go with the theme to eat dinner on. We ask them what they would like to do that day and try to make it happen...again, within reason. If my family is able to come down, which they are VERY good about doing, then that is the party. If it's their birthday they don't have to do their chores for that day and usually they are allowed to stay up a little later than everyone else. These things may seem small but to my kids these are big things that make them feel special.

Everything we do for our kids is a teachable moment and helps shape the kind of individual they will become. We really feel teaching our kids moderation at a young age is invaluable, especially when we live in a world where the philosophy seems to be "the more the better". As cliche as it sounds, we really believe "less is more" and that is the approach we take when it comes to birthday's...and life in general.

So, how do you celebrate? 

A Time for Church Nursery

But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. ~Mark 10:14

A friend of mine on Facebook posted a link titled 7 Reasons to Serve in the Church Nursery. Click on the link and read the post for yourself, it's very interesting especially if you are someone who attends church and uses the nursery.

I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you that the topic of church nursery is sort of a hot button issue with Ben and I. When you have little children, especially when you have a lot of little ones, the nursery ministry is very important to you. I know there are some of you who feel children should never be in the nursery and can get really heated about parents needing to train their kids from infancy to sit in church...I've heard it all before. I'm not going to say I disagree. I think that if you do not want to put your kids in the nursery then you shouldn't and no one in the church, Pastor or otherwise, should make you feel bad about that. Our children are all very close in age so pretty much we have had two babies to take care of on top of the other kids. Ben is also the piano player in our church for every service so I am alone to train the kids to sit still for about 30 mins of a 60 min. service. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but it's near impossible to have two babies in my arms all while trying to train my older ones. Currently I have 5 sitting with us in church and a couple still need some direction. So I use the nursery...unashamedly. Because selfishly, I want to be able to attend at least one service on Sunday where I am able to pay attention and not constantly be "training" a child. I do try to have them out of the nursery by age 3. This is when we have started having our children sit with us during the evening services, a couple of the kids were 2 years old. Sunday mornings there are age-appropriate classes for them to go to and I will say that our kids are blessed to have some really great Sunday School and Jr. Church teachers.

As I was reading the list from the post, numbers 5 & 6 were the ones I was silently screaming "Amen!" to. The author says, "a growing Christian is always a serving Christian". This is so true. As Christians we should be driven by the Holy Spirit to serve. Too many today are not doing this and it is evident in churches of every shape and size. As it relates to church nursery I can attest to having been told more than once by more than one person, "I've done my time taking care of kids. I worked in the nursery for X amount of years and raised my own family. Now its someone else's turn." I can understand needing a break from a particular ministry. It is very easy to get stuck in a ministry and get burnt out. I've seen it happen and it's really unfortunate. Once a person becomes too exhausted to serve anymore they very rarely come back to the ministry after a period of respite. When it comes to the nursery I think this is what happens. There are so few willing to serve in this ministry that the burden of it falls on only a few. And to make it worse, often times of the few that are willing only some of them are consistently reliable and show up when they are expected to or take the time to find a replacement when they cannot...which means it falls again onto the faithful few. It is so easy to lose your joy in serving which is why I felt #6 was so important to be pointed out.

The author says, "The church nursery is the first contact young families will have with your church. Your friendly greeting and exceptional care for their children can make a great first impression for your church. If they don’t feel like their children are safe, they will not return – and rightly so." This is absolutely spot on. This goes for Sunday School teachers, Jr. church workers and anyone else who will be working with my child for the morning. Churches want young families to come and to STAY but I feel a lot of times they forget that in order to get the young families to stay (there is always the exception...some will stay regardless but this is the EXCEPTION, not the rule) their children's ministries need to be well staffed and organized. Too often Ben and I have felt like a burden to people when we show up needing the nursery and folks are scrambling to find someone, anyone, who is willing to stay and watch the kids. This is NOT a good first impression. Personally I feel that there should be a nursery worker in the nursery at least 10 mins before the service starts to greet any family who will arrive to drop off a child. I don't feel it is a good testimony when a family arrives to an empty nursery and is waiting around for a worker who is running late. But that's just my opinion!

I know that as a mom who is using the nursery this post might seem a bit self-serving. I want to assure you that is not my purpose. My purpose is to give you a moms perspective. I've been putting children in the church nursery for 10 years straight now so I have a little experience with it. Some good, some bad. I have the perspective of what it is like to be a visitor needing the nursery and as a mom who works in the nursery. I want nursery workers to understand how vital this ministry is to us moms and what a blessing it can be when it is run properly and effectively. I want to encourage you to find joy in serving in this way because whether you think so or not you are having an impact on young lives...and it can be a positive one or a negative one. The choice is yours. I know my younger kids have all had their favorite nursery worker. It's been neat to see how each of them has bonded and found something special with different ones. What has also been a blessing to my heart is seeing the nursery workers bond with my kids and learn what they love. Jena for instance has always loved purses. Ask any lady in our church about this...chances are they have a story to tell you about her going through their purse looking for either mints, chapstick or an Ipod! So a couple of the workers began bringing a purse just for her and filling it with things they new she would like when it was their turn for nursery duty. That is love and that is how I believe we are to serve and minister to children in the nursery. If you are currently a worker in the nursery and are finding it hard to find joy in serving then I would encourage you to not give it up all together but rather pray that God would change your heart and help you learn to love the children and the ministry. If you are a mom who is discouraged because of your church nursery ministry then I want to encourage you to pray and ask God to help you. It may mean He starts by using you to set the example in the nursery. Ben and I know all about discouragement when it comes to this and I will admit it is very hard at times. But prayer is more powerful than you know so I would encourage you to commit to praying for your church nursery workers and the ministry that God would work in the hearts of the workers. Pray also for yourself that you will not allow discouragement to turn to bitterness. Ask God to help you see what is good, pure, true, etc. (Phil 4:8). Then wait patiently and see how God will work it out! I believe there is a purpose and a place for the church nursery and I believe that God can use the workers in the nursery in a very mighty way if they would only allow him to...and some are! Look to them as your example. I promise others will be blessed by it...especially the children and their parents!

A Time to Set Goals

I really can't believe another year has ended. I will say that for myself, 2013 was a blur! Our year over-flowed with blessings! God has been so good to our family. I'm just thankful that I am able to say 2013 was a good year because I know that for many 2013 was filled with difficulties, heartache, challenges, and loss. I have no idea what 2014 will bring to our family, only the Lord knows, but our prayer is that whatever we are asked to face we will do so with grace and a complete reliance on the One who establishes our days.

Not knowing what the future holds is not, however, an excuse for me to not set some goals for myself. I hesitate to set New Year's resolutions because I am terrible at keeping them, even the ones that seem easy to keep! I do want to set goals though because that is how I operate best. When I know what I am trying to accomplish and what I am working towards, that is when I function most effectively. So what are some goals I am setting for myself this year? Well number one (as it is for many of us) weight loss. But, I don't have a specific amount I am trying to lose, I am not planning to follow a specific diet and I don't plan on getting a gym membership. Because life is still incredibly busy and I still do not have a lot of free time I know that if I set a rigid goal I will get discouraged quickly. So my goal is basically to make healthier choices. I plan to eat healthier but not count points or follow rules. I'm keeping it simple...instead or reaching for the cookie I'm reaching for the carrot. I'm also planning to start exercising. A friend lent me P90X so if you don't hear from me it's because I've died.

Also on my list of goals is to read more. I don't read nearly enough and I enjoy it so much. I also want to be more deliberate in my parenting and interactions with the kids. In the business of this particular season of life where there are so many little ones I feel sometimes my older kids don't get 100% of me. I'd like to change that. And of course, the goal that is always on my list and will continue to be is to know my God better. To spend more time with him in His word and in prayer. I haven't figured out how I'm going to accomplish all this yet but I'm at least going to try.

I have so much to work on and I can easily get very discouraged when I sit back and think about all the things I would like to do better or work on or change. I'm going to take baby steps this year and not put a lot of pressure on myself. I'm going to be deliberate about making healthy eating choices but not beat myself up when I cheat (because you know I will), I'm going to make a conscious effort to read more but that might mean that I read for 30 mins a week...that is more than I do now (as far as fiction reading goes) so I'd be reaching that goal. I'm keeping it simple but at the same time giving myself something to strive towards. And hopefully by putting it out there and telling you all about it that will be enough accountability for me to stick to it!

A Time to Tell You Why I Blog

I hope you didn't click on this to get some profound reason for my efforts! My reasons are not at all juicy either. First let me tell you why I DON'T blog.

I don't blog...
Because I want to make money on it...clearly
Because I think I have all the answers 
Because I am an excellent writer and you all should know it
Because I am super talented in the craft/cooking department and everyone should benefit from my abilities
Because I want to make a name for myself...or "brand" myself

So why do I do it? Honestly, the idea to start a blog was not a thought out one. It's not something I contemplated for months and then put a dream into action. I never read other peoples blogs until I started my own. I didn't even really know what blogging was. One night I was home alone because Ben was out of town for work. I had 5 kids and was struggling to get rest and feeling very cooped up. I was desperately seeking some sort of outlet for myself that didn't involve me cleaning a house or taking care of kids. Not because I don't enjoy those things I just don't enjoy ONLY doing those things. And when you have little ones at home the feeling of doing nothing else besides changing diapers and constantly training can become overwhelming. I was looking through the adult ed classes trying to see if something would strike my fancy. Anytime I would see something of interest I would find it was on an evening or time that didn't fit our schedule. The Lord was clearly shutting the door on that option as much as I was desperately trying to open it. He was stronger and it slammed in my face. Then this idea, out of nowhere came to me, "what about blogging?" So I looked into it, decided to try and create one, watched some Youtube videos on how to do some things and there it was... a blog. But it was a blank blog. What would I say? What would I write about? I prayed and just asked God to direct me. I didn't want this to be a waste of my time and just something I did that would lose it's luster in 2 months. I wanted to take a leap of faith and see what happened but I was skeptical. The driving force behind me actually continuing and publishing the first post was a feeling that God was asking me to. As crazy as that may sound, it's the truth. So why do I blog? Here's why:

I blog because...
I love to write. It's an outlet for me and I find it very therapeutic
It's something I can do other than my day-to-day mom/wife stuff that doesn't require money or me leaving the house
I love connecting with people
I enjoy sharing what God is doing in my life, the good and the bad, successes and failures
I believe God brought this opportunity to me and I want to glorify Him through it

All of these reasons are true,real reasons why I blog but the main reason I believed I was doing this when I first began was so our families, who we do not live near, could keep up with our family and see how we were doing . I really thought God brought this to mind so we would have an easier time feeling connected to them, while at the same time filling that need I had to do something "else". The funny thing is though, that is not how God has used it. In fact, most of our family doesn't even read this blog. God has done something totally different and unexpected with it. I have met new people, built relationships, helped new moms, encouraged the discouraged, been transparent (with Gods help) when that is what others needed. God has given me a boldness with this blog and shown me the importance of letting go of pride and appearances and just being real about life. I will admit that its not always easy for me to transparent. My pride fights that. But those are the posts that God has used the most to help others as evidenced by the number of "hits" it gets and the emails and comments I receive. I truly am amazed that anyone reads this blog never mind the way it reaches people. Don't misunderstand...my circle of influence is very small! But that is ok since my goal was never to have a following. I write for the few, not the masses but mostly I write for me and my kids. Ben always mentions how these posts will be a great resource for our kids when they are older and can appreciate them. So if nothing else I am building a library of wisdom (and I use that word carefully as I know I have so much to learn) for my offspring.

I have said all of this to be clear of my goals with this blog as I present an idea I have. And I need your help! I have noticed in the blog world that many bloggers create a facebook page and their readers "like" it. What I really love about this idea is it's a fun way to connect even more with those who read your blog without making your own personal facebook page all about your blog. Again, my goal is not to "brand" myself so that is not at all why I am thinking about this. I want a fun easy way to encourage and edify others without the pressure of writing a blog post. As much as I enjoy writing, it is time consuming and I don't have a lot of time these days. A facebook page I feel would allow me to write a line here and there, share quick thoughts, give recommendations on books & blogs, share my own blog posts when I have one...you get the idea, without taking up a lot of my time. How can you help? If you read this blog, even if it's just once and awhile, "like" my facebook page. It's called To Everything There is a Season. Click on the link and it will take you right to it. Every person who likes my page will be entered into a drawing to win something hand-made by my friend Karen from Our Picket Fence. I own a few of her creations and they do not disappoint! If you take the time to visit her Etsy shop and tell us what your favorite item is in the comments here, your name will be entered twice! Who doesn't love two chances to win? The winner will be able to choose between the Lavender Filled Sachets or the Yellow Chevron Rice Hand Warmers. The winner will be announced by January 4, 2014 (2014, seriously!?). Alright, get busy "liking" the To Everything There is a Season's facebook page and visiting with Our Picket Fence...and let your friends know!

A Time for My Thoughts on Christmas

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ~Is. 9:6

It may come as no surprise to you when I tell you I like to keep it simple. These are the things I enjoy...the simple things. With a little luxury thrown in here and there, when God and means allow. So for me (and Ben), Christmas is about one thing: Jesus. And this is what we teach our children. All the other stuff, which I will get to in a minute, are just extras that do not MAKE Christmas what it is. The birth of Christ, our Saviour, the one who would one day die on a cross to save us of our sins, and offer us a place in heaven. HE is what our Christmas is all about.

That being said, we do enjoy the Christmas season in other ways but they are not the priority and they are not the focus. There are 5 things that I do all I can to make time for because I want my kids to have these memories and traditions. I want them to grow up and look back and say, "at Christmas we always..." Those kinds of memories and traditions are special and I feel, worth the extra effort to make happen.

1. The tree. No matter what is going on, no matter how busy life is, we always make time to put up the tree. Even when we had our first apt. and no money, before kids came, we had a tree. It was a pathetic, Charlie Brown tree but it was a tree. Now we have an artificial one because it's just easier right now. Eventually I think we will get a real tree but for now the one pictured above is our tree and we love it. The older kids help us assemble it, Ben and I string the lights, then all the kids who are able start putting on the ornaments. We were not allowed to help with the "real" tree growing up. We had our own tree in the basement that we were allowed to decorate. Growing up I never thought that was a bad thing...till I tell people this story and you can just see the pity for us in their eyes! I want my kids to feel like this tree is theirs too, not just mine, and perfect is not my goal. Memories are. If they showed no interest in putting the ornaments on the tree then sure, I would do it myself but they really look forward to this.

2. Making sugar cookies and decorating them. We did not have this tradition in my house but I think its so much fun so we make sure to do this with our kids. This is another thing they really look forward to! This year I let Jena help me make the cookies. The boys are only interested once the frosting and sprinkles come out! This tradition I will admit is time consuming. I also don't love baking so this is a real labor of love for me. Not to mention the mess...this is a messy tradition. By the end of this everyone was covered in flour, frosting and sprinkles...but it all washes and the memories made are worth every bit of mess.

3. Sticky Buns. Oh my, these are so good. This is one of the traditions Ben had growing up that he was not at all willing to leave behind...and none of us are complaining! We all look forward to our Christmas morning sticky buns! The kids ask for these throughout the year but I only make them on Christmas morning. Whether we are home or away I always plan to make these. They are so good and everyone looks forward to them so much that its usually a hard decision when the kids are asked if they want to eat first or open gifts!

4. The Christmas Story. And I'm not talking about "Twas the Night Before Christmas", though that is a great read. I'm talking about the story of Christ's birth. I will never forget the first time I heard the Christmas story. Of course it is possible I heard it at a young age but I mean the first time I really heard it. It was the first Christmas I spent with Ben's family. Christmas morning Ben's mom told me that the seat reserved next to Ben's dad was for me. That was so special to me. I know that seat was a place one of her 6 children look forward to having but she purposed to reserve it for me knowing this was my first time listening to it with a changed heart. I will never forget that morning. So the tradition continues in our home. On Christmas morning before we do anything else, we sit down in front of the tree and Ben reads the Christmas story. As much as I love our other traditions and would miss them if they were gone, if we could only choose one I would choose this one.

5. Christmas pajamas. This is a tradition we had growing up and I love this tradition but when you have 7 kids this is not always a tradition we can afford. The past few years I have chosen to go with something most of the kids already had, like the red tartan patterned ones we all have, and just buy the one or two sizes I need. This year we had a little extra in the budget and I found Star Wars pajama bottoms at a great price for the 4 boys. No they are not exactly "Christmasy" but the boys are going to love them. For the girls I only had to buy one pajama, for Jena, and got it match what I already had for the younger two girls.

So how does a family with 7 children in a difficult economy afford Christmas without breaking the bank? We get asked a lot and my answer is simple: Christmas is not about the gifts. It just isn't. From the time Noah was born we determined that Christmas would be small when it came to gifts. As parents we set the bar. So even though we only had one child and could afford to do more, we didn't. I'm thankful that we had this perspective early on because we had no idea we'd have 7 and that a small Christmas in the gift department was going to become a necessity. We don't have a strict policy per say but basically it has been one gift per kid (within our budget, which is $50 per kid) plus *stocking stuffers. The past couple of years we purchased one big gift for all the kids to share and if there was any money left over (there usually is) from our budget (which is still $50 per kid, we just combine it for the big gift) we purchase a small item for each of them so they have their own individual gift to unwrap. This year, thankfully, our family members are putting money toward bigger items for the kids to share and we are grateful. This not only helps them but it helps us. When you have 9 people living in a modest home you can only have so many toys! I know to many reading this our budget seems ridiculously small and the idea of only having one gift each under the tree is crazy. This is how we keep it simple. This is how we remain stress free at the holidays and are able to enjoy each other and the things that really matter. Having a small budget for our family at Christmas not only helps us keep perspective but it also allows us to GIVE during the holidays. There are so many with so much less then us and its important for us to get our kids involved in giving and help them see how much they have compared to others. A couple ways we do this are by putting together shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child and picking stars from the tree at the kids school, and donating to Toys for Tots. There are so many ways to give and each year how we give is a little different. I hope that you all are able to experience the joy this holiday season can bring. Even when difficult times fall upon us, if we keep perspective and remember what is really important, we can have peace and contentment. Enjoy your families and your holiday traditions and more importantly...breathe! Enjoy the season, don't stress and focus on building memories!

Still waiting for Emma's
stocking to arrive!

*Stocking Stuffers: This is something I love. As a kid stocking stuffers were my favorite! So I really want to fill stockings for my kids. The problem: this can get really expensive! Not only expensive but I really dislike spending money on trinkets and things that will break a day later just to fill a stocking. So this year what I am doing is putting the Christmas pajamas in the stockings with a couple other things. And I will likely keep it this way for the years to come. Two things my kids love are chapstick and soda. They very rarely get soda and if they do its half a glass maybe three times a year. I buy the small cans of soda (the ones that are half the size of a regular can) and they each get one in their stocking...they LOVE this! So pajamas, a can of soda and a chapstick are what my kids are getting in their stocking. I'm not kidding when I say its very important to us that Christmas remains simple and focused on what is important. I always tell my kids the story my grandmother told me when I was a kid. When she was young her and her siblings received fruit and a few pieces of candy in their stockings. Fruit was a luxury for them apparently and not something they got often. She would talk about how much she looked forward to getting that orange and I remember thinking, "really, excited about an orange?!" I haven't spoken to her about this story since I've been an adult. It's very possible she exaggerated in the hopes it would make me more thankful for all I received. In any case, I tell my kids, and it does make them realize how much they have so its a good story regardless!