Wednesday, December 5

The Wearin' o' the Green (part 2)

Christmas School is underway and the kids are enjoying a little too much free time. I've been helping out a friend and babysitting a few extras this past week, which provides lots of opportunities for the kids to run off and play and be forgotten while I deal with the newest crisis. Our Advent studies are supposed to be our focus, not something we fit into the day! But last night, all the kids finally left except Lily, who got to stay late. We finished our unit on Christmas Trees and had a fun snack/craft to go with it.

Lily was relatively clean. Honor had stripes on her arms and belly. Sarah sucked her knife clean.

This is a crazy mess because the craft was done by the girls while I fixed supper and we all scurried to finish everything before play practice began.

This mess? It stayed in the bathroom all night. I went to bed and left it.

But it they had fun.

The point of the lesson was to find ways Christmas trees can be Christian symbols. Here's what we came up with:
  1. They point to Heaven
  2. They are Evergreen, representing God's unending love, thriving even through the harsh winter or our hard times
  3. The star on top represents the Wise Men seeking after the Christ child and reminds us to seek after our Saviour
  4. When you take away all the shiny, pretty extras....it's just a tree. And when we take away all the traditions and pretty extras....all that it's really about is Christ dying on a tree.
Which left me thinking: I want to be a symbol of God's love. I want they kids to cherish this season, not because of the pretty extras, but because the pretty extras point to God. I want them to see God in me all year long. I want them to remember time with mom - with family. Learning and Loving. I have responsibilities that have to be met, but I have GOT to keep my focus on sharing Christ with my kids. In spite of the rush, rush, rush last night - I'm so glad we took a moment out to make that mess. But how much better of a memory would it have been if I hadn't been shrieking "Five more minutes and you guys have got to be done!" or "Honor, stop PAINTING YOURSELF!!!!!" What do you think? Will the sugar high keep them their brains from storing that part in long term memory?

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6 comments:

Christy said...

We decorated Christmas tree cookies last night because I talked about the meaning of Christmas trees as well (I tried to tie it into the Jesse tree-I just got a blank look from husband and child) ANYWAY there was a fair amount of shrieking on my end too.

I think they block it all out.

If not we will be contacted in 20 years while they are in therapy and get to explain why we yelled at them for painting the white curtains with green icing and dumping the bowl of icing on the dog.

Christy said...

We decorated Christmas tree cookies last night because I talked about the meaning of Christmas trees as well (I tried to tie it into the Jesse tree-I just got a blank look from husband and child) ANYWAY there was a fair amount of shrieking on my end too.

I think they block it all out.

If not we will be contacted in 20 years while they are in therapy and get to explain why we yelled at them for painting the white curtains with green icing and dumping the bowl of icing on the dog.

Christy said...

We decorated Christmas tree cookies last night because I talked about the meaning of Christmas trees as well (I tried to tie it into the Jesse tree-I just got a blank look from husband and child) ANYWAY there was a fair amount of shrieking on my end too.

I think they block it all out.

If not we will be contacted in 20 years while they are in therapy and get to explain why we yelled at them for painting the white curtains with green icing and dumping the bowl of icing on the dog.

Jenn said...

And then the therapist will want to know why you repeated everything to your children 3 times. Was it a compulsion?

lol. just kidding. doncha hate it when that happens?

Christy said...

LOL I had no idea that happened

HAHAHAHAHA

that made my day. What does THAT mean when you are amused that easily?

Okay, I am demanding an allergy test. And another vision screening. She is constantly falling and tripping!! She is so scatterbrained BUT she has no problem focusing when she really wants too... I don't know. I am getting her tested though. Even if I have to storm the office everyday!

Anonymous said...

You all have WAY too much fun. Enjoy the season to the fullest with your kiddos, they grow up way too fast. Love Ya!

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