Last year in our homeschool I did "Christmas school" where we did lots of crafts, projects, and narrative writing centered on the season. I wanted to do the same thing this year and found a 12 day "See Christ in Christmas" study. Four days a week for three weeks - plus whatever we would be doing with co-op - perfect! I loved doing this alongside the kids.
In November I had an idea for a service project our co-op could do. I got a hold of the senior center in Arco and made arrangements for the kids to make homemade Christmas cards and play Christmas bells during their Christmas lunch. So for the two weeks leading up to our bell playing we made Christmas cards and crafts. Then we played our bells for the seniors and did a Christmas exchange afterwards. It was such a great activity for the kids to give back to the community and still have fun things to do with their friends.
Justin ran rec volleyball from November through December. I helped coach one of the older teams and Emmett and Logan participated with the younger group. They hated it, but it was good to have some time with friends they don't see from school.
We did a youth temple trip that I was able to go to thanks to Justin wrangling all the kids. Afterwards we went to Christmas River in Menan. It was so Christmasy and fun! Colby was a nightmare but once Justin took over he was better. The kids got to see Santa, the Grinch, and there was live music all throughout the walk. We hit it before the snow which I liked a lot - not too cold yet still very cute and festive.
Colby had his second birthday! We ate cake with Granny and Gramps and he opened lots of Bluey gifts from us and Grandma and Grandpa.
I sang a solo in Cindy Jardine's community Christmas choir concert. I'll be honest - it was pretty bad but I tried to keep smiling through it even though I was dying. It was much slower than I had practiced, and that plus nerves just made me extremely shaky and out of breath. Oh well. I was able to redeem myself on Christmas Sunday when Lucy Pope asked me to sing "Star Bright" in Sacrament meeting. I did pretty well for that; I didn't feel very nervous at all.
I ran the ward Christmas party program when the person in charge wasn't able to be there. Justin was a shepherd with the two big kids as sheep which people commented was the best part of the program. I made their costumes that day and the cotton balls were coming undone and unglued so they were kind of messy but it was funny.
I took the two big kids down to Burley to see Sloane in the Nutcracker. It was a great reason to zip down for an overnighter so the kids could play with their cousins. It was nice being there without the two littles to make everything centered around the big kids. We did the arcade, had pizza for dinner, watched Sloane in the ballet, then came home for some hot tub time and more playing before bedtime. We had to leave in the morning to get home in time for our Christmas party and leave time for shopping. This year we picked a family to do secret Santa for, and this was the perfect opportunity for the boys to pick out gifts for the kids without the two little boys having a total meltdown.
We hosted our friend Christmas party that night and had a ton of fun. Justin had a "Taskmasters" theme this year and had us doing all sorts of ridiculous tasks. Lots of laughing and fun.
The following week was our co-op party and exchange, so we spent a lot of that week making our goodie boxes. Unfortunately, that was the beginning of our Christmas norovirus with Beckham throwing up Thursday night. It cascaded from there, with Logan getting hit next, then me, then Justin, then Emmett, and then finally Colby. It was rough times for 24 hours and a few setbacks for me, Justin, and Logan. The worst part was not being able to do Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with Mom and Dad. We put off a few of our traditions into the days after Christmas: for example we ate Christmas dinner on the 26th and watched "It's a Wonderful Life" on the 28th. The kids even finished up their Christmas school crafts over the weekend and will assemble their dodecahedrons later today.
As for our Christmas, it was the best yet. On Christmas Eve the missionaries came over as we had asked them to be Secret Santa and deliver the Christmas gifts to the family for us. We thought they were the perfect people to ask as being a missionary during Christmas can be kind of tough (I would imagine) and this was a way to share in the Christmas cheer. They loved it. That night even though we weren't feeling 100% yet, Justin and I worked together to assemble Beckham and Colby's gift of a new play kitchen. They absolutely love it! The tea set that I bought to go with it is so adorable. Beckham and I spend a lot of time having tea together. It's so sweet. The three big kids got light sabers from Santa, and Star Wars legos from Mom and Dad. They had a perfect day putting those together. I bought more magnets for Beckham but everyone has been having so much fun making new creations with the extra tiles. That is the best kid toy ever. I wasn't up to doing my turkey dinner that day (in fact, I had a set back that afternoon) but I did manage to make my first sweet potato pie that morning with Justin in charge of the crust. It honestly turned out perfectly and I wonder how it would compare down in the South.
The day after Christmas I borrowed Mom and Dad's four wheeler and took the kids sledding around our loop. They loved it! I made my turkey dinner that day which was amazing. The turkey was a bit dry - I should have watched it better - but I was nervous because it went in the oven a little icy so I was worried about that. The turkey gravy was also not great but everything else - perfect! The days since we've been getting caught up on our Christmas crafts and movies. It's actually been quite lovely to have Christmas things to catch up on because it's just extended the season a bit longer for us.
Starting tomorrow the kids will start up homeschool again. We take a week off for our Mexico trip in February so I feel good about getting back into the swing of things. Everyone is happier when we have our routine and we've about hit our limit for unstructured free time. We'll enjoy New Year's Eve with Mom and Dad and exchange Christmas gifts then.
As I reflect on the past year I am just so thankful for this beautiful life. I feel like things just keep getting better and better with raising my kids. Homeschool has given us the gift of romanticizing childhood and creating an enchanted education. I feel so confident with the decision to teach them from home during this season. I'm so grateful that I took the leap to create a co-op and that others are supporting and coming to activities. It means so much to have community for my kids. Running it all has come with a load that is hard at times. But I'd much rather be in charge than not, so it's good I am where I am.
Justin continues to be my greatest blessing. What a gift we have to have him work from home. We are truly living out "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." I see it as the ultimate privilege that my kids are taught from home by me - their highly capable mom - with their dad under the same roof. These strong family bonds are a high priority to me, and I see these days of all of us together as a true gift. I'm savoring it. I'm so grateful for it.
Finishing Secret Santa gifts
No comments:
Post a Comment