I have been enjoying these first lazy days of winter and the holiday season immensely. The kids and I have been getting crafty… watching some good movies, and generally just enjoying our time together. While they have been at school I have been doing some SERIOUS cleaning. I mean scrubbing the baseboards with a toothbrush type cleaning. My husband has been afraid to walk in the door for fear I will rope him into some sort of cleaning "project". I think the cleaning is coming to a close though… my carpel tunnel (which is so bad I usually cannot hold a pencil for longer than 5 minutes) is flaring up AND the kids and I will be going out of town for awhile… a week, maybe two. I hope it snows soon… we want to go sledding.
But I can't help but smile when I see my little guys snuggle up on the couch with wool blankets, watching movies that make them laugh so hard their sides ache (G-Force). The house lights are off but the Christmas lights are twinkling and providing ambient lighting. Every now and then the toddler gets bored and decides to remove ornaments from the tree… which is why the bottom of the tree is now bare and the top is stuffed to capacity. I love that we keep adding homemade ornaments.. salt dough, cinnamon & applesauce, pine cones, and photo frames.
I also did some furniture re-arranging. My two oldest have art tables in their bedrooms and with the craftiness in the air this time of year, I was getting lonely with them hiding out in their bedrooms. So I picked up an old-school desk from Craiglist and put it along the same wall where my computer desk sits. Now I can work away and have one of my kidlets sitting next to me working on their own projects. LOVE it!! I am on the lookout for 2 more so I can line them up next to each other.
All of these moments are so special. I think that in many ways because we don't have any religious motivation for celebrating it just makes this time of year even MORE about family and love. If it weren't for my kids I wouldn't even bother to celebrate so this is a tradition born out of love for my family. It makes me keenly aware of how fortunate I am. We are healthy, we are warm, we are well fed, we are inspired by every breath we take to live and learn, and we are happy. Beyond that there is just the call to be good people, do good things with our lives, and leave the planet better than we found it.
From my family to yours… wishing everyone a very happy holiday season!!
