Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thrailkill Christmas Tree Adventure 2009
I will confess - I am a sucker for family traditions. Candles in your pancakes on the morning of your birthday, chili for dinner on Halloween, eating all of your fortune cookie BEFORE reading your fortune. I love them all.
My favorite tradition, the tradition held higher than all others, is the selecting of the Thrailkill family Christmas tree.
Much like the Griswald family in our favorite Christmas movie, each year selecting our Christmas tree is a grand adventure.
Last year, I neglected our special tradition. I, chose time and convenience over tradition. And, yes,I bought our tree at the Lowes. I know. What was I thinking?
It was the tree of all bad karma. It died not once, not twice, but three times - and had to be returned all the way to Lowes all three times. It never smelled as good, or looked as pretty.
So, this year all the wiser - tradition trumps all.
Today was the designated "get the tree" day.
Today - it rained.
All day.
It rained.
So, remembering that tradition trumps all. We loaded up in the Thrailkill family mini van, with rain coats, hats and gloves in tow and headed out!
It was just as much fun as I knew it would be!
Xman got to choose our tree this year. Mikaela and daddy decided that Dr. Seuss must have used our tree as a model when he drew the Grinch's head.....it has quite an unusual shape!
We brought our tree home......had hot vegetable soup and cornbread...........and then got right to decorating.
My second favorite part is always sharing the stories behind our ornaments with the children. "This is the ornament from mommy and daddy's first Christmas"....."This is from our first family vacation".........."this is the ornament you made your first year in preschool"..........."this is the ten thousandth "best teacher" ornament that mommy and daddy got!"
And now, the tree is up - my living room has that amazing Christmas smell and all is good.
Xman at the petting zoo - the cow LOVED him!
Daddy carrying OUR tree
The kids trying to carry OUR tree
My boys cutting down our tree
Xman - picking our tree (his frugal mother limited him to red tagged tree - gotta love that they color coordinate their prices!)
Xman sorting lights
Mikaela's year to put the angel on the tree - we alternate - this year Xman picked the tree, she puts the angel on top
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Pickles are more important than girls. No girls just in case
Tommy and Mikaela have headed off to a birthday party for the afternoon, so it was just Xman and I on the way home from church.
This is the conversation we had:
Me: "Hey Xman - today in church we talked about how God has a special plan for everyone - even you! Isn't that cool? What do you think God's plan for you might be?"
X: "I think God wants me to be a trash man. It is sort of dangerous - you have to ride on the back of a truck. God is making me braver. Then I will get to get on and off the back of the truck to get the trash."
Me: "Okay."
X: "But, I am not going to get married. I'm going to be a lonely man on purpose."
Me: "Why?" (readers - Xman and I have had this discussion many times - I already know where it is going to go, but it is fun so we do it again!)
X: "MOM - Girls do not like the smell of pickle juice. I am going to have lots of pickles in my house when I grow up. So, I am not going to have any girls."
Me: "Xman, just because mommy and sissy don't like pickles doesn't mean that there isn't a girl out there who wouldn't love to live in a house of pickles."
X: " Pickles are more important than girls. No girls just in case."
As all conversations with Xman go - we then weaved to how he thinks he wants to be a lonely man like Santa Claus. Cause in some movies he is married, but others he is not. How cool would it be to live at the North Pole with all those toys? Best to not be married in case you aren't supposed to be married to be Santa.
As I am having this conversation with Xman, I was thinking how each of these conversations and moments we spend together mold him (and I was thinking that Tommy and I really have to get on praying about God's plan for him - while I am fine if God wants him to be a trash man, let's just be sure).
Our preacher shared this morning four things that we need to focus on to understand God's plan for our children (Luke Chapter 1, 13 - 80).
1 - Knowing God's plan for own life,and being responsible to it
2 - Children are not born to us alone - not only to be a blessing to us, but others as well
3 - We must not distract our children by our wishes for them, we must honor the great thing God wants to do in them
4 - We must allow God to use circumstances around our children to clarify their purposes
There were two things mentioned today that got me thinking - Proverbs 20:11 - the contemporary version says:
The good or bad
that children do
shows what they are like.
It reminded me of the article that I read this week on "helicopter parenting" - essentially how we must let go of our kids so they can fulfill God's purpose for them meshes with the idea that we must also let go of our kids so that they may learn and grow from conflict. We have all learned that God grows us in times of struggle.
The other thing that struck me this morning was Proverbs 22: 6
The other thing that struck me this morning was Proverbs 22: 6
Teach your children
right from wrong,
and when they are grown
they will still do right.
On my nightstand currently is a book titled Help for the Harried Homeschooler. In it, the author spends an entire chapter on the need for putting your child's character above all else. I have been having some struggles with the children in the last week or so. I have been praying for guidance with the sibling fighting, the not listening the first time I ask something of them, the selfish behaviors that I have observed. I am (of course) correcting these behaviors, discussing these behaviors - but I am also busy, trying to teach the children, keep some semblance of order in our home, and prepare us for the busy holiday season.
The author in my book suggests that homeschooling parents pause schooling (or slow down) until you have developed and addressed character traits. The thought being that you can not effectively teach a child who is not obedient. Or, the idea that you place your child's character education higher than all else.
I am a slow listener - and after the sermon this morning, I am sure that I have now heard God's answer to my prayers. I am supposed to slow down all other areas of our life until I have addressed these behaviors, these elements of conduct, that I see in my otherwise joyful and wonderful children.
For it is my responsibility to train my children - one on one, investing time in their values.
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