Giving Tuesday

It is Giving Tuesday, a perfect day to look outside ourselves and think about others. There are lots of ways to serve and remember that "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17)

It is now the Christmas season. We have what we have because of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We celebrate His birth this season. You know I like to find ways to Light the World each December. Here is something we did as a family the day before Thanksgiving (and shared it on Instagram and Facebook):

I am thankful that we are teaching our children that even simple acts of service make a difference.

We visited the Giving Machine as a family. We let each child pick something to go to someone in need from warm socks to 150 lunches. We won't meet the people our donations go to but we do know they will bless people's lives.

There were missionaries there and one elder offered to take a picture of our family. That simple act of service meant we got a family picture with all of us looking at the camera. That doesn't often happen so when it does, it's a blessing. 

You don't always know the impact a simple act of service can make but it's worth it. It really is. 

 

This year for Light The World, there are suggestions of how you can share that light (give that service) while participating in your normal Christmas traditions. 

  

So tell me, how are you serving others this Giving Tuesday? If you need an idea, Giving Machines are available in numerous places throughout the world. 

 

Now we have plans to deliver cookies for Giving Tuesday tonight. That's another idea.

Let's Go Back and Remember December

I'd rather be asleep but I should catch up on my blog so... let's talk just a little bit about December.

"I had plans." That was what I kept saying through the holidays. I had a list of things to do, some of them traditions, certain things I just wanted to do as a family. Some of those plans went out the window and some were modified.

Let's start with the beginning of December and what we did get to do right before getting sick. Besides celebrating Eat a Red Apple Day on December 1, we also started our Countdown to Christmas scripture study. I also wanted to #LightTheWorld, so I had ideas for that as well. Those didn't all work out but I was able to do some things like send encouraging texts when I was sick. We did a lot of simple things like I gave my daughter a ride to a store (she donated a toy while she was there) and I provided snacks for the kids rehearsing for the elementary school play and my son delivered them.The kids helped each other with homework. We were able to do some of these simple things for Giving Tuesday.

Now let's go back to our Advent Calendar scriptures with the mint M&Ms.

This year we put together another jar for some friends and Jeremy, Jr., and I shared about our tradition with them while having a good visit. That felt good.

O.K. I do want to go to sleep so I'll catch up some more later. 

 

P.S. December 1 was also Antarctica Day so we gathered up some penguin friends and started reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. We didn't get very far in it because of getting sick and not feeling up to reading every night.

I had plans but they didn't all work out. Sigh.

Giving Machine

We had the opportunity to Light The World tonight as a family at the Giving Machine. 

We have been wanting to do this for so long but every December we deal with busyness and sickness. Well, there was still busyness but no sickness so we made it happen tonight.

We let the four oldest choose what to purchase/donate: school supplies, a warm blanket, children's books, a meal for a child.

In our own small way we are blessing the lives of other people and honestly we've already seen blessings in our own lives... including a decent family picture with everyone looking at the camera and looking pleasant.

It's December

It's December. I'm sick. Blah. 

Of course there needs to be catchup... eventually. But before I do that, I want to encourage you to participate in #LightTheWorld again. 

We started things off in November again watching Christmas on Temple Square concert on YouTube. This year's theme was "The Promise of Christmas."

This year there is not a calendar like they've had in past years. They do have a printable "50 Ideas to Share Your Light."

We're encouraging our children to let us know what they've done for service each day. We, parents, are sharing as well.

More about Light The World can be found at churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist

Since it is December 1 we also started our Countdown to Christmas scripture study. I love this tradition. The kids are really good at answering the questions based on our scripture study (earning a mint M&M as a reward). It's tricky this year because Jet really gets into things now and it is going to be hard to keep the vase of M&Ms out of his reach. Sigh. 

 

This is what we do for family scripture study in December. I told the kids they are welcome to continue with Come Follow Me for personal scripture study. That's what I'm doing.

Caroling Elf

December 18 is Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf Day. While I was out running errands I had to call the kids. When Nichole answered with a normal greeting I reminded her that's not how Buddy would answer the phone and she fixed it for me. The kids watched the movie, "Elf," and we ate spaghetti with spaghetti sauce and syrup again like last year.

Something else Buddy shares in the movie is, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear." Light The World for today is "Songs Worth Sharing," singing together with loved ones. So after our advent scripture study, we sang, "Angels We Have Heard on High" as a family.

It's funny because when we were all sick with our coughs we didn't sing much together because we couldn't so it was really nice to have us all sharing this hymn. I really love music. And I love the messages of Christmas that can be shared through music. I loved having that feeling in our home tonight.

Busy Week

It has been a busy week. We got a new mattress and box spring for our room so we had to get rid of the old ones and get the new ones in there. I had some helpers and "helpers."

 

Sure, Mommy, I'll help you organize things in your room. 

Hold me. 

Read me a story (or three). 

Blow bubbles. 

Oh, you've only got 20-something minutes left on the dryer. I'll push the power button then push random buttons and start it again. 

More books! 

I'll help you sort through clothes... by throwing them on the floor.

You mean you wanted to put the clothes in here?

Selfies!

Let's play dress up.

Hold me more.

I'll help you, too. 

Watch me juggle. 

See what I brought home from school?

I'll help you.

Monkeys jumping on the bed for National Monkey Day, December 14. I gave them strict instructions not to fall off and bump their heads.

Thank you, all my helpers.

Once the old mattress was gone, the kids wanted to play with Nichole's old dog toy since there was so much space before putting the new mattress in. The dog chases the ball around which they gave to Jet so the dog chased him around.

Then we got the new mattress in our room so there was room on the living room floor again.

 

Monday, December 13, was Violin Day. Nichole played violin. It was also Cocoa Day. Some family members drank cocoa.

 

Also this week the kids had a "snow day." Because of the weather overnight, the school district canceled school Wednesday. Well, sort of. They made it a "distance learning day," which means the kids still had schoolwork to do, they just did it from home. Remember when schools were shut down for the end of the 2019-2020 school year? The kids had to do all their schoolwork at home. Gone are the days of actual "snow days" when the kids have a free day to play in the snow at home. Now they can have a full day of school at home, which means an actual full day because the kids are all trying to share the computer and it takes so long.

President Nelson came out with a video on Thursday encouraging us to find personal ways to "help others experience the light of Jesus Christ this Christmas." It made me feel like I needed to try again to #LightTheWorld better even with being so busy. So I looked at the calendar for December 16 and made food to give to someone before running errands that evening. It felt good.

Saturday, December 18, is Maple Syrup Day so the kids made waffles and had syrup with them. It is also Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. Jr. wore what he wore to his last concert. His orchestra was performing at an end of the semester assembly. The high school and the junior high encouraged people to wear Christmas sweaters that day. 

Mom is Old

Ever since I turned 40, the kids have been doing old jokes about me. I tried to explain how I couldn't be that old, I still had an infant, but that didn't stop them.

Jr. started it and others caught on. Sometimes he would do it so subtly that I wouldn't catch it at first that he was making a joke about my age, like when someone asked what an antique was and Jr. just happened to use me as an example. I didn't even tell the kids about how when I was a kid, we would joke about my parents and how they had pet dinosaurs in their youth, they were that old. My children just figured out how to do it themselves. 

Some examples of their joking:

When they found out that Harry Potter turned 40 a few months after me (based on his birth year, according to J.K. Rowling). "And he's still alive?"

 

Later, the kids decided that I was in my 80s. "40 years old? That's half of Mom's age."

 

Discussing black widow spiders. Jr.: The people most in danger from black widow spider bites are the very young and the very frail so naturally I thought of you after the second statement. 

Another child: Oh, because she's 80.

I was talking about when I was in college.

Jr. Jr.: When you were 45.

Mom: I turned 9 that year.

Jr.: You mean 49.

Jr.: That joke never gets old. Unlike you, Mom.

While watching "The Christ Child" for #LightTheWorld, we mentioned how Mary was so young when she was pregnant with baby Jesus. Jr. said I was so young, too. I mentioned I wasn't that young when I was pregnant with Nichole. Jr. assured me I was that young when I was around during those days. Over two thousand years ago?

Jr. Jr.: For the service angel, I should draw a picture of you and send it around.

Jr.: Because she's so old, she should have died a long time ago.

Nichole: You're so old that Santa is practically a baby to you.

International Mountain Day 2021

Light The World for December 11 is "Recipe for Rejoicing." We were encouraged to "learn a traditional Christmas recipe from a particular part of the world." Since December 11 is International Mountain Day, I chose a place famous for its mountains- Switzerland. We learned how to make Grittibanz (Swiss Christmas bread men) which I learned is often made or eaten around St. Nicholas Day.

The children's calendar for #LightTheWorld encouraged us to learn something new about the people we eat with.

Mom: So as we eat people, let's learn about... people. That doesn't sound very good.

Nichole: Let's learn about the people we're eating.

Jr.: This is Bob. He had a wife and three kids. Had? Why past tense? Crunch.

*Giggles all around*

The kids got creative with their bread men. Nichole made one to look like an Egyptian hieroglyph. "Walk like an Egyptian."

Jr. made Link from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. He made foods to go in a cooking pot.

Lucky: Wow, the mushroom and apple was really cooked.

Jr. Jr. made a guy in the snow. His name is/was George. George the Jester.

Lucky made a penguin whose name was George the Jester Joe Jr.

Earlier in the day, we drove around to look at our own Utah mountains.

Light the Family Tree

December 9 Light The World was "Light the Family Tree," learning about ancestors or anything about family history.

So I shared some generational family history with the kids... with food.

For after school snack we had ice cream with potato chips just like their Grandpa likes. I asked my dad why it was a thing for him and he told me about some of his unique tastes which I shared with the kids. He likes sweet and salty together.

At dinner we had eggs and bacon. I told the kids that when Jeremy and I would visit my grandma (their great grandma) and stay overnight, she would make us eggs and bacon for breakfast and put potato rolls in the toaster oven. Good memories of Grandma.

For dessert, I made oatmeal cookies, but the kids had to eat them while reading Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mysteries. 

My mother used to sit on her grandmother's porch and eat oatmeal cookies while reading those books. So the kids got to experience something from their grandma and great great grandmother's history.

I stopped by the library earlier to pick up Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books for this reason. I made sure to wear my llama mask for National Llama Day on December 9. I then wore my llama mask to the grocery store to get some potato chips for our after school snack.

We finally got some real snow. The day started out with rain just like I remember from my Winters growing up in Oregon. The day ended with snow like my family's Winters in more recent years in Oregon.