Advent Activities

This year we are building on the Advent traditions we started last year! We will use the reading plan we used last year, and add Advent activities! I adapted an idea from Chasing Cheerios for an Advent Calendar. I bought the tins at Michael's. They were about $20 (for 30) and I used my 40% off coupon. I also bought stickers but used scrapbook paper I had on-hand.

In each tin I have a different activity to help us celebrate Christmas! You can see my ideas in the calendar below! I just printed them out on strips of paper and rolled them up in the tins. And, it's my little secret, but since they are just on strips of paper, I can always move some around if I need to! For example, if Dec. 15th turns out not to be a good day to go to the library, I'll just switch it for a better day.

 

Hopefully, adding these fun activities to our Advent celebration will help us remember that Christmas is about more than just opening gifts!

Giveaway Winner!

Tracie won with the comment, "I have followed Palm Gifts since their last giveaway...I love the monogrammed totes, and this year I am planning on ordering several monogrammed scarves as Christmas gifts for friends. Their prices are wonderful and their items are beautiful....I too wouldn't mind some shiny silver under my own tree!"

Congratulations! Tracie, if you'll email me your email address to todayshousewife @ hotmail.com I'll pass your info onto The Palm Gifts and they will help you personalize your ornament!

Giveaway!

You don't have to be at the stores at 4:00am to get this great gift! The Palm Gifts is giving away a personalized Christmas tree ornament! All you have to do to enter to click over to The Palm Gifts  and check out their super cute personalized gift items! Come back here and leave a comment telling us what you see that you would love to have under your tree this year! The winner will be announced Sunday night.

You can enter extra times when you follow us on Twitter @TodaysHousewife, follow @ThePalmGifts on Twitter, become a Facebook fan of Today's Housewife and/or The Palm Gifts. Just leave separate comments for each way you want to enter!

PS- If you already follow us and/or are already a fan, just let us know and we'll count it!

Winner announced here!

Kama's Christmas List

Since I'm pregnant and due January 5, I turned in my Christmas list months ago so I wouldn't have to think about it. I also have done all the shopping I plan to do and will get everyone who didn't tell me what they wanted a gift card (which I never do). Here are 5 things I asked for:

1. Quilting magazine subscription--doesn't matter which one, but I think it would be cool since I'm really "into" quilting right now.

2. Shark Steam Pocket Mop--I have heard these are great and sanitizing the tile would be great with another baby crawling around soon!

3. A vacuum with a wand--The kind that will vacuum the whole house with just the flick of a wand. Okay, I'm dreaming. I have to lug out the shop vac to clean all the spider webs, so I'd like one that will do all that at once.

4. Sewing 2010 Day to Day Calendar--Looks like it has some great projects!

5. Window on the World--A book I recently saw at our craft show that talks all about people groups around the world.

Starting tomorrow, you can enter to win a Christmas ornament from The Palm Gifts! So when you're taking a break from the Black Friday shopping, be sure to come back and enter to win our giveaway!

The Gift of Plastic

Flying during the Christmas holidays does not make gift giving (or receiving) easy. Since we now have to pay to check our bags for our 2 week vacation, it really is best if we give/are given gift cards for the items we would love to receive. Here is what is on my list this year.

Hallmark--I have mentioned my love of WoodWick candles before. Our store here has a great selection of scents. Last year I dropped my candle and therefore had to trash it. I had to remind myself it is only a candle, but my house is dying for a new smell!

Bed, Bath, and Beyond--I still have a blender on my wish list. It is the "big ticket" item on my list this year. But I also am changing out my everyday cups (the $1.99 cheap plastic ones) for Turvis Tumblers. It will be a cup by cup upgrade, but worth the investment in the end.

Hobby Lobby--This fall with my new sewing habit I have visited Hobby Lobby several times a week. New items I would love to have are a self-healing mat, acrylic ruler, and a rotary cutter. And fabrics and notions can always be found there too.

Pampered Chef--I love Pampered Chef items, but I never pamper myself. I LOVE their stoneware. We use our medium bar pan at least 4-5 times a week for chicken, bread, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, etc. And cookies are perfect on the stone. Instead of 8 cookies, I will be able to make many more on the large bar pan. (Plus, also during the Great Purge  of '09, I sold all my cookie sheets in hopes of getting this pan!)

Target--Who couldn't use a Target gift card? During that Great Purge of '09 I got rid of all my glass mixing bowls. They were too heavy and not kid friendly. I found these great OXO bowls--plastic with a rubber bottom.

Still looking for just the right gift for someone on your list? This weekend you can enter to win a Christmas ornament from The Palm Gifts! Be sure to visit again this weekend to enter to win!

Alicia's Christmas List

Like we usually do, Tim and I will be foregoing presents for each other and spending our money on a large present for our family. This year it's one more weekend trip to Disney World and tickets home to see our families for Christmas. But for the sake of argument, I've come up with a few things on my holiday decorating list. Anyone who has been to my home knows I need more Christmas decorations like I need a hole in my head, but I can't help but love a few of these:

1. Velvet Tree Skirt - It's completely unnecessary. I usually use a white sheet. It's always worked fine. I even have a few nicely wrapped "fake" presents to tuck under the tree so it doesn't look sparse, but this one would look so nice with the stockings we already have!

2. Holiday Pillow - Pottery Barn has a great selection of throw pillows specifically for the Christmas season. How cute would these be on my couch?

3. Alphabet Wreath - I love these and what a personal touch for a mantel or entryway! Plus, if you buy the artificial variety you can use it year after year!

4. Snowflake Garden Stakes - Winter can always seem a bit dreary without full and flowering beds out in the yard, but these would brighten up any flower bed. So cute!

5. Burlap Ribbon - I love this ribbon! It's so organic and the wire edges would make it very easy to work with. It would be fantastic to make a formal wreath or arrangement a little more casual for a home like mine.

Where is your favorite place to get holiday decor and what's on your list?

Speaking of holiday decor, this weekend we are hosting a giveaway from The Palm Gifts for a Christmas tree ornament! Be sure to stop back by this weekend and enter to win!

My Christmas List

In Christmases past I've gotten lots of fun gadgets for the kitchen. But this year, I have decided to only ask for non-kitchen, non-house, non-boring items! It's not that I don't love new kitchen towels (especially from Williams Sonoma!), but I'm scaling back the request list and only asking for what I really (really, really!) want.

This year from Lee's family we're only asking for one thing- donations to the Wii fund. My husband promises lots of family game nights if we get enough $ in the fund! I'm not much of a gamer, but it sure looks like fun!

As for the rest of my list? Books! I have thirteen or so books on my list this year. You can see them all on my other blog, but here are the highlights:

• Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper. By the way, you can enter to win a copy of this book at my friend Brooke's blog. The winner will be announced Thursday (I think!) so hurry over to enter!

• From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out by Nancy Twigg. The description says, "Cluttered homes, overbooked schedules, and maxed-out credit cards are only symptoms of what's happening on the inside. As you follow God's directive to clear out the clutter that complicates your life, you'll discover the clarity you desire. Isn't it time?" Sign me up!

• The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond. I get hungry just thinking about it! (Also in the food category- In Defense of Food by Pollan and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.)

• I also want books to help me teach my boys, including A Charlotte Mason Companion by Andreola, The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading by Wise, and The Well Trained Mind by Bauer. David is in preschool at our church now, but next fall he'll be at home learning with me full time (and James will head to preschool!).
  

• And finally, Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage. I'm writing a book (isn't every former English major writing a book?) and I need help!

 

Ideas for Spoiling Your Husband

Here are some ideas of things you can do to spoil your husband (some of which I've done):

* Mow the lawn so he can have the weekend off

* 30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge

* Make his favorite meal to celebrate something great at work or after a hard day

* Write him a note and tuck it somewhere that he will find it while he is away

* Let him use the Special Plate and spend the meal telling him ways that he's special to you and the family

* Give him a guy's night out

* Do something he wants to do (I have gone to a few car shows with my husband because he enjoys them).

* Naked Tuesday or any other day of the week

What are some of your ideas?

Are You Ready For Some Football?

For the past 5 years, I have had time with the girls. Bible Study. Girls Night Out. Weekends away. Most of which JD has stayed home with LilE. Without EVER complaining. He knew I needed that time out of the house to refresh and renew.

JD loves some football. He has been a Cowboy fan since he was a little guy. It is his team. Moving cross country meant he can't always watch his 'Boys play.

Four years ago he started to play Fantasy Football with some guys from work. I would be so frustrated because he would spend so much time checking his team, watching teams play he wasn't interested in, and texting and talking to other players in the league. I was a football widow.

About a year ago I realized how selfish I have been all these years. Who am I that I should have all the fun while he works so hard at work and then come home and work too? This season I have had a new mindset.

I have 'allowed' him to watch Sunday and Monday games without complaining, interrupting, or rolling my eyes. I ask him about his Fantasy team and if he won. I have even sat and tried to watch a game or two this season.

This fall JD took a flight to Dallas to enjoy a game with family and friends at the new Cowboy Stadium. He was in heaven. He enjoyed every minute. You can read his story HERE.

I challenge you to encourage your husband to get out and do something he enjoys--golf, hunting, Bible study, or whatever he would love to do in his free time. He will be a better man for it. 

Loving Him with Words

I have been dreading this post today. Not because I don't love loving on my man - I do. In fact, normally I'd love this kind of topic. But I spent a lot of time this weekend thinking about this post and feeling sorry for myself that Tim's away at sea. After quite a long and dramatic pity party, I found myself convicted about the ways I usually show love to my husband. How much time I do waste NOT loving my husband when he is home with me? I first thought I'd write about some practical tips for showing him kindness and love, but the more I tried to come up with some good idea, the more I was convicted. It doesn't matter how elaborate my plans are or how sacrificial I am in the things that I do for Tim if I follow them up with destructive words.

Practically speaking, I could spend hours preparing an elaborate dinner that he loves, but what happens if he's delayed at work and comes home later than planned? I complain about his tardiness and how he's ruined my plans for "spoiling him." Suddenly loving him has become all about me. Do you think he's going to remember how delicious that dinner was? Or is the taste left in his mouth going to be bitter from my harsh words and selfish attitude?

I can think of so many times that I put all my effort into planning something for him to show him how much I love him, only to destroy all of it in a moment with a prideful attitude and ugly words. I even go so far as to dress it up as "constructive criticism" or being "honest about my feelings". While it's fantastic to do things for Tim, it's even more important to speak words that are edifying and gracious. One of our functions in marriage is to show unmerited grace to one another like the Grace that was shown to us by Christ on the cross. Do the words that I speak to and about my husband tend toward showing him that grace? Or have I made loving my spouse all about me and the ways I want to show him love?

I challenge you to consider your speech this week as a way to love your spouse. What can you say to him to encourage him and lift him up?

Praying for My Pastor/Husband

Spoiling our husbands means going above and beyond what we usually do. It means we pay attention to a need (or want) and try to fulfill that need (or want). For me this week spoiling my husband means I do something I do every day, and take it up a notch!

My husband is a pastor. The only thing predictable about his day is the route he takes to get to the office. When he walks in that door he has no idea what will happen. The first time the phone rings it could be someone sobbing over a hurting marriage, or someone complimenting him on a great sermon. When the door opens, it may be someone with a great new outreach idea (who is also willing to head-up the outreach). Or it maybe someone who is so mad a a fellow member, she wants to leave our church family. When he calls to check in around lunch, I don't know if he's had two hours of uninterrupted study to prepare for his sermon, or if he hasn't even sat down at his desk yet.

Sometimes I forget how hard his job really is. At home, he's Lee or Daddy, not "Pastor Lee." Starting today, I will spoil my husband by praying for him. I will not only pray for Lee as my husband, but really focus on praying for him as my pastor. Revive Our Hearts (a ministry of Nancy Leigh DeMoss) has a 31-Day Challenge to pray for your pastor. It includes topics like praying for his devotional time, friendships, leadership, time management, and even for his financial needs.

Taking the next 31 days to pray for my husband as my pastor will hopefully spoil him, and help me remember what an amazing gift and calling he has (which will in turn, make me want to spoil him even more)!

This Week: Spoiling Our Husbands

According to the blog stats, the most often searched for phrase people use that leads them to our blog is "how to love my husband more" or some variation of that phrase. Essentially, women area saying, "Help me love him!" So this week we're talking about ways to spoil our husbands. Hopefully you will be inspired by our ideas. We would love for you to share what has worked for you, or what you plan to try, in the comments, on Facebook, or through Twitter!

This week we are on track to have our 50,000th visitor to the site!  We want to say thank you to all of you who read and join in the conversation here on Today's Housewife! 

Parenting Challenges in Another Culture

As I sat down to share a parenting challenge found myself starting to share one challenge and then it would lead to a different challenge, and after a short while, I begin to see how difficult it was to just pick one parenting challenge. I have far too many for that!

I have not spent very much time raising children in America, 2 out of my 3 kids were born overseas and most of their lives have been lived here. But I am amazed at how little my kids truly fit in. Everything about their life is different than the other children around us. Their home is decorated differently, their clothes are different, they look & talk very different, they eat different foods, they play and learn differently, and believe differently. Most kids here are only children, and there are 3 kids in our family. The list goes on and on, and on. Because of this my kids are frequently stared at, pointed at, talked about as if they weren’t there, had their picture taken even against their will, and are petted because of their ‘pretty hair color’. It is not always easy for them here. And because of that it is not always easy to be a parent here. To watch your kids have tough times and feel out of place, is challenging. As my kids grow, the differences will continue. While we do try to do things to help our kids assimilate into the culture, there are at times positives to ‘sticking out’. We are noticed. Our family is different than the other families around us. People see that and question us as to why we are different. This gives us an open door to share about the hope that we have, the Truth of Jesus Christ.

But as a mom there are so many days it is so hard. It is challenging to watch my kids struggle here as my husband and I live out the calling that God has given us. I know, I KNOW that God’s plan is perfect, and that this is His plan. I do not question that. But there are days that my heart hurts for my kids as they try to understand it all and struggle to learn who they are. But, through it all, I know that God is faithful and I praise Him for the times when I can see how He is using our life, our calling, to form my children’s young hearts. Like the time when my 4 year old daughter colored a picture of a rainbow and then opened up the large window in our living room, and from our apartment window shouted in the local language, “God loves you all” and then sent her paper flying out the window so that everyone who couldn’t hear her words could see the pretty picture she had colored and would ‘learn to believe in God’. (It was not the time for teaching about littering). And the time when my girls (who attend local preschool in the mornings), started lecturing the teachers about how the other kids need to pray before they eat their snack. And when the teachers explained that they don’t do that here, my girls responded with “well that’s why we are here to tell you how to pray before you eat”.

But the main challenge that I would like some advice on, is what kind of expectations I should have for my kids when it comes to meeting new people. People here are just attracted to my kids. As I mentioned, we stick out. Just walking down the street causes people to stop in their tracks and turn to stare at my kids. My kids are often called ‘foreign dolls’. When people have the opportunity to get close enough they will touch their arms, cheeks & hair. They want to talk to my kids, take their pictures, and hold them. The problem comes in that this will happen 20 times in one trip to the store. It can get overwhelming. We have given our kids the expectation that they need to say “hi” to people who want to talk to them, and after that they can politely ask people not to touch them. If the person doesn’t listen to our children’s request, then our kids know that mom or dad will step in and explain that our children don’t want to be touched.
My problem is that my kids don’t always follow this rule. My middle child especially struggles with this. She will pull away and give some dirty looks. We can’t always get her to say hi, and sometimes it goes the other way and she will almost growl at the person. I struggle with how much to just excuse as her having a hard time with the culture. I know that shy children (which my daughter is not) struggle with this even in their own culture and I wonder, how much do I force her to do and when do I just need to back off, and wait for her to come around a little?

Erica serves in Asia with her husband and 3 young children (4,3 & 2 (on the 19th). She is involved in home management (her own home), and spends much of her day trying to converse in a different language, with a limited vocabulary. She enjoys playing with trains, cars, and dressing up like a princess. Coloring, painting, and play dough are also on her list of things to do each day. Erica also has a problem with rambling, so if you made it this far – kudos to you. BLOG: Webel Family

Paper-Eater!

My son loves to eat paper and anything else he can find on the floor, couch, in the trash can...anywhere! I have taught him to say "uck" when he finds something on the floor, but that doesn't stop him from trying to eat it. I am constantly chasing him around telling him that it is yuck!

Is this normal? What can I do if anything to stop him from eating everything off the floor?

Mommy, Interrupted

I think children have a 6th sense about when Mommy and Daddy begin having adult conversations. LilE can be contentedly playing alone in the other room. I can pick up the phone and hit call and she will then decide she needs me to do something, ask something, whatever. Can I get an Amen?

Never once have we said this was okay. And when I am on the phone or conversing with another adult (other than JD) it is hard to discipline because I don't want to make the other person wait on me.

How do you break this bad behavior, especially when other people are involved?

photo source

Fighting?

I know that a certain amount of bickering is to be expected with two boys who are two years apart. But how much is to be tolerated and how can I foster respect between my boys? I feel like all I do all day long is say, "Stop yelling at your brother!" "Why are you being mean?!" "Leave him alone!" "Stop taking toys!" "He had that first!" "No hitting!" You get the picture. We typically do a time-out for infractions that result in tears, but to be honest, it exhausts me to be a constant referee. I know I could do a better job of being consistent and teaching them to play well together, but I really don't even know how to start.

How have you encouraged love and respect between your children? And how do you handle the inevitable conflict that does arise between siblings?

Clean up Time

Last week at church I asked the boys to pick up the toys they got out (we were the only ones using the room, waiting for Lee). David (4 yo) said to James (2 yo), "Yeah, James, this isn't home. We have to pick up our toys." I kid you not, those were his exact words!

You can see my biggest parenting challenge, and I take full responsibility for it! I've never made the boys get in the habit of cleaning up each day. Part of the reason is that their play room is the basement. The mess stays contained and pretty much out of our way. Also, it just takes so long for them to clean up every day. It's easier to do it myself after they are in bed. But it's getting out of hand. And I'm not doing them any favors by picking up the mess behind them!

Starting last week we had a new routine. The boys had to pick up all their toys before Dad came home from work, or before dinner (on the nights Lee had a different schedule). If they got any more toys out after dinner, those had to be put away before we got ready for bed. Each day we did it there was less and less whining and the clean up got faster and faster!

Can you help with my parenting challenge? I got this Melissa and Doug Responsibility chart and it's been hanging up in the playroom for months but we haven't really used it. Does your family use a similar chart? How does it work for you? When do you check things off? Is there a reward/punishment system in place? If you don't use a chart, what is your routine? At what age did you start their clean up routine?

This Week: Parenting Challenge

This week we are discussing our biggest parenting challenges! We hope to get advice from our readers who have "been there, done that." Please let us know what has worked for you! We also hope to encourage our readers who have children the same age or younger than our kids.

Thanks as always for your readership and the fun we have interacting with you though the comments, on the Facebook page, and on Twitter!