Speaking from the Heart

Where did November go? I can't believe that we're already in December. To get into the spirit of Christmas, we attended The Nutcracker. I loved it. We sat thru the whole perfomance this time. I had taken the kids to see it when Mark was 4 years old. Needless to say, he was not interested in it. However, he loved it, the second time around. I am surprised that the performance did not appeal to Katherine. She would rather see plays that have dialogue.
We'll be taking off from school in December. We take a month off every 5th month. Does that mean we'll get some rest? Probably not . Our calendar is quickly filling up with our annual traditions. We'll have friends over for a traditional Christmas in the country. we'll be caroling at a nursing home with our homeschool friends, and we'll be making chocolate covered pretzels & baking cookies. My favorite tradition is adding the kids' school pictures to the tree. I have been doing this since their first Christmas. It is fun to see how much they have changed through the years.


We might be starting a new tradition this year. Our relatives are coming to our house for Christmas, instead of us going to them.


Every Year, my daughter looks forward to setting up the Christmas Village







Realizing that more money was going out and less money was going to savings, Jeff and I decided it was time for a life style change.

These life challenges were a blessing in disguise. Dear husband was able to spend more time with the family. Our children thought twice before spending their money. They realized how hard it was to earn and to save. They looked at Christmas in another perspective, rather than the number of gifts they received. They focused their attention on family time and Christ.

I learned a lot about myself during this time. The kids didn't have to attend all home school outings. I didn't have to go to the grocery store, every time I went to the freezer and didn't see anything I liked to eat for dinner. Many things I thought I needed were unnecessary. Because I had to stay home more, I had time to work on my hobbies, and I was less stressed. Finally, my creative side, which I thought I didn't have, came out. I realized that giving homemade gifts meant more to me and to my loved ones.

This journey is a reminder of contentment & faith. We must be content with what God has given to us. We must have faith, He will provide all of our needs. He knows what He is doing and will not leave us during our trials and tribulations.





Thinking that the kids will sleep late on Christmas Day, Dear Husband and I allowed them to stay up late on Christmas Eve. I woke up around 5:30, and noticed the house was quiet. I was surprised to find out that our children had been up for hours. Our son woke up at 3:00 a.m. and our daughter woke up 2 hours later. I stayed up long enough to talk see what Santa brought them.


Before going to bed, Our daughter turned to me said ,"this is the best Christmas ever, Mom. I am content with what I received, because I did not expect anything more. " What a joyful sound to my ears.


I want to share my heart and God's love with you today.
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