(Spring) Breaking Expectations

This week hasn't looked like the Spring Break I would have dreamed up for myself. First of all, the first few days didn't feel much like spring! And my ideal Spring Break would somehow include accomplishing several household goals, doing fun things with my girls, and lots of rest and downtime, which is really asking a lot of just one week!

I knew going into this week that we would still have ballet classes, that we would need to go out of town for a day to buy new pointe shoes, and that we needed to do some spring clothes shopping. So, instead of trying to fit all my plans into a week that was already filling up, I chose to downsize my expectations. Instead of accomplishing big things in my home, I would just keep up with the regular cleaning and maybe make a trip to the recycling center and the Salvation Army. Instead of planning big projects with my girls, I planned to take them to a movie and dye eggs. Instead of reading for hours on end, I decided to just enjoy reading when I got the chance. 

And rather than having a frustrating week, where I was either exhausted from trying to fit too many things into our week or feeling guilty from not doing everything I felt like I needed to do, I have had a good week. My girls and I have not been stressed. And we have accomplished things! We helped friends move. We saw Oz, the Great and Powerful. We have hosted three sleep-overs. We have provided three of the girls with most of their spring and summer wardrobes. We have purchased new pointe shoes. We have gone to ballet practices. And I have even read books.

The key wasn't in what I did or how I scheduled. The key was in developing realistic expectations. What I did for my Spring Break, I need to remember in the rest of my life. It's so easy to read blogs and look and Pinterest and feel like I can do more than I really can. And then become frustrated when it doesn't happen. But when I take a realistic look at my life and my current commitments, I can choose to plan for things that will fit and not stress me or our family. God did not create any of us to do everything. And He knows we can't. And He wants me to admit it, as well, and choose to live in a way that complements who He made me to be. Using those standards, I think Spring Break has been a great week!

This Might Be as Winter Wonderland as We Get

Here in the South, we are just as likely to wear shorts at Christmas as we are to wear coats, maybe even more likely! So the younger two were thrilled with the cool temperatures and gusty wind today. They spent all afternoon playing outside with a their neighborhod friends. They even brought out blankets to keep our clubhouse warmer. But I think they spent more time out of the clubhouse than they spent in it. When I went outside to take this picture, they were all on top of the roof! 

I'm so thankful for seasons of fun and rest in the midst of the work of school and ballet classes. (Even though Hannah did have a ballet practice today. But she was glad to have a chance to work on her solo piece.) My allergies have wiped me out the last couple of days, so I also had a reason to just rest.  

We ended our evening watching White Christmas. It was a fun, restful, and Christmas-y time! 

The Music of Christmas

So it's Wednesday night and I'm finally writing my Tuesdays Unwrapped post with Emily at Chatting at the Sky. I had so much to unwrap and experience yesterday that it's only today that I'm sitting down to write about it all.

Yesterday, Rebecca had her Christmas piano recital. I'm so proud of her. She had practiced her songs and she played well. I'm most proud of her attitude. Even though she did have a couple of mistakes, she kept going and wasn't discouraged. 

After the recital we ate out to celebrate. Then we came home in time to do some last minute cleaning before my sister and her family came for the night. Our house is about mid way between their house and my mom, so they stop over here to break up what would be a very long drive. Her daughter is only a couple of years younger than the twins, so some fun cousin time ensued. Her son enjoyed our Lincoln Logs and Paul's Hot Wheels collection. Her cat did NOT enjoy our cat! Patches is such a bad hostess! The cats woke everyone up with their growling at 5 AM!

This Christmas season has seemed so full already. I know I have allowed myself to skim over or skip so much. I want to slow down this next few days, to savor Jesus. To savor my family. To savor the joy and fun of the season. I did that yesterday by just enjoying Rebecca's performance and only taking a few photos. (The one above was taken after the recital.) I also enjoyed my sister and her family and didn't worry about the bits of clutter that were still visible. I want to learn how to fully live in and enjoy each moment! Christmas is a great time to do just that!

  

Some Days There Are No Pictures

Some days there are no words. But always there is Jesus.

Praying for those affected by the tragedy in Connecticut.

We Saw the Lights!

 

Today we made our traditional "Christmas Light Seeing" excursion. Every year we tour the best-lit houses in our area while listening to Christmas music. Over the years, we have added to the basic tradition. We now wear pajama pants (or full pajamas in the case of the twins). We also have added eating ice cream to the night. (Which some years makes sense because it's much warmer than it was tonight. It was 80 degrees just a few days ago!)

We began our journey a few streets over with a house that has a whole light show set to music. It's such a fun show! We then traveled out to the country to see a huge multi-family display. On our way there we saw the business in the picture. It was even more stunning in person. Then it was time for the Chick-Fil-A ice cream and (my favorite) milkshakes. We viewed the big houses by the lake and a couple of our other favorite neighborhoods.

We got home and I got to see a few meteors from the meteor shower. The first one was so huge and bright. It was too cold to stay out for long, but the stars and the meteors were beautiful. 

 

Put One Foot in Front of the Other

Sometimes I find encouragement and inspiration in the most unlikely of places. Today it was in a Christmas cartoon I'm sure I've seen dozens of times.

Ballet class had run late, and my two younger girls had had a tough day, so I choose to stay home from BSF. To help take their minds off the tough ballet class (and the hard math lesson this morning and some general sisterly fussiness) we watched Santa Claus Is Coming to Town on TV. Which is kinda funny, since we don't do the Santa thing. 

I grew up watching this show every year, but it hit me tonight just how right the "Put One Foot in Front of the Other" song is. Before the song, the Wynter Wizard asks how he can make sure his decision to be good rather than evil will endure. He is afraid he will go back to his evil ways. That's when Kris Kringle advises him to "put one foot in front of the other" - to just worry about taking the next step in the right direction. What a terrific picture of repentance! And what great encouragement when we're faced with things that seem impossible.

My girls have seen that this week. When one was discouraged by really good but not perfect test scores, I encouraged her to begin a study plan to improve. When two of my ballerinas were discouraged by the difficulty of their recital piece, I encouraged them to keep practicing! I know in a few months those things that so discouraged them today will be things they have learned and become more confident in doing. 

The things my girls have are skill-based and, in the grand scheme of things,not that difficult to overcome.  I have been faced with an area of my life where I need to make some changes that will not come naturally to me.To me this seems so much harder than just improving a skill. Sometimes I look at how far I need to go and feel intimidated. But I don't need to focus on trying to run. I can begin by just standing. I can stand on God's Truth about myself and about His power in me. Then I can begin to take steps in the right direction. I know I won't arrive at once, but if I "put one foot in front of the other, " I will arrive someday!

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

 Today was a good Sunday. After a good morning at church, the girls requested Popeye's for lunch. Afterward I went shopping with a friend and snagged a pair of skinny jeans for $10! I've spent some time looking for the right pair, and it was a double blessing to find it for such a good price. I even found a small gift for Paul!

After I got home we met with a sweet on really together couple that Paul is going to marry in January. (To clarify, he's going to officiate their wedding ceremony; he's not going to do some sort of bizarre polygamy thing!) I wish I had been that together and clear-headed about relationships and marriage when I was engaged! I had to learn so much the hard way.

With our crazy ballet schedule, I've decided that I should make something Sunday night that will have leftovers that we can reheat for a few nights. Tonight was Pioneer Woman's meatloaf. Paul said it was the best meatloaf he'd ever had! (I think the bacon added a lot.) 

After supper we watched the Veggie Tales Saint Nicholas movie. We still all love Veggie Tales! I'm so glad my older girls don't feel too grown up to enjoy the fun!  And what's a movie without a snack? I made some Ghirardelli  brownies for us to enjoy during the movie. The girls sat on the floor and enjoyed brownies and milk and ice cream. (We're still working on the cleaning up after eating!) The movie has such a sweet and needed message: We don't give in order to receive God's love. We give because we have already received God's love! The message of grace from silly talking vegetables. Gotta love it!