Talking to young children about death

Many people struggle with talking to little children about death, heaven, or even Easter because it means discussing Christ's death on the cross.  I have friends who are very good parents who have avoided even introducing those words to their children because they fear that they are not emotionally ready to deal with such painful things, and I can't say I necessarily disagree with that.  However, my children, and many others as well, encounter and even are born into situations where they must learn about death sooner than their parents might wish.  

One of the last pictures of my mom

Since my mom died right before my first child was born, Susie has never known her grandmother.  When she was a baby, I wondered how I would tell her about my mom, or if she would wonder why she had 2 grandfathers but just one grandmother.  I mentioned my mom, told her that she was named after her, but one day I met my upstairs neighbor in the hallway and she told me her mom was dying.  I absolutely broke down in front her and my kids, and later that afternoon, when Susie said "Mommy was sad when she was talking to Miss Jodi" I knew I had to tell her.  I had to tell her that my mom got sick and died.  And that I miss her.  And then I got out a book about Heaven and we read it together (I helped the words along a bit -- we were somewhat just enjoying the pictures).  And now she knows.  And we can talk about it.  And we do quite a bit. Grandmommy is in heaven.  She used to live at Grandad's house but then she died and now she lives with Jesus.

Here is the beautiful part for me: my mom is now known to her.  Susie recognizes her pictures and talks about Grandmommy.  The other day she was pretending about her.  We still haven't even pulled out the home videos, but when we do, I know she will be even more present in her mind. And when we visit my childhood home next, I will be able to point out even more special things that I know she will latch onto.

When Susie heard me say that Miss Jodi's mom was dying she said "like Jesus died on the cross."  I am so thankful that her first reference with death is Christ's death -- because he triumphed over death!  And it is because of his death that we who have lost our loved ones can have hope -- and can pass this hope on to our children when we teach them about death.  I am not suggesting being overly morbid or trying to push children into emotional situations they are not ready for, but I am talking about creating a category for my children in which we weep but we hope in Christ when we are facing a difficult situation.  This is why I bring my kids to a visitation -- perhaps not yet to see the casket unless it was someone they knew particularly well, and we haven't had that situation yet -- but to see what mourning looks like to people who hope in the gospel. 

The truth is, there is not an age in which we can discuss death and not feel the sting it brings.  One of the elders at my church, Bruce Ware,  lost his mother shortly before I lost mine and he told me "Gretchen, my mother was 90 years old and ready to see her Lord.  But she was my mom. And I miss her tremendously because she was a good mother."  It is also true that we cannot control when and if death will encounter our children -- it is outside our control.  Your child may lose a pet, or a grandparent, may deal with a miscarried younger sibling or may witness the sickness and loss of a family or church friend, as many children at our church witnessed when our music pastor Chip Stam battled cancer and died. My encouragement would be to begin at a small age to explain just a little bit, and be open with them when someone is sick or passes away.  And even more important -- be sure to teach your children, even very very young ones, that Christ died once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous that he might bring us to God.  It is the ONLY way we can also then explain that we have hope that one day we will be able to say "oh death, where is your sting? Oh grave, where is your victory?"

So I would encourage you in the upcoming Easter season, to use Holy Week as a time to instruct your little ones about Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection from the grave!  Teach them songs, read them books (you may want to be choosey about the pictures so they aren't overwhelmed with images of Christ's death they aren't ready for), and celebrate that He is ALIVE!  In the upcoming weeks I hope to post more ideas for the little children during Holy Week, but for now, here are several posts I wrote last year when Susie was almost two.  Please leave me a comment if you have input or ideas for me!  

Little hands

Saw this little poem on Pinterest and wanted to post it on here -- it's such a good little prayer that moms of young children really and truly need to pray.  I don't know the author or anything, or I'd give the credit!

Oh give me patience when wee hands
Tug at met with their small demands.
And give me gentle and smiling eyes.
Keep my lips from hasty replies.
And let not weariness, confusion or noise
Obscure my vision of life's fleeting joys.
So when in years to come my house is still -- 
No bitter memories its room may fill.

This messy activity will not always fill my rooms! :*)

Valentine Books and Reading with Chip

I took Susie to storytime at our local bookstore on Saturday, and she had a great time listening to Valentine's stories, eating cookies and making a little craft.  The store is called A Reader's Corner and just moved to a new location on Frankfort Avenue, which is great!  They give each child a free book for attending the reading. . . WOW!  When I flipped through the basket of free books, I was delighted to come across a little flocked book about a deer named Tuffer from 1959.  It has a chipmunk in the story, so I knew it was the one for us.  I knew that if I took Susie to the bookstore, I'd probably let her choose a book, but I ended up choosing one for Chip as well. :)  Sus picked a Strawberry Shortcake Valentine book, which is ok, but I found a cute board book called "Kiss Kiss" for Chippy.  The baby hippo forgets to kiss his mommy until he sees the other baby animals kissing their mommies. . . ohhhhh, so cute!  This is a CHIEF reason to shop at your local bookstores!  They will have a variety of books that you didn't even know about, and it is ohhhh so fun to discover a new book.

I've tried to be more intentional about reading to Chip and giving him books to play with.  I read to Susie quite a bit at his age, and sometimes he gets left out because Susie chooses longer stories that he can't always enjoy, or that he wants to grab and bite or tear.  As you can imagine, Susie is not a fan of this!  So here are my little tips about reading to a baby when he is your second child:

1. Read during 1 on 1 time.  Chippy has time alone with me in the afternoon while Susie is still napping.  That's when I give him books to play with and read him little board books where I let him turn the pages, or take it away from me altogether.  It is book exploration, and it will lead to him learning how to turn pages, and enjoy the pictures on his own.  

2. When you have together storytime, try to situate the baby like this -- have him sit by older children, maybe on a blanket, and give him a small book to hold, or maybe a toy to chew on.  Then sit across from the children, and hold up the book facing them.  Chip has caught on quickly to direct his attention to the pictures and turning pages, so we have enjoyed several medium length books like this.  I wouldn't do our Winnie the Pooh collection just yet, but something with lots of big pictures and frequent page turns.  He, at 9 months, is seeing that reading together is something we enjoy as a family.  I include him in the questions and sound making (for example -- "can you make a kiss sound Chippy?  Can you make a kiss sound Susie?").  Of course he doesn't answer but Susie does and I do it, and often he grins at us.  He will join in before long.  I don't want to just ignore him as if he's not sitting there reading with us.

side by side exploration

3. Side by side exploration -- this is where I give them both books to look at while they are playing together.  This way he can see what she's reading, and have something of his own.  Now sometimes this will fall into him trying to get her book, or her deciding to take his to read to him (which he gets ticked about, understandably), so I have to facilitate this time.  Generally it works well, and he will explore his book while she "reads the pictures" of her own.  Here's a precious picture I snapped of them reading together this morning.

Valentine Fun with Toddlers

QUITE a bit of the cute Valentine stuff out there is for school-aged kids, which is understandable of course.  But since I told Susie about Valentine's Day, she has been randomly sharing the news with just about everyone we meet:  "Guess What?  It's going to be Valentine's Day and we're going to make a heart cake for Daddy!"  She's also going to have a small party with some of her friends, and I wanted to have a few special activities for them to do together.  Today she had over a friend who can't come to the party, and we did a little test run of the activities I came up with -- here's what they did!


1. Valentine Storytime -- we read Biscuit's Valentine's Day and Snuggle Puppy.  Chippy read with us, and they all seemed to enjoy the books.  We also sang "Oh How I Love Jesus" and told all the people we love (basically listing all family members).

2. Sweethearts Color Sorting -- I saw a paper version of this, but it seemed like a big pain to print and cut out lots of colored paper hearts, when instead you could just use the real candy, which is quite a bit. . . sweeter!  I was impressed that the girls caught on to the activity immediately (they are both several months from being 3), and maybe even more impressive, they didn't really try to eat the candies!  There were a few licks involved, but mostly they concentrated on the task.  We did it twice, and then I let them eat some of the candies.

3.  Hide-the-hearts -- I made felt heart bean bags to do a tossing game, but it was a bit out of their league, so instead I had them go in the other room while I hid them in the living room, Easter-egg-hunt-style.  You could obviously do this with paper hearts or candy or something as well, but bean bags worked well, because they prop up against things well.  

4. Heart picnic -- I spread out a heart blanket and fed them heart-shaped peanut butter sandwiches and strawberries.  Very simple, of course, but something about a picnic makes it SPECIAL. :)  I think for Susie's party, I will pull out her picnic table that we have stored away during the winter and have our indoor picnic on that.  With multiple kids, it will be a little less crazy.  

5. T-shirts -- it seems terribly popular to dress up for Valentine's day in a special outfit, so I did little applique shirts for my kids.  I actually just used plain shirts they already had, so it was very cheap!  I think they turned out super cute!

Cooking up some fun

In light of my recent post on cooking with toddlers, I thought I'd share a fun meal we made for supper tonight -- funny face pizzas! 

They are made on bagel halves and faces designed from olives, mushrooms and peppers.  We hosted a couple neighbors to munch on these yummy treats with us!  Susie loved making them!  I've found homemade pizza is a REALLY good thing to have toddlers help with -- spreading sauce, sprinkling cheese and arranging toppings is difficult to mess up, and if it falls off, it's just on the tray.  The hardest part was convincing Susie not to eat all the olive eyes as they went on! :)

Cooking with her Strawberry Shortcake cookbook

Happy with the results!

Ready for the oven.  These faces look like something from a Roald Dahl book!

Cooking with your toddler

If you are anything like me, the hour before dinner is the witching hour.  I am trying to get supper on the table, keep the teething baby happy and occupy my toddler so she doesn't trash the house right before my husband walks through the door.  I also have the goal of tidying up the house (at least somewhat) before we all sit down to dinner, so that adds one more thing to the "to-do" list, and everyone tends to be somewhat grouchy because they are hungry and tired.

So why would I want to add something else to the mix?  Why would I cook with my toddler when it certainly would get done faster if I do it myself?  Well, at the very least, it does keep her occupied, but far greater are the benefits than just that!  She is learning valuable work at an age when everything is like a fun game.  She is experiencing healthy food and making her more likely to eat it since she helped in its preparation.  Best of all, she and I are bonding during our time together -- mother and daughter -- which is precious!

Here are some of my tips for making cooking with your toddler more manageable so that you can enjoy this time of teaching and learning together.  WHAT you cook is up to you!

1.  Throw away your concerns of things being perfect.  Guess what?  Your kiddo is probably going to spill.  Oh well!!  Shreds of cheese may fall to the ground.  Oh well!  When Susie stirs, I can pretty much guarantee that she will slosh a bit.  After getting wet a few times, she's realized that she needs to use a bit of a lighter touch!  Decide ahead of time to instruct in a sweet and patient voice and be ready to laugh if things get a bit messy.  You don't want to teach your child that cooking is about perfection and they cannot please your demands by gasping every time they reach for the spoon.


2. The slow cooker is your friend!  I finally joined the rest of the majority of American home cooks and got a crock pot for Christmas.  It's really great for toddler cooking because it's not hot (until you turn it on) and usually things are getting dumped into it cold, in random order and there is lots of stirring involved (my daughter's favorite part of "making").  You can make something earlier in the day, let your child stir till their hearts' content while you wash the dishes, and then you are FREE as a bird during the witching hour except maybe heating up some bread!  I am determined to use the crock pot as much as possible during this stage because I can chop and she can do the rest!


3. Food prep -- last night I made egg tacos, and did not have much for Susie to help with.  So I gave her bowls and had her fill them with the toppings -- cheese, lettuce (it was a package of pre-washed greens), avocado, etc.  Now, normally, I do not ALWAYS put things out in bowls because that is a step I tend to skip so save on dishes, but it gave her a job, and she REALLY LIKED IT!  Plus we were having company, so might as well make it nice.  


4. Give yourself time -- I've found that it will probably take a little longer to cook when I am instructing and overseeing Susie's help.  So I just plan on starting earlier.  Many things can stay warm in the oven while you wait for dinner time.  You can also split up your cooking time, if you need to keep an eye on the stove like this -- I tell Susie that I'm going to need her help making supper when the timer rings.  She can play or read books or whatever until it rings, but then I'll bring in her climbing thing and have her help me.  This works great, because it keeps her from pulling my legs and saying "I want to help you cook" while I'm frying tortillas or something because she knows she can help me a little later.  Then I get done the stuff only I can do, and I'm free-er to oversee her work.


5. Bring in the whole family -- so in my case, this would mean the baby.  Now sometimes when we cook in the crockpot, it's during his morning nap, so this would not apply (that's actually a FANTASTIC time to cook!).  But if we are fixing supper in the late afternoon, I drag his seat into my crowded kitchen and give him measuring cups, a wisk, or a wire pastry cutter to clank around and gnaw on.  He can't quite snack yet, but I do pop Cheerios in one at a time if he's really fussy.  I have worn him in a sling while I cook, but now he's pretty grabby, so I'll need to figure out a way to hold him in the back so he can just watch.  That may or may not work!  If you have other kids, then you can give them jobs while still letting the littler one help.  I had my niece who is five do all the dumping and let Susie do the stirring (it's nice to have an accurate dumper -- haha!).  Sing together, talk about the food, chat about how fun it is to make supper for daddy, or whoever will be eating at your table.  Susie often pretends she is cooking for family members who live far away. 

Susie in her mommy helper aka "climbing fing"

6.  Safety and cleanliness -- these are probably two big objections to letting really small kids help with food, but it's actually a great chance to educate them on these things.  So when I let Susie whisk eggs, I emphasized that eggies could make us sick if we got them on us and that she needed to make the whisk touch the bottom of the bowl (I also gave her my largest bowl so she would be less likely to slosh).  I don't let her eat cookie dough, but I do let her taste just about anything safe.  She has a great "mommy helper" that her grandpa built her for Christmas that I bring into the kitchen while we cook.  It is much better than standing on a chair, and this means I do not have to bring all the food to the table (which is lower, allowing her to kneel) in order for her to see it.  When she is up in that, it also means she is not underfoot, so I can open and close the oven without doing the "blind spot check" like I'm changing lanes in traffic. :)

Stirring the lentils

I hope this is helpful to someone!  Imagine all the colors, flavors, textures, fine motor skills, language, and social skills your little one can learn in the kitchen!  Please post your ideas here if you have any!

Keeping Memories

I have made baby books for each of my children, and of course have framed pictures of them everywhere, but I wanted to post an idea I had for keeping a few of their special baby things for them to have when they become parents.

In each box I have saved a few things from the hospital and a few really special baby outfits.  They are things that I would let a sibling wear (if they have another brother or sister) but probably would not lend out to others.  They are set aside for Susie and Chip to keep.  I will probably add a couple more things as time goes on (like shoes or a favorite book), but for now I've got this at least.  

The picture I have is not awesome because I can't find my camera charger and had to take this with my phone.  I labeled the boxes with baby cards I'd saved (I'm a borderline packrat when it comes to sentimental items).  I'm so happy with my precious boxes!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Making salt dough to play with and make into ornaments

 A few of our activities this week:

Dutch spiced cookies made with our clay stamps -- baked and . . .

cookies packaged for neighbor gifts!

gifts all wrapped!

Reading her last Advent book

We are just WORN OUT! :)  Ready to relax and enjoy Christmas

Advent Goings-On

I have been neglectful in posting some of our fun Advent activities mostly because we've been extra busy and also because I have been getting very little sleep the past week or so.  Nonetheless, I didn't want to go too long before I shared some of the things we did that were really special to Susie.

1.  She has really loved doing the Advent candles at mealtimes.  Whatever meal is our "sit at the table together" meal (sometimes lunch, sometimes supper), we light the number of candles for whatever week of Advent it is.  She is just starting to understand numbers, so counting the candles is great.  We say "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men" as I light them.  I figured it would be an easy way to learn that verse by saying it every day.  I really should add another verse -- she knows this one so well. :)

Chip checking out the nativity and books

2. Of course she has loved unwrapping books.  I give her one every Sunday and then another at some point in the week.  We keep them under the tree by the play nativity set so she can look at them as much as she wants (and keeping them central has encouraged her to reach for them over and over).  I realized a couple years ago that what I put under the tree seems to be the biggest deal.  So if there is a big pile of presents, of course that's the focus!  Instead, we have the nativity for her to play with, and a big box for all the pieces and her new books.  (There are a few presents, just to clarify).

3. I printed these off for her thinking she could color them each week, but instead, I let her get out her watercolor paints and make them really special works of art.  They are!  She loves to paint and really has pretty good technique with her brush.  After they dry, I've been hanging them around the dining room so they are part of our Christmas decor.

Singing with Daddy under the tree

4.  Singing -- oh goodness gracious.  The girl loves her some Christmas Carols!  Hark the Herald is her fave, but Away in a Manger, Joy to the World, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and Silent Night are all being learned.  She sings them at the drop of a hat.  Hark is the best -- she knows every word to the first verse and most of the second.  She found a microphone in Target while we were shopping the other day and stood and sang such a perfect performance that strangers were gathering to listen (she didn't see them or she would have stopped, I'm sure).  I was actually in tears yesterday when I heard her singing the precious words "God and sinners reconciled" as she worked on her painting.  So thankful that we celebrate such an earth-shattering thing at Christmas!

Please share what you are doing to make Christ the focus of your Advent season!

Photo Card

Modern Christmas Christmas

Shutterfly Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

So Thankful

My heart is filled with thankfulness.  I love so much to look at my darling babies and memorize their tiny faces and sing out thanksgiving to the Lord for lending them to me -- sometimes out loud, sometimes just in my heart.

Susie and I have been enjoying the poem "Over the River and Through the Woods" -- I checked a copy out from the library that was illustrated with fantastic woodcuts.  I'm very fond of woodcuts.  Yesterday after we read it, we made pumpkin pie!  She loves to "make" (aka cook), so it was so fun! 

More Children's books for Christmas

I was fine with just giving my kids 4 books during Advent this year, but now I've more than doubled the number I've collected due to discovering several old titles when visiting my family last weekend.  I've also checked out a couple good library books that I MIGHT wrap up for Susie to open as well (why does that feel weird?  It's not like I'm planning to keep it!). ;)

I wanted to share these other books we'll be reading starting just NEXT WEEK!

1. Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo -- the most lovely illustrations accompany this simple story of a girl inviting a poor homeless organ grinder and his monkey to her church's Christmas pageant.  I'm a sucker for a story that touches on our prejudices -- I think children are more open to dialogue about this tendency than adults!  The little girl has great joy when the man attends her pageant, and you see him welcomed in by the church at the end. 

2. The Christmas Story by Jane Werner Watson illustrated by Eloise Wilkin (my favorite illustrator).  I love how this little old Golden Book uses actual parts of Luke for the wording on the pages.  I also love the illustrations.  I've decided that I'm not taking issue with halos at this point in time.  Maybe down the road it will matter to me, but for now, it's fine.

3. The Night Before Jesus by Herbert Brokering -- this is an out of print title published by Concordia.  It does rhyme and obviously is trying to follow the pattern of the Clement Heard poem, but it's actually pretty good.  I like the way it emphasizes that we are NOW in the "night before Jesus" because earth is still longing for his coming -- his second coming.  It makes a good one for Advent.  I wonder how long my mom had this book stowed away. :)

4. Carol Time by Brimax publishers -- this little board book has the words to several Christmas Carols with precious little illustrations.  This publisher is from Australia, so I don't remember where I got this, but I think someone passed it on after Christmas last year.  I just refound it.  I will be using this when teaching Susie Christmas songs.  We sing carols around the tree before bed -- a tradition started by my parents when I was little.

5. A Stable in Bethlehem by Joy Hulme -- this "First Little Golden Book" is a counting book and counts down to the ONE baby all the others have come to worship.  There is a newer edition than the one I am linking to, but this is the one I have, copyright 1989.  It's not super deep, but it does in fact point to Christ.  Great for very little ones.

Since I will be traveling for Thanksgiving, I guess I better get to wrapping!

Come to the Cradle

I wanted to share a bit of what the Lord has taught me through the past six months in caring for my baby.  Yesterday at his six month doctor appointment, I discovered he'd gained over ten pounds since we brought him home from the hospital.  Despite the fact that Chip is not a great sleeper, he has an incredibly cheery disposition and has never been sick.  My pediatrician affirmed my efforts to exclusively nurse him as much as I have because of his good health and growth.  Of course I would love it if my baby slept through the night.  But he doesn't.  Not even close.  But each night as I drag my sleepy head off it's pillow to respond to his cry for me, I have to remind myself that I have chosen this to care for my baby.  It is easy to be tempted to feel sorry for myself, to complain about my lack of sleep, but in truth, I would not trade that path I have taken!  It would be wrong for me to complain when the Lord has been so good to us, blessing us with Chippy's life and health.  I have prayed for more sleep, and for the most part, the Lord has answered that prayer with "no, not yet".  But truly, the Lord is good even when I'm tired.  I have prayed for wisdom over and over and tonight when I put Chip to bed, I turned on the CD "Come to the Cradle" by Michael Card.  I used to play this for Susie every single night, and the words are just wonderful.  Inside the album jacket, though, I found this encouraging word, and it brought tears to my eyes:

"For the cry of a baby in the middle of the night is not simply a summons to change a diaper -- it contains within it more than our ears can hear.  It is a call to leave the cozy self-interest of our warm beds; to come, saying no to a thousand voices that tell us to remain where we are comfortable  It is a call to come away from ourselves.  No one who has ever heeded this call will tell you it was in vain." (emphasis mine)

 And that is me.  I have gone, night after night to feed my baby when he wakes, and now I look at him, round and chubby and cheerful and know that I have done the right thing.  The Lord is good to bless me with this kind of encouragement, and I hope it blesses you as well.

Thank you, Michael Card for writing beautiful songs and words that feed this tired mommy's soul!  Let me recommend his book Sleep Sound in Jesus which has the words to other lullabies by Card as well as outstanding short devotionals for parents that have fed my soul so well as I stumbled through the earliest months of having a baby.

Some Advent Activities

I thought I'd wrap up my posts on planning for Advent by sharing some of the activities I'm hoping to do with Susie (and Chip, at times) this year.  My children are very young, so this won't be what everyone would want to do, but perhaps it will help get your ideas flowing.  As I mentioned before, I've been writing down in my planner something for each day to make the entire season of Advent a celebration, beginning with the first Sunday of Advent.

That Sunday we will get out our regular Nativity set, candles and do our Advent Scripture reading.  This will also be the first day Susie gets to open a book.  The next day is when we will put up the Christmas tree, and the day after that is when we will get out the toy Nativity set and a few days after that, the Advent calendar.  I feel like having a good amount of Christmas decorations beautifying our home increases a child's awareness that we are celebrating something special!

On the days that we do not have a scheduled event, I am writing "Advent craft" on these days.  I have started gathering some fun craft ideas that I think Susie will enjoy.  Here are a few:

This free downloadable preschool pack has lots of activities with colors, numbers, letters, etc, all based on people and characters in the nativity story.  I'm not sure we will do all of it, but it's very cute, and I think Susie will dig it.

I want to make salt dough ornaments with Susie and Chip's little hand prints on them.  I found the directions for the dough on this blog. 

This blog post has quite a few adorable craft ideas for nativity scenes, including a gingerbread nativity, one with people made from toilet paper rolls, etc.  I'm planning to have Susie and Chip act out the nativity story as well, complete with costumes (like she shows in the pictures) even though I only have enough children to play Mary and baby Jesus. :)

Here are some great little lessons written by Amy Brown (who I know from my days as a student in SWI at SBTS) as well as Advent coloring pages on "Ministry to Children".  I definitely plan to use coloring pages!  Susie is into coloring big time.  I like how Amy focuses on different characters in the nativity but points to Christ each time!  These could easily be tweaked for family devotions, or even just playtime with the Fisher Price nativity set.

I don't currently have a structured plan for teaching Scripture memory or Christmas carols, but I've found with Susie it works well to just go with the flow.  We say verses at dinnertime, before bed, in the car. . . wherever.  We sing while she goes potty, cleans up toys, in the car, wherever.  I want to make learning enjoyable, not burdensome for her at this point.  When I was a child, we sang Christmas carols around the tree before bed, and I've done that the past couple years with Susie, so I'm planning to do so again this year.  I feel like making up hand motions helps young children with memorizing -- songs, verses, etc.  So we do lots of motions. My motions are pretty predictable, but if I come up with anything really fun this year, I'll try to post it here.

Pepper into all of this some family outings to see lights, special baking projects and most likely shopping for gifts!  My thinking in taking Susie shopping (especially for other children) is for her to see things that look pleasing to her, and to buy them to give away to someone else.  I cannot give her a heart that is not prone to selfishness, but I can try to foster a love for giving.  In the past, we have shopped for a child Susie's age from the Angel tree or elsewhere, and if our finances allow, I hope to do that again this year.  I want her to pick out gifts for others that we won't even be able to enjoy seeing them open, and certainly won't be able to play with herself. :)  


Anybody out there do a Jesse Tree or celebrate Saint Nick's day?  I'm thinking about both of those, but maybe not for this year.  Still have time!

Christmas (or Advent) books for Kids

In general I think it is easier to find good Christmas books for children than, say, Easter or Lent books.  Christmas -- a celebration to be sure, and one of a baby at that -- is just already closer to a child's level of understanding and enjoyment.  So there are many more quality books that could be written about, but I'm going to share the ones I have for my kids this year.  We will continue our tradition of giving a book to each child during Advent and pulling out the books they were given in past years as well.  Since this year we have a total of 4 books, I'm wrapping them up and letting Susie open one each Sunday of Advent. 

For Chip -- Christmas in the Manger by Nola Buck illustrated by Felicia Bond.  I stumbled upon this book and ordered him a good used board book copy and I am delighted by it!  It reads well and has sweet illustrations -- just perfect for a baby's first Christmas book.  Susie will love it as well, and will probably memorize it since it rhymes.  I tend to look for books by Christian writers/publishers, but not in this case.  It's truly not important to explore the depths of the incarnation with an infant, so I'm happy with this little book that ends with "I am the baby asleep in the hay; I am the reason for Christmas day".


For Susie -- Song of the Stars, A Christmas Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones.  This is a new title just out this year and it's very good.  I checked it out of the library just to be sure it was going to be on Susie's level, and I would say it is a touch above her, but it's so beautiful and she enjoyed it anyway.  I'm getting my copy from LifeWay with a 33% off coupon tomorrow which is a better price than Amazon!  As Sally Lloyd-Jones does so well, she has brought to life real drama and excitement that is particularly fitting for a book you'd read during Advent.  All over the world creatures are announcing "it's time! It's time!" as the Savior is born.  Younger children will enjoy all the animals in the pictures even if they can't grasp the idea of all creation yearning for Christ's arrival (and thus, his 2nd coming).  


Two other titles I considered this year, and would still like to get down the road are Little One We Knew You'd Come also by Sally Lloyd-Jones (but out of print, bummer. . . gotta find out what the deal is with that) and Mary's Happy Christmas Day by Kathleen Bostrom.  The former is a gorgeous hardcover with rich words and the latter looked like a cute board book for Chip (I have not read it in person, so don't bank on it being amazing! In this case, I am quite literally judging a book by its cover!).

I have written about the books I've given the past couple years in past posts, so I'm linking to those below.  Keep in mind that I have a 2 year old, so we've done really young books!  I tend to jump ahead of myself, but Lord willing we have many more years to get to those deeper things.

Here are links to what I have done for Advent in the past:
Last year
Pre-children years here and here (there are some kid-affiliated ideas in these posts) 

Plan ahead for Advent

I just love celebrating Advent, and focusing on the coming of Christ over the weeks before Christmas!  It's not just "pre-Christmas" or some countdown to Santa coming, but a lovely celebration of Christ spread out over several weeks.  I've started planning for our Advent celebrations already, and wanted to post some of my ideas to help you plan a Christ-focused holiday season!

First, on the 4 Sundays of Advent, I'm giving my kids their "new" Christmas books.  I've chosen some really good children's books about CHRISTmas -- not Santa, Frosty, Christmas trees, or anything else -- and I'm going to wrap them up and let Susie open one each week (Chip just isn't old enough to care yet -- but I do have one specifically for him -- more about that later).  I will also wrap up the 2 books Susie got the past 2 years during Advent to let her open.  Also on those Sundays we will do Advent candles around our Nativity set.  Haven't quite decided where we are going to put that yet, but I do want to reinstate that tradition this year -- I think Susie is old enough to enjoy this and be careful as well.


Second, I'm planning something (even a small something) special to do each day during Advent.  For instance -- put up the tree/decorate for Christmas (what makes a celebration more celebratory than decorations?), get out the Little People nativity to play with, go caroling, shop for an Angel tree child, crafts, etc.  I'm not saying that there will NEVER be anything Santa/Frosty/Reindeer in our Christmas season, but the things I am planning are not along those lines.  They are focused on Christ's coming (and 2nd coming) and serving others and enjoying time together as a family.  I've actually pulled out my planner and written in things to do.  I still have more days to fill, but the point is that I'm planning now.  When I remember being a child, and anticipating Christmas, I honestly have such warm memories for some of those days leading up to the Holiday where we did these things as a family.  I want to help Susie create a category in her mind for Advent being special.


Third, Scripture memory and Christmas songs -- Susie has a quick memory and does well learning her verses for Sunday School and LOVES to learn songs.  I'm going to do a little better capitalizing on this this year and work with her on memorizing portions of Luke 2 and as many carols as we can!  We will sing around the tree before bed at night again . . . I'm not sure if we will ever get Susie to go to bed this year! 


Fourth, we will use our new Advent calendar!  My mother in law sent us this from Fisher Price last year, and I'm thinking Susie will be ALL ABOUT IT this year!  I'm going to try to use this along with the words Noel Piper used with her Advent Calendar, since I LOST MINE!! :(  


In the next several days, I will be posting some ideas for Christ-centered children's Christmas books and maybe some craft ideas I come across (on Pinterest, of course!). 

The first Sunday of Advent this year is at the end of this month -- just 3+ weeks away -- so start planning now!  What will you do?

Melt my heart

I hope I see many many more scenes like this over the next several years.  Of course, it may not be much longer that he'll be so absorbed by what she is "reading " to him, but I certainly hope so!

Some crafty stuff

Like most of the world, I've gotten UTTERLY hooked on Pinterest.  I opened my account on my birthday as a gift to myself. . . yeah, it was a good one. :)  I have tried to attempt some of the project I found on there, and here are a couple pictures:

Chip is modeling the baby legwarmers I made him -- the accessory every cloth-diaper wearing baby needs. :)  Any baby, really!  I found the directions here, and it was SO easy.

Here's Sus dancing in the tutu I made her.  Again, incredibly easy.  This project does not require sewing.

I did sew this -- an apron made from an old t-shirt (I actually used 2 shirts to make it heavier).  I got the directions from this tutorial.  Making stuff from t-shirts is so fun!  I have STACKS of old ones to use!  Sewing the knit can be tricky, but you don't have to hem it.

I've done some other stuff, too, but not as cute as these (being modeled by my kids makes it cuter). :)  I've got lots more plans as well!

Reading for Art appreciation

Susie is a little artist.  At about 18 months, she started drawing babies (that's what she told us they were) -- whole notebooks of circles with a line drawn down from them.  Around 19 months she'd draw part of a face for you (like add a tongue to a smiley face you'd draw for her).  By 20 months, she was obsessed with circles, and was drawing DARN good ones!  She has always held her writing instrument correctly (except with sidewalk chalk -- too thick), and picks up on the instruction Josh gives her in a snap!  The other night he was teaching her to do a tree and I heard her mutter to herself "line. . . line . . . scribble, scribble, scribble" as she tried to replicate it.

Susie drawing a face -- age 2

To encourage her in her artistic ways, I'm doing my best to expose her to great children's literature with great artwork.  She's had quite a bit of that, of course, just naturally through the books she already reads, but now I'm being intentional to choose a range of artwork and ask her questions about the pictures after we enjoy the stories together.  I also try to select something from the Caldecott award winners during our weekly library trips.  Here are some of the books we've read so far (just been doing this for a couple weeks now):

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (an instant hit, of course!  She's already asking for it back and we just returned it today.)

The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward (VERY long, but she really liked it. . . I was a bit surprised, to be honest!)

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (she started drawing houses after this one)

Prayer for a Child by Rachel Field (I thought it was sweet and she's been quoting "let no danger come to fright" ever since)

The Three Little Pigs by David Wiesner (haven't read it yet -- but it doesn't look quite like my cup of tea. . . still, I want her to try out a range).

Count and See by Tana Hoban (love the black and white photographs -- so did Chip who joined us reading it -- and the urban setting of many of them).

A little board book of nursery rhymes illustrated by Tomie dePaola because she loves nursery rhymes and I like his illustrations.


SO MANY MORE I want to get!  Do you have any favorite children's books because of the pictures?

Two and a Half

Susie isn't quite two and a half yet, but I came across this poem, and it was so sweet I wanted to post it along with a picture or two of my precious girl.

Two and a Half

Author Unknown

Hold her a little longer

Rock her a little more

Tell her another story

(You've only told her four)

Let her sleep on your shoulder

Rejoice in her happy smile

She's only two and a half 

For such a little while!