"I Would Never...!"

In general, I am a fairly opinionated person. For most of my life, I have held to the belief that I am right unless you can prove to me I'm not. :) Well, something about having children, getting to know other moms, and learning from Papi, have helped me to take a slightly different view of things.

I am not perfect. I don't always do the right things, and I often make mistakes. That being said, I do pray that God guide me, seek counsel from those I trust, and truly try to do what's best - especially when it comes to decisions for and about my children.

This is something I have been thinking about for awhile (since becoming a mother) as the following comments have been said to me and I've heard similar comments spoken of about other moms:

"I would never teach my children any language before English!"
"I would never consider that medical treatment for my child!"
"I would never be a working mother!"
"I would never be a stay-at-home mother!"
"I would never give my infant formula!"
"I would never homeschool!"

As parents, these are decisions we have made, are making, or will have to make in the future. Since God loves variety and therefore made each of us unique, the reality of these decisions will look different for each family. It's not for us to understand the decision made by other families, but to be supportive as we all try to raise our children.

We each need to pray to God, seek wise counsel, and do the best we can for our own children. Believing that other moms are doing likewise goes a long way in supporting each other in a job that is a gift from God, yet difficult enough as it is.

JA's Turn!

"Blitzen's Boogie"

She sang in "Frosty the Snowman" and "Glory in the Highest" as well, but those videos won't upload. Her favorite was "Glory in the Highest" because she was singing to God. And after 4 performances, JA thought the best was Sunday afternoon when we came to see her. :)

Sweden

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. It was also St. Lucia's Day in Sweden. And since we were studying Christmas in Sweden yesterday and today, and we needed to bring treats to small group last night, it just made sense to bring a Swedish goody. So, we made Swedish Butter Cookies. They are delicious, sugary, buttery goodness. JT woke up this morning and wanted some for breakfast (he got 3 after lunch instead.)

Giving

A picture

  

The best one, but there are 2 missing!

JT sings at church

Cuentos y cantos

A few years ago, Tia D. gave us a Christmas book in Spanish. We were thrilled, of course, but the stories were a bit beyond our kids' level. The book, Cuentos y cantos de Navidad, includes the "A Christmas Carol", "The nutcracker", and "The Gift of the Magi" among others. It also has a traditional Christmas carol to follow each story.

Well, this year, the kids were ready for it! JA can read the stories herself, and they don't scare her (not even the ghosts from "A Christmas Carol!"). JT doesn't scare easily at all, though he prefers to hear me sing the carols then listen to the stories. Best of all, it's all in Spanish! We'll be reading a story and singing a carol throughout Advent.

At this time of year, there are so many great traditions, stories, songs, etc. to share with kids; it's great to have some of that in Spanish. I mean, Christmas isn't an American/English holiday - it's worldwide! So, I love being able to show that. I guess that's why I'm enjoying our study of Christmas around the world so much as well. (We've now added France to our list of countries we've studied! Joyeux Noël!)