this season, it’s sweet.  it’s dreamy.  it’s full of expectation.

it’s also busy.  stressful.  busy.  full of lists, and to do’s.  parties and gatherings.  expectations.

I can’t lie, it’s been a mix of sweet and bitter.  bittersweet?  Our little family just can’t seem to catch a break with the sickness.  Since mid- October, one of the 4 of us has been sick.  Stomach bug, flu, sinus infections, cold.  We can’t seem to get over it.  It’s made this season interesting.  I had all these great expectations at the beginning of the season – things I wanted to do, traditions I wanted to start, a long list of fun and exciting things for the kids and us to participate in together.  have we done those things?  some, yes.  most, no.  sickness has kicked our butts.  Yesterday I was telling some friends over lunch that I feel like a “bad mom”.  While I said it, I knew it was a lie, but I still feel it.  Social media makes this time of year hard – seeing through the eyes of facebook at what everyone else is doing.  My main point yesterday was that I “hadn’t even taken my kids to see Santa”  [in a smocked monogrammed outfit].  Why do I let that make me feel like a “bad mom”?  What I loved was that after talking and sharing some ideas of how we keep Jesus the center of Christmas, we came to the realization that it doens’t matter what we don’t do.  I don’t want to let the world + our culture tell me what’s important at Christmas.  and I don’t want facebook to make me feel like a bad mom.  [nor do I ever want to make anyone else feel like a “bad mom”]

Although I haven’t taken my kids to see Santa, don’t have cute Christmas outifts or pj’s, or havne’t purchased 1 gift for them…I have started to teach them about the nativity scene, we sing happy birthday to jesus, we read the christmas story in our Jesus storybook bible, we’ve gone together as a family to purchase gifts for those in need + bless our neighbors with yummy treats to let them know we love them.  Have we done everything I have wanted to do?  No.  Are my kids still going to have beautiful memories of this season of preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus?  Yes.  So if any of you moms out there feel like you aren’t “measuring up” to what our culture tells you is important this holiday season – be encouraged.  Know that what you are doing for and with your family during this season is enough.  We all will celebrate and prepare in different ways, let’s not let ourselves feel bad about what we are or aren’t “doing”.

In other exciting news — the winner of the Connected in Hope giveaway is::  Cindy Aiton

and the winner of my Mystery Hostess Noonday party is:: Michelle Wright!

[it’s not too late to order for Christmas, you still have 2 more days!]