Christmas Prep

Christmas is such a beautiful time of year. Our tree is up and lit. Presents sit ready to be opened on Christmas morning. Reagan has me write on his white board every day, how many days left until The Big Day. We have read about the baby Jesus being born in a stable. We have read about the wise men and the shepherds. Christmas seemed idyllic. Then my son asked me about a virgin birth.It was as if the needle had been pulled on the Christmas record in my head. How do I explain to a six-year-old what the virgin birth was? Heck, adults I know can't quite fathom it. And he certainly doesn't have the working knowledge of procreation that they have!

So, I explained that we believe that Jesus was Meshiach or Messiah. We believe that he was born without the help of an earthly daddy. His Daddy was in Heaven. His Daddy was God. I told Reagan that it is one of the things that makes Jesus different from any child ever born on this earth. It is one of the things that makes Jesus special.

Tonight in my class at church we were given the assignment of contemplating the birth of Jesus. Our instructor thinks it will really make us think about what He was born knowing or understanding. I think I'm a bit too bogged down in being a mother. See, I only hope Mary didn't know. I can't imagine looking at the tiny fragile fingers of my newborn baby and his precious soft face and thinking of his end. Then again, maybe that's why the job of being the Mother of God was given to her and not to me.

As an observant Christian parent, I want my children to understand the great significance of this holiday, beyond tinsel and Santa. But perhaps it is by sharing the love of Christ throughout the season that I will best educate them on what Christmas is: A time to be grateful for the many gifts we were given, not the least of which was the birth of a Savior.

Happy Holidays to all!

Well, today isn't looking much better for lessons. I think I'll try and work school into those quiet times when Reagan is feeling okay. Maybe a bit while Piper is napping. While his system emptied this morning (after an old-fashioned dose of castor oil last night) he still isn't better. His eyes look sick, he's whiny and prone to tears, plus he still has a temp of 101.8. So, we've skipped playgroup, and I dosed him with Motrin. But I think I'll take it easy on him as far as school goes.If I can get him to rest on the couch this afternoon we can do some reading together and he can do some free reading. We can go over flashcards and Spelling. I'm just going to try to cover the big things this week and let the rest go. I mean, if he was in a traditional school he wouldn't even be getting that. Another benefit to homeschooling. We can still work through sick days.

On one hand it's kind of sweet when my kids are sick. They're quiet, subdued, and really cuddly. On the other hand, I just want to put my hands on them and make it all better. Okay, I'll stop. If this is the worst dilemma I have as a parent, then I'm probably doing just fine.

Anyway, my sink is shiny, my shoes are on, and I have to go throw out old lotions and cleansers and things. It's my housecleaning challenge for today.