Home at last!

After five weeks on the road traveling over 2,000 miles through ten states, we are finally home! Or at least where we are calling home for the present time. You never really know where "home" is when you're in the military. We had a great time, especially getting to see my husband again. The boys traveled remarkably well. There was very little fighting or whining...in the car that is...plenty once we got out of the car...

Ethan kept busy looking for license plates from each of the 50 states. He found all except South Dakota and Hawaii and even found 4 Canadian provinces. I got him a magnetic license plate game, but the magnets weren't very magnetic. Next trip I am ordering this license plate game from Doug & Melissa. Grant and Joshua slept a lot and they were enthralled with a few DVDs we got special for this trip: Mighty Machines, I Love Toy Trains and Blues Clues.

The boys were so happy to see their daddy again and couldn't spend quite enough time with him. I'll be sharing updates of the places we visited over the next week and the seven temples I was able to photograph.

The winner is...

Congratulations to Michelle T. winner of the $25 Amazon.com gift card! Thanks to all who entered! I had a fun tutorial scheduled but when I went to actually publish it, it mysteriously deleted all the text and photos... Iphone is not so reliable for blogger... So I'll get that up when I get home. We are heading back west from our month long road trip. It's been a wonderful time seeing my husband and good friends. We are ready to be home though! Will post pics and details next week! Hope y'all had a great Valentine's day (I can say y'all since I'm in Texas)!

Amazon.com Giveaway!

Today is the first day to enter to win "From Our Hearts To Yours Valentine Giveaway" hosted by Life With Two Boys, With Our Best, and Mama-Nibbles! Be sure to check out all the amazing giveaways offered now until Valentine's Day!

I don't know if I've mentioned it before or not, but I do almost ALL of my shopping at Amazon.com. I love that as long as I spend $25 (not hard to do) shipping is absolutely free. Sure beats going to the store with three wild boys in tow! I order all our homeschooling supplies there, books, paper, printers, laminators, craft supplies, learning toys, diapers etc... I especially do ALL my Christmas shopping there. I never fight the crazy holiday crowds, I buy everything online and have it shipped to my door. It's such a lifesaver. I don't think a week goes by that I don't have something from Amazon on my doorstep. I seriously could not survive without them.

I am happy to offer one lucky reader a $25 gift card to Amazon.com!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Why I homeschool

A while ago I did a multi-part post about what our homeschooling day looks like. I also have some information about why I homeschool and favorite resources under my Homeschool link, however I have had several questions from readers, so I figured I'd start at the beginning and tell you why I homeschool.

While in law school, my husband discussed his interest in signing on with the JAG corps. I knew that if this happened we would likely be moving a lot and I would have a hard time using my recently acquired MBA. I enrolled in an elementary teacher certification program because I figured I could at least find a teaching job no matter where we lived, and I had always been interested in elementary education. Little did I know that I would end up teaching my own children a few years later!

My oldest son started reading a few weeks before this third birthday. At age two he knew four articles of faith and by age three knew all thirteen. He could locate all fifty states, perform addition and subtraction and a multitude of other things by age four. On top of all that he is a very hyper active little boy (borderline ADHD) and extremely mischevious. He has a mid-October birthday which means he cannot attend kindergarten until age 6 (one year from now). We decided to homeschool him because we knew that if we were to wait until age six, he would be the class delinquent, completely bored out of his mind and fidgeting to no end. Sure, they have "gifted" programs, I was in one when I was that age too, it consisted of spending all my time in the library or reading to the 4th graders. Not helping me advance at my own pace, simply trying to keep me out of trouble...

So, we made the decision. I started looking for free preschool activities to do with him which worked well for a while, however he was way beyond preschool at this point and wanted something more. I started to get serious about curriculum hunting and decided if I was going to do this I needed to figure out what the heck I was doing. I also thought I'd get a head start and "practice" homeschooling to make sure I'd be able to do it when it started to count legally. I still wasn't 100% committed yet- I wanted to feel it out first.

I literally spent every spare moment researching and reading about homeschool curriculum, philosophies, methods, etc...and trying to figure out how on earth I was going to help him meet his full potential while taking care of a demanding three year old and one year old. There were several times where I thought there is no way I can handle this. The fear of being responsible for preparing this little guy for college at times seemed too great.

Then I discovered the LDS Homeschooling Conference at Southern Virginia University (btw this year's conference in May features Susan Wise Bauer!) I wanted desperately to go. Unfortunately my husband had a scheduled business trip that week. I emailed the association and they were kind enough to let me purchase some transcripts from the year before. It helped immensly to hear other people's stories about how they got started. I noticed a common thread in each session. Each presenter talked about the spiritual confirmation they received to know that homeschooling was right for their family. I thought about that for quite a while. I had made an intellectual decision but I hadn't really, seriously prayed about it. I wanted to try it out, yet have the option to give up if it became too difficult. However after listening to these sessions, I came to the conclusion that if I was going to do this I had to do it all the way. I finally agreed to do whatever God wanted me to for my child, whether it was public, private or homeschool.

It was then (once I was finally ready and willing to accept whatever He wanted) that I finally received the confirmation that those other mothers/presenters had talked about. I knew beyond a doubt that this is what our family was supposed to do.

Perhaps it will change in the future, but for now, this is what is right for us. And the more I learn and teach the more I grow to love this decision.

Do you homeschool? Are you thinking about it? If you do, what were the deciding factors for you?

Continue to A Day in the Life Part 1, an overview of how I homeschool (at the present moment)

Changes...

I have to apologize for all the blog changes lately! I've been trying to figure out the best way to provide access to my temple pictures and subway art. I have FINALLY figured it out! SO...no more changes!

From now on, simply go to my new website at http://cariosbornephotography.zenfolio.com/ to order temple pictures or to download them. If you want to download them, simply choose the image you want and select 'Downloads'. Then click on the 'Download Digital Images' link and when you checkout it will provide you with a link to download the images. Now you can download images and purchase prints on the same site. No more clicking here and there and everywhere to get what you want!

I also want to say a BIG thank you to those who have already purchased prints and made donations- I've almost covered the cost of purchasing this new site!!! I've photographed the Albuquerque, Dallas and Houston temples and hope to have several more before my trip is through! I will update my site with these new temple pictures as soon as I can.

You  may have also noticed a new link for Subway Art. I've got a few new fun images I've created and am putting them on the new site also, so you can purchase them as prints or download .jpg for free. There are still a few older subway art prints hanging out on my old temple artwork page- don't worry, I'll move them to the new site as soon as I get home and have access to my computer. Hope you enjoy the new site and hope it makes it easier to download or purchase prints!

Homeschool Education {for parents}

I don't know about you, but as a homeschooling parent, I often feel inadequate or unprepared about my ability to teach my children all the things they will need to know to be successful in college and in a professional career. I want to provide the best possible education for them, but in order to do this, I need to be well educated.

I hold a master’s degree in business and completed half of a graduate level program towards becoming a certified elementary teacher, before I ever thought about homeschooling. After having three boys in three years it became difficult for me to continue taking university courses, yet, I still have a desire to further my education.

As I researched graduate-level education degrees I realized that almost every single one was geared towards administrative work rather than teaching skills. I realized that although I could earn a “masters” degree in education, it certainly wouldn’t qualify me to be a better teacher, only a better administrator. In fact, I could gain a much better (and less expensive) education by simply purchasing or renting textbooks and studying them on my own. Thus, I began compiling a list of books that could help me educate myself to not only become a better teacher, but to better understand these concepts for myself.

Many parents have not had the opportunity to finish college, yet that does not mean that they aren’t capable or qualified to teach their children. By being proactive and continuing to learn we can all become better educated and in turn provide a better education for our children.

I've organized a few references in this guide a Homeschool Education {for parents} to give you some resources you can use to further your education and learn how to educate your children better. It is certainly not a comprehensive guide and I have not personally reviewed every book listed, but hopefully it will get you thinking of ways you can educate yourself at home.

If you have any resources you have found helpful in your self-education, please share!

On the road again...

We are heading out on our road trip this morning! So excited to see my husband after 4 months and the boys can't wait to see their daddy. We are planning to go to Houston for a few weeks, then on up to Kentucky and will be traveling for about 6 weeks. I will try to have at least one scheduled post a week while I'm gone (including a fabulous Valentine's Day giveaway) and will post updates as often as I can.

I am also planning my route so that I can photograph several temples. I hope to be able to add 6 or 7 more to my site! And as much as I would love to be independently wealthy, I'm not. As you can imagine, traveling gets quite expensive. I really want to continue to offer these temple images for free to those who cannot afford to purchase them. In order to do this, I need some help! You can help keep these free by contributing a small amount (a few dollars) when you download one of my temple images (click on the new donate link on the right toolbar) or by purchasing your prints through my new fulfillment site. I am offering these temple prints at half the price of what I normally charge for professional prints so that everyone can afford them. Thanks for your support!

Road Trip USA

We love to travel. I think it's probably my most favorite thing to do. If I don't have a vacation scheduled for the near future I start to feel trapped. By the time my oldest was three he'd been to five countries and 24 states. Most of my friends think I'm crazy, but we really enjoy sharing traveling adventures with our kids. In fact they're starting to get the travel bug too. If we go more than a few months without a trip they start saying "I want to go somewhere! I want to stay at a hotel!"

When the boys are older (and can actually remember things), my dream would be to spend a year in an RV traveling from state to state giving them a hands-on education about the country we live in.

So, when my husband called to say they were flying him to Houston for training (yipee!!!), I immediately started planning a road trip! Getting car seats through the airport is a nightmare for me, I'd much rather drive. And since we've traveled nonstop since they were babies, my boys are great travelers. Of course, this is my first roadtrip with them alone, so I'm sure things will be different, but I think we'll manage just fine.

Since we just started school again from our holiday break, I thought it would be fun to study up on the states we will be passing through. I purchased a digital copy of Road Trip USA and am making booklets for the two oldest boys to work on as we drive. We will be collecting postcards from each state (if only we'd thought about doing that on our drive from KY to UT) and marking our route on a map. I have a map I've kept for each of the boys since they were babies and every time we travel I color in the states so they can keep track. I've also created these Road Trip Journal Pages to add to our road trip booklet, which includes a map to highlight the route taken and record favorite memories. It will be fun to keep one for each year and see all the places we've gone.

Here are a few Road Trip Survival Tips to make the journey easier:

1. Seating Arrangements: This is important for a tear-free road trip. We have learned that our oldest has to be in the back row all alone. If he is in arms reach of any one else, there will be crying. I also clean the car and vacuum it all out before a trip. Kind of pointless I know, since it looks like a tornado hit after day one, but it still makes me feel better to start out clean.

2. Busy Activities: For weeks before a trip I gather things together I know will keep them occupied. New coloring books, printable travel games, magnetic games (or wooden Doug & Melissa games where pieces are attached), toy computer, mini train track, drawing books, and we always take a trip to the library for a few new books to bring along. Ethan's only got three books left in the A to Z Mystery series, so we'll pick them up before we hit the road. I also let them play games on my iPhone if they start to have a meltdown, but I save that as an absolute last resort.

3. Music & DVDs: I try to find some fun music for them to listen to as we begin the trip. They love Steve Songs and Kindermusik. I play cd's as long as they'll let me. I try to hold off on a movie as long as possible, because I don't want them to have mental junk food the entire trip, and once you start movies you can't turn them off without a fight, or until they fall asleep. I get a few netflix movies they haven't seen before and that will keep their attention. I also check the bargain bin for DVDs, the key is to finding something they're not already bored of. I also download a few audio books on my iPhone for me to listen to while I drive. I'm currently reading anything Amish- (Beverly Lewis & Cindy Woodsmall)...

4. Food: If possible, I like to begin our trip early in the morning while they boys are still sleeping. We load them into the car with their jammies on and they usually will sleep for several hours. I pack them each a sack breakfast- banana, raisins, yogurt, and juice. So when they wake up they already have their food ready and I don't have to climb in the back to help anyone.

We get real tired of fast food so the first day I always try to pack our own lunch, pb&j or chicken salad sandwiches. For snacks, a veggie tray, assorted fruit, goldfish, pretzels, animal crackers, and a special snack they don't normally get like chips, fruit snacks or licorice. I used to travel with lots of juice boxes but they usually end up spilled all over and dumped on the floor, so I try to limit to one juice a day and water for the rest.

If it's a multi-day trip we'll often stop at a grocery store along the way to purchase fruit and veggie trays to replenish our supplies. If we're stopping for dinner we'll often try to find a grocery store with a deli and get a rotisserie chicken, french bread and tater babies. So much tastier than fast food.

5. Packing: I get the car completely packed the night before. If it's a multi-day trip, I pack separate backpacks for each boy of clothes and things they will need at the hotel. So when we arrive we simply grab our backpacks and head in. The other clothes and things are packed in a suitcase or tote bag. I have an insulated picnic sized lunch box that sits behind my seat with all the snacks. I always keep food in arms reach because traveling makes you hungry.

I have some boxes I use to put books and things in for each boy and place it by their seat (or in the seat pocket) so they can easily access it while we're driving. Their breakfast bag/snack bag is also placed by their seat. They each have a fabric trash bag attached to the seat in front (if only they could learn to use them!)

Fire up the GPS and get it programmed to your route (also have printed mapquest directions handy because you never know when it's going to say "updating firmware" and be completely unusable). Fill up water bottles, have a stack of diapers and wipes handy, and don't forget special blankets or stuffed animals.

The last thing we put in the car is the kids. Never make them wait in the car for you more than a few minutes or the trip will start off on a bad note.

6. Have Fun: Make the road trip fun! Don't be in such a hurry to get to your destination that you can't stop to enjoy the things you're passing by. If you happen to see on the map that the world's largest ketchup bottle (yup, I have a picture of it) is just a few miles away, take a detour and have some fun.

McDonald's is your friend! Every few hours the kids are going to need to stop, pee and stretch their legs. The best place to go is McDonald's. They get a ton of energy out running around the play place and it gives them something fun to look forward to. It really only takes 15 minutes and it is so worth it. We usually get out and stretch for lunch too. If it's warmer weather we'll have a picnic on any grassy spot we can find and let them run around. Again, it doesn't have to be long, 15 to 20 minutes, but it will make a huge difference in the level of fun the kids are having.

If they're old enough to read, give them an atlas or a copy of the state maps and have them trace the route. Have them look for cities on the map as you pass them. Let them know when you cross a state border, my kids get so excited and scream and yell whenever we enter a new state. 

Do you travel with your kids? What do you do to make traveling fun?

Hoarders: toddler edition

Joshua, our middle child has always had hoarding tendencies. He would (and still does) cram all sorts of random junk into bags or boxes and carry them around the house and stack them in "secret" places. Now he has a backpack that he packs all sorts of things into including a full change of apparel, snacks and money.

Now, my sweet little baby is turning into a hoarder too! Or pack rat, not sure which. He picks up as many toys as he can find at once and MUST carry them all at the same time. As you can see from his big crocodile tear, he has trouble carrying it all and has a complete and total meltdown every morning because things keep dropping. I've tried to get him to carry a bag like his brother, but he still doesn't get it. And yes, that is a mini-colander on his head. It's his "hat".

At what point should I be concerned???

The Gentleness Challenge

As a mother of three boys born in three years, I have truly experienced the highs and lows of motherhood. There have been times when I couldn't imagine that life could ever get any better.

There have also been times I've felt a level of anger and frustration I have never before felt. Like the time I thought my 2 year old was quietly playing in his room, only to discover he had removed his soiled diaper and spread the contents all over his face, the crib and the walls. My first instict was to scream. Then cry. Then yell for my husband to come clean up the mess.

There's also the time my son wrote his name with orange crayon on our carpet. Or the time last week when all three hooligans dumped a Costco-sized bag of Craisins all over the house (and filled their socks with them), crushed a bunch of glass ornaments into millions of tiny pieces into the carpet and broke the leg of the desk I was putting together, in half.

It is very difficult to be patient during those times when you really want to wring someone's little neck. But I've learned that yelling does nothing but anger and frustrate them, sending them over the edge into even more misbehavior. They definitely respond better when I react calmly, so it is something I have really been trying hard to work on, however it is a real challenge at times. That's why I was so excited when I saw The Gentleness Challenge hosted by Women Living Well Ministries. I can't wait to learn new ways to discipline my children with love.

I love this quote "It’s interesting to note that all of the fruit of the Spirit address this very issue – the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control (Gal. 5:22). When we walk in the Spirit – we will be gentle mothers. But when we walk in the flesh – we lack all of these attributes." That is so true. If we are followers of Christ, we should begin by seeking to emulate the attributes he has. What better mothers we would be if those attributes could be said of us. So if you're interested in joining the challenge please visit their website for ideas and support!

Happy New Year!

It's always fun to look back and remember the fun things that happened during the year. We like to include a highlights page in the front of each scrapbook, sort of a year-in-review so we can remember what was so special about it (and no I didn't make my scrapbooking deadline, but I did make as far as September!)  

Some memories I won't forget from 2011 are:

*Taking our annual trip to Disney World, running the 1/2 marathon and goofy for my husband (he ran the 1/2 marathon with me and the full marathon the next day).

*Spending the weekend in Cincinnati with great friends, taking the riverboat ride and touring the museums.

*Spending our last months enjoying the great things in Kentucky, the Louisville Slugger Museum, Science Center, Zoo, Churchill Downs, Lincoln's Birthplace, etc...

*Training for and completing my first full marathon!

*Packing up our things *sniff, sniff* and moving west. Saying goodbye to my best friend as he headed overseas.

*Having fun exploring Utah and doing everything fun that we can find around here.

I have also enjoyed keeping up this blog. It has been a private blog for family and friends for several years, but this summer I decided to make it public. It has been a fun experience to make so many new friends (it's so nice to know that I'm not the only one cursed blessed with three boys!) And, like I say, it's cheaper than therapy ;)

The most popular posts so far have been:

Free Daily Homeschool Planner

Photography posts, here are a few of my personal favorites:

A Day in the Life multi-part post on homeschooling.

But by far, the most popular has been my temple artwork coming in at over 28,000 views (not bad for only being public for 5 months)!

Looking forward to the new year, I hope to share more homeschool resources, more fabulous food recipes, more crazy, silly, everyday happenings and more temple pictures.

Happy New Year!!! No, I'm not staying up to celebrate. We have early church tomorrow and I have a lesson to finish preparing...but I am gorging on chocolate and sparkling cider...

Christmas Day

Christmas Eve the boys were so excited to open their presents I thought for sure they would wake up early on Christmas morning. Joshua and Grant both fell asleep during our Christmas Eve stories and by 8am everyone was still fast asleep. I think it's the first time since we moved that Grant has slept past 6am. We had trouble communicating with Anthony, skype and the phone were intermittent, but we did get to chat for a few minutes.
The primary gift this year were lego tables. I made one for each of the boys so they could work alone or push them together for one long table. I searched out all kinds of lego tables and this style from Meet the Dubiens, was the best I found. It was so easy to make and I think they turned out really well. Ethan was the first upstairs, and in dramatic fashion he yelled "LEGO TABLES!" then fell to the ground. Needless to say, they were a big hit. They played all day and all night, I could barely get them off to bed.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas! Enjoy your family time, I'll be back after the new year!

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours!

Mesa, Arizona LDS Temple

We took a quick trip to Arizona for the weekend. I got to spend time with my good friend from New Hampshire. She's like a sister to me and the last time we saw each other I was expecting Joshua. The boys loved seeing her and playing with her cute little dog. They loved crawling through the doggy door and hanging out in the dog house! She made the most amazing sweet pork burritos (I'm def. going to get the recipe!) and made cookies with the boys. They had so much fun.

We had fun at the Arizona Science Center seeing real brains and lying on a bed of nails. We also went to the family Christmas party I haven't attended since I was a kid. There were over 130 people there! It was so fun to see people I haven't seen in years, but wish we could have had more time to visit.

We also got to see the beautiful Christmas lights at the Mesa temple. I've added some images of the Mesa, Arizona temple, which are free for personal use. If you use an image, feel free to donate a small amount (right toolbar) so that I can continue offering these for free. You may download these and other images on my free LDS temple pictures website.

Focusing on CHRISTmas

I'm off on a quick trip to sunny Arizona for an extended family party. Only a few days left 'til Christmas! In case you  missed my guest post over at The Things I Love, here are some of the traditions our family does to try and remember Christ at this season. Hope your holiday hasn't been too stressful and that you've been able to take a few moments and remember the reason we celebrate. God bless and Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning in my home growing up was pretty much like the running of the bulls. We would wake up around 5am, and wait for hours for our parents to FINALLY wake up. Once they gave the o.k. we all charged full speed ahead (mind you I grew up with 10 brothers and sisters, you would not want to get in the way of that) and burst into the front room to find our individual mountain of presents. And mountains they were. We never had a lot of money growing up, but you sure wouldn't know that by the number of presents we each had. Anything and everything that could be wrapped and considered a gift, was. I mean ANYTHING. It was not uncommon to open a package of socks on Christmas morning. Or underwear. You remember the kind that had the days of the week on them? So if you wore them two days in a row and were sitting real ladylike on the couch your brother would yell "Hey! it's not Monday, it's Tuesday!" Ya. those kind. Got 'em for Christmas. I even remember wrapping deodorant for my dad. And shaving cream. I'm sure he was super excited to open those presents. And the time my sister wrapped up two rocks? That was awesome.

Anyway. When I had my first child I was sooo excited to have our "first Christmas" together. I envisioned the mountains of gifts and the glow on his little cheeks. Then I realized, wait a sec, he's only two months old. He will eat the paper, choke and ruin everything. Christmas morning came and went and he didn't even know it was Christmas! So rude. It finally dawned on me that maybe Christmas wasn't really about the presents... I mean, he seemed to be ok without getting anything. Or at least without REALIZING he got anything.

As the years passed (he's a whopping five years old now) I started to have a different vision of Christmas in my mind. It started with a trip that my husband and I took to China. He had a three-week legal training in Beijing and I tagged along. We'd been to Mexico and the Bahamas before and thought we kind of knew what to expect as far as poverty. Not even close. I'll never forget the day we rode in the car of this INSANE driver weaving in and out of traffic, slamming on the brakes every few minutes, and multiple heart failures later, dropping us off in this remote village in the middle of who knows where, pointing to some trees at the top of a hill and saying "wall". "I pick you up later". And walking away. We were looking at each other praying that the Great Wall was really on the other side of those trees. And I had to pee! A nice little lady who was living inside some pieces of stacked up wood let me use her toilet. She pulled aside a curtain and pointed to a hole in the dirt. Yup. THAT is poverty. No tv. No plumbing. No refrigerator. No washing machine. So...I started picturing the holiday's volunteering at soup kitchen's, taking cookies to the widows and building a well for children in Africa. I envisioned teenagers who would rather give Christmas to children in need than to want the latest electronic device for themselves. So maybe that will never be reality, but it's something to shoot for. I started to realize that MY attitude and beliefs about Christmas would essentially determine what their attitudes and beliefs would be.

My husband and I discussed ways we could encourage them to appreciate all the things they've been blessed with and not just be spoiled rotten kids. We figured we'd start by donating to charities ourselves. Once our son was old enough to write we started having him write the checks to UNICEF and LDS Charities. When natural disasters strike such as Japan last year, we donate a little to help. We don't have a lot of money, but we choose to reserve a certain percentage of our income to help others. We hope that this will teach our children that helping others is important and that everything we have is a gift from God and not really ours.

So, I started to think about ways I could teach my children that Christmas is really about Jesus and the miracle he gave us rather than gifts and presents and me me me. Don't get me wrong, I love presents as much as the next person, but let's face it, at the end of the day I am the one who has to put away all that junk day after day, so really more is less. That was our first decision. Limiting gifts. I think one or two well chosen gifts is enough for a child to enjoy the excitement of Christmas without becoming a spoiled *you know what* and building an ever-increasing list of Christmas demands.

The next step was thinking of ways we could make each day leading up to Christmas feel special. I came across this article that shared the meaning of Christmas traditions and thought it would be fun to link all of these traditions back to Jesus. I also found a great downloadable book from Discovering the Scriptures that shares a Christmas tradition, story and/or activity for the 25 days of Christmas and a scripture countdown chain. We are going to go through this book together this year.

Next we let our extended families know that rather than adult gift exchanges as we've done in years past we would prefer to either work together to provide service for someone or we would like to use the money we would have spent on a uselessthoughtful gift for them and buy something to help others in need. Last year we purchased some vaccinations from Unicef in lieu of a family member's gift. It felt good. Another great organization for holiday gift giving is Heifer where you can purchase a farm animal (among other things) to provide food for a village. There are dozens of good causes, just pick one and support it!

We also want to perform some kind of service for others. My children are not soup kitchen age yet, but they CAN go to a nursing home and sing Christmas carols. We can choose a family in need to give money or gifts to. They can drop a few coins in the Salvation Army bucket. They can write a letter to or visit someone who is lonely. There are many small ways that even small children can show others they care. One thing I want to do this year is to create little kits to hand out to the homeless people we see downtown. Rather than ignore their pleas for help as we pass by pretending we don't notice, we can provide them with a small backpack of food and essential supplies.

Lastly, I tried to think of ways we could remember Jesus on Christmas day. On Christmas Eve we do the traditional nativity and reading from the bible but Christmas day has always been about Santa Claus. This year we decided that the gifts under the tree were family gifts. The gifts in the stocking would be from Santa. And we saved all the "thankful" notes that we wrote in the month of November, are going to wrap them up in a box with a note "from Jesus". On Christmas morning we will open the gift and read all the things that Jesus has blessed us with.

These are just a few ways our family is trying to come closer to Christ this Christmas season. What things do you do to make Him part of your Christmas celebrations?

What are the things you do with your family to remember Jesus this season?