Tonight, I was sent a really awesome link by my SIL. I can have a FREE personalized video of a message from Santa sent to my kids! It's really awesome, and easy to use. At Santa's Portable North Pole, you simply plug in a few basic bits of info such as age, name, something he or she may be receiving for Christmas so Santa could mention it in his message etc.. You can even upload a picture of your little darling and make it even more memorable for your child! One note on that though: be sure it's a fairly decent close up since it does seem to be cropped pretty closely to make it fit. Also, this is from Canada. If you don't live in a Canadian province, just choose "other country". You also have a option for French. Not all names are listed either. It does give you an option for unlisted names. You will be able to type them in. They won't be spoken in the video as they would if they were listed, but the name will be in Santa's special book along with the child's special picture.
Once you have submitted your info, along with your valid email, you will be sent a link to your video and you will be able to watch. It's not very long, but the kids go wild over it. I know mine did! Here is a smaple vid so you can get an idea of how it works. I randomly typed in information. There is no picture in Santa's book; instead there is a picture of a tree but you'll still get an idea of the size. Enjoy making these for your kids and watching their little faces light up when they recieve them!
I have gotten lots of questions about what being a UU means. The Seven Principles do say a lot:
The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
Justice, equitey and compassion in human relations.
Aceptance of one another and enouragement to spritual growth in our congregations.
A free and responsible search for truth and meanting.
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in socety at large.
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
But then, I would hope that this is true for all religion, not just Unitarian Universalism. I admit that I'm not the greatest when it comes to expounding on anything, let alone something close to my heart. I will never be the theological statesmen (woman?) that could change the tide with just a few well placed lines. The best thing I can say about it is that it's a large supportive community of people that are choosing what to believe instead of being told what to believe; we look at many books for spiritual inspiration instead of only one. But, in an effort to answer those questions further and not leave you reeling in dizzyness because you have no idea what I just said, here are a few Youtube vids and some links.
"Blossom by blossom the spring begins" ~ Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909)
A Prayer in Spring
by Robert Frost
Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.
And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid-air stands still.
For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.
On Easter morn at early dawn
Before the cocks were crowing
I met a bob-tail bunnykin
And asked where he was going.
"Tis in the house and out the house
atispy, tipsy-toeing,
Tis round the house and 'bout the house
a-lighlty I am going."
"But what is that of every hue
You carry in your basket?"
"Tis eggs of gold and eggs of blue;
I wonder that you ask it.
"Tis chocolate eggs and bonbon eggs
And eggs of red and gray,
For every child in every house
On bonny Easter day."
He perked his ears and winked his eye
And twitched his little nose;
He shook his tail -- what tail he had --
And stood up on his toes.
"I must be gone before the sun;
The east is growing gray;
Tis almost time for bells to chime." --
So he hippety-hopped away.
May your Easter and the days ahead be filled with little miracles that warm your heart. (From an American Greetings Card).
Today was wonderful. First I took the kids to Church. I missed most of the service but the kids themselves had fun. A couple of Church members brought in some lambs, a baby goat and some rabbits so the kids (or, I should say the girls) were happy to see them. The boys took off to the play area. I have no idea what their religious classes entailed. However, all of the children received very nice little Easter bags from their teacher. There were some simple themed stickers, a very pretty card with either a bunny or a lamb, two little chocolate eggs, a baggie of dried fruit, a mini animal shaped cookie cutter and even a Gladiolus bulb. Now that is what I call an Easter basket! I didn't even buy any for our kids this year. The commercial aspect of Easter just drives me up the wall. However, this has given me a few ideas of what to do next year. After the service and religious classes were over, the kids did a canned food hunt! All cans were donated by members of the Church and afterwards, were donated to local food banks.
Thw whole afternoon was spent with family. Although the house was really crowded with ten adults and seven rambuctious children, it was actually pretty peacefull. The kids watched Veggietales An Easter Carol (Kind of dissapointing, I've seen better Veggietales movies. The kids agree since most of them didn't watch more than half of it.), colored eggs, etc. It was too cold to hunt for eggs outside, so we had our Easter Bunny hide them in the winery ware house. We did it in two shifts so as to give the smaller kids a better chance of actually finding some. Kitty found the most! James was in the second shift and he was a bit disappointed because he only found three eggs (his cousin Drew found the most at 12) but then he was ok when he found out two of his eggs contained $0.15 which has now been added to his little bank.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with the kids quietly playing and some of the adults kept the kidlets corraled while we cooked dinner. There was also a small, well, I guess you could call it a science experiment. My MIL had gotten out a box of peeps and someone mentioned putting it in the microwave to make it bigger so she tried it. I tried to get a video of it (or rather my husband did) but it didn't come out very well. It certainly did get bigger. However, it got left in too long so it was an exploded peep. :D We celebrated Deedee's bday again since all of the family was there and most of them she doesn't see more than maybe once a year. It was wonderful to be able spend so much time with the family. Unfortunately, they have to all go home tomorrow. :(
Be Blest: A Celebration of Seasons by Mary Beth Owens ~ March
At approximately 5:45 PST this morning, the wheel turned, the season has changed and life is once more returning to the world. Today is the Vernal Equinox and the first day of Spring! I really just want to do a happy dance right now. I arose early today and was meditating before my altar as the wheel turned. It was wonderful to watch the sun peek over the horizon and feel it's warmth and light wash over me.
This year, we also have the uniquely rare ocassion of Easter being only a couple of days away instead of almost a month. Why did that happen? Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the first full moon after the Equinox (tonight's the full moon). It can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25. It will be on March 23 this year, but will not be so again until 2160 (the most common date for Easter is actually April 19). There, that's a nice bit of trivia for you. :D
Ostara and Easter both have a lot in common with their roots. The same symbols are used in both instances, with slightly different meanings in each but at the heart it is all a celebration of the return of life, rebirth, renewal.
The egg itself represents resurrection, return to life, fertility, abundance. The shell is seen as the Universe, which surrounds us all, the white is the Goddess, the golden orb of yolk represents the Sun God, and the whole is a symbol of rebirth. Today, the young Goddess has awoken from her long winter slumber. She has resumed her throne and presides over the season of spring with her companion, the rabbit (ah, so that's where bunnies come in). and she has concieved not only the God (the Light) to be reborn at Yule (Winter Soulstice) but the bountiful Autumn harvest as well.
There are other symbols that overlap also, such as the lamb (another ancient symbol of fertility, purity and life), the rabbit (fertility, abundance), the white lily ( beauty, hope, the resurrection, purity) and the basket (fertility, the womb).
But why a bunny presenting eggs? Well, this comes from a story of the Goddess Eostre. It's actually a rewritten myth based on the Goddess’ sacred animal, the hare. One beautiful Spring day, she was strolling through her gardens when she came upon a beautiful bird. The poor little bird's wing was injured and the Goddess, feeling great compassion, chose to heal it. But it was so injured that Eostre knew it would never fly again. So, She decided to help the little creature in such a way that it would retain mobility and a little something more. She turned it into a rabbit! However, during the transformation, the rabbit retained the ability to lay eggs. The little rabbit was so grateful to the Goddess for saving it that it laid a sacred egg in Her honor. It was then joyously decorated and humbly presented to the Goddess. She was so touched by the thoughtful gift that She wished all humankind to share in the joy. So, to honor her wishes, the rabbit journeyed around the world distributing the beautifully decorated little gifts of life.
We still color and decorate eggs as an offering. In these times, they are seen as on of the ultimate signs of the season. You know it's spring when you see gaily dressed children running through the grass hunting for their elusive treasure as they swing their baskets with shouts of laughter.
There is more to the beautiful Ukrainian Pysanky eggs as well. They are rich in symbolism that is almost endless in number and variation. In fact, one myth tells of a demon monster that would devour the world if it was not imprisoned. It is heavily chained but as it strains and pulls, the links are weakened. However, every Spring the chain is strengthened in proportion to the number of Pysanky eggs that were made and exchanged. In fact, the word pysanky comes from the root word pysaty (to write) because the signs are written on the surface of the egg. You can learn more about the symbolism here. If you'd like to make your own, Hearthsong has a great kit. Just type in a search for Pysanky. LearnPysanky.com is also a very informative site.
Today I (or we):
Have redecorated my altar to reflect the season.
Have put a swag of roses over our front door.
Will be dyeing our eggs this evening.
Planting seeds I especially blessed for this day. (You can find kits here and here.)
Taking a walk this evening to reflect on Nature and her bounty.
Today, I am also spring cleaning!
Traditional foods are leafy green vegetables (such as spinach), dairy foods (I prefer creamy cheeses for today, and the kids and I have even made our own before), flower dishes (think edible flowers, especially candied flowers), sprouts, nuts and seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower and pine. So, I have set aside a couple of nice recipes for today. I don't have much planned tonight for dinner. Just a light spinach souffle and a spring green salad on the side. I would love to make Paksha or a Simnel cake, but alas, this year I'm unprepared and so will have to plan accordingly for next year. Or, perphaps I'll just make one of these for Easter dinner with the family on Sunday. I might have time for that. I am definately making a rice pudding though! A good source for Ostara recipes is here at Moonsweb. Oh, and if you'd like to view my altar, you can see it here. This is the one in our living area downstairs.
A few good books:
If spring came but once a century instead of once a year,
or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake and not in silence,
what wonder and expectation there would be in all hearts
to behold the miraculous change. "
This is a video done by a fellow Unitarian. He had a hard time finding a wish/prayer for the holidays that reflected what he thought being UU was all about so he created his own. I found it very meaningful.
I have finally dug out our big Christmas decoration tubs from our little storage only to discover that some of our stuff must be in the big storage. :( I was looking specifically for a few things, including my nativities. I have a small plain unpainted ceramic set and last year I also printed and colored this one. I really enjoyed doing it but I don't have the time to do it again this year so I'm dissapointed that I can't display it. While I searched through the tubs and grumbled to myself, James decided to ask what the Nativity was and what it meant. Oh, wow. Uhmm....Ok. Well, I knew what it meant to my heart but how to explain that to a five year old?
So, I sat down and thought about it. While traditionally the Nativity is celebrating the birth of Jesus, I'm not of that faith and that's not exactly what it says to me. For me, at this time of the year, I am celebrating the return of the light although it's also ironic that it's the true beginning of winter. The Solstice is just a few short days away when the Holly King will be defeated triumphantly by the Oak King. The Holly King represents death and darkness (he takes over from the Oak King at Halloween) and the Oak King is new life, the Light. On this longest night of the year, the Goddess also gives birth to the God, the Divine Child of Promise. He is the return of the Light, the promise of a bountiful summer and warmth. The victory of light and life.
For those of you that are familier with the story, you might also see the relation between Robin Redbreast (King of the Waxing Year / Oak King) and little Wren (King of the Waning Year / Holly King) although, Robin has acquired other attributes as well and you can learn more about that in a post I wrote last year.
So while I don't use the same names, or even the same story, a Nativity is still very beautiful and divine symbol. To all cultures around the world, the Nativity means something a little different although they all tell the same basic story, which is what why the Nativity was started. What a beautiful way to show an important story to many people who couldn't read. The original Nativity was done by St. Francis of Assisi in the early 13th century. It was in an Italian cave with real people and animals and while the Child was life size, it was actually made of wax. (It's also said that at this time were the first Christmas carols sung as everyone gathered around to sing.) It quickly spread to Spain, France and Portugal. From there it made it's way to Europe to England and from there to the Americas. There are many varied names from all around the world:
Italy ~ Presepe
Spain ~ Nacimiento
Germany ~ Krippe
France ~ Creche
Latin America ~ Nacimiento, Pesebres or Portales
English ~ Nativity, Christmas Manger
Czech ~ Jeslicky
Russia ~ Szopka
So, I've explained why I think the Christmas Manger is still important with the Goddess (the Virgin), the Holly King (Joseph) and the Divine Child (Jesus). But what about the three kings? In the Christian faith they each brought a gift: Gold fortelling the advent of a king, Frankincense foretelling a high priest and Myrrh for a healer and a martyr. But since I'm not of that faith, they don't symbolize those gifts. For me, the symbolize reverence, loving and giving. They also stand well for the three stages of life: youth/maiden, warrior/mother, wise man/crone. In fact, in lore the three kings really do represent the stages of life as they are presented in paintings, etc.: Melchior as a wise old man, Blthasar as middle aged father figure and Kaspar a mere youth at about 20. Ok, well, I got off on a tangent here which I didn't mean to do. :D I had meant to do a quick paragraph about what I associate with the Nativity and a few links for Nativities that you can print and make. So here are a few printable Nativities:
Today begins Hannukah. I have been telling my little ones about this festival of lights and what it represents. Between Sundays has a small section about Hannukah: a story to read, a little bit about the history, and a dreidel craft. We looked at pictures of hannukiyah's (menorah's) and the Star of David at google, they listened to the story about the little lamp of oil that burned for 8 days, we made potato latkes to eat for snack with homemade applesauce, and I gave them a small dreidel to play with. You can find the rules for the game here.
Here's to a happy safe (and warm) Halloween to everyone. If you'd like to see some safety hints, etc. check them out here. There is a small party we're taking the kids to at the University housing community center. There'll be pizza, games, a haunted house, pinata's, etc. That starts at 5 p.m. and runs until 8 although, we aren't staying that late. I plan on going at about 5.30 and staying until 6.30. I'll be by myself since Carey will still be in class until that time. We'll meet up at home, get everyone ready to go, make a quick stop at his parents and then spend an hour trick or treating. We figured we could park somewhere and just walk for several blocks in a circle. At first we had planned on taking the kids to the mall for trick or treating, but that just seems so boring! I mean, I know, the kids don't care. They're still getting lots of candy. But the complete randomness of it is gone, and it's not spooky. So instead we're doing the "real" trick or treating. Some of the houses here really go all out, and I can't wait to see them. Deedee will be a bunny, James an undead pirate, Carey a serial killer (no costume; he says they look like everyone else), Kitty a ducky and Charles a witch (wizard). I will be a witch. I found an awesome hat with feathers on it and fell in love.
Winter officially began at 7:22 P.M. EST (Dec. 22, 00:22 GMT). Did you know that the latin word solstice literally means "sun standing still"? At the moment of the winter solstice, the sun's journey in the sky over the past six months has reached its furthest southern position. Now starts the long slow return of the sun and the revolution of the wheel into spring. I can't wait until I see the first snowdrops peeking above the snow.
Yule
Lady Lissar
the trees
they reach their silver arms up to the sky
hoping for a glimpse of sun
yet the sky
cold grey
offers no solace
their roots are buried in frost
we crave light
they cry suddenly
the sun cracks the sky like an egg
sunlight spills across the joyous trees
melting into every leaf
new life blooms
To encourage the sun to return, we have made several items. Here is one of them.
Welcome Sunshine Bells
Thin Cardboard (cereal boxes work kwell for this)
Pencil
Scissors
One Light yellow and One Bright Yellow Felt Square (10"x10")
7 Small Jingle Bells
12" Gold String or Cord
White Glue
Buttons
Glitter
Sequins
Draw a circle 7" in diameter, and another circle 7" in diameter with eight 1" triangle rays on the cardboard. These are your patterns. Place circle on the light yellow felt square, trace and cut out. Do the same with the "rayed" circle on the bright yellow felt. Using a glass as a guide, trace a circle in the center, on the back side of both felt cut-outs. Carefully fold each circle in half, and make a cut from one side of center circle to the other. Repeat 3 times for a total of 4 cuts per piece. This is how you will get the decoration over the doorknob. Next, line up the circles and the cuts so that the rays extend 1" from behind the light yellow felt circle. Glue together. Allow the child to draw designs on the front of the ornament with glue. Sprinkle with glitter and glue on some sequins and buttons. Cut gold string or cord into three 4" strands. Tie jingle bells (spaced) onto the gold string or cord. Glue string/cord to the bottom of the Sun decoration on the back side. Allow to dry. Place on a doorknob that the bells will jingle as the door is opened and closed. ( Tell children that more than just the sun brightens our lives everyday. Explain the way to welcome the Yule sun back into their lives is to keep the brightness in their hearts all year long. Jingle bells make a warm and inviting sound, and therefore should jingle each time someone enters or leaves a room.)
Ok, I'm a huge fan of the author Jan Brett. In fact, I used her Gingerbread Baby story in James gingerbread lapbook. In my many adventures at her beautiful site, I found a plethora of fun stuff to do for Christmas.
I saw some of these photographs and they're absolutely amazing. The immense size of these objects is mind boggling and it brings home just how small we are in the grand scheme of things.
I found this today thanks to Miiko. It's such a lovely site and while for me it's too late to really incorporate this fully with the rest of my lesson plans (as well as too advanced for my little guy this year), I myself have learned a lot from it. In fact, it's really only been in the last month that I actually learned what this religious observation was truly about. It's not just chocolate calendars. You can learn more about that in my post Advent Calendars.
You will find the Guidebook hereand you have the option of downloading it in either a Word document or a PDF. I had trouble downloading Week Three in PDF form. Just a heads up. Here is the complete synopsis:
Introduction
Week 1 ~ The Prophecy Candle
Week 2 ~ The Angel's Candly
Week 3 ~ The Good News Candle
Week 4 ~ The Shepherd's Candle
Week 5 ~ The Christ Candle
There is also an accompanying coloring book, as well as you have the option of downloading the complete set in a Word document.
I know, I know. It's only November but, as I was reminded on one of my forums yesterday, you have to think of them now if you wish to have them prepared in time to start on December first. Wow, I can't believe it's November already, let alone that I'm thinking of Christmas. :D
A Stocking Countdown Calendar (This is awesome. I love it. And for you knitters out there that make your own socks, you could really have a lot of fun with this.)
This year, we'll be making our own out of felt. Although, I really like that matchbox idea so maybe we'll do that one. However, it has a twist. Each day, the treat is not a toy, trinket, candy, etc. It is a small piece of paper with a small passage that instructs them how to give of their heart and time. Such as Give Mommy a Hug, volunteer at the local shelter, make popcorn and string it up for the birds, choose one toy you no longer love and give it to a needy child, etc. etc. Or maybe I'll just be lazy and print off Jan Brett's beautiful one. And I admit, my husband has bought a small one with tiny chocolates in it. He says it's not Christmas without an advent calendar with chocolates.
I learned something new today! While I knew that Advent was a religious observance, and that it happened sometime around Christmas, I didn't know when. But now I do. I learned that it always begins on the Sunday closest to November 30, St. Andrew the Apostle feast day. It lasts for four sundays. And this year is starts on November 26; my youngest son Charles' third birthday. Learn more about the observance of Advent and advent calendars at Wikipedia.
I discovered Nature/Season Table today and I fell in love with the concept. This is an important part of the 'Waldorf home' and it can be quite elaborate or very simple.Here are a few beautiful examples. What better way to teach our children about the seasons and nature? Different colors, textures, smells, etc. I love Nature and all the varied colors of her wardrobe.
My children and I had a lot of fun today choosing items for our first table during our daily nature walk. We learned about colors from the gorgeous autumn palette, texture from the dry crumbly leaves as well as the rough bark of the trees, counting, and sorting. We found some exquisite leaves, cute little acorns, bits of leaves, etc. I used a brown cloth as a base since that seems to showcase the beautiful gold, crimson and orange of autumn so well. James made a little house from bits of fallen bark and moss for the family of acorn people we made. We chose to add a few spiritual concepts to our table by adding a large, beautiful fat orange pillar candle to one side representing Spirit. Bits of seed puffs (milkweed, dandelions, cattails, etc.) represented air, bits of dirt and stone for earth, a small “pond” (a dish of water) for water, and James added a small picture of a lit jack o’ lantern for fire.
The musings of my childrens journey in the wonders of love, life, and spirituality. Love, Live, Laugh, and Learn. That's what it's all about. Welcome and blessed be.
* Carey ~ Beloved husband that puts up with everything.
He's majoring in history, loves to read, play D&D and Mech Warriors.
* Ami ~ Me. Busy teacher and housewife. I love to spend
time with the kids, read, garden, cook, knit, sew, make my own soaps
and salves.
* James ~ Our oldest at five. He loves to build with blocks, enjoys the guitar, adores robots and believes he
can't live without his trucks (and skateboard).
* Charles ~ My little monkey! Our youngest son at four, he
is the most precious gift ever recieved on a birthday.
He's a wonderful, sunny little guy that's very inquisitive and artistic.
* Meradydd ~ Our oldest daughter at three.
An opinionated and exceedingly bossy little girl with a temper to match her copper hair.
My little fashion diva that loves shoes, furlies, & hair pretties.
* Kathrynn ~ Kitty is my 1 year old little angel. She's a beautiful, mellow little girl that's extremely patient but is also starting to show her claws.
