Monday, November 23, 2009

Free Time

Things have been busy at the Evans house. Between sick kids (and adults), no more nap time for a young boy and our crazy schedule, I haven't had time to write in my blog for over a month! Things are busy, but good. Soccer season has wrapped up for both Annalise and Zachary. They both had a great time and really improved a lot. School and activities have been in full force. But this week we have the joy of having a whole week off of school. Instead of throwing the kids in the car or on a plane, as we often do, we have opted to stay at home for a blissful week of nothingness! Aside from a birthday party this afternoon and a visit from good friends tomorrow, we have nothing on the calendar! We are going to try to take this time to just BE. With all our crazy schedules, we often forget that the most important thing for children is this self-directed play. Right now the kids are outside playing with a friend. I can hear them, but I am ignoring them -- letting them resolve any problems, letting them make up the rules to their games, letting them make a mess. I feel like we haven't had this kind of time since summer. What a blessing it is to have this time.

We have another goal for this week, and that is to start planning our Christmas. Last year, we decided to have a very minimal Christmas. The adults did not exchange gifts with one another, opting instead to give to our favorite charities. The kids made all their gifts, which were a HUGE hit. And, though the kids did get some toys, books and clothes, we also gave the gift of experiences. My parents have really loved this idea. My mom came up with this idea two years ago when she gave Annalise a trip to San Francisco! (How cool is that!? -- a trip with just Grandma to stay at Uncle David's house.) Last year, Annalise loved taking a hike with her Papa and Zachary loved going with him to see the Rose Parade float being built. They also each got to do something special with Grandma and got time with Jason and me as well. It was such a wonderful Christmas... The first one where we spent more on giving to charity than we did on our family and friends, and the first one where we all really embraced the idea of the gift of time. We are hoping to do much of the same this year. I just read an idea in Mothering magazine about making an advent calendar. Instead of a picture or toy or candy, in this advent calendar, each day holds a slip of paper with an activity on it. They can be something simple, like take a walk to look at Christmas lights or play a board game. Some will take some special planning, like go ice skating or get a Christmas tree. I loved this idea. I am hoping to make one of these advent calendars this year.

Annalise and I have also already been scheming about what to give the grandparents. (It will be hard to beat the hand-painted linen napkins she made last year.) We already have a plan and have started to accumulate the materials we need to make her presents. Today we went for a walk on the horse trail to gather pinecones. We had such a great time finding the perfect ones for our project. Zachary loved finding huge ones as well. We decided we'll have to make birdfeeders with those. As we were walking, I just couldn't help but feeling that this was what Christmas was really about. We were having a wonderful time with the process of the present (not stressed out in a mall or typing our credit card information into a computer). Her gifts will be thoughtful, beautiful and heatfelt. I know she will have so much pride in giving and her grandparents will have so much pride in receiving. Last year, as she and I snuggled after a busy Christmas day, I asked her if she had a good Christmas. She said yes, she did, but her favorite part of the day was watching people open the presents she had made for them. As a six year old, she understood the joy in giving. It doesn't get any better than that.