Where has the time gone?
As a full time working mom again, I need greater focus to go through the daytime schedule juggling work and family priorities (drop offs, pick ups, meetings). But I also relish the me-time, especially when I’m travelling, something I didn’t quite get when I was home 24/7. When I was away for ten days on an overseas trip, I was completely reassured that B is in good hands even though we both missed each other, grateful that our transition and support planning has worked out. What can’t ever be replaced though is TIME together. Our weekday mornings and evenings now just feel so rushed!
Speaking of time (or the lack of), I’m keen to carve out some quality mom-and-B time as we count down to the Christmas and New Year holidays. Last year we learnt about the gift of Christmas, that the season is not just about gifting but also the act of giving, and Jesus — God’s ultimate gift of life. As B had just turned two, he learnt Christmas carols, art and craft, how to pray for others and joined us in his first community service visit. Now that he’s three, we’re trying to be more intentional to cultivate his faith. We started by including him in our weekly cell group fellowship this past Friday night. We hadn’t consistently done that earlier because the group meets (too?) late. B was so excited before and after – though I’m not sure if it was due to extended time playing, hanging out with mommy and friends, or the extra special late bedtime 🙂
Meanwhile, I’ve also been compiling ideas to try this Advent season, though as usual, my wish list is far longer than in reality:
1) Devotional: Reading the bible is now a regular bedtime routine. B actually takes his beginners bible out and asks (insists!) on a story or two every night. As we’ve read through the Old Testament and most of the New Testament stories, this December, we’ll move to the One Year Devotions for Preschoolers book that we got from a friend.
2) Truth In The Tinsel: Designed for 3+ years, we’re trying it now as B has been introduced to the kids bible (see above) and can stay engaged on a home project over several days (see what we did for Teachers’ Day). Also, the Christmas tree is quite bare as I did a bit of spring cleaning and I’m sure B will happily oblige to add his art and craft stuff to it. The idea is to read a passage of Scripture, make a Christmas ornament and talk through the related narrative every day. The story or activity can be adapted as needed – to match B’s level, attention span, and our time together. We did a “trial” to replace the star for our tree, loosely based on a sample page from the e-book:
3) Advent Calendar: Last year, I recycled B’s artwork to make a wall calendar with clear plastic pockets to mark the 24 days till Christmas. Each day, we prayed for specific family, friends, those in need, our country and world, ending with the fruits of the spirit in our own lives. This calendar has since been used as a fun Letterland upper and lowercase matching game — I love craft that we can just repurpose.
HOWEVER, I’d love to make a new advent calendar which could double as a festive decoration too. Here are two DIY ideas that I like and find age-appropriate for toddlers: Toilet Paper Roll House and Scrapbook Gift Wrap Paper calendars. These could contain simple clues (for Truth In The Tinsel), scripture verses (from daily devotion), or just a list of fun yet meaningful activities or items each day.
4) Christmas books: This year, I hope to check out the titles in this reading list as we’ve found quite a few (still) available at the public libraries in Singapore. B also received a beginners Christmas piano song book from his aunt in California and we look forward to incorporate that into our regular home music sessions 🙂
Even if you don’t celebrate Advent but are keen to get some crafty time with the kid during the holidays, feel free to try these out, visit my pinterest board for more ideas, and of course share what you’re doing with us too. Happy Advent-uring!
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