Tag Archives: little

Christmas with Little People – Part One: Building Special Memories without Losing Your Sanity

Christmas with little people- ways to make the most of your time and not go overboard.

We are about to celebrate our fourth Christmas with children in our family!  From our short time of experience, I know that it’s a delicate balance of making memories and keeping peace, joy, and sanity.  Our culture — especially the “mothers of young children” culture — is obsessed with making each waking moment a Pinterest-worthy occasion.  While I absolutely believe that we should make every moment count, I also would suggest that we might make sure we are making it count in the right way.  

Over those four Christmas seasons, we’ve slowly gleaned some tips that make this holiday as wonderful and meaningful as it should be, while making an effort to not go overboard on activities and busyness.  Your kids are worth the few minutes it’ll take to sit down and evaluate the pace of your holiday season.

1. Age appropriateness.  A cursory look at Pinterest quickly overwhelms me with hundreds of “must-do” Christmas activities with children.  Crafts, ornaments, printables, bucket lists, Elf on a Shelf, sensory activities, fake snow, and a comprehensive guide to every single Christmas event within a 30 miles radius of your zip code.  None of those things are wrong by themselves (in fact, a lot sound like fun to me!), but I would issue a loving word of caution: keep your child’s age in mind.  The need for naps and time at home with Mommy do not go away.  Their age may not make the newest “must-do” idea the best idea… a moment of honesty and you’ll admit that decorating Christmas cookies with your 10 month old will yield more mess and frustration than memories.  Hitting all of the Christmas parades, glamorous light displays, and sitting on the laps of at least 3 Santas is most likely to leave you with a tired and overstimulated todder, rather than a little one with eyes sparkling with wonderment.  Keep an eye out for all of those brilliant ideas and then give your self grace to say that it can wait until next year.

 
2. Quality over quantity.   Continuing with the foundation that #1 set, I’d like to encourage you to pick just a few activities and do them well.  I’d suggest picking one or two crafts, one or two special outings, and then one or two special things to do with friends.  This will keep you from running everyone ragged.  You’ll be focusing on making just a few things extra special, rather than filling each moment with wow factors.  Fewer busy days and late nights = more rested families that really soak in the special times.  And really…. nothing makes my toddlers more excited than the simplicity of a twinkly Christmas tree and a few mystery-filled wrapped gifts.  It doesn’t get much more simple – or magical – than that.  


3. Shop wisely. I love, LOVE choosing gifts for my children.  All the books, all the movies, all the toys, and more, please!  It’s just so much fun thinking of what would make them leap for joy on Christmas Day!  While the abundance is just plain fun to dream about, we’ve found great joy in simplifying our Christmas giving to our children.  There are a few rules of thumb out there that can assist in getting you started with this.  Our favorite is the Four Gifts of Christmas.  You give your children only four simple gifts: Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.  (Teresa Swanson Anderson has a variation of this that focuses more on gifts of experience.)  A couple other methods are giving Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh (something valuable, something spiritual, and something for their physical needs) or the 5 Hands of Christmas (which focuses on experiences, ministry, and the thoughtfulness of handmade gifts).


4. Major on the meaning.  If I could give only one suggestion for giving more meaning (all while performing less) to your Christmas season, I would beg you to consider doing a simple Advent program with your children (we have several suggestions here!).  What could possibly be more meaningful than a few designated moments, spent each day, preparing their little hearts for Christmas and all of the meaning that it carries?  If you do this with your kids, way to go! If you haven’t started anything this year, don’t wait.  Jump in with something simple (maybe just reading one story per day for the remaining days of Advent from the Jesus Storybook Bible or Unwrapping the Gift of Christmas).  Feed their little souls and focus their minds on the true meaning and you will have the sweetest and most memorable season you could ever hope for.

Stay tuned for part two, where I’ll give some manageable Christmas memory-making suggestions!

Have you found something in particular that has helped make your Christmas season more peaceful or meaningful?  Leave a comment below and share it with us!

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Should you order through these links, we will receive a referral commission off your purchase from Amazon. Don’t worry- this does not affect the purchase price of the product. Thank you for helping support Canvas & Table and helping us create fresh content!

5 Ways to Support Your Husband in a Busy Season

We are delighted to bring you a guest post today from a friend of mine (Laurel).  Jess and I met earlier this year at an incredible and intense personal development seminar.  Sometimes you have old friends with whom your friendships have seasoned nicely over the years of changes, joys, and trails.  Other times you meet a new friend, who happens to have a LOT in common with you and a similar vision for life.  That’s Jess.  We’ve enjoyed so much sharing about our lives as stay-at-home moms and as moms of two toddler boys each.  Additionally, I’ve really appreciated the heart Jess has shown through our personal correspondence (aka- Facebook Messenger) as she has supported her husband through a busy phase of life, so much so that I’ve asked (and she has so willingly agreed) to write as a guest on Canvas and Table.  I’m certain you will appreciate the words she has to share!

5waystosupport   
We’re in a season, our little family, a season of changes and challenges. A season of long days and short nights.  A season we weren’t quite expecting, but are fully embracing.  Three years ago I left my full-time teaching career to be home with my children. I never in a million years thought that I’d be a “stay-at-home” mama, but here I am spending my days nurturing and fostering two tiny humans.  This is the work I was called to do, to mother these sweet boys while my husband works hard to provide for our family.  

This past year has been a rough one for my husband as he has taken on some new endeavors and had to navigate a new role within his company.  He works long, often unpredictable hours, and spends his time at home pursing another venture we’re super excited about.  Most days he’s maxed out before even coming home, having given himself fully to his career and passion.  Though it’s hard to be on the receiving end of that some days, God has really challenged me this year to find ways to fully support my husband in this stress-filled season we’re in.   

I want to share with you 5 ways I’ve been working to support my husband more fully during this season.

1. Do things for him joyfully.  Get up early and make him breakfast – I’m so not a morning person; most days my children are my wake-up call.  But there are many times when my husband has to head into work well before the kids wake up and instead of just laying in bed and catching some extra sleep, I’ll get up and cook him a warm breakfast while he’s showering.  What a blessing it is to enjoy breakfast together, just the two of us!  I also love to cook his favorite dinner, even if he won’t be home to eat it…he’ll surely enjoy the leftovers just as much when he does get home!  My boys and I like to bake his favorite treat together, then drop it off at the office to surprise him.  Even if we don’t see him when we drop it off, he’s so surprised and reminded of us when he does stumble upon the treat at his desk!  Showing your love and appreciation for your husband in tangible ways, while maintaining a joyful heart will fill you both up! 

2. Listen and stay positive.  After a long day with toddlers, all I want to do is dump my frustrations on him and engage in an adult conversation without interruption!  But, sometimes it’s best to be a listening ear and allow him to unload from his stressful day before dumping the days frustrations on him.  Not every day is great, but there is good in every day!  When you do share about your day, focus on that.  Life with toddlers can be messy and unpredictable, filled with loads of challenges, but amidst the chaos, there is so much joy!  Share that joy with your husband; I guarantee he wishes he could experience those moments with you each and every day!

3. Encourage him to care for himself.  When you see your husband struggling, encourage him.  As mamas we’re often reminded that “you can’t pour from an empty cup” and the same is true for your husband.  Find ways to help him fill his cup.  Encourage him to pursue a hobby or interest.  Encourage him to go to the gym, get outside, or just read a book.  There is a very noticeable change in my husband’s attitude and demeanor when he gets home from the gym.  I do my best to encourage him to go as often as he needs, because I know it’s not only good for him physically, but mentally as well.  Just like us, our husbands often put their self-care needs on the back burner as they struggle to balance working to provide for their family and being present to care for their family.

4. Don’t nag or compare.  My husband and I have never been big fans of traditional gender roles.  We’ve always approached our home with a team effort…if a task needs to be done, we just do it!  However, over the past few years as I’ve been home full-time, many of the traditional gender roles have emerged in our home.  I do the majority of the cooking, cleaning, and child-rearing, and he cares for our property, maintains our cars, and addresses household repairs.  We still function as a team, but with much more defined roles.  There are days, however, when I want to throw my hands up and ask him, “When was the the last time you washed dishes or did a load of laundry?”. I want to point out all the things I’m doing, yet totally ignore the unseen ways he’s contributing to our family.  Friends, nagging and comparison are never productive.  Keeping score only causes resentment and frustration.  If you need help around the house, just ask!  It’s so much more productive and respectful to admit that you can’t do it all than to nag your husband about how he hasn’t helped!  

5. Have fun.  Something I’ve struggled with during this season is whether or not to fill up our weekends.  My husband rarely gets a typical weekend, so I try not to plan things on the weekends so that he can be home, catch up on household chores, and just relax.  I’m very conscious of giving him that time, as I know it’s a rarity.  However, over the past few months, I’ve made a point to go ahead and plan that special family outing or insist on a spontaneous family trip to the zoo when he is home. I sometimes forget that just because my husband doesn’t initiate or suggest these types of activities, doesn’t mean that he doesn’t value them! 

Friends, this season we’re in is HARD. Raising children is HARD. But it’s also such an incredible blessing.  I count it an honor to be able to support him in his work and make it my mission to never take for granted the sacrifices he makes so that I can be home full-time.  I pray that if you, too, are in a stressful season, that you can find comfort in knowing that you’re not alone in this marriage and parenthood journey.

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Hi there! I’m Jess. I live in Northern Indiana with my amazing husband, Dan, and our two sweet boys, Caleb and Abel.  We live a simple life.  Enjoy getting our hands dirty.  Creating things.  Spending as much time as possible as a family.  Dreaming big.  Being outdoors.  Cooking with vegetables grown in our very own garden.  www.getoiling.com/jessankney

 

Leave a comment below and share which suggestion that Jess shared to be most helpful or some way that you have found to support your own husband when he is in a stressful season.

Camping with Toddlers: Everything You Need To Know

camping
The great outdoors. Sleeping under the stars.  Hiking.  Cooking on an open fire.  S’mores.  Crisp nighttime air.  Two toddlers.

Whoa, Nelly. Hold it right there. Toddlers? Camping? Are you crazy?

Yep.  And we’ve been crazy three times.  That is, we’ve taken three camping trips with our little brood.  Our first trip as a family was just a weekend away at a nearby state park with my husband’s family.  Our boys were 6 months old and 2 1/2 years old.  The second trip was a weekend away – just the four of us – for my husband’s birthday.  Our most recent camping trip was a 9 DAY event – it was an organized retreat of sorts.  For perspective, our definition of camping is tent camping at a water/electric site.

We’ve learned a lot from each trip and today I want to share those things with you, so that you can also enjoy successful camping trips with your youngsters.

–Pack extra flexibility.  Expect overtired kiddos, early naps, a restless night here and there, and lots of memories.  Pull out the flexibility to make them good memories.  Your camping trip will be different from your pre-kid trips, but they’ll be fantastic if you come with the right expectations.
–Careful campsite selection.  If you have potty trained littles, pick a spot within just a short walk of a bathhouse.  I prefer clearer spots away from water and brushy areas…. just for peace of mind.  We also try to avoid busier areas if possible.  Toddlers are going to wander a little – even under close supervision – and if we can avoid them wandering to busy streets, we can all rest a little bit.
-Which brings me to another point… Take a sharpie and write your camp site location on your toddler’s hand.  That way – God forbid – should they wander off, they can easily be returned to their family.
–Dirty kids. This is something we’ve got to improve our game in.  Expect your kiddos to get grimy – and enjoy letting them have the opportunity to do so.  Just bring along a plan for a way to wash them.  Both of my boys are gun-shy around showers – which is about all you’ll find in a bathhouse.  My plan of attack next time is to bring a simple plastic bin to prepare some warm (an electric kettle really simplifies the camping life!) soapy water and a big stack of clean wash cloths and towels so we can make sponge baths happen nightly and have clean kids without the unpleasant shower experience.  Also, bring SEVERAL changes of clothes.  I can’t count how many times our boys have gotten muddy or wet to the point that a change of clothes was mandatory.
-Bring a collapsible high chair or a booster that will securely strap to a picnic table or folding chair.  This most recent camping trip, we had some major issues with our youngest (21 months) playing the old popcorn game (up and down, up and down…just sit down and eat already!) during just about every meal.  It dawned upon me – too late- that he’s used to being confined in a highchair during meal time and he’s just not ready for the freedom of sitting in a chair without straps during meals.  Also, think through a plan for a table of some sort (If your child is in a booster, they’ll have a tray of some kind).  My 3 1/2 year old’s lap isn’t big enough to balance a large paper plate.  We found it helpful to drag an ice chest over next to his camp chair to make a little table for him.
–Pack snacks. Lots of snacks.  Camping usually involves a LOT more physical activity than most of us are used to at home… which means ravenous appetites.  Granola bars, yogurt cups, applesauce pouches, and crackers all make quick and easy snacks.  I’d also advise packing some juice boxes.  My boys are great water drinkers, thankfully, but I still find it helpful to have something extra (and tempting for them!) to encourage them to stay hydrated.  If you’re concerned about the extra sugar, the Honest juice boxes can be a good option, as they’re not nearly as sugary.
-We enjoy picking out a special camping chairs and sleeping bags (for those old enough to not sleep in a pack-n-play) for our kiddos.  It makes it fun for them and makes them more likely to sit/sleep in their designated spot.  We found some cute patterned items at Walmart for great prices and they’ve held up over several trips.
–Pick your season wisely.  We’d take a chilly fall camping trip over a warm spring/summer trip any day.  It’s darker sooner, which means greater bedtime success and it’s cooler, which means our boys sleep better/later because their warm, snuggly blankets feel so good.
–Camping with little ones isn’t the time to go hardcore and really rough it.  Don’t hesitate to pack a small space heater to warm your tent up before bedtime, if you expect cold nights.
–Take a sound machine. It can drown out so much noise – cars driving by, new arrivals setting up camp, or the loud card game going down at the campsite next to you.
–Prepare for the elements and unexpected, like rain or bug bites.  Rain boots, Crocs, or flip flops can really help if there are puddles to splash in or mud to run through.  A lightweight hoodie is going to be a lot more practical and effective to keep heads dry, rather than trying to keep an umbrella over them.  As far as unexpected ouchies and itchies, I make sure to pack my most used, diverse essential oils.  Quick, easy, and they don’t take up much room.
-Just like any out-of-town trip, make sure you set your kiddo up for success by packing their favorite (and most critical) routine items… this is not the time to leave the paci, bottle of warm milk, or special lovey behind.
–One thing that we’ve found challenging up until our last camping trip was naptimes!  It can be so challenging to young children to halt play and be stuck in a sleeping bag or play pen in broad daylight.  I’m not sure I’d sleep very well, either.  This last time, I finally found something that works (at least for our kiddos).  We buckled our child (only our youngest naps at the moment) into the stroller, laid the seat all the way pack, gave him his nap time usuals (paci, milk, and stuffed puppy), and went on a shaded walk.  Each time he was out cold within minutes.  You can continue the walk or go back to camp and park in the shade  at your campsite for the remainder of the nap.  Obviously, this is what worked for one baby…. and the solution for your child might be different, but think about your plan before your ever leave home and set your toddler up for success.
-If you plan to do some light hiking, come prepared with either a good stroller or baby carrier.  
-For two of our camping trips, we had a baby who was not yet walking.  Having a pack-n-play for the baby to play in helped keep him happy while hanging out at the camp site.  Also, bringing along a cushy picnic blanket to put on the grass helps give them a clean and protected area to crawl around on.
-For us big people, sitting around and drinking a cup of coffee might be enough entertainment, but little ones need variety.  I pack a variety of outdoor toys when we camp… a ball to kick, trucks to roll around, and something to dig in the dirt with will all be helpful.
–My in-laws are awesome campers.  Seriously.  They’ve spoiled me forever.  One of my favorite things they do is set up a large tent to be the kitchen.  It’s a great place to store ice chests, prepare a cup of coffee (again – an electric kettle will be your friend!), contain kiddos while you tackle food prep, etc.

READER TIPS
– Danielle C. tells me that when they go camping they have a small tent (2 person size) that is the designated game tent.  They clean up the kids, get them ready for bed, and then let them go to town with games, flashlights, coloring books, etc.  
-Rachel reminded me of a great tip… Pack a TON of baby wipes.  They’ll make clean hands and freshening up before PJs so much easier.
-Holly and Rachel both suggested keeping a toddler potty at your campsite.  That sounds like a really great and simple solution if you’d rather not venture out for 2 am potty trips with your kids.
-Ashley suggests the following, “As for bathroom issues, we camped close to the trees and the boys just went and did their business there during the night. I have a woman’s funnel that I bought off Amazon called a P-Easy that [my daughter] and I use. I know! Weird! BUT it works Amazingly well! I would just use an empty water jug with a lid to use the bathroom in and keep a Thieves cleaner bottle close to clean everything. I don’t like getting up during the night so it saved me from having to make a lot of noise leaving the tent .”
-Danielle P. agrees that bringing an abundance of outdoor toys will be helpful.  She says her kids especially enjoy having every kind of sports ball available for play time.  As a bonus tip, she suggested making sure each child has their own flashlight.  (We’ve found some good little ones for $1 each at Walmart.)
-Camarell suggests simplifying your trip by doing as much food preparation ahead of time as possible.  Some tips she offers are premixing pancake batter or cracking eggs into a container before you ever leave for your trip.

READER QUESTIONS
–But will my children sleep? Yes. They will! Just remember to set them up for success – don’t leave behind their normal bedtime routine, pack a sound machine, bring favorite blankies and lovies to make their sleeping bed or pack-n-play feel as much like home as possible.  We’ve had a cumulative two weeks or so of nights spent camping with our sons and have had maybe two rough nights.  Your children are going to play SO hard that they will be completely wiped out come bed time.
–What about campfire safety?  We teach our boys to not go near the fire pit, even if there is no lit fire.  While on our most recent camping trip, however, I saw a family that have built a barrier – a short fence of sorts – out of scrap wood (it wasn’t this sophisticated, but here’s an idea to get you started). Just be sure to do enough to prevent little ones from toppling over and getting hurt.  But ultimately, if you’re nervous about this aspect of camping, skip the fire.  There is not set-in-stone law that requires a campfire and there’s nothing that says that you won’t have a fun trip without the campfire.  

 Leave a comment below and tell us YOUR best tips for camping with toddlers!

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