Resurrection Advent: Days 2, 3 & 4

Today is Wednesday of our Advent to Resurrection Day (Easter). My oldest is not feeling his best so we have taken a break from our studies today to craft for Passover and review these stories. I'm excited by so many awesome ideas on the internet of what other creative families have done! So far we've made a toilet paper roll Moses, there is a mound of paper scraps covering my hearth from cut-out paper crosses my 5yo offered to make to decorate our windows, stamped Passover placecards are started, and we've planned out a few others ideas for which we are short one ingredient each. But can't make it out to the craft store today. Phooey.

From the couch with his knee propped up, I enjoyed overhearing my 9yo read through the pile of Passover and Easter books I had laid out (no set-up there!) to his brother.

We have been reading the Resurrection week stories during breakfast every morning so far this week, again, trying to make this Advent distinct from Christmas. So far we have read about 1) The Triumphal entry into Jerusalem (leaf), 2) Jesus Clearing the Temple (pigeon), 3) Jesus' Last Lessons to the Disciples- Love the Lord and your Neighbor (heart), and 4) The Last Supper (bread). This is what our felt map looks like so far:

We let them choose a few songs they knew, some from Christmas, to sing. We asked them also to close their eyes and picture what God on His throne might look like. Then to picture this and ourselves before Him as we sing these songs of praise. We want to encourage them to be thoughtful about this and not just copying us. It's interesting to hear their imagination or visualization. It is a good reminder for me too to slow down and think of our praise actually being received by God and our hearts offering it to Him; not worrying about teaching harmony or if little feet are being still. I think I can make an endless list of crafts and lessons to do but our display of loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength will leave the greatest impression.

Painting my son did this weekend.We are decorating the dining room with their art for the Passover Seder. I wish you see how sparkly his skyline is.

Advent to the Resurrection: Day 1 Palm Sunday

On this Palm Sunday we join with many around the world, reading about Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Like Christmas Advent, we wanted to create a tradition of countdown and remembrance. Unlike Christmas, which is a celebration each night with a little surprise or candy, this week is more somber until the end. We are still trying to figure out a new and unique rhythm but we began this evening reviewing the Christmas Advent ornaments and the events they represent. I was surprised how much they remembered! Christmas is significant in that the Jews had waited thousands of years for a Messiah to come. They celebrated and we celebrate. We will detail this week why the Resurrection is significant. Christmas Advent is typically done in the evenings. Resurrection Advent we hope to continue in the mornings so that our reflection on Jesus' life can continue throughout our day more easily.

Our goal this week is teaching them how to seek Jesus. Really, in anything that we do all year, that is the ultimate goal for us. We just love these holidays as a concentrated time to help us to focus in on this goal with teaching and special time together. Tonight we talked about what it means to truly believe in Him or want to leave Him as Jesus asked His disciples, read the story from our Bible in Stories and decorated our felt wall hanging "map", sang and prayed together. At Christmas we wanted to make sure that we taught Christmas hymns and for Resurrection we wanted to teach related songs known by most, so for Day 1 we sang "Amazing Grace." It is amazing that we sing so many great songs with our Church body but often classics are not repeated enough to be learned.

Background begins with Road and Hill, Clouds, and Sea

This season I created a Resurrection Advent map out of one of my favorite materials- felt, with a Reading guide and activities. This is something you are welcome to cut out or adapt yourself or I have some kits ready-made in my Etsy shop. Basically, you begin with a long road up to the hill of Calvary, adding a piece to go with a story picked out for each day of the week. Tonight's story of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem added a green palm leaf. This set covers 10 days of teaching including the time Jesus spent with the Disciples after the Resurrection and His Ascending into heaven before them, because I thought it important not to end at the Resurrection. Adding these 2 stories will help to lead into conversations about Jesus' work and role after the Resurrection and to our future. I'm excited to see how these elements fit in with our seeking Jesus together as a family this week!

This is what the "map" looks like by Day 10- teaching the Triumphal Entry through the Ascension.

Loving the Ordinary Day

Today for some reason was a really stellar day. I got a few minutes alone to reflect and pray while everyone was waking. Then I ate a pretty healthy breakfast at the table with the boys while they drew pictures and we started our homeschool work. I read out loud for half an hour while they made bookmarks. Completed Math with each while the other took a shower and then switched. By 1:00 had finished school, eaten lunch, done chores and played 2 rounds of UNO. 1:00-2:30 was quiet play time throughout the house and by 3:00 had dinner in the crockpot and was bored, thinking this was the longest, slowest but greatest day ever. I even got to chat with a friend on the phone, graded essays, played Legos, watched a cartoon, and sent them out to run circles until Dad got home.

I do not say this to brag. There really isn't much to brag about actually. Yay, I did some workbook pages and threw some beans in the crockpot! I should write a book!

This was a pretty ordinary, unremarkable schedule. (For many this probably sounds extremely boring.) But for us there had been peace, fun, learning, work, reading. A good schedule, a pretty clean house, and variety. A sense of accomplishment birthed out of the mundane. Satisfying.

What I realized today is that I think this is what everyone else's day is like ALL THE TIME! And spend a lot of time wondering why I can't get it together?

WHY? Who tells me everyone else's day is going smoothly and peacefully? That all my friends are awesome (well you are) and that my days are mediocre and not quite enough.

Why did this day of relative peace seem special?

The surprising revelation to me is being on the brink of a discovery that makes you settle back into your seat relaxed instead of springing forth into action. Often I think learning or discovering something must propel you into a new mode of accomplishing twice as much in half the time, by some new magical means or fantastic organization. That's why thinking about "getting better at being me" often leaves me stressed.

One thing I am learning lately is to simplify the long list in my head of what a really awesome day is. And discovering and accepting what pieces of my schooling and parenting are most important to me. To slow down and schedule in UNO as part of our day because it resets everyone's mood. It just does. And if I have a more realistic expectation of what HAS to be cleaned or baked in a day I can leave time for games. Their little hearts need me not to be neurotic about dirt or determined to be an entrepreneur on the side. And the day is sweeter when we are slow, unhurried, and do our few things well. And ironically "accomplishing" less can be satisfying if I exchange impatience and destined frustrations for peace.

I think credit must go to our breakfast prayers this morning to love each other with the love of Jesus and be in step with the Spirit. His Spirit leads me to be patient with tears, and cereal crumbs, and long subtraction problems. His Spirit leads me to make more time for snuggles, and books, and long Lego explanations. His Spirit's rule is making a difference in my day we all will feel. And that will make more days feel special.

What is a good day for me?

Fun. Bible lesson and drawing. The school Basics of English, Math, Reading and anything else of interest. Listening to music/review work. Sharing responsibilities. Everyone being quiet some part of the day. Eating together and laughing. Listening and hugging. That's good. That's enough.

Embracing the day. Working while I read Peter Pan at the Library. Note the hole in the math sheet and pants rolled up because someone spilled hot chocolate down their sock. Yep. Good stuff.