Family Traditions!

As our family has grown "exponentially" in the last seven years one thing has stood out for me. The importance of family time and family traditions must take center stage. For Stable Chick these things have always been in place, but for some of the other children, a good portion of their lives were spent with a pretty large void in the place of traditions and family memory making in the positive sense. So.....we kicked it into overdrive and have done all we can to create the childhood we want them to remember while engraving on their hearts the proper heart attitude in everything we do.

Don't get me wrong...there are times we fall down in our efforts and there are times we can be disappointed in the results, but there is no lack of trying here!

Christmas definitely signals a time of much tradition! Sure there are all the ones leading up to Christmas Eve but the one the children start reminding me of very early in the season is the one that this year I left (as usual) a little late in starting. Like I don't know they expect that soft, wrapped gift right before going over to Grandma and Papa's house! Yup Christmas jammies!

Every year I carefully choose the fabric for each child based on their current favourite colours and whims. I trudge around my local fabric outlet looking for just the right selection and if I leave it until the last minute (as if that isn't the way it always goes!!!) I can manage a sale on flannel that makes the cost a little easier to swallow. No longer is it cheaper to have homemade PJ's...nope....this isn't about having seven children and not being able to afford Christmas pj's this is "all" and I mean ALL about the expectation of the homemade sort and the love that Mom puts into making them!!

I say this as if it is torture or too much work but surely you understand I wouldn't have it any other way! There is nothing better than the faces of my kids as they sit knowing what's in the carefully wrapped....(Yup wrapped even though they know what's in it!!!!) gift and waiting for me to give the ok to rip into it!!!

The trick here is that I must prepare them without anyone knowing which fabric or style I have chosen for each. They all give me their preference....you know ribbing or not, short sleeves or long, "Mom....I'd like pink with little monkeys wearing purple hats and orange mittens"....I try my best!!

Off to Grandma and Papa's for treats and a short visit. We take this time to give them a small gift and spend some quality time. This year we got them a digital frame and loaded some of their favourite pictures of the children on it. They really are cool.....I think I'd like to get one for us also!