:: write down what your children say
:: if you don’t write it down, then at least facebook it
:: snow days must become family days
:: there is never too much hot chocolate – or coffee
:: date verses in your Bible that you underline
:: Christmas music must include the music from Charlie Brown’s Christmas
:: when you have a toddler expect that the bottom of the tree will get rearranged
:: snow boots, gloves, hats, and scarfs have the uncanny ability to multiply exponentially
:: snow gloves also have the ability to lose their match in the multiplication process
:: never make cookies too early — you’ll have to make them again because you ate them all
:: always let your kids end the hug — they last longer
:: get to know the names of your coffee baristas
:: sometimes you just need to be silly with your kids
:: take time to serve and help others
:: build snow forts with your kids
:: thank the Salvation Army bell ringers
:: become a bell ringer
:: always water your live Christmas tree but don’t leave the watering container by the tree
:: write a note in the front of some books that you give your children
:: link up with my cookie recipe exchange
:: it’s okay to use Ball canning jars as your glasses
:: purchase your Christmas wrapping paper AFTER Christmas
:: let your kids use the empty wrapping paper tubes as swords
:: remember where you put the Christmas wrapping paper in January
:: make up stories for your children
:: save your calendars as journals of your life
:: do not grocery shop while hungry or when you are in a rush
:: remember to bring in the 24 pack of water bottles in the winter
:: if you don’t — don’t drop them or they’ll explode
:: tell your kids or your spouse that you love them
:: sometimes you need to count to ten. or twenty. or thirty
:: coffee helps
:: try to rest and enjoy these days before Christmas
:: breathe
:: and rejoice.
19 comments
this is a really great list, thanks for sharing!
Great list! I love writing down the various things Manuel says as my statuses on Facebook. THey are WAY too hilarious not to share! 🙂
I love the photo of you and your little boy hugging. Precious. Thank you for a great list! I’m working hard to keep my perspective in what somehow has become a crazy week (and golly, we TRIED to keep it simpler!) Right now my children are playing knights in the rain, and I’m going to have muffins ready for them when they come inside. It can be a beautiful day if I remember to let things go. And you’re so right. Coffee helps. So does Parisian Warm Chocolate. 🙂
great rules. merry christmas!
Amazing post 🙂
It’s crazy, because I have incorporated SO many of these things into my life already! GOOD rules!!
This grey hair mom loves, loves these rules…so many I have followed, so many I am following the last time around in parenting!!
Blessings and Merry Christmas..we are off to go give money in the red bucket..a promise to my four year old!!
Love that list. How true about baking cookies too early! I am still baking 🙂
Loved reading this post!
You have some of the best posts, ever! So true about the cookies…the grocery store….writing dates in your Bible (do it all the time….God is so faithful and these are reminders, love saving my calendars as journals, (I think I have them for the last 12 years), love snow forts (we just need some snow right about NOW!), and yes…the snow stuff (no matter how many times I go through it, organizing, it somehow has a mind of its own!)
Thanks again for the smiles.
Much love,
Stacy
This makes my heart happy 🙂
Aaaaaaaamen, esp the one about writing down what the kids say. We have a pretty good size books of kid quotes.
Have a Merry Christmas. wb
great list!
Rachel, your are superwoman for sure! How you find the time to blog and do it so beautifully is totally amazing to me. This was a great entry for the countdown to Christmas Day.
Blessings to you and your brood!
Praying!
Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Prayer Bears
My email address
What a great list! It made me smile a few times.
I love everything you mentioned! And I do save my calendars as journals!! Everyone thinks I’m crazy that I have my calendars neatly piled from 2001! But it’s nice to look back on them every once in awhile!
i could definitely live at your house under those rules!!! : ) i remember seeing that facebook status and it totally made my night!!! hope you martin’s are having a lovely christmas week!
I love these! Great post. (Found you from BlogHer)
Always let your kids be the first to try each batch of cookies as they come out of the oven, or cooldown (whichever tastes better) and get their opinion of which should be for Santa. Otherwise, they start disappearing and nobody knows (in my house, the kids blame the “kitchen ghost”.