Seven Quick Takes vol. 25

Joining with the Takers again this week. Here comes random randomness. Make sure to see Jen and the cool people! I'm also so pumped for her show, I'm just praying it'll stream in Canada...please, please, please!

{one}

Its been a long week. Or its felt like a long week. Ever have times where you're sick of yourself? Ya know, when you're so tired of your own feelings and thoughts and general crumminess that you want to take a vacation from being you? This sounds much more dramatic and ridiculous than it feels, but am I far off in that description? 

I know I definitely need confession. And to go see my spiritual director. And a general influx of grace. But baring miracles its still a very long process ahead until I can imagine feeling generally chipper, peaceful, and having some faith...or so it seems. 

I'm hoping Advent will help me somewhat. I feel like I've been genearlly waiting on God for a couple months now, maybe I can better direct it through Advent?? Here's hoping!

{two}

So I haven't started anything Christmas-y in our house yet. I want to at least hold out till Advent begins to bring out any decorations. And this year I think we'll put off putting up our tree a little longer since Max is at the perfect age for all destruction of things that are at his level. Nothing will make him happier than the prospect of constantly pulling at a big, shiney, tree covered with mom's priceless very breakable ornaments. I know it would be truly adhering to the Advent protocol to hold out with the tree, but I compromise with a focus on Advent AND preparing for Christmas somewhat gradually with decorating and Christmas music. The kids just love it so much. And with the general Christmas spirit in the air I find its better to put a positive emphasis on Advent instead of the complete sparing of everything Christmas until December 25. But now this is sounding confusing. Maybe as the kids get older and begin to understand more the importance of Christmas we'll begin more rigorous purely Advent traditions. 

I'm sure we'll grow into it like all else as the munchkins grow.

{three}

We definitely have an Advent wreath and will be saying prayers around it every week as we light a new candle. I always try to put the Advent wreath at the top of the Christmas boxes but why does it always disappear into the nether-regions of those ridiculously large and crammed boxes full of Christmas decorations?! I swear its a law of nature or something. And my Christmas boxes are almost as big as I am so I might just fall in and get lost forever. 

{four}

And just a little plug for next week, I'm hoping to have a post about Advent music and will be linking up with these lovely ladies for a link-up about Advent and Holy Days. Its going to be awesome. Or at the very least somewhat Advent-y on my part.

{five}

Since we have Dominic's birthday at the end of November it kinda forces us, or me at least, to put all the Christmas stuff on the backburner and wait till Advent which is kinda nice. Dom and the kids always appreciate a little decorating for their birthdays. And they really freak out with just a few balloons hung up. Which is great, because its literally the least I can do. Another reason why I don't want them to grow up.

{six}

Since his birthday on Tuesday Dom's default greeting to everyone is now "Happy Birthday!" I open their bedroom door in the morning: "Happy Birthday!" See Grandma, "Hi, Happy Birthday!" Talk to someone on the phone, "Happy Birthday!" He somehow thinks its a greeting one can use universally while celebrating the week of one's birthday. I'm going to listen at Mass this weekend and see if he responds to "Peace be with you," with "Happy Birthday!"

{seven}

We're off to see Santa tonight at the small town Christmas light-up. Gemma is still mortally afraid of going near Santa and we've tried talking her around by saying things like, "Santa wants to see you so he'll know you've grown," or "You've gotta talk to Santa  to tell him what you want for Christmas." Her solution yesterday was "Well, I like Santa, and I want him to bring me presents, but I don't actually want to see Santa. So could I just send him an email?" And I'm sure she doesn't know what an email is so I asked her, to which she replied, "An email is a letter that you don't have to write." Which is kinda true. It also points to her tendencies towards being lazy in practicing her printing, or a towards a love of telepathy. Either way really.

Hope you all have a stellar week-end! (I always say "week-end" now like the Dowager Duchess...)
And Happy Beginning of Advent!