MaeLyn's Musings

A lot of families go to great lengths to "prove" to their children that there really is a Santa Claus. Some families have an elf that moves around the house doing different activities, moving only when no one is looking. We watch movies featuring Santa, including "Santa Claus is Coming To Town," "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer", and "Miracle on 34th Street." Our family's Christmas season started out this year with a bang - on the day after Thanksgiving we got to ride the Polar Express to the North Pole and see Santa Claus. It was a lot of fun! For Christmas last year, my parents gave us a book entitled, A Christ Centered Christmas by Emily Freeman. In the introduction, the author tells about a day when she was driving in the car with her young daughter listening to Christmas Carols, when her daughter told her, "Mom, I believe in Santa Claus, and you   believe in Jesus Christ." She realized then that she had spent more time tea...

At Time Out For Women, one of the speakers ( Jennifer Brinkerhoff Platt ) spoke about rituals. I've thought about what she said off and on ever since then, but as the holidays are nearing, rituals have been more on my mind. What is a ritual? Google tells me that a ritual is "a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order." It can also be "a series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone." Jennifer Platt referred to a ritual as something we look forward to and prepare for,  something we fully participate in, and  something we remember after.  In our house, Family Home Evenings could be considered a ritual. We look forward to them, reserve a special time for them, and we prepare our parts beforehand (sometimes). During Family Home Evening, we put down the books, log off the computers, avoid answering the phone. This is time for our family, and we try to limi...

Tell about what you did while visiting your grandparents or aunt and uncle. My Grandma and Grandpa McClellan lived in Hayward, California. My Grandpa owned a construction company, and much of the materials storage and management must have been based at his home because the long, downward sloping driveway led past the house, past an office, garages, woodpiles and tool sheds, on its way to a river that marked the end of the property. The huge area was a great place to play hide and seek. I have memories of looking for raspberries or blackberries to pick in the very back of the property, and pineapple guavas from a plant closer to the house. Inside the house, there were wonderful things to look at and see. I remember a statue of a knight in armor, a plethora of books, and lots of paintings and knickknacks that seemed fascinating to me. There was a collection of toys stored in small tables in the living room, including beads that could be strung together in long chains and a stereo pic...

Hannah holding the eggs she decorated Easter. It has its own traditions, food, and fun. Friday night we covered the table in newspaper, filled cups with boiling water, vinegar and food coloring and set out 18 hard boiled eggs. The fun followed. Peter had fun telling me which cup to put his eggs in... and they were dipped in one cup after another until they had been in every cup almost, and were a mottled purplish color. Joshua also enjoyed moving his eggs from one cup to another. John created a bunny rabbit complete with pipe cleaner ears, but was devastated when it cracked. Hannah probably spent the most time on her eggs, dipping them in multiple colors bit by bit resulting in stripes. Sunday morning the kids awoke, and waited impatiently for their parents to wake and let them at the eggs hidden in the living room. Several of the eggs were in the middle of the floor, apparently batted there by the cats. Still, there were several well hidden for the kids to search out. Breakfast ...

It is officially autumn, the leaves have begun changing colors, and there are finally a few leaves falling down. Hannah was excited for this occasion because to her it meant she could get out Dad's rake and rake leaves! She didn't want to rake them into piles to bag and toss - oh no. She wanted to rake them into lines to mark walls and create her dream house in leaves. Because just outside our front door is a slope with three levels, this year she has begun creating a three story house, with a different story on each level. On Saturday, the house had kitchen, living room, bedrooms, a bathroom, a front door and a garage. The kids found a wild grape vine a little up the street, and plucked a bunch of grapes to snack on in their kitchen, using our frisbee for a plate. On Sunday, not being allowed to play outside, the kids were designing their dream houses, complete with indoor pools, bowling alleys, theaters and soda fountains. Yesterday they were back outside moving the walls, en...