adventures in our christmas card

i don't think i've ever gotten a christmas card out this early...ever! i'm impressed with myself. and maybe the reason why it's out so early is because it's more than just a christmas card this year. the time has finally come to spill the beans on where we are moving after we leave the condo in just 2 weeks time...


so please, by all means...
read our christmas card!

taking an adventurous crack at explaining advent

so let's talk about the 'why' of an advent calendar shall we?!

disclaimer: i'll lay out some technical terms about advent but please realize, that while i am married to a pastor, that does NOT make me a theologian or completely knowledgable about this. it's what i've learned, researched & asked questions about. 

what does advent mean?
the word advent means "coming" or "arrival"; particularly of something of importance

what does advent celebrate?
it is marked by the spirit of expectation, anticipation, preparation & longing.
the waiting time & preparation for Christmas and the anticipation of Jesus returning.

when is advent celebrated?
in the church advent begins the 4th sunday before christmas.
BUT...advent calendars always begin on december 1.

how do you celebrate advent?
this is where it gets a little complex...
there's the evergreen wreath & candles
there's the colors of advent
there's something called a jesse tree
and then there's the regular 24 day advent calendar which is what i'm using.


what is an advent calendar?
it's a way to keep the family, especially young children, involved in the celebration. it is a calendar with windows or pockets to be opened every day of december. the intention of use for the calendar vary so drastically and this is the very basic edition that they all stem from. you can have anything from spiritual pictures of the old testament story of the prophecy of Christ's birth to a piece of chocolate to an ornament to a gift to give others. but i've found that mostly people use it to at the very least create traditions and or even distract their kids from the uber consumerism that has become Christmas.

if you want to know what my intentions for our advent calendar & celebration are start with this post.
OR if you're in need of some ideas for you advent calendar or just festive things for your holiday season check out yesterday's post.

let the advent adventure of 2011 begin!

ok, first off, i'd like to make a confession...we aren't doing the advent wreath & candles in our house. if you need to know why, then please re-read my blog title...that says it all right?! phew, feel better. thanks! so we'll be counting down the days & building anticipation until Christmas with our {ruckel} family...and our moving day.

i'm not a prepared person. ok, well mostly, i'm not...i try & succeed on occasion. but for stuff like this, i'm definitely not. i didn't buy any supplies, print out pages or look up the correct scripture reference until yesterday...hence, why this post is going up today instead of yesterday. thanks for the grace!

let's start with the calendar itself.
there are all sorts of fabulous & different ideas for advent calendars out there. pick one that works best for you & your family. i chose this one from naptime diaries etsy shop. 2 versions available...printed or printable...i chose printable because this year, i need to not worry about extra things to pack. let alone to pack nicely back in the christmas bin...which is who knows where in the storage shed?!

time to fill it. 
first i took a look at our calendar for the month of december. like most families, ours is full! so there are things that were already planned and those will serve as our activities for those days. then i filled in the days with the things we want to do as traditions with our family. that was easy! with both of those things, we already filled up half the calendar. you can fill the remaining days with festive little things...not too much effort or preparation.

since i'm wanting to keep our advent season not just about traditions, but really making an effort at focusing on the spiritual aspect of the season, i'm incorporating some scripture into each day...or several of the days at least.

our festivities:

1. decorate the house for christmas!

2. make paper chains
date night for mom & dad & sleepover with {auntie kate} for the boys

3. dinner & holiday parade with friends

4. get hot cocoa on the way to church

5. make paper snowflakes

a diy garland via bumpsmitten 

6. make & send some christmas cards & gifts

7. visit santa// read a christmas book before bed

8. visit the train exhibit downtown

9. watch "a charlie brown christmas"

10. lights at the beach or garden of lights

Add caption

11. christmas music dance party

12. color christmas pictures & activity sheets

13. make a card for {ben}s preschool teacher

14. play "where's baby jesus?" with the nativity

great little people nativity for kids

15. birthday celebration for {auntie kate}

16. preschool christmas party//dinner with friends

17. christmas movie night & milkshakes

18. donuts before church

19. wrap gifts

20. open small gifts for car ride/ leave for florida

21. watch christmas movies in the car// do something nice for someone while on the road

22. have a sleepover in the living room

another diy:: tent tutorial via mycakies

23. hang out at {nanny}s house

24.  church//have birthday party for Jesus// open 1 gift (jammies & book)

printables for a birthday party for Jesus

25. biscuits & chocolate gravy for breakfast!

curious?! get a recipe here

and a few resources.
i'm using this book to help with the scripture/ spiritual aspect. but it's a great pre-packaged advent calendar. definitely worth checking into if you have little ones. 
here's a great selection of christmas books to add to your library.
and there are a million different holiday printables out there. i'm using this preschool nativity set.
and pinterest is full of ideas!! check it out.

need some other ideas? try these...

• ice skating age appropriate of course
• a trip to the post office is inventible this time of year
• a family trip to the movies there's always a new family type movie out this time of year. anyone going to see the muppets?!
• go see a christmas play...like the nutcracker or a christmas carol. 
• collect some christmas books or grab some from the library. unwrap a 'new' one every night before bed. over the years the kids will love getting to read those stories.
• drink apple cider
• go caroling
• bake & deliver cookies for those who work on christmas eve/ day
• have kids put on a christmas story play for mom & dad
• shop for & wrap gifts for others less fortunate. theres lots of opportunities to do this, not just churches.
• help a food bank by serving or donating food.
• have a cookie exchange
• write letters to santa
• write a letter to a solider

the end of my giving thanks adventure

it's been a great time of reflecting and learning to be content. i've seen God's blessings in my life is small & big ways. it's amazing what you can see when you take the time daily to be thankful for the blessings in life. but the biggest lesson i found through it was the contentedness i found in my life. it took out the longing for more. the desire to fill my life with what i don't have & think i need. what a place of peace my heart has found.

now i realize i didn't get all my daily lists of things i was thankful for up here on the blog, but i do have them. and the general theme was His amazing provision...in food, health, and timing. i'm still in awe! but most of all, i'm thankful this month of sickness & health issues is OVER...time to move on along to health & wholeness!!

i am now ready to ring in the advent season! what a season of excitement & anticipation. it's no wonder the consumer world has jumped on board. although, with our moving out of the condo just days before Christmas and the fact that the majority of the boys toys have been packed away for most of the year, we won't really be buying much this year. we'll have the joy of rediscovery of toys that have been 'hidden'. they'll get a few small things for the drive in the car and some from grandparents. but what im most excited about is preparing my home & hearts of my family in the anticipation of the arrival of our King.

i'll post our activities tomorrow, but here's what i'm hoping to accomplish...to teach them how to relate and be in the world, but not of the world. aka know Jesus is the reason for the season, but also not burst some kid's santa believing bubble. 

• i want my boys to know that our anticipation is for the birth of our Messiah, not just the packages under the tree.
• i want them to know the Christmas story, not just Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.
• i want them to know the scripture that tells the prophecy & birth of Jesus.
• i want them to know the angles,wise men & shepards are & not just elves.
• i want them to know that Jesus is real and Santa is the storybook character. 
• i want to build memories & traditions for them. 

and most importantly, i get that all of these things will be works in progress over their lifetime, but ya gotta start sometime. so why not now?!

hoping to get my advent activities post finished for tomorrow. so come back tomorrow and i'll do my best to inspire you.



edit** also super thankful for my cousin's brand new baby GIRL! she's the first granddaughter after 10 boys between she & her siblings!!! now that is a celebration folks!

adventures in learning to live with less :: holiday decorating

over the last few months I've learned how to live with less space & stuff. 

and not just learned but enjoying living with less space & stuff.

Less toys to pick up.
Fewer dishes to wash.
Not as much stuff to organize.
Less on the walls & shelves collecting dust.
Not as many things for the babies to get into.
Fewer things distracting me from time with my boys.
Although I wish I could say the same went for the laundry.

But now that means I have 2 storage units full of stuff I feel like I don't need. i haven't used most of what i own in months! months people. but there are important things like birth certificates, tax stuff & other such papers to hold on to.

I mean I'm even keeping my fridge & pantry less cluttered. Because there just isn't room to keep the non-essentials. I buy what we'll use right away and I'm learning to meal plan a little better. freedom i tell ya!

fall is a season of preparation...preparing for the long, cold winter that lies ahead. we pull out the blankets & coats, turn up the heat and stock the pantry & fridge with our fall harvest until they are overflowing. it's about making your house feel warm & cozy & inviting to be in so you don't have to leave it. and one way we do that is by filling them with holiday decorations. and in that, I find myself wanting again...

Not sure if that's just me caving to the advertising, holiday displays & simply just wanting or if there's more to it. i mean they do a great job of putting new & cute things out there every year.

super cute pillow.

  but it wouldn't last a month in my house.

via crate and barrel

nothing says snuggly more than a plaid fleece blanket!

via target

Or even this cute monogram. although i'd use a pre-light garland & hang it outside.

via pinterest

and then it dawned on me that it's more that greed & wanting. It's about creating a safe space. A retreat to grab a blanket & curl up in on cold & rainy winter days. a place full of memories & nostalgia. a place that you not only want to be, but stay in for a while.

***

***

So while we unfortunately will not be decorating for the holidays this year because the closing date on the condo is for mid-December. Getting more stuff out just to re-pack doesn't sound appealing to me at all. BUT I am figuring out how we can do little things still to celebrate the holiday season and maybe even decorate a bit.

I love advent calendars and both the big boys are old enough now to participate this year. I think it's a great compromise to our situation. And ive been searching for a calendar that I love for a couple years now & been unsuccessful. i don't like the idea of just handing out candy that's what halloween is for so we'll be doing lots of crafts & activities. the things we will do for advent will help decorate this place but still be disposable. We'll learn more about Jesus & the true Christmas story, but also introduce and explain who Santa, the elves & Rudolph are. I don't want my kids to be the ones who burst the bubble of those that belied in Santa.

I'm finding myself pretty excited actually. Decorating for the holidays, making my home cozy & warm...but with less. perfect!

And once I nail down what each day of the advent calendar holds I'll post it. For now enjoy the awesome advent calendar I just bought from NaptimeDiaries. go check it out!

and today i'm thankful for:

• Just the right advent calendar!
• That I have stuff if I want it...but in a storage into & not cluttering my house.
• The chance to create traditions & memories for my boys.

beginning a thankful adventure in november

Yesterday was one of those difficult days.

Little boys were constantly crying/fussing.

there's a lot of that in my house.

Naps were being resisted.

Meals were boycotted.

And this momma was grumpy herself.

It must have been in the water.

and yet, it's that time of year we are suppose to be thankful, even when we don't feel like it.

But I realized something...like anyone else who went to the store in the past week...Halloween was just here & we are already onto Christmas. And I love the Christmas season but something was screaming out to me. Not just the lack of celebrating or decorating for Thanksgiving. but the fact that we are skipping over a holiday where we celebrate the blessings we have been given and race onto the holiday where we become mass consumers with the "gimme that. I want that. And that. And that." attitude.

I think Thanksgiving sets the right attitude for the Christmas season. If we go in knowing how thankful we are for the things we have already been blessed with; it lessens the need for more stuff for ourselves and increases the desire to allow others to have the same incredible feelings of being blessed. No, I'm not talking about the faces of our kids when they open up the gifts under the tree (and who doesn't love that?!), but more so the reaction of people who feel they don't have anything to be thankful for or to celebrate.

so i've decided to remind myself to give thanks and not just simply to give it, but 

with a grateful heart. 

because there are so many things daily that i need to see & learn to see in a different light.... especially when we all got up on the wrong side of the bed.

here's my list for today:

warm, snuggly, cozy footy pjs on little boys

a fridge full of milk...these boys go through a gallon a day!

leggings & boots...these are my replacement for sweats these days. 

the ability to interpret {gabe}s sentences & thoughts...sometimes anyways.

now i won't solely be writing on the things i'm thankful for starting today until december 1, but i will include a small list at end of each post at least. i'd love for you to join with me. post it on a blog. on facebook. twitter. email me.

and even more, i'd love to hear from you come december and how your heart has been prepared for the Christmas season. and if you'd like to share it here for all to see, i'd love to give you that opportunity. let me know & please feel free to email kristiruckel {at} gmail {dot} com





- Posted from my iPhone

makin' it work monday adventures

happy halloween!

ok, so i don't love halloween per say, but i do love kids, costumes & candy...

so how about this instead...

 dino ben & momma 2008

happy dress your kids up & 

take lots of pictures 

while trying to keep them from eating 

the entire bag of candy day!!

dino gabe 2010

while there is often times a single-parent sunday post today...i'm mixin' things up and talking about how i'm makin' it work. not here but over with rachael at letterstoames. yep, my first official guest blog. yay! so stop by, show me some comment love & follow rachael's blog. she's got 5 kids...and 3 littles, a lot like my 3 littles! wife of a musician, iced coffee drinker, sushi lover & RN extraordinare! i know, awesome right?! go on now...check it out letterstoames.com

single parent sundays & a 4th of july monday

not a recent shot, but the only one of
my "you better stop it now" face

the weekend has come & gone yet again. sunday was but a blur, but thankfully a little slower. i felt like i was able to manage seeing the faces of my boys rather than the chaos that surrounds the day. i've been needing some "me" time lately, so i made it a point to try to carve a little out. and when i say needing, i don't mean just wanting. my tell my husband that my introvert has kicked in and i just need that time to myself. usually i like to wander around and window shop. but because sundays don't really allow for that i did what i could...i went to run an errand instead of staying in service. much to my husband's dislike,yet he still said ok, thanks love!*** my mind needed a break. in a sense it just needed to regenerate it's self. and so it did slowly. i ran my errand and sat in the car until i saw people exiting the building. it's amazing the quietness of the car when there are no children talking/screaming or dvd's or music playing. my frown began to turn upside down...

i grabbed the boys and headed home. i was able to focus on the boys and get lunch in a somewhat normal manner. meal times at our house are crazy as i'm sure many of you know similar circumstances. everyone ate well, then played well & down for naps well. we all got naps. it was completely awesome. in fact, the babies were still sleeping when it was time to go to night church, so we just stayed home. that in itself was pleasant. no waking up children. no rushing off to church. no hungry children. we stayed on our normal schedule. i cleaned and the boys played. we had baths. it was a perfectly normal evening. something this momma truly needed.

today we finished some deep cleaning & house projects and were able to enjoy a picnic this afternoon. {nana roo} offered to watch the babies while we took the big boys. sprinkler. friends. grilling. video games. and more than enough food. it was yet another great day in mama-land. i feel like i have decompressed...my introvert has gone back the hole from which it came and life moves on. because tomorrow, i'm packing up the boys & heading south. {matt} is out of town so i figured i could use the help & {grammie} just happens to have the week off. davidson, nc...here we come! and then i'll need to decompress again next weekend.

if you liked what you read...Go on...be adventurous & be a follower of my blog or Subscribe to adventures with 4 under 4 by Email.

***although i don't usually skip church for mental health days, i found it best in the interest of my family to do so.

single parent sundays-an emotional roller coaster

the day started off fairly well, for us that is... (up!)

my mom was in town & kept the babies at home, so i took just the big boys to church. it's soooo much easier. for one thing, no stroller necessary. :) great word given & a picnic lunch in celebration of father's day. which is where the turn in the day began. i always struggle with holidays on sundays. i mean, it's a family day...but then it's sunday, which for {Matt} means a work day. so i tried to play the "come home with us & have lunch" card, but he felt that he needed and wanted to stay for the lunch. i definitely didn't play my cards right & tried to push my agenda. i mean, really, on father's day {Kristi}, really?! if roles were reversed i would have been out of my mind. thankfully, i married a man who is loving & forgiving. he continually teaches me how to share. so the compromise was we stayed for a little while during the picnic & then went home to have lunch with everyone. and i tried to be on my best behavior and suck up to the amazing father of my children the rest of the day. :) that was part 1... (down!)

part 2 begins after lunch while visiting with my parents, {Auntie Kate} & {Nana Roo}...
{Nana Roo} & {Papa Steve} are in the midst of starting a new business & move...to florida. {Nana Roo} was gone for several weeks and is currently back here continuing to ready her house for the inevitable & yet to be determined moved south. she was telling us about the family that had been to her house on saturday for a 2nd visit and that they were looking at "the other house" that afternoon. we all were hoping for a phone call saying that they would stop by while she was at our house. and sure enough, not 20 mins later, her phone rang. the family didn't love "the other house" and were coming to take a 3rd look!! of course we gathered and said a short but faith-filled prayer they would fall in love with the house & make an offer. about 10:30pm we got a text saying that a verbal offer was made & a contract was coming in the morning. (up! & down once the finality of it sunk in!)

part 3 was "night church" as {Ben} calls it...
i was coordinator for the nursery so i needed to be there about 15 mins earlier than service started. usually that would mean i had to wake boys up from naps, but thankfully they all woke up on their own.  we got an on-time departure in the books thanks to the help of {Auntie Kate} and off we went...into traffic. ugh! so i turned around and went to go another way...even worse traffic!! a normal 15 min car ride turned into 45 minutes. there had been a horrible suburban turned sideways on the bridge accident so we weren't the only ones who were late. everything went smoothly in the nursery that evening, despite being short-handed. and then, during clean up, it happened..."have you seen {Gabe}?" and the panic hit. and before either myself or {Auntie Kate} could move, here came my wonderful husband tightly holding my 2nd born son. he had been found walking into the parking lot. nightmare come true! an unattended 2 yr old wandering amidst a sea of people & somehow makes it outside into the parking lot. insanity. yeah, like i really needed to add that on my bad wife tab of the day, now i'm pushing for mom of the year. plus, it was so humid & sticky and that always makes things worse. (up, then down, then up, then crashing down!)

so much for a nostalgic and loving father's day post, but that's life sometimes. let's say...coming soon...

adventures of thanksgiving at a beach houe

we were blessed to spend thanksgiving weekend with some friends at a beach house in the outer banks. we had a wonderful time! we were close enough to drive home to spend thanksgiving dinner with matt's parents & sister and then back to the beach house. here a just a couple pics of that weekend. the boys were recovering from being sick, so some fresh sea air was great!

football on thanksgiving? what?!

my precious boy

he found a log on the beach and had to climb it. boys!

the family at the lighthouse in corolla.

pronounced co-rawl-a, not like a toyota :)

my smiley little guy returning to his normal self :)

the inlet at corolla

ben showing his friend liam the kites he discovered

"kite! kite! kite!" etc, etc...

"yes ben, a kite."

"kite! kite! kite!"

pure. love.

playing chase with daddy is always a hit

adventures with my joys

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!
these are the blessings that have made me a momma & for that i'm blessed. i so enjoy the adventures i have in motherhood. i hope all of you mommies have a fantastic mother's day & can rest and enjoy your special blessings.

me & gabers

benny with his amazing lashes

an Easter-y egg hunting adventure

ben had a great time at the easter egg hunt at church today. they started with a puppet show and then the egg hunting began! for his age group they had the eggs numbered 1-10 each with a different prize inside. he loved it.

fully intrigued by the puppet show

collecting eggs

the grass was wet so ben wore his rain boots. 

he loves his boots!

checking out his loot with daddy.

proud of his hard work

he loves the eggs themselves. the prizes are just a bonus.

matt & ben with our friends amanda & cameron

and gabe had fun too...just hanging out...

love this little outfit!

sprawling out & looking around

happy easter!

happy Easter!

we had a great & busy easter weekend. so here are some quick pics. it's definitely more difficult to get a good family shot these days.

adventures of christmas #2

grammie & grandad cook bought ben a tricycle for christmas. it got here on friday and he is in love with it! they got to watch him ride on it via video chat. he's almost big enough to do it on his own, but not quite. by spring time he'll be a pro!

he was 'helping' put it together.

telling his dad how to do it

just can't stand the wait & takes off on his own!

adventures of christmas morning

we had a great, relaxing christmas. we slept in & opened gifts around 10:30! this is probably the last time that will ever happen :) so we soaked it in as much as possible. since we didn't start until late, we were able to video chat with my family (its 3 hrs earlier there) so they got to enjoy ben opening gifts too. it was great! praise the Lord for technology. here are a few pics from our delightful christmas morning.

ben & nana roo listening to papa reading the christmas story

a wide-eyed child on christmas morning!

playing with the farm nana roo & papa got him

playing peek-a-boo

hanging out with dad in the present aftermath