Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Polly (12), Tigger (9), Sweet Pea (6), Miss Lili (3), and iBoy (0, or 7 months)!

I'll be taking a bit of a blogging break for the next week or so.
See you in 2014 - with some exciting new to us things and news to share.

Weekend Links - December 21, 2013

Yesterday was our oldest's 12th birthday. We thought planning and hosting a birthday party would be a bit too complicated this year with our house situation (and not to mention CHRISTMAS, which always complicates her birthday). So we let her have her best friend sleepover and we all went to our zoo for the Festival of Lights, then out for Orange Leaf frozen yogurt (at 10 PM!). This morning the girls are watching movies, painting their nails and preparing for our big trip to the mall where The Birthday Girl will get her ears pierced.

All in all, a party would probably have been less complicated. But the Birthday Girl is happy and we've had fun and that's what counts.

Other than some stocking stuffers, all our Christmas shopping is done, so bring on the big day!

On the links -

Spiritual / Inner Life

• Mentally Strong People: The 13 Things They Avoid by Cheryl Conner.
• Why Christians Need Flannery O'Connor by Russell Moore.
• The Scandal of the Semi-Churched by Kevin DeYoung.
• Jesus Didn't Call Us to be 'Nice' by Eric Hoke for Relevant.
• Why I Hide Behind My Kids at Church by Emily Wierenga.
• Why Christ Came - To Seek and Save the Lost by Persis for Out of the Ordinary.

Marriage / Parenting

• You're Never Really Ready for Marriage by Jared Lafitte for Relevant.
• How to Name a Baby from Wait But Why. (language warning) I've always been fascinated by baby names and trends.

Social Media

• It's Not a Game by Kara at The Better Mom. Good reminder.
• The Blog is Dead, Long Live the Blog by Jason Kottke. 
• Tweeting Myself To Death: The Rise and Fall of @prodigalsam by Sammy Rhodes.

Homeschooling / Education

• A Response to Rush Limbaugh on Classical Education by Martin Cothran. Ignorance comes in many forms.
• These Amazing Classic Books Are So Short You Have No Excuse Not to Read Them. Just in case you're adding to your "to-be read" list for 2014.  
• Politician: "Let's Treat All Parents Like Felony Child Abusers" by Matt Walsh. The bill in question (here in my home state) has been pulled - which is good but Walsh explains why even non-homeschool parents should care about bills like this.

In the News: Duck Dynasty Edition

• Fear the Beard: Observations on the Foot Stomping Whiners, Phil Robertson, and Duck Dynasty by Jay Caruso.
• Duck Dynasty: The Show that Got Away by Pat Archbold. Of all the commentary I've read this week, I think this is the most plausible analysis.

For Fun

• 5 Ways to Fight With Your Spouse While Putting Up a Christmas Tree by Jon Acuff.
• What Moms Really Want for the Holidays a Christmas Gift Guide by the Honest Toddler.
• Awesome Science Fiction Postage Stamps From Around the World. Genius - combining two cornerstones of nerdiness.

Enough of all that, here's a video of the Hunt Sisters singing Silent Night (love this group!):


So, what caught your eye this week? Are you ready for Christmas?
This post is linked here:

19+ Christmas Playlist Substitutions

The content in this post is now available at Living Unabridged.

Christmas Diversions

Adorable little girl signs her Kindergarten Christmas concert for her deaf parents:

My kids ask for this one every year:

And this one:

And my husband asked for this one:

What Christmas "bideos" (as Miss Lili would say) do you watch every year?

Weekend Links - December 14, 2013

Busy, busy. Good busy, and lots to tell you about when I get a chance. But for now: links!

Spiritual / Inner Life

• Is the Christian Reality Show Fad Harmful to the Faith? by Johnathan Merritt. I have thoughts on this (of course) but nothing coherent enough to share. What do you think about all the "Christian" reality shows popping up these days?
• Millennial Myths and the Real Reasons People Leave the Church by Shane Raynor.
• Keith Getty on What Makes "In Christ Alone" Accepted and Contested by Collin Hansen. I appreciate the Gettys and the music they've written. We are living in a great age for hymns.
• 7 Ways Social Media Makes Pastoring More Difficult by Mike Leake. Read this and have a new appreciation for the pastors who minister to you.
• Tolkien and the Long Defeat by Andrew Barber.
• When Your "Best Of" List Comes Up Empty by Mary Carver. 
• Opt Out of the Food Wars by Jess at Making Home.
• Triumph of the Vulgarians by Jonah Goldberg. So unfortunate.

Homeschooling / Education / Writing

• 8 New Punctuation Marks We Desperately Need by Mike Trapp.
• Learning By Heart by Karen Andreola. Lovely post (as always).
• If The Friends Were Homeschooled by Lora Lynn Fanning. Made me laugh. (Especially loved the Chandler gif for "phonics practice".)

Christmas and Gift Ideas

• Family Traditions Keep Kids Pure by Dannah Gresh. There are reasons for family traditions. (And no one is a bigger tradition cop than a kid.)
• Holidays with Parents and In-Laws: Let it Be Good by Susan Yates.
• 24 Insanely Clever Gifts for Book Lovers from Buzzfeed. *cough* (language warning for site)
• Top Picks for Jane Austen Inspired Gifts for 2013 by Laurel Ann at Austenprose. *coughcough*
• TGC Staff Cite Best Books from 2013, if you need some ideas for the Christian Reader in your life.
• 20 Toys for Young Braniacs from Apartment Therapy. I'm not claiming my kids are braniacs, but I'm pretty sure they'd enjoy most of the things on this list.
• 15 Things You Didn't Know About "White Christmas" from Buzzfeed. (language warning for site) Except I totally knew most of these. Owning the DVD with special features (and then watching aforesaid features) will do that for you. Love this movie. I've seen it on the big screen in a theater and it's one of the few I watch every year.

What's your favorite Christmas movie? Have a gift idea list? Please share in the comments!
This post may be linked here:

One Way to Keep a Preschooler Busy During the Holidays

So, it's the holidays. You have roughly 50,000 things to do. The 3 year old has already watched a video this morning. She is tired of playing by herself while the big girls do school. The baby needs to nap.

What to do?

Break out the old-school tech, of course.

The first step is: be sure you own a record player. (I'm partial to my Crosley, but any turntable will do as long as it's in working order.)

The second step: find a read-along record. Maybe you have one from your childhood. I found this Little Critter's Christmas record at a thrift store for a quarter.

Final step: save it for Christmas time. Only break it out when you need it. Show her how to follow along in the book, play the record, and use your next minutes wisely. You'll have to come back and switch from Side A to Side B but that's a small price to pay for a relatively still 3 year old.

She may want to listen again. You can reluctantly agree. Try to hide your glee, lest she catch on.

Play it, again, Mom.

Twitter Tuesday

Forgive the repeats, for those of you who saw these when they were originally posted to Twitter. I want to preserve some of my favorites here on the blog - that way I never forget when Miss Lili asked to watch "silly bideos".

Our 3 yr old announced, "I just want to grow up to be a kid - not a mom or a lady." At least she realizes she's got a good thing going here.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 9, 2013

Things u don't want to hear from daughters' bedroom at 9:40 PM: "I doin' dymnastics & skating!" Fess up: Who gave the 3 yr old caffeine?
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 8, 2013

.@pdubarry talking to Baby Boy (7 months old) just now: "I was going to put jammies on you but instead I just watched the internet."
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 7, 2013

Reorganizing Pinterest boards is a legitimate use of time on a snowy afternoon, right? Good.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 6, 2013

"My favorite color is Princess." Quote from Miss Lili (3) while choosing clothes this AM.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 6, 2013

My 9 yr old just asked, "You were in the olden days, right?" When I protested she said, "But you used to write dates starting with 19!"
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 5, 2013

7 month old son is wearing a shirt with a dinosaur riding a bicycle on the front and camo pants. Could he BE any manlier? #chandlerbingfont
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 4, 2013

"I think burping is funny. It IS funny." 3 yr old confessions.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 3, 2013

"I not doin' anything, can you please go out?" Words from a 3 yr old to strike terror in a parent's heart.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 3, 2013

"You have 5 minutes to clean up the house or you're going to jail" - my 6 yr old playing house. She's not quoting me, I promise.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 2, 2013

Told 3 yr old to be quiet in church tonight. She responded, "But I hafta burp!" Proud parenting moment right there.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 2, 2013

"Who sets their watch to Central Time?!" - indignant daughter just now who thought they had more reading time before lights out.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) December 1, 2013

School Related Quote from our 6 yr old this morning: "Mommy, I could have been done by now...but I don't know what to do." #homeschooling
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 25, 2013

Best (worst?) part of a big clean-up: kids constantly distracted by things they've found. "I've been lookin' for this!" No, you haven't.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 22, 2013

Took 300+ pictures of the kids today. # of Christmas Card worthy shots of all 5 = 0. Our "Family" cards may be "Our 3 Favorite Kids" cards.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 21, 2013

3 yr old playing this morning: "Mom! I'm in a box. Pretend I'm oatmeal."
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 19, 2013

Request from the 3 yr old: "Mom, I weally want to watch silly bideos."
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 18, 2013

"Jesus is da way to my Fadder's house..." - 3 yr old praising God is a pretty good way to start the morning.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 16, 2013

"Don't eat that! It has glue on it!" File under: things you might overhear in our #homeschool. (M&Ms make yummy looking Protons & Neutrons)
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 15, 2013

Overheard just now: "Hey! Pass the ceweal and give me some of dat gooten fwee stuff." Where does she come up with this stuff?!
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 15, 2013

"I've always wanted to live in a castle but I've never wanted to be a princess" - our 9 yr old this morning. Something profound there.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 14, 2013

My children have their own paraphrase from Rankin & Bass Rudolph special: "There's always tomorrow for things to go wrong..."
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 12, 2013

3 yr old looking through Toys R Us sale paper: "I want all this stuffes," she announces. #tistheseason
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 9, 2013

Sign my children have inherited a (mild) form of OCD: don't want to go to bed, not 'cause they want to EAT more candy, they want to SORT it.
— Karen (@candiddiversion) November 1, 2013

3 yr old just instructed her older sister to "Draw a funny human."
— Karen (@candiddiversion) October 30, 2013

Christmas Diversions

Weekend Links - December 7, 2013

Happy December 7! In our family this is a big day because it is my sister Lisa's birthday. When I was growing up we usually waited until after her day to get a tree and decorate it.

My family is still keeping that tradition alive. Yes, I am admitting to you that we do not yet have a tree. My kids remind me of this daily. Maybe we will Monday. Or maybe Tuesday. If we don't do it one of those days the next chance is Thursday and then we have no clear days until the next Monday. My kids are not going to be cool with that.

We may not have a tree but we do have plenty of links. If you're in one of the areas of the country currently buried in snow, I hope you're warm, cozy, and ready to read.

Spiritual / Inner Life

• Lessons Learned from Mom Ortlund by Jani Ortlund. Anne Ortlund wrote several books that were formative in my spiritual growth. How strange that she and Edith Schaeffer, another of my Christian heroines, should enter Heaven the same year.
• 14 Signs Your Perfectionism Has Gotten Out of Control by Carolyn Gregoire. Ouch.
• Why Jeremiah Steepek is a Terrible Pastor by Mike Leake. 
• Answering Four Street Level Arguments for S*xual Immorality by Matt Chandler.
• You Can't Turn Lemons Into Lemonade by Courtney Reissig
• Adapted from the Book by S.D. Smith at The Rabbit Room.
• When Spirituality Gets Too Convenient by James Dwyer.
• Christian Writing and Asinine Music Reviews by Mike Leake. Excellent advice from C.S. Lewis.
• In Defense of Katniss Everdeen by Mike Cosper. (In some ways I think both Cosper and Wilson are missing the mark because I think the real hero of the Hunger Games is...well, never mind. You'll have to read them yourself and see what you think.)

Marriage Parenting

• How Saying Goodbye is Part of the Gift of Parenting by Jacque Watkins. 
• Raising Christian Kids in a S*x-Filled Culture by Marlena Graves for Her*Meneutics.
• Worst Potty Training Mom Ever by Katrina Ryder.
• Why Your Boring Days Matter (And Your Photos Aren't Ordinary) by Lisa-Jo Baker.
• You Don't Have to Erase Every Trace of Childbirth from Your Body by Matt Walsh.
• Let Boys Be...by Heather MacFadyen. I soak up these parenting boys posts, it's such a whole new world for us.

Homeschooling / Education

• 11 Reasons Why I Choose to Classically Educate My Children by Heather Magnuson.
• Ninth Grade Homeschool First Semester Check In: Maturity by Jimmie at Jimmie's Collage. I love reading about how homeschooling is working for those who are a step ahead of us, as far as the age of student is concerned.
• 20 "Forgotten" Words That Should Be Brought Back from Lifehack. The name of my next blog: The Librocubularist. Don't forget I called "dibs," which is a totally legit way to reserve domain space, right? (Just in case any of you pesky domain thieves are reading this.) 
• The Tyranny of Finding Something Clever to Say by Joshua Gibbs for CiRCE Institute.
• Young Adult Readers Prefer Printed to Ebooks from The Guardian. Hope!

Holidays

• Christmas Shopping 2013: An NRO Symposium. Lots of great gift ideas (mostly books).
• Why Celebrate Advent? by Timothy Paul Jones for The Gospel Coalition.
• The 5 Best Ways to Survive "Christmas Shoes" a much needed how-to by Jon Acuff.
• How We Help Curb The "I Want That's!" During the Holidays by Tsh at The Art of Simple.
• Lo, How a Rose by Lanier Ivester. Long, lovely post.
• Handling the Holidays During Loss or Grief by Laura Petherbridge.
• Top 10 Family Gift Ideas by Holly at Kids Activities Blog. 
• Let Men Their Songs Employ by Josh Poore.
• Love Actually is the Least Romantic Film of All Time by Christopher Orr. Yes. I really wish I'd written this post.

Homekeeping

• 5 Tips: How To Quickly Make Your House Look Cleaner Than It Is from Apartment Therapy. Not that I, or any of you, will ever need this. *cough* 
• Cookbooks in the Life Syllabus by Leila at Like Mother, Like Daughter. Great suggestions here - must find a copy of some of these for myself.

In the News

• Archeologists Officially Declare Collective Sigh Over "Paleo Diet" by Paul Zimmer. I'm a Creationist, so this never really made sense to me anyway, but now evolutionists are washing their hands of it too. (language warning)
• Barbara Mertz's obituary in The Telegraph. Mertz wrote the Ameila Peabody series and many other fantastic books under multiple pseudonyms. Sad to think the adventures are over.
• Inside Adam Lanza's Lair by Edgar Sandoval and Corky Siemaszko for the New York Daily News. Horrifying. (This link definitely not recommended for all readers.)
• Why Abstinence Works...Even When It Doesn't by Kira Davis.
• The (fake) Hate Crime Epidemic by Matt Walsh. 
• Related: That Viral "Poverty Thoughts" Essay is Totally Ridiculous by Angelica Leicht.
• Mystery Tipper is Giving Thousands in Tips Across the US by Paula Forbes. I don't know about you, but after the above stories, I was ready for some GOOD news.
• An Ancient City Is Discovered Underwater. Such an amazing find. Just look at those statues!

Made Me Laugh:

• Millennials in the Workplace: A Video. This is kind of old now but I just saw it for the first time this week and I actually laughed out loud, not just fake LOL but the real thing. 
• Maps that Brits Labeled of the US. Maybe now we can feel a little better about our students not being able to place European countries on a map. Or maybe not, but these maps are still funny.
• 17 Truths That Only Eldest Siblings Know from Buzzfeed. (language warning for that site) Yep.
• Pesto: An Honest Toddler Review. Took the words right out of my mouth (and made me laugh).
• 11 Awkward Things About Email from Wait But Why. (language warning)

Post of mine this week that I really hope you'll read: Stretching Me.

Final link: Young Boy With Terminal Disease Gets to Play in the Snow. If that first picture doesn't make you smile, there is no hope for you.

So, what caught your eye today?
This post is linked here:

30 Things I Love

...about Lisa.

Yes, an unthinkable day has arrived: my little sister just hit the big 3-0.

Which is amazing when you think about it because we are now the same age. OK, no. I'm older.

Anyway, all age related jesting aside, here are 30 Things I Love About Lisa (AKA Lulu) and 18 pictures of our early life together (I know there should be 30 but, well, there aren't. My OCD side is just going to have to get over it):

1. All her friends (including me) claim she's their best friend. This is less about us and more about the kind of amazing friend Lisa is.

2. She has a great sense of humor (and she "gets" mine).

3. She speaks fluent sarcasm.

4. She also speaks fluent Movie Quotations and she recognizes mine, even the ones from obscure movies we watched in our childhood.

5. She forgives readily.

6. She loves to read.

7. Her singing voice is amazing (and she lets me sing with her sometimes).

8. Her smile is infectious.

9. We trust her implicitly with our children.

10. She is creative.

11. She treats life like an adventure.

12. She's brave.

13. She's willing to look silly when the occasion calls for it.

14. She beautiful but not vain.

15. She's a Peacemaker (the uber-middle child!)

16. She shares my childhood memories.

17. I can be who I am and she still loves me.

18. It doesn't matter how long we're apart - we always pick up like we saw each other yesterday.

19. She keeps secrets and confidences.

20. She has an iron backbone when she needs it.

21. She's generous.

22. She's a fantastic mom to Roman (my beautiful nephew).

23. The way she encourages her husband and continually works on her marriage inspires me.

24. She loves dessert as much as I do.

25. She strives for excellence.

26. She sings and hums as much as I do.

 

27. She knows what I'm going to say before I say it-

28. But we can still sit up until 3 AM talking.

(Awkward Family Photo, anyone?

 I'm not sure what Santa's deal is 

but I think we're rocking our haircuts and applique pants, don't you?)

29. She loves God and His Word.

30. I don't remember life without her and I wouldn't want to. Those 2 1/2 years must have been boring, lonely ones indeed.

Love you, Lulu. Wishing you the very happiest of birthdays! (Welcome to 30. It's not so bad here.)

Favorite Pins Friday

Lots of lovely things on Pinterest these days (It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!) but here are just a few of my favorites from the past week:

 Source: Reading as Breathing

These are, of course, words I try to live by.

Great free printable, for those of us who are working on the spiritual discipline of taming our tongues (and really, I guess that should be all of us):

Source: Do Not Depart

I think this is a great idea for a narrow entry:

Source: Shanty 2 Chic

Check out this fantastic seat - what amazing fabric!

Source: Apartment Therapy

Two treats I hope to make soon:

Source: Caramel Potatoes

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

So, what are you pinning these days?
Looking for Christmas ideas? I have a board just for that:

Top 10 Worst Christmas Songs

A timely repost from the Candid Diversions archives (December 2011):
There is a common, but unfounded rumor going around that I am addicted to Christmas music. You may have heard this from my {occasionally} grinch-like husband. (Sample dialog: "And they'll sing and they'll sing and they'll sing...")

Just to prove that I do not love Christmas music indiscriminately (because, I think I love wisely and well) here is a list of Ten Songs That The Christmas Radio Station Should NEVER Play Ever Again Because Some Other Songs Are SO MUCH BETTER:

10. Grown Up Christmas List. I don't care if Amy Grant sings it, Vanessa Williams or (even worse!) Michael Buble. Cut. It. Out. The Santa Claus thing is creepy enough ("He sees you when you're sleeping" anyone?) without having a fully grown adult asking Santa for something.

9. Christmas Through Your Eyes. I am not a Gloria Estefan fan. Full stop.

8. All I Want for Christmas is You. Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, Michael Buble (again!), LeAnn Rimes...please remove all versions of this obnoxious song from your Christmas playlists. There are better things to listen to. Like the Emergency Broadcast System tests.

7. Wonderful Christmas Time. I usually love Sir Paul but this song is annoying. It's like part of a cool song but he couldn't think of the rest. And it's annoyingly catchy (witness my children, after hearing it once or twice being repeating "Simply having a wonderful Christmas time," which is essentially the entire song anyway, for the rest of the day).

6.Christmas Time Is Here. One of the most depressing songs of the season, no matter who covers it. And while we're at it, please permit me to remind our local radio station that the Charlie Brown theme song is NOT a Christmas Song at all.

5. Anything by Kenny G. guarantees we will be changing the station immediately. If, in your misspent youth you happened to see Norm MacDonald express his opinion on Kenny G's Christmas music, let me just say I agree completely with Norm. If you don't know what I'm talking about, never mind.

4. Likewise: anything by Johnny Mathis. I particularly dislike when the radio plays his version of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas." Why would you play that when you could play Bing Crosby's version? Or Alvin and the Chipmunks? Yes, even the sped-up, squeaky voices of imaginary woodland creatures is better than Johnny Mathis.

3. Same Old Lang Syne. NOT a Christmas song. This is a depressing song about meeting a former flame ("at the grocery store"), going out together, drinking, and then saying goodbye. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-LA!

2. Christmas Shoes. Depressing. Manipulative. Nonsensical. (Spoiler alert: What was that kid doing in a store by himself anyway? If his mother was so close to dying shouldn't he be by her side?) Truly one of the worst Christmas songs to be released in recent memory. (If you're really looking for an amazing Newsong offering that will give you goosebumps, listen to "Arise My Love" right around Easter.)

And, the worst "Christmas song" (I use quotation marks advisedly here), in my humble opinion:
1. Last Christmas. First off, George Michael is a truly disgusting person. Second of all, this song is whiny, ridiculous, not really about Christmas anyway, and a complete waste of space on the radio. And yet it feels like I hear it every time I walk into any department store to do some shopping. Please, please stop playing this. I'd even take Johnny Mathis over this. It's just that bad.

So, what would make your list?
This post is linked to Top 10 Tuesday at Oh Amanda.
The images in this post are Amazon Affiliate links for demonstration purposes only. I wouldn't want you to actually listen to these songs. Save your ears!