51/52: Baby Fountains and Gap-Toothed Grins

50/52: Orange Slices and Eyeball Cookies

Get Your Girls Praying: Be Yourself Journal

My friend Amy wrote a really sweet book a couple years ago. I was so excited by the concept, but knew my oldest daughter wasn't quite old enough for it, since she was 6 and also hated writing (the book was a journal, but there's way more than just writing activities in it). Gradually Cecilia got older and I decided to give the journal a try - she loved it! At 6, she was definitely too young. At 8, she was just right! And lo and behold, seeing her use the journal made her younger sisters get a little jealous, wishing for their own copies!

49/52: Advent-ish

48/52: Lucy at the Piano & Thanksgiving

47/52: Piano Playing and Teeter Go Round

Taming the Present Obsession: The Christkindl Tradition

Last year we got tired of the obsession with presents the kids developed every November and December. Moving our family gift giving to Epiphany helped quite a bit, but there was still an unhealthy preoccupation with getting more STUFF and focusing on that and that alone, much to the detriment of all the rich traditions that accompany the seasons of Advent & Christmastide. My husband wanted to quit giving presents altogether!

Before resorting to that, though, we decided to try something different...