And the Tradition Continues…

A couple of years ago, we started a new tradition at my house. It’s tough to find something that everyone in the house might enjoy doing together, so I thought it might be fun to create ornaments with my kids for our Christmas tree. One year, we bought wooden snowflakes and covered them in glue. Then we decorated them with different colors of glitter. It was a mess, but a lot of fun! This year we did a variation of this by using pinecones and applying glitter to them. I bought red ribbon to hang them with and they turned out great! It doesn’t have to be anything quite as messy, though. You can buy pipecleaners to create anything from candy canes to snowflakes. My kids aren’t old enough to help me with this yet, but I’ve also created fabric ornaments that give the tree a “country” feel. This is a tradition that has been fun for my family and I hope you try it, too. You might be surprised how talented your family is at creating these memorable ornaments!

Posted by Kari, Designer of Dots – Graphic Designer

Cherish your blessings during the Holidays

Well, it’s almost Christmas. Which for me is a time to get truly nostalgic. So here it goes . . . I have two children, Cody (7 1/2) and Kylie (5 1/2). It seems like only yesterday that they were babies. I feel so fortunate and blessed to have them both in my life, especially since I had two miscarriages, one before each of them were born. I can’t tell you how scared I was that I would never be able to carry a child. Fortunately, I was blessed with two of the most creative, intelligent, beautiful, and most importantly, loving children I could ever hope for. Every day presents a new challenge. I may complain about some of the crazy things they do and joke about the chaos that is my life since they arrived, but the truth is I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Every day they come up with such a unique and innocent perspective on life that I can’t help but smile:) Last week, for example, we were getting ready for the day when the fun started. My son has always been interested in the weather, especially since he had just had a snow day the day before:) Cody went into my bedroom and turned on the TV, and Kylie, of course, had to come tell on him. (Siblings, gotta love them) It was Cody’s response that threw me for a loop! He said, “Kylie, I am just watching Miss NBC.” Clearly, I was confused by what he was saying, so I had him repeat it. At that point I realized that he meant MSNBC. It took everything in me to not laugh out loud. It’s small moments like this that make me beam:)

It is so easy to get caught up in the adult world, so I’m very grateful that I have them to bring me back to reality. So, this is just my word of advice to any parent trying to get through this holiday season. As you go about your holiday shopping and the chaos it brings, try to remember the little, magical moments in your life that make every day a blessing:) Happy Holidays!

Posted by Kari, Designer of Dots – Graphic Designer