I had to pop in real quick and say Merry Christmas!
The boys probably woke up at 4:00 am (precisely 2 minutes after Mr. B. and I went to bed – ha!), but I cannot wait to see their little faces light up with excitement over what’s under the tree.
I’m just going to be honest with you and confess that this week was a tough one in our home! With the boys and me being home from school and work – and no one getting enough sleep – there have been lots of challenging pockets filled with impatience, unkind tones of voices, and frustration.
On top of that, I got a UTI, Mr. B. and Jethro have colds, I ran out of wrapping paper, forgot to pick up Mr. B’s Christmas Eve clothes from the dry cleaner’s, made some pork chops that were truly terrible, and we ended up forgoing a special yearly holiday tradition because the boys had been behaving so poorly.
I haven’t felt very merry or Christmas-y. In fact, I have felt discouraged and disappointed! I just want everyone to be happy and for things to be easy!!!
Then we got to church last night for Christmas Eve services and the Lord knocked me over with the words of a song we sang called Prince of Heaven…
We can know Him, this Prince of Peace
In light of mercy, confess our sin
Lay our burdens at Jesus’ feet
And with gladness sing…
Because of Christmas, we can know Him. When we are discouraged and disappointed and wondering where in the world we are failing – we can lay our burdens at Jesus’ feet. We can take it all to Him and know in faith that He will (and already has!) care for every detail. This beautiful grace is what causes our hearts to respond with a deeply satisfied gladness.
One of my new favorite things that I learned about the Christmas story this year was that God was quite purposeful in choosing a manger for the Lord to have as his first bed. A manger was a feeding trough for animals – a place where animals could gather and find satisfaction for their hunger. When Jesus was placed in the manger, it was as if God was giving us an invitation to come, taste and see that He is good.
Are you hungry for peace? Joy? Contentment in the midst of difficult circumstances and the hard work of training kids? Me too. I will meet you at the manger and we can find those things together in Christ.
And could you bring some wrapping paper with you? I need it. 🙂
Words cannot express how I feel about you, my sweet followers! You are all so kind and encouraging and your support blesses me more than you will ever know. Thank you for being a part of the Happy Home Fairy community.
May He bless you this Christmas as you seek Him at the manger!
Joyfully,
Julie (and the fam!)
Melissa
December 25, 2017 at 8:20 amMerry Christmas! I also live in south Florida- and am a proud mommy to four, and a blessed wife to my hubby of 24 years—-and I love the real ness and authenticity of this particular blog:) In a world of the ” mommy wars” and constant comparing it is refreshing when we as moms, wives , sisters, friends- and children of God can KEEP IT REAL! Life is hard, kids are challenging , but thank God for Jesus!
Christmas is tough- thank you for encouraging and your transparency!
Merry Christmas!
Gail
December 25, 2017 at 8:27 amMerry Christmas sweet mama. I always am grateful for your honesty and willingness to be transparent. You are a model of strength and hope to many struggling young mother’s. May God continue to use you for His good purpose and may He bless you abundantly in the process as you grow.
Amy
December 25, 2017 at 9:33 amLove love love! Thank you for sharing!
Laura Conklin
December 25, 2017 at 10:43 amI also appreciate your honesty and sharing that we don’t always have perfect experiences this time of year, but out Lord is perfect and give us peace in our hearts.
Chela
December 25, 2017 at 11:03 amThank you I needed this today. Blessings!
Rebekah Francisco
December 25, 2017 at 12:12 pmThank you for this Christmas message it blessed me!! My family is going through a hard time as we are doin Christmas without my sweet grandma and it is very hard. I took care of her for the last 8-9 years. I miss her daily.
Autumn Leopold
December 25, 2017 at 3:01 pmMerry Christmas Julie! Your week sounds like ours! Hope it gets better!
Warmly,
Autumn
Elizabeth Wooten
December 25, 2017 at 6:08 pmBless you, Julie! Thank you for the reminder!
E
December 25, 2017 at 10:40 pmBeautiful! Thank you for sharing. I was having some of the same feelings about Christmas this year… annoyed with my hubs, frustrated with kids and four myself thinking, I cannot be the only mom that doesn’t have a merry heart at this time. Thank you for blessing me with your sweet words of encouragement!
ada
December 26, 2017 at 1:43 amGod Bless you and your family!
I have been doing research on preschool activities for the children in school, and came across your blog.
Love how you kept it authentic and simple (and free) for us.
I am not a mother yet, but is relying on the Lord to provide on his good time.
Hence, reading about your postings on your boys makes me very happy.
sue olson
December 26, 2017 at 8:05 amHi Julie! Merry Christmas to you and your family! My daughters are older now, 17, and 20, but I remember the younger days and wrapping presents at 2 in the morning! Holidays can be extra tough, I think maybe because people are expecting them to be extra good! So everybody is kind of hyped up, and not always on their best behavior – and kids can feel that, and act out, just when you’re hoping they will be easier to deal with, not harder! I love how you got inspiration during your Christmas service – thank you for your lovely thoughts! I do have a suggestion about the wrapping paper! I’m not great at being crafty, but luckily, I have daughters who are good at creating homemade stuff! And I had a friend who once showed me how to make wrapping paper with paper bags – my children were smaller then – maybe 10 or so, and I think it was for a birthday party, but it’s pretty simple. You could even get your kids to help, and make it a fun project, if you have time enough. I think some of the ideas of homemade wrapping paper should work for christmas as well, or any time that you are in a pinch and run out, as has happened to me many times! Here are some links to some articles I looked up, which explains the details, and also gives you several other suggestions for homemade wrapping paper! http://www.diynetwork.com/made-and-remade/make-it/quick-and-easy-diy-christmas-wrapping-paper and https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/24/wrapping-paper-alternatives_n_5983298.html – I hope its ok to post links! I don’t post comments much, so am not up on all rules! My own time is pretty tight, working and going to graduate school, juggling my two almost grown up and grown up daughters, my 82 year old mom, and my church family, so I always appreciate a quick link to look stuff up! And of course, the support of other moms on the way with helpful tips that helped me out when I needed it most!
Thanks for sharing your story and your inspiration! Many blessings to you and your family for a wonderful Christmas and a blessed new year to come!
Joanna
December 27, 2017 at 7:25 pmHi Julie,
I still love your blog and look forward to reading your posts! May you continue to feel encouraged and blessed this next year! Take care!
Joanna