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Every parent wants to make the Christmas season memorable for their children.  However, surely in our effort to do so that should not mean over extending ourselves in many areas and spending weeks trying to find the perfect gift?

In this time of consumerism, have we forgotten that it is the season of peace and love, and that it is actually memories that we are trying to capture?

Creating your own family traditions
Many of us have memories of special family traditions at Christmas time.  There is no need to feel guilty if your chosen way of celebrating does not include those you grew up with.  Now, with our own young children, we have the opportunity to continue those ones we love, and to nurture new ways to create our own special family traditions for our children to cherish into adulthood.

For me, it is the fond memory of waking up (sometimes very early) on Christmas morning with my older sister and younger brothers, and being allowed to huddle into Mom and Dad’s bed to open gifts from Santa.  On Christmas Eve we would leave a glass of milk and a mince pie out for Santa and come downstairs to find crumbs left on the plate on christmas morning.

Lower your own expectations
How about lowering your own expectations of needing to have everything perfect? Give yourself time for enjoying this special time with those you love.
Even if it is just you and your child, it is the time together and love that you already share that will shape your holiday into great memories.

May I wish you all a Happy Christmas time with many special moments to treasure in your heart.

Now, let’s go play!

Stef Green

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Stef Green is a dedicated mom of two young boys, and publisher of the “Refresh!” e-zine, encouraging and helping moms with young children truly enjoy this challenging yet incredibly rewarding phase of their lives.

VisitStefstation.comand signup to receive your free bi-weekly “Refresh!”, and complimentary Children’s First Aid poster.

Take a moment to think back to the good memories you have of playing as a child.  Was it of jumping in puddles, hiding in a blanket den in the living room with a flashlight, having a picnic snack on the floor with your favorite bears, or another fond memory? and pass it on.

While you are playing your special game with your little ones and sharing your memories, tell them what you remember about this special time when you were little. I feel that our children are so used to seeing us being “all grown up” all the time that it was quite a shock for my 2 year old to hear that I was once little too.

A mood lifting experience
Incredibly, one day while I was feeling drained of energy and just wanting it to be nap time, my son wanted to play ‘my special game’ …  really giving my mood a lift.  So we all climbed into a blanket den, a 2 year old carrying 3 bears and a flashlight, a 10 month old on a mission to eat everything, and me with a few books and a whole lot of new memories to capture.

I can’t make up my mind whether we are showing the children the important things in life or if they are showing us!

Seize the moment
I encourage you to seize these moments when they materialize, amidst the craziness.  You may find time goes by very fast and you wouldn’t want to miss these special moments.

Now, let’s go play!

Stef Green

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Stef Green is a dedicated mom of two young boys, and publisher of the “Refresh!” e-zine, encouraging and helping moms with young children truly enjoy this challenging yet incredibly rewarding phase of their lives.

VisitStefstation.comand signup to receive your free bi-weekly “Refresh!”, and complimentary Children’s First Aid poster.

Isn’t it amazing how so many things end up in unusual places in a normal day with toddlers?

As I walked through the kitchen recently, I spotted a stuffed toy in the sink!  I guess from my 2 year old’s perspective he watches me put just about anything in there!

And then there’s me half completing tasks.  Like putting that really soggy diaper down somewhere while I find a new garbage bag for the garbage can, only to be distracted by an adventurous 9 month old already on the first stair and ready to tackle more.  Two hours later I spot that diaper again!

I tell this story not to scare those of you who still have non-mobile munchkins, but to encourage us all in this battle against the “I must be a supermom” syndrome.  I want to remind us all (myself included) to calm our minds, enjoy the moment, forget the messiness of the house and take time off from tidying to just sit within the clutter, and be in the moment with our little people.

Perhaps we can rescue the stuffed toy from the sink and wrap a hand towel around it and sit down with our toddler to pretend together to dry it’s legs, it’s arms, it’s ears.

How would it feel to allow yourself and your little one to get swept away together for just a few precious moments, transported to the land of imagination where time has no hold on you and where amazing memories are being created.

Now, let’s go play!

Stef Green

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Stef Green is a dedicated mom of two young boys, and publisher of the “Refresh!” e-zine, encouraging and helping moms with young children truly enjoy this challenging yet incredibly rewarding phase of their lives.

VisitStefstation.comand signup to receive your free bi-weekly “Refresh!”, and complimentary Children’s First Aid poster.

No matter what background you come from, or how calm and even tempered you are usually, when staying at home with your children, there may be times when you have doubts, frustrations, even feelings of exhaustion and need some support.

You are giving out so much energy that taking a few 5-minute ’sanity saver’ moments each day to recharge yourself is vital ! If you don’t make an effort to have that time, maybe no one else will ensure that you do.

Make a list of three or four things that you can do in 5 to 10 minutes and think of them as critical to your mental and emotional health.  Write them down, the chances are in that moment when you need a ’sanity saver’, you may not remember what they are.

Being at home on your own with young children can be quite isolating and feelings of loneliness can creep in.

Why not pick up the phone and connect with a friend or go for a walk to the local park and chat to another mom, the chances are, she is probably feeling the same way.

Often my most encouraged and inspired moments have been while chatting to another mom in our local shopping mall while my two young children played with the toy trains.

That simple act of connecting with another mom, and knowing that you are not alone in your exhaustion, is often enough to make you feel a little better. Chatting with other moms can also provide a fountain of different ideas and sometimes be a great source of information about your local area.

You are doing an amazing job of parenting these new little people and your children look up to you for so much.  See it from their eyes, you are their hero.

The comforting, the fun and the caring you show them today will last them forever.  They are learning from every little thing in their daily life that happens around them.

What are you teaching them today?

Let’s go play

Stef Green

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Stef Green is a dedicated mom of two young boys, and publisher of the “Refresh!” e-zine, encouraging and helping moms with young children truly enjoy this challenging yet incredibly rewarding phase of their lives.

VisitStefstation.comand signup to receive your free bi-weekly “Refresh!”, and complimentary Children’s First Aid poster.