December 2nd

Lately I have been struggling with the thought of parenting through the holidays.  Kids can't watch Saturday morning cartoons without at least 10 commercials for a slew of new toys.  Every day we get a stack of catalogs in the mail showcasing the latest and greatest must-have stuff.  Every where you look there is a message telling you that you NEED this or that.  It's a lot for an adult to handle, and super overwhelming for a 3 year old.

I feel like the most important thing we can teach Zach is the importance and power of giving to others, especially during the holidays.  Elfie and Santa are helping us spread the message.  Every few days instead of Elfie being all about Zach, he is going to give Zach a task that will help him brighten someone else's day.  Sunday was Elfie's first giving message.  Zach was to call Grandma (Chris' mom) & Mimi (my mom) and tell them how much he loved them.  Before bed we talked about the calls.  He was so proud of himself for making Grandma & Mimi happy.