Tag Archives: Calendar

Marking the Calendar

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What do you have on your calendar you’re looking forward to?

A vacation? A child’s recital, performance, sports event or graduation? A bbq, party or upcoming event?

When my boys entered school, the calendar became more important—when there were breaks, not breaks, and everything in-between. Our family has lived by the calendar (mainly the school calendar) for the past 15 years (K-12) between our two boys.

There is a part of me that loves the calendar — putting fun events/trips/performances down so we have visibility as we near the date. Of course, the calendar also holds doctor’s appointments and meetings. It’s not all fun stuff.

I’m mindful as the school year nears to a close (our school district goes thru mid-June) that the days of us being tied to the school calendar will come to an end. Bitter-sweet. Bitter since that part of our parenting journey will be over, but sweet in that we’re no longer tied to that calendar.

We’ll still be marking our calendar (think we’re in the habit now), but it’ll be much more sparse and likely a reminder of time passing and are kids becoming adults. Gulp.

What role does the family calendar play in your household?

Advent Calendar

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What are you most looking forward to today? Or tomorrow?

Often we move through life without noticing anything in particular we’re looking forward to. While most look forward to the holidays, perhaps gifts, and seeing friends and family, coming across an advent calendar reminded me of the smaller, but needed joys, we have access to daily.

When my boys were young I stumbled across Lego advent calendars. I recalled the joy I had as a child opening a simple paper door awaiting to see the picture inside. Now Lego was making them? I couldn’t resist getting them for my boys. Each advent calendar had a different theme (one city, one movie). Behind each door revealed a small surprise — a simple-to-put-together object such as a tree or mini figure. Every morning my boys would rush to the table eager to find what would be revealed that day.

It reminded me of unseen joy that might lay ahead. How life doesn’t give us physical advent calendars for the entire year, but they are there if we allow ourselves to see them, and figuratively (and sometimes literally) open the door. Meeting a new friend, noticing beauty in nature, sharing time with a pet, are a few examples of things that can happen for any of us any day. It’s just seeing the “door” and allowing yourself the opportunity to find the joy.

My boys are too old for advent calendars now, or so they tell me, but they’re not too old to find something to look forward to every day — whether it’s in the form of gratitude, anticipation, or the unknown. Each day there is an opportunity for us to “open” the door with anticipation and looking forward to. The “prize” might not reveal itself right away, but I’m betting with some reflection the “gift” of the day will ultimately reveal itself.

How do you approach each new day? How are you helping your child see the ‘gifts’ around them?