New Year's Resolutions

1. Well...one resolution would be to actually post on the blog! I was waiting to give others a chance to post but I might be the only true blogger in the house :-) So I will put together a post once a week minimum to see how that goes! I think that it might end up being some interesting cultural news for an American family multigenerational living experiment--expect we really don't have enough drama to be that interesting...

2. The biggest resolution in the family tree is to get stuff out of storage and to declutter our lives together. We have made great progress on this in 2011 but it's time to let go of all that stuff collecting dust and costing us money every month! We are going to be out of storage by the end of January! Even if we do not always all live together, I think the cost of keeping storage will out pace the true value of the c**** I mean precious heirloom junk in our storage shed. I can hear my grandmother yelling at me from heaven--"Throw it away! Why do you still have my old dishes???!!!".. Because I love and miss you grandma and I have this strange thing where I grow emotionally attached to stuff (I am starting to think I inherited this from father.... can we say 'pool table'... ha! Love ya Dad!) But really, there are only two things I miss from storage that I know are there--my nativity set (so sad we didn't find it in time for Christmas!) and the mixing bowls from my grandmother (I know, I know but I did get rid of the blue dishes so just let me have the mixing bowls..!) Oh, just thought of one more thing--the picture of Cripple Creek which has a lot of wonderful childhood memories tied into it, but that's it! I have boxes and boxes of books and I have no idea which ones they are (although I could look at my hand iPhone app which would tell me, but... it's not like I am at lack of things to read)

3. Enjoy our new puppy! Lola is wonderful and she does a good job of getting us outside a LOT! We are looking forward to training her to be the most well behaved dog on the planet and she is well on her way!

Ok.. well that is a good start to a list and perhaps once family study time resumes in a week I can gather other resolutions from other parts of the family tree!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! And May you know the grace and love of God throughout your days in 2012!
~L

Highs and Lows

Life in our family tree is not one where we are all together ALL the time. For example, this past week we had people in Breckenridge and Tacoma,WA and Bar Harbor, Maine! We do though (when states don't separate us!) make an effort to have dinner together. I plan meals out for a week, people write on the central calendar their meetings, dates, etc. and whoever is home gathers to eat. Most of the time during the week it is all six of us at the family table (as a side note, it's WAY more fun to cook for 4 adults than just 2 and the kids are learning to like more foods because I don't just pick things I know they like!)

So whomever is gathered for dinner participates in Highs and Lows. First we say grace (often our standard "Come Lord Jesus" but we have a prayer dice to roll too and sometimes the Holy Spirit blows and we have a free form prayer--that's happened like twice :-)!) Then we go around the table and share our high and our low of the day. The kids started another tradition of 'popcorning' so that after our turn you get to 'popcorn' someone to go next. JEB, the 7 year old, likes to go first so that then he can popcorn his Mama and the Abby claims that 'no one every popcorns her'... but we hear her highs and lows every day so SOMEONE must popcorn her! (see we now we have inside jokes about dinner, it's great!)

When we started this, I could tell the Papa was a little skeptical. Yet it has turned out to be a great way to check in with each person and to know what is going on in their lives. The children no longer think that the adults sit around a play on the computer all day and think up chores for them to do--they hear about our day and we hear about theirs. They participate in the family wholly as who they are but not as the only place where attention is paid giving them a sense of who they are in the larger family and larger world. Now, after a year, the Papa is the one who makes sure we do highs and lows even we are not at home for dinner. One night we were all going to a BBQ at a friends house and so we did highs and lows in the car on the way there!

This is not a new concept nor is it something that is unique to our family or to a multigenerational household. I highly recommend this practice in your own home (we do have people who visit our home at dinner join in as well!). It is a connection point that is simple and fun and makes it so that we are not just six people existing together but six people who know and care about how each one experiences daily life. Try it... you just might like it!  

~L

Life in Our Family Tree

The family tree is an image that can makes us think of our lineage... those who have gone before us and those that will come after us. I can picture clearly a gift my grandparents were given one Christmas that was a small wood carved tree with little apples all over it to hang on the wall. I loved seeing my name there next to my parents and siblings. It is picture of belonging to something that has branches and life and roots and fruit.

Now the family tree image has a different meaning for me because I have the opportunity to live IN the family tree... let me explain. For one year now my husband and I along with our two children have moved into the home that formerly held just my parents. The reason for moving in was a sudden job change (i.e. no job for me!) and a need to get our kids in school and have a place to live (our house sold...which was great.. and then not so great!) The reason for moving in was stressful and sad and not really something that I look back upon with fondness.

HOWEVER... despite the reason, despite living in a culture that prides itself on children leaving home by 18, despite an initial feeling of inadequacy to provide for myself, despite the repetitious question of 'when are you going to move out' that we get from others, despite the knowledge that my grandmother just might be turning over in her grave, despite all the ifs, ands, and buts of living in a multigenerational household... we have more than survived and instead lived a beautiful year of blessings, surprises, and gifts that come from being a family with three generations all in the same place.

So here we are with a blog! A way to share our story and our family and our life with others! We hope to share stories, facts, and inspiration for exploring your own family tree!

~L (the Mom/Daughter/Wife of the home!)