decor

Peace in Party Decor

/ KimberlyEmilia / Leave a comment
Photo by Natalie on Pexels.com

LM2 turned 6 this year (where did the time go? I don’t know, but I thought I put it in my freezer next to the pistachio ice cream) and with the upcoming birthday, he wanted to decorate the house.

I’m not really into this. Cheap party decor…..hmmm. While I loved decorating my house, I’m not one for clutter. I don’t love hanging things on the windows or the walls. I like my house stark. I like a little echo. Like a museum.

In spite of my personal preferences, LM2 came to me 5 days before his birthday and said, “Mom, can we decorate for my birthday? Please?”

Well, that face. That little, perfect face, you know how this went…

I realize we could have made things to hang on the walls. I could have bought a pack of streamers for $3 and called it a day. But, no. We went to Party City (which seems to have gotten a little facelift!) and I let him choose a theme. Then we went bonkers. We purchased:

  • a birthday sign
  • 12 ceiling danglers
  • a balloon centerpiece
  • a tablecloth
  • cups
  • napkins
  • plates

ALL in Minecraft theme….

This little guy felt like the most spectacularly special guy in creation. And you know what? He just might be. All our kiddos are, aren’t they? Birthday weeks are special. Especially at this age. I can’t tell you how much joy and peace it brought to go a little nutty at the Party City in Exton.

He really wanted a whole bunch of balloons. I tried to explain that when balloons fly away, they end up in an ocean or some other body of water– and that hurts the wildlife. But LM2 had me on this point, too.

“What if we get a balloon, like, on a stick, and then it can’t fly away?”

What happens when you can’t think of a solvent argument for your almost-6-year-old? You buy the balloon on a stick for $2.50.

We giggled and went home and decorated and giggled some more. LM2 enjoyed his decor for the length of the weekend and then he asked if we could hang the decorations in his bedroom. I said yes to that, too. And I reminded myself to remain peaceful about it. Because a little clutter is just fine when it’s someone’s birthday, amiright?

What brought you peace this week? Share the peace!

Peace in Surrender

/ KimberlyEmilia / Leave a comment
Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels.com

I sometimes think of myself as a recovered perfectionist. I still like things to be just so. But there are plenty of things I have learned to let go, too.

An example of this would be our Christmas tree. I let it go.

Everyone knows the ornaments should be spaced evenly. They should be evenly distributed on the branches and organized somewhat by size and texture (too many shiny ones in the same spot is no bueno). Spacing looks nice. It makes the tree twinkle. And from a practical standpoint, it ensures the tree won’t topple over.

But this year, we did something different. No, it wasn’t a change-up in the musical selection: it’s Chipmunks Christmas for ornament hanging, ALL THE WAY!

Our change up was this: I didn’t hang any ornaments. And I didn’t bark suggestions. I let the kiddies do their thing.

They ran all around that sweet little tree (shout out to Bernard’s Tree Farm in Honey Brook) while Dad and I sat back to watch.

Oh, the splendor! It was so fun to watch the kids in all their glory. They asked about the ornaments they didn’t know stories for. They regaled us with the stories they did know:

  • “This was my baby ornament!” LM1 said
  • “This is my dinosaur!” LM2 said
  • “This one has my name!” LM3 said

It was great to see the children in charge. They were so joyful and I wondered if there had been a time in the past when this experience was marred by my insistence on perfection.

Did I stop their process? Did I question their spontaneous crafting? Did I prohibit the fun with my own need for a tree to look a certain way? (I mean, seriously, it’s just a tree, right?)

I’m sure the answer to many of those questions is YES.

But this year, I felt nothing but peace. I breathed and watched and enjoyed watching something I’ve never paid enough attention to. Presence and spendor. Finding calm and laughing and feeling the joy in the room.

What brought you peace this week? Share the peace!