Many Christians celebrate Advent. Advent is the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Its name comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming”. In Western Christianity, the season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday prior to Christmas Day, or the Sunday which falls closest to November 30, and lasts through Christmas Eve, or December 24.
There are some wonderful Advent traditions to share with your family. We are all busy, so the simpler the better. It’s easy to get caught up in the shopping and preparations that can distract from the true meaning of the season. Children get excited about creating things, and doing crafts or special activities which bring their focus back to Christ is a perfect way to keep them centered less on the “holiday” and more on “Christmas”.
Here are four activities we do in our family every Advent to help keep Christ in Christmas:
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I am writing this in the airport waiting for our return flight from Florida, where my husband (James) and I got away for four days. While there, we fit in some exercise. James is not the exercise enthusiast that I am, but he does like to run and is wonderfully supportive of me and my fitness “habits”. So while we were away, I ran three times (twice with James along Beach Road in Jupiter with beautiful ocean views, and once by myself for 8 hot, humid, and flat miles). I also went to a Kettlebell/TRX class taught by a friend, Josephine Bunn. Technically James and I did this together, since he dropped me off, went to Dunkin Donuts, and brought me coffee and a donut after the class (as I said, he is very supportive). Of course without our children with us, it was easy and fun to fit in a few workouts while on vacation. However, this is not our typical vacation (it was the first time we have gotten away for more than an overnight in 22 years). The other 99% of the time that we get away our children are with us. Yet, I still manage to squeeze in fitness most of the time. So with summer fast approaching, and the start of family vacations, I am sharing five ways to fit in a workout while away…or not! 
There is really only one thing to say on this day, and that is “Thank you”. Thank you to all the men and women who died serving this great nation of ours. Thank you to all of our military, both living and deceased. Thank you to those who are in foreign lands serving at this moment. Thank you to all of our retired veterans. Thank you to those in military training who will serve our country in the future.
A few weeks ago I wrote about not having enough time in my 9-kid weekend to squeeze in a workout. Yesterday I had the advantage, however. No soccer games! No swim practices! Nothing at all on our schedule. A highly unusual thing, to be sure. You bet I took advantage of that! I was able to ride the exercise bike, lift a few weights while doing so (read a book too!), then go for a five mile run with my friend, Susan. I figured I needed to cram it all in…I don’t know when I will have another “luxurious” weekend with no sports on the calendar. About an hour after we finished our run, a huge rain storm swept in. Nice timing! I even got a walk in last night with my sister, Elizabeth who just got in from California for a week-long visit… Anybody else have it so good this weekend?