Christmas Treasures - Lessons from Mary

 

As we get closer to Christmas our thoughts turn towards Jesus' birth. Over the years I have considered different parts of the Nativity. Often wondering what it would have been like for each of the people involved.  There are many wonderful picture books written from a different perspectives. All of which still choke me up year after year at the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This year as I have been wrapped up in the middle of writing a devotional book for mothers, a single verse stuck out in the book of Luke. 

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19

 

My mind has been focused this year on the connection between our relationship with God and how that is reflected in our relationship with our children.

Here we see Mary soaking in everything that has been going on around her. Remembering most likely her visit with the angel Gabriel, her miraculous pregnancy, Jesus birth, and the visit with the shepherds. So much to take in all at once especially having just given birth, and in a stable! God had come down and touched her life very personally. He was real and faithful in His promises. So Mary treasured this moment in her heart. There were no iPhones around to snap a photo. Mary could not even grasp the magnitude of all that had happened. But she knew it was a special moment and this was an incredibly special baby.

As a mom I can relate to Mary. The miracle of birth, even in all the chaos that follows, amazes us as we hold our precious new born. These treasured moments connect us to our little one and the One who created this little miracle.

In the busyness of life do you still take time to treasure moments and think about them?

Do you stand in awe of all God has done in your life? 

Do you pause during your day to be present with your children? 

To savor the moment and take a picture in your mind. There is so much more to remember than a photograph can show. The feelings, the events surrounding that moment and the significant meaning of it all. Some times as mothers we get caught up in the details of life, our to-do lists and work. Time passes all too quickly and we realize we rely on Facebook memories to remember special events in our lives.

Take a lesson from Mary. This Christmas I encourage you to take the time to thank God for all the blessings in your life. Consider the magnitude, wonder and events of the first Christmas. Worship Jesus, who came personally into the world to rescue, love and forgive us. And be sure to pause in the midst of your festivities to enjoy being with your kids. Treasure all these things. Store them in your heart and think about them.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Matthew 6:21

How to Avoid Holiday Overwhelm and Burnout

The Holiday Season has arrived and with this crazy year of COVID-19 and social distancing, it is even more important than ever to care for your mental health.  Lets take a look at how to avoid Holiday overwhelm and burnout.

Here is another article I wrote about Holiday Meltdowns

And one on holiday meltdowns

I've included journaling and reflection questions for you to think about. These are meant to help guide you towards a more joyful peaceful holiday season.

Values and Priorities 

What holiday/celebrations are you wanting to plan for? 

What are your favourite holiday memories? 

Ask your kids about their favourite memories and what they are looking forward to? What are your top activities you want to include? 

Make a must do list and a nice to have list 

Reflect:

What are your priorities this season? (health, connection, faith, mental health, fun) What are your values? 

Overwhelm and Burnout

What causes you the most problems each year around the holidays? 

What are you anticipating to be your biggest struggles this year? 

The most common thing is burn-out. Moms put so much work into making this big elaborate holiday and end up disappointed or feeling sick afterwards. 

1. Limiting beliefs or what we tell ourselves. All the I shoulds and I have to. Let's change to I choose to or choose not to because… 

2. Over scheduling 

3. Self care is forgotten so make it a priority

4. Be at peace with simple, effective and joyful 

Reflect:

What is your list of I should, I have to? Rewrite the list with I choose to, or I choose not to. Take a look at your calendar does it reflect your values and priorities?

Creating a closer connection with your family 

So often the holiday season turns in to a bank account drain, anxiety about gifts and a lack of gratitude/thanksgiving. Remember the real reason for the season, what are your values and priorities. If connection or quality time is high on your list then make sure your calendar and budget reflect that. Look back at your lists from above. What are your big things you are aiming for this season? 

Kids really want you the most. How can you give of yourself and create connection? 

1. calendar of activities (I have a free one for my subscribers)

2. have a theme for the month 

3. create special traditions or rituals 

4. decide what your gifts will be and your mindset towards giving 

5. choose things most of you will find enjoyable 

6. Keep it simple. You can't do it all 

 

Reflect:

What activities do your family enjoy doing most this time of year? What is NOT going on the list?

What are your obligations for work, school, family events?

What traditions, activities, themes etc. do you want to include? Keep it simple.

What is your mindset towards gift giving? 

Boundaries and Meltdowns 

Okay these are two huge topics. I really encourage you to reach out to me if you want to figure out what you will say, write scripts, and roll play if that helps. 

What are your biggest struggles with boundaries and meltdowns/ attitude/ behaviour over the holiday season? 

Boundaries are important. It does take a lot of work sometimes to see both people’s point of view, honour needs and create compromise if possible. But ultimately this is your family and you are in charge of what you let into your lives. 

Remember you are modeling for your children what healthy adult relationships are like. Not everyone has the perfect life, so let’s get real. There are people who are going to push the limits. You need to decide which battles you will take on. Where do you draw the line? 

Pray, get a partner or family on board and be consistent and bold. Brave even. Be sure to respectful and gentle when dealing with others.

 

Meltdowns: Be consistent and keep it simple. Here are some areas to focus on

• Sleep 
• Eating 
• Exercise 
• Expectations 
• Rhythm 
• Overload (crap, toys and such)

• 

During a meltdown 

• Remember this isn’t an emergency 
• You have the right to your feelings (don’t feel bullied) 
• You are the parent, you handle it your way 
• Offer empathy 
• Create or find a safe space 
• Listen to your child 
• Understand that emotions are extra high this time of year 
• Regulate your emotions 
• Try to be consistent from how you are at home in dealing with a meltdown if you are out somewhere 
• Ignore the stares and comments

Reflect: Write about your biggest struggles. Start to craft a plan including what you’ll say.

Success and mindset  

You won’t see change if you don’t do the work.  

What is your vision of success? 

What is your new plan for the holidays? 

Choose Joy

Focus on the bigger picture rather than the small details 

Remember the reason for the season 

Reflect:

What more do you need to work on practically and mentally?  

What questions do you still have? 

What areas are you stuck? 

What is your new mindset? 

What are you going to do to keep that positive mental attitude? 

I wish you all peace and joy this season. 

Balancing working and being a mom- Interview with Lori Ervin

Many moms are juggling working and parenting. It can be a delicate balance some days to make sure that you don't burn out. It takes being intentional about your time and priorities in the choices that you make each day. Join me today on the Joyful Mud Puddles Podcast as I chat with Lori Ervin Network Marketing Specialist all about balancing working and being a mom.

In this episode we talk about:

• How Lori got started in network marketing
• Balancing working and being a mom 
• Being intentional with our time and priorities
• Choice in what we do and our priorities
• Mom guilt and comparison (It's a real thing)
• School choices
• When to get your work done
• Mindset and personal development
• Advice for moms who want to be entrepreneurs
• Treating ourselves as well as we treat our kids (lots on self-talk)
• Holiday Advice

Meet Lori

Hi I'm Lori, I am obsessed with helping women build businesses, on their terms and inside their busy lives. I have been a Network Marketing Leader for over 6 years now, and have helped hundreds of women grow thriving businesses. I now work with female entrepreneurs and women inside the Network Marketing Industry to build online businesses and realize their dreams.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/levelupwithlori

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thisislifewithlori

Website: www.loriervin.com

Huge List of Christmas Countdown Ideas

Anticipation is mounting for Christmas day. Many families like to countdown the days until Christmas in a special way. Advent calendars are hugely popular and there are many other ways to count down...

Christmas Countdown Ideas

1. Treats in a store bought or homemade advent calendar
2. Small items in a store bought or homemade advent calendar
3. Notes of appreciation or love notes
4. Quotes and verses in an advent calendar
5. Holiday surprises (Sparkle stories has a wonderful Holiday Magic series) this involves receiving a daily hidden note with an activity to do.
6. Audio story countdown (Sparkle Stories has several that we enjoy)
7. Wrap 25 books to read one each day
8. Hang a special ornament on your tree each day
9. Jesse Tree - Reading parts of the Bible from Genesis to Jesus
10. Paper chain
11. Move the nativity figures closer to the manger scene
12. Advent Spiral
13. Do a different activity each day as an alternative to treats in your advent calendar. This could involve family activities, crafts, outings, movies and more.
14. Acts of kindness (donate, serve, volunteer, give, help, surprise)
15. Read a portion of the nativity story
16. Learn a new fact around a Holiday theme (check out our unit study ideas)
17. Watch a Christmas movie each day
18. Add pieces to a photo or scene each day
19. Reverse advent by collecting one item to donate each day

What my family is doing

Our family has a nativity set up and a pathway leading to the manger. Each day Mary and Joseph move closer. One each of the Sundays of Advent we add more to the scene. Week 1 rocks and minerals, week 2 plants, week 3 animals, week 4 people. We love seeing the display build up over the month. All the pieces have been lovingly made over the years by the boys and myself or purchased from very special markets.

We really do slow down on homeschooling in December but I like to make sure our focus in on Jesus. I have so many great theme ideas, so I asked the boys to vote on what they'd like to learn about.  This year we are learning about the different symbols you might see around the holidays. We will learn about one symbol a day along with some activity that relates (sort of, hopefully).

Below is a list of what I'm doing with my boys. It isn't in too much detail but there are links to some pages and my Pinterest board. If you'd like to hear more send me a message or follow us on social media.

Symbols of Christmas

Advent 1 – Rocks and minerals – Read part of nativity story 

Last day of November surprise note about our December theme and adventure 

 1. Candy cane – Luke 2:8 also story of Candy Cane, Jesus is our Shepard – candy cane experiments, hook candy canes game 

 2. Wreath – John 19:2 – Crown on Jesus’ head, God’s love never ends -make a wreath 

 3. Angels – angels appeared in several places in Nativity story – make angles out of nature

 4. Candles – Luke 1:79 – Jesus is the light of the world – make candles, go out to see lights 

 5. Bells – ring out to announce the coming of the Lord – play with all our musical instruments

 6. Advent 2 – Add nature, keep reading nativity story

 7. St. Nicholas – Fun symbol, read Santa story book, leave surprises in shoes, leave surprise treats for friends too 

 8. Holly – Matthew 26:28 Blood of Jesus, sharp like the crown, gather nature to decorate house  

 9. Fir tree – John 3:16 Represents eternal life and points to God – set up the tree 

 10. Star – Matthew 2:2 Star above Bethlehem – make origami or paper stars 

 11. Colours – red is blood of Christ, green is everlasting, gold symbol of royalty – art work, get out all our supplies, sensory bin

 12. Caroling – Luke 2:13-14 – listen to music- watch video about story behind a song, dance party 

 13. Advent 3 – add animals, read about shepherds in nativity story

 14. Christmas Crackers – read about them, how are they made, buy or make some. 

 15. Ornaments – make some ornaments, 

 16. Cookies and food – make cookies, try some Christmas food from a bakery 

 17. Cards – read about cards, make cards for friends 

18. Poinsettia – tell story of poinsettia, visit garden centre 

 19. Gifts – Matthew 2:11 – gift of the magi – wrap presents and go shopping 

 20. Advent 4 – Add people, read about Jesus

 21. Spiral, Winter – make our own spiral, read about spiral, maybe invite friends 

 22. Mistletoe  - read, find some silly Christmas games - new game  

23. Nativity scene – watch a movie, read a different perspectives 

 24. Stockings – tell a story about stockings, set out ours, Christmas eve gift to open

What does your Advent calendar or holiday count-down look like?

For more ideas check out my Pinterest board 

Holiday Season Unit Study Ideas

Many families slow down on their school work over the holiday season. But you don't need to completely stop (unless you want to, which is totally okay too). Here are some fun themes you could learn about or play around with. How deep you go is really up to you. You could even incorporate these themes into an advent calendar.

Holiday Season Themes

1. Different Names of Jesus or God

2. Holiday book novel study

3. Different winter celebrations and holidays

4. Holiday traditions around the world

5. Winter weather unit

6. Animal adaptations and how they survive (including hibernation, migration and adaptation)

7. Holiday symbols and what they represent

8. Study the story or history behind select Christmas carols

9. Christmas or holiday foods from around the world

10. Children's picture books, book study or even write your own

11. Jesse Tree - move through the bible from Genesis to Jesus

12. Character study of different people from the Nativity

Where to get materials? 

I'm not affiliated to any special sites. I keep it really simple and use what I find online. Others have put a lot of thought and work into creating fabulous materials. Sometimes I'll get a flash of inspiration and come up with my own ideas. I'm not one for spending too much on new curriculum or books but these are sites we like:

Teachers Pay Teachers

Pinterest

YouTube and Google

Local Library

This year I asked my boys what they wanted to learn about. After choosing their favourites from the list we settled on Christmas symbols and their meanings. You can Check out my Pintrest Board Here.

What activities do you do for a Holiday Unit?

This really depends on your own personal goals and priorities for the Holiday Season. I always recommend keeping things simple and focused on creating connections.  That said there are lots of activities you could include depending on your theme:

• Reading books
• Watching related videos
• Write a story
• Cooking or baking related to the theme
• Crafts
• Art projects
• You may find math activities
• Madlibs
• Writing prompts
• Getting physically active
• Sensory play
• Games
• Telling others about what you learn in some way

What is our family doing?

Below is a list of what I'm doing with my boys. It isn't in too much detail but there are links to some pages and my Pinterest board. If you'd like to hear more send me a message or follow us on social media.

Symbols of Christmas

Advent 1 – Rocks and minerals – Read part of nativity story 

Last day of November surprise note about our December theme and adventure 

 1. Candy cane – Luke 2:8 also story of Candy Cane, Jesus is our Shepard – candy cane experiments, hook candy canes game 

 2. Wreath – John 19:2 – Crown on Jesus’ head, God’s love never ends -make a wreath 

 3. Angels – angels appeared in several places in Nativity story – make angles out of nature

 4. Candles – Luke 1:79 – Jesus is the light of the world – make candles, go out to see lights 

 5. Bells – ring out to announce the coming of the Lord – play with all our musical instruments

 6. Advent 2 – Add nature, keep reading nativity story

 7. St. Nicholas – Fun symbol, read Santa story book, leave surprises in shoes, leave surprise treats for friends too 

 8. Holly – Matthew 26:28 Blood of Jesus, sharp like the crown, gather nature to decorate house  

 9. Fir tree – John 3:16 Represents eternal life and points to God – set up the tree 

 10. Star – Matthew 2:2 Star above Bethlehem – make origami or paper stars 

 11. Colours – red is blood of Christ, green is everlasting, gold symbol of royalty – art work, get out all our supplies, sensory bin

 12. Caroling – Luke 2:13-14 – listen to music- watch video about story behind a song, dance party 

 13. Advent 3 – add animals, read about shepherds in nativity story

 14. Christmas Crackers – read about them, how are they made, buy or make some. 

 15. Ornaments – make some ornaments, 

 16. Cookies and food – make cookies, try some Christmas food from a bakery 

 17. Cards – read about cards, make cards for friends 

18. Poinsettia – tell story of poinsettia, visit garden centre 

 19. Gifts – Matthew 2:11 – gift of the magi – wrap presents and go shopping 

 20. Advent 4 – Add people, read about Jesus

 21. Spiral, Winter – make our own spiral, read about spiral, maybe invite friends 

 22. Mistletoe  - read, find some silly Christmas games - new game  

23. Nativity scene – watch a movie, read a different perspectives 

 24. Stockings – tell a story about stockings, set out ours, Christmas eve gift to open

No matter what you choose for your focus this season I do hope it is full of Joy and Peace.

Christmas Reflections

Happy New Year!!  I truly hope that this year is starting off well for you.

How was your Christmas and December holidays?  I'd love to hear all about what you did and how you felt about everything.

After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season ended I reflected on how things went and what I might do differently next year.

This is all I could manage to capture for a Christmas photo

Now don't get me wrong.  I love Christmas and had a wonderful time with my family.  The boys's excitement just makes it all so much more enjoyable.  Oh I wish you could have seen how thrilled TJ was opening his stocking.  It truly made my day.

What I did really like was talking about things before hand with the boys.  We made a list of their favourite Christmas activities and tried to fit them all in.  I also did my best to keep things simple and not to over schedule.  This all went very well. We also kept the gifting simple but perfect for each child.  They were so excited to give each other items they'd specially chosen too.

Another thing I loved was that their toys came alive this year!  No creepy Elf on the Shelf for us. It was just for the fun of it.  I had heard of Dinovember but we don't own any dinosaurs, so our stuffed animals had all the fun. You'll have to check our the FB posts on our page to see all the funny things the toys did for more than a month!! It was super fun at first, but there were some days that I wasn't in to it any more.  Perhaps a shorter time if we do that again.

Toys being silly

What got me thinking was that as Christians, Jesus was pushed aside far more than I'd have wanted.  We didn't really focus on Santa much, but just the silly toy, fun things to do, excitement over gifts and such took our focus away from the reason we celebrate in the first place.

Unless I made some major changes I'm sure this will happen again next year.  As the boys get older I'm sure they'll appreciate and understand more.  I mean they do know why we celebrate Christmas and we do try to focus on that, but...

Baking is so much fun

So I was thinking that maybe before Christmas we could do things as usual.  Just enjoy all the fun holiday activities and excitement that ensues.  But perhaps in the quiet afterwards we could turn towards Jesus and be able to give more attention to him.  I know that many families celebrate Epiphany and so we wouldn't be alone in that.

So what are your thoughts?
How do you balance it all??

 I think it's good to reflect on things. My hubby and I talked a bit too about how things felt a little different this year.  As we get older we recognize that the magic of the season seems more for the kids than us, and that felt oddly noticeable for me this year.  Hmmm...

How did your Christmas go?
Anything you'll be changing up this year?

Snapshots of December

In 2015 my word for the year was JOY.  I wanted to seek more joy in the moments of our days.  I determined to slow life down and savour all that I could.  I think I did well with that, though not consistently.  Something that really helped was the idea of "1000 gifts".  You can look it up, but basically I kept a gratitude journal.  The boys and I benefited a lot from reflecting on things we were thankful for.

Okay so these photos are all out of order and only show some of the fun things that December brought us.  We had some wonderful family get togethers and a lovely Christmas.

Actually aside from the fun, December was a hard one for our family.  Our schedule was all off, sleep was out of whack, no one was eating regular foods... so tension and tempers were high.  We did our best and learned a lot about each other and move forward.  

Hanging out with cousins

Baking cookies.  MJ made one with baby JJ in my tummy

Cookie baking with Nanny

Oh look JJ is on his potty.  He is so good at communicating when he needs to go.

Funny photos.  We posed these guys so often this month

Visiting Santa

We found lots of local festivities

Finally a good photo of the boys

The boys love playing with baby

MJ has a great audience with baby JJ

TJ pretending to be a dog

I love my wild Things

Fun bowling for my birthday!  Yup I'm a New Years Eve baby

So now you may be wondering what my new word for 2016 is?  I have reflected a lot and am going with HOPE!

Want some home right now?  I encourage you to head over to Hope for the Weary Mom and grab one or both books they have written.  They are such an encouragement to me and the new devotional has just been released. (It's awesome!  I got a preview copy and can't wait to read it again).

Don't forget to visit us on Facebook

Our Week: December Catch-up

I just realized I missed writing about one of our weeks.  So here is a little catch-up on what we've been doing.

Some highlights that didn't get photos were walks with friends in the forrest.  We finished up this term's swimming classes (TJ will move up a level in January, while MJ still has a few more thing to complete at his current level).  We celebrated my sister's birthday and my boys made the cake.  Nanny came to watch the boys one day and had fun playing Monopoly Jr with TJ.  We went to a Homeschool Christmas party and had a fabulous time.  And we have been taking care of a friend who is off school this week.  The boys love having her over to play it has been such a blessing.

We started last week with painting more wooden animals.  The boys then played farm most of the week.  We did end up tidying up the farms a little to make the boys room look more manageable. Lots of fun animal adventures have gone on.

TJ also set up a pet daycare using some toys that came down from their cousin.  TJ took excellent care of our stuffies and the boys were very much amused by all the noisy toys for a few days.

I often get inspiration and ideas from other blogs I read.  I tried out a game with our base 10 blocks.  I made a number with the blocks, TJ then made it on the abacus and told me what it was.  We even added a few larger numbers together.  Meanwhile MJ made a corn field with the base 10 blocks and counted how much corn was knocked over by his tractor.  The base 10 blocks also came out again as TJ was experimenting with his bulldozer.  He tried pushing everything including the nativity set.

MJ made a fort that he turned into a store.  We had fun buying things from him.  That day we also sung lots of Christmas carols for fun. 

Both boys have been making interesting Lego creations.  We had one of the boy's friend's over in the morning and they all made Lego cars most of the time.  It was interesting to see how two 4 year olds negotiate and interact.  We are very thankful to have such great friends around us.

One day I suggested that I had an activity for the boys to do.  MJ jumped right in and said he needed to make his craft first.  The boys each made a carwash from a paper bag.  They pretended to wash all their cars.  TJ even announced the opening of his carwash to all the cars around the house pretending his recycled parts airplane was making the announcement over the radio.

We finally got to moving a new load of wood to the font door.  The day the wood was to be delivered TJ went outside to get some fire wood and ran back inside saying there was a furry lump in the wood pile.  I went to check and discovered a racoon camped out at the front door.  He was very stunned and stubborn.  After many attempts to scare it off he finally moved into our shed (not much better but at least away from the front door).  He's moved on since and we moved our wood.

TJ decided to make his own set of tree blocks all by himself.

We also made some birdseed ornaments.  We had to half the recipe because we didn't have too many seeds left.  TJ is amazing with division!  I think the pictures helped a lot.

At our church all the children participated in a family service on the weekend.  The boys were wonderful and remembered all the actions and words for their songs despite being sick and missing many Sunday's for rehearsals.  My mom and dad, sister and brother-in-law all came out to see the boys.  It was very well done.

Later in the afternoon MJ spent ages building a train track and road way from blocks.  We had our old employee over for dinner and the boys were blessed with some new games to play.

A few other random things... While my mom was watching the boys one day, TJ created what he calls a soka-moka kit.  It is a decorate your own socks kit that he made from paper for me!  He later made a pant decorating kit for daddy by tracing his pants onto a large sheet of paper.

TJ and I finished his gift of MJ.  He did most of the work on this needle felted fox.  I gave MJ some suggestions of things we could do for his brother.  He firmly told me he wanted to make a bulldozer lego kit.  So he gathered up some of our lego into a box and wrapped it up for Christmas.

I finally made a second attempt with a shaving cream activity for the kids  (the little girl we are watching wanted nothing to do with this).  I was trying to make dough using shaving cream and cornstarch.  I should have made it up myself then let the kids play with it.  As you can see the boys had fun making a mess, but we ended up throwing most of it out.  I think I'll avoid the use of shaving cream for now on, or only do it in the summer outside near a hose!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone!  We'll be back with some Christmas highlights soon....

Our Week: Very Christmasy adventures

We were very much into the Christmas spirit this week.  On the weekend we went to the local garden centre with a friend to see the live animals and other family activities.  Santa was taking pictures with pets, but he took time to visit with MJ and big doggie (his stuffy friend).  The boys had their face painted, went on a scavenger hunt and bought poinsettias.

MJ came home to 'help' daddy with some building.  He got all his play tools and used them all while daddy was doing some house repairs.

I made multiple attempts to get some lovely Christmas photos of the boys.  I did bribe them a little to sit close to each other.

The boys had an amazing time at their cousin's super hero birthday party.  My niece chose the theme months ago.  My sister incorporated so many adorable details to make this party super amazing!  There were lots of games, masks to make, cupcakes and more!!

Early in the week the boys wanted to play style shop.  They did this often with our daycare girls last year.  MJ wanted to use the hair dryer.  Daddy got a make-over too! TJ brought out his nail polish and the boys had a great time.  Don't they look great.

We had a homeschool party early in the week too.  There were a large number of families, cupcakes to decorate, crafts, games and food.  A perfect party with lovely families.

Moving our advent calendar each day has lead to lots of counting.  The boys wanted to know hoe many days were left until Christmas.  So we brought out the base 10 blocks to help us figure that out.  While TJ was finding his answer, MJ made stairs with the cuisenaire rods.  He later brought the two together to make a tree.  

TJ came up with plans to make a guitar.  It's been fun watching him put on shows and sing to us.

We wanted to spread the Christmas joy to others so the boys went through all our Christmas decorations, and their toys.  We delivered items for free to several families downtown.  

This week we also made some nature inspired decorations.  MJ always does his own thing.  His tree needed to stand up and be added to his small world farm.  He also made a sun.

In our small worlds this week, MJ turned a handmade dish cloth into a hammock.  I brought out a safari themed Playmobil set.  MJ took most of it for his farm while TJ and I have been playing with Safari Sam (the only person allowed in their play at the moment).  Our little Playmobil man has been traveling around the house making movies.  TJ's animals were trying to get up into his Christmas tree.  the bean buckets came out for a bit.  Homemade microphones then turned into volcanoes and mushrooms.  This led to some interesting discussions and stories and research about volcanos and poisonous mushrooms.

We went on a wonderful winter walk with two other families into the forrest by our house.  It was a great opportunity for the boys to get some fresh air. play and explore with other kids.  Snowball fights, negotiations, exploring and lots of fun were had.  So much fun I forgot to take pictures.

I remembered that I had bought some oil pastels from the dollar store.  I set them out with paper and Christmas cards for inspiration.  TJ liked how well these pastels drew, much smoother than crayon and more solid than our chalk pastels.  I started to raw a picture and were all copied elements from each other's drawings as we went along.  This is TJ's house with a snowman and trees.  He's included a fireplace, kitchen counter and two Christmas trees with lights inside the house.  MJ drew a decorated tree inside a house and two trees outside.  One has fallen over (depending on which way you hold the paper). Mine is a house, snowman and forrest.

MJ has had a nagging cough so we missed church.  We were up all night with him and didn't want to get anyone sick.  To end our week we went to a nearby heritage village to see their Christmas displays.  We had a fabulous time.  Horse wagon ride, popcorn, crafts, print making, another visit with Santa and lots of opportunities to explore the old village houses.  The boys got to send a telegraph to the North Pole at the train station and received a personal message back!!  We even dropped in on a concert from a Children's musical group the boys loved when they were younger.

One final trip to close off our week was to outer space!!  My little guys were sitting around seemingly bored.  I suggested a few activities which weren't met with much enthusiasm.  Dressing up always sparks the imagination.  Our space explorers traveled to distant plants, met aliens, discovered some new mushrooms and a space car.

Another wonderful week together.  Learning loving and being together.  

Oh I forgot to mention a new program/game we discovered.  Teach Your Monster to Read is sort of like the Reading Eggs I've heard others talk about, but this is free so we gave it a try.  TJ completed the whole second level of the program in just two days.  He has now gotten as far as you can and is very proud.  He can't wait to go back and keep working on the games which teach sounds, spelling and reading.  MJ is doing well with the game too but finds manipulating the mouse or the tablet more difficult than the game itself.  He plays for shorter bursts and is on the first level of play learning letter sounds and blends along with a few simple words.

Our Week: December week 1

It's December already!!!  The holiday music is on, our house is decorated and we are loving this season.  Thank you for join us to see what we are doing to celebrate advent this year. 

On the weekend we set up our advent table.  You can read more about that here.

After we set up our table, MJ took most of the items off to use for his farm.  TJ got out his cardboard nativity scene he was given a few years ago... MJ became jealous that everyone had a nativity set except him.  So I suggested he make one.  Isn't his baby Jesus adorable!  All the people are toilet rolls and the sheep are egg cartons.

MJ's farm has been out all week and has seen much action.  First he had all our nature table decorations on it with rocks and cards.  He added some peg people to make a nativity along with many animals.  The top right photo is God and Jesus in the clouds that he added in.  I just love to hear his stories.  I think we need to bring that back to our rhythm.

Our advent activities this week went well. Day 1 was to set up our Christmas tree, Day 2 was to decorate glass ornaments, Day 3 was to make cardboard Christmas trees, Day 4 was to write a letter to Santa and Day 5 was to visit Santa and the Train display.

The boys filled glass ornaments with coloured sand, feathers, paint and glitter.  My plan for the trees was to use recycling or paint chips.  TJ had a larger tree in mind which we were able to accommodate.  Our playroom/homeschool room is the first room you walk into at our house.  We set it up this way because it is the most used room.  Now it is the only festive area in the house.  We have at least 4 Christmas trees in here and a few nativities!

I needed a quick distraction at some point during the week.  I remembered I had bought some things for provocations (invitations to play/learn).  A very simple geoboard made of a cork board, push pins and elastics has kept the boys enthralled for a few days.  I hope to demonstrate a few more ideas to show the to keep the idea going.

I noticed once MJ was playing with his Thomas alphabet cards.  He was putting them into his train bucket.  When I inquired he showed me that he had put all the cards with train tracks on them into the train bucket.  The rest remain in the original box.  Later he made a track to play with out of his alphabet cards (only the ones with tracks on them).

Only a few days into the month and our family Christmas tree has lost half of it's decorations.  We only have glass balls and a few special ornaments left.  MJ has been decorating his small tree with everything he could, including a few new ones that he made.

Oh TJ I love your creative imagination!!  He came to us all excited and invited MJ and I to a party he planed in his bedroom.  We followed the sign to the party, which was for his pillow!  TJ had a special toy area for the babies (our stuffed friends) that were being cared for by another toy.  His large frog was helping man the snack area.  TJ even made us each a pinata.  We played games, sang to his pillow and open gifts which he had wrapped up for the occasion.  It was an adorable fun time. 

This week the weather was nicer and we were all feeling better.  I was thankful for some lovely walks in the forrest.  I am looking forward to inviting some friends next week to join us.

At the end of the week we joined one of TJ's friends at the local garden/nature centre.  They have a great train display and crafts set up.  In the evening you could visit Santa's Cabin at the end of a nicely lit path. The boys wrote a quick note to Santa while they lined up.  This is our first year meeting Santa as the boys were not interested before.  TJ was more reserved but joined in when he saw how friendly Santa was with MJ.  Santa asked what they'd like this year and then asked if he would also bering a few surprises.

MJ's note:

Dear Santa,

I love you.  You're the best.

TJ's note: 

Dear Santa, 

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Next week as more fun planed.  Please share what you've been up to......