Wednesday tag :)

1. Are you cooking Christmas dinner? How many will be round your table this year? What are you having?  Plans are all hush hush :)  Different to normal :)  Can't wait!!

2. What is one must-have Christmas cookie in your house?  A chocolate assortment tin.  The kind with two layers of cookies :)  Also chocolate fingers :)  Shortbread too :)  

3. Santa likes a glass of milk with his cookies-do you? What kind of milk is on tap at your house-skim, almond, soy, full fat (Gasp!)  I buy a LOT of milk...we buy 2% milk and the kids drink a lot of it - I also buy chocolate milk now and then that we all like.  I like the kids to drink a lot of milk - none of them have weight issues and I think it is important that they get the nutrients form it.  

4. Time magazine recently named its Person of the Year for 2011. This is the person the editors believe has had the greatest impact, for better or worse, in the past year. This year they chose 'The Protester'. Your thoughts? Who would you name person of the year for 2011?  Steve Jobs.  

5. December 21st is National Flashlight Day...when was the last time you needed a flashlight? Did you know right where to find one?  I always know where to find one - but whether they actually work is a completely different matter!!

6. candy canes...yum or yuck?  YUCK - but the kids love them.  That said - I might not like to eat them, BUT I LOVE how they look :)  They are so festive and pretty and I love using them to decorate :)  LOVE them!!!!

7. What Christmas carol lyric means the most to you?   I really like 'Silver Bells'...not sure it's a carol, but it's a song :)

8. Insert your own random thought here.   Today has been FABULOUS :)  

Christmas reading :)

I love a festive themed chick lit book to curl up with over the holidays :)  

This is the one I'm reading this year :)  

....and messages from D about his excitement of Christmas with his boys :)

xxx

This is being LOVED right now :)

Wednesday morning ramblings....

We played dreidel again....what can I say??  They love this game :)  Such a simple game but so loved :)  

We read THIS book:

We also read 'I See Santa Everywhere' again because Sam has decided this is his new favourite book :)  

Sam wrote a book - he drew the pictures and dictated all the words which I wrote for him - he then wrote the title on the cover:

Abby wrote a newspaper front page with a headline story about Christmas and a few other articles - she learned how to use various parts of MS Word including text boxes and adding pictures...saving work etc etc....we have printed out copies of her newspaper for a few people:

Rosie had a busy morning guarding us....at least that is what I think she was doing....

I snapped this last night but it is the way the children have decorated the back door by my chair :)  Love it :)  

Abby practiced her twirling:

I cleaned the kitchen, did two loads of laundry...and basically did all the above with the kiddies.  Oh and started my new book too :)  

After the grey day yesterday, and all the wet snow last night and the big fluffy snow flakes late last night, today is a gorgeous sunny day with bright blue skies - it is even quite warm out again.  Just gorgeous!!  We put the sugar cookie castle out on the bird table this morning and have been enjoying watching the birds eating from it - we kept it whole and its funny seeing Chickadees sitting on a fairy castle :)

Today is the Winter Solstice.  Shortest day of the year and first day of Winter.

A day to think of renewal and letting go of the darkness...

xxx

snap shots and stuff.....

This girl I love:

Sitting in my chair by the Christmas tree and fire, reading and watching the snow fall.  Bliss:

Best friends:

Absolutely:

So true.  I have learned my lesson about this completely and now I relax about everything and enjoy the ride instead :

:)

Thanks to D and J for inspiring Sam with their attacks on poor Frosty!!  He has had his soldiers out again and is looking forward to battling against the boys in the near future:

Today was a great day - first day we've been at home in soooo long - the kids were thrilled to have an at-home day!!  We got caught up on a few things and also did a few Festive crafts.  Played games, read books, computer time, chatted, played, chatted, art, Talked about festivals and cultures...and Sam surprised me with his knowledge of basic fractions already :)  He is so smart at math :)  

Tomorrow we head out to meet friends for swimming and then we have plans for the evening too.  Fun fun fun!  We are having such a wonderful Christmas season :)  

Love my kids so much - I am so lucky to have such wonderful children!  

Tonight I had another wonderful evening filled with laughter and chat with Laurence.  He drove us to and from town (his choice) in not great weather - which was really good practice for him.  He did really well too!  

Susannah made me very proud tonight by her maturity and the way she explained some difficult and upsetting situations with me.  I know she is hurting a lot right now and I love that we can talk so easily with each other.  I admire her so much.  She is a very smart young lady.  Abigail too is very smart for her age.  

I love that children absorb what they see and live and it really doesn't matter what you TELL them, if they don't see ACTIONS, they will soon grow tired of the words.  Children aren't stupid.  They know whether you are making them a priority or not.  They know whether they feel important to you or not.  They KNOW whether they feel wanted and loved and secure or not.  

I am so proud of my children and the young people they are growing in to.  Love them all so much xxx