On the Twelfth Day of Parenting - Parenting Highlights of the Year

Hello and thank you for hopping over from The Newby Tribe and welcome to the 12th day of #12DaysOfParenting. Today's sponsor is Gitte Winter Graugaard who is offering a copy of The Children’s Meditations In my Heart and the theme is Parenting Highlights of the Year and 2018 Wishes. My keyword to enter today’s giveaway is in this post below, good luck! Full details of the #12DaysOfParenting terms and conditions can be found on the #12DaysOfParenting page and all entries are to be completed via the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

2017 has been a creative year. 

B has blossomed in her drama group, showing herself to be a funny and talented little actress. Her grasp of accents is impressive, and her comic timing is wonderful. She has also progressed in Jiu jitsu and will be moving up from the Tots to the Juniors class in the new year. If you haven’t seen her for a while, she’ll be somewhere curled up, reading. She reminds me of myself. A total bookworm. She’s worked her way through the Roald Dahl collection several times, and often finishes a book and goes straight back to the start to read it again. I think she’s read Matilda eleven or twelve times now. Enid Blyton is a new arrival to her reading pile, as she recently discovered the Magic Faraway Tree and Wishing Chair books. She’s also a Shakespeare fan, thank goodness, and has made her way through the Andrew Matthews and Tony Ross Shakespeare stories. 

M is my wild child. She’s stubborn and hilarious and sharp and clever. She knows her own mind and there’s no chance of changing it for her. She’s become quite the little Street Dancer. Street Dance suits her because she’s sassy and confident. She and A are thick as thieves - he laughs at everything she does. Her drawing is coming along beautifully. I love to see her creations; they are sure to make me smile. She is learning to read, though her ability to memorise a book very quickly makes it tricky to know whether she’s reading the words or just reciting them. I know it will eventually come together though, and she’ll do it all in her own time. We Jiu jitsu is coming along nicely too. I like to watch her and B sparring and practicing their breakfalls together. 

We’ve watched A grow into a funny little boy, who is on the verge of walking full time, though he much prefers to crawl and climb. He still has very little hair and is working on his 9th and 10th teeth. He adores his sisters and they make him laugh. He signs ‘dog,’ ‘duck,’ ‘chicken,’ ‘milk,’ ‘finished,’ ‘hurt,’ ‘baby,’ and ‘friend.’ He loves to blow kisses and say, “Hiya!” when he sees someone he loves, or “Hello!” if he hears a phone ring. Still no “Mama” though “Dad-Dad,” “Gamma,” and “Ganda” are frequently heard. Especially “Ganda,” as no one else gets a look in when Granddad is around. A loves Granddad to the point that he will throw himself to the floor dramatically when he gets up to leave. 

Highlights of this year have been:

• A’s first swim, when we went to Center Parcs in January
• A project on the Stone Age in February
• A’s baptism in March
• B’s first drama performance, a small play of Aladdin, in April. 
• B’s history quiz and M’s Spanish quiz, written for Nannie’s birthday party in May. 
• M’s first Dance performance in June. 
• A learning to climb the stairs in July. 
• A trip to the story museum, and B’s Lego Birthday party in August. 
• Our first Camping holiday in September. 
• A’s 1st Birthday, and finding out we’re expecting number 4 in October. 
• M’s Monster Party, and the arrival of our nephews in November. 
• B’s Christmas Drama Performance, M’s Christmas Dance Show, snow, and number 4’s first scan in December. 

Looking ahead to 2018, I’m wishing for an easy and relatively unstressful pregnancy, especially after the negatives of the last one. We’re looking to relocate, so I’m hoping that will be as easy as it can be, and that we’ll find a great Home Ed community to be a part of. I’m looking forward to seeing the children bloom and flourish, to see more of their creativity, and to hearing A begin to talk. I’m wishing for more patience and energy and socialisation for myself too. 

And we wish you all a very merry and peaceful Christmas and a New Year full of every joy. 

Today’s Codeword is: SNOWMAN

If you would like to read another post and gain another entry, then head over to Me and B Make Tea for their take on Parenting highlights of the year and 2018 wishes.

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On the Eleventh Day of Parenting - 12 Ways Parents Can Relax This Season

Hello and thank you for hopping over from The Newby Tribe and welcome to the 11th day of #12DaysOfParenting. Today's sponsor is Plyt who are offering a Plyt Board Game and the theme is 12 Ways Parents Can Relax This Season. My keyword to enter today’s giveaway is in this post below, good luck! Full details of the #12DaysOfParenting terms and conditions can be found on the #12DaysOfParenting page and all entries are to be completed via the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Parenting is can be stressful. Christmas is stressful. Put the two together and it's a recipe for a full on grown up meltdown.

I'm not very good at relaxing. There is always something to do, and if I stop, it's probably because I've fallen asleep. So it's not really hypocritical of me to try to tell you how to relax - I'm talking to myself as well!

I asked my best friends and the Hubby to help me with this post. I'm in too deep to see the way out of this stress hole my children have dug me into. The perspective my friends gave me was sorely needed.

So, without further ado, here are our 12 relaxing ideas for parents at Christmas:

On the Eighth Day of Parenting - Our Favourite Christmas Books

Hello and thank you for hopping over from Me and B Make Tea and welcome to the 8th day of #12DaysOfParenting. Today's sponsor is Learning Resources who are offering an 8 pack set of playfoam and the theme is Blogger's Choice. My keyword to enter today’s giveaway is in this post below, good luck! Full details of the #12DaysOfParenting terms and conditions can be found on the #12DaysOfParenting page and all entries are to be completed via the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.


I mentioned the other day that we have a Christmas bookshelf, and we add books every year. I'm often on the lookout for new and interesting Christmas books, so I thought a few suggestions from us might help others.

A enjoying his favourite Christmas book

I fully intended to separate our favourite Christmas books into age groups, but when I asked the girls which of our Christmas books they like the most, they picked the same three each!

Santa's Christmas Handbook by Chris Edge (aka Santa's Elves...)

Full of interesting tidbits
and fabulous illustrations

This is a brilliant book. Santa's Elves have written this guide to ensure Santa knows what to do in any situation. With plenty of flaps to peek under on every page; facts and tips for children to remember; and even Santa's Insta-Chimney, it's a book that keeps everyone entertained for ages. B is 6 and M is 4, and they both find plenty to look at in here. B is happy to read it aloud to her sister, and there are so many great illustrations, that M can spend plenty of time perusing it by herself. Santa's Christmas Handbook is the sort of book that doesn't need to be read from cover to cover, and I'm pretty sure that I've still not seen every page. Definitely worth getting for the laughs and the magic. There's even a board game to play at the end!


Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt
We've read this book for the first time this year and already it has become much loved. Angela - of Angela's Ashes, but when she was a child - is concerned that the Baby Jesus in the church's crib scene will get cold at night, and so she comes up with a plan to take him home and keep him warm. It's a beautiful story about a little girl's reverence for the Holy Child, and I love her determination to do what she believes is right, regardless of what might happen to her. There is humour here too, especially both B and M's favourite part - when the Baby Jesus flies through the air! Loren Long's illustrations are soft and add to the innocence of the tale. I was so glad that the girls picked Angela and the Baby Jesus as one of their favourites, because it's one of mine too. I would suggest this is for a confident reader, but easily enjoyed by younger children when read aloud.

The Nativity by Fiona Watt & Rachel Wells 

Great for under 2s

This Usborne Touchy-Feely board book was the first Christmas book we bought for B. It has stood the test of time, and is still enjoyed six years later. A really enjoys this book. As with all Usborne Touchy-Feely books, there are plenty of different textures to explore on each page - even on the front cover. A particularly likes all the fluffy sheep, and M likes to point out the hiding mouse in every picture. The story of the Nativity is told very simply, from Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem through to the arrival of the Wise Men. Simple language means it's good for younger readers - and the sentences are short enough that you can read them out before impatient toddlers turn the pages.


 Jesus' Christmas Party by Nicholas Allan

Our absolute favourite

A firm favourite with the whole family. Even A, who's almost 14 months, enjoys Jesus' Christmas Party. It's funny and sweet, and has a refrain that is easily remembered and shouted out by those being read to. The use of simple language means it's great for younger readers, and the illustrations are fun, adding to the humour in the story. I don't want to ruin the story - though you can probably guess it! - so all you need to know is that it's about an Innkeeper who really enjoys sleeping, and doesn't deal so well with his disturbed night. If you only ever buy one Christmas book, this should be it.




Does your family have a favourite Christmas book?

Today’s Codeword is: RUDOLPH

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On the Seventh Day of Parenting - Mini Gifts Made Simple

Hello and thank you for hopping over from Bumps Babies Tots and Teens Mummy Diaries and welcome to the 7th day of #12DaysOfParenting. Today's sponsor is Bertie Blue Crafts who are offering a magnetic photo frame for a door and the theme is Mini Gifts Made Simple. My keyword to enter today’s giveaway is in this post below, good luck! Full details of the #12DaysOfParenting terms and conditions can be found on the #12DaysOfParenting page and all entries are to be completed via the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.


This year the children and I have been making fudge to give as mini gifts to friends and family, and also to have on hand in case of visitors with unexpected presents!

It's hugely simple - I can't even remember where I found the basic recipe, but it's used a lot on this Fudge group on Facebook. We use the basic recipe and then mix it up a bit with different additions and flavours.

Basic Fudge Recipe
Ingredients:

Pop your ingredients in the slow cooker

2 x cans Condensed Milk - I buy mine from Lidl, because it's cheaper and not made by Nestlé!
800g Chocolate - the cheaper the better

On the Sixth Day of Parenting - Family Traditions Sorted

Hello and thank you for hopping over from BumpsBabies Tots and Teens Mummy Diaries and welcome to the 6th day of #12DaysOfParenting. Today's sponsor is Science4You who are offering a Sweet Factory and the theme is Family Traditions Sorted. My keyword to enter today’s giveaway is in this post below, good luck! Full details of the #12DaysOfParenting terms and conditions can be found on the #12DaysOfParenting page and all entries are to be completed via the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Oh, I love Christmas!

I love how steeped it is in history and tradition. How we do the same things each year; the same things that have been done for decades, centuries.

Sometimes even longer.

We sing songs that our grandparents sang, and their grandparents before them. Foods are flavoured with the same spices our ancestors used at Christmas. At church we speak the same words and say the same prayers that have been said for generations.

And I love how you can look through the windows of all the houses on your street and see a Christmas tree, lit with fairy lights and topped with an angel or a star.

Christmas is a time when we have so much in common.

So what a shock it is to discover that other people also have different traditions to us. We marry into families who have vastly different Christmas days to us and it can be overwhelmingly surprising. For some it becomes a real sticking point.

On the Fourth Day of Parenting - Christmas Dinner De-Stressed

Hello and thank you for hopping over from Bumps Babies Tots and Teens Mummy Diaries and welcome to the 4th day of #12DaysOfParenting. Today's sponsor is Bags of Love who are offering a Personalised Apron and the theme is Your Christmas Dinner De-Stressed! My keyword to enter today’s giveaway is in this post below, good luck! Full details of the #12DaysOfParenting terms and conditions can be found on the #12DaysOfParenting page and all entries are to be completed via the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

This year we are having our first Christmas at home with no extended family.

I am so excited to be fully in charge this year!

I’ve made Christmas Dinner many times, but this will be the first year that I am responsible for cooking whilst only having one other adult around to supervise children. So I’ve been getting organised.

With a decent pla, you can't go far wrong

My biggest tip is to make a cooking plan, with all the timings for everything written down. This has saved me many a time. One day I’ll save it somewhere or print and laminate, but today is not that day! Scribbled down in pencil on a piece of paper will have to suffice.

On the Third Day of Parenting - Keeping the Family Occupied

Hello and thank you for hopping over from The Butterfly Mother and welcome to the 3rd day of #12DaysOfParenting. Today's sponsor is It’s a Sling Thing who are offering an Ergobaby Original Carrier and the theme is Activities to Keep the Family Occupied! My keyword to enter today’s giveaway is in this post below, good luck! Full details of the #12DaysOfParenting terms and conditions can be found on the #12DaysOfParenting page and all entries are to be completed via the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

Even in the years when I’ve been super organised at Christmas, there have still been plenty of last minute things to do. Jobs that are just easier without children underfoot. So a few activities here and there to keep the family out of my way and out of trouble have come in very useful.

I’m not going to lie - I love a simple, no fuss activity that requires little planning or effort on my part and yet delivers

Crafts

A pile of pine cones and some glitter glue make an easy craft that needs very little supervision. And with a piece ribbon attached to the top you have some lovely decorations to send to grandparents!

In the past I have found a few cheap Christmas craft sets at Hobbycraft, Wilkinson’s, etc. These provide a good half an hour - usually - of space for me to potter and get things done. Even when requiring some help or supervision, I find I can do small tasks at the same time.

On the Second Day of Parenting - The Perfect Family Gift Guide

Hello and thank you for hopping over from The Butterfly Mother and welcome to the 2nd day of #12DaysOfParenting. Today's sponsor is Wonderbly who are offering a My Golden Ticket book and the theme is the perfect family gift guide! 

My keyword to enter today’s giveaway is in this post below, good luck! 

Full details of the #12DaysOfParenting terms and conditions can be found on the #12DaysOfParenting page and all entries are to be completed via the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

If you’re anything like me, you’re filled with a mild sense of dread when Christmas approaches. 

Oh, the excitement, the lights, the glitter, the food all serve to cover it up, but you know, deep down, that Christmas means clutter. 

So many presents!

So many toys that you will be responsible for finding a home for. Toys that need batteries. Toys that have tiny pieces for the baby to consume. Toys that are too big for your lounge. 

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the ‘Something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read’ idea for gift giving. We subscribed to that for a while, but I found it quite restricting. 

I like the idea of having lots of presents to open, even though I hate having to find homes for everything. I don’t mean spending great amounts of money though. 

When I was a child our Christmas sacks were filled with gifts. My mum and dad would wrap up component parts separately, and give us lots of books from charity shops. It was exciting to see the gifts piling up as we opened them one by one around the room. Present unwrapping took a long time in our house - 4 children and 2 parents opening a present at a time and waiting for the turn to come back around the circle to you was fun, and helped with instilling patience and gratitude. 

Most of our presents would be a surprise, with only one or two being what we’d asked Father Christmas for, and yet none of them were disappointing, because there were so many and they each had thought put into them. 

I have been forced to come up with a system for gift giving that both allows for lots of presents - both fun and useful -whilst still preventing the overwhelming clutter. 

So I offer to you my Perfect Family Gift Guide, in the hope that it might save your sanity:

Something to Eat

Something to Grow 

Something to Read

Somewhere to Go

Something you Want 

Something to Wear

Something to Do 

Something to Share

Eat

Not me!

Ah, food! The perfect consumable gift. My kids usually ask for a chocolate Santa, though this year they’re upgrading to a Chocolate Orange, apparently. 

Once B asked for olives, and last M wanted fish fingers. They were both granted their Christmas wishes!

It’s a great opportunity to gift a food that isn’t normally found in your home, or to make use of a seasonal treat that you would be buying anyway. I love a gift that serves two purposes!

Grow

What better gift to give at Christmas than the gift of new life! Christmas comes at the time of year when the light begins to return and we look ahead to Spring. 

The Gift of Hope

Packets of seeds are full of hope, and once they’re sprinkled, you get to watch them grow outside. No clutter in your house; a gift that’s also for the bees; and an opportunity for the whole family to take some responsibility for life and beauty. 

Read

It's not a gift without a book!

As a once - and future - avid reader (I barely find the time these days!) who is on a mission to ensure the family grow up loving books, I view every gift giving as an opportunity to provide more reading matter. There should always be books! Yes, we’re beginning to run out of bookshelf space, but that’s a wonderful problem to have. And I don’t consider books to be clutter! Everyone in the family gets at least one new book at Christmas. There will be a new Christmas book each for the children; a fiction book or two; and some non-fiction to top up our Finding Out Shelves with whatever topic they’re currently interested in. The Hubby will get a book, regardless of the fact that he never finds time to read either. And I insist on books being in my gift pile, so that I’ve got something to look forward to when the children leave home!

Go

We love family days out. It’s so important to find time to spend together, and I look forward to being able to get out with another adult in the mix. We have various places that we mention throughout the year and I pop them down on a list of places we’d like to go. Then a little homemade voucher or some prebooked tickets to one or more of the venues makes its way into Father Christmas’s delivery. Even better, a year’s membership to National Trust or English Heritage provides places to go for the whole year ahead. Museums, train rides, zoos, exciting play areas, castles - whatever we choose, the real gift is the chance to get out of the house and spend quality time with each other. And the bonus: if we’re out of the house, we can’t make it even more untidy!

Want

Let’s face it - we can’t avoid this category, even in the pursuit of a clutter free home. It’s Christmas and there would be nothing worse than seeing the faces of family members who have been given only useful gifts and nothing that they actually asked Father Christmas for. This is the very reason we do a pre-Christmas clear out to make sure there are homes for new gifts. And when the rest of the gifts are useful and/or clutter free, then giving something that I wouldn’t necessarily choose myself isn’t such a chore after all. The big smiles and ‘thank yous’ on Christmas Day are the real gift here. 

Wear

Children ALWAYS need clothes

Children grow like weeds. Clothing is one of those things that we can’t avoid providing. So something to wear is another useful and clutter free gift. We use it as an opportunity to provide a new party outfit that can be worn on Christmas Day, as well as new vests or socks. The Hubby likes getting new socks every year. I request jewellery or clothes vouchers, personally. Knowing how difficult I find it to buy for myself, I wouldn’t expect anyone else to be able to do it for me. We also get the kids’ feet measured a week or so before Christmas in the hopes that new shoes can be delivered by Father Christmas. A is on the brink of walking, so he’ll definitely be getting some. 

Do

Baking together is the gift of time

I’m always on the hunt for activities to keep the children occupied and learning. Craft sets come in handy, especially through the cold and dark of January. Sticker and colouring books are always well received. Baking ingredients are perfect for covering the Eat and Share categories too, providing an activity that is both consumable and an opportunity to spend one on one time with a parent. Experience gifts are fun too - in the past we’ve given a Fairy photo shoot to the girls and tickets for us all to see a play or go to the cinema. Something to Do doesn’t usually need to find a home for long, if at all, fulfilling my love of clutter free. 

Share

Board Games are great for sharing

In recent years I’ve started to give sharing gifts to the children. One present between two of three reduces the number of gifts and gives opportunities for cooperation. It’s not always easy, especially when the age gap is wide, but it is possible to find gifts to suit a range of ages at once. This year they’re getting a Grimm’s Rainbow, which I am assured is perfect for kids of all ages. When writing letters to Father Christmas, the girls have asked for board games, DVDs and gingerbread men to share with the family. I like that this gets them thinking about what other people might like, rather than just about their own demands. 

In changing up our Family Gift List, I’m hoping to see less clutter, more generosity, and a lot more time together as a family. 

What is on your perfect family gift list?

Today’s Codeword is: FRANKINCENSE

If you would like to read another post and gain another entry, then head over to We Made This Life for their take on Preparing to survive the holidays.

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Getting Ready for Christmas

The school holidays obviously don’t affect us greatly, other than making places we like to visit much busier, and putting a hold on our term time groups. Usually the girls have clubs 3 evenings a week, so as we approach Christmas we get to cosy up on the settee instead, with blankets and Christmas films.

The holiday season itself can be so overwhelming for children and parents alike. Sensory overload, lots of family and friends to see, so much sugar and so many presents! So here are a few things that we do to prepare for the onslaught ahead:

Clear Out
With October and November birthdays here, swiftly followed by Christmas, the number of new toys, books, games and craft sets coming into the house sky rockets.