Activity Advent 2011

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

Can you tell I'm getting a little excited...

Supplies:
Advent Bags (etsy)
Activity Card styling

2009
2010
Our Calendar of Activities this Year:

• Bring out the decorations!
• Elf-Yourself with Daddy (jibjab)!
• Shaving Cream Snowscape in Media Tub!
• Get our Christmas Tree (Lowelands Farm)
• Shoes out for St Nick (read St Nick Story)
• Make Salt Dough Ornaments
• Decorate Ornaments
• Holiday Movie Party
• Visit the National Tree
• Write Letters to Santa
• Go (Attempt!) Ice Skating!
• Popcorn and Cranberry Garland for outdoor trees!
• Bake Gingerbread!
• Visit Santa (@FairLakes Mall)
• SnowFlake Craft
• Pick out new yearly ornaments!
• Breakfast in Bed for the Birthday Boy!
• Carter's B-day Party
• Make "Snow" for Media Table!
• Christmas Cookie baking
• Wrap family gifts while listening to Carols!
• COCOA PICNIC!!
• Breakfast for dinner!
• Take a drive in Jammies (with Cocoa!) to see the neighborhood lights!
• Read the night before Christmas and unwrap new jammies!

In addition to the above, we'll be hanging with our old pal "Noodle" the elf on the shelf (he is scheduled to arrive on Thanksgiving night).

We'll also be starting a new tradition:  I am in the process of wrapping all of our (24 of them anyway!) Christmas books so that the kids can open one a night to read before bed- I think the combination of opening a "gift" each night and watching the substantial stack dwindle will really get them excited for Christmas day! (here's a neat take on the same idea!)

I really love this time of year- I wish I had the energy to put this kind of effort into every month for the kids :) 

Tiny Dancer

The first day of ballet...

I die.

Mother's Day

Ohhhhhh... Mother's day...

What a wonderful, luxurious, heaven-sent day.

Breakfast in bed, flowers and cards, Champagne,

PJ's till noon, naps and purple velvet cake- 

   the two little creatures that ate all my cake gave me my title aren't half bad either!  

Teacher Appreciation Week

Having once been a teacher, I have to say, teaching is a rewarding, EXHAUSTING, heartwarming, and (OMG did I mention) EXHAUSTING job!  I mean, the part of you that is filled-up daily by delicately shaping the lives of future generations, can quickly be depleted again by the parents! effort it takes to keep up the requisite sing-song-y, sweet, smiling affect whilst coercing THE.LEARNING for hours on end.

In honor of every saintly individual- standing tall in front of the chalk-board 180 days a year, wiping noses (and bottoms) of children that they did NOT spawn, fighting the cesspool of mutant super germs passed on by little fingers, and maneuvering the land-mines of IEP meetings, parent conferences and field trips- I say thank you.  And by that I mean; 

THANK.YOU!ENJOY.A.COOKIE.AND.A.CUP.OF.COFFEE.

AND.POSSIBLY.EVEN.A.MOMENT.OF.WELL.DESERVED.QUIET.

AND.HEARTFELT.UNADULTERATED.GRATITUDE.

Steal this idea: Ceramic buckets with chalkboard detail from Michael's, concept and book-mark template from Modern Parents Messy Kids, cookie-pops and sprinkles from the loving fingers of a happy student.

Easter

90 Years

Today, My Grandfather turns 90.  

Saturday night we celebrated all 9 decades of life that this amazing man has seen.

8 of his 9 grandchildren!

All four of his great-grandchilden 

(if you count the top of Carter's head!)

Li'l Spartans: Class of 2025 Ununion

A few weeks ago, I ran into an old friend from high school at a local park.  As we caught up, she mentioned how many alum are still local and that many of us have kids in the under 6 set.  This prompted the idea to throw together a Future Spartans mini reunion; and thanks in large part to facebook, here you have it:

The kids had a blast playing together

And it was wonderful catching up with old classmates