Looking Back on a Simple December

Back in November, when I was being good about posting, I talked about having a simple December. Things did not go quite as planned.

Things started later than usual, and we didn't get a tree right away. On top of that, we went on a not-so-nice day, so there wasn't much carefree frolicking. Once again, our elf decorated, and the boys explored in the morning. Peanut was a huge fan of the photo ornaments, and Munchkin just acted wise in his "old age".

We did go to visit Santa, and the excitement when Peanut saw him was infectious. Munchkin, at that age, was not really a fan, and was a little upset in the picture. Peanut couldn't wait to get to him and was trying so hard to say Santa (even if it sounded more like Dada).

We did spend one night driving around looking at lights, although he didn't find as many decorated houses as in years past.

As for the rest of the list, it didn't really happen. Cookie baking and fondue got canceled due to a fever. I never got around to getting the gingerbread house, and Christmas Eve was just a night like any other. We did have fun trying to get pictures for our Christmas cards, which we sent out just in time.

Overall, while December wasn't exactly what I planned, it worked out perfectly. Christmas was a happy and not-too-crazy day that the boys loved, and the time leading up to it was exactly what we all needed.

In Search of the Card

When I talked about my simple goals, I talked about practicing my photography to get a picture for our Christmas card. I set up the boys many times throughout the season, outside, on the couch, in front of the tree, by themselves, with us. Nothing seemed perfect. Until a picture of the two of them the first morning the tree was decorated. I still have a lot more practicing to go (as we are heading into the new year), but I love the photos that I was able to get.

The Elf Strikes Again

In 2013, we had our elf decorate our tree as a surprise for the boys. As Christmas approached this past year, Munchkin kept talking about how the elf was going to decorate our new house. He did not disappoint.

We did try to keep it simple, using most of the decorations in the one part of the house. And when the boys woke up in the morning, we allowed them to explore the tree. While most of our ornaments come from a set that we got at Costco a few years ago, Munchkin loved finding the few that Hubby and I had on our first tree together. Peanut's favorite ornaments were the photo ones, especially the one of the two of them together from the year before.

It was a simple goal with some of the best results.

Into a New Year

Original image by Carol VanHook, on Flickr

Christmas has come and gone, and so has 2014. It is that time of year where we make empty promises that we'll keep for a month, a week, maybe less. I'm hoping that I'll do better.

Last year I talked about the changes that I wanted to make, yet come December, I was having the same friends over (now we are up to six littles), and was basically in the same position. It wasn't as bad as last year, although I think that the move was more responsible for the purging that we did than my urge to declutter. I spoke about a few programs to help organize our lives, and I am still using two of them. Motivated Moms is what I have found the most useful, and I've continued to use it this year (although not as much as I should). I like that it is a list of things for me to get done, and I have to get into the habit of checking it at the same time every day. I want Spring Cleaning 365 to work for me so badly, but so far I am just too much of a procrastinator. I am trying again so fingers crossed that I can hold it together.

Back in November, when I set up my four simple goals (which I will update about soon), one of the items was to practice photography. This is something that I want to continue, and to help with that, I've signed up for Shoot 2015. I am really looking forward to seeing what I get out of this program.

And here, I am hoping to take things forward and make the changes that I've been talking about for what seems like forever.

Happy new year, here is to a productive 2015.

Library Time: Toddler Challenge

With Munchkin in school in the mornings, Peanut and I have a little time to kill. On Monday, we headed to the library. While we went to get books for Advent, I thought it would be a good time to let Peanut play. He had a blast exploring, before finding the train table. He definitely had a lot of fun, and was very interested in the books that we brought home. Now that the weather is getting iffy, I have a feeling that we'll be spending more mornings at the library.

One Rookie Mom Toddler Challenge done!

Into The Winter

Although the season doesn't officially start until December 21, December always seemed more winter than autumn to me. Now that November is ending, I'm looking forward to the winter ahead. So just as I did back in September, here are some things that plan to do this winter in addition to the holiday activities I talked about on Friday.

Build a snowman - Usually we just take advantage of the wonderful snowmen that have been around us, but this year, with our back yard, I'm hoping that we'll get in a few good ones.

Drink hot chocolate by the fire - Munchkin was a fan of hot chocolate last year, and Peanut's love of chocolate milk makes me think that he will be too.

Go sledding - We've not done this before, now to just find a small hill.

Make snow angels - Something that we have done before, but this year Peanut can participate.

Have a snowball fight - I'm not sure why I've never thought of this before, but it should be a lot of fun.

Go to the children's museum - We are big fans, especially when the weather gets terrible.

Go to the natural history museum - This is something that I've been meaning to do for a long time, and I think that the boys would really love it.

Family movie afternoon - I fear that we'll be stuck inside a lot this winter.

What kind of winter activities do you do?

A Crafty First Birthday

Two weeks ago, I talked about how I had been making some Pintrest inspired gifts. Well, today I gave two of the gifts at my niece's first birthday party.

The onsies I originally saw on Baby Rabies. I wasn't great at controlling the glue on either (that's why there is a splotch on the "e" in Love), and I didn't make the red dark enough on the Joy, but I think that they both came out very well.

I got the tutus from Simply Real Moms, and I love the way that they came out. Since these were a surprise, I used Peanut as a model, and had to guess what the difference would be. The red is a little longer than the purple, but both are nice a poofy.

The rest of my projects are Christmas gifts, so I'll be keeping them a secret until then.