Tag: yeg family

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Adding to the Season with Doings [Activity Advent Calendar]

Last year, something that began simply, with little planning, using paper, scissors and colour pencils, created what became the activity advent calendar. Made up of ideas that our little family brainstormed during a drive, we created the most wonderful December leading up to Christmas.

The activity advent calendar was born, and we loved it so much, we’re doing it again this year.

I love the idea of an advent calendar that adds to the season through doings. In a time that is already hyper stimulated with stuff, this is a beautiful way to feel joy in giving/making/doing things together as a family, for others, and spreading joy in activity; an activity advent calendar.

Inspired by this idea, I have lovingly made some Christmas Village theme calendars that are available to buy through my shop, but it’s also something that you could easily do using materials you can find at home.

Inside every card, space to write a daily activity that the whole family can look forward to completing, either at random order, or you can choose to (secretly) number them by date too, if there are specific ones you want to complete on certain days.

With last year’s activity advent calendar, the kids absolutely loved knowing that each day there was an activity lined up for the day, and they are already asking when we’re starting the calendar this year. Below, some activity ideas, and if you have some fun ones too, leave a comment below.

  1. Put up the tree.
  2. Make a holiday wreath.
  3. Have a sleep over under the tree (a great one for Christmas Eve).
  4. Make a blanket fort.
  5. Christmas theme books reading night.
  6. Collect food to donate to your local food bank.
  7. Have a snowman pancake breakfast.
  8. Make a bird feeder.
  9. Make paper snowflakes.
  10. Build a snowman.
  11. Go ice skating.
  12. Build gingerbread house (real or cardboard).
  13. Make Christmas Cards.
  14. Christmas Movie Night (pick per family member too!)
  15. Make Ugly Christmas Sweaters.
  16. Fill each other’s stockings.
  17. Make lanterns.
  18. Go for a lantern walk.
  19. Check out neighbourhood Christmas decorations.
  20. Hot Chocolate Night.
  21. Make a special ornament.
  22. Bake cookies/cake and share with loved ones.
  23. Go to Tobogganing.
  24. Decorate gingerbread cookies/house.
  25. Leave a letter to your favourite Christmas decorated house.
  26. Write a letter to Santa.
  27. Go to Candy Cane Lane.
  28. Have a candle light dinner.

I invite you to join me in counting down to Christmas in such a lovely way, using hashtag #oureverydaysadventcalendar as we count down to the most wonderful time of the year starting Dec 1!

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The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round [An underlying message of Perseverance]

The wheels on the bus go round and round. A song that as a parent of young children, I know well – and listen to way too often, ha!

Lately though, I am happy for that song.

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This is my third week back at work after being a stay at home mom for 2.5 years, and it’s been a harder transition than I imagined. Much harder than I thought. I miss the kids so much more than I ever imagined and I often find myself questioning if this was the right choice. Was this the right time? Is this what I want? There are things happening in the background that I am hesitant to share, in case I jinx it, but hoping for a better balance soon *sending the universe all the positive energy*.

Until then…

The weekends have become my fuel for the week. I cherish every second I have with the kids in the week day mornings and evenings, but the weekends are my heaven. I immerse myself back into what once was our everydays, and we pick up right where we left of. I lay in bed with them a little longer, I look at my phone less, I listen to the new things they tell me, the new words Penelope learns, the new sounds Oliver is able to make, and I make sure that I try reeeeaally really hard not to miss a thing.

The kids are doing well. They are happy to visit with Grandma everyday (thank goodness for my mom being able to watch them- makes the transition a million times easier). They are also making new friends, and I hear Penelope talk about her favorite when she comes home, which makes me smile.

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For my first weekend after going back to work, we decided to spend a day out, differently. We bundled up, left our car keys at home, and explored the city for a whole day on the bus. Sounds like a very simple thing to do, but it was so much fun.

Whether you take the bus often or not, there is something about taking the bus when there is no pressure of making it from point A to B on time that makes the ride so enjoyable. My husband and I could cuddle and hold hands while we heard the children’s laughter, watched how they made other people on the bus smile, and witnessed the joy on their faces for simply doing something new.

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My favorite moments of the day were the transitions. The moments of dancing and entertaining the kids while we waited for our next transfer. The walks from the bus stop to our many destinations that day. The moment Oliver fell asleep nursing, and the moment Penelope slept on my lap on the way back home.

It’s beautifully ironic that it was the transitions – of all things- what I loved most about that day, yet I can’t wait to pass the life transition I am in right now. I have to find beauty in that irony.

And so I go back to the song, the wheels on the bus go round and round.

The wheels on the bus go round and round, and they do. But I like to think I have found an underlying message of perseverance in that song. In a metaphorical sense, with my return to work, the wheels of my life are going round and round, and I’m going to be making stops along the way, making transfers, trying to find the best way to go through this transition in my life, and I will persevere because well…  the wheels go round and round, and so will I.

 

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