The December Mega Post!

We have a rule around here... No Christmas activities before Thanksgiving. Period. But once Thanksgiving is over, then it is full Christmas tilt around here! Welcome exhibit 1 - The Christmas parade!

We huddled with friends and waited until the parade made its way down to us. Our kids made the time pass by quickly as they anticipated what would be coming down the road.

Yes, we strapped him down to his stroller but we found out he can just get up and walk off!

Group after group passed us by and the kids loved watching every float (of sorts) and mascot. I had to laugh at the semi truck with people just sitting on the trailer bed. It drove past us and I was kind of worried for the people on there! One step and they were goners right? 

But when I caught the back of the truck the sign had me in stitches. Say wha??? Student driver? You have got to be kidding me! People on the trailer, children on the side of the road... Surely I hope not!

Marching band after marching band, dancing groups and other civic groups paved the way for the reason why everyone gathered. Mr. Santa himself flying in on a faux sled and reindeer.

He was such a great looking Santa!

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Cooler days mean for hunkering down at home. Warm food, crafting, family time and lo and behold school! I find the more we homeschool, there is an eb and flow to our life. Sometimes it is heavy on social gatherings, (because homeschoolers are unsocialized you know...) sometimes it is heavy on getting out in our world and experiencing what is around us. Winter is my time to focus on school at home without most of the distractions of life and what goes on outside this house. While I love to get out and play, I also love our safe warm house.

There was a cloudy day last week where if it were colder it would have definitely snowed. We heard that there were flakes sighted not too far from us but as we waited with our noses pressed to the window, no flakes came. So what do you do when it doesn't snow outside? You make it snow inside!

Our kids get Little Passports and each month we receive a package from places around the world. This month it included make your own snow! Perfect!

So we stirred and stirred and this is what came of it.

The kids wanted to make more but my senses prevailed and this is all they got... But it satisfied them for the afternoon!

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I was thrilled to learn about the Christmas lights at Tanglewood Park! A bit of a drive but so worth the fun! I think I had heard of it last year but I couldn't see paying a bunch of money for Christmas lights but now I understand! This year they had "throwback" night so we went ahead and went for it! We weren't disappointed...

Mom, this little lady on the golf cart is for you!

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Back to the homefront...

Spelling work.

Learning about the phases of the moon! Yes, those are Oreo's. I really enjoyed this lesson!

And for you Five in Rowers out there, we were "rowing" Owl Moon. We have dissected an Owl Pellet before but these were huge!! Somehow we did a lot better the time before because this time we just all got grossed out!

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Someday we will be able to have a real tree that is on the ground but with a Jake running around I feel that the tree would probably end up on the ground. So a tree on the table it is. Finally we decorated the tree and we had a great time!

We were going to put Jake to bed right before we decorated but he pitched a huge fit! Really?? So we made him use his limited vocabulary to ask politely to stay up. He passed with flying colors so we had him help. He actually did a pretty good job!

Well that was until he crashed two glass balls together but who could stay upset at this guy?

Love having little helpers! (yes, I can't stand decorating the tree and I am fully supportive of others doing the work!)

Help they did. We had that tree up in no time!

My favorite night time activity now is to get a cup of decaf and sit in the glow of our tree. Ahhhh...

I think Cutie Pie, our elf likes it too...

May you embrace this Christmas time by dialing down and enjoying what all really matters. It isn't the big gifts that your kids will trash in a month, it isn't a ton of parties, but it is the simple quiet of the birth of a Savior. Merry Christmas!