Our Christmas Advent Calendar 2014

Wowee. What a December. It's been a busy one that's for sure and it's all caught up with me in the last little while - I have been a very sleepy mumma for the past couple of days. But it's all been worth it. I have one very happy girl who has loved Christmas this year. We've done an advent calendar of sorts every year, but with being on maternity leave at the moment I had a lot of time to put into making this years, and I want to share it with you all :)

It was really easy to set up really. A bit of time and effort, that I even feel like I could of put in if I was at work like usual. A lot of the set up was done sitting on the computer while I watched TV at night - a pretty normal past time for me.

By 'set up' I mean making the actual cards. The hardest part was thinking of the activities. Most are self explanatory, but those that aren't I will explain. Here are the cards, you can download them from my google drive by clicking on the links.

Here are what the front of the cards looked like (what the 'tree' in the photo was made out of).


And these were what I printed and attached to the back of the cards (the activities).


The elf seeds were a favourite... of mine. I just love the idea. Leah thought it was pretty cute but even at 3 she was a bit skeptical - 'Did daddy put these in here?'
What you do is place 'elf seeds'  into a bowl of 'soil' - we used red and green m&ms and a bowl of sugar. We planted our seeds in the 'soil' and a few days later.....

....candy canes sprouted!

Every day we woke up and found and read our new day's card.

And at some point during the day we completed our activity. Here are some of my favourite photos from the month.
Decorating the tree...

Going to Santa's Wonderland...

Writing Santa Letters...

Taking silly christmas photos...

Making a Christmas themed dinner and dessert.

Leah's rudolph hair for her daycare party

Our Christmas photos...

Our photo with Santa... (with no mummy in it this year! What a brave girl!)

Our sweet as gingy house...

And dancing to Christmas Tunes...

It's been a busy December, but it's been a fun one. Looking forward to maybe getting an Elf on the shelf for next year's delights.

Weekly 10

I had all the right intentions to post this the day after Sunday when I wrote my last Weekly 10 post, but alas, the few days before Christmas got away from me. It's now Christmas day afternoon and I finally have a spare minute to think and write. 

So last week I got a weeny bit distracted adding to my class website and blog for next year to complete the whole list, but 8 outta 10 ain't bad. And it means the the beginning of this week's list is already done for me, super efficient!

1) Make a budget for when I'm back at work in February.

2) Literacy ideas school planning sheet.

3) Blog about advent calendar and Leah's Christmas activities.

4) Get Willow 365 and the photo books up to date.

5) Game... and then game some more.

6) Weed the vege garden

7) Finish reading the Fit Girls Worldwide Jumpstart book read for Jan 1st.

8) Relax... it's Christmas!

9) Get out for some walks.

10) Get started on the new raised gardens.

Weekly 10

All in all pretty good really. Only missed out on two that I will add to next week's list. I'll share that with you lovely people tomorrow. Have a wonderful Sunday <3

1) Write at least two blog posts - one using a Mama Kat prompt and the other documenting some 30 before 30 progress.
Prompt post
30 before 30 progress

2) Design what our 'Hair Kit' is going to look like.
So far I have:
Spray bottle
Rubber hair ties
Clips - Lots of sizes/styles
Ribbon
Combs and brushes
Topsy turvy
Sock bun rings
And a nice box to keep it all in

3) Make a budget for next year when I go back to work.


4) Up at 6 every morning.

5) Decide on Christmas photos and assemble any props I need.
I even took the photos!

 

6) Remake labels for Christmas Presents
Done and all on their presents ready for assembling.

7) Make Christmas eating shopping list.

8) Literacy ideas for school planning sheet

9) Email 'The Tattooed Heart' about sleeve.
Not only did I email them but I have an appointment books on the 14th of January to get my 'Willow' tattoo and to have a chat about my 1/2 sleeve. Excited!

10) Finish reading 'The Curious incident of the dog in the night-time'. 
And now onto Jojo Moyes - One Plus One

Five Things

Today I've picked a Mama Kat writing prompt to write about. Nothing really spoke to me so I've taken the easy way out with this one.

Five Things. List 5 things we don’t know about you, 5 things you’re knowledgeable about, 5 things you know nothing about, and 5 things you believe.

I've done lots of lists before all about me, so it's hard to think of 5 things you don't know about me. Hmmm...
1) I don't eat a lot of vegetables. I think my parents gave up with me as a child and it's stuck. Strangely enough, I don't mind most vegetables raw and as I'm getting older I'm finding that my taste buds are changing and when I'm brave enough to try a vegetable, I'm liking what I taste!
2) Most people who know me know this but my blog lurkers might not...my phone is forever attached to my hand.
3) I'm a huge horror movie fan and have made a mission of watching some really obscure movies over the last year or so. I've seen some horrible, horrible things on screen.
4) The 'Your Grammar Sucks' you tube series makes me giggle like a small child.
5) I've watched a tonne of Sailor Mood episodes.... as an adult. 

I like to learn. I think I'm a great learner and I'm definitely a self starter in this respect. But to say that I'm knowledgeable about something means that I know all there is to know about it right? Hard choice.
1) Speak toddler. This is an acquired skills after needed to understand what a 2 year old with a mouth full of twisties was whinging about.
2) Swear word combos
3) Online shopping. This comes from doing far, far too much of it.
4) How to be a primo super positive person with unicorn fart rainbows, but also (unfortunately) how to be a down on it sad sack. With any luck the former out-does the latter.
5) Pinterest... and luckily, how to follow through with pinning stuff on my boards, may they forever be overflowing with potential.

Now 5 things I know nothing about is going to be much easier.
1) Insurance
2) Stock market
3) Rocket science
4) Interest rates
5) How to be a proper adult

5 things I believe....
1) You shouldn't judge others
2) Mario is superior to Sonic
3) Santa is real
4) You attitude sets the tone for how others treat you and see you
5) Rottweilers are an alien race sent here to steal underwear garments to take back to their homeland.

Plot twist! Some of these might be a little silly... it's your job to figure out which! :D

How am I going with the 30 before 30?

 

I'm please with how I'm getting on with these goals. Because the bulk of them are so lofty it's not like I'm going to be knocking them out of the park on a weekly basis. I'm totally stoked that I have two crossed off the list at the moment and 28 goals in 13 months doesn't seem like such a big deal,  especially when I'm chugging away with them and already have some planned. 

Check out these bad boys with the big ol' line through them.

I've done a little bit of mapping out of when they might be completed and so that I can see which ones might be needing some attention. 

January:

#3. Learn how to apply a good face of make up. Sometime in January my lovely friend has set up a lesson for me to learn 3 looks with make up - one for every day wear, one for casual outing and one for a 'fancy pansy I want to wear make up' night out. I think that'll be this goal done! Yus!

#5. Get my half sleeve. The planning begins on the 14th with an appointment to get my Willow tattoo done and then discuss my half sleeve.

#23. Ensure I'm getting the best deal with phone/power/insurance etc companies. Change if need be. I have checked on power to far. I'll get on to the others in January and then I'll be done. I'm thinking that phone could change but I'm not wanting to change insurance as I've had some great claims over the past couple of months with my current provider which has hit home how good they are.

February:

#6. Do the colour run - Locked and loaded for the 15th I believe.

April:

#16. Have high tea. I'm wanting to get this done in the holidays. Yay for some me time!

September:
#27. Save up for and splurge on something just for me. This will give me three terms to save - I want to make a plan of how much I could have here. I quite like the look of the savings plan below. If I begin on Jan 1, I would have 40 weeks saving by the end of September when I'm on school holidays. That's $800 to buy me some goodies with! :D
#30. Find a musical instrument that Leah would like to play, and buy her one. I think we have already decided on an instrument for her. I would like to put it on lay-by in September so we can pay it off over a year ready for 5th birthday the following September.

 

"Hey Kate", I hear you say, "how about some of the ongoing goals?

Well, you might be interested to know that I'm down 5.6kg (that's almost 20% of the goal complete!) for my Goal #2: Lose 30kg. I've also been learning some new hairstyles for my girls for Goal #6 (just Leah at the moment) and found a great you tube channel that's seriously helpful. I'm onto my 6th book of #9: read 30 books. For #28. Learn how to make 5 cocktails, I've begun putting together a liquor cabinet and loving it. I feel like an adult! lol. I have made a cosmo so far. So that's one off the list.

I'm wanting to make a list of Restaurants (for #22) and places to go for photos (#19) for each month next year so I've got a plan. Might add that to a Weekly 10 list.

And some other things I'm being completely crap at, but doing these progress posts always helps me to see that...and get excited about what I've done and have planned. Woo hoo!