Day 45

6th December 2021

Christmas!

Christmas Tree
This is the one!

Over the weekend we went out to the Christmas tree farm to cut down our tree.

We’ve done it every year since Lincy was born.

Ooh, I found the picture! Sorry for the quality. Very old iPhone!

It was a wet day, but that didn’t stop our Christmas spirit.

Well, it was put on hold momentarily while the kids had a fight over who was going to pull the trolley once the tree was on it.

(Right?!!)

So, that was fun. Urgh.

Even worse. We ran into some friends who were cutting down their tree. They were all together being joyful, while our two were screaming & punching on, in the middle of the field. 😩

I had to pull out the scary mama voice. You the know the one, where instead of raising your voice you go down 2 or 3 octaves? That one.

It was humiliating. Then as it began to rain on our heads, I made them cuddle in front of the crowds and make up.

They always put up a huge protest when I make them hug, but as neither of them can look at each other and keep a straight face, it’s the fastest road to a cease fire, and then it’s like it never happened.

Kids! πŸ€¦β€β™€οΈ

But before our very public squabble, we had a tonne of fun.

Lincoln gave Mila a ride through the field and we chose our tree. We took turns cutting it down and because I am actually a giant softy, I let the sales girl give them a candy cane as we were leaving.

Yes, my hair did turn to noodles in the rain but it’s Christmas, and I decided to not give a feck.

Heading off in search of our tree.
Found it. πŸŽ„
Mila putting in the final cut.
This was right after I made them hug. You can’t see any families in these shots, but there are actually families everywhere! I asked them to smile & this is what I got. This is the payback I get for making them cuddle in public. πŸ™„
Our entire house smells like Christmas!! πŸ˜ƒπŸ˜ƒπŸ˜ƒ We always had a real tree when I was growing up. Years & years of memories all wrapped up in one piny, Christmas smell. Ahhh, heaven.

Gingerbread

It wasn’t even 8am and Mila was cooking up fresh gingerbread.

She may have overdone it with the mixture but they were crispy and delicious!

I love that they’re cooking so much, but we really have to move them away from sweet things & onto healthier things.

I think she’s fattening me up for Christmas dinner!! 😯

Pool

They’re loving their new diving gear at the moment, so they rode their bikes to the pool with Dad for more diving.

Mila complained that the water aerobics class took up 3 whole lanes!! πŸ˜‚ (Talk about spoiled!).

Underwater thumbs up. πŸ‘

Watch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6uaydk3rBI

She’s very proud of her ‘backwards flip’.

Dingo Dog

We met this little guy today. He was so gorgeous!! His owner says he’s part Dingo. He was really quick, never missed catching his frisbee once, and Pepe had so much fun running with him.

Argh! Look at that tongue!
Freyer & Major where there too. Our favourites.

Gremlins

We finished up the day on the sofa watching Gremlins.

The smell of the tree is making me go into Christmas, nesting mode.

“Let’s watch a Christmas movie!” I said cheerfully.

We decided it was time to introduce Gremlins.

I think it was the part where the mum puts a gremlin into the blender, when Linc said,

“Is this a Christmas movie?” πŸ˜‚

“I think it’s Christmas time, in the movie.” 😳 I said.

Luckily, it’s dated so much it wasn’t scary & they laughed through most of it.

Movie time – Kids, meet Gremlins!

Deschool

I get why seasoned home schoolers recommend deschooling before you introduce ‘active learning’ into your day.

We all really needed this.

It’s so nice to just have NOTHING on.

Other than our 2 scheduled days, we just while away the hours & enjoy being together.

Our family bond is deepening.

Even though the kids will kick off every now and then, they make up quickly and move on.

More family time = better family time.

The Challenge: Home school for 1 year while not losing sanity or love for children and/or husband.
Contenders: Mila 8yrs, Lincoln 10 yrs, Me (Mum), Liam (Dad), Pepe (dog)
Home School Days: 200

This blog was inspired by the film Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep & Amy Adams.

Julie decides she will take her love of cooking to the next level by cooking every recipe in Julia Childs French cookbook, in one year! 500 & something fancy, technical recipes!! While working full time!

Julie writes a daily blog about her time in the kitchen for herself & other amateur cooks who may, or may not be, reading along. You gotta watch it (http://thehomeschoolyear.com/about/).  Or read it here. (http://thehomeschoolyear.com/book)

I loved that she wrote every day. I loved hearing about her small everyday frustrations, with the recipes & with life. It really inspired me to throw myself into something.

The timing was perfect as we have just decided to homeschool our children as a lifestyle choice and I thought…Cool! A daily blog will be perfect!

There must be other families out there wondering if there’s another way to live? Another way to do ‘family life’?

If you’re here, then hello & welcome aboard! Please feel free to sit back & watch it all unfold. Put the kettle on & check in with us each night to see what went down and how we all got over the line. I’m sure we’ll find our rhythm, right?

Are you a homeschool family? If you’re watching the wheels fall off this thing, I’m open to your emails or comments any time. I would love them! I am very friendly, & I could use the help.

Ok, come hell or high water….I’m in. A daily blog, for 12 months. I’ll be right, here.

Kindly, Lisa x

Can we be friends?!

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