Gingerpeeps.

I've had an alternately enjoyable and exhausting week. And it's all a blur. The first week of December is gone and I'm not quite sure how I spent it! I know I was running around a lot, trying to cross items off my list. But I'm looking at the calendar and I'm not sure what I did on which day. Annoying.

I've been trying really hard to finish any shopping for Christmas by the end of the first week of December. (That's two days ago.) And I've had two really sick kids. Exhausting.

My favorite part of Christmas is doing projects with my kids. I like to be finished EARLY with all the running around so I can slow down and enjoy the magic of the month with my kids. Instead, I feel like I am squeezing our Christmas moments between the busywork of daily life. It's been making me tense.

Taking care of sick kids has a way of taking over the daily schedule, leaving me feeling disoriented and wondering where the last two weeks has gone. I think if I would write a little blurb of a post each day, just to document the rhythm of life, I wouldn't feel like my weeks and months evaporate into a blur.

Little Jack (a.k.a. to some in our house as Baby Joe) has had a hard two weeks. He got a cough last month and then an ear infection. The cough turned ugly over Thanksgiving and he ended up with two ear infections--again. I don't think that first infection ever really got better. I'm ready for him to be his happy little self again. Meanwhile, Isabelle caught the bug and has been lethargic on the couch for the last three days. I realized this evening that I've neglected her a bit, being fully consumed with a high-maintenance baby.

I printed the first ten days of my Christ-Centered Christmas posts, put them in little baby-sized Christmas socks, and hung them in a garland across my upstairs mantle. I'll have to post a photo of it--it's really cute. So here are the little advent activities I've done this week with the kids:

Last Thursday, we made paper chains to count the days until Christmas.

Isabelle, writing her letter to Santa.

After making our chains, the kids wrote their letters to Santa.

I spent a lot of time last Saturday decorating the big tree. It's been up since November 1st and I had planned to just leave it undecorated, just enjoy all the twinkly lights. I am a bit overwhelmed by the size of this tree and feel like it would cost too much to decorate.

But I couldn't resist this idea I'd had a few weeks ago: nestle Christmas storybooks into the branches. I had fun doing it as the kids sat on the couch giving suggestions.

Yesterday, Sunday, it was snowy outside and I was in the mood to bake. Mimi wanted to make gingerbread men, which is a laborious process with kids, so we compromised and made a plan to do the cookies Monday for Family Home Evening. We got all the frosting made and colored in advance, on Sunday. When I do time-intensive sugar/gingerbread cookies with the kids, I finally learned to just have the cookies and frosting all done and ready for them to decorate. The kids wrote cards to Nana (day 2 advent), also on Sunday.


Today, Monday, we decorated the gingerbread boys and girls.

I had planned to take the gingerpeeps to a cute elderly lady in our ward (Day 4 advent...we're totally behind. Maybe THAT'S what is making me tense), but the kids decorated each and every one and, ugh--I could not stomach giving cookies away that had been pawed by germy kids. Blech.

Isabelle spent all of Saturday & Sunday on the couch, watching Karate Kid I, II, & III. I had left to cross some shopping off my list and came home to everyone lounging and watching--not Christmas movies--but Karate Kid, of all things. Isabelle insisted on watching all three movies.

She is the only person who can get Baby to sit still and snuggle. Don't they look sick and sad?

I am hoping I will post tomorrow in a more happy, more balanced mood. Not sure what is the problem today. I guess I had planned to kick off December and my Christ-Centered advent activities in a much more organized way. I need a good list-making session. Organizing out everything that has thus far only been jotted and scribbled will do me a world of good.

And maybe if I got to bed before 3am? Hmmm? Brother.