Mid winter Christmas and New Year

Wow - didn't realise how long it had been since I last updated!!!  Hei aha.  I'm here now and will try to be a bit more diligent over recording our happenings and keeping you all in the know.  We are all good, snuggled up by the fire with the rain coming down more days than it isn't although some of us have a few less teeth than last time (herself junior) and some of us have more injuries and bandages (himself junior).  Anyway on with the show ..........

Just in time for Matariki (Maori New Year) the kids have decided that it is time to celebrate Christmas as well.  I mean what is New Year without Christmas!!  While having a pre-Matariki clear out and de-clutter Jasmine found a magazine she was given at Christmas, a magazine which I had actually forgotten she had as it was hidden away in her secret box. Well opening the pages and seeing snowy stories, recipes and glittery pictures was more than any child, let alone two, could stand and so begin the June Christmas mania.

Herself giving a face paint to Himself.  Pleased not all face painters work this way!!


We began with getting out the Christmas box of things to recover 2 books - one for Daniel on Thomas' snowy Christmas adventure and a Christmas Carol one for Jasmine, complete with CD.  Cue music and singing for days on end ;).  We had to listen to it multiple times, sing it at reading time and then look lovingly at the pictures in between times.  Next Jasmine found a recipe for meringue snowmen and since it was Monday, and we should be baking and we have lots of eggs, we created our fat little men for the children to decorate.  Jasmine was very pleased with hers and devoured it as quick as look at it.  Daniel was happy just to pick the crunchy stuff off but didn't want any of the squishy bits thanks.

The kid's meringue men.

Now you may ask what is Christmas without a tree and present?  Fear not Jasmine had that covered too.  She spent a busy morning selecting and collecting presents from around the house (since Mummy wasn't going to agree with her idea of going out to buy things for her to wrap), secretly wrapping and placing them under the tree.  We all got to open presents (sorry Liam you missed out while at work) and battle with cellotape before singing more songs and reading more Christmas tales of trains on snowy tracks.

The June Christmas tree

Matariki arrived on a clear starry morning and Jasmine was all ready at 5am to greet it.  Sadly though either the Alps or my lack of astronomical knowledge meant that we could not see it.  I assured her that it was in the sky for more than one morning, which eased her mind only a little, and so we agreed to look when at Nan's on the East Coast. Fingers crossed I know where to find it and what to look for by then.  We did managed to do some Matariki based activities though during the week, the favourite of which was baking gingerbread Matariki stars to decorate.  Strange how baking always wins out in this house although Jasmine was ever so slightly miffed at the fact she was only allowed one gingerbread star at a time to eat instead of the 7 Matariki stars that there should be!!

See there is fruit to accompany all that baking.

Hope this finds you all dry, warm and happy
Arohanui Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz