Advent calendar bag No 3

Monday, Monday,...

... somehow it is always the busiest day of the week. Maybe because I am still so relaxed and a bit slow from the weekend.

So today, without further stories, here is bag no 3...

... filled with a tin box with lots of children on it...

... which is according to my little one definitely a cornflakes box. Well, alright then. I love toys which leave room for imagination. Maybe tomorrow it will be a special children’s shampoo. Or a box of sweets.

First Advent

I cannot believe that it is already time to unlit the first candle on your Advent wreath again. But as always, it comes faster than you think each and every year ;-)

This year I bought a ready-made Advent wreath at the supermarket. You know I try to be pragmatic every now and then, just to get everything done that is important to me without going nuts. Working mum strategy and stuff. So I picked the most beautiful (or least horrible) wreath while I queued up at the cashier: not too much glitter, simple white candles, matt golden bits and pieces...

... but of course I couldn’t leave it that way. First I got rid of the bows which I suddenly didn’t like anymore. Then I started to go through my drawers and my Christmas box to pimp it up. Oh, well, I really try hard to make my life easy, but sometimes I just cannot stop myself. Anyway, it didn’t take me too long to transform my wreath and it didn’t cost an extra cent plus I am really happy with it now:

What did go do to your Advent wreath? Or did you make it from scratch? Or did you forget about it?

Oh and there was the second bag of my little one’s Advent calendar to be opened first thing in the morning.

It was filled with a little container full of mini chocolate chip cookies.

Real ones! I find it kind of cruel to give felt sweets to children as a gift. They always remind them of the real treat but you cannot eat them. Kind of mean! So I decided that my little one would get real sweets. And because I know she would eat them all straight-away (as I would do as well) I decided to put just a few in the little container and offer her occasional refills.

Happy first Advent! I hope you got some cookies as well.

First day of Advent Calendar

As promised, I will share the content of my little one’s Advents calendar day by day. Since today was the starting point of the transformation of my little one’s play kitchen...

 

... into a little play shop, she got a bit more than usual to give the shop a head start and get her all excited about the a-gift-per-day thing. My little one is 2.5 years old so this year will be the first year in which she understands the whole Advents calendar and gift thing. Last year she still refused to unwrap her Christmas presents because she thought they were cute children’s chairs ;-)

This year it will be different, I am sure. She will be excited about presents and she will find it as hard as I did to wait another day before opening the next present ;-)

But now without any further blahblah, here is bag No 1:

 

In it she found today...

... scales made of my old letter scales personalised with a sticker with her shop’s name on it and...

 ... a couple of paper bags to fill in the weighed goods.

So, guess what we did all day ;-)

Advent Calendar Inspiration

Advent calendars are one of my favourite things about Christmas. Maybe even the most favourite thing. My late granny used to make them for us every year. They were always full of little presents, sweets and lots of love. I will never forget the feeling of curiosity and joy when I stood in front of the 24 little parcels and tried to guess what they might contain. Granny held the tradition until we were late in our 20s and we begged her for a new calendar each and every year. A little present a day was so much better than just another present on Christmas Eve!

Now I am the one who packs the little parcels and watch my little one fill with excitement when looking at the 24 little parcels filled with unknown little treasure – and to my surprise it is at least as much fun making an Advents calendar than making it. Starting to think about little presents or big ones which can be split up. Trying to find things which are fun and tiny and not too expensive. Filling a secret bag with more and more treasures. Looking for the little bags. Laying them out on the floor. Distributing the treasures to the 24 days. Adding sweets. Wrapping everything in Christmas paper. Hanging them on a ribbon the night before the 1^st of December... I can tell you making Advents calendars really made my November!

So here is some Advent calendar inspiration for all of you, who still haven’t gotten all the necessary 24 little parcels. Or for all of you who urgently need an alternative for the contaminated chocolate Adventcalendars.

This year I made two Advent calendars. One for my little one, who is 2.5 years old. Her Advent calendar will transform her play kitchen into a play shop and I will share its content throughout December with you. So, no pictures yet, sorry ;-)

 

 

The second Advent calendar I made for my goddaughter, who is 3.5 years old. She is really into drawing and colouring...

... and she is obviously becoming a real girl now.  Her mum told me that nail polish and necklaces are the things to have at kindergarten at the moment. Holy Moly  ;-)

 

 

 

I also included some things which I just find magically like stickers, little books, a kaleidoscope...

... and some sweets, of course. My goddaughter is not into chocolates, so it had to be gummi bears.

 

All wrapped up in Christmas paper and put into the little bags. E voila!!!!

OMG...

... I cannot believe how long I haven’t posted on this little blog of mine. Can you believe it – previous post on February 24^th!!! At least 2012 :-)

I am sure no one is still hoping to hear anything from me, get any news, find anything on this blog which is not absolutely and utterly out-dated. Arrrrggggghhhhh!!!

I guess, life got in the way of blogging. No dramas. No crisis. No life-changing events. Just the usual everyday stuff ;-(

 

Anyway, I am still alive. I still have internet connection. And I still read a lot of blogs and at the moment I really want to post again. So I do ;-)

Maybe my sudden re-discovery of this little blog has something to do with my favourite season coming up: Christmas!!! In the past few weeks I have been crafting so much, decorating like mad, looking for ideas and presents all night long. I had a blast and the whole Plätzchen (cookies) part hasn’t even begun ;-)

And after getting all this wonderful inspiration from the world-wide-web, I want to give something back. Christmas is the time of giving anyway, so why not start with something virtual. So I promise to share with you some nifty little Christmas decorations, some fantastic but affordable Christmas gifts, some amazing Christmas food and my little one’s Advent calendar over the next few weeks.

I hope my post will inspire you.

I hope they will make you smile.

I hope they will make you hungry.

I hope they will make you curious.

5 things to make a 36-year-old happy (or at least me ;-))

I promised you a happier post – and here it is. Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, my little one feels much better and I am my positive self again. Hurray!

I hope you are happy, too, and if not maybe I can inspire you with 5 things that made my very happy at my 36^th birthday:

Black Forest Cake – my absolute favourite! I could have eaten the whole cake, but fortunately (for my hips) I shared it with my loved ones

Yummy ‘Emperors Dream’ tea – I don’t know what I like more: the pyramid-shaped organza tea bags or the green box with delicate birds.

Lots of colourful birthday cards from my friends near and far – life would not be half as nice without you.

Lots of new books – well , if my little one wouldn’t be sick, I would have finished them by now ;-)

Going out with my lovely husband – all by ourselves with the grandparents looking after the little one, drinks, food, comedy,... perfect!

Can anyone tell me…

… why antibiotics come in neon-pink, waterproof colour? Seriously! Life is hard enough for mums with sick children. For mums with a child who fights her medicine tooth and nail. For mums who are not allow to do anything without carrying their 11kg-little-one with them for days.  For mums who see their child’s paediatric more often than any of their friends. For mums who know more about lung noises than they ever wanted.

These mums really don’t need to ruin their favourite shirt with neon-pink, waterproof blurs of colours.

Sorry, more positive vibes on this little blog tomorrow. Or whenever these antibiotics finally start to work.