25 in nojomo 2013

Wow, only 5 days to go - I never have any problem going back to sporadic entries! I am, of course, planning advent. For anyone who doesn't know me well, let me explain.

In England my job description is Childminder, but it's a very specific term. A childminder is not the same as a nanny nor babysitter. We look after children within our homes, we have to create educational planning, do observations and create planning specific to each child. I have governmental inspections and there are very strict and specific rules.

When Tal was a baby I made a fabric advent calendar with pockets for each day and I stuff these with gifts for the kids. If a child comes to my house on a specific day there will be a gift for them, if they don't there won't. So, last night I worked who would be with me and when during the 24 days leading up to Christmas and looked through my gift box, worked out what extras I needed before putting in an order at Yellow Moon. Its a fab site that sells craft things and also party bag gifts so i order the latter, getting 6 football whistles for 99p Eg. I also buy chocolate coins which allows a certain amount of stuffing when I have kids I didn't expect or for days I don't have something appropriate for each kid.

I'm getting excited about stuffing it all in, we have tattoos, flying reindeer, stickers, snowman pens, glitter pens, chupa chups and much more. I think it's so much more fun than a cadburys pre-packed calendar.

Added to this, i always get one that just has pictures in it for the girls to share.

Our advent calendar, when I was a kid, was just that. A calendar with a Christmas based picture ie Mary and Joseph in the stable or the shephards on the hill. Inside each door was another Christmas based picture, to do with the Christmas story or traditional trees, gifts etc... The four of us shared it and took turns to open the door. I was always the last one to open a door as my birthday is the 4th Dec (look, I got it in!) so I opened the fourth, eighth, twelth, sixteenth etc... doors. I loved doing that and I don't think I even knew that other people had chocolate.

When I look at advent calendars with pictures of Barbie and pikachu I feel sad. There is no Christmasin those pictures. My fabric one is made with Christmas fabrics and I love that my girls will grow up with this memory of sharing. Especially as, some mornings, they will find their (eg) football whistles but two people will want the orange one and I never have to deal with it. One of them will always give way. Let's hope I didn't tempt fate then!!

I'm thinking of getting a book about the Christmas story, just something light and fun, to read with the girls at bedtime.

Happy almost advent!