It's been a busy week

Busy, but not too bad, really. We have been starting school on time this week, and that makes a huge difference! We actually get all the core subjects done by lunch, and that makes the rest of the day much more pleasant.

The kids are taking turns opening the doors on the German Advent calender every morning after breakfast. I used to get them each their own calender, but the cost was getting to be too much, so my solution is for them to take turns, and to make the event sweeter for those who cannot open a door, I give all the kids a Hershey's Kiss after the door is opened. So everyone is happy.

A great boon to the household has been this: it is a miniature mailbox I purchased on sale from Hearthsong, and it was well worth every penny. The children and I have been sending one another miniature letters and cards, from ourselves and from various dolls and stuffed animals. We have "mail-call" after school, and the kids are very eager to see if they have received something. This morning I have written Adrian a note "from Dolly", who has been missing for nearly two weeks now. He/she/it is somewhere in the house, as we don't allow Adrian to take Dolly out, but we can't seem to figure out where. So Dolly is on a fishing trip with gnomes on Magic Mountain.

And we have been cutting out paper snowflakes, with which we decorate our windows every winter.

I am working on my knitting as well. I am hoping to get beyond just the basics and learn to do socks and mittens and stuff.

And I am trying to get some cookie dough into the freezer for the week before Christmas...that's my baking and decorating week. The kids usually have no school so that I may go about like a madwoman dashing off last minute cards and baking up a storm.