into the holiday season

For our readers, I hope your Thanksgiving celebration was filled with joy and peace. And that you had Thanksgiving dinner several times afterwards as well. I almost enjoy the left-over meals more the second and third time!

Our family spent the several days that I had off from work doing very little. The children continued to build their houses, and got involved with another craft activity (they are now making toy cars). Doesn't seem too out of sorts for them to be constantly involved in making something. :)

I am still continuing to plug away at some finishing work for school. The past two months I have taken online classes through National University, and have spent most of my time posting on discussion boards, reading books, and writing papers. This next month, December, will be my final class where I get to choose the topic I want to explore in education, and write a final paper on my research and observations as it pertains to the classroom. I am choosing the topic of multiple intelligences to research but haven't decided on what question of it that I want to address. I have a day or two to decide.

For the next week or so we will spend some time making Christmas cards. This personally is one of my favorite activities to do with the children. We have already decided on a design, and are thinking about the kind of message we want the card to say. I love involving the children and working with them on sending out holiday greetings. I did a small research on the Christmas card and it's origin. The first Commercial cards were commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in London around 1843, but the original Christmas card started three years earlier in 1840, when Queen Victoria's Royal Family sent cards out to share personal events of the year. It seems the purpose of the card has not changes that much over all these years. Ildi asked the question concerning why we send cards in the first place. Here are some of the reasons I send Christmas cards.

1. I like to make them.
2. I like to work on things with the children.
3. I want others to know that I am thinking about them during the holiday season time. (that really should be number one)
4. It is a way to bring cheer to others.

Each year the children and I look forward to making "this year's" card. I have been keeping one from each year for the last few years so that when the children are grown, they can take the ones we made while they were at home.

Side story...Macy has broken the family record for the most amount of teeth lost in a week, and a day. The record stands now at three per week, and two in one day. I pulled two of them out just a few hours ago. And she was brave!