3-D Paper Snowflakes

Everyone is doing these just now, they are all over pinterest and facebook.
Here is the one i have done for in work.
Its nice and simple. fold 6 square pieces of paper in half to make a triangle, fold again to make a smaller triangle. cut 3 lines almost all the way up paralel to the side with only 1 fold.
open up, take the middle two 'triangles' and roll togetehr, tape in place, turn paper around so the roll is on the table, take the next two in line and roll together and tape, repeat until done. do with all 6 pieces of paper. join together in middle, then all the taped rolls on the outside, you want them to join so that when hung it keeps its shape.
make a hole at the top of one point and trhead some nice ribbon through to hang up on the celling. I dont have any just now, so i am using paperclips haha.

fold in half

and half again

3 cuts upto the side with 1 fold, dont cut all the way through

open out

tape middle 2 triangles together

flip over

tape next 2 together

and soo on and soo on

till all done

I stapeled 2 together

and then 3 pairs together in the middle

no sides joined, goes all floppy

stapled the outside 'X' together with their neighbours

not floppy anymore

hung up at my office counter.

decided to do more cuts this time

Apologies for no Advent or Elf on the shelp posts. Depression is kicking my butt big time just now, and I don't have the energy to kick its butt back :( I do have a mobile full of pictures for posts, just now goingto tray and find time to get them done. So apologies in advance for possibly having 3 or 4 posts a day and then none for a while again. 

Elf on the shelf
What has our ELf done?
Well he has been found in the breakfast cupboard, having a bath with the octonauts, TP'ed the tree, snuck into bed with us during the storm, hidden that days chocolate from the advent calendar. Tonight he is making these 3-d snowflakes for us to finish along with our letter to santa and a lot more...

Advent day one

Today is the anticipated day of Advent, for me, it is the chance to get playing Elf on the Shelf. For Lyle, it is the count down to Christmas. I know it is a lot more than that. But for us just now, this is what we have been looking forward to.

Day one.
In our advent calendar it said go visit Santa with a ticket for xscape.
So off we went. Wrapped up warm. Santas grotto, you see, is on the snow.
After we were booked in, names on, we waited in short line (6 children per booking slot) beside the grotto. We tried to pick up some snow but it has compacted to ice, as we got closer, we could see Santa through the window and Lyle, really excitedly says "its the real one mum, look the real Santa has come!"
When it was our turn we both got to sit beside Santa, and he spoke to Lyle, saying how he knows he is a good boy but really needs to listen to his mum more, how his writing and reading are coming along great but needs to start liking sums more. He asked him if he is still wanting the new Skylanders and that his elves are busy making some just now.
Then Santa brings out a parcel just for Lyle, and inside this parcel is an elf. Santa said that elfie will come back home each night to tell Santa and his family all the great things that Lyle does, like bring helpful, being kind and tidying his toys away.
We all got our picture taken, then Lyle got to race an elf named Darren down the hill on sledges.

We waited in a short line to get our free picture, but when it was our turn, the printer broke, we waited for 40 minutes then they put them on pen drives instead.

Lyle was soo cute, asking Elfie what he liked etc and putting the elf up to his ear to hear what the reply was.

We then spent some money on different games like air hockey and whack a mole.

Our day out was great, and I would fully recommend Snow Factors Santa experience.

Night 21.

Went good , Saturday night film night, Lyle picked kick ass again. I folded and put away clothes then we both went to bed back of 10 and both got up abt half 9.

I really need to change it from DVD night to games night and start playing the board games we have.

Found inside last years advent calendar, some of our activities. Think I will add some of these to this years.

Today, we are going to see my sisters New house. Rather exciting! We are giving our 'spare' advent calendar to them. It was always intended to be for them anyways, even though I bought it years before Rio was born. At the time, I wanted to buy 3, but only 2 left. I will make one for Gary, when he has children, and that won't be for years yet, although I do hope that he doesn't end up like Gordon; mid 30's, no kids, still living at the parents with a real fear of commitment. One thing is for sure tho, he won't be dependent on the family for money like Gordon. Gary has always made sure he keeps his and is slowly working to become a millionaire. One day :)

Advent Calendar

This getting more organised is paying off, I knew where my advent calendar was and I had even put the spare in with the other. Result!

Ideas for our Advent calendar include

1. Edible treat 
2. Edible treat 
3. Edible treat  (at his dads those days)
4. Read a new book
5. Have hot chocolate and cookies
6. Make a Christmas Star with Mum
7. Write a letter to Santa
8. Go to the Christmas party at school
9. Go see the Christmas lights
10. Go sledding with Mum
11. Invite a friend over for Christmas movie night with treats
12. Have lunch at a special restaurant with our family (my birthday)
13. Write out Christmas Cards
14. Decorate cookies for the neighbours
15. Read 'T was the night before Christmas
16. Make Snowflakes
17. Visit Santa in his Grotto
18. Winter walk to feed the swans and ducks
19. Cinema with After School care
20. Donate food/clothes/toys
21. Perform in Christmas School Show
22. Make Christmas Play do'h
23. Christmas Giving Tree at Chapel
24. Have dinner by candle light

 The only one I can see that may be a problem is Go Sledding/Sledging. That all depends on the weather.
But I have my list. I just now need to make them look fancy and fit in the stockings. in the correct order for what is happening. I will try and have a few spares for those that we cant get done

Christmas List 2013

To be added to until Christmas 

Lyle
Big boys bike  (Deposit paid)  Just to wait til christmas and collect his. 
Helmet
Bike Pump
Bike gloves
Bike repair kit that goes under your seat

Robo fish
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Costumes (made one for halloween. see here)

Wii games x 2 - Lego Harry Potter years 1-4 and 5-7
DS game - Lego something or other


Rio




Mum and Dad

Still Game tickets and night in hotel room.  - chipping in with Sister and Brother




Great Granda




Lauren and Steven
Cinema Hamper
Odeon Vouchers,
2pairs of 3d glasses,
Popcorn
DVD
Share bags of sweets




Gary

Breaking Bad 
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3


 Me

Bike (money getting paid in when over that side of town)
Helmet
Bike Gloves
Bike repair kit that goes under your seat

Foods


Hamper Ideas
Nuts
Tea sets - tea, biscuits, mugs.
Cinema Night at home


Advent Ideas 

Pantomime tickets


Christmas Eve Elf

Let me explain a bit here. I have never had any real Traditions for Christmas, other than the tree goes up the weekend AFTER my birthday. After having Lyle, I read that others done a Christmas Eve hamper that consisted of things to do like a DVD to watch etc. So I started ours with new pj's and a new toothbrush, a short Christmas DVD, some dry cookie mix with instructions on how to make cookies for Santa and the reindeers, some magic reindeer food to sprinkle outside and now a key to get in. 

I started this when he was 3, his dad had him and dropped off a really sick boy on christmas eve (gave him dairy). soo much that at half 5 he asked to go to bed, burning temp and not interested in opening his present the elf left him. 

When he was 4, I wrapped the box up and left it on his bed, at 6 pm i sent him up to get his jammies and the excitement that came from the room was amazing! he came running down with these new christmas jammies, and a film saying the elves left it. He even brought me down new jammies that the elf had left for me!

Last year he asked me if I thought the elves would leave new jammies for Gordon, so I bought Gordon a mans set of pj's, and Lyle was excited when he got stuff for all 3 of us to do.

2 x toothbrushes - toothbrush heads as we both got electric toothbrushes.

2 x Christmas PJ's - Spiderman Onsies, mum bought and is giving for the Xmas Eve Hamper

Christmas DVD

Cookie Mix

Popcorn

Colouring in book and pens

Thinking about Advent, in November.

So it is middle of November, and for the past week I have done nothing but think of ideas to put in our Advent Calendar. (I have just searched for an hour, my Facebook to find a picture to show you it, but their isn't one in my albums.) Anyways, our advent calendar consists of red socks, u can put a little treat in them or a note, I have two sets, possibly three somewhere. one I put downstairs above the radiator and one goes upstairs just outside Lyle's room and the toilet. This year, I intend to mix what goes in them, one day a lolly, another something for us to do like on the 8th, its my birthday but it is also opening night for Lyle's show, so that day is going to say something along the lines of, share birthday breakfast, Lyle go to drama and mummy go watch her star in the Christmas show, another one will be write Christmas cards, make Christmas cookies for the neighbours.
I am going to put the list here, and I will come back and edit it as i get ideas... and hopefully I will get pictures throughout December of us doing the daily Advent.

1. Select a present for the Church Christmas 'Giving' Tree
2. Write out Christmas cards
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. Make Christmas playdough
8. Perform in Christmas Show with Drama Group
9. Entertain Gran at the Christmas show
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16. Put up Christmas Tree
17. Make Christmas cookie's for the neighbours
18.
19.
20.have a Christmas film night
21.
22.Have dinner to candle light
23.
24.
25. Celebrate Christmas at Saint Joseph's Chapel.