December 2009

As we head into December and the Christmas season my aim for our family this year is to slow down. Easier said than done I know. With the kids being at school until 23 December (and I have 3 boys in 3 different schools this year) it gets crazy just with the school activities alone. I'm hoping to be super organized at home and on top of schedules and commitments that we don't over commit to things, but make time to just be together and do the fun things like baking cookies etc. Our family tradition is to put up the Christmas tree on the first weekend in December. This is always such fun as we go out together to hunt for the perfect tree for our home. Most importantly I want my boys to remember the true meaning of Christmas and the importance of Jesus' birth.

90 Years Young

Well my gran turned 90 this weekend. I think she's in incredible shape for a 90 year old woman. All her 5 children and some of my cousins all went to Durban to celebrate with her for the weekend. It sounded like it was going to be such fun, just only wish I could of made it as well. I'm still waiting to get the rundown on the weekend from everyone! Well I looked up on the internet to see what the headlines were in 1919 and here are some of them:

• League of Nations founded

• Treaty of Versailles signed, officially ending World War One.
  

• Afghanistan becomes fully independent from UK.

• Lady Astor becomes the first woman to take her seat in the British Parliament.

• The Nazi party forms in Germany.

My gran has seen so many inventions in her lifetime, I wonder if she could list them all! I wonder what invention has impacted her life the most? 4 of her 5 children still live in South Africa and one of her daughters lives in Denmark. Her grandkids are now scattered all over the world including SA, Australia, UK, Switzerland, UAE, Denmark and America. How small the world has now become.
Happy 90th Birthday Gran!

Fall

Well the temperature has dropped and the leaves have changed color and begun to fall. This is by far my most favorite season. The boys are by now entrenched in their school and sport schedules, Mike has begun a new financial year at work and somehow I am still trying to catch up with everyone! Somehow a new season spurs in me the need to re-organize and start something new. So far our basement floor has been redone so now I've been able to move the kids toys back downstairs and set up a storage room. I'm planning on moving the attic storage downstairs, but only once I've completely gone through it, re-organized it and decided we definitely need it! With Thanksgiving fast approaching it's a reminder for us to take the time to reflect on what we're most thankful for and realize how much we really do have (material and not).
Well the kids have now awoken and some are begging for breakfast and the other is begging for the laptop I'm on, so I guess my day has begun!