Christmas is Complete

We had a good Christmas.  Dave got to call Christmas morning and talk to everyone.  His parents spent the night, so they were able to talk to him also.  The presents were a hit, even if the girls didn't get everything they wanted this year (especially since most of what they wanted was expensive), but they got a lot since I found some great bargains on a couple of items.

Legos were the big hit this year.  They loved all their Lego toys and spent hours putting them together.  Sami ignored her new Nintendo DSi for hours so she could put together her Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle set.  Educational and fun is how I like it!

Now I am going to plan out this Winter's educational pursuits.  We are still unschooling, but adding a little bit of curriculum here and there.  The unschooling is working, and I can see Sami's reading level increase all the time, but I still want to plug things in there that they may not get from unschooling, such as history and math.  They do get exposed to history and math already, but I am anxious to add more and make it fun.

Christmas Readiness

We're more ready for Christmas this year than normal, even with Dave in Iraq.  I think that is because I was forced to complete everything early to have it ready when he was home.  That included getting most of the shopping done weeks in advance. 

We are trying to have a relaxed Christmas season this year, without stress and chaos.  So far, so good.  We've had some hiccups, but mostly it's been a good season.  The hardest part is keeping the house tidy with us all stuck in the house.  At least the mess is because the kids are busy playing with toys and reading books. 

The kids have had a great attitude about Christmas this year.  I was worried that they would be grouchy since their father is in Iraq, but they've been cheerful little troopers.  They were a little miffed that I put the dog and cats' stocking stuffers in their father's stocking this year, but I just couldn't let his stocking sit unused.  It looked too lonely. 

Legos

It's been just over a month since I've blogged.  We've been busy!

Dave was home from Iraq for two wonderful weeks.  We got to spend a lot of quality time together as a family, and Dave and I got to go deer hunting a few times.  Two deer and two weeks later, he had to go back to Iraq but we have some great memories.

Now, what about Legos?  The girls have become obsessed with them!  They lurk online looking at new sets, they look at them in the toy isles, and they want new sets for Christmas.  We never had any Legos till this year when they got their first set last Christmas, and they were hooked. 

I like Legos for several reasons. 

1.  The girls have to follow detailed directions to put together Lego sets. 

2.  After initially building a set, they use their imagination and rearrange the sets in hundreds of different combinations.

3.  They use their imagination in playing with them and making story lines.  They even have political discussions between the characters (apparently our Legos are conservative). 

4.  They use a camera and take stop-motion photography pictures to make "movies."  They even write on the white board to make captions, like in old-fashioned black and white movies. 

5.  They are (mostly) durable and last for years. 

What I don't like about Legos are the price (I consider them very expensive) and how they get spread all over the room (they really hurt when I step on them).  Are they worth it?  At this point, I'm saying yes.  It falls in line with our unschooling philosophy and creativity. 

This had been the year of the Lego, and for that I am glad.  Webkinz were really starting to get on my nerves.