Taking Stock - December 2017




Welcome to my last 'Taking Stock' post for 2017. Can you believe we are only days away from saying goodbye to 2017 and saying hello to 2018? If you are new to Teacher by trade, Mother by nature (WELCOME) you can read all of my 'Taking Stock' posts HERE and get to know ME HERE. (I am planning on updating this page too, so watch this space). Pip from Meet Me At Mike is the mastermind behind this series, so be sure to check out her blog. This is something I have been doing since I started blogging and will continue to do next year - I love looking back at previous months. In a nutshell, it's simply taking a step back and 'taking stock' of what's currently happening in your life.

Here's what's been happening in the month of DECEMBER...



Making: memories with my family this Christmas
Cooking: Lasagne (my favourite)
Drinking: a cup of tea
Reading: the amazing blogs who collaborated in this years '12 Days of Christmas -  Kiwi Mummy Bloggers - Blog Collaboration'. I was Day 2, and you can see all of the bloggers involved at the bottom of my post.



Looking: forward to Miss Freddy's Back Up Bootcamp - have you registered?
Playing: with the kids toys they got for Christmas - M is obsessed with his Rubbish truck
Deciding: what my ONE WORD is going to be for 2018 - stay tuned...all will be revealed on January 1st.
Wanting: to be at the beach EVERY DAY, especially if it looks like this! Stunning.


Wishing: you all a very Merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year
Enjoying: our impromptu trips to the beach and park
Organising: my gift wrapping station - this makes me so happy, knowing everything I need to wrap gifts is in ONE place.



Buying: Christmas presents for the kids - we went with the WANT/NEED/WEAR/READ system and it worked a treat, especially with these gorgeous and FREE gift tags from First Milestone.



Hoping: Miss B stays out of hospital next year...we ended up back in there for 4 nights a couple of weeks before Christmas - it was REALLY HARD!



Marvelling: at everyone's gorgeous Christmas trees...next year we might upgrade to a bigger, more 'fuller' tree
Needing: to upgrade our fridge, so we waited for the Boxing Day Sales and I am so glad we did. Our new fridge is amazing! It's a BEAST - 407L. The original price was $1999, on sale for $1499 and we snapped it up for $697! WOWSA! right? What a Bargain!!



Noticing: when I have clean and clutter free home, I feel 100 times better. It's been a hard month for me, mentally and emotionally - however I have systems and strategies in place to help me get through it.



Creating: this What's for Dinner? menu planner. I printed it, laminated it and stuck in our kitchen cupboard, so my family knows what we are having for dinner.



Celebrating: finishing my Course 3 for Playcentre! It's only taken me over a year to complete! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted! Can't wait to go back in the year.
Opening: presents on Christmas morning and seeing the kids faces light up - precious
Feeling: emotional - my daughter is off to high school next year. She's growing up way to fast. I am so proud of her.



And lastly, I am Loving: my office space. When it's like this (clean and tidy) - it's my favourite room in our home.




If you're not already following me on Social Media...you can find me on Facebook and Instagram.


*********
Now it's YOUR turn...

I'd love for you to tell me, what's been happening in YOUR world? How was December for you? How was your Christmas? Any plans for the new year?
Choose three (or more) words from the list and 'take stock' in the comments below.


Read previous Sunday Share: Currently & Taking Stock posts


Have a wonderful week

Charlene



0

Our Home: Christmas 2017


Welcome to the second day of our '12 Days of Christmas - Kiwi Mummy Blogger Blog Collaboration'. (More details are at the bottom of this post).

Yesterday, my blogging gal-pal Claire from My Other Name is Mum, shared how she made her hubby a DIY Beer Advent Calendar. Now that is one Advent Calendar that my partner would be more than happy to partake in. If you haven't seen Claire's post, be sure to pop over, have a read and share the blog love. Tomorrow Caitlyn from Life With Lochlan is chatting to us about co-parenting during the holiday period. Be sure to pop over after midday and have a read.

Today I am excited about sharing 'Our Home - Christmas 2017' and as a bonus, I'm also sharing a few tips of how I keep organised during the festive season. So grab a cup of hot chocolate (or tea/coffee) and I'm going to get let the photos do (most of) the talking. Enjoy!

It's starting to look and feel a lot like Christmas!




OUR CHRISTMAS THEME

One of my favourite family traditions when it comes to Christmas is decorating our Christmas tree and home on the 1st of December. For many years, we had a Silver & Purple theme, then when we moved into our new home, when we chose MERRY & BRIGHT. This year I felt I wanted a more simplified look (especially after completing the KonMari method, and when I saw the 'Icy Blue/Mint' range at KMart, I was sold. That being said, it wasn't until the afternoon, that we actually made the final decision about what colours we were going to use - I was torn, but now I am really glad I chose the Mint, Silver and White combination (with a splash of traditional red). I love it because it matches our home decor, so there were some items that I could still have on display because it matches our Christmas theme perfectly. 

I set up the tree for the kids and then let them 'go for it'. The kids love the freedom of decorating the tree, thankfully there was a bit of guidance from my 12 year old daughter, otherwise we would have had a bottom-heavy tree. While they decorated the tree, I decorated our home, adding little bits of Christmas, mainly in our living area. The last thing that is put on the tree is our star. My kids were very proud of their achievements and I think our tree looks great. Would you agree? 




OUR CHRISTMAS WREATH

We recently moved our tv to the centre of our mantle, this meant that our big family photo frame looked out of place, so I took it down, which left a blank space on our wall.  I changed all of the baubles on our wreath to match our new theme and hung it on the wall. I really like it there, however I still want a wreath on our front door (hmm).





OUR DINING AREA



FAMILY TRADITION: OUR BOOK ADVENT CALENDAR

 I wrap 12 Christmas themed books for the kids to open every day leading up to Christmas Day - on Christmas Eve the kids get a new book.


Have you decorated your Christmas tree? 
What colour theme do you have in your home this year? 

TIPS FOR GETTING ORGANISED THIS CHRISTMAS

1. Print your Advent Calendar Bundle {Free Printable}. Includes: Calendar, 40 Activity Cards (plus 10 blank cards) & Numbers. Two colour options available (Brights & Traditional).
Grab yours today! (it's not too late)






 2. Create and organise a Gift Wrapping Station using an under-the-bed storage container. This year I have chosen to stick with the theme - Mint, Silver and White.
(Guest Post on The Organised Housewife)







3. Create a Christmas Craft Box for your kids - all your craft supplies in one place.




What do you do to keep organised this Christmas? 


From my family to yours, Merry Christmas
& thanks for stopping by, 
Charlene


********

12 Days of Christmas Blog Collaboration 


I am delighted to be joining 11 amazing Kiwi Mummy Bloggers, in the "12 Days of Christmas - A Blog Collaboration". I must say, you are in for a real treat because these ladies (and their blogs) are fantastic. Each day for the next twelve days, each blogger will be sharing a Christmas themed post e.g. Craft, DIY, Inspiration, Recipe or Family tradition, at 12PM (New Zealand Daylight Time). I have included a full list of all the bloggers taking part in the blog collaboration below, so you can see who is blogging on what day. Seriously, you don't want to miss a post! I am really excited about seeing what each blogger is going to share. 

Finally, if you are looking for more Christmas inspiration, don't forget to hop around and visit each of the bloggers in this list (list will be updated daily)  or find us on Facebook and Instagram - simply search #KMB12DaysofChristmas.

Tomorrow we are visiting Caitlyn from Life With Lochlan who is going to be chatting to us about co-parenting during the holiday period. Be sure to pop over after midday and have a read.



Day 1 (1st December) 
 My Other Name is Mum - Beer Advent Calendar
<---- YOU ARE HERE ----> 
Day 2 (2nd December) 
Teacher by trade, Mother by nature  - Our Home: Christmas 2017
Day 3 (3rd December) 
Life With Lochlan 
Day 4 (4th December) 
Misses Mac
Day 5 (5th December)
Eva - The Living One / Eva - The Living One (FB)
Day 6 (6th December) 
Caroline Larnach
Day 7 (7th December) 
Day 8 (8th December) 
Day 9 (9th December) 
Day 10 (10th December) Hey Little Sweet Thing
Day 11 (11th December)
Day 12 (12th December) 



SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER!

* INDICATES REQUIRED


Select Your Email Option Below
2
Back to Top