This week was our vacation week, and it was full of relaxation.  The girls had mild pneumonia and ear infections, so we kept the week calm.  I didn't take too many photos, since someone was always in my arms.   Happy New Year to all!  May 2012 bring peace, health, and joy! Peanut Plays in her room while sister naps Pumpkin LOVES mud.  Real girls do, you know. Our pencils, sharpened by the girls This is first thing in the morning, see the sun just poking in?  Bean couldn't wait to attack the cursive sandpaper letters. Peanut adores the mini knobbed cylinders.  She was concentrating so hard, she didn't even notice me.  

We have been role playing gift giving and receiving in preparation for next week's big holiday, CHRISTMAS :)  For more on how we do that, visit my post at Mommy Moment . We handmade many of our gifts this year.  Last year our family members got new festive birdhouses.  This year, we have been learning about this season being a celebration of light.  We made holiday candles for all of our guests.   Painting tissue paper on candle holders with Mod Podge Our finished family gifts!  Green and glitter candle holders :) Christmas Card Station, everything they need to make cards for everyone they'd like.  Boy, this was a HIT this week.  Lots and lots of joy was sent! We had a lot of baking to do, and one recipe called for crushed candy canes.....so off to work they went. This was amazing.  It was completely silent for nearly one hour.  I gave them 12 full sized candy canes to smash.  Yummy cookies we...

This is very exciting!  Deb Chitwood and John Bowman have collected a bunch of ideas from Mom Bloggers for Montessori, and they included this blog!  Click the button for a free ebook!! What a wonderful collection of Moms who love Montessori :)

Please visit Mommy Moment, for a view of our Holiday Sets Basket !  It's been a daily favorite :) This week, we made Gingerbread Play Dough.  I got the idea from Pinterest, but changed it to the spices that we love most.  We also ground each spice by hand.  The girls did all the measuring and mixing.  They packed some for their classrooms, since the twins are in the middle of a Jan Brett unit at school.  Today they read Gingerbread Baby.  Tis the season! Bean, age 5.5 reads her new book to Peanut, age 3.5 at bedtime.  Bean is really into being the big sister, and takes her job very seriously.  Especially where books are involved.   Mortar and Pestle for Clove & Nutmeg Grinding Counting and Grinding Whole Cloves Great Gingerbread Playdough Recipe  from Pinterest Our first batch!  It smells like a dream. Busy hands and cooperation Peanut is beaming with pride here. ...

This week we made some advent/countdown calendars out of paper chains.  Each day, we cut off one link to the chain and talk about something special that happened that day.  The last link is Christmas Day! Cutting the strips Bean organizes her strips into a pattern.  For this one, she chose ABA, with a yellow end. Peanut assembles her chain.  She kept saying, "I'm doing it myself, no one needs to help me!!" Bean's chain, Pumpkin's chain, Peanut's chain-  all done! I got out all Christmas-themed Practical Life work after bedtime last night.  It was SO rewarding to watch them go through the shelf the next day with such excitement.  New work AND Christmas?  I'm speaking their language! Pom Pom and Snowflake Sequin transferring, with Strawberry huller. Present Pouring Glitter Pom Spooning Pumpkin works on names with the movable alphabet.  She's so happy to have a chance with thi...