Going Against the Flow: Summer School Holidays: Week One ~ Christmas Tree, Cardboard Construction and LOTS of Reading

Our first OFFICIAL week of school holidays and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The highlight of this first week for us was putting up and decorating the Christmas tree. Every year, our family tradition is to put the tree up on the 13th of December, and leaving it up until the 6th of January.

All three boys enjoyed putting decorations on the tree. All three boys have a special bag of their own decorations, and then we have lots and lots of round baubles that they share putting on the tree.

When I moved to Australia I brought a very special set of ceramic Sesame Street character decorations. Now that the boys are older I allow them to place some of those decorations on the tree, but they all know that Grover and Ernie are MINE to place on the tree.

Left photo: The decorated tree without the tinsel added... So bring on the tinsel fun while we wait for daddy to help with the placement of the strands of tinsel on the tree. Munchkin got in on the fun first... (right photo)...

Then Monkey had a turn decorating himself with the tinsel, and last, Monkey and Munchkin decorated ME with the tinsel, but Monster took those photos on his phone and I have yet to see them.

Monkey placing his favourite decoration on the tree... a small pink PIG!!

Our beautiful Christmas tree, complete with tinsel...

Munchkin enjoyed some time through the week trying to figure out how to make a marble run out of cardboard... but it proved a bit more difficult than either of us was expecting...

Munchkin and I spent a whole day cleaning up his shelves in the playroom and in the process we found his maze book and he thus enjoyed some time finishing off the last few mazes in the book.

I found this beautiful drawing of an eye that Monkey worked on this week... His ability to draw realistic human faces has improved DRAMATICALLY this year.

I outsourced the cardboard marble run construction... Munchkin went to his best friend's house for a good chunk of Friday so that they could work on it together. First Munchkin enjoyed a lunch of dumplings which he had NEVER had before but discovered that he really liked.

Then they got started on their construction project...

First up was decorating the box...

Then they began adding cut paper towel and toilet paper rolls to make the run...

They enjoyed playing Uno Spin with the other two children (Munchkin's friend's siblings)...

The marble run so far...

One day was not enough time to finish it... there will be another play date in the very near future!

A trip to a little park near his best friend's house for some running around before coming home. While Munchkin was away, I used the time to get some projects done that needed concentration and no interruptions.

First up this week, Munchkin enjoyed reading his new book that he received from our Pastors as their Sunday School Christmas present... the boys each received a book and they cherish the gifts each year.

Lots and lots of independent reading for Munchkin this week...

More Christmas books were read this week as well... this last book (The Doll People's Christmas) was a bit disappointing, but the others were wonderful.

I allow lots of free choice "fluff" reading over the summer holidays. Generally my own personal reading is lighter during the summer holidays as well, unless I'm pre-reading something for the upcoming school year.