It's the most wonderful time of the year..............

If you guys have ever head Amy Grant's Christmas album (which is on heavy rotation in my home, cause, hey.... Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year) you will be able to sing the title of this blog in your head! Since I last wrote we have started to Christmas-fy the unit. The balcony is wrapped in Christmas lights, there are a couple of light silhouette things in the front window, stockings are hanging. We do not have a Christmas tree yet though. A girlfriend from church and I are going to traipse into a forest and chop one down, and then squeeze it into my hatchback car (complete with two carseats containing two children in the back seat). It shall probably be a little squishy. (For those of you concerned about environmental type regulations, let me reassure that it is a Christmas tree farm we are going to - and hopefully they supply the axe.)

Every time Mr 2 hears a Christmas song, or sees a Christmas decoration or Christmas lights he exclaims: "Meemas". He even exclaimed it the other night when a police car went zooming past with its lights flashing.

Handy Hint Number 35: As a parent you are the one responsible for starting the majority of your children's Christmas traditions. Be careful what traditions you start!!!! You only have yourself to blame ten years down the track when you decide you want to do something a different way to have your children say 'but it's not tradition..........'

This week I have several Christmas goals to accomplish. I am chopping down a Christmas tree, I'm going to start soaking fruit in brandy for Christmas cakes, and it's time for the annual 'dress the kids in Santa suits, take 50 photos in the hope that one will work, and turn said photo into a Christmas card'. My kids are really going to hate me when they are teenagers!! (that's one tradition they will probably let me forget about!!!)

I sometimes feel like Miss 3 is already hitting her teenage years. She may be 3 going on 13! She was not happy with me the other day for some reason, possibly to do with my wanting her to wear sensible footwear, and her not! She stood hands on hips and said, quite forcefully: "I'm not happy. I'm very cross!'. Mr 2 looked a bit shocked and she straight away went to him, put her arm around him and said 'It's not you, little one, it's just my Mum.'

She is quite amazing with her little brother. They absolutely love each other. They play well together, they share beautifully; she is protective of him, he is protective of her (I am sometimes cast as the evil enemy!!!) If she is upset Mr 2 goes up to her and pats her and says 'You OK? You OK?' After her day at preschool they fly into each other's arms and hug as though it has been years. The other day at swimming lessons Miss 3 was in the water about to start swimming and she suddenly got out of the water and ran towards Mr 2 and I. The teacher told me 'She said she forgot to kiss her little brother goodbye.'

One night several months ago Miss 3 was in my bed, and Mr 2 was crying in his cot and Miss 3 called for me. When I got to the door she said "I think [Mr 2] needs me. Can I have him in here with me?" I thought to myself, why not!? I put Mr 2 in bed with Miss 3 and (after a fair amount of frivolity) they fell asleep in each other's arms. All through winter I just put them straight into bed together and they would laugh and chat, and Miss 3 would sing lullabies to Mr 2, and pray with him. To say I feel blessed in my kids would be an understatement!!! I have alot of photos of them curled in each other's arms asleep!

Handy Hint Number 36: When pregnant with your second (or 3rd or 4th etc) child, prepare your first child for the birth of the baby by telling them how lucky they are, reinforce what a wonderful thing it is for them to have a brother or sister. Only tell them good stuff. Don't tell them stuff like 'don't feel like mummy doesn't love you, cause I always will' or stuff like that, cause it sounds like you are saying the right thing, but you're actually setting your child up to feel like there is a reason for them to feel unloved or lacking in attention or jealous of a sibling.

I hope that makes sense, cause it's a bit hard to explain. As an example, I got 'The Lion King' for the kids, and sat down to watch it with them for the first time, and suddenly realised that it is all about the Lion King's brother being jealous and hating his brother and plotting to kill him. So I turned it off, and will introduce ideas like that to the kids when they are a bit older. They at this stage don't have any idea about being jealous of each other and if they occasionally battle for a toy, they always kiss and say sorry (generally without prompting from me). It doesn't make any sense for me to show them a movie like that.

Handy Hint Number 37: The first time you show your kids a DVD, make sure you sit down and watch it with them. Even G rated films often have bits that can be hard for litle kids to understand. You can explain bits they don't understand and simplify parts that could be scary or sad. If a part comes up in the movie that is too scary just skip that scene and explain it's not suitable for them. Kids are so cluey. (My kids now say "Quick Mum, it's not soo-ble")

You may be worried that my kids are watching terrible movies. They aren't. Here's what they are allowed to watch:

Hi-5 - they are awesome. Both kids get up and dance and sing along.
The Wiggles - I'm not too rapt in them but Mr 2 likes them. (I'm a Hi-5 girl!)
Playschool
Finding Nemo - the shark and swordfish scenes can be scary for littlies.
Babe - very cute
Singing in the Rain - hey the kids like the dancing
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - this is an absolutely gorgeous movie (known as 'the horsie movie' in our home)
Racing Stripes
Cars - fantastic and adults should love it too...
Shrek 1 and 2 - both have some scary bits to explain, but still fun.
The Man From Snowy River - what can I say? The kids like horsie movies. Mr2 is scared at the beginning when they are chopping tree down with axe and then it falls (I guess I better remember that when Christmas tree chopping!!) and I skip a couple of chapters where there is yelling and fighting.
Black Beauty - new version. We watch the first half and then I turn it off. The second half is very sad, lots of cruelty. Even I felt upset at some of it :(

We have rented some other movies.
Beauty and the Beast is the favourite.
Sleeping Beauty - there is a lot fundamentally wrong with this movie (like a girl being married off on her 16th birthday by her father who wants grandkids straight away!). I skipped about seven chapters in a row (cause Maleficicent the evil fairy is frankly too scary for a 2 year old!), and I am not all together thrilled at encouraging Miss 3 to wait for the classic 'knight in shining armour' thing, so tend to steer her away from all the 'Barbie' movies. She will have enough 'does he like me? Why doesn't he like me?' when she gets to high school. Hey, I still have it!!!! ;)
Robots - fun but scary in parts
Madagascar - didn't grab kids or me at all.

And now for some adult movies. That's movies for adults, not well ... you know...."Adult movies".
You Me and Dupree - I kind of liked it. I'm not really sure though. Kate Hudson looks good.
The Lake House - I expected this to be lame and I really loved it. Really really loved it. It's a new release with Keanu and Sandra and no speed! Very thought provoking and quite emotionally involving (I cried...)
Garden State - a really interesting and quite funny movie written, directed and starring Zach Braff (from Scrubs). It's quirky, but has excessive and unnecessary swearing. So much swearing it's almost painful actually!

Well I was going to add a couple of photos, but have spent way too much time doing this and have to go to bed!! Sleep well......