Whew…What a day! After getting a fabulous night of sleep last night, we spent the majority of today out and about enjoying Heidelberg and soaking in crisp outdoor air – something we certainly don’t get enough of in Kuwait. A welcomed change.
Author: Jen
Back in Heidelberg
Ahhhhh… Heidelberg. We love it here. After a fairly terrible night of sleep {the party upstairs turned out to be quite the rager and Miss G was up at 4 a.m. after an exceptionally late bedtime last night}, we bundled up and walked to the grocery store to load up on essentials. After everything had been washed and put away, we had some brunch and put our grumpypants girl down for a much needed nap, despite the fact that she hasn’t had one in months and months and months. Luckily for us, she fell asleep and stayed asleep for a couple of hours – woohoo! After the post-nap fog had worn off, she helped me take a couple of photos for a special New Year’s Eve post I’m doing for CBC Parents, then we bundled up and went exploring Heidelberg’s Old Town. We wandered the streets, browsed the shops, visited the Christmas market {where Grae rode the carousel}, and then had dinner out at a restaurant we really enjoyed last year. It was a day filled with walking, crisp air, bright lights, and Christmas cheer – the perfect combination for our first day of holidays as a family.
Heidelberg Bound {2014}
Woohoo! Christmas vacation is officially here and I couldn’t be more excited. After much debate, we decided to spend this year’s holidays in Heidelberg, Germany once again {and I’m so glad we did}. While it’s always nice to see new places, Heidelberg is pretty much perfect for us when it comes to Christmas vacation spots. Besides being beautiful and very Christmassy this time of year, it’s also quite an affordable European vacation destination. The weather is cold {just the way we like Christmas to be} but not too cold, the city is friendly and walkable, and rental flats are readily available. There’s an outdoor skating rink and several small Christmas markets, and you can walk around the city sipping on a warm glühwein day or night. Need I say more?
We spent most of our day today in transit, and let me say – Miss G is a total trooper. Not only did she let both Brad and I sleep on the plane for a little bit {while watching part of Frozen, albeit, but hey – sometimes you’ve got to take what you can get}, but she also sat sardined in between bags on a very tightly packed train, transferred to train number two without an issue, and then walked for at least a half hour or so in the rain to our flat {well past her bedtime} while commenting on how walking was really good exercise for your body. We arrived to our lovely little flat, checked it out, and then promptly put our girl to bed for the night. We did run into the upstairs neighbours who {very kindly} let us know that they’re having a party tonight, but with any luck, we’ll all get a good sleep and be ready to explore Heidelberg tomorrow morning. Here’s hoping!
Making and Eating Gingerbread People Cookies {a first}
From the Mouth of Grae…
Christmas Tree Photo Scavenger Hunt
A Yearly Tradition: A Polar Express Viewing Party With Friends
This morning Miss G woke up to discover a jingle bell on a red satin ribbon and this little note in her snowman advent calendar. She was beyond excited.
Sick Kid Sensory Soup
While Grae and I both seem to be extremely good at avoiding the terrible sicknesses that circle through our groups of friends, today she woke up with a runny, but congested nose. Since we prefer to do things the natural way in our house, the first inkling of a cold means a day filled with non-stop fruits and veggies, and extra powerful green smoothie, and a garlic-filled dinner. …Plus some sick kid sensory soup as of today – hah!
December Beach Day
Though I truly do miss the rain, cold, and snow of back home this time of year, I really can’t complain about spending December days at the beach in 24 degree weather. Today’s adventure included a coffee pit stop first thing, a visit to the playground with friends, stories of the sea cuddled up in front of the sea, loads of sand art, and a warm milk for Miss G on the way home. A lovely morning, to say the least.
Fun Stocking Stuffers for Miss G
Growing up, we didn’t do stockings at Christmastime. Don’t get me wrong – we always had more than enough of everything and my parents worked extremely hard to make the holidays beyond special for us. Stockings just weren’t our jam.
Christmas Tree Play Dough and Cookie Cutter Gifts
It’s very likely that our friends may soon disown us for constantly gifting them with play dough… And until then, we’ll probably just continue coming up with clever ways to present it and give it anyways {sorry, friends}. ☺
Squishy Snowman Sensory Bag
Today’s advent activity card invited Miss G and I to create a squishy snowman sensory bag, so that’s just what we did. Creating this adorable little guy is actually an idea I came up with back in October when I saw these sensory bags with slimy eyes, so I’ve been anxious waiting for quite a long time now and luckily Grae seems to share in my excitement when it comes to all things play-related.
Christmas is Coming!
When you’re from Canada, Christmas equals cold, crisp air and snow-covered streets {or at least tons of rain and regular frosts if you’re from Vancouver}. Needless to say, that’s not the kind of weather we’re currently experiencing here in Kuwait. In fact, I’m fairly certain that this is the warmest December we’ve experienced in our six years here. Normally by this time of year, we’re wearing down vests and shivering during our afternoons in the courtyard, but this year it’s regularly been 21 to 24 ºC for the majority of the day, which makes getting into the holiday season sort of tricky. Don’t get me wrong – we’re certainly trying. Our advent calendar activities have been helping us along, but it wasn’t until today that I think it finally sunk in… Christmas is coming!
Reindeer Pancakes
Oh my goodness… Miss G and I have been having way too much fun with our advent activities this year! I’m so thankful that I created all of our advent activity cards ahead of time – having them pre-made and ready in a jar has saved me tons of time already, and I never have to worry about coming up with a fun idea because the ideas are already right there in front of me.
Gingerbread People Ornaments
One of my very favourite things about the holidays is making all kinds of fun homemade ornaments with Miss G. I just love it. We gather up our materials, put on some music, chat while we create side-by-side, and in the end, we’ve got at least a couple of new colourful and quirky ornaments to add to our colourful and quirky Christmas tree.