advent

Free Self-Care Advent Calendar Printable 1

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This self-care advent calendar printable was inspired by the fact that we mums are often frazzled in the lead-up to Christmas during advent and I wanted to create something that enabled, no scrap that word, but it ensured we take time out to focus on ourselves even if it was for just 15 minutes a day. The p[popularity of advent calendars is massive, but some of the ones I see cost more than I would ever spend on a Christmas present! Do this Self Care Advent Calendar Printable is filled with low-cost or better still no-cost activities.

Free Colour In Advent Calendar Printables 3

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I am a sucker for Christmastime and a good Christmas countdown calendar and that is why I have put together this free colour in advent calendar printables page full of advent calendar colouring pages to download. These calendars are a great sugar-free countdown alternative perfect for classroom use or to add to your personal advent calendar activity list.

Advent Calendar Activities with Free Printable 4

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Celebrate the build-up to Christmas with these fabulous advent calendar activities for Kids and Printable Activity Advent Calendar. This really is the cutest way to pass the days during advent and to reinforce family values at this special time of year and is full of Christmas activities and Christmas crafts.

Air drying clay ornements 13

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Every year we make salt dough or corn flour ornaments and unfortunately they got damp in storage and they were ruined, so this got me thinking about using Air drying clay for a more permanent Christmas decoration.

Christmas, it is all about the presence not the presents 1

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The older I get the more I realise that Christmas is not all about what you give or get, but about being there with your family. This was compounded with a health scare and even more when my mum died at Christmas four years ago.  So now MadDad and I focus on our presence rather than the presents. Growing up my dad always told us the following rules and this is something we have tried to instill in our children.

Holidays are coming – Give a little happiness 11

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Holidays are coming, holidays are coming, holidays are coming, its always the real thing…………… You know when the Coke advert comes on that Christmas is on it’s way and now even the Coke lorry tours the country.  We have never seen it, but Cass from Diary of a Frugal Family has. This year however, I have to say that I adore Coca Cola’s new advert, has made a big impact in The Mad House.  The mini mads are forever to be found singing “let’s make someone happy”.  Have you seen it?

Animal Safe Magic Reindeer food and free printable labels 23

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Reindeer food is one of our Christmas Eve traditions and we love to make it as much as the boys love sprinkling it outside as treats for the reindeer.    We have great fun each year making it for family and friends and this year I am excited to share with you 7 great free printable labels for you designed by The Purple Pumpkin Blog using the same designs as our Advent Acts of Kindness. Traditionally it is just oats (oatmeal) and glitter, but, we live in a pretty rural area and we stopped putting glitter in our reindeer food a few years back to protect the local wildlife.  Now we more »

Make your own Christmas Crackers 19

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One of our family traditions is homemade christmas crackers.  Since as long as I can remember we had small cracker presents on the dining table usually made by my mum.  They were precious things that were small and once I got older we each took a turn year on year to make the crackers and full them with cracker presents. When Wrap.me sent me a couple of sheets of their amazing personalised instagram wrapping paper I knew just what I wanted to make with them……. Christmas Crackers. How to make Christmas Crackers

Make an Advent Candle or wreath 2

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We love advent and one of the ways we celebrate is to have an advent wreath or ring that we light each sunday to help celebrate the lead up to Christmas.  The first Sunday of advent for 2014 in November 30th.  Me and the boys have spend the last few days making this years advent ring, even though it is more of a plinth! People light one candle on the first Sunday of Advent, two on the second Sunday, three on the third Sunday and all four on the fourth Sunday. Some people then continue to light all four candles during the Christmas period. Traditionally an advent ring has three purple and more »

Easy Ribbon Christmas for kids to make 18

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There is nothing nicer than receiving a homemade Christmas card and these easy ribbon Christmas cards are so easy for you to make with kids of all ages. You don’t need lots of different materials to make lots of different styles of DIY Christmas cards made with ribbons. I love that I have turned my kids into crafters.

Ways to use your free advent acts of kindness printables 20

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So you saw my recent post with the 50 advent acts of kindness with the two free printable sets designed by the lovely Purple Pumpkin blog. Well I wanted to share with you ways to display them or use them. We tried to make it easy for you all by offering them in two different sizes (A4 and US letter size) in addition to two designs christmas trees and also gift tags. We love Anna from The Imagination Trees Kindness Elves and this would be a great list to use for Kindness Jars

An Alternative Advent Calendar – Acts of Kindness by kids 33

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Advent, we love it.  It is a BIG thing here in The Mad House.  We use advent as a way to celebrate the build up to Christmas and to take the commercialism out of it.   The MiniMads have not yet had a chocolate advent calendar, although I might bend to their wishes this year!  We have an activity advent calendar instead and this year we are having an alternative advent calendar, where we are going to do an act of kindness each day

Be inspired to craft with the kids and eBbay voucher giveaway 34

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eBay asked me what Inspired me at this time of the year?  Well I didn’t have to think all that long to know that it was doing art and crafts with the kids.  The fact the evenings are darker, so they are not out playing gives us the opportunity to get creative together. Plus I love this time of year for all the inspiration to craft and make together. We love to make homemade gifts, cards, art and food.  It is part of who we are and I feel that it is important for boys to be exposed to creativity, which is why we have a six pm limit on screen more »