For me this year will be about family. Family coming together and being together. I'm feeling inspired to be a better wife, mother, daughter and sister. There are many ways in which I can do this and I'm looking forward to it.

How did you fare over the Christmas break? I travelled interstate with the boys. It was mighty hot. The boys tried out the slip n slide and went 'yabbie fishing' for the first time. My mother comes from a large family so we were surrounded by cousins and their children. 

How did your gift giving go? Otis isn't quite ready to use his balance bike. Much like his walker wagon before he started walking, it's waiting for him when he is ready. He will push it around but still prefers riding his trike. Caspar received a watch and at five it was the ideal gift.

Caspar received a lot of Lego from family and friends. This kept him solidly busy between Christmas and New Year. Caspar also received a lot of 'doing' presents which I just love. He received many by Seedling including the above Magical Cherry Blossom Tree. He has many gifts still in their box giving him a lot of things to make and do during the school holidays.  

I am often asked what we do about about noisy or inappropriate gifts. While we didn't receive any gifts that I consider inappropriate Otis received a couple of noisy toys. While these toys have merit I will be removing the batteries very soon. The toys will work fine they just wont have blaring high pitched voices/songs. Otis received this cute campervan pictured below which is a example of a toy that I wouldn't have bought myself. While we largely avoid plastic toys Otis enjoys playing with it and I think it adds balance to his other toys and materials. I've mentioned before that we don't have a toy box. It simply goes in a basket and on the shelf. This basket is particularly helpful as it has handles making it easy for Otis to carry from room to room. 

During these January days I will be posting regularly but at a relaxed frequency. My camera is undergoing repairs which I'm told could take a month so please forgive any substandard shots. 

I wish you a very safe and prosperous 2013!