A Homeschooling Princess Christmas

This Christmas was special, as it was Princess Ivana's first Christmas.  I am sad to report that it was not a great one for her.  Ivana had been sick only one time since she was born, and she is now 11 months old.  Darned if she did not become sick with a cold or some kind of stomach bug on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, She didn't want to open her presents, so we opened them for her and put all of her new toys on a blanket with her, and so she just laid down with her toys, paying no attention to them. 

This morning, she is feeling better.  Princess Tarja brought Ivana her big baby doll that Santa brought.  Ivana lovingly played with its hair and feet and said, "oooooo."  I, honestly, am excited about playing with her Vsmile Baby, but we have to wait until after her morning routine that includes watching Blue' Clues.

The rest of our holiday went as follows:

1.  Our twirling class, The Sparklers, was in the lighted Christmas parade, which was a tribute to our local servicemen and women.  They rode on a float that some of the parents got together to create and then performed in the park to a local singer/school teacher that sang "God Bless the USA."

2. We made homemade ornaments for our Christmas tree.

3.We drove to the next town to see Starbright Village, which is a park that is filled with Christmas light displays.

4.  The library allows organizations to put up small trees in the library to represent themselves, so we went and put up trees for The Sparklers, Sands Art Association, Girl Scout troop 121 (the homeschool troop), and the Monahans Homeschoolers.  We made most of the ornaments for those trees.

5.  Around here, Santa has a horse drawn sleigh instead of one that flies through the air by way of reindeer.  He gave the kids free sleigh rides during a community Christmas party that the Chamber of Commerce hosted.

6. Our Girl Scout troop helped deliver meals on wheels on the Friday morning before Christmas.  That evening, we joined the other Girl Scout troops for a little singing program and party.

5. In preparation for the big day, Princess Melody treated us all to breakfast out, and then Princess Abbey babysat while we did our final Christmas shopping.  Princess Melody bought new clothes for herself and her sisters and I got the food that we needed for Christmas dinner.

6. On Christmas Eve, we listened to Mannheim Steamroller, Handel's Messiah and the Chipmunks Christmas while we cleaned up the house to get ready for Santa's arrival. 

7. Christmas morning, was spent opening Princess presents.  They played with their new games and toys while I made a Christmas feast that was fit for a diabetic queen.  I made the traditional turkey, gravy, biscuits, mashed potatoes and stuffing.  Then, I added things from my low carb cookbook such as creamed spinach, cauliflower-sausage casserole, stuffed mushrooms, and deviled eggs.  We chased it all down with some good old fashioned tea and water.   Dessert was pecan pie and apple pie that I did NOT make, because baking is too tempting and dangerous for me.  Incidentally, we all ate like a bunch of starving people, yet I woke up with my blood sugar LOWER rather than higher than usual, so I would say that the meal portion of our holiday was a success on both the taste and health front.

8.  So now, it is the day after Christmas.  We all slept in, as we have no activities to attend until January.  The exception is a bake sale that will take place on Friday, and Princess Abbey will volunteer at the animal shelter tomorrow.  I need to work on new twirling routines.  However,  I look forward to the next few days being restful and rejuvenating.

Merry Christmas!
Laurel Santiago