Here we are again – I don’t know about anyone else but time seems to be absolutely flying at the moment! For once this week I actually have something to write about as we actually did stuff this weekend for what feels like the first time in months!

On Saturday we had our ‘Christmas Tree Day’ – an idea that I pretty much copied wholesale from this post by Nyomi at NomiPalony! I bought a wooden box and inside the boys found a Christmas Lego set, new decorations for the tree, chocolate, new Christmas jumpers and their elf hats from last year. I also got them a couple of new books – one story book, and a Where’s Wally activity book.

After the excitement of the new jumpers had died down we put on some Christmas music got busy decorating the tree. The boys were actually very helpful this year and I didn’t even have to move any of the decorations they had hung!

In the afternoon we went for a walk to town to try and follow a Christmas treasure hunt that the Scouts had set up – unfortunately I hadn’t read the Facebook post properly and it didn’t actually start until yesterday! We still found some of the locations but we’ll have to go back some time to find the posters that are now in place.

We ended our Christmas Tree Day with take away pizza in front of the TV and all in all it was a lovely day.

Yesterday I took the boys to the woods for a Family Forest School for a winter well-being session. Unfortunately, as with so many things, our forest school sessions had to be cancelled again during lockdown. And although they could technically continue we are still in Tier 3 here. So to reduce the risks our lovely forest school leaders had set up a trail through the woods with activities along the way. Each family had staggered start times so we didn’t need to get close to anyone else while we were there.

We had such a lovely time doing all the activities together, like making this willow star that Gabe is holding. You can see his Christmas jumper in this picture too. I got both boys the same one – it’s one of those ones where you rub the sequins the other way to change the picture, and the boys are obsessed with them. They’ve not left them alone since they put them on!

Anyway, we’ve had a fabulous weekend and we’re really feeling the festive spirit. This week the boys are singing carols round the outdoor Christmas tree after school with the separate classes, they’ve got Christmas jumper day on Friday, and then next week it’s a selection box raffle, class parties and Christmas dinner! And then I think it’s going to feel like a very long week between breaking up and Christmas!

This is my ninth year taking part in this linky celebrating childhood, based on a poem by Kahlil Gibran, “You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth” .

If you’d like to see the rest of my Living Arrows posts you can find them all here.