To Thank and to Build

I had the girls set to work writing out their thank you cards yesterday. Last year I started having some cards printed up with their pictures on them. They were a big hit and made them look forward to writing them out a bit more. Plus it helps because Alexa can't actually, you know, write so I have the words already printed out and she just adds some pictures. I do believe it is important to sit down and thank people who went tot the trouble of getting them something. It helps balance the whole it-is-Christmas-give-me-things aspect that seems to swallow kids. While they were working on those I was writing out New Year's cards.

A few years ago I let go of the stress and just had New Year's cards printed instead of Christmas. As a teacher I have more time after the holiday than before so it just seemed to make sense. I don't think any one really minds when the card comes. As I get older I just start to do that, let things go. When you do you find the world really doesn't end. In fact, no one really cares one way or the other, so why get all stressed about it? Some time in the next few weeks I will actually get to the post office and mail my sister's Christmas present. I let go of that too. I told her it will be more surprising that way... you know when it actually arrives and all.

Yesterday also involved digging in to one of the presents I got Chloe. She is always wanting, "To build something out of wood." I really don't know where this desire comes from, but she could not possible pick an area that I am less skilled in to want to do. But I want to encourage her so I bought her a wood building kit. It came with three pre-cut projects she could put together. She was thrilled and wanted to do one right away. I held her off until we got home, although I realized after I should have let her pester her Uncle Micheal to help while we were away and free myself of the whole thing. At any rate, she wanted to start right in yesterday so I relented. I was out of excuses and did have the required hammer and screw driver needed to build it. So here she is hammering away.

The finish product... she wanted the shelves like that. I did tell her we could measure them to evenly space things out, but she preferred the more unique placement.

It even led to her cleaning her room without me asking!

There are still two more projects in the kit. One involves hinges; hopefully there wont be any artistic placement there.