Epiphany and life in the snow

We had our little Epiphany celebrations, including cake, and a lot of cleaning and removing of decorations. The house always looks its worst mid-tidy, when everything has been moved but not yet totally cleaned. It still feels a bit transition-y around here, which I'm hoping is a good thing but feels like a nuisance. I've taken another leaf from Gina's book in that I've tried to work on little areas all around the house that are for ME and remind me about the good things I'm aiming for (rather than the chaos that usually ensues in spite of or perhaps because of my best efforts).The girls had three small presents to open each. The older ones had chocolate coins, something for drawing/colouring, and some lovely little fabric masks I found at bargain prices. Unfortunately that turned out to be a miscalculation - the baby is TERRIFIED of them, and goes stiff as a board any time they put their masks on. She starts making panic noises if they get too close, but laughs when they take them off. Anyhow, rather than torture the poor little soul I've put the masks away for when she's older. Jenna and Morgan were soon consoled with bath bombs instead - and being allowed FIVE WHOLE chocolate coins after dinner. Taking down the tree turned out to be not nearly so much fun as playing with the nativity people.Trips outside to play in the snow and complain about having cold hands are broken up by time spent indoors keeping warm and playing board games and puzzles. They built the 3D crocodile from Christmas, though where he's supposed to be kept is anyone's guess!Moving things around has resulted in a lovely little home corner area for them now - where the play kitchen used to be they now also have a bench/sofa/bed/table in the form of the dressing up box. And a little set of shelves for the door, doubling as storage for play food and doll's clothes.

Yesterday they enjoyed using their new wipe-board pens and chalks on the easel, which is increasingly being used again. They have stopped calling it the "weasel". I'm quite sad about that. :(What else? Oh, this and that. Jenna read the whole of "Where the Wild Things Are" to me yesterday evening, with very few words mis-read. And the baby slept more than an hour (!) after using lavender bath oil in her post-dinner wash!