It's Thanksgiving weekend already? What, what just happened? I felt like November just flew by!
I finally got done decorating our house for the holidays. I did it when my kids were in school so they were surprised to come home where decorations are up already. They used to help me decorating the tree so I kind of felt bad that I did it without them. I told them that they can help their Dad in putting the lights outdoors this weekend.
I am glad I got it done though because they have few projects that needs to be done before the Thanksgiving break so hubby and I were able to help them with it.
Last Sunday, we focused in finishing their Science project which was collecting 20 different leaves. They were stressing out about it since most of the leaves have now fallen on the ground and they said that their teacher don't want crinkled leaves. We told them that we need to work on what we have available, it is what it is. If point get's take out from them for having dried leaves, so be it.
Luckily though, we found some that are still in good condition. We roamed around our neighborhood trying to find leaves but it was a fun family bonding.
This project would have been perfect if it was done before November but as I have said, it is what it is and we worked on the circumstances given. Glad it still turned out well.
I told them that if we can't gather the total number that they need that they can use my tropical plants that I brought indoors. The only problem with it is they can only use a few that doesn't grow regularly in the area. But that was our last option if we did not have enough.
Finding the leaves was the easy part, identifying each of them was the challenge. Luckily, the teacher provided them an app that they can use to identify the leaves, even with the app though, we still found it hard to identify some of them.
This Ginko tree is a favorite one that we always go to during summer time. There's a great memory that we had with this tree when our neighbor friend was still alive. He was the one who introduced us about it and explained to us it's benefits.
You don't normally see Ginko tree around here but there is one by our neighborhood.
"Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo or gingko, also known as the maidenhair tree, is the only living species in the division Ginkgophyta, all others being extinct. It is found in fossils dating back 270 million years. Native to China, the tree is widely cultivated, and was cultivated early in human history." source
Ginko leaves have a very beautiful shape. It's shapes remind me of anahaw leaves.
The wild berries and the fruit of Japanese barberries makes the almost-bare wooded area still look bright and beautiful.
I love this area where we live because although we are in the heart of the city where business stuff surround us, there is also a wooded area close to us.
We used to take the kids here when they were younger and discover a lot of stuff. We didn't get to do it this summer due to fear of ticks but now that it is cold, I don't think tick are still around so we were able to roam around.
We have such
great memories in this area.
It's a great feeling to be able to do things with our children. Activities as simple as gathering leaves can be so entertaining and make a great memory that would last a long time.
It is also a great opportunity for us to talk to them about their future and other important matters concerning about their studies, dreams and aspirations, and the importance of family as a whole.
Open communication with children especially in this generation where technology is almost an everyday part of their lives is a so important. It is only with open communication that you can clearly tell your children about things that matters and also a great avenue for us parents to know what they are thinking and feeling.
I am glad that our children are not afraid to tell us things.
I always love this quote from Frederick Douglass. He said that "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men" which is so true. While we are busy trying to do our jobs, we should always set aside time to talk to our children. They will remember this when we are old and value the importance of having the family around you.
It was an hour of fun and adventure.
Since it is almost Thanksgiving, I would like to acknowledge the company that sent us these
hoodies that my children were wearing (Thank you!). TeePublic has a great variety of products to choose from which includes adult and kids apparel, home goods, cases and stickers. So if you are looking for a unique gifts for love one these holidays, check them out.
One of my daughter's dream is to visit New Zealand and see wombats so I chose this hoodie for her, she loves it. My son also loves his hoodie since it has cars in it.
Anyway, here is the project that they have made . They were able to put it together last Sunday and turned it in one day ahead of it due date.
"Parenting now is a two-way relationship
where you learn from each other. "
Juhi Chawla
Disclosure: The owner of this blog was NOT financially compensated to write this review. I was provided with the complimentary product/s mentioned for testing purposes and to help me facilitate this review but opinions are my own.
