going Ikea to make decorations

Today we take Momochan to Ikea store because they have organized an activity to make decorations for the last year dinner table.
Salt dough, xmas decorations, glitter paints, little stars, small round golden balls, coloured glitter glue,  Momochan has to choose how to decorate her special salt dough shapes: a star, a xmas tree and a candle holder ; )
There arre many kids waiting their turns to make creations for last of the year dinner, really every kid has to do just one creation but Momochan has arrived in a moment in which kids weere less so she makes three because she has time ; )

Momochan loves to decorate and play and while she is busy to use salt dough and colours Sampei and I will have a chocolate and a piece of cake at a special price and to celebrate her creations nothing better than an ice cream for Momochan ;)

opening the presents

X'mas morning, Momochan is so happy she cannot wait to open her presents so she calls us quick because she wants to know what Santa Clauus has brought to her.
In a big big bag, there is Sullivan, a big pelouche from Monsters University, another big packet contains a wooden little bed for her doll, a small one reveals new coloured felt pens and last one contains a little tape to play with her old computer :) Mum and dad just have a new Ikea book each ;) This evening we all will go to aunts house to have Xmas dinner alltogather and Momochan will wear her new elegant dress ;)

X'mas balloon

This morning as everyday we are in the center of our town for a walk, we have to go to the ballon shop to take Momochan special X'Mas tree balloon, she has waiting since 24 december.
Momo is very happy to have this balloon, she had the same last year but during the moving to the new house we have lost it (anyway it was flat no air inside) so we have bought her a new one and we have had the lucky occasion of finding the same one, guess she will ask also the next year :)

Christmas dinner :)

We have an appointment at 20.30 to aunt and oncle house for dinner with our parents. Momochan is happy because she knows Santa Claus has taken some other presents for her and she guess in a box there will be a special one she waits since last year: a small kid pc she can take everywhere and learn colours, how to read and write words, english words and much more. (We have found this Clementoni Clem Touch Plus on the web at a reduced price and we have bought on Amazon a few days ago for her, it has a tons of small cassettes to play, it is sufficient you buy some other cassetts and you can change game, the folder of the small pc can contain four of them and once closed protects the pc in case of falling on the floor). Last year Momochan was too small to play with it also I did not found it anywhere and price was double than what I found now so now is more convenient in both cases :)

Momochan is really happy about her presents, she has had many. With that toy she will be able to learn how to write and read and she will use for long time :)

Christmas :))

Santa Claus and gnomes :)

This morning Momochan awakes and the first thing she tells me is " mommy I want to go livingroom to look under the Tree if Santa Claus hass come and took presents, I am worried !" HAHAHA

Just a few seconds after we hear Momochan shout happily "mommy ! the Tree is full of presents Santa Claus has passed by !!!"

Daddy and I go to the livingroom, nearly all the presents are for Momochan this year and some others have to come this evening when wee will go to the oncle and aunt to big town for dinner, granny will be there also.

YUM YUM, I like scrambled eggs !

A giant red and white striped bag contains an Ikea big seal and son, from aunt Sarah (my sister) two small boxes: one Hello Kitty cookie shaped box and a Hello Kitty watch, a paint box with pastels, paints, felt pens ..., two dvd: Cinderella and Peppa Pig X'Mas adventures :)

Other small packets contain a Hello Kitty red bag for me, a jacket for daddy, a Coca Cola pc key for me and a blackberry marmelade for daddy.

In the kitchen brackfast is waiting, daddy starts to cook scrambled eggs while Momochan eats milk and corn flakes, she has fruit juice and yogurt also, we have bisquits, panettone and tea :)
Weather outside is terrible, a cold rain is keeping everything humid, we do not want to get out, wee will stay home until evening to relax, play and look cartoon and Christmas films on tv :)

X'Mas night .... Santa Claus is coming !

Daddy and I are preparing dinner, I have plannes to make something special so we have bought a small turkey wee want to fill with chestnuts, apples, onions and potatoes, bake in the oven and accompany with other veggies, we also have ham and salami. Momochan is watching Christmas Peppa Pig, this toon we have never seen and pity is I have not the time to record it to put on my pc to see thousand times.
On the table we have an Ikea Christmas sheep and a Santa Claus deer we have assembled before.
Dinner flows and is nearly midnight, we have the panettone cake I have decorated with chinese mandarines and chokolate, we cheer with champagne and I prepare milk bottle for Momochan while she is running to wash her dummy, quick Momochan, quick, Santa Claus is coming and you have to sleep or he will go away and comes later !!! Momochan runs to wear her pijama worried Santa Claus is not coming soon because she is still awake, she takes her milk bottle, kiss goodnight while I go to put order in the kitchen and wash dishes and ... silently put the presents under the Tree tinkling some bells and making some "HO HO HO" pretending to be Santa Claus arriving ........... ^_______________^

livingroom :)

This one is our new livingroom as it is now :)

We have our X'mas Tree decorated near the window, I have assembled the new red curtains,our old table is in his perfect corner, chairs have a decoration that is a big Santa Claus berret and the room gives a order feeling.
Momochan seems to appreciate the new room as it looks like now, curtains give a festive look and I can close them in the evening so that noone can look inside (the buildings outside are veeery near and if I go around the house with pijama or pants and Tshirt someone from outside can see HAHAHA !

kindergarden Christmas show :)

As every year teachers have prepared the annual Christmas show with all the kids. Everyone has a part in the show and they enter by groups. Momochan is in the first group of kids and she is a cat :)

She has to walk like a cat and togather with all the other kids of the cat group she has to tell a poetry. Meanwhile, a teacher is telling a story, the story of Santa Claus coming on the roof of the houses where cats live and chimney sweepers work and clean :)
During the night the teacher says, snow arrives (a group of kids dressed in white pretend to be snow flakes and they act as if they were snow falling from the sky). Look in the last foto here on the right, show is nearly ended and all the kindergarden kids wave goodbye and sing a Christmas song, Momochan is the middle with grey long sleeve shirt waving bye bye and the face painted like a cat with black nose and moustache :)

Santa Claus is coming to Town ;)

You better watch out
You better not cry
better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town

He's making a list,
and checking it twice;
gonna find out
Who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
so be good for goodness sake!

Oh! You better watch out!
You better not cry.
better not pout, I'm telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town

 Santa Claus is coming to town.

letter to Santa Claus :)

For the second year, teachers of kindergarden have organized a special box where to take letters for Santa Claus, every kid has to make one.

Yesterday I had prepared a sheet of paper for Momochan with special images and togather we have coloured and she has told me what to write then I have decorated it all with a special gold glue to make it brilliant and shiny.

Momo loved it so much that she has asked me to make a copy to keep home so today after dinner before finishing the cake to take kindergarden tomorrow for the Christmas market (meanwhile baking in the oven) we were colouring the second letter, putting the glitter and signing the letter :)

And here it is on the left, angels, stars, X'Mas Tree, packet, bell, ribbon, a sphere.

Well, seems really this year is something different and good, there is a new air in our family with the change of house and this funny letter of Momo so sweet is really unusual, she has not really asked for present but just to have daddy home and amuse alltogather, have serenity for her mum (always hysteric because of the troubles wee have had) so sweet baby, sometimes she doesn't even seem a 4 year old kid but older :)

going Milano ...

We had promised Momichan that during the X'Mas holidays we would have gone alltogather to Milan to see the big X'Mas Tree and visit a big book store to search some books for her, so this morning after breakfast we leave home for the Center. Every year in the center of Milan in front of the Dome, the local Townhall take and decorate a big pine tree everytime different, so we are curious to see how it is decorated this time.
It is a sunny day and temperature is quite hight for the period, Momichan has her coat and berret and is hot enough.
The Dome is so white and clean (see foto) and the Tree this year is covered by thousands white ribbons and small golden lights. Momichan is enthusiastic, we quite never go to the Center, we live just outside Milan and during the week we have no time, also we do not have the car because daddy uses it to go to work so it would result a llittle complicate to go alone just Momi and me taking busses and underground.
Momichan is crazy about the pigeons flying around and walking in front of the Dome, thousands of tourists are everywhere and I have to care to have Momichan always in my sight.
After having seen shops we stop at McDonalds for lunch, Momichan takes a Happy Meal with "plain" hamburger, fries, yogurt and gas water. (In Italy the word "plain" mean just hamburger without condiments nor salt). She is really good in eating all by herself and eating everything.
As promised after lunch we go to the book store: inside there are many and many kids book of every kind, Momichan starts to take one, then another, she is fascinated by the ones that make sounds or have "pop ups".
We find one of the books she likes, I had taken it from our local library in november, it is a book about Halloween that makes creepy funny sounds and lights.
It is now dark outside and we can see the X'Mas light everywhere, some palaces seem to be gold at the decoration lights, some other seem silver and the big X'Mas Tree is now all lighted and brilliant :) the city seems magic, somewhere there is music fillling the air, some little groups of american indians selling cd are playing some instruments, some other from Peru are doing the same somewhere else and the tipical X'Mas music is everywhere. For us is time to go home, Momichan has not have her usual nap today and is really tired, she has been really good all day long but now she needs to rest and for us once reached home, it will be time to prepare dinner so we direct to the underground to reach the car parked outside the center.

X'Mas dinner

After her usual nap Momichan awakes and reach us in the livingroom, we are watching cartoons and later we will dress up to go to my relatives.
Around 18.30 we all prepare for the evening, Momichan chooses herself what to wear: rose pants, a white shirt with Aristocats Minou and a coordinated rose pullover also with Aristocats Minou designed on she is so sweet, she says she feels so elegant :) Daddy wear a dark blue ensemble (trousers, gilet and jacket belonging to my dad he has inherited recently, Momi says he is very elegant too). I am inside bathroom to make up a little and as it is X'Mas I put on a little red lipstick (normally I never use make up) and Momichan tells me she likes so much when "I am colorful" :)
At 20.00 PM we reach my aunt house in the center of Milan, ouside is already dark and cold.
Auntie has already prepared the food so we sit to eat the starts.
Momichan loves ham and she eats some of the other foods too, tortellini made by the aunt herself, some roasted duck and veal with veggies. I guess my aunt is able to organize better than me because everytime we have to prepare a dinner od a lunch and we have hosts I am always running here and there trying to make everything perfect.
My two cousins play with Momi, adults talk about everything.
After dinner and talks is time to open the presents, aunts and family have a special present for Momi: the Winnie Pooh computer kids that will help her grow and learn many things, Momi starts to play immediately happy to have received it. More or less this year the presents are books, old vintage dvd and foods: we have received a basket with three different piece of cheese, olive oil, and rice, very much appreciated :)

X'Mas lunch

After breakfast and the opening of the presents, while Momichan is playing and granny is dressing, Sampei and I start to prepare lunch.
The table is decorated and we are using the special X'Mas dishes and glasses. I have prepared a special menu, we have salami, ham and russian salad for start, tortellini with speck and X'Mas ham with veggies.
For me it is important to show Momochan a special day with menu and presents and traditions we can repeat every year and this is the first time she realizes a little more what it is Christmas, she knows Santa Claus is coming to take presents, a special lunch will be done, there will be sweets all day long and cartoons to watch on tv, in the evening also today we will be invited to my aunt and oncle to have X'Mas dinner alltogather and Momochan knows Santa Claus has taken some other presents there to be opened with the relatives.

X'Mas morning

HAPPY X'MAS EVERYBODY !!!

This morning around 9.00 AM Momichan got up and jumped in her granny's bed (we have bought a camp bed at Ikea store yesterday morning to host granny a couple of days and we are sleeping all togather in the same room). She was excited because of the presence of granny, she didn't even remember about X'Mas and the presents for a little while ;)

During the past night while she was sleeping I was working hard: I was cleaning around, reparing the small panettoni (see what I made ) for breakfast, displaying all the presents under the x'mas tree, preparing breakfast table and organizing everything. I got up and went bathroom to take shower first and dress so that I could start the day and organize breakfast, then I came back to take Momochan to shower and change. She went to see the presents and was astonished (most of the presents were belonging to her, there are just three packets for the three of us). In the meantime daddy and granny got up and reached me in the kitchen for breakfast, after which we all trasfered in the living room to open the presents.
When all the presents were open daddy and granny started too go bathroom to wash and dress while Momichan played. While granny preferred to stay home, we went out to take a coffee at our preferred coffee shop, when we would be back home, we would start to prepare lunch.