I feed my family from the bin

I don’t really, but I had you going there didn’t I? But I reckon I could if I wanted to, as long as we were happy to eat LOTS of dairy.

This is the haul from one supermarket’s dumpster one evening-four dozen eggs, seven litres of custard, loaf of bread, cottage cheese, yogurt galore and funny over-marketed yogurt drink thingys. About $70 worth, bought full price. We didn’t get everything either-we left the meat pies, lobster and bacon with even more custard, vegetables, dog food  and cans of Pepsi, plus another three dozen eggs. Tis the season to be wasteful.

Most of this stuff is within date too-the eggs had two weeks left, the custard three. The yogurts and yogurt drinks were one day over, with no mark down. The cottage cheese was the only thing with price reduction stickers.

The chickens had a Christmas feast, but they’re blase about it. Last time it was six dozen of yesterdays rolls, cheese topped and all. This type of waste can be seen in virtually every supermarket’s bin, every evening. It’s absolutely criminal.

Christmas craft, day 24-Crackers

These are the last thing to be done, ready for us to stick a little something in them tonight. The kids hoard toilet rolls for them, but if you’re some weird germ freak you can buy them. Idiocy. Then twist wrapping paper around. We normally make a paper crown and pop something small like stickers inside, then tie the other end up. They don’t crack, but they don’t care.

Christmas craft, day 18-Countdown

Countdowns are big in this house. They are created for every occasion, and Christmas is certainly not excepted.

Christmas craft, day 17-lacy decorations

We didn’t actually do these today. As the husband was born on this rather inconvenient day 28 years ago (and he wasn’t even SUPPOSED to be born until March, he just likes to be difficult) we went out for the day.

But if you’re desperate for yet another Christmas related craft, try these. Easy-peasy, pipe cleaner through eyelet lace. Hang on tree. Done.

Christmas craft, day 15-mice

Outsourced again, library I love you!

I assume these are because ‘not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse’.

Christmas craft, day 14-colouring competitions

I didn’t photograph these-but we dropped five advertising-filled colouring competition entries off to the supermarket today. Ever since Nanna left a That’s Life! magazine here and I explained the concept they’ve had a keen eye for entering competitions. They have my genes-something for nothing!

But I hope no-one wins. The prizes are all branded, electronic rubbish. I’d have to sneakily break it as a good excuse to throw it out.

Christmas craft, day 8–angels again

Outsourced again to the library-I sent them off with the husband and got some uninterrupted work time. Only to be told the like the library’s version of angels better than mine! Ingrates. They can’t hairdress these ones.

Christmas craft, day 5-reindeer

Hands and feet reindeer, always a hit. Especially good for tracking growth-but very sad when I realise my nearly two year olds hands really don’t qualify as ‘small’ anymore.

Yes, there’s one missing-Sparkles hadn’t finished hers to her exacting standards. Shorty, however, gets the prize for biggest buck going by the points.

Christmas skirts

I’ve never really had event-specific clothes for the kids before, but couldn’t resist making these for the girls. They’ll last a few years so were worth it.

They’re very, very twirly, very nearly circular. But not quite, we’ll preserve some modesty. 

They had a ball dancing around at the carols night. They were even asked by the newspaper photographer if he could have a picture of them in their outifts for the paper-he was a bit taken aback when they said ‘No thanks!’ and wandered off. They’ve been attacked by Asian tourists one too many times (and I mean attacked-think massive cheek pinching and hugging by masses of giggling girls).

Time to make something for my boys now.

Christmas craft, day 4-Angels

These are a bit of a tricky project-we did them two years ago and it was an exercise in patience. This year was much easier. They took particular delight into ramming a metal skewer through each head to facilitate easier threading of the halos. Barbarians. 

Frosty decided to pull his all apart halfway through, then the girls helped him reassemble it into Alien Angel.

Hairdressing of the angels was the best bit in their opinions-they have had plaits, pigtails, haircuts, the lot. They’re all looking a bit punkish now.

Christmas craft, day 3

Paper chain. There must be kilometres of this, all around the house, where ever there is something to attach it to and drape it over.

 

Christmas craft, day 2-patty pan wreaths

Cheated, and outsourced…….they made these wreaths today at the local library’s kid session.

Christmas craft time-Day 1

Two years back we decided to use Christmas to ‘out-craft’ the kids. Considering they usually craft everyday it was a bit of a challenge. The goal was a craft a day from the first to 24th of December-they made it to the 19th before they started complaining. I didn’t mention it on the 20th and neither did they. Success, we beat them!

Anyway, it’s turned into a yearly tradition. I start collecting all the Christmas books from the library in November, before they all disappear, and write down a big list of crafts with their book and page number, as well as a list of stuff I need to buy.

Day One is always putting up the tree. This must be done solely by the children with the assistance of a ladder-hence it looking as if it’s been through a cyclone.

It’s much better than it has been previous years though, when they’d stick all the decorations on one square foot and leave the rest naked. It’s also a work in progress-they often move things around on their way past.

He’s manly enough to pull it off