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.... more guest posts to share with you and me.

Now I know the traditional rhyme stops at 12 but we have had so many wonderful posts to share, we are going to carry on throughout December and today's post is from the lovely Otilia Stocks.

My name is Otilia and as the name of my blog clearly says - www.romanianmum.com - I'm Romanian.

I am a Romanian woman that fall in love with an English guy 9 years ago. Two years after we met  we got married and later conceived two wonderful little girls called Kara and Anastasia. We are a truly bilingual family and we are trying to raise our daughters in a happy home where the traditions of both nations are respected.

While growing up for me Christmas meant more than just Santa and presents and  now because Kara at almost 5 years old is old enough to understand religion - at least a little bit - I am teaching her the religious perspective too. My husband family is not very religious but I grew up with a very dedicated orthodox grandmother. She used to take me to the church every Sunday and Christmas time was really special there.

So through books and my own stories I'm trying to teach her that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus the son of God. She doesn't really understand but at least the base of the orthodox religion is there in her mind. She enjoys when I am reading the stories though but she always refers at God as the King. I guess this is the way she grasps things.

I am also trying to teach Kara some Romanian carols too although it is a bit more difficult for her to pronounce the words correctly. However I am happy to say that since we are home Kara learned quite a lot of Romanian so hopefully next year she will be good at Carols too.

On the other hand my husband makes sure that my girls have enough presents for Christmas and assures that they believe in Santa Claus. He promised Kara that in a couple of years we'll all go to Lapland to meet the real Santa.

Traditionally in Romania we eat pork for Christmas. In England mothers prepare a big turkey. In our home at Christmas you can find both: pork and turkey breast. I have to say I prefer the turkey as it's not as fatty as the pork.

Now in the days before Christmas, because I am quite lucky to be at home with my girls, we are having lots of fun crafting and baking. Both activities relax me and they give us the opportunity to do something nice together. I could actually say that they are memories that will be kept forever.

Well some of them will probably be ruined by my 1 year old. LOL

This year we made some really nice Christmas cards to be given to friends and family:

We also had a go at decorations - a wreath and some christmas trees. However we just started so if you would like to keep up with our Christmas Crafts do come and visit us on Pinterest too:

Follow Otilia Stocks's board Christmas - Food, Decorations and Craft on Pinterest.

But crafting is not all we do in our bilingual home. Cooking - romanian and british - is a big part of our life. I enjoy cooking and it relaxes me a lot as i am still struggling to cope with my PND. 

There are lots and lots of recipes on the blog - some are better than others but we let you decide. 

This is just a bit of how our bilingual home is but you can read a lot more on the blog the place where i talk about everything. 

Come and visit us and let me know if you think we are doing a good job. And if you have any advices on how to live a little bit more english i would love to hear from you. 

Have a fantastic Christmas bilingual or not!

Otilia Stocks

Blog:http://romanianmum.com

Facebook: Otilia Stocks, Romanian Mum Blog

Twitter: RomanianMum

Google +:Otilia Stocks,Romanian Mum

Pinterest: Otilia Stocks (romanianmum)

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...... a guest post from Rebecca, a mother of three. (still trying to eek out a rhyme)

Rebecca is a teacher and mother of three girls - a 6 year old and 3 year old twins. You can find her blog full of crafts, cooking and chaos at http://www.herecomethegirlsblog.com.

I have got the Christmas jitters early this year. I always feel the same - there is so much I want to do and just not enough time to do it. This year it is worse. I don't know whether it is having a blog or because of the age of the children but I have a list in my head of all the fun things I want to do with the girls and there just aren't enough days. they do need to sleep occasionally don't they? Luckily I don't have to worry about Christmas dinner - we got to my mum's for that and I'm fairly organised about the presents. I have a few still to get and I'm looking forward to our usual evening of a good film while we wrap the presents. I always put a little chocolate coin into the parcel as I'm wrapping it and sneakily eat a few while no one is looking.  

I think I have the basics covered. It's all the fun little extras I want to do which I will run out of time for. These are the things on my list for this year. 

1. Make mince pies. This is essential. the big man needs his mince pie and glass of milk on Christmas Eve or there will be no Christmas. I know I can buy them but there is nothing nicer than homemade mince pies hot from the oven. It is the taste of Christmas.  

2. Make Christmas cards. Well we are doing quite well on this one. We have made a few and have bought some of the school ones. The bit I need to do is the writing and posting of said cards. I always end up with a few which I haven't got round to posting. It's silly when we've gone to the effort of making them but it's one thing I never seem to do on time. 

3. Go to a Christmas Market. We live in the midlands and the Christmas markets are lovely at this time year. I usually plan a family trip to the theatre and then we wander slowly back through the market. There are rides for the girls to go on and beautiful ornaments to buy and we have to come home with some stollen.  

4. Writing. Ok I know Christmas is all about fun but being a teacher I have to get in some sneaky learning activities. There are cards to write and letters to Santa and of course that Christmas list needs to be cross referenced with the price from the Argos catalogue. Then after Christmas there are Thank Yous to write.  

5. Crackers I love to do a few crafts with the girls, mainly because it's the only time they are actually quite. We've made some ornaments and other decorations and my eldest has nagged me and nagged me until we have done some sewing and made some tiny stockings to put on the tree. This year I want to make some Christmas crackers. It is such an essential part of an English Christmas. We always made fake ones with the kids at school but I want to make some which really work and get the girls to choose a present for each relative to go inside. 

I know none of these things are not important. It doesn't really matter if we make salt dough ornaments or have a fake snow ball fight out of pom poms but these are the little extras which make me feel Christmassy. Anyway the house just doesn't feel right if it isn't covered in glitter and sticky tape at this time of year. Right I'd better go. I really should make a start writing out those Christmas cards. Does anyone have any stamps I can borrow? 

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Avoid a sleep deprived Christmas 

Sleep is a hot topic in our house and when we were asked to bring you this post in association with Bedstar, we knew avoiding sleep deprivation would be top of many parents Christmas lists this year.

Nothing is guaranteed to cause over excitement and lack of sleep among the kids - and therefore the adults - of the house than Christmas. As soon as you put the tree up and start gathering the gifts, the countdown begins and excited eyes don’t want to close! Of course, the last thing anyone wants is a sleep deprived Christmas Day, particularly when there is inevitably a huge group of people to cook for and every tradition to keep going. Here’s some Lilypad tips to make sure everyone gets enough sleep during the most wonderful time of the year. 

Stick to your normal routine 

With young children it can be tempting to let them stay up later to enjoy the festive films, or play longer, but it’s most definitely wise to make sure they go to bed at their normal time, right up to and including Christmas Eve (especially if you need to wrap those last minute presents like me!)

When it comes to the big night, don’t forget to remind them that they need to be asleep for Santa - otherwise he won’t come! Putting snacks out for the big man and his reindeers is a tradition that can help to get them keen to go to bed so that the next day comes quicker.

If you’re sneaking gifts into their room or under the tree, wait until they are definitely asleep (you don’t want to ruin the magic) and set a rule the night before that nothing gets opened before 7am. It’s fairly unlikely they’ll stick to it but you never know - it could buy you some precious time in bed before you have to get up and start the Big Day itself. 

Is everyone sleeping well? 

If you find your children aren’t sleeping well or for long in general then it could be time to look at their environment a bit more closely. This is especially important during the exciting festive period, but will also stand you in good stead for the new year.

If they have a plethora of electrical equipment (TVs, iPads, consoles) in their room, remove them. Make sure their bedroom is just for sleeping and reading. Encouraging your little ones to read (or be read to) for half an hour before lights out can be a great way to get them to properly relax. 

Check their mattress - if it’s five years old or less then it’s most likely OK, but a lumpy or uncomfortable mattress can really impede anyone’s sleep time, including kids. It could be time to treat them to a new bed for Christmas, complete with brand new mattress to lull them into dreamland. And it doesn’t have to cost the earth - we all have enough expenses at this time of year without adding on any others! Have a look online and do some research. When you’ve decided on the kind of bed and mattress you’re after, buy from www.bedstar.co.uk to make sure you get the best deal and the best quality. They also have a fantastic range of character and themed beds that will make sure your kids are dying to get to bed. 

Late nights or not?

Depending on the age of your children, either make sure you stick with their normal routine on Christmas Day - there’s always time for a nap, even in the busiest of days. If they’re older then try making it a treat to stay up late can put the cherry on top of the Christmas cake, and mean some extra special family time.

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........ a guest post from Cass Bailey.