homeward bound

We are going home for Christmas!

Toby was wearing a Union Jack t-shirt at day care last week and his teacher was asking him what it was. He said "a flag" ... "(from) home".

We have two homes. Our life here in America and our homeland, England where we left a part of hearts behind.

So we are looking forward to seeing family and friends over the holidays and making memories to treasure until our next visit.

Christmas probably wasn't the best time to be making a big trip overseas. It has made December quite stressful and we are going to be so tired when we get back (not good for Jeremy's colitis). Plus it is really hard to make plans to see friends when Christmas is about spending time with family.

Plus I have no idea how on earth we are going to fit all of the presents into our suitcases so they are in one piece to hand out!! That's today's job!

Oh well you live and learn and next year we will hopefully have an early Christmas in England in November and have some quiet time here in December. Thankfully we are also heading back over the ocean again at Easter next year so plenty of chances to catch up with folks.

But for now let me wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.

I will not be posting anything on here for a couple of weeks so I will see you all again in 2013!

reindeer cam

Last Christmas we heard about two guys here in Michigan who decided to set up a website called Reindeer cam.

My kids enjoy watching the reindeer and especially when Santa makes an appearance... But Charlotte did have a few awkward questions the other day like "Are there 2 Santas?" quickly followed by "Oh no he has just gone home to give them dinner!". Hmmm she's a bit too smart for her own good!

Here is part of an article I found online about them:

Two Michigan entrepreneurs started ReindeerCam.com, a 24/7 online livestream that gives kids a chance to keep tabs on St. Nick. Viewers can log on and watch Santa feed a pair of his reindeer live, every day until Christmas. This is the second year for ReindeerCam, and it's attracted more than a million viewers from around the world.

You don't typically expect to see reindeer outside of the North Pole, but two of them have found a home in West Michigan at Drew Born's deer farm in Caledonia.

"I've always raised white tail deer, and we put a video camera up back there," said Born. "So a friend of mine was like, 'Hey, you should put livestream video up of Santa's reindeer.' I thought about it for awhile and thought it was a great idea."

But Born's pal Adam Loveless needed some convincing.

"I was a little bit skeptical, but I thought, 'Hey, let's go for it and see where it takes us,'" Loveless said.

And just like that, ReindeerCam.com was born. The pair launched the website in November of 2011, and hit 1.2 million page views in the 10 days before Christmas.

People can watch the 24/7 livestream to see Santa feed the ReindeerCam stars - Mr. and Mrs. Stix, two reindeer not mentioned in St. Nick's famous line-up.

But both have attracted attention from around the world. Santa feeds the reindeer at 11 a.m., 6 p.m., and 9 p.m. every day. Typically, about 10,000 people tune in to watch live at each of those times.

The website, along with the iPad and iPhone app, has attracted viewers in more than 100 countries and territories. The pair sell about 1,000 apps a day at $1.99. 

"When I tell people what we do, they assume it's a regional success or something that's only working in West Michigan," Loveless explained. "But when I tell them we sold 100 apps in the UK today, 60 in Ireland, and another 30 in Australia, they're like you guys are reaching out a little further."

And it's all in an effort to help make those viewers' holidays just a little bit brighter.

"Thousands of kids love watching it," said Born. "And if we can put an extra smile on their face, all the better."