All I want for Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was not a busy rush rush try to fit everything in kind of Christmas. This year due to some snowy weather and then rain we ended up spending much of our time at home. I couldn't have wished for more. Their vacation began with the big bang of a snowstorm. That first weekend of vacation is a blur of playing in the snow, drinking hot cocoa and watching Christmas specials. We managed to squeeze in some gingerbread crafting and cookie making as well. The surplus of snow and ice did however, cancel our planned Christmas celebration with Joe's family. We usually go to see the Festival of Lights at Edaville every year but Christmas Eve was rainy and windy so we reluctantly decided to skip it this year. Instead, we pulled out our Polar Express Brio train set and Thomas Christmas set and built up a little Santa's village on our train table and the kids played with it all evening. They read Christmas stories with us and each other. They played with the Jesus sets and bid adieu to Max William our Christmas Elf. Christmas Eve ended with a nightcap of cookies and milk for themselves and some set out for Santa as well. It was a quiet Christmas, a simple Christmas, and while I do love all the parties and extras we missed out on this year due to the weather, I like this kind of Christmas too.

As long as I've got these smiling faces under my tree each year...I've got all I could wish for. Or as Katie so eloquently put it after opening her Alexa and Liana Barbie dolls, "My heart has it's wish come true!"

rolling on the floor laughing probably wasn't the response she was looking for

We are in the midst of a spectacular snowstorm. My kids couldn't wait for the blizzard to hit and at the first hint of flakes they were begging to go out and play. Joe was heading out after dinner to shovel and told them they could go out then. They were frothing at the mouths with excitement. Not only were they going to go out and PLAYINTHESNOW!!! But they were going to go out and playinthesnow AT NIGHT!!! I gathered up snow pants, coats, gloves, hats, and boots. Teresa got herself dressed and then came to me for help with her boots. I had to put the kibosh on her choice of footwear. She wanted to wear a pair of pink suede boots that are adorned with pom poms and elaborate stitching. Pretty? Yes. Practical? No way. So I sent her to get her ugly but warm and functional snow boots and put them on. Sam and Katie danced out the front door and there was still no sign of Teresa. I called her and she came trudging down the stairs dragging her snow boot clad feet. She did not look happy and when I asked her what was wrong she asked me, "Mumma, do these boots make my toes look fat?"

craft extravaganza

We are still busy crafting away here in our corner of the world. The elves will be hard at work until Friday and then it's all systems go for Christmas. Here is a sampling of some gifts the kids made with their two little hands.

snowflake

This snowflake requires adult assembly ahead of time and it involves glitter. So, if that hasn't scared you off read on for what you'll need.

six no roll wooden clothes pegs

two wooden discs about the size of an American silver dollar

glue gun

white paint

silver and iridescent glitter

lid to a shirt box

I assembled the snowflakes ahead of time and it goes together very quickly. Lay one disc down and dab some hot glue on the end of one of the clothes pegs. Press it onto the disc. Continue gluing the pegs to the disc until all six are glued on. You should only be able to fit six. Now run glue along the edge of the second disc and sandwich it on top of the pegs and first disc. Done. That wasn't too bad.

The kids can now paint the snowflake. I had them paint one side and place it in a box lid. They could then shake glitter all over the snowflake as it's in the box lid and the glitter will be somewhat contained. Let this dry. Once dry, the other side can be painted and glittered and presto! These would look very pretty grouped together.

reindeer

Isn't this one of the cutest little Rudolphs ever? It's super simple too. Once again I assembled the little guy ahead of time using my trusty glue gun. What did crafters do before glue guns were invented? You will need

2 no roll clothes pegs

2 teeny gogglely eyes

one teeny red pom pom

brown paint

a paint brush

white glue

paper clip

and the glue gun of course

I glued the two clothes pegs head to head. The kids painted little Rudy with the brown paint. Once he dried they glued on the eyes and nose using white glue. After the eyes and nose have dried I hot glued a paperclip to the back so he can be hung from the tree.

This little guy is even easier than his brother. No glue gun required here folks.

brown construction paper

craft sticks

gogglely eyes

pom pom nose

white glue

I traced the children's hands and cut them out. They will become the reindeer's antlers. I then had the children make a triangle with their craft sticks and they glued them together. They then glued on the eyes and nose in the appropriate places. Once it had dried, they could glue on the antlers. And that's it. It'll be a sweet reminder in years to come of how tiny your little one's hands once were.

wreaths

The end result of this project is one of my favorites we did this year but the actual process to create sends shivers down my spine. It involved my using fabric paint and I hate the way that paint feels on my hands. I strongly recommend gloves for the adult helpers with this one. But maybe that's just my weird hangup. I did do this with all my kids from one year to 4 years. It was a breeze with the two preschoolers but much more work with the little ones. Anywho...you will need

green and red fabric paint

fabric (I bought plain white bandannas but you can use fabric from the fabric store, old sheets or pillowcases, or what have you)

straight pins

wire rimmed ribbon

safety pin

paintbrush

paper plate

paper template

old towel or some other drop cloth

wet paper towels or wash cloth

This project is fairly easy with the older kids but very messy with the little ones. Have lots of paper towels on hand because they get the paint everywhere. I also stripped them down to a diaper so the fabric paint didn't get on their clothing. It would be a good idea for the adult helpers to wear an art smock or old tee shirt too. Just a friendly little tip. Unless you like your clothing smeared with red and green fabric paint.

Lay down the towel on the table and put the paper template down. I use a template because I can't make a circle without. We'd end up with wreaths in the shape of blimps or eggs. Okay, moving on...I also taped the template to the towel so it wouldn't shift around. Next lay the fabric on top of the template and use the straight pins to pin it to the towel. Squirt some green paint onto the plate and using a paint brush paint one of the child's hands. Starting at the top make a print onto the fabric. Continue painting and making prints along the edge of the template. I started along the top then turned the towel so the fingers of the prints are all facing in the same direction. Just keep turning the towel until you've made your way around the circle. Wipe the hand off. You probably won't get all the paint off but as long as you get most you're good to go. You can do a thorough cleanup afterwards. Now squirt a little bit of the red paint onto the plate and have the child use his pointer finger to dip into the paint and make little berries all around the wreath. I also used the red paint to write the child's name and date. My oldest preschooler was able to write her name on her own. Now's the time for cleanup. It doesn't take long for the wreath to dry and once it's dried you can pin on a bow made with the wire rimmed ribbon.

An observation

Katie: Mumma, where's Daddy? (asked early Sunday morning)

Me: He went to get some coffee.

Teresa: Daddy looooooooooves to drink coffee. He drinks it all the time...except when he's drinking beer.

Nothing gets by these little monsters....nothing.

snowy Sunday afternoon

Sunday morning we woke up to snow blanketing the ground and it fell fast and furious all morning long. The kids went out around midday (that's how long it took me to track down snow pants, winter coats, hats, gloves and boots to fit everyone). I don't always go out with them but I decided to head out with my camera and take some pictures and we had the time of our lives. I remember one of my favorite things to do after a big snow was be the first one outside and make tracks all over the yard. The snow seemed to muffle everything and the world was so quiet and I felt like an explorer making strides into a brand new world. This was the first order of business for my kids too. They wandered all over the yard discovering how the snow transformed their toys and the world around them; delighting in the snowy footprints they left behind. Teresa, true to form, walked around with a handful of snow from which she nibbled. Every winter, since the first one she enjoyed as a toddler, she has sat and munched on snow. I think she looks forward to her wintertime treats. This year she ate her snow off a stick. Okay, probably not the most sanitary way to eat snow, but it's fun and it certainly won't hurt her.

The snow lay so thick on some of the pine branches they were bent way down to the ground. This inspired a new game called avalanche, where the kids took turns standing under the branch and the other shook it to cause heaps of snow to dump on their heads.

They made snow angels too. Poor Katie doesn't quite get the concept. She lay there on the ground and flailed her arms and legs (her head too for good measure) and sat up quickly and whipped around to look. Each time she wailed "There's NO angel!" I'm not sure what she expected. But quite obviously, her little snow angels were not living up to her expectations.



A snow ball fight to beat all snowball fights sprung up out of nowhere. The kids really don't make snowballs yet, they just pick up handfuls of snow and fling them at each other and Joe and I. We were all breathless when a truce was finally declared.

And then, out of nowhere we were attacked by a rampaging coyote and we had to fend it off with snowballs. They did little to stop his advances but gave us time to regroup and form a strategy.

I decided to feed the kids to him, which would give me plenty of time to make it indoors and save myself.

(don't worry, no children or coyotes were harmed in making of this blog post)

Virtual Cookie Exchange

Jen over at Mommay's Mayhem is having a virtual cookie exchange. I am squeaking in under the wire to get in on the action. I adore the Holiday season and mostly because I absolutely adore all the goodies baked and exchanged this time of year. Well, maybe there's more to it than that but honestly sweets rank right up there with Christmas trees and Christmas music for me. My cookie is technically not a cookie. There's no baking involved but there is chocolate...lots of chocolate...and marshmallow...and that's about it. This cookie is one my Mom always made for her cookie plates. Crazy isn't it...my Mom had all these lunatic kids running around and yet she still managed to bake like 17 different kinds of cookies every single Christmas. I really still have no idea when she baked...maybe at night? I don't even know what she called them, but I call them Stained Glass Window cookies. Alright, enough blather, here's the recipe.

Stained Glass Window cookies

1 pck semi sweet chocolate chips
1 and 1/2 sticks of butter or margarine
1 bag colored or white mini marshmallows (I do some with white and some with the colored..they're equally delicious)
2 cups confectionery sugar
shredded coconut (optional)

Melt butter and chocolate chips together. Let cool. Pour chocolate into a bowl and add the marshmallow and confectionery sugar. Mix well. I lay wax paper on the counter and using a measuring cup dump half the mixture onto a piece of wax paper. Shape the mixture into a log. I just use a silicone spatula to push the chocolate mix into a log shape so I don't even get chocolate on my hands. Ooops! I forgot to mention, if you want to use the coconut you should sprinkle it on your wax paper before you put the chocolate mix down and then sprinkle it over the top and sides once the logs been shaped. I don't usually use the coconut myself. Wrap the wax paper around the log and fold the ends. Then wrap it again in aluminum foil and refrigerate it. This will yield two logs. Refrigerate for 24 hours then you can cut each log into rounds. The true beauty of these cookies doesn't reveal itself until you cut them. This is more like a fudge I suppose, than a cookie but for me it will always be a cookie.

Enjoy!

a simple handmade gift from the kids

All throughout December my resident elves will be crafting items to give to their families. We kicked off our crafting season with this simple project. The end result can be modified for a number of uses. We are planning on making magnets with ours. All you will need are small cookie cutters, a rolling pin, some acrylic sealer and some sculpy clay. Depending on what you make with them you'll need other supplies. I have my hot glue gun and magnets for the backs for our magnet project. You can make them into pins, ornaments, pendants...the possibilities are endless.

I start off by breaking small bits of the sculpy clay and kneading them until they are very soft. And when I say small bits, I mean really small bits. We went for lots of colors but you could pick and choose colors to suit your recipient or holiday.

The children can then take the soft bits of clay and mash them together in any way they like. Let them mix, knead and smash the pieces together for as long as they like.

Once the pieces are mixed to their satisfaction hand out the rolling pins and show the kids how to roll over the clay to smooth it all out. I have them roll it out to about a 1/4" thickness.

Now it's time for the cookie cutters. I used a very small heart cookie cutter but you can use whatever size and shape your heart desires. We managed to cut out three small hearts from our little blob of clay and after rerolling it got another bigger heart.

They are now ready to be cooked. They should cook in a 275 degree oven for about 12-14 minutes but I start checking them about 10 minutes in. I also line our cookie sheet with aluminum foil. No need for vegetable spray or anything. I line it because I don't like to mix something I use for food stuff with non edibles. They will continue to harden up as they cool.

Once cooled down I paint them with a layer of acrylic sealer. It really shines them up and makes them look so glossy. Once the sealer is dry I hot glue the magnet to the back and they're finished.

letters to Santa

Our letters to Santa have been mailed and the kids eagerly await Santa's reply. Do you know that many post offices here in the U.S. have special elves that make sure Santa gets your children's letters and Santa sends back a postcard too? And you don't even need a stamp to mail a letter to the North Pole...that's elf magic at work!

must be a harmonious Holiday

I am happy to report my kids are equitable in their butchering of religions. Yesterday Teresa came home so excited her words were stumbling over each other as she attempted to tell me what she'd learned that day. She was full of news about candles and presents and food. Once she settled down she was able to talk more coherently and she told me "Not everyone celebrates Christmas, you know? People who are Jewish light candles for eight days. And give presents for eight days. And they eat special dinners too. It's not Christmas...they celebrate Harmonica"

A cup of cheer

I just returned from some shopping and since I was passing by Starbuck's stopped in to give myself a treat...an eggnog latte. Mmmmm! Mmmmm! YUM! I first gave Starbuck's a try less than a year ago and it only took one sip to get me hooked. It is now my treat of choice. If you too are a fan of Starbuck's or wondering what all the hubbub is about check out my friend Jessica's blog. She is currently having a giveaway for a Starbuck's giftcard. She also writes some dead on funny posts, so what are you waiting for? Go on over and check it out!

Away in a manger

This weekend I was prodded into dragging all the tubs of Christmas decorations out of the crawlspace so as to deck the halls. Usually I'm running around trying to get everything up ten days before Christmas but this year was different. Last year I purchased the very cute, and worth it's weight in gold, Elf on the Shelf book and little elf. My kids dubbed him Max William and raced out of bed each morning to see who could find him first. Max William would report back to Santa each night on the kids' behaviour and hence he was a fantastic little reminder that someone is watching. All I needed to do when things got hairy around here was glance over at where ever Sir Max was seated and it was enough to dispel most disagreements. I loved Max William and his magic, but he had to disappear Christmas Eve so I packed him up with all the rest of the Christmas paraphernalia. The kids missed his little presence too and asked about him occasionally. I reminded them (and myself) he would come back the morning after Thanksgiving.

Wouldn't you know, my little PDA (also known as Teresa) muttered as she snuggled to sleep Thanksgiving night that she couldn't wait to see Max William the next day. Oh Shit! I was exhausted, not to mention stuffed as full as the turkey I had just helped consume, and I realized I had no choice but to crawl into the attic crawlspace to drag out the Christmas tubs and search through them to find our personal elf. Not wanting to be the one to kill the magic for my kids, I thumped into the crawlspace on my hands and knees, waving my arms in front of me every foot or so, just in case of spiderwebs don'tcha know, and then crawled back again dragging a tub out with me. I did this four times. And yes, I waved my arms ridiculously each and every time because the spiders could be there, you never know. I found Max William in the box he was hiding in and perched him up on the chimney pipe and went to bed.

The first thing the kids found the next morning, after Max William, were the four tubs of Christmas decorations, which is why we decorated a bit earlier than usual. We actually don't have very much in the way of decorations. We have ornaments for the tree and stockings and lights. We have some homemade trinkets my children crafted at school and daycare. I have a few little village houses I line up on my kitchen windowsills and some silly singing mice. We also have four nativity sets. My parents gave us a set where the figures are quite big and also quite breakable. In fact, Sam's first Christmas as a walker, he broke several, so that set hasn't seen the light of day since. We also have a Fontanini set that I like to add to. Right now we just have the stable, Holy Family, Wise men and the drummer boy. Eventually I hope to have the whole cast of characters. While this set isn't breakable I really don't like the kids playing with it so I purchased two little creche sets just for them. Fisher Price's Little People Nativity set was the first and then I got them the Playmobil version. These toys get played with non-stop from the moment they come out of the tub.

The kids call them the "Jesus sets" and they fight over who gets to be whom. Today as I was making dinner they were playing with the Jesus sets in the living room. Sam likes to be the animals. He started out mooing, baaing and making some noise that he supposes a camel would make. But you can only convey so much with barnyard sounds, so Teresa had the angel sprinkle pixie dust to make the animals talk. Hmmmmm, I think they are getting the Bible and Disney a wee bit mixed up. Baby Jesus was quite the little trouble maker. He wouldn't stay in his manger and teased all the animals incessantly. In fact Mary had to come out of the stable hollering "JESUS!!!" as often as I seem to do. At one point, Mary announced to the shepherds, Joseph and assorted wisemen and animals that she was going in to do her hair and they needed to keep their eyes on the baby Jesus. Oh, the brouhaha when Joseph hollered to her and she had to stop what she was doing because that baby had climbed to the top of the stable. She actually told the Son of God that he had to climb down IMMEDIATELY if he wanted to continue to be a member of the Holy Family. Their version of the Christmas story may not be very accurate and could even be considered blasphemous but oh, my Lordy, is it ever funny. I think they should take the show on the road.

Thanksgiving Blessings

Hugs and kisses hello

Family spilling from one room to the next

Perusing the circulars looking for bargains

Much loved dishes...mashed potatoes and turnips anyone?

Listening to Dad retell the story of how he set the barn on fire the year he smoked a turkey

Pickles

Pumpkin Pie

Mumma's rolls...no matter who makes them

My little girl dressed as a Pilgrim

Cranberry Orange relish...homemade of course

Crowded tables

Clean up made easier when done en masse

Giggles

Football (hey, it keeps the menfolk outta our hair)

Sitting around the dining room table and picking at all the desserts

For today and all it's blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude. (source not known)

Happy Thanksgiving!

two projects to keep little hands busy this Thanksgiving

Festive Thanksgiving Turkey

You will need a toilet paper tube (cut in half), markers, paper coffee filter, water and paint brush, glue stick and turkey parts (I printed mine out from dltk craftsite or you can just draw your own). I love using coffee filters with magic markers. When you "paint" them with water the effect is beautiful! For this project the children begin by coloring with markers onto the coffee filter.



Once it is completely colored (or even mostly colored) the kids can use a paintbrush dipped into water and "paint" the entire coffee filter. This will cause the colors to run and blend. Set that aside to dry. Next have the children color the parts of the turkey on the paper; head, body (which will wrap around the toilet paper tube), feet, wings and wattle. I cut out the pieces for the kids because they are small.


Then the kids can use glue sticks to glue the body around the toilet tube, head onto tube, wings and wattle. For the feet, I had the kids spread some glue on the inside of the tube and bend the back of the feet up into the tube. Once the coffee filter dries, glue around the edge and fold it in half. The kids should also put glue on the back of the tube turkey and press the folded coffee filter onto the back. Once dry, you've got a very cute centerpiece or place setting for your Thanksgiving table.

Cornucopia (I got this idea from FamilyFun magazine)

This is a great project or activity to have going on while the kiddos are waiting for their Thanksgiving dinners. You will need a sugar cone and an assortment of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, or whatever catches your fancy. Katie wanted marshmallows so we went with it. You will also need a small plate. I put all the ingredients into small bowls and scattered them around the table within easy reach of the children. Make sure the children wash their hands too. There will be nibbling as the children craft their cornucopias so make sure to have enough for crafting and eating.

Each child will need a sugar cone and a plate. Just let them stuff their cornucopias (sugar cones) with whatever foods they like until they are overflowing with plenty. This is easy enough for toddlers just make sure it's okay for them to eat whatever foods you are using.

The finished Horns of Plenty would also make cute centerpieces or place settings. This one was made especially by Katie for her Mimi's Thanksgiving table. Or the kids can just go ahead and gobble them up. Either way they should be a hit.

MVP...Most Valuable Patron Saint

I think I'm doing a pretty good job raising my kids to be good Catholics. I take them to Church...most of the time. We say prayers before dinner, at the start of the day and before bed. I teach them about God and read or tell them stories from the Bible. They know some of the basic prayers by heart. By God, you should hear them rattle off grace before dinner...it's barely intelligible they say it so fast. So, you see,I thought I was doing a pretty darn good job. Maybe, I shouldn't be so quick to give myself some props.

Our church is housed in an old supermarket. Don't tell anyone, but we jokingly refer to it as "Our Lady of the Plaza" (chuckling and cringing as I wait for the lightning bolt to smite me dead). The powers that be have done a very nice job converting it to look on the inside like an actual church. I especially like the alter. It has a small pool of water with a little waterfall and flowers all around it. Our Priest told us that they used to have small fish swimming in there but they had the horrible habit of leaping out to die during his sermons. The people in charge of decorating the alter always do something special with this little water feature and my kids always have to check it out...up close. So unlike the entire rest of the congregation, instead of rushing for the exits upon the end of Mass, they race to the alter to soak up the beauty (hopefully not ever literally) of the little pool. The other day after admiring for a bit, we were making our way out and passed by the large statue of Mary near the front of the church. Katie looked up at it and said, quite loudly of course, "Wow! Look at that trophy! Who's trophy is that? They must won a lot of games because that is the biggest trophy ever!"

I couldn't help myself...I laughed.

her mood changes as often as the weather

There was a little girl
who had a little curl
right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
she was very, very good.


And when she was bad,
She was Horrid!

Okay...so she doesn't have a curl in the middle of her forehead. The nursery rhyme is still quite fitting.

we can cross soccer Mom off the list of things I'm good at

Soccer season just ended for my two soccer superstars. We spent Sunday afternoons, rain or shine, in our fold up chairs cheering them on as they ran aimlessly around the field chasing the ball. It didn't matter if they were offense or defense they still ran from one end of the field to the next hoping to kick the ball as hard as they could, most likely out of bounds. Seriously, they did have a real understanding of the positions by the end of the season (thanks Coach Mike and Coach Victor) despite the fact that they begged to be goalie every chance they could get. When it was sunny it was glorious but when it was cold and rainy I HATED IT!!! Anywho...some action shots...here they go chasing the ball this away...

and there they go chasing the ball a thata way.

forgetting that they're on the same team and talking trash to each other

Who would have thought I would ever have reason to yell "Teresa...stop hugging your brother!" but really can they just focus on, oh....I don't know....the GAME that's playing around them!!!

Yahoo!!!! For all everyone knows they dribbled it down the field, passing the ball off to each other and scored the winning goal. That's my story anyways (I know nothing about any balls being kicked out of bounds ;)

And what is a bored three year old to do all those endless Sunday afternoons? How about make some funny faces for Mumma's camera?