Christmas Shopping Trip with the Kiddos!

The kiddos and I are very excited because tomorrow morning we will be making a trip to the store to let them do some shopping of their own.  I love Christmas, I love Santa, I love seeing the little ones open their gifts and giggle with joy!  But I also think it's important for them to be "gift givers" themselves!  Now my little ones are still pretty young (ages 3 and 4 1/2).  Their understanding of money is a bit limited and the price of the gift is not what is important with this activity.  I want them to enjoy picking out gifts for their siblings and mommy & daddy.  That's why our big shopping trip takes place at the Dollar Store! 

It's a fun tradition to take them out and let them browse the aisles of the Dollar Store for the "perfect" gift for their loved ones.  I want it to be something they choose, something they are excited about, and something that doesn't cost a lot.  I don't want to say "no" to any of their gift ideas with reasons like it's too much money or question their choice...we are at the Dollar Store...so they can choose whatever they'd like for each member of the family.  It's not about the cost or even the quality of the gift...it's that they are experiencing the joy of giving!  I want my sweet ones to develop characteristics of generosity and kindness.  By letting them choose gifts for one another and come home to do their own wrapping...they are able to enjoy the gift of giving!  So, tomorrow we will be off on our annual shopping trip to the Dollar Store and while the gifts they choose are not priceless...their excitement and the look in their eyes when they watch us open these gifts, is priceless!  What a fun Christmas activity!

The Elf on the Shelf

Are you ready for some more Christmas magic this holiday season?  I am in love with holiday traditions and have added a few new ones this year.  My newest tradition is called "The Elf on the Shelf."  You may have heard the buzz about this cute little guy...because he is becoming quite popular!  This adorable Santa's helper (with a vintage 50's look) can be purchased at Hallmark and can come into your home and start the fun right away.

The elf comes with a beautiful children's book that explains the tradition.  The first thing you do is decide with your kiddos what you would like to name your new house guest.  Then it's time to read the book together.  In it, you will learn that this elf reports back to Santa each night on how you have been acting...naughty or nice.  By the next morning, he is back home with you sitting in a new spot.  And the book tells your child that they get to find him each morning, a fun game to play together!  But he's not to be touches, or the Christmas magic will disappear.  There's even a page in the back to write down when you started the tradition with your family and what your elf's name is.  I love memories like this, that you will look back on someday with such sweetness!

My little buddy loved cuddling up and reading the story together.  Before bed he said goodnight to "Sam" our elf and blew him a kiss.  And after bedtime prayers he reminded me that he wanted to look for "Sam" in the morning.  I told him he had to fly back to Santa tonight and we'd see him the next day!

I am so excited about this new tradition!  I encourage you to look into getting your own Shelf Elf or share a story about yours, if you already have one.  Happy Holidays!

Golden Ticket to See the Christmas Lights!

In the next couple of weeks, I get to carry out this fun holiday tradition.  Instead of just driving around to see the Christmas lights...it becomes a fun, family tradition.  My husband and I decide on an evening that we want to do this one as the kiddos will be up a bit later than usual.  When the date is picked, I make sure to hide my special golden tickets in their beds.  When bedtime comes and they pull back their covers and pillows, they will find the golden tickets waiting for them.  After squeals and screams and the realization that this is the night...we load the car in our jammies for an evening of cocoa, cookies, and Christmas lights.  I love the element of surprise in this one.  The kiddos don't know what night we will be doing this festive activity but when the golden ticket appears in their bed...the excitement is beyond words!

I will be using the golden tickets this year with my kiddos and since they've never seen them, it takes a year to kick-off the fun.  But I guarantee that next Christmas, they will know what to expect and the fun that lays ahead!  Your kiddos will come bounding down the stairs in their jammies and head straight out to the car.  Make sure you are ready and have the car filled with warm drinks, sweet treats, and blankets to snuggle with.  Load up the family and enjoy a night of lights, holiday songs, and sweet memories!

Countdown to Christmas...with Books!

I love Christmas.  I love books.  And I love traditions. This idea combines all three of those things that I love!  I collect holiday books and this is a new tradition that I started this year as I saw it on one of my favorite blogs at 320 Sycamore.  Choose your favorite 25 holiday books from your collection and wrap them in cute and festive paper.  If you don't have 25 holiday books, now is the time to be on the look out for them.  You can find Christmas books in the dollar section of Target, at scholastic.com, garage sales, and so on.  Start collecing them now!  I have so many holiday books, that it was hard to choose my favorite 25.  It must be the teacher in me! 

On the first day of December I put a huge basket out in our family room, filled with those 25 wrapped holiday books.  I put a cute label with a number on each present.  Now is the fun part for my kiddos.  Each day, a book is chosen from the basket and we get to enjoy reading it together.  It's a fun way to countdown until Christmas Day.  On Christmas, the book is the story of Jesus' birth.  My little guy gets so excited to go to bed because he loves to unwrap a gift.  And the look of surprise on his face when he finds out what book is inside...is priceless!  What fun to have these holiday books become a tradition each year to read together.  It's fun to see what their favorites are and what they become.  Have fun starting this tradition in your family!

December Sweetheart Moments

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  I have always loved the holidays and especially Christmas time.  But I must admit that this holiday season has become even more special as my little girl was born in December and now we have the joy of celebrating her birthday during this festive month.  She is such a joy!  To be honest, my Christmas traditions are one of the main reasons I decided to start my own blog.  Friends of mine were always asking me to share all of my holiday traditions and to write them down.  I finally decided that a blog would be the perfect way to share all of my fun ideas and family traditions.  So, have fun learning about some of our family celebrations and I hope you enjoy this amazing time of year!

Traditions for This Holiday Season:

*Take a photo with Santa and add it to your little "Santa Scrapbook." For each photo, each year I write a little paragraph about the day and the fun we had. (And yes, I still add the photo even if the kiddos are screaming their heads off. It's a memory!)


*Make a gingerbread house together.  Buy a ready-made kit or use graham crackers and frosting to make your own from scratch.  Muffin tins are a great way to organize those candy pieces!

*See the Christmas lights in your pajamas with mugs of hot cocoa and a plate of Christmas cookies.  It's always fun to ask around and research the BEST neighborhoods to visit with lights.  We definitely have our favorites with this one!

*Polar Express Fun:  We are so excited that we got tickets this year to the train museum event where you get to ride a train while the "Polar Express" story plays over the speakers and sip hot cocoa along the ride.  Santa is at the end waiting for you, just like the book.  Don't forget to have a silver bell for your kiddo!

*Plan a holiday shopping weekend in the city.  We love to spend the night at a hotel in San Francisco and enjoy a dinner out, a relaxing morning, and a day of shopping!  Nothing puts you in the holiday mood like a day in the city with all of the festive decorations and hustle and bustle!

*Bake Christmas cookies for neighbors.  You can't beat this tradition.  I love to find cute cookie plates and we now have quite a collection of yummy holiday cookie recipes.  The kiddos love to pass these cookies out to the neighbors and share the holiday love!

*Cut down a fresh tree the day after Thanksgiving.  We've decided that with our little ones, a real tree and needles is more of a hazard for this stage of life.  But we can't give up the tradition.  So, our real tree goes out in the backyard and is decorated with outdoor goodies like popcorn and cranberry garland, birdseed pinecones, orange & cloves oranaments, and the list goes on.  The birds and critters love this holiday tradition!

*Set the holiday mood and turn decorating the tree into a real event with Christmas music, a fire in the fireplace, cookies baking in the oven, and a holiday movie on the television!

*Start a gift-giving tradition called "The Feast Pig."  Throughout the year everyone saves their coins and change and put it into the feast pig.  When December finally comes, the coins and the money will be given to a family in need to spread the Christmas cheer.  This is a great way for kiddos to learn about the joy of giving!

Christmas Eve Family Traditions:

*Stockings are opened on Christmas Eve night together!

*Make snowman soup.  Everyone has their own snowman mug and we make yummy snowman soup.  (I have a cute poem for this one...email me if you want it!)  It includes cocoa, marshmallows, a hershey kiss, and a candy can to stir with! 

*Sip the snowman soup in front of the fire with your new Christmas books.  I buy everyone a new book to curl up with and read together.  The book can be anything...a new cook book for mom, a novel for dad, a holiday book for the kiddos!

*Everyone gets some new jammies to snuggle up in and wear to bed on Christmas Eve.  We have to put them on and get a photo also!

*Eat a Swedish dinner together.  Depending on what nationality you are...it's fun to bring this in to your celebration on Christmas Eve night.  We have some Swedish recipes passed down from grandparents as we carry on the tradition.  We want the kiddos to look forward to this each year!

*Pickle Ornament:  first child to find the pickle ornament on Christmas Eve gets an extra little gift for being the most observant child!

*Put out cookies for Santa and reindeer food.  Don't forget the reindeers this night.  We have a special plate we use for Santa and the reindeer.  The reindeer get carrots on the plate.  But we also make reindeer food (oatmeal sprinkled with red glitter that we pour over the front yard so Santa can find our house)!

*Every year the kiddos get a new ornament to start their own collection.  The ornament is meaningful to the past year of their lives.

Christmas Day Traditions:

*Each child receives three big gifts!  One is from Mommy, one from Daddy, and one from Santa!

*We have one more tradition that has to do with our family background...Swedish pancakes.  These are so yummy and something we do every year on Christmas morning after opening gifts!

*On Christmas Day, the family gets a new board game to add to our fun collection.  We have fun relaxing and playing the new game together.

*On Christmas Night, we have a new holiday movie to watch together and relax as the day comes to an end.  We enjoy sharing our favorite memories of the year and curling up together with a sweet movie! 

If you have any other holiday traditions to share, please let me know!  I love to add to my collection of ideas and can't wait to start some new ones this year. Happy Holidays!

October is Almost Here!

Oh, how I love this time of year! The air is getting cooler, the leaves are changing color, and the holidays are just upon us. When October hits...I am definitely in the mood to decorate our home a bit and plan some fun family activities that create sweetheart moments to last a lifetime! So, here are some ideas for you...

Cozy Fall Kick-Off
Depending on where you live, you can celebrate the actual first day of fall or you can pick a cooler day in October to do this celebration! Take an evening to gather the family for some fall fun! Make some warm apple cider, bake a delicious fall treat (pie, muffins, caramel apples), gather some fall books (from the library, bookstore, or your own collection), and make a fire in the fireplace. Light some yummy smelling candles and cuddle up together for some stories, blanket snuggles, and warm treats! I even do this tradition in my classroom and the students love it!

Pumpkin Patch Trip
You have to find a local pumpkin patch to visit and have some fall fun! Kiddos love the opportunity to run around the pumpkin field, find that special pumpkin to carve, and take it home to show off on the doorstep. And if you're lucky, your pumpkin patch might have some extra goodies like corn mazes, pony rides, caramel apples, and the list goes on. Don't forget to have the family coordinate and wear their cutest "fall" outfits with a hint of orange! You will love having these pumpkin memories!

Fall Family Photos
I love to switch out the photo frames on our walls with seasonal photos. If it is too much to do them all, then pick a wall where you have a few frames arranged and designate these frames for seasonal photos. In fall, fill them with pumpkin shots, in winter you can do the Christmas tree farm outing, in the spring you can have some puddle jumping photos, and the summer is great for some bright and sunny memories. People will love to see how you add a personal touch to your home with seasonal photos that are always changing!

Halloween Costume Scrapbook
Buy or make a special album to be used for each year's Halloween costume memories! Take one or a few photos of the kiddos all dolled up for the holiday and put them in this scrapbook with the date. You and the family will have lots of fun looking back at all of the costumes you used during the years. Such a fun memory!

Trick or Treating Party
I make it a tradition each year to invite all of our friends over for some trick or treating fun! My husband and I cook up some delicious chili and cornbread for all of the adults and I make some special goodies for the kiddos like spider web pizza, ham & cheese pumpkin pockets, mummy dogs and the list goes on! Don't forget some candy corn cupcakes! After some eating and a photo moment with all of the kiddos in a group shot, it's time to do some trick or treating together. Get the wagons (I like to decorate mine) and make a parade as you go together from house to house. So much fun!

Fall Craft Day
There are so many fun craft projects to plan for this time of year. Do it with just your family or make it a playdate event. Whatever you choose, make sure to have some fun creating together! Some ideas are: leaf rubbings, jack o' lanterns out of construction paper, painting pumpkins with glue and glitter, and so much more. You can even do a web search for more fun ideas!
Senior Center Halloween Parade
Call your local senior center to see if they would like a visit from some cute kiddos this festive time of year! How can they say no??? Have all of the kids dress up and visit the seniors to show off the cute costumes and maybe even do some trick or treating. Or have the kids make "Happy Halloween!" cards and pass them out to everyone. Such a good thing to start at a young age!

Candy Corn Fun
Candy corn is so cheap this time of year and there are lots of fun activities to do with it. Candy corn is great to practice counting with. It's also a fun one to make shakers with, art projects, and more!

Fall Leaf Hunt
Jump in the car for a family drive on a Sunday afternoon and see the changing leaves. Find the most beautiful colors, the biggest trees, and your favorite neighborhoods with a fall feel! You can even do this on a walk in your neighborhood. Take notice of all the leaf colors, changing of seasons, and looks for signs of fall! Don't forget to let the kiddos take home some favorite leaves. I like to make leaf bags with a cute poem on the front to collect all of our leaves in from the walk!

Baking Night
I totally get in the mood to do some baking this time of year. Clip out and find some yummy recipes to try this season and make sure to include the kiddos on the cooking fun! Some favorites are banana bread, pumpkin cake, strawberry rhubarb pie, and anything apple!

There are so many more ideas to do this October. But hopefully I got your creative ideas flowing! Have fun celebrating the start of this amazing season and be sure to comment and add your own ideas for us to try out too! Happy fall y'all!

Back to School Teacher Survival Kit

Okay, one more idea for you as your kiddos get ready to head back to school!  Here is another fun and easy teacher gift for the first day or even the first week!  Have fun shopping for some little goodies on this one.  You'll need a floss or bead container.  In your craft store, you'll find them near the bead and jewelry area.  They have all different sizes with different sized openings.  I grabbed a small one, probably a 5 by 7 size box.  They are made to hold beads or cross stiching floss.  But for this project you will fill it with fun teacher goodies!

Now head to Target or Walmart, and pick up a bunch of little gifts to go inside.  I bought erasers, staples, paper clips, thumb tacks, bandaids, batteries, post-its, Starburst candies, etc.  Have fun filling the little squares.  My container was cool because when you flipped the lid open...I realized there was another top section to hold a few bigger items.  This is where I place the note cards, the post-its, some anti-bacterial soap.  Have fun filling it with whatever looks fun for teachers and like something they might use the first week or during the year!

After my little guy helped me fill the containers, or shall I say...ate a bunch of the Starburst candies...I got to my crafty part.  I cut out a cute piece of scrapbook paper and glued it to the top.  Then I added some clipart I cut out and a little label.  (This is my first time trying to include a PDF file I created for the label, try and click on this link and see if you can print out my label for your use as well!)  I let it dry overnight and it was ready to take to school.  My little girl starts a "Mommy and Me" type preschool in a few weeks and we have one made for her teacher too!  Such a fun gift to give. 

If you want to add a little label inside with the name of each item and why it's in the box...that can be cute too.  But it's not necessary.  Just opening the kit and seeing all of the fun and bright goodies inside is enough to make any teacher smile!  Have fun with heading back to school!

Back to School Crayon Wreath

How I love this time of year with back to school supplies, meeting new teachers, the first day of school, and fun traditions!  This year I had fun creating a couple of new teacher gifts as we head back to school.  I love for the kiddos to greet their teachers that morning of the first day with a big smile and a cute gift!  So, this year I had seen the crayon wreath idea floating around on different blogs and I had a friend make one for a "back to school" party we attended.  I loved it even more when I saw it up close.  And I knew we had to make one.  It's so easy and so affordable...my kind of craft! 

All you need to run to the store and get are 3 boxes of 24 crayons, two wooden cross stich hoops/rings, glue, and some ribbon.  I added a fun little label because I love making that kind of stuff.  But the crayon wreath by itself is adorable!  Just place one wooden ring inside the other (or browse around your craft store and find something else that is flat and circular to glue crayons to), making sure it's centered.  And I took my tacky glue...because I am that impatient and didn't want to wait for my glue gun to heat up!  I globbed the glue on both sets of rings and started placing crayons on, one by one.  Just let it sit and dry.  At the end you will tie some ribbon in a loop at the top to hang it up.  And if you're feeling extra crafty...then add a label and a bow!  It can sit overnight and it's ready to take to school!

My little guy loved giving this to his teacher and their first month of school is spent learning about "colors" so his teacher was so excited to hang it up in the classroom!  But it would look cute on a classroom door, in a window, or on a gate.  It's just a fun way to say...have a great start to the year!