PregnancyFamilyEducation Blogs
December 28, 2009
The ticker
We have a Christmas countdown ticker type of thing L. found last year and installed on our computer some time before Christmas. I distinctly remember getting back from our holiday trip last year, looking at the ticker, and seeing with a mixture of amusement and regret that we had 362 days left until the next Christmas. [more]
December 26, 2009
Keep, Pass, Ditch!
Too Many Toys is a great book by David Shannon that most of us parents can relate to any time of the year but the day after Christmas this feeling multiplies!
I am in a guest room in my in-laws' house knee deep in toys, and we have more than we can store or ever possibly play with at home waiting for us. Here is my plan for culling the mess.
During nap time or when your kids are out of the house:
First grab 3 flat sheets or large towels. Make one the keep pile, the next the pass pile and the last the throw away/recycle pile. [more]
December 23, 2009
Last Minute Christmas Craft!
This craft is so easy but will keep keen kids busy for enough time to sneak that gift past them and wrap it quickly. I did it with tape but you can use a glue stick easily!
1.Gather your materials. You will need a hole punch, some green paper ( or white and you can color it green), various colors of tissue paper, scissors and tape or a glue stick. [more]
- Tags: Christmas, Holiday Crafts, Arts and Crafts
December 23, 2009
Holiday redux
We did it. Somehow, my husband, who has turned the art of packing the car for the Christmas trip home into an art form, managed to get what looked like a warehouse-sized amount of stuff into the back of the van.
Somehow we got through the last-minute errands, and the 11th hour cookie baking and distribution, and the final wrapping and organizing of gifts.
Somehow we convinced T. to leave behind most of her stuffed animals, and we packed up a small library of books for L. [more]
December 18, 2009
The final (Christmas) countdown
Do not adjust your calendars: Christmas Day is one week away. And you're all set, right? All the presents have been bought and wrapped. All the baked goods are set to go, and just need to be popped in the oven. You're ready to grab a hot cocoa, put your feet up, and have a nice, relaxing Christmas week. This was the year you finally got everything taken care of.
Or, you know, not.
Never fear! Here are some tips for your last-minute holiday scramble. [more]
December 18, 2009
The tales they tell
I have a post I've been wanting to put up for a couple of weeks now, all about our Christmas ornaments--the ones that are extra special, for various extra-special reasons (I know you have ornaments like these at your own house), but I was going to include lots of photos, and photos have been a bit buggy lately over here, so I haven't written the post.
But oh, the stories my ornaments could tell. [more]
- Tags: Somebody Pinch Me, Parenting, Holidays, Christmas, Children
[December 17, 2009
Tough love?
Earlier this week there was a headline floating around the internet about how the Gosselin children were "ruining" Christmas for their classmates by telling them that Santa isn't real. Apparently the older Gosselin kids no longer believe in Santa and, as kids are apt to do, wanted to share this shaken belief with their siblings and peers. [more]
December 17, 2009
DIY Snowflake Crayons
Making your own gifts saves money but it can also show your children that gifts don't have to be bought, and that when you make them they are even more special.
1. Gather your materials. You will need a silicone baking pan .We are using a snowflake shaped pan, but you can use any shape! We got ours in the dollar section of a large retailer and only use it for making crayons. You will also need crayons and an oven set at 250. [more]
- Tags: Winter, Christmas, Arts and Crafts
December 16, 2009
DIY Matching Gift Tag!
These are easy to make and will keep those board school age kids busy while you are wrapping gifts! Put them to work with this fun idea.
1. Gather your materials. You will need some scrap wrapping paper ( that matches the present you are wrapping), a glue stick, some card stock ( I am using business cards )a hole punch, scissors and ribbon.
[more]
- Tags: Christmas, Arts and Crafts
