Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On

Did you feel the earthquake this morning?  I did.  I thought maybe it was just Steve snoring or maybe a child jumping on our bed, but since it was neither of the above, I rolled over and went back to sleep.  But then, when I woke up, I thought that maybe it was an earthquake.  I kept meaning to check online to see if anything had happened, but I forgot.

Enter my amazing computer-help-when-I'm-on-the-road-and-don't-have-access-to-my-computer sister who googled it for me.  Guess what!?  I am my own seismograph. 

This morning, there was a 4.2 earthquake in Indiana.  And I felt it.  Not only did I FEEL it, but it woke me up. 

Sorry I accused you of snoring, Steve...

The Stockings were hung

Merry Christmas!

The handwritten letters are tucked in their stockings, ready for pick up:

"To Santa, I am very very very very good and that's good.  So I get lots of presents, like 0,014,400.  From Carter"

 I must say, he has been very good.

"To Santa, I am very very very good so I get like  0,014,414,404 gifts.  From Addison"

 We must admit, Addison's sweetness does merit that many gifts.

I can't wait to see Santa's response on Christmas morning.

Any thoughts what his letter might say?

(come on, be my elves...)

Thank You!

We've been Kris Kringled!!!

During dinner our Doorbell rang, and when the kids got there we found a BIG and DELICIOUS plate of cookies!!

If you know this secret little Kringle, give them a BIG THANKS and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Snow Much Fun

It's all fun and games...

Until Someone loses his head

Our Little Drummer Boy

Enjoy!

Never Jump in a Pile of Leaves with a Wet Sucker!

And never wipe a dirty mouth if it shows evidence!

My first White Christmas

Tonight I watched "White Christmas" for the first time in my whole entire life!  I knew I was missing something good, so roped my 3 kids into watching it with me, as to not leave them up to my same fate of 29-yrs of non -"White Christmas"-ness. 

From it, my kids learned their own rendition of Jazz Sqaures (move your feet really fast while running in a circle), and for the last half our were mimicking each dance full on with Jazz Hands and everything.  And Alana:  spinning in a circle and clapping.  I tell ya, it was like 3D theater, right in my living room.  A fine dress rehearsal for their eventual debut.

I love Danny Kaye.  End of Story.  Favorite Danny Kaye moment ever = Court Jester.  Great flick.  You don't know what you are missing.

Christmas Activities For Kids

Moms do it all, don't we?  We're cooks, maids, chauffers, Santas, and Santas Elves.  I feel like if I don't calendar it, decorate it, turn it on, or make it happen, another day can go by without the Christmas Magic we love.

SO, to keep Christmas Magic every day for me AND the kids, I want a list of ideas to refer to...things we can do today or tomorrow, every day until Christmas! No day should be thrown to the doldrums when Christmas is around!

Here, I'll start the list, then you keep adding to it in the comments.  Include all ideas that you think of, no matter how simple.

Fun Christmas Ideas to make each day magical

1) Make Gingerbread Houses:  If you need recipes, patterns, or ideas, call or email me.  I'm SO happy to help you!  We always do the ones made out of real gingerbread, but this year all these boys LOVED doing graham cracker houses!

2)  Make Candy Trains using funsize candy bars for the engine and cars, lifesavers or peppermints for the wheels, then stack with any candies you want.

3) Organize a cookie swap to easily fill up plates to give your neighbors (and invite me to come).  

4) Get 25 Christmas books (go to the library NOW), wrap them under the tree (mark the back of the "gift" with the due date, just to be sure), and unwrap one each night to be read round the christmas tree.  *hint:  our library only allows 5 Christmas books per card to be checked out.  Go with your family and use ALL your cards to bring home as many as you can.  Then, since you can check out for 4 weeks, find a friend to swap library books with before they are due to rewrap under your tree.

 

5) It's never too early to start planning a twelve days of christmas or Secret Santa for someone.  Even if you will be out of town for Christmas, do it now...then it is all the more magical for you and the recipient!

6) Practice some christmas carols well enough that the kids know them, too.  Then, when you take your plates of goodies to your neighbors, have your kids sing them a song before handing them the treat.  It will be SO Cute they will be SURE to up their ante and bring you some AWESOME treats this year!

7) Put out clues for your kids that "Santa Came to Check On Us"...in the middle of the night, during play time, during clean up time...any chance to catch them doing good.  Santa can leave a note on the fireplace, and a snowball from the northpole in a jar (i.e. a cotton ball or marshamllow). 

8) Make a Christmas Scavenger hunt for your kids during their naps...snowflakes or marshmallows or cotton balls that lead to the table with something yummy there for them, from Santa since he stopped by to check on them.  Make a trail from all of their rooms to the kitchen.

9)  Make Paper Snowflakes and cardboard stars and hang them from the ceiling.

10) Drive around to see the lights in the neighborhoods!  This is a GREAT time filler between dinner and bedtime, or between naps and dinner, or between I'm-losing-my-patience and insanity.  Pump up the Christmas tunes as you drive, but not so loud that you can't hear your kids' excitement of Mores and Foofulls.

11) Send Santa an email and he will promptly send you a personalized one back!  Click here to go to that site, gather the kids around, and have fun!  Go to FiveRealMoms to see more ideas of writing to Santa that I wrote on another blog.

12) Do something for somebody every day....sounds vague. But if you keep this in mind, you will keep the Christmas Spirit with you as you consistently go out of your way to make life easier and happier for someone else. You can make a Christmas Tree and have everyone hang paper ornaments on it as they do good deeds and service for other people.

13) Ask the kids what THEY want to do, then do it, (even if it means checking out 18 more Halloween books, even though it's Christmas time...thank you Carter)

15) Create an It's Snowing ritual:  Have a special treat or tradition that you do EVERY time it snows. IT snowed..that means we get hot chocolate. IT snowed..that means we get to shake glitter all over the house...Of the two options, I know which one I would choose.

16) Make Gingerbread Cookies, letting the KIDS cut out the gingerbread men and then decorate them.  And, since it's Christmas, go ahead and let them eat them as they go.

17) String Popcorn (I've never done this, but it seems like lots of people do it...so I'll give it a go...)

18) Make a paper chain to countdown to Christmas.

19) Help the kids make Homemade Christmas Cards for the friends or relatives.

20) Make Special Christmas Movie nights for your family that are on the calendar and most definitely include blankets and hot chocolate *Don't forget White Christmas and A Charlie Brown's Christmas, and I must admit, I love ELF* 

 21) Make Homemade instruments and sing Christmas Carols (rubber band guitars, waxed paper combs, glasses and forks for bells, etc.)

22) Print out Santa Pictures to color, decorate with cotton balls and glitter.

23) Craft that smells good:  stick cloves in oranges.  Make a pattern, spell a word (Joy), and let the kids design them as artistically as they choose :)

24) Make a Fun Christmas I Spy game.  Take any duplicate toy catalog or ad that comes in the mail (or ask your neighbor for their copy so you have 2 of the same catalog) Cut out toys and pics from one catalog and put them in a bag, leaving the other catalog in tact. Then spread out all the toys you cut out and have your kids search for the identical picture in the other catalog. 

25) Make a Toy Collage.  To practice cutting, give each kid a catalog and some glue, and have them cut out the things they like the best, then glue it to paper (we made posters by taping 4 construction papers together).

26) Catch Snowflakes and see their shapes.  Go outside with some black construction paper when it is snowing to catch snowflakes.

27)  Have a Christmas Dance Party!  Turn on the tunes and boogie!

OK, now it's your turn!  My memories of childhood Christmas magic, were all because of my mom. Back then it all did JUST happen for me, because my Mom made it happen. SHE put up the decorations. SHE put on the Christmas music. SHE planned all these great things for us that made the season AWESOME. I realize, now it's up to me to make Christmas Magic happen for me and my kids.  Thank you, Cheri, Liz, and Emily for helping with this list already!

First Christmas Magic

The first Christmas Snowfall on this, the first day of December.

How magical.

How fitting.

And how grateful we really are that it wasn't enough to stick...or shovel...or scrape off our windshield.

Yes folks, the "best" is yet to come.

The snow does make things magical, though.  For me as well as the kids.

They always ask me when Christmas is coming, and my response, in good faith, is "Christmas doesn't come until it snows."  And this year and last, the first snowfall has been on my side to wait until right after Thanksgiving.  Then the boys bounce around with "Christmas is coming! Christmas is here!"  And I do bless the snowfalling skies and the chill that it brings.

Sure, there are days I'm afraid my nostrils will get frozen together and the biting wind zaps my breath away, but I'm warmed up again when I see the Christmas lights reflecting in my children's eyes, their joyful giggles accompanying every jingle bell.

This morning, Addison greeted the fresh falling snow with "Hi Frosty!  Hi Frosty!"

I patiently await his discovery that Frosty doesn't just appear...he has to be made!

This morning, Carter watched the flakes falling with matched excitement, and decided to tell Addison about the "snow machine" that makes all the flakes fall.  Then he was interrupted when a big flake landed on the window where they were standing, and they both stopped to admire its beauty.

Carter secretly made Addison's bed this morning, then ran in to tell us:

"WOW!  Come see what Santa did!"

As we drove around admiring Christmas lights today, I loved the chorus coming from Carter and Addison at every house:

Carter: 'Wow!  There's More!"  "More"  "More" "More"

Addison:  "That's so Beautiful!  Beautiful!  Beauitful!" 

which really comes out "Fooful!  Fooful  Fooful!"

...and this is all the magic in just one day.  I hope the entire season continues this magical pattern at my house, and at yours.