Everyday is a Holiday!

I found this website and thought it was a good laugh! I can't believe some of this stuff and I thought some of it would be fun to do with your kids.

February 19 is . . . . National Chocolate Mint Day
February 20 is . . . . Hoodie Hoo Day
February 21 is . . . . Card Reading Day
February 22 is . . . . Be Humble Day
February 23 is . . . . International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
February 24 is . . . . National Tortilla Chip Day
February 25 is . . . . Pistol Patent Day (Samuel Colt)
February 26 is . . . . National Pistachio Day
February 27 is . . . . International Polar Bear Day
February 28 is . . . . Public Sleeping Day
February 29 is . . . . National Surf and Turf Day

Want to look at all the months? Click here!
http://www.oshel.com/everyday.htm

Then I found this site and I like it the best. It lets you pick: what happens in the month, what happens weekly, or what happens daily. She also updates it all the time.

Here is a sample of hers:

23- National Rationalization Day
23- National Banana Bread Day
23- International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
23- Tennis Day
23- Tootsie Roll Birthday (1896)
24- Nylon Toothbrush Birthday 1938
24- National Trading Card Day
24- Gordon's Birthday Sesame Street
24- National Tortilla Chip Day
25- Let's All Eat Right Day
25- Hudson River Tunnel Anniversary 1908
25- Quiet Day
26- Thermos Bottle Day
26- New York Subway Birthday 1870
26- Movie Cartoon Birthday 1909
26- National Pistachio Day
26- For Pete's Sake Day
26- Levi Strauss' Birthday Born in 1829.
26- Tell a Fairy Tale Day
27- Mardi Gras New Orleans Birthday 1827
27- International Polar Bear Day
27- No Brainer Day
28- Car Keys and Small Change Day 1590 Pockets were Invented
28- Inconvenience Yourself Day
28- Public Sleeping Day
28- Floral Design Day
28- DNA Discovery Day 1953
28- M*A*S*H Bites the Dust Day (1983 Final Episode)
29- Leap Day

Wouldn't some of these be great for a calendar? I think tomorrow I will definitely pull out some Tortilla chips and tell my kids what a funny day it is.

anyway go to:http://www.holidaysforeveryday.com/ to see this site!

Church Website!

So I just found out about this, even though it was changed about 2 months ago. I found out about it through the church news. I thought that others might also not know. The LDS Church Website has changed for the better. They have updated the Friend and New Era parts. For the friend they now have: coloring (while listening to church music), Slide Shows, Listen to Stories, Little Friends Stuff, Games, Scripture Stories, and much more. Try it out it is really cute! Or better yet let your kids try it out!

The easiest way to get to it, is to go to www.lds.org then on the right side click on prepare a talk, Then hit the friend!

Game Website!

Planning a Birthday party, adult party, Murder Mystery party, Scouts, Activity Days, etc. Go to this website and you will find tons of games! It is amazing!

http://www.partygameideas.com

A New Blog Site!

So I am LDS (If you want more info on this religion go to: www.lds.org) and one thing we believe in is having a day (Monday Night) devoted to being with family, teaching our kids about our religion and about the values we want them to learn, spending quality time together, AND we love to play games and have fun. So this new website helps with that. My cousin started it and I asked her permission if I could post it on this blog.

http://vallefhe.blogspot.com

Check it out, I am sure you will like it. Also I put this in the FHE/Church Section

Leprechaun, Leprechaun where's your shamrock

Here is a game I found and I thought I would play it with my kids. Modify Doggy Doggy where's your bone to be Leprechaun, Leprechaun where's your shamrock
1. One child is the leprechaun -- sits in the middle of the circle with eyes closed
2. One of the children in the circle hides the shamrock behind their back - I always have an adult distribute the shamrock so all the kids get a turn.
3. Circle children say: "Leprechaun, Leprechaun where's your shamrock? Somebody has it in their Pocket! Guess who? Maybe you? Maybe a monkey from the zoo! Come on Leprechaun find your shamrock."
4. Leprechaun opens eyes and has 3 guesses as to who has the shamrock.
5. Child with the shamrock becomes the next leprechaun.

Valentine Boxes are DONE!

So this is what I came up with for the other kids. The cake has a hole at the top that you can put the Valentine's in and it slides all the way down to the bottom. Pretty fun! Anyway that was the fun for today I guess. Comment if you did something really cool. I will comment for my sister. She made an ice cream bucket into a basketball hoop. I can't wait to see it!

Valentine Box!

So at the first of the week my daughter needed to make a Valentine box that she would enter in a contest. I racked my brain and came up with a guitar. I thought we did pretty good on it. Then today (the day before the Valentine's party) both of my other girls came home needing Valentine Boxes! I have used up all my creativity. So I started looking and thought I would share what I found. As soon as my girls are done, I will post them as well.

Cupid Poop

Poem #1

I couldn't send you flowers

and candy wouldn't do

and mushy cards just didn'tsay

the things I want them to.

So I got you something special

and here's the inside scoop

I found you something very rare

it's genuine Cupid poop!

[Use red hot heart candies]

Poem #2

Here is something from the cupids above,

who fly along with all of the doves.

Whose arrows have hit many lonely hearts,

they send you a gift for your big heart.

Your kindness and love have been so true,

so the cupids have sent you their little poo-poo.

Special Valentine Dinner

For Valentine's Day I hold a special dinner for my kids and husband. It is VERY fancy. My husband and I used to go out to dinner, but found that all we seemed to do was sit waiting for our table. Also who wants to babysit on Valentine's day. So instead I started having a dinner, after the kids went to bed. But then my kids got older and needed to have later bedtimes. That is when I came up with a Valentine's Dinner for the whole family. I don't make my kids dress up, but I do have them help me set the table. They have to learn where everything goes, so it is correct. They also help me cook the dinner. Then we invite Dad in. Dad doesn't help, he just gets to eat. Before the dinner I sit my girls down and we talk about how we eat, how we talk, and how we act at a very special meal. I feel good about this, because it will prepare them for when they start to date. Good habits start young! Anyway here are some tips I found on the Internet. It was a website called http://life.familyeducation.com/ It also had lots of tips on how to prepare for a formal dinner.

1. Cutlery. Don't hold your fork like a cello or your knife like Lady Macbeth's dagger. Also, don't wave your cutlery triumphantly in the air to emphasize a point and don't put silverware partly on the table and partly on the plate. After you pick up a piece of cutlery, it should never touch the table again. Knives go on the plate, blade facing in and touching the inside of the plate. Only the handle should rest on the rim of the plate.
2. Napkins. Don't blot or rub the lower half of your face. Dab delicately. Don't flap your napkin to unfold it and don't wave it around like a flag. It belongs unfolded on your lap. If you leave the table, place your napkin on the chair and push the chair back under the table. Gently. Watch the upholstery. Don't refold your napkin at the end of the meal because an unknowing server might give it to another diner. Pick up the napkin from the center and place it loosely on the table to the left of your plate.
3. Chewing. Never chew with your mouth open. Also, no matter how urgently you want to inject the perfect kernel of wit and wisdom at just the right moment, don't do it with food in your mouth. And don't gulp and blurt. Finish chewing, swallow, and smile philosophically, content in the knowledge that you could have said just the right thing, but had too much class to speak with food in your mouth.
4. Appearance. Remember what your mother said: Sit up straight and keep your elbows off the table. If you have any doubt about where your hands belong, put them in your lap.
5. Breaking bread. Here is a real bread-and-butter tip. Tear bread into bite-size pieces and butter each piece just before you eat it. Don't butter the entire slice of bread or the entire roll to get it ready for occasional bites during the course of the meal.
6. Speed. Take it easy. Whether you're at the Ritz Carlton or Gertie's Grease Pit, gulping down food is not only unhealthy but also unattractive, and it can cross the line into rudeness when dining with others. Dining partners should have the same number of courses and start and finish each one at about the same time. Don't be huddling over your soup while others are salivating for dessert or vice versa.
7. Don't pick! If you have something trapped between your teeth, don't pick at it while you are at the table. If it's really driving you nuts, excuse yourself, go to the restroom, and pick to your heart's content.

I also found this quiz and I took it. I did learn something that I didn't know. So take this quiz (kids can too) to see how good you are with manners at the table:

http://quizzes.familyeducation.com/manners/respect/55534.html

My sister takes this one step further. She plans a date out with each of her kids on their 16th birthday. Boys go with mom, and Girls go with dad. They go to a really nice expensive dinner and then a play. She gives them pointers so that they know how to behave on a date. I really like this idea! As Martha would say: "Its a good thing"

Super Easy Valentine Fortune Cookies

Years ago I thought it would be really fun to make homemade fortune cookies for Valentine's Day! It was harder than I thought. But I found this on Family fun this year and it looks really easy. I think because no real mixing is involved. You use Pie Crust for your dough! Anyway I think this is a fun way to announce a baby, or a fun gift for a dad, or a fun gift for grandparents! The trick is letting the kids think of the messages. And letting them be a big part of it, so they know that the gift was from them!
Super Easy Valentine Fortune Cookies
RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
Chilled 9-inch pie crust
Cornstarch
3-inch-wide round cookie cutter or drinking glass
Rolling pin or glass.
Nontoxic marker
Slips of paper
Water
Colored sugar
Cookie sheet

1. Lay a chilled 9-inch pie crust on a cornstarch-dusted surface. Cut out 3-inch-wide circles with a round cookie cutter or drinking glass. To use all the dough, roll out the scraps with a pin or a cornstarch-dusted glass. 2. Use a nontoxic marker to write fortunes on slips of paper and place one in the center of each dough circle. Fold the circle in half, then pinch and fold the ends together, as shown. 3. Brush the top of each cookie with water, then sprinkle on colored sugar. Place the cookies on an un greased cookie sheet about an inch apart, sugar side up. Bake them until lightly browned, about 20 minutes, and let them cool before removing them from the pan. Makes about 16 cookies.

For Girls 8 and older!

A couple of years ago, someone (sorry I don't remember who you were) told me about this book. I immediately got on americangirls.com and bought it for the cheap price of.... 9.95. I figured since I have three girls, I better get it. I gave it to my daughter (probably a little late) at the age of 9. It is a very comprehensive book about how to take care of yourself. Here is a list of some of the things it covers: Zits, Why you need to wash your hair more, Why you need to shower more, How to eat, How much sleep you need, All about your period, How your breast are going to change. It has so much more, but I am not looking at it so I don't remember. It gives you good tips on these things also. Anyway the other day my daughter and I had a question and so we got out the book and found the answer. My only suggestion would be that you read the book first and make sure you are down with everything that is being said. And if I had little girls, I would probably buy it and store it, just in case you can't get it when you need it. So if you have a girl........Buy This Book!

If you want the link to American Girls, go to the girl links on this blog!

Valentine Hair!

My cousin told me to check out this blog and I finally got around to it! If you want to know every way possible of doing hair, check out her blog. You can find it under the Girls section. If you want to check out her Valentine's hair do's clink on the link below!

http://hair4myprincess.blogspot.com/2009/01/valentines-day-hairdos.html

Candy Wrappers!

Well my mom is celebrating an important event and I was thinking, I could hand out a candy bar to each person at her little party. Personalized of course! I went to this link and had so much fun! This is an example of one. They had lots of different ones, and blank ones you can make your own!

http://desktoppub.about.com/od/candywrappers/Candy_Wrappers.htm

More Valentine Ideas!

My friend posted this website on her blog, to go to for Valentine Ideas. It is a great website. It is Tipjunkie.blogspot.com. Click on the link below and check it out!

http://tipjunkie.blogspot.com/2009/01/homemade-valentines-mail-boxes.html

Also I found this cute blog that I really liked. It had really fun Valentine Ideas!

http://kari-youcanmakeit.blogspot.com/search/label/valentine

And last for today I found a blog just for Valentine's! It is more for couple ideas, but it still has a lot of fun and great ideas!

http://www.cutevalentines.blogspot.com/

Easy To Make: Chocolate Covered Fruit

Ingredients:
• 1 pkg semi sweet chocolate chips
• Fruit! You can do: strawberries, apples, bananas
• waxed paper

• Directions:
1. Wash Fruit & dry VERY well.
2. Cover a cookie sheet with waxed paper
3. Put chocolate into a glass bowl.
4. Put in microwave on high for 30 seconds.
5. Remove from microwave and stir for a second or two
6. Repeat the above step one or two more times.
7. By the third time, you should see some of the chocolate beginning to melt.Remove at this point and stir and stir until the lumps are gone. It's better to let the warmth of the melted chocolate and the bowl melt the other chocolate rather than over microwaving it. If in doubt, err on the side of under microwaving.
8. Dip the dry Fruit into the chocolate, swirling them around to coat well and then place on the waxed paper.
9. set aside for about 2 hours to let the chocolate harden

You could also do a Chocolate Fondue with the chocolate. Ideas for that: Graham Crackers, Marshmallows, Angel Food Cake (Cut into little chunks), Raisins, Rice Crispy Treats, or just use the fruit!

Valentine Bags!

A couple of years ago we started something really fun in our home at the first of February. I made each person a big heart bag. I used string for a hook, and two hearts stapled together for the purse. Then I wrote the person's name on it. We told everyone to think of kind things that someone has done for you, or what you love about them, or what you think they are good at. Then we told them that every time they should write that person a note (Little kids: Color a picture or have help from mom and dad). Then the Sunday before Valentine's Day (or after which ever is closer) everyone gets to look in their bags. NO LOOKING BEFORE THEN! Each bag hangs on the outside of their room. If you have multiple children in the same room, then you just let them choose an inside door to hang theirs from. Anyway it is really fun!

Heart Hunt

I am really looking forward to Valentine's Day! I wanted to do something fun for my kids. I found this game and thought it would be a perfect family game for Valentine's Day. I thought for those of you that are room mothers, preschool teachers, etc. you might like this game also.

Heart Hunt
Cut out of red, white, blue, yellow and green paper hearts of all shapes and sizes, then cut each heart into four pieces and scatter these all over the room, on the floor, chairs, tables, behind pictures, etc.
Allow a certain length of time for the hunt, and when all the pieces have been collected, request each guest to put his pieces together and see how many whole hearts of the same color he has collected.
White hearts count 1
Blue hearts count 2
Yellow hearts count 3
Green hearts count 4
Red hearts count 5
The one scoring the greatest number of points is the winner of hearts and deserves a prize. A booby prize may be awarded the one who has only broken hearts.

January 26 is..... the Chinese New Year!

Go to this link below to find out what your animal is from your birth date. It also has crafts, info about the holiday, stories, proverbs, word searches, coloring pages, and food ideas!

Below is a picture of a chinese Dragon you can make with your hand prints. They cut them out, but I think it would be fun to just use paint to make the dragon, and do everyones hands in the family!

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/

January 26, 2009 is on next Monday so you can have quite the fun night if you take a few minutes to plan!

Talking to Kids about a Serious Illness

In December my mother was diagnosed with Cancer for the fourth time in her life. I felt a need to talk to my kids, but didn't know where to start. I realize that others might be in this same situation, so I decided to post this article I found on the internet. (FYI: I am glad I researched a bit, because when my daughter started to have problems I was able to help her)

When someone is seriously sick, the whole family is affected. Adults have a hard time. There is a lot of stress in taking care of the house and hospital visits. There is a lot of emotional stress, worrying about the sick person and trying to make medical decisions. Kids are upset. They worry about their loved one and have stress from the changes at home. Parents can help kids. They can talk with them about the illness and how they manage it as a family.Kids often know something is going on. They may overhear people talking, or see expressions, or notice tension or stress. Tell your child about the illness. Younger children can be told in simple words about the illness. Tell them the truth. Older children can understand more medical words and details. Tell you child what will happen during the illness and the doctor's and families's plans. Tell your child the doctors are doing everything they can to help the sick person. Don't be afraid to say, "We don't know yet". That may be the most honest answer.Let your child visit the sick person when possible. This may be good for both of them.A young child might think that they somehow caused the illness or that it is their fault because they had bad behavior or bad thoughts about the sick person. Young children might also worry about their own safety and health. They may worry about their caregivers: "ho will take care of me if Mommy dies?" "Will I get this disease and die too?" Tell your child it is not their fault and they did not cause the illness. Let your child know that they will always be loved and cared for.Adults will be stressed and worried and tired. Kids may feel upset, ignored and fearful. Some kids may worry and start to lose weight or have trouble in school. Older children may feel angry at the changes. Family counseling may be helpful. Kids may also have behavior problems, bedwetting, thumb sucking, trouble sleeping, become very quiet and withdrawn or think they are very sick themselves.If the sick person is your child's brother or sister, your healthy child may be jealous that the sick child gets so much attention from the parents. Try to understand their feelings. Try to spend special "alone time" with your healthy child and always tell them you love them. Try to keep a normal routine at home. children like to have order and know what will happen each day. They will feel safe and secure.Some children will have to help out more around the house with chores. Some kids will have to help with cooking, laundry and cleaning. Sometimes it will be important to let your child be free and just have fun. Everyone needs to help out but give your child chores that are easy for their age. If other adults offer to help out, let them. Other adults could help with household chores, taking your child to baseball practice or just going to the park with your child.If the person that is very ill may die, talk to your child about death and what you think death is like. Let your child say goodbye to their loved one. And let your loved one have a chance to make a wish or give a word of blessing. This "goodbye" will help in the future months as your child deals with the sadness.I nform your child about the illness. Tell them what's happening.L et the child visit the sick person.L isten to your child's feelings.N otice if your child has too much responsibility.E xpect stress to affect your child's behavior.S tay with normal daily routines.S oothe or comfort your child with love and security.

Happy New Year!

So I am so sorry that I haven't been posting much. Christmas and Family got the better of me. I will try to do better. Anyway my idea for today is making New Year's special. So here are some of our traditions that you can do with your little ones. The first thing we do is on New Year's Eve we get together as extended families and play games and eat appetizers all night. We sometimes make it to 12 and other times we move all the clocks forward and tell the kids its 12. Then the next day with just our little family, we do Fondue'. Haven't heard of it? Its fun. You can buy pots in a cooking section. You can do cheese, chocolate, or oil. This one was oil with meat, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, artichokes, and anything else you want to try.

You can find tons on the Internet about fondue'. After that we do a year plan. We pick two things to do in every month of the new year. We also write down all the fun things we did in the past year. We then have everyone (even the baby) pick out three goals for the following year. we place these in their room so they can look at them. This is how we do it, and it makes it easy for little ones. I think my kids get it when we are talking about all the months and fun things we did and how now we are starting over.

So that's what we do! Fill free to make a comment and tell us what you do. The more ideas the better, so we can have a Very Happy and Successful start to 2009!

Snowflakes

Want to make some fun Snowflakes? This is for all ages.

http://www.papersnowflakes.com/

Fun things to d!o in the snow

Build a Snow House

Don’t worry about a roof, unless you have several feet of snow piled up. A roofless snow house is easier and you don’t have to worry about collapses. Build up walls for a snow house, a snow castle, or an igloo. Then build some furniture and play an outdoor version of house. Make paths to connect the houses and shovel out streets and sidewalks for a whole snow village.

Slippery Tug-of-War

Everybody grabs their saucer sleds and divides into two sides. Take hold of either end of a long rope and pull. Try to pull your opponents over to your side without sliding toward them.

Snow Shapes

Wet, dense snow is like sand, in that it can be formed into shapes. Bring out your sandbox toys, buckets, Tupperware containers and other molds and make a snow castle or anything else your imagination comes up with.

Snow Bodies

Lie on the ground and form a snowman shape around you. Then try a mermaid’s tail, an angel with wings, a butterfly and other characters. Make sure your kids are bundled up well for this one!

Snow Paint

• a water bottle with sprayer for each color
• food coloring (different colors)
• water
• snow (of course!)

JUMP SNOW HURDLES
Lightly pack a bunch of basketball-size snowballs and then use them to build a course of hurdles to jump over in a round of follow the leader.

ROPE TOW
Team up for a slip-sliding variation of tug-of-war. Tamp down a wide, shallow trench in the snow to serve as the midline. Then, take up positions at the ends of a long, thick rope and let the tugging and towing begin. Whichever team pulls the entire opposing group over to its side of the trench wins.

FLAG IN A SNOW STACK
Tie a white cloth to the end of a short stick or around the bowl of a wooden spoon. Then, give each child a chance to hide it by staking it anywhere within a predetermined set of boundaries. Keep track of how long it takes for the rest of the group to find it. Whoever hid the flag that takes the longest time to spot wins the game.

STRIKE OUT
For this pitching contest, first mound up snow to create three bases and a pitcher's mound. They should each be about 2 feet high and 20 feet apart. Next, build a tin can pyramid on each base. The challenge is to knock down the stacks in order from first to third base by throwing snowballs from the pitcher's mound. The child who succeeds with the fewest pitches wins.

HAT TRICK
Once you've built a plump, frosty snowman to stand sentry in your front yard, make a game of topping him off in style. Take turns trying to land a hat on his head by throwing it Frisbee style from 10 or so feet away.

GET ON A ROLL
Pair up for a contest in which the object is to finish with the biggest snowball. The contest ends when the teams can no longer roll their entries or when you run out of snow.

POWDER-PUFF FOOTBALL
All you need are two teams of three or more people to play, along with a spray bottle filled with a mix of water and food coloring to mark the playing field (a large rectangle with a centerline should suffice). The teams line up at opposite ends of the field (the North and South poles) for a kickoff. Once someone on the receiving team catches the ball, he tries to move it back across the defense's goal line by running with it or passing it to a teammate. Play stops if the person with the ball is tagged by an opponent or slides out of bounds. The teams then face off again on the spot. After four tries, or a touchdown, the ball goes to the other team. The game ends when either team gets cold.

Reindeer Snacks

I have done it both of these ways and thought you might want to try one of them. Last year at Christmas time my daughters class made special reindeer food. In snack sized zip lock bags they mixed oatmeal, red sprinkles and green sprinkles. They used tablespoon measures and let the kids pour everything into their own bags. They also printed off a little tag to attach to the bag that read: "Reindeer Food - Sprinkle outside on Christmas Eve for Reindeer." It was really fun to get out there with your kids and help the magic stay alive.

The other way is you take a lunch sack decorate it like a reindeer and fill it with snacks like pretzels, m&m's, raisins, Chex Mix, peanuts, dried fruit, etc. Any kind of trail mix will work. Then on Christmas Eve you put it right by Santa's plate of cookies. Its just a little variation to the Carrots!

Another fun Website

I found this website and it is really fun. It is all about kids making stuff and its easy! So go to this link and scroll down and you will find cooking stuff, crafts, holiday stuff, and coloring stuff. They had some really fun ideas for Christmas!


http://www.make-stuff.com/kids/

Custom Bingo

O.K. I went to one of my favorite sites today and I found something really cool. Go to this link and it will help you make custom bingo cards. It takes you through this process:

Step 1: Size and how many squares

Step 2: Theme (Balloons, Bugs, Holidays, School stuff, Etc)

Step 3: Black/White or Color

Step 4: Just pictures or words too (would be good for reading)

Step 5: Title (any 5 letter word)

Step 6: Print boards or call sheet (for multiple boards you just press refresh and it randomly moves all the bingo pictures for a new board)

Anyway it is fast and easy and I was really impressed with it. So try it out and be a fun mom, scout leader, activity day leader, aunt, teacher, primary teacher, etc.

http://www.dltk-cards.com/bingo/bingo1.asp

It's Family Time With Santa!

For about five years now we have been doing something that is called It's Family Time With Santa. It is a DVD you can buy that is a countdown until Christmas. It won't let you skip ahead either! Anyway it has a theme for each day: Service, love, kindness, etc. It shows all about Santa: Santa snow skiing, Santa on a sleigh, Santa at home with Mrs. Clause. The overall theme is spending time with your family and slowing down your Christmas Season. On the website you can print off a calendar that they can color each day also. Anyway my kids really love it and look forward to watching it each year. I thought your kids might like it also, so here is the website:

www.familytimewithsanta.com

One of my favorite Christmas books

Need a good book this Christmas? This is my all time favorite. I think it is so clever. The guy who wrote this is: Jerry Pallotta. You can order this book through scholastic or any book place on-line (I'm not really sure about where you can buy it in an actual store) Anyway it is really cute. He has another Christmas book also out.

If you own this book already I found on his website a little extra fun for this book.
Find the mouse in every illustration.
Find the hidden reindeer in every illustration.

Good luck!

Anyway he has lots of really cute books and each one has secret pictures hidden, and he tells you about them on his website. So check him out!

http://jerrypallotta.com

Christmas Story A Day Until Christmas!

For years I have been collecting Christmas books. When I got a few I started putting them in a stack. I would read one or two each night until Christmas. When we finished reading it, we took turns placing it under the Christmas tree. From then on the kids could "re-read" that book at anytime. I always make sure we get at least one new book a year. Then last year my sister in law told me that she takes it one step further. She re-wraps 25 of her Christmas books and they open one each day of the month. We tried it and loved it. This year I did it again. The kids still just love it. I find it gets us all in the same room, spending quiet moments together. Anyway that is today's idea for you!

All I Need to Know about Life I Learned From a Snowman

* It's okay if you're a little bottom heavy.
* Hold your ground, even when the heat is on.
* Wearing white is always appropriate.
* Winter is the best of the four seasons.
* It takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.
* There's nothing better than a foul weather friend.
* The key to life is to be a jolly, happy soul.
* It's not the size of the carrot, but the placement that counts.
* We're all made up of mostly water.
* You know you've made it when they write a song about you.
* Accessorize! Accessorize! Accessorize!
* Avoid yellow snow. Don't get too much sun.
* It's embarrassing when you can't look down and see your feet.
* It's fun to hang out in your front yard.
* Always put your best foot forward.
* There's no stopping you once you're on a roll.

CHRISTMAS SONG QUIZ II

1. The apartment of 2 psychiatrists.

2. The lad is a diminutive percussionist.

3. Decorate the entry-ways .

4. Sir Lancelot with laryngitis.

5. A B C D E F G H I J K M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.

6. Present me naughty but dual incisors for this festive Yuletide.

7. The smog-less bewitching hour arrived.

8. Exuberation to this orb.

9. 288 Yuletide hours.

10. Do you perceive the same longitudinal pressure which stimulates my auditory sense organs.

11. The red-suited pa is due in this burg.

12. Stepping on the pad cover.

13. Uncouth dolt has his beezer in the booze and thinks he is a Dark Cloud's boyfriend.

14. Far back in a hay bin.

15. Leave and do an elevated broadcast.

16. That exiguous hamlet south of the holy city.

17. Behold! I envisioned a trio of nautical vessels.

18. Listen, the winged heavenly messengers are proclaiming tunefully.

19. A joyful song relative to hollow metallic vessels which vibrate and bring forth a ringing sound when struck.

20. As the guardians of little woolly animal's protected their charges in the shadows of the earth.

21. Frozen precipitation commence

22. Monarchial triad

23. Oh, member of the round table with missing areas

24. Boulder of the tinkling metal spheres

25. Vehicular homicide was committed on Dad's mom by a precipitous darling

26. Wanted in December: top forward incisors

27. We are Kong, Lear, and Nat Cole

28. Cup-shaped instruments fashioned of a whitish metallic element

29. Oh small Israel urban center

30. Our fervent hope is that you thoroughly enjoy your yuletide season

31. Parent was observed osculating a red-coated unshaven teamster

32. May the Deity bestow an absence of fatigue to mild male humans

33. Natal celebration devoid of color, rather albino, as a hallucinatory phenomenon for me.

34. Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals.

35. Tranquiltiy upon the terrestrial sphere.

36. Have hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.

CHRISTMAS SONG QUIZ II ANSWERS

*1) Nutcracker Suite
2) Little Drummer Boy
3) Deck The Halls
4) Silent Night
5) Noel
6) All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
7) It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
8) Joy to the World
9) 12 Days of Christmas
10) Do You Hear What I Hear?
11) Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
12) Up On The House Top
13) Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
14) Away In A Manger
15) Go Tell It On The Mountain
16) Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
17) I Saw 3 Ships
18) Hark The Herald Angels Sing
19) Jingle Bells
20) As Shepherd's Watch Their Flocks At Night
21) Let It Snow
22) We Three Kings
23) Oh, Holy Night
24) Jingle Bell Rock
25) Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
26) All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth
27) We Three Kings
28) Silver Bells
29) O Little Town of Bethlehem
30) We Wish You A Merry Christmas
31) I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
32) God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
33) I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
34) Frosty the Snowman
35) Peace on Earth
36) Oh Come, All Ye Faithful *

Happy Thanksgiving All!

I am so excited for the holidays to come. I hope you have a great holiday. I can't wait for Thanksgiving. I am one of those people that loves to have Thanksgiving come so I can put my Christmas decorations up. My husband makes me wait until then. I have already counted 5 trees that people already have up in their homes. I am so jealous. I hope you try some of the ideas that I have listed or try a website for different ideas, so you can have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Games!

Chopstick Pass Along:

WHAT YOU NEED:
Chopsticks
Unshelled walnut
Acorn
Cranberry
Pea
Small plate HOW TO PLAY: Give each player a set of chopsticks and place an unshelled walnut, an acorn, a cranberry, and a pea on a small plate next to the oldest player. She begins by using the chopsticks to pass each object, from largest to smallest, to the person on her right, who receives it with chopsticks and passes it along to the next player. The object is to try to get all four objects back to the starting plate without dropping any of them. Players unable to manage the chopsticks can use a teaspoon instead.

Where Did the Turkey Lay Its Egg?
The leisurely pace of Turkey Day can be challenging for small celebrants. Keep spirits high with this fun game. Try it post-dessert -- adults can play while collapsed on the living room sofa.

WHAT YOU NEED:
Hard-boiled egg

HOW TO PLAY: To start, one guest leaves the room while a hard-boiled egg is hidden. The others then call the seeker back and direct him toward the egg, saying "gobble, gobble" instead of "warmer" and "giblet, giblet" instead of "colder." Once the egg is found, a new seeker is named, and the game repeats.

Paper Golf Game
The simplicity of this game is its charm. Since everyone has the same handicap--eyes closed--they can be competitive with the likes of Tiger Woods.
WHAT YOU NEED:
Paper
Marker

HOW TO PLAY: 1. Create a "fairway" on a standard-sized piece of paper--a shape that is the boundary for the tee-off area and hole. Draw a small circle (the hole) at one end of the fairway. 2. Place the marker point down at the tee (the other end of the fairway), close your eyes and try to draw a line to the hole. Lift your marker and open your eyes. That's your "shot." (If you strayed outside the boundaries, add a stroke.) The next player then tees off on the same sheet.3. As with actual golf, the player farthest from the hole shoots first, and your score is the number of shots it takes you to reach the cup. Play nine holes or even 18 like the pros.

Table Ideas for Thanksgiving!

I have always loved to help my kids do something special with the table for Thanksgiving. Here are some ideas of things I have done in the past:

1. Place mats: I love to do place mats with brown paper bags. You can make turkeys on it, by using your kids hand. Paint each finger a different color. Then put it on your place mat and make a print of it. When it dries you can use markers, or something to draw a face and make a turkey. I also love to dress my kids like a pilgrim or Indian and put their picture on it. After everything is dry and glued on then wad it into a ball. Then smooth out and it looks like leather. Ink the edges with a stamp. Then laminate. Eat with it on Thanksgiving Day!

Don't forget the Date, and Name of your kid! This will always be a great memory for you.

2. Name Cards: It is so easy to print name cards for all of your guests (or grandmas guests) for Thanksgiving dinner. Then give each of your children a stack and let them decorate around the name. It will keep them busy while you need a break!

3. Individual Centerpieces: Sometimes we decide to make each person a little take home treat or thought. One idea is taking a sugar cone and steaming the end of it with a boiling pan of water, and turning it so it curves up like a cornucopia. When it dries you fill it with Runt candy, candy corns, etc. Put one at every persons seat.

4. I have also done this mix a few times:

Thanksgiving Blessing Mix

Bugles: Shaped like a cornucopia or Horn of Plenty, a symbol of our nation's abundance.
Pretzels: Arms folded in prayer, a freedom sought by those who founded our country.
Candy corn: Sacrifices of the Pilgrims' first winter. Food was so scarce that settlers survived on just a few kernels of corn a day.
Nuts or seeds: Promise of a a future harvest, one we will reap only if seeds are planted and tended with diligence.
Dried fruits: Harvest gifts of our bountiful land.
M&Ms: Memories of those who came before us to guide us to a blessed future.
Hershey's Kiss: The love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.

I put them in a bag and then printed up a cute card with the blessing above. It took a little bit of time. If you don't have time, you can have it already done for you by going to this site:

http://organizedchristmas.com/thanksgiving-blessing-mix

5. Thanksgiving Turkeys: I also love taking big pine cones, sticking or gluing feathers in the bigger side, then winding a pipe cleaner like a snail for half of the pipe cleaner and sticking that into the smaller end of the pine cone. Glue a small eye on that and you have a turkey center piece.

6. Other Center Piece Ideas: Indian homemade stuff, pilgrim homemade stuff, Indian corn, Drum, etc.

It doesn't matter what you do, but I do think it makes Thanksgiving special and it gets your kids to do an activity, and it will make them proud of Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Craft - Turkey Treat Holder

This turkey can be stuffed with sweets or nuts and placed at each place setting. An easy and fun craft to keep the kids entertained on Thanksgiving day!



You'll Needcraft foam sheets; brown, orange, red, yellowsmall terracotta potscissors craft glue, glue stick or glue dotsplastic wiggle eyes, Candy or nuts, for filling Cut four feathers, brown oval body and heart shaped feet for each turkey.Attach the feathers to the back of clay pot. Secure the plastic eyes and a beak to the brown oval to create your turkey head. Then glue that piece to the front of the clay pot. Glue the pot onto the heart and fill with treats.

Four New Websites!

I found a website for Grandparents to go to with ideas. I'm not a grandparent and I liked it so you might also.

another one is a family member that is selling Tu'Tu's. If you would like one go to: Want a Tu'Tu'?

The Third is called organized Christmas.

The Last is Amazing Moms.

You can find all of these in "My Favorites" section.

Musical Chores!

It's a game called Children's Miracle Music. It gets families to make their beds, clean the house, eat their breakfast, get dressed, brush their hair, wash their dish... all in only 41 minutes and 58 seconds each morning. The most impressive part is that they do this HAPPILY and QUICKLY and without ON WORD FROM THE PARENTS! The game also includes getting into bed at night without any nagging. You can see how it works by going to:

www.ChildrensMiracleMusic.com

I have been using this and it is really helping my kids become responsible, reliable, helpful, and loving. And we are getting to bed on time and getting to school on time. Check it out!

Halloween Mystery Dinner!

On Sundays we always eat a nicer dinner. But this Sunday we had so many leftovers I couldn't bring myself to make more food. So I came up with this idea. First I made my kids go play. Then I would put a different leftover on each plate, and wrap it in foil. I would also put a different drink in each cup and wrap in foil. Then I wrote a number on the foil. When all the plates were ready I called the kids in. I turned on some Halloween music (because its Halloween). When the song stopped I would pull a number out of a hat. Whoever was in front of that number got to sit down. When everyone had a plate, we all unwrapped our food. Everyone was surprised. Did everyone love what they got? Probably not. But they were so excited about the game that they didn't care. Also all my kids begged to do this every holiday. My husband and I laughed, because we really just wanted to get rid of leftovers. Anyway this is your idea for today! I think this would also be fun at lunchtime. Do different sandwiches on eat plate, etc.

Colored Rice!

If you went to college you learned lots of useful things. When you choose a degree in early childhood, you learn a lot of crazy things......like how to color rice.

So here goes!

1. Take a freezer bag (needs to be a freezer bag because they are heavier).

2. Fill it with white uncooked rice.

3. Peel the wrapper off one crayon and stick it in the bag.

4. Microwave for 1 minute. Yes Microwave!

5. Take out and start to kneed it (keep bag closed, and watch out it will be HOT)

6. If crayon isn't melted enough put in for 30 seconds and kneed again.

7. The crayon color will melt onto the rice and then you can do a project with your kids.

So what could we do with colored rice: One idea is to fill in a bottle and do one of those I- Spy things. Another idea is to take glue and glue large amounts onto card stock. Lastly you could take a bottle and use lots of colors and do something like a layered sand bottle thing! Anyway I remember sitting in the campus kitchen with my professor teaching me this. She was a really funny lady and I have lots of memories of her teaching me CRAZY things.

Have a fun day!

Halloween Musical Chairs!

My Mom always has a Halloween Party. It is so fun that trick or treating is a let down for my kids. They carve their pumpkins (with their 20+ cousins), we eat dinner (this year is a soup contest), we play games, and we eat treats!

One tradition at my Mom's Halloween party is to play Musical Chairs. We always are in costume and play the Monster Mash. For years we had tears when someone got out! Now we don't. Everyone that gets out gets to sit in the Pumpkin chair. They put a plastic pumpkin on their head and then all the Aunts and Grandma give them their treat. We always have special treats-not just candy (Pop, Rice Crispy Treat, Socks, Rings Etc) They sit there until the next one gets kicked out and then they can eat their treats or just watch. It works really well- at least until they get that age when they realize they can lose and get their prize.