Christmas with Kids » entertaining

73: IKEA Madness

Mama Elf — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:01:19 +0000

This post is for those of you who have never been to IKEA. If you have an IKEA near you, you have got to make this store a part of your holiday shopping and preparation. Not only is it a fabulous place to buy gifts, it’s a great place to update your housewares and textiles within almost anyone’s budget!

Worried about the kids while you shop? IKEA has a solution with their fantastic supervised children’s play area and ballroom. When it’s time for a break, the IKEA restaurant has a kids’ menu.

I just want to encourage you to give it a try.

Visit their website at http://ikea.com

Fabulous photo courtesy of Sarah606

76: BEST Holiday Lights – LED changes color!

Mama Elf — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:36:54 +0000

These color-changing LED lights are the most interesting lights I’ve seen available! Each light changes color, they are cool to the touch, and you can use them indoors or out. If you’re looking for something to spruce up your tree this year, try these lights! Your family, friends, and other guests will be talking about them all year! Enjoy!

Color Changing LED RGB Ball String Christmas Xmas Lights Belt Light, 2063rgb

Set of 100 Round Red Green Blue Color Changing Ball LED Christmas, Chanukah and Holiday lights for home and store fronts. Approx. ¾” (1.75CM) 1.5M long Power Cord. FEATURES: High quality, High efficiency, Indoor or Outdoor. The epoxy plastic that encapsulates the LED bulbs is cool to the touch solving hot bulbs that cause Christmas tree fires. Bulb Type: Approx. Diameter of ball: ¾” (1.75cm) Bulb Life: Up to 50,000 Hours Power source:120V Dementions:Cable Length 1.5 M

77: LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar 2011

Mama Elf — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 02:10:04 +0000

You will not want to miss out on this. It’s very hard to find! Luckily, we purchased ours at the LEGO Store in Orlando last month.

I think the highlight of this Advent calendar is the Yoda Santa Claus! Yep. Your Star Wars fans, young and old, will love this Christmas activity!

Click here to order yours today!

78: Snowing in Florida!

Mama Elf — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 02:25:11 +0000

It’s snowing in Florida! Actually, you can decorate with snowflakes anytime of the year, in any location! There are different styles of snowflakes to choose from!

Silver Glitter, Golden Glitter, Ornate Black

Go and immerse yourself in a fun ambiance with these stickers! These removable, repositionable, and reusable stickers are the perfect and convenient way to adorn and decorate any space. Easy to peel off and to stick on walls, doors, windows, tables, refrigerators, and more! When you want to reposition your friends peel them off with ease without peeling off paint/wallpaper and without leaving behind any residue. Perfect for nurseries, homes, stores, dorms, and anywhere else! It’ll liven up any room and give it a new vibrant life!

99: To host or not to host

Mama Elf — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 02:04:43 +0000

If you are hosting Christmas, do everyone a favor and give them some direction, but not too much direction. I can only imagine what situations might have caused Thanksgiving hostess Marney to pen this letter! With a little planning, you should avoid most of those and do it gracefully.

People appreciate knowing your expectations ahead of time. Invitations don’t have to be fancy, but they do need to be informational.

Guests want to know:

Arrival time
What to bring (ex. green vegetable side dish for 12, BYOB, etc.)
If there be a gift exchange, and house rules
Time food will be served
Where they can park
What time the event ends
What to wear – is this a formal dinner, or are we eating off paper plates and swimming?

You should ask:

Does anyone in your guest’s party have life threatening food allergies or other dietary requirements. Let them know in advance if you can or cannot accommodate them, so they can plan ahead.
Ask for an RSVP and give them a deadline.

Most of the time, people are willing to go the extra mile if you have something very specific in mind. If you are planning to get a coordinated extended family photo during the gathering and you want everyone to wear black and red, let everyone know in plenty of time so they can pull their wardrobe together. If you don’t mind that Uncle Eddie will show up in his plaid pants, then don’t worry about advance notice.

All of this knowledge before the event helps everyone with kids plan a successful and enjoyable day for their families, which in turn, is enjoyable for everyone else.

If you’re not a host, but are a guest, I think it’s reasonable to call you host and get all of your questions answered, especially if you have kids. I hate showing up to something that I think is obviously kid-friendly or family-friendly in my mind, and the reality of it is that everyone has gotten a babysitter and it’s an adult-only sit-down dinner. That is a incredibly awkward for everyone involved. Nobody intended it, but there it is.

30: Christmas Music Videos

Mama Elf — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:24:50 +0000

31: Christmas Movie Clips

Mama Elf — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 04:12:02 +0000

32: Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

Mama Elf — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:29:06 +0000

Everyone loves sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top, especially kids! This Thanksgiving, whip up a batch and get in the spirit of the holidays! Here are a few recipes and tips to get you started!

Sweet Potato Casserole II by Stephanie Phillips
Holiday Sweet Potatoes by Diana Rattray
Whipped Sweet Potato Casserole by Bea
Sweet Potato Praline Marshmallow Casserole

IMPORTANT: Do not have any distractions while the marshmallows are toasting under the broiler! Pay attention to the browning process. If they burn, just scrape them off and try again! We’ve all done it!

Yummy photo courtesy of Kathryn Rotondo. Thanks!

34: Food Allergy Awareness

Mama Elf — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:47:41 +0000

Any kind of holiday or occasion involving food is a high alert time for food allergies. Near and dear to my heart is the issue of food allergies. Our daughter and my brother have life-threatening food allergies that require planning, research, and prevention. The key to success in not having an emergency room visit, or worse, is to plan your food. Pack snacks, safe desserts, and other food options if you are uncertain about the ingredients or preparation conditions of food you will encounter.

Here are some potentially deadly items for peanut- and nut-allergic people:

pies (a pumpkin pie might seem okay, but it might use pecan flour in the crust!)
anything prepared in a kitchen containing nuts or peanuts (past and present)
processed baked goods
all bakery items
anything on a buffet where a nut item is also located (cross-contamination)

At parties with lots of holiday foods, make sure you only drink from your glass. Again, cross-contamination is possible and occurs in drinks. Eat using only your utensils from your plate. If it is possible to go first in a buffet situation, do that and try not to make a second pass. Cross-contamination covers a picked-over buffet.

Remember to make sure your Epi-Pens are current. If you need a refill, take care of it. While you’re doing that, review all of your labeling and contact information on emergency medicines and update it. We keep our Epi-Pens in a red, insulated bag that has been clearly labeled with Sharpie with our contact information and medical information. Inside that bag, we also keep Benadryl Strips and an Albuterol inhaler. The Epi-Pens are also in their own plastic duo-case that is also labeled very clearly.

If you are hosting an children’s event, please have your food clearly labeled and any nut items out of reach of small children, in particular. Children under 3 years of age should not have any peanut or nut items at all, so keep that in mind, too.

In the past, I think of Christmas with nut goodies of all kinds playing major roles, but now it’s a little different. Making safe desserts to give and take has become a tradition in its own right.

Have a safe Christmas this year!

39: Christmas Caroling Party Action Plan

Mama Elf — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:10:26 +0000

I asked my sister about her favorite Christmas tradition and she replied very quickly:

“My favorite tradition is caroling (Are you surprised?). I have done it every year with the kids and other friends on the Sunday before Christmas. We take the guitar, jingle bells, any other instruments on hand, and friends who can harmonize – what fun! I am getting in the Christmas spirit just thinking about it!”

Christmas caroling is really fun and with very little planning it can be transformed from a last-minute idea into a memorable occasion for family and friends. Here are a few simple steps to get you started.

Get out your calendar and find a convenient early evening to have friends over. A great option is to limit yourself to 2 or 3 other families with kids, making sure to have buddies for your kids.
Invitations can be as simple or elaborate as you like. For something very informal, a phone call is acceptable. I like to use Evite. You can always mail or hand deliver the printed or handmade variety of invitation.
One week before the event, touch base with everyone and get a head count (RSVP).
For the party, your house will hopefully be all decorated before then. For your menu, have plenty of cookies, hot chocolate, cider, etc.
ALLERGY NOTE: Please find out from your guests if anyone has a peanut or nut allergy. Do your best to keep peanuts and nuts out of areas where allergic children will be. Enlist your allergy mom to provide a safe alternative for her child. She knows best.
The focus of caroling is fellowship and spreading joy, not musical perfection!
Make your own caroling booklets with the song lyrics printed in a booklet form. This is easy to do in Publisher or Word. Lyrics can be found for just about any song using Google.
Have extra mittens/scarves/hats available. One fun thing to do, if you like giving party favors, would be to make matching fleece scarves for everyone. This is very simple to do without any sewing!

Photo courtesy of Doug Floyd.