Christmas with Kids » kids

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

37: Go on a Date (with your child!)

Mama Elf — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:01:25 +0000

We’ve started a Mommy-Daughter date night in our family once a week after choir rehearsal. I pickup my daughter from choir and we have dinner together with lots of talking, then we go to a bookstore, then home. This has been a really wonderful thing for us as she gets older (9) and needs to have some one-on-one time with her mom. We make lists, have some “girl talk,” giggle and laugh, and sometimes even grab some Starbucks hot chocolate to finish the night off.

Today, I had a date with my son. We took a walk outside, watched a construction site, and shared a basket of fish and chips for lunch. We had a great time, and he got some time alone with his mom.

The kids love going on their “dates” and so do I!

Here are a few ideas for your date with your child:

Baking cookies
Christmas shopping
Wrapping gifts
Volunteering
Bowling
Dinner
Dessert
Coffee/Cocoa/Tea and Bookstore
Walk

I don’t recommend movies for dates because there is no interaction. If you do choose a movie, include time after the movie to talk about the movie together. Have fun with it, and post your kid “date” idea in the comments!

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.

58: Craft Gifts for Kids

Mama Elf — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 04:01:01 +0000

Inexpensive projects to do with kids can also make great gifts! Here are some ideas:

An unfinished wood item (initial, birdhouse, stepstool, etc.) with set of acrylic paints and brushes
Knitting needles or crochet hook with yarn and a free scarf pattern or knitting instructions
Bracelet Beading supplies
Stamping set
Scrapbooking materials or creativity book
Crafting kits of all kinds from JoAnn’s or Borders (lots of these are very inexpensive!)
Sewing notions, fabric, easy pattern

Even better than all of the stuff, would be a bonus of a lesson or crafting time with the child. All kids love attention and one-on-one time with their favorite adults. If you paint, sew, knit, crochet, scrapbook, bead, or any other crafty thing, make up an invitation to spend some crafting time with you! They will love it!

A more technical version of this gift would be a radio building kit or other electronics project! Geeky fun!

Beautiful photo courtesy of James Jordan.

69: Collecting Christmas Tree Ornaments

Mama Elf — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:01:42 +0000

Collecting Christmas tree ornaments is a fun hobby that anyone can manage. Our family collects ornaments from family vacations. We have a lot of Disney ornaments, in particular. Do you collect ornaments, and if you do, do you have a theme? Here’s a list of some interesting themes if you want to start collecting.

Disney – anything Mickey-related
Family Vacations
Homemade – knitting, crocheting, tatting, cross-stitch, carved, painted
Super Heroes – logos, colors, miniatures
Lego – a variation on homemade ornaments
Music – instruments, symbols
Heritage – Irish, German, Russian, Norwegian, etc.
Nature – pinecones, cranberries, feather ornaments, birds
Collectibles – Waterford, Swarovski, Kinkade, Lenox, etc.
Kids – paper chains, dough ornaments, etc.
Collegiate – if you want a Crimson Tide tree, here’s your chance
Color theme – specific color palette
Style theme – Victorian, ’50s, Country, Modern
Photo theme – frame ornaments
Children’s books – mini-books, characters, decoupage balls

There are certainly many more Christmas tree themes out there. If yours isn’t on this list, post it in a comment! We all love to hear new ideas! Ornaments make great Christmas gifts, too!

Great photo courtesy of Monica D. (CosmoPolitician)

79: Cookie Time Remix

Mama Elf — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:00:13 +0000

Alright, elves, it’s time to try out another cookie recipe! You know the drill. Check back here to refresh your memory.

Wonderful photo courtesy of Scott Schram.

90: Try a New Cookie Recipe

Mama Elf — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:09 +0000

Last week, I asked you to review your cookbooks and look for cookies you’ve always wanted to make. Well, today, think about making one of those new cookie recipes. You can do it today, or this week some time, but try one out! Your kids will be so thrilled to get them in their lunches this week! I’d like to hear about everyone’s cookie adventures, so post a note in the comments when you’ve completed this mission! Happy baking!

Here’s one of my favorites for fun! These are easy!

Lemon Snowflakes Recipe (pdf)

Lemon Snowflakes

INGREDIENTS

1 package lemon cake mix
2 T lemon juice (or 1/2 T lemon extract)
1 egg
2 1/4 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cake mix, lemon juice, egg and whipped topping together. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended (batter will be sticky). Drop batter by teaspoonfuls into the confectioners’ sugar and roll to coat. Place cookies onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

TIPS

Using a small scoop makes scooping out the batter much easier.
Use parchment paper or they will stick.
Making sure the cookies are lightly browned is the key to their doneness.
You can make modifications to this recipe such as using chocolate cake mix and chocolate whipped topping, or any other flavor cake mix. It’s so easy!

92: Custom Christmas Cards

Mama Elf — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:41:33 +0000

I love to get Christmas cards! I’m not so great at sending them every year, though. I think the motivator to actually sending them out is to have a great card that you are proud of. My favorite option is to upload a photo somewhere and get cool stuff printed using that photo.

One site that I love is VistaPrint. They have all kinds of crazy specials all the time and lots of templates. If you want to try something out, you might only have to pay for shipping!

I’ve used them for printing save-the-date magnets (these were awesome!), post-it notepads, and TONS of postcard projects. They also have yard signs, car magnets, t-shirts, business cards, notepads, and notecards just to name a few. Get a custom yard sign for your next party or a car magnet for your kid’s high school band!

Give VistaPrint a try! The price is right!