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Day 1: Make a Chain Link Countdown to Christmas. This was the first year that the kids cut the links, which had the added benefit of working on their motor skills. Kaylin's red links weren't straight at all, but it totally adds to the charm! And, as it turns out, Ryan made one of these at school yesterday, so now we have two. Oh well, one for each kid to tear off every day, right?
Day 2: Make Peppermint White Chocolate Covered Pretzels. This turned out to be MUCH more complicated than I expected. First off, I forgot to add the 1 T. cream and when I added the cold liquid to the melting white chocolate too late in the process, the whole mixture seized on me. Smooth, creamy chocolate turned into a tough ball of mush within seconds. I called my mom in a panic and she Googled a solution for me. Crisis #1 averted. Then I had planned on letting the kids smash the candy canes into crumbs, but the little pieces were so sharp, they sliced through the zippie bags over and over again. Sticky peppermint bits were all over the place and peppermint powder coated my counter. And I didn't even get the result I needed after all that mess! Crisis #2 took forever to clean from the counter, floor, bottom of my socks and the chairs where the kids were standing. But things didn't improve from there: I wasn't working fast enough getting the pretzels onto the waxed paper, and the chocolate was hardening before I had a chance to let them kids sprinkle the peppermint onto the pretzels. Crisis #3 occurred as dinner was ready to come out of the oven, Mike walked through the door from work and our friend, Erik, came over to fix our computer. All this drama and the pretzels taste delicious, but aren't quite the consistency I'm used to because of my fix-it to crisis #1. Regardless, they will accompany me to my pot luck on Saturday night because I'm not making them over again!
Day 3: Build a Gingerbread House. Will I ever learn? I forgot that the first step of building a gingerbread house is to "glue" the frame of the house together with icing and let it sit for 2-3 hours. That went over REAL well with my over-excited helpers this afternoon after we opened the kit! We ended up doing all of the decorating after dinner, which worked out fine. I even showed the kids how to use a piping bag. How patient am I?!?!?
Have you started any fun Christmas-y things with your kids yet?
Day 1: Make a Chain Link Countdown to Christmas. This was the first year that the kids cut the links, which had the added benefit of working on their motor skills. Kaylin's red links weren't straight at all, but it totally adds to the charm! And, as it turns out, Ryan made one of these at school yesterday, so now we have two. Oh well, one for each kid to tear off every day, right?
Day 2: Make Peppermint White Chocolate Covered Pretzels. This turned out to be MUCH more complicated than I expected. First off, I forgot to add the 1 T. cream and when I added the cold liquid to the melting white chocolate too late in the process, the whole mixture seized on me. Smooth, creamy chocolate turned into a tough ball of mush within seconds. I called my mom in a panic and she Googled a solution for me. Crisis #1 averted. Then I had planned on letting the kids smash the candy canes into crumbs, but the little pieces were so sharp, they sliced through the zippie bags over and over again. Sticky peppermint bits were all over the place and peppermint powder coated my counter. And I didn't even get the result I needed after all that mess! Crisis #2 took forever to clean from the counter, floor, bottom of my socks and the chairs where the kids were standing. But things didn't improve from there: I wasn't working fast enough getting the pretzels onto the waxed paper, and the chocolate was hardening before I had a chance to let them kids sprinkle the peppermint onto the pretzels. Crisis #3 occurred as dinner was ready to come out of the oven, Mike walked through the door from work and our friend, Erik, came over to fix our computer. All this drama and the pretzels taste delicious, but aren't quite the consistency I'm used to because of my fix-it to crisis #1. Regardless, they will accompany me to my pot luck on Saturday night because I'm not making them over again!
Day 3: Build a Gingerbread House. Will I ever learn? I forgot that the first step of building a gingerbread house is to "glue" the frame of the house together with icing and let it sit for 2-3 hours. That went over REAL well with my over-excited helpers this afternoon after we opened the kit! We ended up doing all of the decorating after dinner, which worked out fine. I even showed the kids how to use a piping bag. How patient am I?!?!?
Have you started any fun Christmas-y things with your kids yet?
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4 comments:
We'll only just be ending the Sinterklaas nonsense tomorrow, and THEN the Christmas stuff can start .... and the Sinterklaas nonsense has been going on since the middle of November!
This Two-Culture Holiday Season stuff will be the end of me, I know it.
Sooo glad you reminded me of the "glue portion" of the houses... we are doing ours on the 13th and I will be sure to have it prepped!
I do "GrahamCracker Houses" with my childcare kiddos every year. I use Wilton frosting from the can, graham cracker square and anything I can find in the cupboard...chex, cheerios, fruit snacks, marshmallows, pretzles.... I don't know what is more fun, building it or eating the supplies!
I love you Katie! Thank you for sharing yourself and your family with others trying to be nurturing wives and mothers. I'd never have the courage to put myself out there like you do, and I love your ideas and your efforts. You are an inspiration, and I know you are just a pleasure to the Lord! You're a role model for me and so many others. Thank you again!
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