A New Year's Twist

Breathe.  Whew, the holidays this year have been completely insane!  And that is my excuse for the two-week hiatus I took from the blog, so please excuse me.  I'll catch up on all of that soon, but first I just wanted to share our New Year's celebration.

You know those days where nothing goes as planned?  Well, that was yesterday for us (thank goodness it was the last day of 2010 and not the first day of 2011!).  I won't go into details, but to make a long story short, I ended up in tears, we didn't end up attending the party we'd been planning to go to, and we did some last minute improvising.

If there's one thing I've learned as a mom, it's that sometimes things don't go as planned - and you have to be on your toes and ready to come up with an alternative solution.  And be happy about it.  Our improvising included an old movie from the 1940s that I got for Christmas, some takeout Thai food, and a candlelight picnic on our living room floor.  It was just me and Dave ushering in the new year.

But, sometimes you've just got to be flexible.  We had a great time, and the perfect finishing touch was dessert from a dessert cafe called, "The Chocolate."  You can see why it was perfect, just from the title. 

I'm not sure if this is a sign that in 2011 I'm going to have to be flexible, but I guess we'll see!  Happy 2011!

A Little Holiday Magic

The saddest part of this season is that it just doesn't seem like there is enough time to celebrate it!  However, amidst all of the shopping, gift wrapping, parties, and holiday preparation, be sure you set aside some time for some real holiday magic.

Dave and I ran into some unplanned holiday magic the other night, when we went out to eat at the Riverwoods.  On our way to the restaurant, we found this cute little shop, called Blickenstaff's.  It was adorable - a real old-fashioned toy store!

I was like a kid in a candy store.  That could be because they had a large candy section (see above).  No, it really was just downright magical.  They had good old-fashioned toys, books, puzzles, brainteasers, kids crafts . . .  And most of the things you could try out - I loved it! 

After dinner we stepped out to find this -

The trees were all aglow with lights, and there were bonfires to help keep you warm.  At least one side of you at a time :)  Plus, Santa came for a visit, and brought some friends:

They also had free hot chocolate and apple cider, and FREE carriage rides.  Yes, carriage rides.  Did I mention the live music?

I seriously felt like I was in a movie.  Which reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite movies, "You've Got Mail" - "So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?"  So good.  It you don't like this movie, you should.

Okay, back to my point.  There are just too many magical moments waiting to happen for you to miss out!  I'm starting a brainstorming list that might help you out - please feel free to add!  (For a fun idea on how to make sure some of these things actually get done, click here.)

Some things on this list will be specific to those of you who live in Utah - in other places they'll have similar things, and some are just plain universal.  

Things to do during the Christmas Season:

- Make a snowman
- Go to Temple Square and see the lights (I like to stop at The Lion House Pantry afterward to warm up and eat dessert . . . I know you're not surprised!)
- Go see the lights at Thanksgiving Point - they have a trolley ride this year!
- Make holiday treats and take them to the neighbors
- Tell one holiday story each night
- Make a kiss chain to count down the days to Christmas
- Go sledding
- Have a snowball fight
- Have a Christmas karaoke night
- Watch a holiday favorite: White Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, It's a Wonderful Life, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reigndeer, Elf, etc.
- Make ornaments
- Make snowflakes
- Make (and eat, did I mention the eating part?) caramel corn
- Go see Santa
- Do the twelve days of Christmas for a neighbor
- Volunteer at a local soup kitchen
- Write a letter - the possibilities are endless - a faraway relative, a friend who has moved, someone in the armed forces, or click here to write a Christmas card to someone in Ecuador - I loved the idea!
- Head to the Riverwoods (in Provo) and take a free carriage ride, do a kids Christmas craft, or just enjoy the lights.  Click here for more info.
- Go caroling
- Make gingerbread houses
- Donate some toys to a local charity (it helps to get rid of a few before the new ones arrive, plus your kids can help!)
- Go ice skating.  Even pretty little ones can do this.
- String popcorn to hang on your Christmas tree
- Go see a Christmas play - you can usually find some version of "A Christmas Carol" in the community.
- Have a snowball fight
- Reenact the story of Christ's birth
- Tell stories of past Christmases
- Have a family slumber party out by the sparkly Christmas tree
- Leave little notes for each other in your stockings
- Make homemade gifts for grandma and grandpa
- Go to a Christmas concert at a local high school or college
- Go to the Festival of Trees (click here for more info) which supports Primary Children's Medical Center
- Go for a ride on the North Pole Express (click here).  A little expensive, but I think it sounds so darn FUN!
- Shovel your neighbors driveway
- Leave a Christmas caroling message on someone's phone
- Write Santa a letter (it's still fun, even if you're an adult)

Do you have any other ideas?  Please share (even if it's specific to your location)!

What to do on a Rainy Day

A day can become a thousand times more complicated when all of the little ones are cooped up.  Here are a few ideas to liven things up:

- Turn on some fun music and have a dance party (even my 9-month-old daughter loves this!).

- Get some warm clothes out of the dryer, put them on the couch, and let your kids jump in the pile!  (Or you could just put some blankets in the dryer for 5 minutes and do the same thing, without having wrinkly laundry.)

- Have a tea party with hot cocoa.

- Play restaurant for lunch - and assign each child a role: cook, waiter, guest, etc.

- Play doctor - come up with fun drinks and little treats for medication, always a winner with kids!

- Cuddle up on the couch and read some books.

- Make a yummy treat: something the kids can do - letting them decorate sugar cookies is always fun.

- Go to the library.

- Have them draw, paint, or sculpt something.  Then place the art around the house and have an "art show."  Give out awards at the end - "Most colorful painting," "Most fierce-looking creature," etc.

- Have your kids make "mailboxes" out of shoe boxes.  Place them at the foot of the child's bed.  Then let them write secret notes to each other and deliver them.

- Make puppets out of brown lunch sacks and put on a puppet show.

- Make a warm, yummy soup for the end of a cold, rainy day:

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

This soup is delicious and easy.  Dave's aunt made it at our last family dinner and the pot was licked clean.

12 chicken tenders
1 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp butter
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups hot water
2 tsp ground cumin
1 qt half and half cream
4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cans (16 oz) cream-style corn
2 cans (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained
2 dashes hot pepper sauce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.  Brown chicken (seasoning it with a little salt and pepper), onion and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink.  Dissolve the bouillon in hot water.  Add to pan along with cumin; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add cream, cheese, corn, chilies and hot pepper sauce.  Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted and soup is heated through.  Stir in tomato and cilantro.  Serve immediately.

Suggestions: the soup has a tiny (and I do mean tiny) bit of kick to it.  If your kids are picky and don't like hot stuff, you might not put in so many green chilies, and leave out the hot pepper sauce.