Advent 2010, Weeks 3 and 4

We are closing in on Christmas here and looking forward to celebrating with family soon.

Our Advent celebrations hit some snags last week, but we're picking up some steam now.

3rd Sunday in Advent: We had guests in town for J's birthday and didn't plan an activity for Sunday. We did have our weekly candle lighting at supper.

Monday: The task was to finish the little ornaments the kids were working on, but we got caught up doing other things and didn't get around to it.

Tuesday: Same task as Monday, since we didn't do it, but the kids decided they were not interested.

Wednesday: We were going to make homemade playdough and use it to build snowmen, but ended up doing some Christmas shopping instead. The kids were ok with that and had fun getting the gift for their dad.

Thursday: Turning the week around and getting back on track! We had a lot of fun making our own playdough. It's just flour, salt, and water! The kids played for a long time. R made snowmen and then used cookie cutters to make other shapes. J pretty much just made piles of dough. We let everything harden and now it is all sitting on our table as decoration. Definitely going to do this again!
Friday: We watched White Christmas with a picnic snack in the living room. Always a favorite!

Saturday: Rice pudding for dessert by the light of the Christmas tree. Then we read a few Christmas books out loud. I'd like this to become a tradition each year.

4th Sunday in Advent: The kids and I spent much of the afternoon baking and frosting sugar cookies. They were both excited to help! That evening we lit the 4th candle during our short supper ceremony.
Monday: Today's task was to help me wrap a few gifts. R got home early from school because of the snow and now is playing outside. We'll see if we end up doing our project today.

Tuesday: We plan to drive the kids around town after supper and look at all the house decorations.

After Tuesday I don't have any plans made. We'll be traveling at the end of the week and so maybe we'll have an activity here or there, but we'll just have to see.

I have lots of photos of various gifts I've made for Christmas this year, but we'll see if I get around to posting them before we take off!

Advent 2010, Week 2

We're enjoying our second week of advent here. Saturday we did pick out a Christmas tree. Unfortunately there is not a tree farm near us and we had to get a pre-cut tree in town here. It's already really dropping needles!

Here are our week 2 activities:
2nd Sunday in Advent: We decorated the tree together and enjoyed talking about all the ornament history. At supper time we had another quick little advent ceremony and lit our 2nd candle.

Monday: St. Nick visited in the night and left treats for the big kids. He left hot chocolate for each and that has been a big hit with breakfast this week. Also, the kids helped me bake candy cane cookies after school.

Tuesday: R made cards for her teachers. She put a lot of thought into each card, so this project took a while! J played around with the craft supplies making his own picture.

Wednesday: The kids used stamps, dot paint, and markers to make some wrapping paper. This did not go over as well this year as last year and I think it was because I was rushing them a bit. We had a lot to get done on Wed. so I left them crafting while trying to do other things. They fizzled pretty fast, so I might bring this stuff out next week and give them some help with it.

Thursday: The kids "helped" make thumbprint cookies. Or, they each rolled one cookie into a ball before R said, "This doesn't really seem like fun." They did make their way back into the kitchen as I was frosting the first batch.

Friday: Tomorrow is J's 3rd birthday, so I won't have a tree activity for the kids and we'll focus on his birthday instead.

Saturday: We're having a small birthday party for J.

Advent 2010, Week 1

There are quite a few fun ideas for family Advent traditions and for a few years I've been meaning to have some organization to our December plans. I like the looks of the fancy wooden advent calendars with a box for each day and there is also the idea of putting family activities on 24 strips of paper to make an Advent chain. Several friends have fun with an Elf on a Shelf and plan activities for the whole month.

I'm combining a few of those ideas this year and so far it has been going well! I didn't want to spend a lot of money or time on the set-up. I also wanted some flexibility in case our plans would need to change.

I put my ideas for the month onto a calendar, trying to get a good mix of projects, doing things for others, and family activities each week. Each morning the kids find the day's activity written on a slip of paper in a glass Christmas tree we already had. I also set out any supplies we'll need.

So far we've had a great time. I like the accountability and anticipation. Late afternoon is never a good time for me to think of fun group activities, but having the plan already made gives us a chance to enjoy that after school time together. In creating a rough plan for the month I can be prepared and not be searching for a recipe or glue sticks when the kids are excited to get started.

Here are our activities for this week:
1st Sunday of Advent: We arrived home from our Thanksgiving road trip right at supper time. We lit the first candle of our new Advent wreath and read the very short ceremony I had pulled together with a reading and prayer.

Monday: After school we dug into the boxes of Christmas decorations, books, and CDs and spruced up the house.

Tuesday: Snowflake window clings!
To prepare I printed a few snowflake clip-art in black and white. We put the templates under glass baking dishes and traced them using 3d fabric paint, being sure to connect everything fully. (We used Scribbles Glittering in crystal, night star, and sapphire.) We let them dry overnight and then I pulled them off the glass and stuck them on the window.

I have mixed feelings on this project. The kids were too young to control the paint and we used up a lot more paint than I expected. They both lost interest after a few attempts.

But, they both were excited to see the finished product on the window and asked if we could make more. This might be more fun in a few years.


Wednesday: We purchased gifts to donate for kids in need.

Thursday: We had a downtown adventure. The kids helped me pick out holiday stamps at the post office and we dropped off one of the toys we had purchased on Wednesday. Then we met up with a friend to play at the museum.

Santa was visiting the museum and the kids were excited to see him. R was brave enough to sit with Santa and the kids came home with treat bags.

After supper the whole family went downtown again for the Parade of Lights!

Friday: Tonight we are having a picnic supper of apples, popcorn, cheese, and other treats in the living room while watching the movie Elf together.

Saturday: The plan is to pick out our Christmas tree!