WAH Wednesday: Christmas Family Memories

Last Monday I talked to you about my pre-planning.  Well it is in full swing!

Last year I shared this list with you and I am bringing it back today. This is more of a list than anything else.  This list is meant to help you spur some ideas for creating more memories with your family.

We do two advent calendars.  First is our Christmas Book Countdown.  I wrap one book for each night leading up to Christmas. We start our advent calendars the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  This year I will be wrapping 26 books.   Yes, I have over 30 Christmas books.  I found the majority of the at a thrift store for $0.29 each.  I will be pick up a few new ones each year because some have been so loved they need to be replaced.  Others are just too long for right now.  I will find them at crazy times of the year and I will buy them.  I bought 4 Mother's Day weekend in Wisconsin.

The other is an activity that we do each day, like visit Santa, or Christmas Go Go Day (watching and dancing to ALL of our Wiggles Christmas DVDs).  This year we will also be doing our preschool activities.

We don't do all of these things, but this is a great list for you to get a jump start.

Serve others

1. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
2. Collect blankets and give them to a homeless shelter. (Need to turn it up a notch - have a blanket making party.)
3. Clean out your closets and donate to local agencies.
4. Fill a box of formerly loved toys and donate to local agencies. (We must do this every year because of Christmas and birthdays being so close.)
5. Bake cookies and deliver them to a local retirement home.
6. Plan a “playdate” and let the other mom’s get some kid free time for shopping, wrapping or de-stressing.
7. Purchase gifts from an Angel Tree.  (Gifts for needy children)
8. Fill stockings and donate them to local agencies.
9. Make a meal and deliver it to a needy family.
10. Bake cookies and give them to people who have to work on Christmas Eve.
11. Make edible gifts for the birds and squirrels.

Random Acts of Kindness

1. Feed the meters.  Hang a Christmas card on the meter.
2. Tape quarters to the toy machines at the grocery store.
3. Give out gift cards to the local coffee shop in the mall.
4. Go to a holiday display and offer to take pictures for families.  (You know Mom is never in the pictures!)
5. Hand out Christmas cards to random people.
6. Give rolls of wrapping paper and tape to your neighbors.
7. Offer to load a full cart of groceries or packages into their car for them.
8. Make extra dinner and invite the neighbors over, or deliver.
9. Give out flowers to people while shopping.
10. Hide dollar bills in the toy aisle of the dollar store.
11. Fill stockings or old shoes with treats, go to a different neighborhood and leave them on doorsteps.
12. Make ornaments and hand them out with candy canes.

Family Activity Ideas

1. Go look at Christmas displays.
2. Family Pajama Movie Night - be sure to make it complete with Hot Cocoa.
3. Go to your local Christmas Tree lighting celebration.
4. Christmas Carol Bath - Listen to your favorite Christmas Carols while taking a bath, complete the mood by hanging twinkle lights.
5. Fancy Dress Dinner.
6. Write a Christmas story.
7. Dessert first dinner.
8. Pajama Breakfast Dinner.
9. Decorate a gingerbread house.
10. Go to a live nativity.
11. Go to a Christmas parade.
12. Write and send Christmas cards.
13. Decorate every door in your house.
14. Write a family letter to Santa.  
15. Get a letter from Santa.
16. Hot chocolate and popcorn for a snack.
17. Christmas Dance Party!
18. Christmas Treasure Hunt
19. Ornament Decorating
20. Decorate Stockings
21. Make a gingerbread house
22. Decorate sugar cookies with icing
23. Use cookie cutters to make a fun lunch
24. Make a Christmas gift for a member of the family.

Christmas Crafts

1. Cotton Santa Beard
2. Paper Chain Garland
3. Make Christmas Cards for Friends and Family
4. Hand and Foot Angels
5. Create an outdoor Christmas scene and use shaving cream for snow.
6. Cone Christmas Trees
7. Decorate Paper Cookies
8. Beaded Candy Cane Ornaments
9. Paper Plate Wreathes
10. Shape Reindeer (only using circles, triangles and rectangles)
11. “Stained Glass” Ornament Sun Catchers
12. Create Christmas scenes and use glitter for snow.
13. Make your own gift tags

Fill you Advent Calendar with:

1. Christmas Jokes
2. Christmas Books
3. Christmas Quotes
4. Christmas Scripture
5. Christmas Coloring Pages
6. Christmas Crafts 

Home Making Monday: Pre Planning for Busy Seasons

I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse, but we are about to enter our busy season.  September starts the celebration season of our family.  To help things go smoothly I start planning now! Yep, July.

Things I start planning:

• Budget and Savings
• New things to add to our festivities
• Projects I need to get done by Christmas 
• Birthday Parties
• Trips to visit relatives
• Mark the Calendars for all the events

Why do I start planning so early?  So I don't forget things - like the kids letters from Santa (yep totally forgot to do them last year).  

I have been doing these for the kids since they were born.  I haven't been doing baby books, but I have been doing these letters.  And who knows it might turn into a scrapbook down the road.  It helps keep all those important things remembered.  You know first words, when the first potty was.  The first naughty word that was said -- July 10, 2014 by big one.  And the funny story that goes with it.  So those need to get started.  I will even write last years and put it with their others.  These letters come from Santa and although last year's won't have a post marked envelope it's okay.

So here is my list of planning needs:

• Family Vacation (long weekend on Labor Day)
• Dad's Birthday
• Mark Calendar for Brother-In-Law's birthday (find out if I am making the cake)
• Anniversary Date
• Day out with Thomas the Tank?
• 40th Birthday for Hubby
• Halloween
• Sister-In-Law's Birthday
• Pumpkin Farm Plans (Georgetown, Milford and Little Miss wants to go to Grandma and Grandpa's!)
• Sister's Birthday
• Little Mr's Birthday 
• Thanksgiving
• North Pole Breakfast
• Advent Activities (including visiting Santa and the Christmas Concert at Church)
• Little Miss's Birthday
• Warner Family Christmas
• Brother's Birthday 
• Nephew's Birthday
• Father In Law's Birthday
• Christmas Eve - Movie and PJ's
• Christmas Day
• New Year's Eve

I am probably forgetting something but it's okay.  I know it is anxiety provoking, BUT I LOVE IT!. And this is why I start planning in July!  It is quite a list - and to think we put all of that into 4 months!  Oh and this is just the family stuff not to mention all the stuff I have to get done for work.  

Good thing I get to review this thing of beauty.  That's your tease.  You have to be here October 28 to see if it is working, not working ... if I love it or if I hate it ... and where you can buy it.

I know I am not the only one out there who starts planning early.  Anyone want to share what you are up to this upcoming season?

Modern Homemaker: Making the Bed

I don't consider myself much of a homemaker.  I mean I am mama, and I am wifey, and I do stay home and make sure things run smoothly here.  But I am not making my own lotions and soaps.

With that being said - part of making our home is making our beds.

A few nights ago my husband had mentioned how we needed to change the sheets.  Which was true, it was laundry time.  I realized that in order to have clean sheets I have to do all the wash from the bed and get it back on all in one day.  I was tired of all that work so I said, "Can I just go buy new sheets.  Then we will have a back up set."

Let make this clear -- I have had one set of sheets for my bed.

So I went out.  My original plan was just to head to The Bulls-eye - where I get EVERYTHING.  Target.  I am driving over there and I am thinking.  You know if I go to Garden Ridge I might be able to get a whole bed for only 10 to 15 more than what I was expecting to pay for just sheets.  Won't hurt to check.

I head to the bedding department - by the way this is the WORST store for me to go to by myself.  I could spend SO much money there!

I find some I like and decide this is what we are going to do.  It was $15 more than I thought I was going to spend, but worth the extra.

I take these pictures and send each one to Hubs.  I let him have the final say.  I liked them all so it didn't really matter.  Besides, it is his bed too.

He picked #4.  Now, I was completely expecting to pay full price for this bad boy!  I start walking around my store (yes I own it.  It is MINE!) and I see something out of the corner of my eye.  OH THE PICTURE I ADORE.

Here, enjoy!

I notice it is RED LINED!  50% off!  Really?!? I text Hubs and he tells me it is up to me.  Well while I am debating I look down and notice the bedding he picked ... SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! 50 % off Red Lined.  I scored!  I was going to get the painting until I saw it was scratched up and I really had no where to put it.  We decided we would recreate it as a family which will make it mean so much more.

So for $12 less than what I would have spent for just sheets I get to go to bed in this!

What is your latest SHUT THE FRONT DOOR find?

{Feeding Me Friday} Freezer Cooking Adventure #1

I am sure you have all seen it if you have been around Pinterest or the blogsphere at all over the last 6 months.  Freezer cooking.

So I thought I would take my hand at it.  I am now basically feeding a family of 6, 4 bigs and 2 littles.  I made the list of meals that I found online that I thought the 4 bigs would like and the 2 littles would at least eat.

I wrote out everything that was needed for my adventure into freezer cooking.  I even scheduled the sides we were having with each meal.  I then took my ingredient list and went into the kitchen.  What can I cross off this list?  Those staples that you always seem to have in your cabinets … soy sauce, ketchup, all the spices, and things like that.

Now that I have gone through the pantry I added to the list … those things that we buy every other day  weekly.

Off to the store I go.  I went to 2 different places on 2 different days (that was a timing thing).  I spent $250.  I am sure there are some of you out there that just gasped at that for reasons of wow that’s it and there are others saying that would feed us for a month!  I will continue.

I had planned dinners for 2 weeks and the other stuff on this list was also enough for 2 weeks.  Before I digress and go into what actually happened I will finish this part of the story.

After day 2 of grocery shopping I stood in the kitchen and labeled each bag of what was going to be in and what sides were to be served with it.  I threw all the stuff in the bags and threw the bags in the freezer.  When it came time to cook I would pull out the bag let it sit out for an hour (you are supposed to do this overnight in the fridge … yeah, like I ever remembered that part!)  Then I put it in the crock pot and turned that sucker on high.

Of the recipes 2 of them we removed from the list of combinations that we will put in our bodies.  The rest were able to remain.

What we found out.  We get SUPER tired of crock pot meals SUPER fast.  The $250 worth of food did last us all 2 weeks, I even think it took us well into week 3.

Just like any good thing, there can be too much of a good thing.  I will be returning to my meal planning using fresh foods and working around our schedules.  I am blessed to be able to not be super rushed at dinner time.  I will take advantage of that right now.  I do think that crock pot meals will work well for nights that I am not here to make dinner and Hubs does appreciate the not having to get it all done.  Even if lately they are just taken out to eat those nights.