Best Laid Plans

It seems like our December calendar fills up faster and faster each year.  I suppose because we are a family who likes to hold on to tradition, and also enjoys trying out new things, it's hard to not just keep adding more events we want to attend, more parties to host.

It's December 3rd, and so far, we've attended an 1860's Civil War Christmas at Latta Plantation, decorated most of our house, started 3 different advent activities, and have just about finished the Christmas shopping.  We have plans for Nativity Festivals, tree lightings, parties with friends, neighbors, and church groups.

But, in the midst of all the busy-ness, I'm really trying to not lose sight of what is truly important this year.  Because no amount of Christmas partying and celebrating will mean much if I don't get to enjoy the people I love most.  I sometimes get caught up in the planning fun surprises, but then snap at these little people with their constant needs.  This year, I'm planing to give the gift of peace, calm, and happiness to our family.  The parties will have to fit in around that.

Christmas Countdown

 

It's been a couple years since I made our advent calendar, and I still love it. In the past, along with the scripture and song that are in each little matchbox, I included a fun Christmas activity--make cards, have some hot cocoa, watch a Christmas movie, go to a Christmas pageant.  There were big and small ideas (to go with our super busy, and normal busy, days.)

 

Well, this year, I pulled those little slips out and we decided to do something a little different for the activity part.  It has felt like our family has gotten too comfortable with the idea of fun and play and those things are no longer special, or appreciated many times.  We've been trying to find ways to appreciate what we have and how blessed we are and help the kids change their expectations.  So this year, we are counting down to Christmas with service. 

 

We once again have big and small activities planned, but each morning, we read what our service challenge for the day is, and then talk about how it went that evening.  So far, we have given a compliment to someone, smiled and said hi to as many people as we could, and held a door open for someone.  I thought we'd ease into this idea and make it things that should be easy for the kids to do while at school this week.  We have some future trips planned to buy gifts for the church angel tree, make goodies to deliver to our neighbors, and do a secret service act for a family member.

 

I'm excited that we're incorporating service into our plans this year.  We end up busy and over scheduled every year, but it feels important to me to make time each day for someone else, even if it's only for a minute.  Just one more way I'm trying to take back Christmas this year.

This Christmas

This year I will . . .

 give fewer presents, but more time;
 
let the small things go, and focus on the big things;

stop the hunt for bigger and better, and give thanks for all I have;

 yell less, and laugh more;

say no to the things that I don't care about, and find ways to serve;

forget the worrying, and seek out joy;

turn off some of the noise, so I can enjoy the peace of the season;

and fill my heart with the true spirit of Christmas.

Traveling and Moving with Kids

TRAVELING

Traveling with kids can be crazy at best. Here are some tips for activities in the car or plane that might make the trip a little more fun for everyone (and that don't involve a DVD player--even if you use one liberally, chances are the kids will get bored at some point).

*Make up Bingo sheets (or just a sheet of various pictures) of things you will see from the road that your kids can mark off.

You can also make up a sheet with the letters of the alphabet and with the numbers 0-9. I put ours in page protectors and then put them on a clipboard and give them dry erase markers to cross them out so we can use the same sheets over and over. Even if your child is too young to really play the game, just drawing with a dry erase marker can be fun.

*Buy little dollar store toys, or confiscate the kid's meal toys before your kids see them (if they aren't old enough to protest that--mine don't realize those meals come with toys), and then hand them out when boredom is setting in.

*Wrap the little toys to make them more appealing (and if the child is young enough, the unwrapping may use up a few more minutes).

*Buy Dum-dum's or another small sucker and offer those spaced out along the trip--I like them because they take longer than most candy to eat so I know the overall sugar damage isn't quite so bad.

*Get a bag of some sort for each child and fill it with their own snacks, books, games, projects--they'll love having their own travel bag or carry on and you won't constantly be trying to remember who has had what.

*Buy a few new books, or check out new books from the library (you can always mail them back media mail if you will be gone for longer than you can have them checked out). Richard Scarry books are great for little kids who can't read yet because they have lots of details in the pictures to keep the kids busy looking. I Spy books would also be fun--anything that is more than a 5 minute read.

*Have your child take pictures along the way of your journey and then help them make a scrapbook after you get there. They can photo lunch stops, gas stations you fill up at, intersting people or sights you see, the car/train/airplane you travel in (or all three if you're really lucky), where everyone was sitting, what their luggage looked like. You could also have them draw pictures or take notes about things that happened along the way.

*Buy disposable bibs--they make mealtimes on the go so much easier.

*Pack a change of clothes for everyone that are accessible--its always nice to not have to sit through a 5 hour flight in dirty clothes after a diaper blowout or upset stomach incident.

*Carry a light weight blanket (such as a receiving blanket or something similar) with you--it can be used as a pillow, to shade a window on a plane or in the car, a towel to clean up messes, a changing pad for a baby--it's almost as valuable as duct tape!

*Even if your kids are all potty trained, you might want to pack a pull-up if their is any chance that you child is going to panic at the thought of trying to go to the bathroom in bushes at the side of the road. We learned that from experience.

*Use a front carrier or sling for your infant in airports and train stations. I was able to travel with my 2 kids by myself this last summer by using the stroller to load up our 4 carry-ons and 2 carseats and carrying the baby in a Baby Bjorn. Now, getting from the baggage claim to the curb for pickup with our 4 suitcases was a whole different story (Just pray that there are kind people in the airport).

MOVING

Anything you can do to make the move smoother will help the kids. And anything that makes your new home feel more like "home" to them will help.

*Check out this list of kids books about moving and begin preparing them for what is going to happen by reading a couple of them together. Our favorite is the Bernstein Bears Moving Day.

*Have them help you pack up their items if they are old enough--if you aren't moving for long term, have them help pick out the few items they will take with them. Otherwise, they could still fill an "important" box that you can mark so you know its the first one that needs to be unpacked.

*Pack up the kids rooms last and load them into the truck last so they can be the first thing you unload when you get there. This way you can set up their rooms immediately and they'll have a safe, familiar place to play while you are working on the rest of the house. Make sure you have everything you need for their room together so you aren't digging through boxes to find their sheets at bedtime. And go ahead and put up pictures and other familiar items right away so they really will feel like its home.

*Try to keep routines and schedules as much as possible, especially for younger kids (and if you know your kid NEEDS those routines). If you have everything packed in one spot that they will need for that first bedtime and to be able to use their room that first night (sheets, pillows, bathtowels, bath toys, PJ's, nightlight, books, special blankets or stuffed animals, and anything else they might use on a regular basis, it will be easier to get them to bed on time and let them know that life is still going to be the same, just in a different home.

*Century 21 has tips, lists, and projects here for the kids to help them cope with the move. A few of the suggestions--have them put together a scrapbook of home (they even have pages you can download and fill-in), say goodbye to favorite places, and make a list of new "likes" as you get settled into your new home.

*Find fun activities to get involved with right away--lessons, clubs, sports teams--whatever your child likes. Even if you are only there for the summer, you can sign them up for summer camp or swim lessons, summer reading programs at the library, story times. Just try to make your new home feel exciting and fun for them and they will adjust much quicker.

*Take a walk around your new neighborhood the first day or two. It's easy to get caught up with the unpacking and want to just be done with it, but you and your kids need the break and exploring your new community can help everyone get excited about the move and the opportunities that await your family.

April Crafts and Activities

This month's offerings may be a little sparse--our month is quickly filling up and with the warmer weather, we've been doing a lot more casual outdoor play, not so many organized activities. But here's a couple fun ideas. And then I will do a seperate post on traveling with kids because I know that a lot of us are preparing for moves--either short term or permanent in the next month or two and moving with kids can be crazy at best.



Make a rainbow indoors--Fill a glass with water (all the way to the top) and set it on a windowsill in bright sunlight. It should project over the inside ledge just a bit. Put a white sheet of paper on the floor beneath the window, and a rainbow will magically appear on the paper.


Make rain pictures--Start out by painting some shapes or blocks of color with water-soluble paints or markers. Place the picture outside when it is raining for a brief spell. The patterns made by the drops can be very intersting.

March Crafts and Activities

Make a kite. You can make them from paper, or recycle one of your plastic grocery bags! And here are some great mini lessons you can do about kites.

Make wind chimes. You can use old CDs, frozen juice lids, seashells, old utensils, aluminum pie pans, sticks--see if your kids have any fun ideas.

Put branches in water for early blooms. Just cut a branch from the plant, and either peel or mash the thick end to help it absorb water. Put it in a vase or jar and change the water frequently.

Go for a winter walk and look for signs of thawing in a pond (the botany pond on the south end of BYU is a perfect place to look.)

Make a spring mural--paint, sketch, paste, and stick all sorty of pictures that show spring growth and change. Make a tree silhouette and paste down green paper leaves then the real leaves open. Glue pictures from old gardening catalogues or magazines. Paste down pictures of baby animals that are born in the spring. You can even label things with the dates that you observed them outside (when you saw the first robin, first green leaves on a tree, when the last snow melted.)

Learn some bird songs and calls. http://www.enature.com/birding/audio.asp

Make cloud art. You can give them blue construction paper, cotton balls, and glue and let them make their own cloud shapes, or use a white crayon to draw clouds on a large peice of white paper and then let them paint over the picture with thin blue paint--the clouds will "appear" in the sky.

February Crafts and Activities

Still stuck indoors? Here's a few indoor activities for this month.


Make a treasure hunt for your kids--depending on their ages, you may want to take pictures of places around your house they are familiar with, write simple directions, or make up riddles or clues to where the clue is hidden. At the end, the treasure can be supplies for an art activity, a puzzle or game to play together, or some type of treat.

Learn about ground hogs and the tradition behind Groundhogs Day. http://www.groundhogs.com/

Celebrate Chinese New Year (February 7 this year)--

*make Chinese laterns with the kids (just fold a peice of construction paper in half lengthwise, make cuts from the folded edge to within 1.5 inches of th opposite side. When cuts have been made along the entire length of the paper, unfold and form into a cylinder by joing together the short uncut ends of the paper. Glue or staple another strip of construcion paper for a handle.

*Make little red packets to give to your kids and wear red and talk about good luck traditions

Make Valentine Day cards. With younger toddlers and preschoolers, its easiest to have everything ready before you start--cut out different colored hearts and shapes from paper or even material--felt works great, have stickers, foam hearts--whatever you want, and a paper folded into a card for them to glue their decorations on. Grandparents will love these!

See if salt water freezes. Try different amounts of salt added to containers of water to learn how salt affects the water freezing.

Finally, these paper globes may be a little more complicated, but the kids can help with the gluing, and lets face it--sometimes Mama needs a little fun craft too. Go here to find the downloadable template and instructions (as well as some more professional examples.)