Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Love,
The Foote's
Jim, Chandelle, Christian, and Baxter too :)
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Making a Gingerbread House with a Toddler
Happy Christmas Eve!
One last quick Christmas Bucket List activity to share with you -- Making Gingerbread Houses!
There are plenty of Gingerbread House making kits out there that you can buy {and those are legit gingerbread houses!!} but we went with this super simple, easy, and toddler approved gingerbread house! In fact, you just might have everything you need around your house right now!
Supplies:
Frosting
Piping bag and tip
Paper plate
Graham crackers
Various candies -- gum drops, candy canes, mints, m&ms, etc
Small milk carton (my mom is a teacher so she got us one from her school but maybe a gas station sells them like this still??)
Step 1 -- Frost the bottom of the milk carton so that it sticks to your plate
Step 2 -- Add frosting to the sides of the milk carton and stick on half a graham cracker sheet. Do this to each side and then the "roof" as well. Fill in the edges and openings with frosting. Also add frosting to any where else on the house that you will want to put candy and decorations.
Step 3 -- Add your candies and decorations! {sneak a few to snack on too! -- note Christian's chocolaty face!} If decorating with a toddler you may need to help direct the candies so that more end up on the house than in their mouths...or maybe that's just my toddler :)
Step 4 -- Admire your hard work!
And try not to eat the house before others can admire it too!
Merry Christmas Eve!
Now...help me and my hubby clear something up -- is there a step 5 of eating the house?? I say no, he says yes. Do you eat your gingerbread house? What are your favorite house "decorations"?
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Cookie Decorating with Christian -- 2014
With Christmas only 2 days away, we have put a pretty good dent in our Christmas Bucket List!
{At least as much as we could without snow!!}
Last week at our weekly play date at our house, we decorated Christmas cookies! The kids {most boys!!!} really got into it! A lot more than I was expecting.
The kids ranged in age from about 15 months to 3 years old.
Lots of frosting was eaten and plenty of sprinkles were sprinkled {on the floor too!} but surprisingly enough, each kid probably frosted 4-6 cookies!
I pre-baked the cookies so all the focus during the play date could be just on decorating.
There was plenty of homemade frosting {of all colors} and the kids ate it by the spoonful! But they also did a pretty good job of actually getting the frosting on the cookies too {some with more help than others}.
The little squeeze tubs of frosting were a bit of a hit, as well as the sprinkles! I should have gotten a bigger variety of sprinkles. The kids kept asking for specific colors or kinds that I didn't have! ha ha!
Through all of the fun and chaos of the event, this was the only picture I was able to snap of Christian -- green frosting up his nose after shoving a cookie in his own face to eat the frosting ha ha!
And of course -- Christian's own masterpieces!
Did you decorate cookies with your littles? What is their favorite part? Do you have any favorite "decorations" for your cookies?
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Toddler Approved Christmas Crafts
It's been so fun being able to really start doing some art projects with Christian! I like to think that he has been enjoying it as well!
After sharing my favorite Toddler Approved Fall Crafts and getting so much interest, I thought I would go ahead and share some of our Favorite Toddler Approved Christmas Crafts too!
{Winter craft post to come soon!}
1. Beaded Candy Cane
I shared about this craft in the Day in My Life Post
Basically you put a little stub or twist the pipe cleaner at the end to keep the beads on. Then let you little one go to town threading the beads onto the pipe cleaner. This was a little tricky for Christian at 18 months, but with a little help he could do it. I did have to make sure he didn't eat the beads (and I had to help him with the pattern). Again, twist the end and bend into a candy cane shape.
2. Pom Pom Painted Christmas Tree
Using clothespins, "pinch" pom poms and let your little one use this as their "paint brush" dipping and dotting on their pre-cut (probably by you!) Christmas tree. Let them dip and dot until their hearts content! Christian needed some modeling to be able to do this, but his friend Jackson (almost 3) caught on much quicker, but still liked to paint like it was a brush. Whatever works! That's what is great about this project! You could even let your little one shake on some glitter or glue actual pom poms to the tree. Christian isn't too into gluing yet, so we stuck with just the paint.
3. Painted Paper Plate Christmas Bulb
This craft stemmed from the Pom Pom Christmas Tree. I used the paper plates for the kids to put their pain on to dip into. After awhile Christian started painting the plate too. So I let him go at it and added some extra paint for him to smear around. Then I just added a little square of construction paper and taped on a twisty tie for the hook and it was a Christmas bulb!
4. Hand Print and Foot Print Nativity Scene
This was honestly more of a "mom project" as I had to paint his feet and hands and do the prints and add the Bible verse and draw in the faces etc. But it's crazy to see how much his hands and feet have grown since the last project we did! And I think Christian enjoyed the tickles of getting painted!
To see more of the fun crafts we will be trying be sure to follow me on Pinterest...specifically my Christmas and Winter Boards.
What are some of your favorite crafts to do with your little one this Christmas season?
Friday, December 19, 2014
Changing my {Wishes} into {Gratitude}
It's crazy to me to think how it has become a "tradition" of sorts to rush out and buy more the day after {and now even the day of!!} the day we spend being thankful for all that we have.
We do live in a "more is better" society and are daily bombarded with messages that "we need more", "we aren't enough", "we'll be better once we have ______, be ______" the messages go on and on.
It is these messages that drive our need, our desire even, to rush out on Black Friday to score the big deals so that we can meet these wishes for ourselves, but our kids as well. And in that, I believe that we are only teaching our kids that these messages are true.
Let me tell you --- These messages are NOT true.
You have everything that you need.
You ARE enough.
Having more will not make you be a better person, a better employee, a better friend, mother, wife, etc.
Now, I realize that there are families and children and individuals out there who don't have everything that they need. But I also am confident in saying that those who have found themselves in that situation, are NOT the ones rushing out to buy more. They are the ones hoping and praying that they will just have food to put on the table, clothes for their children and a present to give them on Christmas morning. They are not wanting more to feel that they are enough. They are wanting more to simply survive.
If you are rushing out to get presents for those who are in need, then please, rush away! But if that's not your reason for looking for good deals, then join me in this little exercise I'm about to share with you, I know I need to do it! I will be the first to admit that I easily fall into believing these lies and I'm speaking to myself right now.
In a recent message at church, our pastor shared about the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible (Luke 10:38-42). I've always related so much to this story, especially to Martha. If you aren't familiar with the story-- Jesus is at the home of Mary and Martha. Martha is rushing around making dinner and getting the home ready and busying herself with details, while Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus. Martha complains to Jesus that Mary isn't helping her, but Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen what is better.
So instead of rushing around to make the details of our holiday celebrations perfect, will you join me in changing those "wishes" of wanting more and seeking "perfection" into feelings gratitude as we sit at the feet of Jesus this holiday season, remembering that HE is the reason for the season?
It's not about the decorations, the cookies, the perfectly coordinated (or not even close to matching) Christmas outfits. Its about the birthday of our Savior. The man who came to us as a baby in a manger, meeting us all in the dirtiest and lowliest of places. The man who would one day grow to bear all of our sins and die on a cross for us -- for me -- for YOU.
When we see the holiday season through that perspective, I really do believe that it is not hard at all to want less instead of more and to be thankful for what we have, instead of rushing out to get more.
Changing My Wishes Into Gratitude
Here are some of my "wishes" and how I have changed them into statements of gratitude. Would you join me in doing the same?
I wish my floors were spotless and free of crumbs
--->> I am thankful for the little person that brings life to our home and crumbs to our floors. I am also thankful for the food that is in our cupboards and our refridgerator in abundance that has allowed those crumbs to clutter our floors.
I wish we had a Christmas tree that looked like it was straight out of the department stores.
--->> I am thankful for the Christmas tree that brings light and joy to our home, with ornaments that are not breakable so my little man can touch and play with them and I can experience the joy on his face as he sees the tree light up and hangs the ornaments on new branches.
I wish I had the perfect outfit for every occasion, especially at Christmas time.
-->> I am thankful for the full closet of clothes that I own and the many accessories as well....even if I'm not so good at actually "accessorizing or coming up with outfits ha ha I'm also thankful for the hot water we have to shower and the products I can use to get myself ready within the comfort of my own home
I wish I could make sugar cookies that actually look like the cutout shape they start out as before I bake them...
--->> I am thankful for little children who don't know the difference between a good looking cookie and a blob and just appreciate that they taste good :) I'm also thankful for a working oven to bake cookies, ingredients to make them, and friends to decorate them with!
I wish our house were bigger (more bedrooms and a guest room)
--->> I'm thankful that I can clean our house in about an hour flat top to bottom! I'm thankful that our family is flexible when they visit and will sleep on air mattresses or the couch. I'm thankful for the cozy space that our home offers for us to host our small group and the giant room downstairs where the kids are all able to play both at small group and for play dates. I'm also thankful for the paint that is slowly but surely making this little home perfectly ours :) And I'm straight up thankful to even own a home!
Through Jesus Christ, I am enough. It doesn't matter what clothes I wear, what my house looks like, how clean my floors are, how many presents we gift, what our Christmas tree looks like or what outfits we wear to holiday celebrations this year.
I can only imagine the ache of Mary's heart as she also joyfully looked at her newborn babe laying in that manger. The ache of only providing a manger for his bed, but also the ache as the fullness of who he would become became more clear to her. I can't imagine knowing that your child is born to die, yet he was without sin.
I pray that our hearts would ache to know Jesus more this season, instead of knowing the mall more or a tree full of presents.
What wishes do you have that can be changed to statements of gratitude? Share in the comments and lets encourage each other this Christmas!
We do live in a "more is better" society and are daily bombarded with messages that "we need more", "we aren't enough", "we'll be better once we have ______, be ______" the messages go on and on.
It is these messages that drive our need, our desire even, to rush out on Black Friday to score the big deals so that we can meet these wishes for ourselves, but our kids as well. And in that, I believe that we are only teaching our kids that these messages are true.
Let me tell you --- These messages are NOT true.
You have everything that you need.
You ARE enough.
Having more will not make you be a better person, a better employee, a better friend, mother, wife, etc.
Now, I realize that there are families and children and individuals out there who don't have everything that they need. But I also am confident in saying that those who have found themselves in that situation, are NOT the ones rushing out to buy more. They are the ones hoping and praying that they will just have food to put on the table, clothes for their children and a present to give them on Christmas morning. They are not wanting more to feel that they are enough. They are wanting more to simply survive.
If you are rushing out to get presents for those who are in need, then please, rush away! But if that's not your reason for looking for good deals, then join me in this little exercise I'm about to share with you, I know I need to do it! I will be the first to admit that I easily fall into believing these lies and I'm speaking to myself right now.
In a recent message at church, our pastor shared about the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible (Luke 10:38-42). I've always related so much to this story, especially to Martha. If you aren't familiar with the story-- Jesus is at the home of Mary and Martha. Martha is rushing around making dinner and getting the home ready and busying herself with details, while Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus. Martha complains to Jesus that Mary isn't helping her, but Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen what is better.
So instead of rushing around to make the details of our holiday celebrations perfect, will you join me in changing those "wishes" of wanting more and seeking "perfection" into feelings gratitude as we sit at the feet of Jesus this holiday season, remembering that HE is the reason for the season?
It's not about the decorations, the cookies, the perfectly coordinated (or not even close to matching) Christmas outfits. Its about the birthday of our Savior. The man who came to us as a baby in a manger, meeting us all in the dirtiest and lowliest of places. The man who would one day grow to bear all of our sins and die on a cross for us -- for me -- for YOU.
When we see the holiday season through that perspective, I really do believe that it is not hard at all to want less instead of more and to be thankful for what we have, instead of rushing out to get more.
Changing My Wishes Into Gratitude
Here are some of my "wishes" and how I have changed them into statements of gratitude. Would you join me in doing the same?
I wish my floors were spotless and free of crumbs
--->> I am thankful for the little person that brings life to our home and crumbs to our floors. I am also thankful for the food that is in our cupboards and our refridgerator in abundance that has allowed those crumbs to clutter our floors.
I wish we had a Christmas tree that looked like it was straight out of the department stores.
--->> I am thankful for the Christmas tree that brings light and joy to our home, with ornaments that are not breakable so my little man can touch and play with them and I can experience the joy on his face as he sees the tree light up and hangs the ornaments on new branches.
I wish I had the perfect outfit for every occasion, especially at Christmas time.
-->> I am thankful for the full closet of clothes that I own and the many accessories as well....even if I'm not so good at actually "accessorizing or coming up with outfits ha ha I'm also thankful for the hot water we have to shower and the products I can use to get myself ready within the comfort of my own home
I wish I could make sugar cookies that actually look like the cutout shape they start out as before I bake them...
--->> I am thankful for little children who don't know the difference between a good looking cookie and a blob and just appreciate that they taste good :) I'm also thankful for a working oven to bake cookies, ingredients to make them, and friends to decorate them with!
I wish our house were bigger (more bedrooms and a guest room)
--->> I'm thankful that I can clean our house in about an hour flat top to bottom! I'm thankful that our family is flexible when they visit and will sleep on air mattresses or the couch. I'm thankful for the cozy space that our home offers for us to host our small group and the giant room downstairs where the kids are all able to play both at small group and for play dates. I'm also thankful for the paint that is slowly but surely making this little home perfectly ours :) And I'm straight up thankful to even own a home!
Through Jesus Christ, I am enough. It doesn't matter what clothes I wear, what my house looks like, how clean my floors are, how many presents we gift, what our Christmas tree looks like or what outfits we wear to holiday celebrations this year.
I can only imagine the ache of Mary's heart as she also joyfully looked at her newborn babe laying in that manger. The ache of only providing a manger for his bed, but also the ache as the fullness of who he would become became more clear to her. I can't imagine knowing that your child is born to die, yet he was without sin.
I pray that our hearts would ache to know Jesus more this season, instead of knowing the mall more or a tree full of presents.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Thoughts on Gift Giving and Christmas
This year is already going to be Christian's second Christmas! That not only means that he will actually get into the season a bit more this year, but it also means I have been left debating my thoughts on Christmas gifts at our house and what our approach should be for 3 years now!!
To some extent the jury is still out when it comes to a firm decision about gifts. It's not that I think gifts in themselves are bad. But do gifts blind us a bit as to what the bigger gift of the season really is?
I want Christian's answer to "Why do we celebrate Christmas? or What is Christmas about?" to always be Jesus.
Not Santa.
Not presents.
But can we still teach our kids about Santa, or St. Nicholas, and still do presents while still teaching them the real reason for the season?
I hope so. I really hope so. Because I would hate to take away the magic of Christmas and the opportunity to teach about giving. Even more so I would hate to take away the chance to see my son's face filled with joy as he experiences the magic of Christmas and new toys.
We will be doing gifts at our house. Santa will come.
But Santa won't be hanging over Christian's head all year either. He will be there, but he won't be a motivator for him to be "good" so he can be on the "nice list".
Jesus will be taught year round. Jesus will be the example to follow in how we teach Christian to live...and how we try to live ourselves.
Santa will be the nice man who was a saint and blessed many children, bringing joy to their lives at Christmas time. Even the man who helped to meet the needs of children who are less fortunate.
And "Santa" will be the example that we teach Christian to follow as he shares the Christmas spirit and love of Jesus. Because Santa had the heart of Jesus when it came to giving.
I love the idea that Santa can also teach our kids about grace. That even when kids aren't perfectly good ALL year long, Santa still comes through.
The concept of 4 gifts (a need, a want, something to read, and something to wear) has become rather popular, but I think I'm a bigger fan of the idea of 3 gifts, like was shared on graceformoms.com.
Jesus received 3 gifts - Gold, Frankincense, and Myrhh
Our children can receive 3 gifts as well.
Gold - Something big they've been wanting
Frankincense - Something for their body
Myrrh - Something for their personal or spiritual growth
We have yet to follow this example for our gift giving for Christian. This year he will be getting 3 presents from us, 3 presents from Santa, and a stocking. I believe we did about the same thing last year.
Is this the right way to do Christmas? I don't know. Will this always be how we do Christmas? I don't know that either. But for now, this is where we are at.
How do you celebrate Christmas? Do you do gifts? Do you have any "rules" for how you do gifts? What do you do to keep the focus of Christmas on Christ and not just on presents?
To see Christian's Favorites from last year, click here.
For this year's wish list and gift wins, click here.
To some extent the jury is still out when it comes to a firm decision about gifts. It's not that I think gifts in themselves are bad. But do gifts blind us a bit as to what the bigger gift of the season really is?
I want Christian's answer to "Why do we celebrate Christmas? or What is Christmas about?" to always be Jesus.
Not Santa.
Not presents.
But can we still teach our kids about Santa, or St. Nicholas, and still do presents while still teaching them the real reason for the season?
I hope so. I really hope so. Because I would hate to take away the magic of Christmas and the opportunity to teach about giving. Even more so I would hate to take away the chance to see my son's face filled with joy as he experiences the magic of Christmas and new toys.
We will be doing gifts at our house. Santa will come.
But Santa won't be hanging over Christian's head all year either. He will be there, but he won't be a motivator for him to be "good" so he can be on the "nice list".
Jesus will be taught year round. Jesus will be the example to follow in how we teach Christian to live...and how we try to live ourselves.
Santa will be the nice man who was a saint and blessed many children, bringing joy to their lives at Christmas time. Even the man who helped to meet the needs of children who are less fortunate.
And "Santa" will be the example that we teach Christian to follow as he shares the Christmas spirit and love of Jesus. Because Santa had the heart of Jesus when it came to giving.
I love the idea that Santa can also teach our kids about grace. That even when kids aren't perfectly good ALL year long, Santa still comes through.
The concept of 4 gifts (a need, a want, something to read, and something to wear) has become rather popular, but I think I'm a bigger fan of the idea of 3 gifts, like was shared on graceformoms.com.
Jesus received 3 gifts - Gold, Frankincense, and Myrhh
Our children can receive 3 gifts as well.
Gold - Something big they've been wanting
Frankincense - Something for their body
Myrrh - Something for their personal or spiritual growth
We have yet to follow this example for our gift giving for Christian. This year he will be getting 3 presents from us, 3 presents from Santa, and a stocking. I believe we did about the same thing last year.
Is this the right way to do Christmas? I don't know. Will this always be how we do Christmas? I don't know that either. But for now, this is where we are at.
How do you celebrate Christmas? Do you do gifts? Do you have any "rules" for how you do gifts? What do you do to keep the focus of Christmas on Christ and not just on presents?
To see Christian's Favorites from last year, click here.
For this year's wish list and gift wins, click here.
Toddler Approved Christmas List for a Boy
Christmas is less than 10 days away, but if you're stuck without any ideas of what to buy for an 18 month old boy, here are some ideas!
We celebrated Christmas with my mom and grandma this past weekend and some of these have already become Christian's favorites!
This toy is listed as 3 and up. However, it is likely because of the toy screws which could pose a choking hazard. Take those away and the rest is super fun! The tools even light up and make noises!
I'm sure Christian won't quite get the pretend play aspect of this toy, but he will grow into it and enjoying pounding the animals around and making the sounds.
Perfect to go with the train set below! Every little boy loves trains!
Christian hasn't stopped playing with this since he first opened it! Definitely his new favorite! He is slowly learning to put the track together himself too.
This is going to be a great hit this upcoming summer when we can take it outside! Christian already loves driving it around the house. He is still figuring out the pedals, but can push himself with his tippy toes or while riding and I push him :) We opted for the classical tricycle because Christian has a track record of preferring to get into seats himself, but also hating being strapped in so we thought this style would work best for him, but there are tons of varieties!
Christian LOVES music and has loved playing along with the cd that came with this set, but also just with the Christmas music we have playing throughout the day.
Right now Christian is more into destroying than building, but hopefully he will eventually become a builder and these blocks should be easy for his little hands to stack and build with.
This toy is also listed as 3 and up, but the beads are fairly large so I'm not worried about choking. However, the fine motor skills needed to string the beads may be a bit advanced for Christian. He did lace pony beads onto pipe cleaners recently, though, to make a "candy cane" so I am hoping these will be good practice to increase those skills and strengthen his little hands!
What's on your little one's Christmas list?
Baby Approved Christmas List
Baby's Christmas List by mamafoote529 on Polyvore
Last year was Christian's First Christmas. He was almost 7 months old. It's pretty cool to look back to last year and see how some of the toys he got for Christmas last year continue to be favorites even now at 18 months!
So if you are shopping for a 6-9 month old this Christmas, I would recommend any of these toys (and so would Christian)!
Fisher-Price Crawl Around Car
This car was awesome for Christian as he was just learning to sit up. It gave him a place to sit and be semi supported with plenty to entertain him! It was also great when he started to pull up and could stand by it to play. As he has gotten older, it now is more interactive pretend play and I'm excited to see him continue to play with this in the years to come.
V-tech Sit and Stand Learning Walker
Baby can sit in front of this and play with the fun activity board or it can come off and sit on the ground by baby. As baby starts pulling up, it is a great toy for standing at to play and also to practice walking.
Fisher-Price Go Baby Go Poppity Pop Musical Dino
When Christian first got this, it took him awhile to figure out how to play with it, but even when he didn't understand how it worked, he had tons of fun with it trying to figure it out. Now that he does know how to work the balls, he still will sit at it for awhile dropping them in and even trying dropping other objects in and watching them bounce around.
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Learn & Move Music Station
First off, this is an older toy so if you can find it used you could probably get a much better price. I know we didn't pay as much as what it is listed on amazon for. However, I really liked this music station because it grows with your child! It can be set up in a low, sitting position -- Again good to practice sitting! Then, as baby starts pulling up you can move the piano higher to a standing height for baby to practice standing at and pull up to. Now, at 18 months, Christian will push this thing all over the house and play it. It also connects to the tv with activities for learning body parts and colors, etc.
All of these toys have been awesome and fun for Christian, but more importantly have grown with him over the past year! Now that's what I like in toys!
What's on your little one's Christmas list? What are your favorite toys to grow with your little one?
Last year was Christian's First Christmas. He was almost 7 months old. It's pretty cool to look back to last year and see how some of the toys he got for Christmas last year continue to be favorites even now at 18 months!
So if you are shopping for a 6-9 month old this Christmas, I would recommend any of these toys (and so would Christian)!
Fisher-Price Crawl Around Car
This car was awesome for Christian as he was just learning to sit up. It gave him a place to sit and be semi supported with plenty to entertain him! It was also great when he started to pull up and could stand by it to play. As he has gotten older, it now is more interactive pretend play and I'm excited to see him continue to play with this in the years to come.
V-tech Sit and Stand Learning Walker
Baby can sit in front of this and play with the fun activity board or it can come off and sit on the ground by baby. As baby starts pulling up, it is a great toy for standing at to play and also to practice walking.
Fisher-Price Go Baby Go Poppity Pop Musical Dino
When Christian first got this, it took him awhile to figure out how to play with it, but even when he didn't understand how it worked, he had tons of fun with it trying to figure it out. Now that he does know how to work the balls, he still will sit at it for awhile dropping them in and even trying dropping other objects in and watching them bounce around.
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Learn & Move Music Station
First off, this is an older toy so if you can find it used you could probably get a much better price. I know we didn't pay as much as what it is listed on amazon for. However, I really liked this music station because it grows with your child! It can be set up in a low, sitting position -- Again good to practice sitting! Then, as baby starts pulling up you can move the piano higher to a standing height for baby to practice standing at and pull up to. Now, at 18 months, Christian will push this thing all over the house and play it. It also connects to the tv with activities for learning body parts and colors, etc.
All of these toys have been awesome and fun for Christian, but more importantly have grown with him over the past year! Now that's what I like in toys!
What's on your little one's Christmas list? What are your favorite toys to grow with your little one?
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
A Day in My Life -- {In Pictures}
Sometimes being a stay at home mom can be overwhelming...especially with an active toddler! I find myself wondering some days how I will every fit it all in, how I will every keep up, or even just how will I find a second to go to the bathroom alone...without Christian climbing into the sink
{For real...it has happened!}
With the overwhelming feelings sometimes come the feelings of doubt...that I must be doing something wrong. I must not be planning our days "right".
And then I read a blog post by my friend Nicole Joelle who also has an active little boy about Christian's age and I realized I'm doing just fine! Our days actually look quite similar!
So while this post is partly to save a snapshot of our lives right now as Christian is 18 months old, its also to hopefully encourage you if you are feeling overwhelmed in your days!
::A Day in My Life::
7:00am My alarm goes off and I lay in bed waking up until I hear Christian wake up
7:15am Christian wakes up and watches a cartoon while I make breakfast
7:30am We eat breakfast and also read the Bible and do our Christmas devotional
8:00am I clean up breakfast while Christian plays and dances to music and climbs everything. I take him down from the chair about 100 times a day! We also play a quick game of hide and seek while I am cleaning up
8:15am Christian poops (sorry TMI) :) I change his diaper and get him dressed. He then finds daddy's church work shirt and name tag and dresses up like daddy :)
"Forget the nursery, Hosanna! Put me on staff!" ~Christian
He also has to help me make the bed...
By about 8:30am I'm back to finishing the dishes..with my little helper!
8:45am We start our morning activity! On this day we did a beaded candy cane. Christian actually was interested in this for awhile and it was a good fine motor activity, but I had to help a lot and make sure he didn't eat the beads...or dump them every where :)
9:00am I finally get to get dressed and Christian has a little snack
9:30am We had an impromptu play date at our house...play dough fun with Christian's friend Cooper
11:00am Lunch time!
11:30am Diaper change, stories and nap time for Christian!
Then mommy time!
I catch up on emails, work on a blog post, have some time on the computer, make the grocery list....
Print some coloring sheets for our afternoon activity...
Work on some Christmas present crafting...
By about 2:00pm Christian wakes up from his nap and we do some coloring. Coloring sheets definitely aren't developmentally appropriate and he isn't the biggest fan of coloring on anything but a blank sheet but I thought it would be fun to be able to talk about the pictures...it didn't really go that way ha ha
After about 10 minutes of coloring, by about 2:10pm, we read some Christmas stories before Christian started doing some exploring and I realized it as time for extra toddler proofing to our closet...
3:00pm Snack time!
3:30pm We head down to the play room for some fun!
Little monster boy does some more exploring....I'm convinced there is no such thing as "toddler proofing"...if there is, please let me know! I need tips!
4:00pm Daddy is home!!!
I finally get to take a shower while Christian helps daddy make dinner
5:00pm Eat dinner
By 6:00pm we head out the door to go see Christmas lights and a live nativity before heading to a Christmas concert!
Loved this house...Ditto with arrows to the neighbors displays! HA!!
The living nativity at a local church.
We didn't get home until about 8:30/9pm so it was well past Christian's bedtime. We got him to bed and then had some relaxing time watching a little tv before heading to be ourselves by about 10:30pm.
What do your days look like? How do you stay sane in the midst of the hectic days if you're a sahm? Have you been to a live nativity before?
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