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Tag Archives: day

Christmas with Little People – Part Two: Eight Simple Ideas to Build Memories with Your Kids

12 / 7 / 16

Christmas with littles - fun, simple activities for lasting memories.
In our last post, we gave a few suggestions for simplifying the Christmas season with young children in the house.  Today, I want to follow that up with some ideas that are fun, simple, require very little expense or preparation, and build loads of fun traditions and memories.

1. Do some form of Advent with them. I realize this is the third time (at least!) I’ve mentioned Advent this season, but it is so essential for keeping the season in perspective.  We’ve given several suggestions on our Advent post.  Maybe you have young toddlers or even babies in your home.  I recently heard a fantastic suggestion for Advent-ing even with them!  Take a couple minutes each night and sing simple Christmas carols, such as Away in a Manger or Silent Night.  This can slip right in to a bed-time routine, but keeps the Christmas Story in front of them.

2. Have a special baking day. If you have little ones that are old enough (personally, I feel like the 3 1/2-4 year old range really opens up options for activities together), set aside a day to tackle one or two special baking activities.  If you need something similar, why not create little Christmas baskets for your neighbors with packets of hot cocoa, disposable hot drink cups, wrapped candy canes, etc.?  — all things little hands can easily put in a basket.

3. Decorate a small tree with them — just for their room.  There are some adorable little Christmas trees out there.  My boys had SO much fun picking out a blue tinsel tree this year, choosing a few non-breakable ornaments, and decorating their tree.  It’s a fun time to relax a little bit on your perfect Christmas tree decoration standards and just enjoy watching them  go to town on their little tree.

4. Set aside an evening to look at Christmas lights.  You can definitely go for a drive in nearby neighborhoods to look at lights, but I’d also suggest just strolling through your own neighborhood… This might be a great alternative for youngsters who don’t do well in the car or for those  kiddos who are still rear-facing in their car seat.

5. Plan a family Christmas movie night!  Plan a fun meal (pizza, anyone?) or snack (popcorn and hot chocolate?) and choose a movie to watch a family.  Some fun suggestions are Polar Express, Arthur Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or It’s a Wonderful Life.  (Just a tip- keep your children’s ages and attention spans in mind when you pick out the movie.)

6. Go caroling to your neighbors.  We caroled with my in-laws last Christmas season… just a few neighbors on their street.  It’s a fun evening and people really do appreciate you taking a moment to make them feel special.  

7. Christmas PJs!  One of our favorite little traditions is to choose new pajamas for our kids to give them on Christmas Eve.  (You could give their PJs to them earlier in the season, too.)  This doesn’t have to be overcomplicated or expensive…. This year our boys are getting matching pajama sets…. that I bought during a “buy one, get one” sale.  

8. Collect a stash of Christmas books.  We have a small stack of Christmas books that we have out only during December.  Some families wrap their Christmas books, unwrapping one each day leading up to Christmas.  I love that idea, but this year we’re choosing to keep our books available in a special “Christmas book basket” for simplicity.  Again, this doesn’t have to be expensive!  All except a couple of our books were purchased at Half Price Books. They have a special holidays shelf in the children’s section, which makes finding great Christmas books easy and inexpensive.  Since we intentionally do an Advent program with our boys, most of our Christmas books are purely festive.  Some of our favorites are Little Blue Truck’s Christmas, Bear Stays Up for Christmas, Fa La La, and the classic Caldecott medal-winning Polar Express.

Leave a comment below and share your favorite Christmas tradition with your youngsters!

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8 Reasons to Celebrate This Election Day (No Matter Who Wins)

11 / 8 / 1611 / 8 / 16

8 Reasons to Celebrate This Election Day (No Matter Who Wins)

Today is finally Election Day here in the United States. We’ve all been waiting for it since campaigning heavily started a year and a half ago. We’ve all read about it. We’ve all talked about it. We’re at a fever pitch, and today the decision gets made. 

This election has stood out because it has been heavily filled with negativity on all sides in a way that has truly been incomparable with past elections. I knew today was my day to write, and how could I avoid this topic? We try to keep things fairly non-political here at Canvas & Table, but to write about something else today seemed to simply be avoiding the topic. A good portion of our readership isn’t even in the U.S., so how could I share something that would be valid for all? 

I thought about it. You see, I’ve lived outside of the U.S., in a very different culture in which a coup d’état is a real concern, and witnessed what it is like to live under leadership very different than that of the USA. My husband is from the other side of the world and grew up with some very large differences from the way things operate here in the U.S. I have family around the world, and I’ve been in the United Kingdom on their election day before & witnessed some of the differences even between us and other first-world countries. So, today, I’m going to remind us all of the things we have to celebrate today, no matter where we stand. As Americans- or as people supporting America from afar- we have a lot to be thankful for and to celebrate on a day like today, no matter who wins.

  1. We have the right to vote- and the right to choose not to vote. Unlike countries in which there is no democratic process, we choose our leaders. We take part in the primaries and caucuses and have the honor of choosing our candidates. Regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, and opinions, we have the right to cast our vote and let our voice be heard- or choose not to.
  2. We have the freedom to (loudly) protest. Recently I witnessed someone a family member cares about stand up for change in his country, only to be accused of treason. We can use our words across social media without fear of being jailed or executed.
  3. We enjoy term limits and a change of guard throughout our lifetimes. As someone in her mid-twenties, I will be able to say that I have sat under five different presidents come this January. I have witnessed the rise and fall of politicians and seen people fade from the political scene (Bob Dole and Al Gore, anyone?), unlike people who live their entires lives under the regime of one man.
  4. We have the right to run for office ourselves. If we deeply desire change, we can take action and run for government offices ourselves. While some limits do apply to the presidency (age and citizenship), this freedom to run extends to all, unlike countries which feign democracy and have just one name of the ballot.
  5. We can vote as we choose without fear. Unlike days past when some groups of people had need to fear for their lives in some areas, should they choose to try to vote, we enjoy a country in which every man and woman eligible to vote can freely walk into a polling place, or even vote by absentee, without fear of someone oppressing their right to choose.
  6. We have the honor of shaping the future of our nation. Many citizens in countries all over the world have no say in what goes on in their country. Yet we get to not only choose our presidents, senators, and  representatives, we also have the right to lobby and campaign for legislature inside and outside of elections.
  7. We are a diverse community. Just listening to some of the issues that have been raised this election season serves to remind us that we have achieved one of the basic desires the founding fathers had for this country- freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the ability to hold beliefs different than those of the government without fear of death. As a country of immigrants with beliefs and views as diverse as the people inhabiting it, we are blessed to not all be the same.
  8. We have the blessing of American heritage. With so much negativity that floats around at election time, taking one trip to a country ruled by dictators will remind you of the incredible freedoms we have as citizens of this country- and whether you are Democrat, Republican, Independent, or other, you’ll run into other Americans around the world and feel a camaraderie with them because you share the same basic values and love for freedom.

As we wrap up this election season, be thankful for these things. Hug your neighbor, say hello to that friend you deeply disagree with on politics, thank God for the freedom to worship anywhere you please, and remember that things we take for granted – like the ability to start our own businesses and post our opinions on Facebook – aren’t held by a lot of other people. No matter what happens, God is still on the throne and we have a lot to be thankful for.

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8 Fun Ways To Celebrate Leap Day

2 / 23 / 16

8 Fun Ways To Celebrate Leap Day

A lot of us spend a lot of time focused on getting things done and making sure to check everything off our to-do lists. This is why I love the idea of making leap day a day to do something different! So often there are expectations of us, and the idea of taking leap year’s leap day to stop and do something different just because of those close-to-24-hours we skipped over the past four years is quirky and fun.

You know the story: Every four years, we have 366 days instead of 365 days to make up for the few extra hours a year we don’t recognize. Leap day creates an extra day in February, and in some cultures this is a day for unusual traditions. If you’ve watched the movie Leap Year (so cute, so sweet!), you may already know a bit about one such tradition. Just think- even if you live to be 100, that’s only 25 leap days you will experience, and you’ve probably already lived at least five of those. So, start a new tradition (I love those) this leap year by doing something fun and carefree with your “extra day” of the year. 

  • Have a movie night for your family, or make it a chick flick girls’ night with your friends. Some suggestions- you could watch Leap Year for an ironically funny (and cute) choice, Captain America to get ready for the next movie coming out in just a few months, or Big Hero 6 to have a proper kids’ movie night (which adults will still totally love. We watched this movie in the theater for my husband’s birthday last year. And loved it. True story). Pair with some fun snacks to complete! Pinterest seems to suggest that frog-themed snacks are all the rage for Leap Day, but having an unusual meal you don’t usually take the time to cook or don’t usually have around the house is another fun way to celebrate.
  • Take the day to complete projects you just never seem to have time for. Some people enjoy celebrating Leap Day by recognizing it as time to “catch up” on that time you’ve “lost” over the past four years. Now, I’m much more prone to recognize something that is going to be a bit of silly fun, but there are definitely some fun projects you could work on for the day, like making that scrapbook, doing that DIY project, or painting that room. 
  • Declare Leap Day a chill day (or chill evening). Don’t plan on anything but not having plans. Relax, read that book you just haven’t had time to read or catch up on some TV shows. Just be sure to rest.
  • Make a time capsule. If you’re anything like me, scrapbooking and other memory-preserving activities sound awesome, but I struggle to make time to do so. I love the idea of taking the day to look over the past four years by making a time capsule with friends or loved ones, or even as an individual activity, to be opened next Leap Day. It’s doable, it’s fun, it’s unique…what more could you want? (Side note: I made time capsules on the last day of school every year growing up, and I loved it! It is actually a really fun thing to do and look back on.)
  • Recreate your favorite moments from the last four years with a do-over day. Did you love going to that chocolate factory three years ago? Did you have a blast trying that foreign restaurant for the first time? Loved those photo booth moments from your friend’s wedding? Find some local places where you can do similar things- a gourmet chocolate store, a local foreign restaurant, a photo booth at the mall- and have a fun do-over day, celebrating the fun of the last four years.
  • Create a Leap Day date itinerary for your significant other, your kids, or your friends. One thing I love about Leap Day is the chance to do something I wouldn’t normally get to do, yet Leap Day is rare enough, it doesn’t feel like overkill or something hard to sustain. Celebrating in style with a “just because it’s Leap Day” date with loved ones puts no boundaries on what you can do, but creates a fun experience you’ll remember for years to come.
  • Celebrate the last four years at once. If you’re really into fun parties and themes, host a little party of your own, celebrating each of the last four years sequentially. Say it’s a two-hour party? Spend 30 minutes celebrating each year, complete with music, food, and/or memories that remind you of each one.
  • Go to a trampoline park. Take leaping to a whole new level by bouncing and leaping around- just because it’s Leap Day. This is an especially fun and zany idea for kids- and you can take it the next level by imagining and doing things those ten lords a-leaping would have actually done.

Have you ever celebrated Leap Day or do you have some fun Leap Day ideas to share? Comment below!

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