With the holiday season upon us, it is difficult to NOT get caught up in the crazy frenzy of holiday shopping.  However, I came across a great idea for teaching children about the act of giving of themselves.  This is perfect for children because not only do they give something to someone they love, but they find the joy of creating that gift.

Have everyone in your family draw names from a bag.  In our family, we’re doing just the four of us, but it would be wonderful to get the grandparents and other extended family involved in this, too!  The name you draw is the person for which you will create a gift.  Here are some simple ideas that kids can do for gift-giving:

• dressed-up coat hangers: have children wrap colorful ribbon around coat hangers to create a beautiful and unique gift.
• beaded bookmarks: string beads onto yarn and knot at the ends for a lovely way to mark your reading place.
• magnets for mom: print off different letters and/or words in a variety of colors and fonts from your computer.  Cover both sides of the paper with contact paper, cut out, and attach a self-sticking magnet to the back.  Or, find extra photos and create photo-magnets!
• for the gardener: choose a packet of favorite seeds and present them in a hand-painted pot.
• Old standbys: using clean, recycled material, kids can create virtually anything: a pencil holder out of a tin can, a new mail basket out of a plastic milk jug, a colorful paperweight by painting a pretty rock, and even a set of pretty holiday coasters by covering old greeting cards with contact paper.

With each year that passes, I stand in awe at all that my boys accomplish.  I guess what they say is true - time flies when you’re having fun!  At each birthday, though, I want to stop time, take a moment and relish the experience of my child right then, right there.  While that isn’t possible, it is quite easy to “freeze frame” the memory into something tangible.

Here are several ideas to hold on to those precious, fleeting moments as your child grows up.  These are adaptable at any age and are a great way to remember these amazing years.

• Make a stepping stone.  Stepping stones are quite easy to create.  Craft stores usually sell kits to create one, or you can gather the materials yourself to make your own.  Use either a disposable baking pan (such as a 9 inch square aluminum pan) or, if you want a round stone, use a saucer for a large flower pot (we’ve done this one!).  Purchase a bag of quick-set cement, mix up a batch and pour it in the pan.  After it starts to set, have your child press his or her hands or feet into the cement.  You can decorate it with rocks, colored stones or other objects.  Be sure to use a stick to write the year in the stone as well.
• Design your own plate - there are some inexpensive kits available for creating a unique design.  My boys have “birthday plates” they created and use on their special day.  Try Plate Works Design Your Own Plate or, for a twist on this idea, why not create a wall clock?
• Preserve those special birthday cards by creating a unique placemat for your child.  Take a piece of poster board, cut it to an appropriate size for a placemat, and glue special cards to the posterboard.  Cover the entire creation in contact paper to protect it from spills.  Imagine the fun of looking back at neat cards and notes received on birthdays past!
• Use a kit, such as My Photostory, to chronicle the past year in photos.  This is an awesome tool for preserving those special moments from the past year.  Once the book is completed, it is sent off for production and mailed back in a bound, archival-quality product.  This is a wonderful idea for those milestones, such as the first birthday, turning thirteen, turning eighteen…
• Create other projects to mark the occasion, such as mugs, wristwatches or a painting.  Another great kit is a calendar kit.  Use a picture or a drawing from each month of the past year to create a special birthday edition calendar for the following year.  Or, use the calendar to record special events from the past year.

Birthdays are a wonderful time to reflect on the amazing growth our children go through.  Marking it with a tangible reminder is a wonderful gift to you and your child!

For my Mother’s Day gift when my older son was three, he created a stepping stone in his little preschool class.  It graces our front flower bed and greets everyone as they walk to our front door.  And, it is a constant reminder of how little he used to be (and how big he is now, six years later).  Creating stepping stones is an easy project that makes a sentimental and one-of-a-kind gift.

Start with a large container, shaped as you would like your stepping stone.  Ours was created in the saucer of a large flower pot.  Old baking pans (9×9 or even large pie pans) work well, too, depending on the size of hands or feet you intend to impress into the stone.  Other materials are handy to have around as well: glass stones or large beads, pretty rocks or other items to set in the cement, perhaps a twig or other pointed object for writing in the cement should you choose to chronicle the event with a date or name.

Purchase a bag of ready-mix cement and mix enough to fill your container about 2/3 full.  Reading the directions on the package is essential, as each brand has their own instructions and setting time.  Allow the cement to set somewhat, then impress whatever objects you would like into the forming stone.  Hand prints work well as do footprints (be sure to wash right after pressing into the cement).  Let the child decorate the stone with pretty beads or other objects; don’t press them INTO the cement, though!  Let them sit on top so you can still see them.  Any writing needs to be done before the cement is completely set.

This is a simple project but is a great gift for grandparents, parents, close friends and other relatives.  Repeat it year after year to create a collection of stepping stones, chronicling your child’s growth through the year.  It is a unique and beautiful addition to any landscape!

Many children are heading back to school this week (if not already back already).  It is a time of transition and change, of new faces and old.  It is a time of adjustment and a time of schedules.  And that’s just the teachers!

Whether your child is starting preschool or nursery school for the first time or is a seasoned pro at the education system, take a small moment to recognize your child’s teacher.  Creating a simple gift is a great way to introduce yourself and bring a smile to your child’s teacher’s face!  Here are a couple of quick and easy ideas to get the creative juices flowing:

1.  The traditional teacher-gift - an apple!  Apples are nutritious, easy to transport and even boys don’t mind sharing one with their teacher (my son absolutely cringes when I suggest a small bouquet of flowers from our garden, but an apple is “cool”).  Tie a note to the stem to finish it off.  I found a lovely poem online for a teacher-apple:

You plant the seeds of wisdom with patience and concern,
And your efforts all bear fruit as your students grow and learn.
You offer them good food for thought, you care right to the core.
There’s just no better teacher than the one this apple’s for!

2.  Another cute idea is to give your child’s teacher a small bag of Hershey Hugs chocolate candies.  Again, I found a cute poem online to accompany these yummy snacks:

You are a wonderful teacher - I think you’re very neat!
That’s why I put together this special little treat!
A little bag with Teacher Hugs to get you through your day,
And let you know that I am glad that you are here to stay!

3.  Other simple ideas:  give a cute pencil with a small note:  “You’ve got the ‘write’ stuff!”; tie a note to a ruler: “You really measure up!”; or a can of his/her favorite soda with “We’re bubbling over with excitement to have you for a teacher this year!”

The holidays have come and gone, and I’m staring at a playroom that has subsequently turned into toy-aftermath.  Legos are strung from closet to window, books are scattered amongst the stuffed animals, and there’s a part of a light saber staring at me from under the hide-a-bed we have in there.  I thought I had done a good job (pat on the back) of sifting through toys before the holidays to make room for new ones, but I could not predict the onslaught of plastic and battery-operated perephenalia that would engulf the southwest corner of our home.

I have an opportunity in a week or so where I will be childless for a few hours.  And, in that small block of time, I plan on overhauling that war zone in my home that has declared battle on my bare feet and my compulsive desire to clean.  I’m going to purge.

There are several ways to purge, and getting children involved can be helpful as well, depending on the end result.  Here are a few ideas to try (or at least help spur your own ideas):

1. Think Taxes And Donate!  Gather up old or no-longer-used items and make a donation to your local children’s center, family shelter, church or Goodwill.  And guess what?  You can use the value of the toys as a tax deduction next year!  Save any receipts you receive, take pictures of the donated items, and keep a detailed list.  A little legwork will go far with the Internal Revenue Service.
2. Get On Board The Toy-Go-Round!  Rotate your child’s toys.  Pack up about 1/2 to 2/3 of their toys, depending on the amount that is available.  Put them in totes or boxes in a closet or the attic.  Your child can better appreciate the toys that are available, and in a month or two, rotate the toys out with ones in storage - it will be like a birthday! 
3. Divide And Conquer!  Do you have a babysitter?  Maybe a grandparent you see on a regular basis?  Pass along some of the goodies to another house.  The kids will have familiar toys available at the other place, you can pare down your own supply, and the other party doesn’t feel obligated to purchase things to keep your children occupied while at their house!
4. Dare I Say - REGIFT?  Yes, I’ve been known to do it.  When we received over twenty gifts at one birthday with my older child, we opened a few to play with at the party, but most of the rest were quickly forgotten when the guests left and the wrapping paper was thrown away.  The key is to carefully regift:  don’t regift to friends if a friend gave the gift - chances are, they’ll know about it.  We have regifted to cousins or other out-of-town relatives; and gifts received from these have been regifted to friends.  There is no reason to have four Lightning McQueen cars…why not share the wealth?

Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, I’ll have a better handle on our playroom.  And maybe I’ll be able to walk across the floor barefooted again, without the fear of injury via Legos.

This is a great treat for Christmas morning - or any other morning for that matter!  It is easy and fun (and messy), so be sure everyone gets involved in creating it!

1.25 c sugar
1T cinnamon
3 cans biscuits
1 stick butter, melted
1.5 lbs powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Cut biscuits into fourths.  Mix 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon.  Put mix on biscuits.  Drop biscuits into well greased bundt pan.  Mix melted butter with 3/4 cup sugar and pour over biscuits.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Drizzle with a powdered sugar icing you can create with the powdered sugar, vanilla and a little water if needed. 

Our church is offering up a wonderful ministry this holiday that literally anyone can do on their own.  Try out a few of the recipes posted on here and you’re on your way to a new holiday tradition.

Our church is creating small bundles of cookies (2-3 in each bundle) to hand out on Christmas Eve.  The idea is to take them and deliver the bundles to those that are working that evening - the pharmacist, the policeman, the convenience store worker, the grocery clerk, the hospital staff, the fireman.  It is a way to spread a little holiday cheer (no matter what holiday that person celebrates) at a time that they probably don’t get to celebrate much.

And, think of the wonderful message this relays to our children - that it is better to give than to receive, and while the cookies might be yummy, someone else may enjoy them as well.  And that is a wonderful lesson to learn this holiday season.

This is a great little, light cookie that is perfect for dessert, snacks, and even breakfast!  It is very easy for kids to make, yet tastes like it came from a commercial bakery.  It is sure to be a favorite with everyone!

2 T butter, melted
2/3 c sugar
1.5 t ground cinnamon
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, 9 x 10.5 inches, thawed.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.  In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/3 c sugar and cinnamon.  Stir until blended.  Sprinkle some of the remaining 1/3 c sugar on a work surface.  Unfold the thawed puff pastry on top of the sugar with one of the short sides facing you. Generously sprinkle more sugar on top of the puff pastry, and spread to cover.  Using a rolling pin, roll out the pastry, continuing to sprinkle with sugar as you roll.  Roll out to 10×16 inches.  Brush the melted butter onto the pastry.  Then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Press it down evenly.  Starting from a long side, roll up the pastry, jelly-roll style, stopping just before the end.  Press the edge to seal the seam.  Cut the roll into 1/2 inch slices, placing about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.  Bake each batch 12-14 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before moving them to cooling racks.