The Mom I Want to Be

 

To make the ornament I buy a glass ball for each of the children. Then I paint the palm of their hand white with acrylic paint. I place the ball in their hand and ever so gently they close their hand around the ball. When the white paint dries they use paint pens and sharpies to decorate their fingers to look like snowmen.

 

I attach the following poem to the ornament. (Of course you change the year. This is from the ornament I made in 2003)

 

These aren’t just five snowmen

As any one can see.

I made them with my hand

Which is a part of me

Now each year when you trim the tree

You’ll look back and recall

Christmas of 2003

When my hand was just this small.

 

Gingerbread Ornaments

 

3/4 cup of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of allspice

2 tablespoons of cloves

1 tablespoon of nutmeg

1 cup of applesauce

 

Combine first 4 ingredients and blend well. Stir in applesauce and mix well. Roll out ¼ inch thick on ungreased cookie sheet. Cut with cookie cutters of different shapes. Put a tiny hole in top with toothpick. Let dry 4 days. Put string through hole and hang on Christmas tree.

 

 

Cinnamon Ornaments

 

1 cup of cinnamon

1 cup of applesauce

 

Mix equal parts of cinnamon and applesauce. A dash of cloves, nutmeg and/or ginger may be added. Roll out on a cinnamon-dusted board, rolling 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out with small cookie cutters. Using a pencil, make a small hole for a string near the top. Let dry thoroughly. Dough may be placed in plastic bag for later use.

 

Using a cookie cutter as a template I cut out a tree (any seasonal shape would look great) and then cut out the middle to leave a tree frame.

 

I cut out 2 pieces of contact paper approximately the shape of the tree. We sprinkled holiday confetti and then glitter on the contact paper (yay no glitter clean up as it all stuck!!). I stuck the second piece of contact paper on top to seal all the pretties inside. Next I glued the sandwiched contact paper to the back of the frame and trimmed the contact paper to make it neat. Lastly I punched a hole and threaded a ribbon for hanging. These would look cute as sun catchers too!

 

Cardboard tubes

Pipe cleaners

Ruler

Pencil

Scissors

Hole punch

Thread or string

 

For each ornament, flatten a 7 1/2-inch length of cardboard tube. Mark and cut it into 3/4-inch-wide rings; you’ll need 10 for this project. On each flattened ring, mark dots 3/4 inches in from each folded edge. With a hole punch, make holes at the dots. Starting with the inner circle, string the rings onto a pipe cleaner. For the outer circle, twist two pipe cleaners together to make a double-long piece, then thread it through the outer holes in the cardboard rings. Twist the ends together and trim the excess. Hang with thread or string.

 

Look at the differences between real and pretend animal behavior.

  

• construction paper
• yarn
• hole punch
• crayons and/or markers
• picture books with animals (fiction and nonfiction)

To prepare for this activity, use construction paper to make a book. Punch holes along one side and use yarn to make a binding. Next, gather picture books that feature animals. These books can be a mixture of fictional stories (such as Dear Mrs. LaRue or The Three Little Pigs) and nonfiction (such as a book about farm animals). In Dear Mrs. LaRue by Mark Teague, a dog named Ike does some things that a real dog would do (howling). He does other things a dog would not do (write letters). Look through the books and invite your child to point out what things are real and what are pretend (or “silly”). Now your child can make his own book. Make up a story about an animal. In the story, the animal can do some things a real animal would do, and some things a real animal would not do.  In the book, draw pictures of the animal doing different activities. Some of these activities can be real and others can be pretend. Write captions beneath the pictures — your child can dictate them or help you with the writing. Later, encourage your child to “read” the story to a friend or family member. Can he point out which actions are real and which are pretend?

 

• supports identification of real vs. pretend
• develops early literacy skills
• encourages creativity

A homemade picture book is a personal introduction to literacy.

 

• sturdy plastic photo album with plastic photo protectors
• photographs, greeting cards, and pictures cut out of magazines
• heavy card stock
• nontoxic glue

Gather materials to get started, then let your baby’s or toddler’s interest dictate the content.  Feature family photos. Glue photos to card stock and fill album pages with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins — and you! Choose face-on images as they best replicate the vision your little one has in her mind.  Build on your child’s interests. Dogs, babies, the color purple — virtually any theme she likes will make a book she’ll treasure. Talk about the book. You don’t always need words to “read.” Name and point, and soon she will too!

• enhances language development
• builds early book awareness
• develops recognition skills

Introduce your child to the wonder that is her sense of touch.

 

If available, read My First Taggies with your child. Introduce him to the different sensations of touching different fabrics. Cut the fabrics into squares. Glue each fabric square onto a piece of cardboard. Underneath each square, write the type of fabric in large, legible letters.  Punch two holes on the top edge of each piece of cardboard and string all the pieces together into a tent-style book so that your child can flip back and forth to compare.  Go through the book with your child so that she can explore the new and exciting world of her sense of touch.

• inspires curiosity
• reinforces the senses

How to get organized for the busiest season? My friend Ann (a.k.a. FamilyFun magazine editor Ann Hallock) gave me the answer–a customized Holiday Planner, neatly divided by topic, with pockets for stashing various memorabilia. It organizes the entire season into one three-ring binder. It provides a place to write down all your lists in one place. It gives lots of slots, right next to those lists, to tuck in recipes torn from magazines, gift ideas from catalogs, and so on. It also acts as a record keeper from year to year (so you know who you sent cards to last year, and who you didn’t). And finally, it gives you a place to archive your family’s holiday memories. In fact, each fall when I pull out the binder, I leaf through all the old entries first, a trip through Christmases past that fills me with holiday spirit.

 

Let me show you how Ann made my planner. One stop at an office supply store with $20 in hand, and you can have one too.

 

Three-ring binder (Ann chose festive green)

Divider tabs, marked with the name of each section

 8 1/2- by 11-inch paper, filled out, as shown on the following pages, for each section, then photocopied (for years to come) and punched with three holes

Plastic pockets, zippered or sealed for closing (to hold recipes, cards, and so on)

Pens and stamps for decorating

 

DECEMBER COUNTDOWN

 

I find the month of December as complex as a military operation. This calendar lets me plot out exactly how I am going to get all the prep completed in 24 days. To make one template that works every year, lay out an unnumbered calendar with 35 boxes. Then you can write in 1 to 31 on a photocopy. Or just use our printable blank calendar: planner_calendar.pdf. Note: This is a PDF file. You will need Acrobat Reader (free download) to view and print the document.

 

HOLIDAY GIFT LIST

 

This is my most worked-over section, as I sweat out what to give everyone. Tuck a colored poly binder pocket labeled “Gift Ideas and Lists” at the end of the section–that’s where you can stuff all your family Christmas lists, pages from catalogs, and instructions for homemade gifts. After Christmas, a “Gifts We Received” section will remind you to send thank-you notes. Need a printable version of the gift list? (planner_gifts.pdf) Note: This is a PDF file. You will need Acrobat Reader (free download) to view and print the document.

 

HOLIDAY CARD LIST

 

Used to be, my least favorite part of the holiday was always searching for last year’s Christmas card list. No more! With this new format, I just cross out or add names each year. I never have to rewrite the whole darn list–I just count how many people we need cards for. Add a zippered plastic pouch and label it “Cards We’ve Sent.” Need a printable version of a blank card list? (planner_cards.pdf) Note: This is a PDF file. You will need Acrobat Reader (free download) to view and print the document.

 

HOLIDAY MEMORIES

 

The most valuable section, hands-down. Try to create categories that make sense for your family. Some that work for us are Christmas Eve: What We Did/What We Ate/Who Came to Visit; Christmas Day: What We Did/Who Came to Visit/Where We Went; Our Favorite Memory; The Funniest Thing That Happened; Our Favorite Traditions This Year; and New Traditions We Tried. Add another plastic pouch labeled “Holiday Keepsakes” for any memorabilia you want to hold on to. Use our blank Holiday Memories page (planner_memories.pdf) for your planner. Note: This is a PDF file. You will need Acrobat Reader (free download) to view and print the document.

 

CRAFTS & DECORATIONS

 

My kids churn out holiday art projects as if they’re getting paid by the pound. This section keeps directions organized and is a nice reminder of efforts past. Be sure to include a pouch for ideas, clippings, instructions, and so on. Use our blank Crafts & Decorations page (planner_crafts.pdf) for your planner. Note: This is a PDF file. You will need Acrobat Reader (free download) to view and print the document.

 

HOLIDAY RECIPES, MENUS & PARTY PLANS

 

I was fascinated as a kid by a diary my mother kept that recorded her dinner-party and holiday guests and menus. This is now my version, albeit a less elegant one. Use our blank Holiday Recipes, Menus & Party Plans page (planner_recipes.pdf) for your planner. Note: This is a PDF file. You will need Acrobat Reader (free download) to view and print the document.