Christmas Memories

Last year, DH lost his job not too long before Christmas time, so money was really tight.  The kids weren't going to get much for Christmas, but I was determined that it was still going to be a great Christmas for them.  One thing I always have in the house is ingredients for baking.  So I set everything out, then the kids and I got to work.  We made several different kinds of homemade cookies, homemade caramels, homemade hard candy, homemade truffles, etc.  We even got my youngest involoved, and he was 2.5 at the time.  We spent the whole week before Christmas baking.  Sure, it made a mess, but we had some great fun.  And what was even better was seeing the joy on the kids faces when they would pass out their goodies to other family members while telling them about making them.  And you know what?  Here we are a year later, and my kids don't remember a single gift they did get for Christmas last year.  But they sure remember making all those goodies.

So this Christmas, make some memories with your kids.  Get in the kitchen and bake some cookies together.  Or do holiday crafts, go caroling, or whatever.  It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do it together.  You can even invite other family members over to join in on the fun (we had my brother come help last year).   

Kids in the Kitchen

Since I don't really have anything "cute" to write about tonight, I thought I would talk about kids in the kitchen. My kids seem to like to help out in the kitchen. Some good reasons for letting your kids help you out in the kitchen are:

• They get a sense of accomplishment
• Learning to cook is a very valuable skill...after all, everyone needs to eat
• Picky eaters (like my 9 year old) are more likely to eat something they help make

There is usually always something you can find for your kid(s) to help out with, no matter what their age is.

My 3 year old helps out with mixing things. He also helps pour things in after they are measured out.

My 4 year old also helps mix things. She also helps measure things out, which is a good head start in math. She also does thing like putting the toast in the toaster or the microwave.

Along with mixing, my 9 year old helps out with cutting things that can be cut with a butter knife. He is also just starting to be allowed to help stir things that are on the stove.

All 3 kids help out with washing fruits/vegetables, along with putting butter/jelly/peanut butter on bread/toast. When we make homemade pizza, all 3 kids LOVE to help put the pizzas together.

Yes, having the kids help out in the kitchen does get messy. But it is a good bonding experience, a good learning experience, and can be just plain fun. So try letting your kid(s) help out in the kitchen. You don't have to do it every day, but try it once a week, or a couple times a month. The meal/snack may only last a few minutes, but the memories you make will last a lifetime______________________________________________________________

And for today's Tip of the Day:

Have a stain in your sink, tub, counter, etc? Instead of grabbing the harsh scouring cleaner or bleach, grab your box of baking soda instead! Baking soda scours just like Comet (etc), but isn't as harsh, and leaves no chemical residue behind. For really stubborn stains, spritz some plain vinegar on top of the baking soda and let sit for a couple minutes