Chocolate Treats

Master 4 wanted to make something special for his Grandparents who are arriving from New Zealand today to have with their morning tea. We had lots of candy canes in the fridge so thought we would have a go at making some stained glass candy cane chocolates! All you need is some white chocolate buttons and candy canes.

Roughly break up candy canes and place in a plastic bag. Press bag to expel air. Wrap bag in a tea towel and place on a hard surface. Pound with a hammer to crush candy into small pieces.

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Stand bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bowl base to touch water), stirring with a metal spoon for 5 minutes or until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat. I actually heated my chocolate buttons in the microwave cooking for 20 seconds at a time then stopping to stir as I wanted Master 4 to see the change in the chocolate from the heat without standing over the cook top.

Line a flat tray with baking paper and place cookie cutters on tray. Divide chocolate between shapes and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. These were very simple to make and i think they look great!

Pop, Bang, Crack went the Christmas Cracker

I have lots of small gifts to give to people as a small token of thanks for their input into our lives throughout the year. I wanted to make the wrapping personal from the boys so I decided to put the chocolates inside a hand-painted Christmas Cracker. I'm also going to make these with the boys and put jokes inside for our table on Christmas Day.

I decided to get Master 2 to paint using marbles. Firstly we put some blobs of red and green paint on a piece of paper inside a plastic container.

Master 2 happily rolled the marbles around the container!

This is what it looked like once he had been rolling the marbles for about a minute.

We then wrapped the chocolates inside a paper tube into the shape of a Christmas Cracker. Another cute idea of how to wrap your presents with LOVE!

Have you heard the one about...? Here are some of my picks if you want to put jokes in your crackers!

What do you call Santa's little helpers? Subordinate clauses!

What did baby corn say to mummy corn?Where's popcorn?
What's white and goes up?A confused snowflake
What has 22 legs and 2 wings but can't fly?A football team
What sort of sentence would you get if you broke the law of gravity?A suspended one!
How do snowmen get around?They ride an icicle
How do monkeys make toast?Stick some bread under the gorilla!
How do witches tell the time? With a witch-watch!
What do you get if you cross a cowboy with an octopus?Billy the squid!
What do you get if you cross a hen with a bedside clock?An alarm cluck!
What song did Cinderella sing as she waited four months for her photos to come back from the chemist?'Some day my prints will come!'
What's grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow? An elephant rolling down a hill with a daisy in its mouth!
Why do women have orgasms?It gives them one extra reason to moan.
What is Santa's favourite pizza?One that's deep pan, crisp and even
Who hides in the bakery at Christmas?A mince spy!
What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations? Tinsilitis!
Why did the golfer wear an extra pair of trousers?In case he got a hole in one
What do you call just married spiders? Newly-webs
Why did the tightrope walker visit his bank?To check his balance
Why was the Egyptian boy confused? Because his daddy was a mummy
What kind of paper likes music?(W)rapping paper.

Wrapped with Love

Making your own wrapping paper with your kids is a fun activity that they can do independently once they get going. With some creativity they will create gift wrap that is unique and different – everyone will know the gift is from them! There are many different ways you can decorate your Christmas Paper:

Paint the paper in Christmas colours

Decorate the paper using stamps

Decorate the paper using Christmas stickers

Marble Paper

Get your child to draw on the paper using Marker pens

Today Master 2 and I made some wrapping paper for him to wrap a little present for his Gymnastics teacher tomorrow. We have recently been painting some walls in our house and he has been wanting to paint using Daddy's big roller, so I decided to let him roll the paint. I purchased a roller and tray from the discount store for $2, had some star stick ons in the craft box, cut out a shape of a Christmas Tree and we were ready. I placed all the shapes on the paper securing them with a bit of Blu-tac to keep them in place. Once I initially rolled the roller in the paint he was able to do the rest on his own. Master 2 is really proud of his wrapping paper and I know his teacher will just love the personal touch too!

I cut out a shape of a Christmas Tree and Master 2 helped me place some stars (I had these in my craft box, you could always just make your own instead of buying) on with blu-tac on the back to keep them in place.

I picked up this roller set for $2 from the discount store, perfect size for a toddler to manipulate.

Roll the paint onto the sponge for you little one at the beginning and then they will be able to do this independently.

Christmas Crafts for Toddlers

Christmas is a time for all the family to come together and share in the joy. Making the decorations is part of that, and there is no reason why toddler shouldn’t join in.
A toddler might be small, but he or she usually has bags of enthusiasm and energy. Channel this into making some great Christmas craft items that could become treasured family heirlooms in the future.

Christmas Cards
Christmas cards are a great toddler craft, as they give so much joy to the people who receive them. Fold pieces of card in half so that only the front of the card is showing and let your toddler go wild with glitter glue, Christmas stamps, metallic pens and self-adhesive shapes.

Christmas Angels
Cut out this basic angel shape on a piece of cardboard. Have fun painting the angel and adding all sequins, glitter and what ever else you have in your craft box. Perfect to sit proudly at the top of the family Christmas Tree.

Christmas Wreath

Cut a circle out of a paper plate and paint it with green paint. Then provide your little one with lots of Christmas sequins and glitter and let them have fun decorating it. The sequins should stick to the paint, if not brush with some PVA glue. The finished product is perfect to welcome family and friends at the front door during the holiday season.

Toilet Roll Nativity
A toddler can produce a great nativity using the inside rolls from toilet tissue. Cut out shapes from gummed coloured paper for cloaks, faces, eyes and hair. Allow your toddler to stick the shapes onto the tubes.

Dough Craft Shapes
Make some craft dough and offer it to your child. He or she can use cookie cutters to make dough shapes to go onto the tree. Before the dough dries, add a hole to thread ribbon through, or press a paper clip into the top of the dough as a hanger. Once dried, allow your child to paint the shapes. If you like, you can make the shapes yourself and just let your child do the painting. Shapes can be varnished for extra durability.

• Mix thoroughly 1/4 cup of salt, 1/4 cup of water, and 1 cup of flour. Work into a very smooth dough using a wooden spoon and then your hands.

Biscuits
Gingerbread shapes are easily cut from rolled out dough using Christmas-shaped cutters. It doesn’t matter if they come out a funny shape – they’ll taste just as good!

Crowns
Crowns are a great Christmas craft as they fit in with the theme of Three Kings, and add extra sparkle to the festivities. Cut a crown shape from gold or silver card and let your toddler glue on plastic gems. Once dried, staple it to the size of your child’s head.

Pom-pom Christmas Tree
This Christmas tree gets its soft and fuzzy look thanks to a few handfuls of pom-poms. The fun comes from not having a pattern – kids are free to place pom-poms of different sizes and colors wherever they want!

Handprint Rudolph

This handprint Rudolph is a great keepsake craft to give as a Christmas gift to grandparents, aunts or uncles! Be sure to include child's name and the date on the back.

Craft Stick Christmas Tree Ornament

Use paint, craft sticks, and a few decorations to make this lovely craft stick Christmas ornament craft to hang on your tree this Christmas! This is a great project for a snowy day.

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose.

And if you ever saw him, you would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names.

They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve

Santa came to say: "Rudolph with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then all the reindeer loved him as they shouted out with glee,

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,

you'll go down in history!

I have kept this Golden book since I was a young child and now have so much pleasure in reading it to my two young boys. I try to do a craft activity each year around Rudolph, so this year is no different. Well slightly different... we were in Lincraft when Master 2 let out an almighty squeal of delight that he had found Rudolph from my book! It was a paper mache reindeer , which got me thinking.... so home we went with our paper mache reindeer and the boys got busy painting. We had Christmas songs in the background and they both really enjoyed this co-operative painting activity together. Rudolph is definitely going to take pride of place next to our Christmas Tree this year!

Christmas Star

It is a silent night, and Little Owl is sitting in his tree with a waiting feeling when a star sparkles along. "Come with me", says the star, and Little Owl follows, as do three men on camels and shepherds with their sheep, until all who have followed the star find themselves part of a happy scene. I love reading this book to my boys in the lead up to Christmas, it is such a cute take on an important part of our Christmas Celebrations within the Church.

Every Christmas we read this story before we decorate our Christmas Tree. We then make a new star each year which is proudly placed at the top of our tree.

I spray painted a piece of foam that I had in the cupboard with Gold paint and then drew a star on it. We had picked up these cute Christmas beads at Spotlight on Saturday so Master 4 got busy decorating his star.

Master 4 was really proud of his star and has decided to hang it on his bedroom door come the 1st December.

TOP 10 Christmas Books

I have made it a Christmas tradition in our house that the boy's receive a Christmas Book each year in their Santa Sacks. We then keep these in a Christmas Box that we bring out on the 1st December and spend the month reading from. The boys really enjoy these books as they are not part of our regular book shelf throughout the year. Below are our Top 10 favourite Christmas Books to read in the lead up to Christmas. (In no particular Order!)

A photographic puzzle book features rhyming riddles that invite young readers to locate hidden objects--clocks, nickels, pickles, frogs, and others--among double-page spreads filled with holiday delights.

Little children will love learning their first Christmas words as they examine each delightful festive scene. Scenes include decorating the tree, getting ready for Santa, Santa on the roof and opening presents.

It's almost Christmas and it hasn't snowed yet. As the farmer naps on his small farm, he dreams of being covered in a gentle blanket of new snow. Then, one by one, he dreams of each of his five animals (aptly named One, Two, Three, Four, and Five) being covered as well. When he awakens, he discovers that real snow--not dream snow--has fallen. And "Oh my! Oh my! I almost forgot," the farmer shouts, and, bundling up, hurries out to his tree (named Tree) with a box and a sack, looking remarkably familiar in his white beard and red suit. After decorating Tree, the farmer shouts "Merry Christmas to all!" and pushes a button for a surprise Yuletide jingle.

Children love mail, packages and surprises. The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg has all of these, making this long-popular picture book a favorite with children. This book is the perfect take-along as you make the long drive to Grandma´s house on Christmas day. The Jolly Christmas Postman, told in rhyme, is of the popular postman who is featured in several picture books by the husband and wife team. The mail is being delivered to fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters. What makes this book so delightful, besides a fun story and great pictures, of course, is the added bonus of gifts.The pages are envelopes which contain extra activities that will keep a child busy for hours. What child doesn´t love to play with mail? The jolly Christmaspostman visits Little Red Riding Hood and the reader can see for herself just what that big bad wolf has sent the brave fairy tale heroine. A hazardous board game to play during her Christmas outing. Humpty Dumpty receives a board puzzle that allows a child to put the famous egg back together again.The Gingerbread man receives an activity book with stories, puzzles, riddles and more.The Big Bad Wolf´s envelope contains a guide to spotting wolves in disguise. Even the jolly Christmas postman gets a gift from Santa himself. A delightful peep show that allows the child to peek inside a multi-layered scene of the Postman. Opening the envelopes and playing with the special gifts will keep children occupied for hours during holiday travel or visits to dull relatives (even on visits to entertaining relatives.)

Father Christmas awoke from his dream of summer in the sun, and there it was on the calendar, December 24th, Christmas Eve, the start of his longest night's work of the year.

It's Christmas. Lift the flaps and join Spot as he finds out about presents, Christmas trees and all the excitement.

'Christmas was coming. Out came the tree, dressed up in finery, splendid to see. Trinkets and tinsel with baubles and bows, a mouse with a hat and a very red nose.' It's Christmas in Slinky Malinki's house and the rapscallion, mischievous cat is most curious about the Christmas tree. With its reindeer, ribbons, baubles and bells, it's too tempting a treat for Slinky not to investigate. So Slinky Malinki, with mischievous glee, creeps out from the shadows to climb up the tree...

Just because it's Christmas it doesn't mean Mrs Wishy-Washy's farm animals can go without a good scrub. In fact, she says, 'Scrub yourselves from foot to head...or there'll be no presents for you this year!' But it's so cold in the old read barn. They'll shiver and shake and turn to ice! Duck knows a better bath - where there's warm water, pink bubbles and fluffy towels - but if Mrs Wishy-Washy finds out, they can kiss their presents good-bye!

Splat the cat can't wait for Christmas and is SURE he's been good enough for Santa to bring him all the presents on his Christmas list. But just in case Santa needs reminding of what an exceptionally good cat he is, Splat makes himself EXTRA helpful around the house. It's tiring work being helpful, but when Splat goes to bed on Christmas Eve he's kept awake by a worrying thought...Just how good do you need to be for Santa to visit? A charming Christmas story perfect for any eager child awaiting Santa's arrival.

All the farmyard animals - the jersey cow, the collie, bantam hens, sheep and lambs, ducks, kune kune, and the ginger cat - come to the cowshed door. They all come mooing, baaing, clucking, barking, quacking and meowing and they all come bearing gifts, true kiwi gifts like a rugby ball, a pavlova, jandals, a kiwi toy. And who do you think they saw? Little Baby Jesus by the cowshed door. The classic Christmas story is given a New Zealand twist in this warm and evocative retelling, with gorgeous illustrations.

Memory Tree

Traditions are an enormous part of Christmas celebrations in this country. What we eat, how we decorate, and how we handle our gift exchanges all define our family values and traditions. Some of these traditions last a lifetime, and are passed on to future generations.

Photos are part of our lives, they keep a register of many of our best moments of the life since we are born. An excellent way to share the photos with our loved ones is making photo Christmas ornaments with them. I have decided to make a photo memory tree displaying a photo of the children each year on Christmas morning. I hope to one day have a collection of these to give to the boys when they start having their own tree with their own family.(Or maybe I won't want to part with them and will keep them!)

Making a memory tree is easy and fun. I purchased this wooden tree and sprayed it with gold paint. The ornaments are made from http://www.snapfish.com.au/snapfishau/store/cat=ornaments

Memory Trees can also be used throughout the year and changed for different occasions and celebrations. I'm going to start using this tree as a Birthday Tree and display it on the day of the boy's birthdays with a decoration of them from past years.

Creating New Christmas Traditions

Whether you are a new parent looking to start your own special Christmas traditions with your new family, or experienced parents looking for a new tradition to add some fun to a tired Christmas holiday, these ideas can be for you. Spending special time with family and friends during the Christmas season is an important thing to keep in mind when considering what traditions to add to your family routine.

Christmas Eve Traditions

• Purchasing your children new pjs and allow that to be the Christmas Eve gift so that they can wear their new pajamas to bed. Although they will soon come to know what is in the package, they will continue to be excited about it. It is all about creating Christmas magic and memories.


• Watch a Christmas DVD/Carols on TV together as a family and drink hot milo with a slice of white Christmas that you made with the children earlier in the week.


• Most churches hold Christmas Eve services that include Christmas carols, reading the Christmas story from the Bible and cookies. A family service usually focuses on including the children in the congregation as well, making it a fun way to spend some time together on Christmas Eve.


• Drive around your local neighbourhood looking at all the lights


• Read 'The Night Before Christmas'. When your kids have grown and moved away, send a tape of yourself reading the book along with a beautiful copy of the book to share with their future children. A loving note in the front cover will mean so much. Christmas Photo Album- look through the previous year's album and talk about the wonderful year you have had as a family. I have a scrapbook just for Christmas and create a double page spread each year.

Christmas Traditions that I have started in my house!

• Decorate the Christmas tree on December 1st


• Spend a day at home making fun Christmas Craft with the boys


• I have a special basket I pull out each year on the 1st December and load it up with all of our Christmas books (winter and snow ones too). It is our Christmas tradition to read a book from this basket on a daily basis in the month leading up to Christmas.


• Christmas movies and music always get our family into the Christmas mood. My boys absolutely love watching the Christmas classics as well as the newer movies that have quickly become favourites. The Polar Express became an instant favourite in my house of Train Lovers! We play music throughout the day and the kids sing along both in the house and in the car! The Christmas tradition of movies and music is an easy one for kids to enjoy.


• Christmas baking is a special day with my boys. We pick a day and write it down on the calendar – Cookie Day! We go shopping together for the ingredients and come home and spend the day baking.


• Advent Calendar – Another Christmas tradition in my house, we have an advent calendar. My boys love counting down to Christmas. Each day when they check their calendar, we talk about the special meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate it today.


• Decorating the Christmas tree and putting the Manger scene together is another Christmas tradition we share with our boys. Even Master 2 can hang ornaments on the tree. My boys love checking out all of our favourite ornaments each year. They get to find a good place on the tree for the ornaments and hang them up. The manger scene is special because it gives us the opportunity to talk about the meaning of Christmas and the story of Jesus’ birth. We talk lots about this in the lead up to attending mass on Christmas Eve.


• SANTA'S NOTE - a note from Santa, in his special handwriting is pinned to the Christmas tree itself. All notes from the previous years are kept in 'The Night Before Christmas' book and re-read each year.


• Buy an ornament that reflects their interest each year. As memories fade with time, this is another great way of creating memories for both you and the kids.


• Buy a personalised ornament for each new baby born into the family. Great keepsakes for the future too. I also have a Christmas Star ornament made each year with a photo of each child on Christmas Day, I hope to give these to them when they leave home.


• Make some one's holiday very special. You and your kids can play Secret Santa to a different person every year. Or, if you choose, the same person. The idea is to pick someone who may be struggling financially or is lonely this Christmas season, and make them smile.Or, you can play the 12 days of Christmas with the chosen person or family. Each day of the 12 days of Christmas you can do something or give something special to that person. You would put the gift on the front porch or desired location. For example, on the 12Th day of Christmas, the (put your name here) family gave to me, 12 Christmas cookies. Of course, this is a secret, so don't tell!This will help your children learn the joy of giving without expecting anything in return.

Countdown to Christmas

Christmas can easily become such a stressful time of year - too many events and not enough blank boxes on the calendar, too many people on the gift-giving list and not enough in the wallet. Too many expectations, real or perceived, and not enough hands to do it all. The idyllic holiday scene in your mind usually doesn’t match the living room scene. So even though we still have 10 weeks until Christmas, it’s not too early to get your busy calendar nailed down, and start the preparations. I find the lead up to Christmas can become very over whelming for the kids, so I try to stick to bedtimes and limit the number of events we attend in the evenings. Writing yourself a 10 week plan can help relieve some of the stress in the lead up to Christmas and make for more quality Christmas Time with the kids and family as a whole. Below is a 10 week outline of things to gradually get done in the lead up to the day:

10 Weeks To Go

• Write a list of every person that you need to buy/make a gift for and decide on the amount you will spend. This way you can check out weekly specials in stores and compare prices online.
• Start your name/address list for your Christmas Cards. One of the reasons I haven’t sent cards out in years is because all those addresses are located in various places…it’s time now to write them in your notebook so that when you are ready everything is right there for you in one place.

9 Weeks To Go

• Start making Christmas cards. If you get personalised cards printed take/choose your picture and send away for cards to be printed.
• If you plan on giving calendars as gifts organise photos you will use and upload and order.

8 Weeks To Go

• Make contact with family members and decide on what needs to be organised for Christmas Day. If you are hosting it at your place have a list ready of what you need family members to make and contribute towards the day. If you are going to a family members house for the day, make contact with them or drop them an email to see what they need you to bring
• Post any overseas Christmas Cards or presents.

7 Weeks To Go

• Have a big sort through the kids toys and cull any that are broken or they no longer use, as we all know they will soon be replaced by new ones on Christmas Day!
• Review Christmas Day food menu so that you can start buying things when they are on special.

6 Weeks To Go

• Encourage your children to think about the community groups that make a difference in their lives by donating a few coins, or by doing a few jobs around the house in exchange for a donation to a group. Ask them to pin-point toys they have outgrown that they would like to contribute to a community group that works with children.
• Buy an extra toy or present this Christmas and put it in the collection box at your local shopping centre, office or church. Many department stores, such as Kmart (under the Wishing Tree) collect presents to be distributed to disadvantaged groups by community organisations.

5 Weeks To Go

• Finish Christmas tags and handmade gifts ready to wrap next week.
• Get the kids to make wrapping paper - nothing cuter than paper with the kids hand prints on it!

4 Weeks To Go

• Spend the week decorating the house inside and out with the children. Go out as a family to choose the Christmas Tree if you're having a real one.
• Start your Advent Calendar.
• Pick up any last minute gifts you need and wrap all your presents.

3 Weeks To Go

• Order Christmas hams, turkey, chicken and seafood.
• Check your list of gifts and make sure everyone is accounted for.
• Make a Christmas craft as a family

2 Weeks To Go

• Cooking Christmas treats such as decorating gingerbread man, white Christmas, rum balls.
• Many schools and community groups hold concerts at this time of year - lend your support by going along and clapping loudly. You could also offer to help make costumes or sell tickets.

1 Week To Go

• Spend time as a family visiting close friends and family members.
• Drive around and look at Christmas lights
• Watch A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, Christmas Vacation, or The Nativity Story
• Attend Christmas festivities that you have planned yourself or by the local community.
• Do your food shopping early in the week to avoid being disappointed if what you want isn't available!

Christmas Day - relax and enjoy the day with your loved ones!

• relax, laugh, and play games with extended family

My Number One Tip:

Save your receipts in one central location - I have a container that I keep them all in and put the person who the gift was purchased for on the back. You can guarantee someone will call you after Christmas looking for a receipt!