There are dozens…if not hundreds…of advent calendars out there. We’ve tried many different complicated varieties over the years. Invariably, we start out strong and then by mid-December we start forgetting and have to play catch up for the days we missed.

A couple of years ago, I created a simple Christmas tree advent to help my kids keep track of the days. Much to my surprise, we managed to follow through with it every day. We kept it on the fridge so we wouldn’t lose track of it. Each morning whoever managed to get ready and sit down to breakfast first got to color in (or put a sticker on) one of the ornaments on the tree.

It became a fun little race each day and motivated the kids to get moving in the morning. Now that they’re a little older, I think I will print out one for each of them and let them keep in in their school folders or on their bedroom doors.

I recreated the Christmas tree file this year and thought I’d post it on my website. It’s not fancy or particularly creative, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s a ‘no-mom-required’ solution that works. Just thought I’d pass it on.

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December is a crazy month for our family. With three birthdays and Christmas all falling into a few short weeks, I’m forced to find creative ways to save myself time and money. One of my favorites, is our digital Christmas Card.

Christmas cards can take up tons of valuable time…getting the perfect picture, getting prints, tracking down addresses, you know how it goes. Last year, in an effort to save myself the hassle, I decided to create a digital version. I used the pictures I had stored in Picassa (see previous post) and another free program called Microsoft Movie Maker. The end result was a fun, 2-minute glimpse of our year in photos that I was able to email to my family and friends.

I’d never used Movie Maker before, but I found it really easy to work with. I simply imported 20 of my favorite pictures from Picasa as well as an instrumental Christmas song from one of my CDs. Once the photos were in the program, I arranged them into sections (I did a spotlight on each child and then a section of family fun). Next, I inserted some transitions between the photos (they’re built into Movie Maker) to help it flow from one picture to another. Technically, you can add video clips as well, but I didn’t want to devote the time to editing. I also used a graphic design program to add in title slides (like the one pictured here) but if you’re not tech savy you could skip those and just use the title pages that are included in Movie Maker.

Once I was happy with it, I saved it and composed a traditional Christmas card-type letter for the body of the email. I chose a Christmas-themed email stationary, attached the Movie Maker file, and added all the recipients. Thanks to the wonders of email, my digital Christmas card was instantly shared with over 50 family & friends. It was quick, efficient and best of all…free.

If you’re a little more traditional and would rather go with mail, Movie Maker can help you too. You can create a CD of your file within Movie Maker with a simple click of a button. Add a cute Christmas label and you can mail the CDs to everyone on your list.

I know this isn’t the right solution for everyone. I sure there are tons of you out there that love the whole Christmas-card making process. As for the rest of you…you may want to give this easy and free alternative a try. It worked for me. Just thought I’d pass it on.

If you have a newer system, you probably already have Movie Maker installed. If not, here’s the link.

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After 3 Halloween parties, a ward trunk-or-treat, and a big night of trick-or-treating my house and my kids are in Candy Overload. Rather than watch my kids gorge themselves on junk food all week, I opted to try something new this year. We’re calling it our post-Halloween Sweets Swap.

I spent $10 at Target and purchased a few small toys that I know my kids would like. I also made up a few coupons like “Trip to the McDonalds play land”, “Get out of chores pass”, and “Mom makes my bed”. Each item has a candy price. For example, the ‘Get out of chores’ coupon is 30 candy pieces, the Matchbox car is 20. When the kids get home from school today, I’ll set out the store and have them swap their junk food for more tummy-friendly alternatives. This way, they only hang on to the candy they really love and I get to save myself from a week of spoiled suppers and crumpled candy wrappers. It’s a win-win. Just thought I’d pass it on.

I wish I could remember where I read/heard the original version of this swap. I know it came from somewhere but I can’t seem to place it. Whoever you are, thanks for the bright idea!  Just thought I’d pass it on.

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Need a last minute Elementary school party plan? Try this fun Wich Finger craft and a hysterical game of Halloween Hullaballoo. It’s guaranteed to spook up any kid-friendly Halloween party. Great for all grade levels.I’ve done my fair share of Halloween parties. Here’s one of my favorite craft and game ideas.

Craft: Witch Finger Pens (concept found on FamilyFun.com)

Materials needed:
Green Crayola Model Magic (golf-ball sized ball for each student)
Ball point pen (one for each student)
Toothpicks (one for each student)
Unpainted fake fingernails (one for each student)
Halloween-colored fingernail polish or magic markers

Directions:
1. Prepare and distribute a small ziploc bag of supplies for each student
2. Have students flatten ball into a long strip. Place pen on strip and form clay around pen, leaving the tip of the pen exposed.
3. Sculpt the clay into a finger shape, forming thick bumps on one side for the knuckels. Mark wrinkles and creases around the knuckles with a toothpick. Use any excess clay to make warts. Mark initials on back of pen with toothpick.
4. Have students use scissors to cut a jagged edge on their fingernail. Attach fingernail to pen with small dot of craft glue
5. Have students paint fingernail with polish and set aside to dry.

Game: Halloween Hullabaloo (patterned after Cranium Hullabaloo)

Materials needed:
Halloween Hullaballoo file found on this site in the downloads section
CD player with Halloween music CD
Small bucket of bubble gum eyeballs

Peparation:
Print all 19 pages on heavy white cardstock. Cut out shapes and laminate. Attach the hook side of sticky back velcro (or double-sided duct tape) to the back of the floor pads to keep them from shifting. Bring a CD player with your favorite Halloween songs and and bucket of bubble gum eyeballs.

To Play:
Lay out all pads on the floor of the classroom and remind the kids that more than one person can stand on the same pad. Start the music. Give each player one piece of bubble gum. Shout out the instructions listed on the first page of the file. When you get to a STOP, mute the music and reward the winners with another piece of bubble gum. Restart the music and repeat through all the rounds. When the game is finished, have each player blow a bubble. The player with the biggest bubble is the winner.

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St. Patrick’s day was always a little dull at our house. We usually do the green pancakes and such, but I wanted something a little more fun for my kids to look forward to in March.

One year my oldest daughter fell asleep on one of those green beaded necklaces. When she woke up on St. Patrick’s Day, she had a strange green marking on her belly. She didn’t realize what had happened, so I told her that a lucky leprechaun must have snuck into her room late at night and left her his good luck mark. I told her the mark was very special because it promised an entire year of good luck. She was thrilled. Whenever she was nervous or scared during the following year I reminded her of the mark and she’d get a sudden burst of courage.

We had so much fun with it, that I’ve made it a St. Patrick’s Day tradition. Each year, I sneak into their rooms at night and draw a tiny green clover somewhere on their bodies. When they wake up on St. Patrick’s Day, they search for their mark and then rush in to tell me all about the great luck they’ll have that year. It’s an quick and easy way to brighten up an otherwise uneventful holiday. Just thought I’d pass it on.

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