spt: me today

Welcome, Christmas!

(For more Self Portrait Tuesdays, go here.)

The Stockings Were Hung

Stockings have always been my very favorite part of Christmas morning. When I was younger, I loved admiring my plump and exciting stocking and then finally dumping it out. We had THE BEST stockings when I was growing up--stuffed full of little presents and treats and just burgeoning out the top. It was fun to wake up Christmas morning today and see that Santa still stuffs them full! I love sneaking upstairs to look at the tree and all the presents after Santa has come and gone--while it's quiet and cozy and the kids are not yet awake.
Merry Christmas! We had a fun, mellow and happy day--busy with present opening, treat-eating, xbox playing (groan), doll hugging, horse clopping, sledding (kids & Mike), and napping (me!). I love this time of year and I love my little family more than I can express.

Merry Christmas 2007
from the Hansons!
Isabelle, Mimi, Crystal, Max & Mike

Christmas Jammies

I had so much fun tonight wrapping presents! Each year Mike & I give the kids jammies, which they open Christmas Eve, and these are the presents I wrapped first tonight because I wanted to do them while I was bright-eyed and chipper. I know the kids will be jumping all over the place when they see them tomorrow, so I made the bows all fluffy and exciting. I've actually meant to get these under the tree much sooner, and Max asked me a few days ago, "Are you going to give us our Christmas Eve jammies?" to which I replied, "Well, I thought we'd skip the jammies this year; you won't mind, will you?" And he got big, wide sad eyes and said, "YES! I love Christmas Eve jammies!" Isabelle piped right up and was also outraged that I'd skip the jammies. I kept playing it like I had no jammies and I think they are sweating it a little. I was THIS close to not doing the jammies this year because I'm so stressed about money. I actually had no idea they liked this little tradition so much, but evidently it means a lot to Max, especially. He likes his cozy Christmas jammies. I think it gives Christmas Eve a special feeling and I hope when they are older, they remember getting them.

There are actually a few little traditions I hope they always associate with Christmas:
* Reading Christmas stories every night before bed, all cozy and snuggly together
* Lego advent calendars
* Gingerbread houses
* Nativity flannelboard story
* Watching Christmas movies together
* Shepherds Dinner (we'll be doing this one every year)
* Making Christmas cookies
* Buying gifts for their siblings

Doing things together at Christmastime brings a feeling of closeness that I want to try hard to keep in my house all year. I always make a huge effort to plan fun activities in December and to be together in a happy, positive way and I want to consciously foster that closeness in the ensuing months.



I have been thinking of our everyday "traditions" that will accomplish this. There are just a few basic things that are the glue of our life as a family, keeping our weeks consistent and predictable. Hopefully my kids will remember these things as family traditions as well. All through 2007 I made a firm commitment to myself to have Family Home Evening on Mondays--no matter what. I have such a testimony of Family Night and the subtle way it binds a family together and provides a venue for communication. Family Night is a tradition I think my kids will associate with their growing up years.

We also do Movie Nights together quite frequently, and my kids love it. We snuggle up on the couch or floor, build a comfy nest and settle in with huge bowls of popcorn.

Mike takes the kids out regularly for Daddy-Daughter or Father-Son nights, and I love that he does this. The kids get giddy when he plans a night out with them. I feel it is so crucial for a father to be one-on-one with children. This has become a consistent enough event that I think they will look back and remember it as a part of childhood.

A year or so ago, I banned housecleaning from Saturday. We do the routine things that must be done to stay functioning--like dishes. And the kids still do their quick pickups of their bedroom before bed, but no more big "clean the house from top to bottom" day of pain! Saturday is Family Fun Day and we usually do some kind of outing or activity together, even if it's quick and simple.

And Max had better remember his nightly snuggles! Because I drag my butt upstairs to his room each and every night--even when sometimes I want to snarl at him to just go to sleep! He will be 9 years old in a week, yet still asks, "Mom, will you come give me a snug?" Who knows how long this will last?! He cannot seem to settle down and slow his brain activity unless I come snug up to him and give him some back tickles.

These are parts of life I hope my kids remember as day-in, day-out "traditions." But I'm sure they'll just remember all the things I don't want them to recall--like how I lose my patience at night, every night! Or how I'm sometimes late to pick them up from school. Or how I haven't sewn any of Max's Cub Scout patches yet. Sigh!

{Thanks, Dad, for the Christmas levities!}

Shepherds' Dinner

I've been so excited to copy Wendi's tradition of a Shepherds' Dinner and wanted to do it right before Christmas. Tonight was the night. And I was so frustrated; I could NOT find the dvd I had planned to watch. This is such a great movie to bring the Spirit of Christmas and it's nowhere to be found! It's gone missing, along with my copy of "Mr. Kreuger's Christmas"--both of which were free in the Ensign. Darn kids. I know they've snaffled them off somewhere as part of their daily scrabblings up in the tv room. So we ended up watching a little something I'd recorded off tv; Liken the Scriptures' "First Christmas." It was cutesy and good for the kids--basically a Broadway-type interpretation of the Nativity--but nowhere nearly as powerful as the actual Church-issued "Joy to the World." (I mean, for goodness sake...the angels were singing in a rasta-beat to the shepherds. Where's the glory in that?)

I'm sure my beloved "Joy to the World" dvd will turn up just in time for Valentine's Day.

I had great hopes of making my friend Ann's Broccoli Cheese Soup (been craving it since she had her fun girls' luncheon), but wised up to the fact this morning that no way was that going to happen! I mean, I've got pretzels to dip & fudge to make & toffee to concoct! So I whipped into the drive-thru of Kneaders and got soup from there. Not as good as Ann's, but definitely dee-lish! (I think Ann's soup will be my New Year's dinner tradition.)

I'm getting a little off track. We ate soup, cheese & crackers and watched the Shepherds sing and dance (much eye-rolling from Mike), and went to bed. Well, THEY all went to bed. I am awake in a quiet house and loving every silent minute of it!

(Do cheesecake calories count after midnight?)

Wexford Carol & the True Spirit of Christmas

Merry Christmas to one and all! As we embark on the last few days before Christmas, may the Christmas Star shine happiness upon you and your family.

Are YOU in the Christmas Spirit?

Click on the picture to enlarge. Thanks Dad, for your daily levities!

Gingerbread Houses

On sprinklesandtwinkles, I've posted an easy way to make gingerbread houses. Have fun!

Our Last Few Days

Here are the girls, all ready for the ward Christmas party last week. There was a entertainment group there--all singy and dancey--and Mimi was RIVETED to the stage. There were probably 25 or 30 teens doing a modern version of Lawrence Welk...singing and dancing and acting. Mimi finally ditched us; she found herself a front-row seat and plopped right down and didn't move the entire next hour. Afterwards, the adults were talking and enjoying dessert while all the kids were out causing a ruckus in the halls. When it was time to round up our kids, we found everyone but Mimi, whom we finally tracked down in the Relief Society room with the dancers! They all went there to rest and eat their dinner and socialize after their performance and Mimi zoned in on them and started giving them the rundown: "I like your hair," "Do you wear that makeup all the time?" "Does your mom only let you wear it to dance?" "Do you want to see MY moves?" "Do you go to dance class?" "There aren't any boys in my dance class," "Are those tights just for big girls?" "Where did you get your sparkle dress?" And on & on. The dancers got a huge kick out of her and made a big fuss over saying goodbye to her. What a girly-girl!

So that was last weekend. This weekend was Mimi's Christmas dance recital, which is always a treat. She has been looking forward to it so much and has almost as much fun getting ready for the recital as she does at the recital itself--especially because she is allowed to wear mascara. Here she is before the recital, striking an impromptu pose.

This is a girl who loves to feel glamorous! Which is so funny because Isabelle could care less. Oh, she'll usually cooperate when I get her trussed up for church every week, but really is not into bows and frills. She'd rather "rough you up" (her words) or play Star Wars with her light saber.

Here is Mimi's little Grinch dance. She's the one in the middle with the white bow.


Later that night Mike & I went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Christmas Concert, which was fabulous! I was too far away to capture the coziness of the stage; on either side of the orchestra is a Christmas village, all aglow with lanterns and lights. This is my favorite Christmastime event and I was so happy I was able to go!

The next day, Sunday, Mimi took a very late nap and so was allowed to stay up much later than usual. I had been waiting to show her The Nutcracker, which I have tivo'd, and she loved it even MORE than I had expected! This picture is of her floating and flitting her arms around, ballerina-style. She did this all through the show--she couldn't help herself.

At the very end, she popped up out of her couch nest and began to dance along with Clara. I can't wait to watch her get bigger and see how this part of her personality develops.

Stocking Advent Calendar

Here is our Christmas activity we did Wednesday: we made a stocking advent calendar. This is so easy and the kids love it! All you need is: kids' christmas socks, ribbon or yarn & clothespins. The socks can be found in the cheapie baby section of walmart or target. There are also festive christmas socks in the walmart sock section. Clothespins are in the craft section of walmart or at the craft store, by the popsicle sticks.
Now put a little treat or note for each child in each stocking and start counting down to Christmas! We only did 12 stockings since we started on the 12th. Next year, when I've planned ahead, I will put a scripture or a note or a song in the stockings--like Karri's darling advent that I am so envious of! This year, I just stuck sugar balls into each sock. You do what you can, right? (Seriously, though. Go look at Karri's cute spiritual advent calendar.)

Who Wants to Make Cookies?

Go check my food blog for the latest Christmas recipe! And then get to work! (yum)

Visions of Sugarplums

It's important to me this year to focus on the festive Christmas activities I love so much. To me, the joys of Christmas are centered around doing cozy things with my family. It seems in recent years I've over-committed myself throughout December and never quite get to the "doing" of Christmas, at least in the way that I want to, with my kids. So this year I've minimized everything and made a list of projects and activities so that the time won't get away from me. Here is what we've done this week, so I can remember & look back:

Mon 3rd - Christmas FHE: made gingerbread cookies, played nativity matching game & read Christmas books
Tues 4th - Frosted gingerbread girls & boys
Wed 5th - watched "Frosty the Snowman" & "Twas the Night Before Christmas"
Thurs 6th - gumdrop trees, watched "One Silent Night"
Fri 7th - Ward party

Here are the gumdrop trees we made last night. I am so excited that they turned out so cute!
I helped Mimi with hers because it's tricky for a little kid to avoid puncturing herself with the toothpicks. *(please note Mike's participation level in the background...zzzzzz...)
He did eventually get up and help Isabelle-the-reluctant-tree-maker.
Mimi had a lot of fun helping me do the smaller tree. I was on toothpick duty and she lined up the gumdrops she wanted me to use.

Here's how you do it: Start with a styrofoam cone, found in the craft store's floral section. Stick the toothpick into the cone, then the gumdrop onto the toothpick. You'll need to break each toothpick into thirds when working at the top; if you use an entire toothpick, it'll go through the other side, but still be too long to stick another gumdrop onto. Pictured below is my 1/3 of a toothpick, for you visual learners.

STEP 1) Break toothpick into thirds.
STEP 2) Poke toothpick into tree.
STEP 3) Poke gumdrop onto toothpick, being careful where you put your fingers! Hold fingers on either side of gumdrop, DO NOT push it from the top! You'll poke that toothpick right into your finger. The goal is to avoid puncture wounds.
Max was very fastidious about his tree. He wanted no blank spaces between gumdrops and spent a long time on his project. I've noticed he is a very tenacious project-doer; it bothers him to leave an art project unfinished. He keeps going like the Energizer Bunny until whatever he is working on is finished. He has always been a rather enthusiastic crafter. I have funny memories of him diving into my scotch tape and construction paper when he was just a 3, 4, and 5 year old, frantically making some wacky creation--almost compulsively driven to sculpt with tape. His artistic streak continues to this day, just in a bigger-boy way. (I'll have to feature some of the sketches of his inventions at a later date.)

Anyway, this is his completed tree.

Here is my smaller tree.And here is my tree, posing by something beautiful. This is a hint of what we're doing tomorrow...

Can anyone guess what tomorrow's project is going to be?....

Christmas Recipes Have Begun!

I promised Christmas baking, and that's what you're going to get...all through December! Go here for the gingerbread cookies recipe and keep watching for more recipes.

You may also want to watch your scale as we bake all these goodies.

Gingerbread Girls & Boys

{my gingergirl. i had to snatch one for myself to decorate.}

Well, my shopping is done and I am devoting all of December to my favorite Christmas activites! Last night we had a Christmas Family Home Evening: we made the gingerbread dough and cut it out, played a Nativity matching game & read Christmas books by the tree upstairs. It was the epitome of Christmas cozy.

Tonight we decorated the gingerbread girls & boys. Max, in his typical mathmatical style, divided up & distributed the cookies so that all three kids had an equal amount to decorate. I was on "filling-the-frosting-bags" duty and Mike was on "help-Mimi" duty. (Next time I do this, I will try to remember to make the frosting & fill the bags while the kids are away at school; it took a half hour just to make the frosting & mix the colors...not to mention fill the bags!)

Mimi was actually very adept at holding the frosting bag. Look at her 45-degree angle!
Max was having a ball; his gingerboys got kookier & kookier as he went.


They finished & Mike took them upstairs to dump them in the tub and wash the frosting out of their hair. I was left with a brigade of gingerbread boys & girls and...a very messy kitchen, which will be waiting for me in the morning. Ugh. I hate kitchen-mess first thing in the morning.

I will just have to reward myself for KP duty by scarfing a ginger-girl!