16 Dec, 2010
25 Days of Christmas: Days 11 – 15
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Easy ways to make kids happy
Day 11
We saw Nativity at the NAC. The girls love getting dressed up and going out. Live theatre makes for some great family-friendly entertainment (maybe something to do with Grandma and Grandpa?) but do heed the age recommendation for this production. Younger kids might enjoy the singing coyotes but wouldn’t understand some of the jokes. (If this isn’t your style, check out some of the other Decembery events coming up at the NAC. Psst. Stuart McLean is sold out. Boo.)
Day 12
The actitivty du jour was shopping for Christmas clothes* followed by the taking of the pesky Christmas portrait I insist on doing every year. Not much fun, I know (why is it harder to take photos of my own family?) but we went to an afternoon Christmas party afterwards, which made up for the photo-taking torture. (And I didn’t get tipsy and stagger home afterwards! Or suffer from a 7:00 p.m. hangover! Not that that has ever happened. No sirree.)
* which – although this was not a pre-planned advent activity – also included a surprise ear-piercing for Sarah’s earlobes, which now look very sparkly.
Day 13
In an earlier post I mentioned that I’ve been deliberately cryptic with the advent activities and decided to write them as clues, or at least very vague hints. On the 13th I wrote “Bark Bark,” which they puzzled over for some time until I told them we’d be making chocolate bark. I used this recipe as the basis, but essentially we just melted two kinds chocolate (bought at the Bulk Barn) and embedded roasted almonds or crushed candy canes into it. And instead of bark we made bitesized puddles. They turned out really well. Too well.
Day 14
I’ve been suffering with a cold and sadly didn’t have energy for very much at all. We watched the Grinch who Stole Christmas on TV and Mark took the girls to the library after dinner.
Day 15
Another low-energy choice – this time because Mark was getting sick too. We went to see the CHEO lottery house in Manotick. It is, in a word: HUGE. I secretely wondered if they’d sell more tickets if it was a smaller gorgeous home instead of a monster-sized gorgeous home.
So if you want to win, buy your ticket now because the last day for ticket sales is tomorrow.
Day 16 – today!
I’ve promised we’d make baked goods. Now I just have to find something festive and easy to make!
