Deck the Halls With an Easy Button Wreath

We decked our halls last weekend. The boys helped put up the Christmas tree and they really loved getting to participate!


We also read the book Deck the Halls illustrated by Veronica Vasylenko. This book is the lyrics to the traditional carol. The illustrator employs cute mice to deck out her book. The mice decorate a Christmas tree, hang the stockings, and make the cookies. The book ends with a Christmas party with family.


Another great board book in the same jingling Christmas carol theme, is Jingle Bells also illustrated by Veronica Vasylenko. Both of these books are padded board books with glitter varnish. These would make a cute gift as a set for a toddler this Christmas. If you are just going to buy one, I would stick with the Deck the Halls book. The illustrations are more engaging in it. The Jingle Bells book seems to be the same picture on each page as the mice ride in a sleigh. There are slight variations, but I'm not sure preschoolers would notice the mice bouncing or the music notes around them signaling singing. Deck the Halls does a better job of showing a variety of Christmas activities that you could talk about with your child.

Our 12 Days of Christmas Craft to accompany these two books, was to make a wreath for our "halls". I cut out a piece of green foam and then I gave Logan red and green buttons to glue to the foam. My wreath was about the size of a butter lid. We may hang this on the Christmas tree since it's a pretty small wreath. (By the way, Logan still calls this a donut. Maybe we should read more books about wreaths).

Dont' forget to check out the other 12 Days of Christmas books and crafts here at Ready. Set. Read! and Reading Confetti.
Christmas Tree Puzzle and The Twelve Days of Christmas by Rachel Isadora
Easy Christmas Tree Lid Craft and Llama Llama Holiday Drama
Paper Punch Christmas Trees and Mr. Willowby's Christmas Trees
Blessings Tree and The Littlest Angel

Also, you can check out all of our books crafts in one easy spot on my 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest Board.

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Disclaimer:  I was sent a free copy of these two books from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Llama Llama Holiday Drama Review + Low Maintenance Craft

Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney If your kid is a Llama Llama fan, then check out this holiday version of the book. In this story, Mama Llama is busy  preparing for Christmas. Little Llama has nothing to do but wait. (Sound familiar?) This results in a little holidrama (aka. meltdown) for Llama llama.  Mama is reminded to stop and remind Llama that they need to take time in their busy holiday to snuggle, hold each other close, and spend time with each other.

I decided to take some time out from the holidrama to spend some time crafting with my littlest guy. He doesn't always get as much attention as his big brother did at this age (clearly, he doesn't even have all of his clothing on-- just pj bottoms). I wanted an easy project that a 22 month old could do with momma while his brother was distracted with video games.

We made this dramatic Christmas tree. I gave Tyson 3 green lids. To avoid a holiday meltdown, I gave Tyson one lid at a time. We started with stickers. Then used glue and buttons. We finished up with the grand finale of glitter glue. I then glued his three decorated lids to green paper and we topped it off with a yellow "star" lid. You could always decorate the star as well, Tyson's attention was beginning to wane at this time. I added a trunk as well. 

Tyson was very proud of his finished art work, and I think he enjoyed his 1 on 1 crafting time with momma!
This is Day #2 of the 12 Days of Christmas at Ready. Set. Read! and Reading Confetti. Yesterday Lori shared a great book about a family who had a Christmas tree that was too large to fit into the house-- and a Christmas tree craft that is perfect for preschoolers!
In case you missed it, I had a Christmas Tree Puzzle that you can make yourself!
Don't forget, you can find all of our crafts at the 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest board.
Here's where I am sharing:

The 12 Days of Christmas by Rachel Isadora

Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas hosted by Ready. Set. Read! and Reading Confetti. For the next 2 weeks Lorie, of Reading Confetti, and I will be sharing 12 of our favorite Christmas books along with a craft or an activity. We will finish our countdown of the 12 days of Christmas books on December 13th. This will give you 12 days before Christmas arrives to do these activities or share these books with your kids. If you are feeling extra ambitious, you could even try doing all 24 activities, the 12 from Lorie's blog and the 12 from my blog. Check out Reading Confetti for a cute way to create a countdown to Christmas with your books!




What better way to kick off our 12 Days of Christmas than to read a book featuring the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas"? The 12 Days of Christmas by Rachel Isadora is one of my favorite books! The text of this book is the traditional 12 Days of Christmas song, however, the story is set in Africa. (I had Christmas down in Africa, I diverge.) Africa is actually a great backdrop for this song. Imagine 11 lords a leaping in Mali or 9 ladies dancing in Swaziland. According to the author's notes, Isadora based her cultural illustrations off her actual travels to African countries. Each detailed and vibrant illustration depicts the cultures of Africa. Also, instead of repeating text, on each verse, the book contains a rebus type repetition which makes it beneficial for younger readers. From the vibrant end pages to the detailed depictions of daily life, The 12 Days of Christmas by Rachel Isadora is a festive look at a traditional song.

The cover art on Isadora's 12 Days of Christmas reminded me of this serrated rectangle puzzle. I made this one out of green craft foam. We used 12 rectangular pieces. Logan (3) is able to order the pieces from largest to smallest on his red mat, creating a Christmas tree. You could also number the pieces 1-12, or put them in a pocket chart that is numbered 1-12-- matching the numbers. There are many ways to scaffold this activity to meet your learner's needs. This is an activity that he will hopefully want to repeat throughout the next few weeks.
You could also do this with construction paper and have your child glue it and decorate the tree for a keepsake art project. 
Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Day #2 and go check out Reading Confetti for more great book suggestions and crafts. I'll be pinning all of our books and crafts to my 12 Days of Christmas Pinterest board. We'd love it if you'd pin our crafts or follow on pinterest!
I'm also sharing here this week:

Purchase Interactive Storybook Apps for a Good Cause

The holidays remind me of all I have to be thankful for, and often this stirs me to want to give to others at this time of year. This year I am especially thankful for my healthy kids. I have watched family deal with kids who are very ill. I have watched a friend have to say goodbye to her precious little four year old boy. I trust God, but I do not understand why these difficult things happen. It makes me want to hold my boys a little tighter, thank God for them, and give to those in need.
When Ruckus Media Group contacted me about an opportunity to give a little to St. Jude's Children's hospital through my holiday shopping, I was excited to pass along the opportunity to all of you. Ruckus Media group is partnering with St. Jude's Children's Hospital for their thanks and giving campaign. When customers purchase any interactive storybook app from Ruckus media on the App store, Ruckus media will donate 100% of the net profits ($1.39) to saving kids with cancer and other deadly illnesses.
Some of the apps available from Ruckus media include The Velveteen Rabbit interactive storybook app which I reviewed in the past, as well as a best seller The My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle Teacher for a Day. We also have this app and it includes not only an interactive story but two games. One game where kids can tilt the screen to do a maze is sure to be a hit with your kids as you travel over the river and through the woods this weekend.
Ruckus Media has reduced their price to $1.99 on all of their apps. The campaign with St. Jude's Children's hospital runs through Monday, November 28th.

Thanksgiving Stress Busters: Thanksgiving is Here!

Ding Dong. The door bell rings. In come grandkids, mommies, daddies, aunts, uncles, and an unclaimed dog. The hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving is delightfully told in Thanksgiving is Here by Diane Goode I found this book to be a great starting point to preparing a child for the large family celebrations this week. The holidays can be stressful for my kids-- interrupted naptimes, new faces, "strange" foods. As I shared this book with the boys, I pointed out the illustrations of the people, "Look at all of those people. I bet they are having fun with cousins or maybe playing with new friends. When you meet a new friend you could tell them your name, can you practice?"
I pointed out the foods, "Do you like turkey? When Grandma gives you turkey you could tell her you really enjoy it or say thank you. What else could you say?" We even talked about things to say when we don't really care for a food.
The author of the book even helps parents address the end of the evening, "No one cries because everyone is going home."
So, I have my kids all prepped for the big day, but what about prepping myself? If my kids have a stressed out and anxious mommy, they won't enjoy the festivities. I've been trying to remember 3 words that I learned from Patsy Clairmont at Women of Faith. They are short and easy to remember, but you have to be intentional about putting them into practice.
1. "Yes"- say yes to whatever God wants you to do today. Whether it's being extra patient with an overtired kid or extra patient with a late meal at a family event, I need to listen to what God is telling me to do.
2. "Thank you" - well, that word certainly fits this weekend. I'm working on making it an every day occurrence.
3. "No" If what you are being asked to do is not going to be the best thing for your family, is not something that God is directing you to do, or is just something to clutter your holidays. Feel free to say, "no".

What are your tips for avoiding the stress and enjoying the holidays?

The Muppets Road Trip Game

Are we there yet?          How ‘bout now?          Now?          How about now?

Those questions can only mean one thing: road trip! (With children.) And Kermit knows road trips! In the upcoming film Disney’s “The Muppets,” Kermit joins Walter (Walter), Gary (Jason Segel), Mary (Amy Adams) and—eventually—the whole Muppet gang in the car for a trip of their own, as they endeavor to save Muppet Studios from evil oilman Tex Richman. So don’t despair. The Muppets can help keep kids busy and happy with…

DISNEY’S “THE MUPPETS” ROAD TRIP GAME
This is a great game! It was sent to me by Disney to share with all of you. If you are a huge Muppet's Fan like me, you'll enjoy this car game. Here's how to play:

See if you can spot:

• 5 Kermit green cars
• 1 Person who looks like a relative of Gonzo’s
• 3 People who look like they just stepped off the Electric Mayhem Band bus
• 4 of Miss Piggy’s biggest fans. How can you tell? Easy, they could be
• Singing to themselves
• Fixing their hair in the mirror
• Blowing kisses to you through the window
• Blowing kisses to themselves in the mirror
• 2 Bumper stickers that are so funny, Fozzie Bear would add them to his act
• 4 People wearing suits they stole from Statler and Waldorf
• 3 Cars that are so patriotic, Sam the Eagle just might be driving them

Bonus:
Sing the chorus of “Mahna Mahna” or “Rainbow Connection” at a red light or while driving through a tunnel
Find a license plate from Smalltown, USA (or at least one that is red, white and blue)
Find the letters of Disney’s “The Muppets” in license plates

ABOUT THE MOVIE

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage a telethon and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With secret, signature, celebrity cameos, Disney’s “The Muppets” hits the big screen Nov. 23, 2011.

If your kids are too young to play this game, check out my travel ideas for preschoolers. Get the kids entertained, and then force your husband to play the Muppet game with you. That's what I am going to do! Have safe travels, everyone!

Thanksgiving Craft: Corn Wreaths

Thanksgiving Mice by Bethany Roberts is a cute look at the first Thanksgiving. Roberts has a whole line of holiday stories featuring mice, Christmas Mice, Fourth of July Mice, Halloween Mice, the list goes on. Each book has large colorful pictures and short lines of text. The book portrays the mice celebrating the holiday in some way. In Thanksgiving Mice, the mice celebrate Thanksgiving by performing a play about the first Thanksgiving. The little mice sail in the Mayflower, land at Plymouth Rock, face starvation, are given corn by a mouse dressed in native american wear, and celebrate a harvest the next fall. At the end of the book, the mice step out of their acting rolls to celebrate a feast with their friends. It's a cute look at the first Thanksgiving for preschoolers. I found using the pictures to tell a short first thanksgiving account was helpful for the boys. I'm not sure if they understood the historical events in the book. I tried to emphasize the point of giving thanks to God for our food or for anything that he gives to us.
We made this corn wreath to remind us to be thankful for our food.

I'm having camera trouble so this is the only picture I have of the whole process for now. Of course, you can still read the directions below, I just don't have pictures. Sometimes I like to just look at the pictures... did the READING blogger just say that??? Yes, I did :)

We experiemented with two different ways to paint the corn. First, we used qtips to paint dots on white corn cut outs. I glued the painted corn into a precut corn stalk.
Then we tried bubble wrap painting. We painted the bubble wrap with harvest colors. After the boys painted it, I turned it over onto the paper and they pressed down to print. I love the way these turned out.
I cut out a wreath form from a paper plate and glued the corn around it.
I found this idea linked at pinterest from the blog Real Life, One Day at a Time-- the one they did is actually prettier than mine, go take a look!

Happy Thankgiving!
I'm linking this up:

Tips for Spreading Holiday Cheer #HasbroKREOsets

"He's making a list, checking it twice, gonna find out who's naughty and nice." Santa isn't the only list maker this time of year, I've already started holiday grocery lists, gift lists, and a list of where to be when. I tend to go a little crazy type A personality at this time of year trying to get it all done and get it all perfect! The gift list is a big stresser at this time of year. I want to find the perfect gifts for my boys-- you know the ones that they will think are super cool, the ones that will keep them entertained for more than just Christmas morning, and the ones that won't cost a ton of money. I'm happy that I discovered KRE-O Transformer building sets as a new toy this year for our gift list.
We're adding a KRE-O Transformer to our shopping list for a few reasons. First, every time Logan looks through a toy catalog, he tells me, "I want a transformer." He's a little young and I'm wondering how he learned about transformers, but somehow he knows they are the hot toy.
Second, the KRE-O Transformers seem like a toy that will be played with for a long time around our house. Each set allows a kid to build two models, a vehicle or a robot character. The transformers are based on the generation one transformers of the 1980s so even if the kids don't play with them, I'm sure their daddy will!
Third, they fit into my budget. While you can buy a fancy set for your kids for about $60, you can also buy a set for $7.99. I love that we don't have to break the bank to get our kid a fun toy. The toys are also compatible with other brick building sets on the market so the sets we already have (or inherit as hand me downs) can be used with the KRE-O set too.
I've really wanted to find a toy that could satisfy Logan's new found love of Transformers. I love that these are more than just a Transformer toy but something that he can build and explore. The toy is recommended for kids ages 6 and above. He is a little young but he's always been weirdly good at spatial relationships and his big cousins have shown him the ropes on the  building sets. However, this is a toy that we will supervise his play.
Not only am I sharing a toy I added to our Christmas list, but I am sharing a few ways that we spread holiday cheer.
One thing that I am doing this year is that I am trying to be intentional about doing things early. I would like Christmas shopping, wrapping, card mailing done by December 1. I know it sounds crazy but I would like December to be focused celebrating Christmas, not shopping-- which is why I have to make my list and check it twice now!
This December, we are going to count down to Christmas with a book a day calendar. I am going to wrap up all of our Christmas books. We are going to unwrap a book each day and do an activity with the book.
We are also going to try and establish more Christmas traditions this year-- not necessarily with extended family but with the boys and Greg and me. They are getting old enough that they will start having special memories and I want them to remember that we always ate popcorn while watching the Grinch after putting up the Christmas tree. Traditions are such an important part of family life.
Traditions are my way of spreading holiday cheer.
What are you doing to spread holiday cheer?

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hasbro blogging program, for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points and a KRE-O gift. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of SocialMoms or Hasbro. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Book Review: Stained Glass Hearts by Patsy Clairmont

Perspective. It's what allows an artist to see a beautiful sculpture in a pile of junk. It's what allows a writer to craft a story from broken circumstances.  Recently, I had the opportunity to hear Patsy Clairmont speak at a Women of Faith conference. Patsy's thoughts on perspective really helped me deal with a frustrating circumstance in a positive way.  I was able to go a little deeper by reading her book, "Stained Glass Hearts"
Stained Glass Hearts: Seeing Life From a Broken Perspective by Patsy Clairmont compares the broken circumstances of life to the beauty of a stained glass window. She shares stories of her own life and other women who allowed God to redeem their circumstances and turn brokeness into beauty. At the end of each chapter she shares ideas of scripture, music, art, poetry, and prayers to think about. In these sections, she often suggests that the reader do an online search for the work of art, song, or museum that she is referencing. I received this book as an ebook. While I thought the idea was relevant with these links, I was wondering if the publisher could have put specific links in. That would be cool, right? I don't know if that technology is present, but I'm thinking that could be a great future for nonfiction ebooks!
 If you are in the middle of a crisis and you're wondering what to do with all the broken pieces, pick up Stained Glass Hearts by Patsy Clairmont for some encouragement.

Arthur's Christmas: The Twelve Days of Christmas

Ever wonder how Santa delivers 2 billion presents in one night?  “Arthur Christmas” answers the question… and Aardman and Sony Pictures Animation are helping St. Louisians find their holiday spirit. They are hosting the 12 Days of Arthur's Christmas from now until the movie Arthur Christmas opens on November 23. We attended the kick off Saturday at Chesterfield Mall. It was a great event.  Logan got to bounce in a huge bounce house. Both of the boys colored pictures and got stickers and crayons and mommy even scored a few Denny's coupons.  There are some other great events happening in the next few days. We were going to attend the Holly Jolly storytime  at Headquarters Library but Logan came down with an eye infection. I would like all of you to have a Holly Jolly Holiday season so we'll keep the eye infection to ourselves and stay home. Here is the information if you need something free to do. You can find all the other events at The 12 Days of Arthur Christmas. You can scroll to your city so even if you are not in the St. Louis area, you may find some cool stuff to do near you! There is even a code on the site to get a pass for a free screening of the movie, Arthur Christmas!

Holly Jolly Story Time

St. Louis County Library-Headquarters

1:00PM-2:00PM

Join us for a special story time of everyone’s favorite Christmas book, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. A popular local celebrity will be on hand to read you into the holiday spirit. Open to the public.

Hunting for a Great Book

In this part of the country, we are in the midst of an important season...

Fall is upon us, but there is a much more important season at hand...

Deer Season-- It's mostly just important to my man. I actually do not celebrate the season. I think it's crazy for a reasonable person to go out in the freezing cold at 3 am. When I tell him that, he says, "I have two words for you. Black Friday." I guess we both have our own "hobbies".
This year, I thought it would be fun for the boys to get in on the deer season festivities. We started by reading a few books that I thought would fit nicely into a hunting theme.

Imogene's Antlers by David Small is a silly book about a girl who wakes up with antlers. While her mother is despondant, others come up with ingenious uses for the antlers- such as a birdfeeder. Several solutions are offered to the problem. They call the doctor, the principal, and Imogene's brother for advice. Then, they try making a hat for Imogene. Finally, Imogene goes to bed and wakes up antler free! The only problem remaining? She has grown another animal part! This is a funny story with much of the humor being conveyed through the descriptive illustrations. After reading, you can discuss with your which animals have antlers, why animals have antlers, or if your child would like to have antlers.


 Owl Moon by Jane Yolen is a classic and timeless story of a father and a child on a "hunt" in the woods.A child and father go out into the woods on a cold, dark night hoping to spot an owl. . The child learns that when you go owling you have to be quiet, make your own heat, and you have to be brave. The text of this story is poetic. The illustrations are gorgeous- don't just take my word for it, it won the 1988 Caldecott Medal.  This is by far Logan's favorite bedtime story at the moment. As I read, he actually engages in conversation with the book. I'll turn the page and he'll say, "My daddy goes hunting in the woods at night too." Since he does not appear to know yet that daddy shoots the deer, this book connects to his idea of daddy in the woods looking for deer. Someday he will not be so naive. :(

We decided to make Greg a deer treat bag from Disney Family Fun to "celebrate" opening weekend of gun season. (Some of you are thinking this is weird. I understand. I did not grow up with hunters. It's all new to me too).This bag fit nicely with our theme.  It was originally a reindeer treat bag for Christmas, we just replaced the red nose.

We stocked it with all of his favorite granola bars, nuts, and candy.  I know his friends may make fun of him for having such a crafty little wife but at least he will be thinking of us while he is off in the woods.

I'm linking this up: