Christmas Advent Calendar: Day 12

Santa Claus. Oh, Santa Claus. You look so warm and jolly and yet, our little Tory Girl wanted nothing to do with you today.

Looks like Mommy got her picture taken with Santa, too.

I really (really, really, really, really) didn't want to have my photo taken with Santa. Ugh! But, I guess the same could have been said for Tory.

Today, Tory and I met Andi at the nearby mall for a visit with Santa and lunch together. It really meant a lot to me that Andi took time out of his busy work day to meet us at the mall and see Santa together as a family. I don't know why it's so important to me, but it just is. There's something about the tradition of seeing Mr. Claus. Our little girl will only be this age for so long.

Remember what a cluster last year's Santa visit was? Turns out, visiting Santa on a week day is the way to go! There was no line today. No waiting 2+ hours to see the jolly man. We walked right up to have our picture taken with the Santa. Before we approached him, I warmed Tory up a bit to the situation, thinking that might help her acclimate to sitting on his lap, so we watched a few other kids taken their pictures with him and waved to Santa a few times. Tory was so excited to be in Santa's area and was perfectly happy until the moment I set her on his lap. Enter: Scream Fest.

The Santa workers weren't in a big rush, which was nice I guess, so they tried to warm Tory up to the idea of sitting on Santa's lap with toys. It wasn't the kind of situation where the photographer was willing to stick a screaming kid on Santa's lap, snap a pic and move on. So long story short, the only way we were going to get a picture without a screaming child was if I held her in the photo. Had I foreseen this happening (me in the picture, not the screaming. I expected that part), I probably would've dressed a little nicer. Oh, well ....

Afterwards, Andi and I took Tory to the sushi restaurant attached to the mall. It was either that, the pretzel place or Chipolte (which I had for lunch yesterday). This was Tory's first time at a sushi restaurant (fancy baby!) and she behaved fairly well. It's not very often we see Andi during the day so today was a nice treat.

Christmas Advent Calendar: Days 10 & 11

Make a gingerbread house. Sounds simple, right?

WRONG.

Yesterday's activity called for gingerbread house making, so I bought a kit from Target (basically this, but on sale for $8) to do just that. I found a few ideas online showing how to build a gingerbread house from scratch, but for $8 I couldn't have bought all the ingredients, frosting and candy to decorate it as inexpensively as this project presented itself.

Truth be told, this activity was mostly for me. I've never made a gingerbread house before and it looked fun! Plus, I thought the finished product would look so adorable on my dining room table. Obviously, Tory wasn't going to be much help so I planned to get the base of the house built and let her help decorate the rest. I set to work.

During Tory's afternoon nap on Monday, I put together the house frame, just as the package directed. It was simple enough and I waited the recommended time for the frosting to dry. Everything seemed to be coming together nicely, so I frosted the roof and gave Tory a few candies to add on top. She proceeded to shove two gumdrops directly into her mouth. (Which resulted in a trip to the sink where I squeezed her cheeks and pried the candy from her teeth. Girlfriend has a serious sweet tooth, just like her Daddy).

Half-way through decorating, the roof began to slide off and ruined our masterpiece. Darn it! I tried to re-apply it using more frosting, but it just made a big mess. Once Tory realized she couldn't eat any of the candy, she was over it and so was I. Into the trash our gingerbread house went. Project FAIL.

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Today's advent calendar activity was a much better success. Tory and I visited the Mall of America for Wonder Pets! Save the Nutcracker. We've never actually seen the show Wonder Pets!, but I thought it seemed like a fun Christmas activity to check out. Plus, it's free as part of the mall's Toddler Tuesday events. I invited my friend Val and her kiddos Kasen and Linden to tag along with Tory and I.

We were graced by a visit from Linny, Tuck and Ming-Ming in the flesh. They took photos with all the kids at the event, but I didn't push Tory to get one. She seemed a little nervous when we got close to them and (spoiler alert) we're going to visit Santa tomorrow so I don't want her to be too afraid of strange people/characters.

There were also coloring stations for all the kids which Tory and Kasen enjoyed. It's an amazing luxury to be able to experience all these moments with my little girl. She really had a lot of fun.

We ended our holiday play date with lunch in the food court where Tory sat with her buddy Kasen and ate a cheese quesadilla. My little girl is growing up so quickly. She sat at the table (mostly, when she wasn't crawling on and off the chair a hundred times) and ate her meal so nicely. I was so proud! It's becoming easier by the day to take her places like this and she really enjoys the social interaction. We'll definitely be back to check out another toddler activity at the mall.

Heather the Homemaker

I was at the bank the other day and the banker asked me to update my account information. "Do you still work at XYZ Company," he asked? "No," I replied, "I'm a Stay-At-Home-Mom now" as I gave Tory a big ole' squeeze signifying just how lucky I am. The banker updated my information, then asked me to review it in the system. It was in that moment I saw my new job title staring back at me:

Heather LastName
Occupation: Homemaker

Homemaker? For real? I suddenly felt like June Cleaver wearing a 1950's dress in a black and white picture show. The word homemaker sounds so inferior, like I've taken a giant step backwards from being a strong, college-educated woman.

I know this is such a silly thing and most people don't view me this way (including myself or my husband), but come on Bank, get with 2012! Can't you update your computer system to list an alternative occupation to homemaker? One that more accurately depicts my new role? Perhaps Household Manager or Chief Household and Child Director?

My first few weeks as a homemaker has gone fabulously well. My house is clean, my child is well-fed and entertained. I've baked and crafted for the holidays so much I'm brimming with cheer. I've cleaned poop out of the bathtub - twice. (Hey, no one ever said this job was glamorous).

I've learned quickly having a project each day helps me stay focused and feel accomplished. This month's Christmas advent calendar activities add a fun element to each day. Most importantly, I'm enjoying spending time with Tory. There's so many things I've learned about her this week, specifically the non-verbal cues she gives to signify her wants and needs and words she's beginning to say (although they're not actual words yet, just sounds and tones of them). I love rocking her to sleep at nap time during the day and not feeling rushed or exhausted. Today, I held for an extra 10 minutes and just watched her sleep. I haven't done since she was a baby.

Often when people learn of my new profession, they caution me to "stay involved" for fear I'll be a lonely mess at home in a few month's time. I understand where they're coming from (a loving, well-meaning place, I'm sure) but honestly, I'm not worried. I like being at home. I love being with my daughter. I feel like I've been training my whole life for this gig and this is right where I'm suppose to be.

Christmas Advent Calendar: Day 9

Six inches of snow has fallen in our neighborhood since Midnight and according to weather reports, there's 15" of snowfall at our Wisconsin cabin. I'm glad we decided to return home late last night and have a chill day in the comforts of our home today. The snow is a beautiful sight when you're not white-knuckling it on the freeway somewhere. 

For breakfast this morning, Andi made holiday pancakes for his girls. He used cookie cutters to make Christmas trees, stockings and snowflake shapes. It was something super easy and fun to do and the pancakes were the perfect size for Tory. She gobbled them right up. (Tip: spray the cookie cutter with cooking spray before adding the batter inside or it's hard to flip the pancakes on the griddle).

Later today, Andi and I decided to bundle Tory up in her snow suit (for the real deal this time!) and play in our snow-covered backyard for Day 9's Christmas advent calendar activity. Originally, I'd planned for us to visit a live nativity scene today, but the fresh powder in our yard was too pretty not to play in. Plus, the weather says we're suppose to get 10+ inches by the time this storm is done and in addition, the wind's suppose to pick up tonight causing white-out conditions. Sounds like a perfectly good excuse to stay safe and comfortable at home.

Going outside to play in the snow is no easy feat. It's a 15 minute process getting all three of us dressed in hats, mittens, coats, snow pants and boots. When we were all ready, I stepped outside on the patio deck, placed Tory down in the snow and she lost it. Full on scream-fest. Apparently, it's a little intimidating standing in snow up to your thighs for the very first time. So, scratch the idea of "playing in the snow" off the list. Tory stopped crying if I held her, so we snapped a few photos of us together in the snow instead of playing in it.

Goofy Daddy started throwing snowballs and the watering can at the tree, causing big clumps of snow to fall off its branches and that seemed to warm Tory up to the idea of being outside. She still didn't want to stand or play on her own, but we did hear a few giggles out of her.

Just look at all the snow on our deck railing and it's still falling as we speak. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas around here!

Christmas Advent Calendar: Days 7 & 8

Friday's Christmas advent calendar activity called for delivering holiday goodies to the neighbors. Which, coincidentally, arrived just in time as I'm all too tempted to eat everything myself.

On our way to the cabin Friday afternoon, Andi and I swooped over to each of our neighbor's houses and delivered tins of treats to them. It's a good feeling to see each of them so surprised and happy to see us. This little good deed goes a long way in developing a relationship with our neighbors and making this a better place for us to live all year round.

On Saturday, I'd originally planned for our family of three to go to the Holidazzle parade in downtown Minneapolis but our weekend trip to the cabin changed our activity. Tory might be a little too young for the parade anyway (maybe it was me who secretly wanted to go!) and Andi and I both feel the need to jump on any open weekend to get to the cabin. The weather was crisp and sunny Saturday afternoon, so Andi and I took Tory on a nature walk in the woods. We decided to make a frozen sun catcher as our advent calendar activity instead.

Before we went outdoors, Andi and I decided to dress Tory in her new snow suit. The outdoor temperature was about 32 degrees so the full garb probably wasn't needed, but it's so adorable we just had to try it. Tory wasn't sure what to think of the dusting of snow on the ground. I suppose she doesn't remember experiencing snow last winter so it was like she was seeing it all for the very first time. Every time she tried to bend down to touch it, she'd lose her balance due to her thick pants and big ol' snow boots. When Tory's hand filled with snow, she'd shout "uh oh!"

We were having such a fun time enjoying the outdoors on our nature walk until I let Tory down to walk along the trail. Stupid me for letting her walk on uneven ground - Tory's feet weren't steady enough in her snow boots and she fell face-first, right on her nose. She only cried a little, but earned herself a goose egg on her forehead and a scratch on her nose. Andi and I felt horrible, so we high-tailed it back to the cabin.

Like the good daddy he is, Andi finished collecting items for our frozen sun catcher project and brought them all into the house so we could assemble it together. Doing a craft activity with Andi is so different than if I'd done it on my own with Tory. He created a special loop for the sun catcher to hang from a tree branch and clipped it to the Tupperware bowl with a clothespin to hold it in place. I would've just draped a string over the side of the bowl!

Nature items ready to assemble in a bowl full of water

Andi and Tory worked to place all the nature items into a bowl of water. He talked to her about each item and where it came from outside. My heart was melting as I snapped a few photos of the two of them working together.

Andi and Tory making a frozen sun catcher

When they finished, Andi placed the Tupperware bowl in the freezer. Tory really enjoyed this activity and kept signing "more" to do it again. I think she liked playing in the water the most.

Nature sun catcher ready to be frozen

Unfortunately, a big winter storm is heading our direction and at the last minute tonight, Andi and I decided to pack up and head back to the Twin Cities before it's arrival. As Minnesotans, we're definitely not afraid of a little snowfall, but having Tory in the mix changes things. Andi and I thought it best for us to be home safe instead of taking our chances on snowy roadways tomorrow.

We didn't have a chance to see our frozen sun catcher as a finished product, but it'll be waiting for us when we get back to the cabin next time. I can't wait to hang it from a tree branch in the backyard and watch it from the cozy living room window.

Sugar Cookie Secrets

I love sugar cookies around the holidays, but they're an awful lot of work to make. Make the dough. Refrigerate it for two hours. Roll the dough on a floury, messy counter top surface. Cut the dough into shapes. Bake. Frost. See? Lots of steps. Therefore, as much as I love them, I usually leave the difficult baking jobs to my mom. She'll save plenty of cookies for me to devour at Christmas.

This year, however, I made a boatload of sugar cookies for my Christmas Cookie Swap at the beginning of December. I spent an entire day making unfrosted cookies for the kids' frost-your-own-cookie table thinking they'd go nuts with the activity and I'd need lots of cookies. The kids did have fun, but I didn't need nearly as many cookies as I thought. After the party, I was left with two Tupperware containers full of unfrosted sugar cookies.

What I've since discovered are a few tips to frosting sugar cookies:

1) Frost sugar cookies when you're not burnt from baking. I sat down at the table the other day during Tory's afternoon nap, laid out all my frosting ingredients and wax paper and JUST FROSTED COOKIES. It was relaxing. I listened to Christmas music and took my time decorating lovely Christmas cookies for our friends and neighbors. Usually, by the time the frosting part of sugar cookie making rolls around, I'm so over the whole process I'm just trying to get it done. From this point forward, I'm always going to frost another day when I'm fresh and engaged in making them.

2) For the Cookie Swap's frost-your-own-cookie table, I bought these squeeze bottles for the frosting. (I'm sure I could've found them even cheaper at a Dollar Store, but I'm lazy and I like things shipped directly to my doorstep in two days or less). Images of little kids slinging frosting across my dining room entered my brain and I knew I needed some way to contain the temptation. Enter frosting in squeeze bottles. Before the party, I snipped the tops of each bottle to allow more frosting squeeze ease.

Since I had the squeeze bottles on hand, I used them to decorate my sugar cookies this year. BEST. IDEA. EVER! I will forever and always use squeeze bottles to decorate sugar cookies because it made decorating so easy and precise. I filled each squeeze bottle with a frosting color and popped the entire bottle in the microwave for 20 seconds. The result was the perfect consistency of icing in an easy-to-control container for decorating. Each time the frosting thickened enough to cause difficult squeezing, I re-microwaved it for 20 seconds.

My cookies turned out so beautiful, I'm having a hard time eating them! (Naturally, I'm eating all the ugliest ones first).

3) Keep the sprinkles simple. Unless you're a kid, no one really likes to eat a mouthful of crunchy sprinkles, do they? I tend to prefer the cookies with only frosting. The Christmas trees pictured above have a M&M for a the tree topper, which I'm fine with consuming (for artistic purposes, of course). I use sprinkles as a last resort to cover up an already ugly decorating job or when I have no idea how to decorate a cookie. Stars were like that for me this year. Every design I tried looked ugly, so frosting with sprinkles they became.

4) Finally, a little mess is okay. Aside from the flour mess I created in the kitchen in the actual baking of the cookies, frosting them also proved to be on the messy side. Damn those rolly sprinkle balls! I'm still sweeping up sprinkles days after the frost-your-own-cookie table and despite my own efforts to use a plate when sprinkling cookies, I also dropped a few sprinkles on the floor. Eventually, it'll all clean up. Or, the dog will eat it. Or you'll have sprinkles stuck in the crevasses of your table until Easter. It's all part of the art of making sugar cookies.

Christmas Advent Calendar: Day 6

For today's Christmas advent calendar activity, Tory and I took part in a holiday tradition on Andi's side of the family: we made lefse.

Lefse is a traditional Scandinavian recipe made simply of potatoes and flour. The actual technique of making it is much more complicated than the ingredients would suggest and you need lots of special tools to prepare it. Andi's mom, Janie, learned to make lefse from her grandma when she was a little girl. Andi's sister, Lindsay, has been making lefse since she was two years old and today was Tory and I's first time making it, too. This recipe and the tradition of making lefse around the holidays has been in the family for generations.

Janie and Lindsay ready to make lefse

Janie gave us a cheating head-start in our lefse making today by preparing the dough ahead of time. Combining the potato and flour mixture sounds like the messy part, so I was glad to forgo participation in that step. When Tory and I arrived today, Janie presented Tory with her very own lefse stick - with her name and the year printed on it to signify her very first time making lefse - and an adorable Santa apron she'd made. Of course, Tory couldn't actually help prepare the lefse so Grandpa Jim kept Tory entertained in the living room while Lindsay, Janie, Andi's Aunt Carla and I got to work.

Tory and Grandma Janie in their Christmas aprons

The first step is to roll the lefse dough onto a floury surface, using a rolling pin. When the lefse dough is very flat and round, take the lefse stick and gently slide it underneath the dough to pick it up and lay it flatly on the lefse griddle.

Aunt Carla and Lindsay rolling out lefse dough

Lindsay, Grandma Janie and Tory making lefse on the griddle

Use the lefse stick to pop any air bubbles that arise while the lefse is cooking. (It's a good way to take out some frustration - SMACK)! Flip the dough over half way using the same technique with the lefse stick, then remove the lefse and place it between a piece of cloth to cool.

Most people eat lefse with butter and sugar spread on top. I can't wait to have mine for breakfast tomorrow morning - YUM!

I'm so thankful for Andi's amazing family who share their holiday traditions with me. We had a ball making lefse today. Can't wait until next year!