Santa Lucia

It is one thing to read about holiday traditions from other cultures but it’s altogether another thing to witness it first-hand. We had the pleasure of celebrating the day of Santa Lucia with Swedish friends last week and it was absolutely lovely.

In honor of Saint Lucy, Christians in Scandinavian and some European countries mark the passing of this martyr that lost her eyes and her life for proclaiming her faith in God back in the 300s.  The tradition is that one young woman is chosen to lead a procession of girls. They all wear white gowns and carry a candle but the girl in the lead also wears a red sash and crown of candles.

Our friends with girls ages 2 and 5 decided to forego the candle crown but much to her parents’ displeasure, the eldest daughter insisted on wearing her special Santa Lucia pure white cotton gown to our house for a play date before the party. I promised to not break out the paints that day. She practiced her song all afternoon—I still have it in my head, too bad it’s in Swedish or Italian (sad that I don't know, I'll have to ask their Mom) or I could really get into it. Anyhow, all of her crooning led to everyone finding their favorite instruments and we had a great jam session complete with a stage made from step stools, percussion, strings, and woodwinds (or are they called plastic-winds when it’s the slider flutes and old fashioned recorders)?

Helping Sara with the words

Jamming

Sara on vocals, "lukealeylee," and jazzy dance moves

Later that evening we enjoyed snacks, spicy sweet warm Glögg, and a traditional cinnamon rice porridge beside our friends’ roaring fireplace. The lights were dimmed for their eldest daughter to come out carrying a lit candle and sing the traditional songs of a Swedish Santa Lucia celebration. Her younger sister stood close by, witnessing the ritual and watching with awe. All the kids (varying in ages from 1 to 8) sat quietly, mesmerized by the heartfelt performance, the candle’s flame and the thrill of something ancient and special.

Advent Adventures: Gingerbread House Play Date

Technically they aren’t gingerbread houses, they are actually made from graham crackers, but it’s the same idea. What is so great about this variation on the theme is that the kids not only have a chance to be creative with the candy decorations but they can also use their imagination to build whatever type of structures they want.

William's house with garage

Since there would be six kids making their own little scenes, I pre-made a LOT of graham cracker right angles. To do this, I mixed 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar and heated it to about 250 degrees, the point at which it will harden to a firm state when cooled. Next, I dipped two sides of graham cracker halves into the hot mixture and affixed them in a right angle then set them on a parchment lined cookie sheet to cool. I also made some right angles of one fourth of the graham cracker and left out plain crackers from the box so the kids would have more materials to work with. Ice cream sugar cones are another great addition to the construction mix. They make great trees (even when they break along the top, they can be broken into a smaller tree), chimneys, castle turrets, or ballroom dancing buildings (yep, that’s what William decided they were on one of his creations).

Admiring her park with a slide, climbing wall and skate ramp

Another good tip to prepare for a bunch of kids to work on these at the same time is providing cardboard or mat board to build on and preparing multiple bags of frosting for “glue.” (Recipe here.) Taping the back of the bag so the frosting is less likely to squish out onto small hands is also important (one squished out mess still happened despite my efforts – it helps to go around and “fix” each bag from time to time, pushing the frosting down as if it’s a tube of toothpaste).

This activity is even cool enough for Super Girl

...and easy enough for her little sister (almost 3) along with Spider Man's supervision

Once the young architects have built their creations, muffin tins are a great way to distribute all the candy and goodies they can use for decorating. Fill as many as you have so there is less reaching across the table which inevitably results in trees toppling as things get bumped.

Mostly candy filled our tins but it was fun to add some unexpected pretzels and bunny crackers too. One friend made a wreath using the pretzel and trails of bunnies all through the yard of his scene. The options are endless. Leave it to the kids to come up with some really cool ideas.

Advent Adventures: Homemade Wrapping Paper

The idea is to dip cookie cutters in paint (we used BioColor Red and Colorations Metallic Gold Activity Paint) then transfer those shapes to your paper then Voila! Wrapping Paper. However, if you are three, you may prefer a more hands-on approach.

It all started out being fairly tame. Notice the nice shapes the cookie cutters leave behind...

Then the experiments began... William testing the "movement" of the paint on the plates and Sara started smearing

"Ooooooo, how 'bout I make a print, Mom?"

Happiness

All we need is to put a bow on her! Best present ever...

Advent Adventures: Gingerbread Houses

At the rate we’re building, we’ll soon have an entire gingerbread village. This is one of our favorite holiday activities (it shows up in various forms in the advent calendar—sometimes just us making them, sometimes inviting friends for a play date/party variation).  I love the endless creative opportunities and hands-on process. The kids love enjoy that too but let’s be honest, some activities are really all about the candy…

Trader Joe’s stole my heart this season with their $7.99 Gingerbread House Kit that comes with adorable frosting figures. It is quick to build and wonderfully stable for little hands to dive right in and decorate without waiting for the frosting to harden. Also, this kit provided the best recipe yet for gingerbread house building (whip one egg white until peaks form, add 250 grams powdered sugar until mixed then add some lemon juice and water to achieve a nice thick sticky texture)—I will never go back to my old basic mix!

Some folks might miss the pre-made frosting that comes with some kits but an opportunity to lick the spoon is never missed in this house...

Look at those cuties (the frosting figures too)

So focused

While we're on the subject of Trader Joe’s… can I just tell you how muck I love that store? Let me count the ways with this list of some of our favorites this holiday season…

On the first day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, a fabulous South African Smoke Seasoning Blend (made from mostly paprika, no chemicals, adds a wonderful flavor to veggies or tofu)

On the second day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, Two Gingerbread Houses

On the third day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, tri-color Veggie and Flaxseed Tortilla Chips

On the fourth day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, four cans of organic beans (best price anywhere… even though I know that it would be cheaper and more healthy to make them from dried beans… working on doing that more)

On the fifth day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, 5 pounds of Juicy Satsuma Mandarins (easy to peel for the kids and oh so juicy and delicious)

On the sixth day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, Sesame Honey Cashews (William would eat these by the cup-full if we let him)

On the seventh day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, a 70% Cacao Dark Chocolate Bar with toffee, walnuts and pecans (great stocking stuffer)

On the eighth day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, Snap Pea Crisps (this would be Sara's snack of choice any time)

On the ninth day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, Organic 9 Grain Whole Wheat Bread (if you don't like your bread to be sweet, this is a great one!)

On the tenth day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, all my favorite nuts and seeds at great prices

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, affordable organic dried cranberries

On the twelveth day of Christmas, Trader Joe’s sold to me, delectable Soy Creamy Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

OK, so I actually consolidate my trips a bit more than my list suggests... but you get the idea. Much better than partridges in pear trees, don't you think?

Filling the Advent Calendar

"Baby William" four years ago, his second Christmas

Two advent calendars grace our home. One is filled with treats from elves that come every night and tuck goodies inside the doors (the elves know better than to trust that our 3 and 5 year olds would leave the numbers unopened until the appropriate day).  The other calendar is made of felt and has lovely little pockets where I place daily holiday activities.

A friend suggested this a few years ago and it’s been a wonderful way to help stay focused on all the fun, friendship, and love this season inspires. Here is my list so far (I know it’s more than 25 needed for the month but it’s good to have lots of choices) and a preview of what we’ll be up to in the coming weeks:

Make a “Grateful Garland” using paper stars, mittens or stocking shapes (kids pick)

Create paper snowflakes and tape them to the windows

Make hot cocoa with candy cane stirrers

Forage for evergreen boughs and decorate inside

Create colorful paper stars

String cranberries and popcorn

Gather unused toys to share with others

Make edible decorations for the birds and squirrels

Read 5 Christmas stories beside the fire

Sing Christmas carols beside the fire

Make salt dough ornaments

Make a card (or two) and send it to someone special

Poach pears

Roll beeswax candles

Stay up late and sing Christmas songs by the tree

Hang decorations on a tree outside!

Light a candle in honor of Hanukkah and talk about various faiths and celebrations

Make Christmas cards for friends and family

Mail Christmas greetings to family and friends

Paint Christmas ornaments together

Make gift tags

Decorate the Christmas tree together

Make & bake Christmas cookies

Decorate Christmas cookies

Deliver Christmas cookies to a neighbor

Paint everybody's toenails in Christmas colors

Purchase a present to give to charity

Picnic lunch by the Christmas tree

Go out after dark to look at Christmas lights

Write a special letter to Santa

Make gifts for teachers

Festive family disco night!

Go out somewhere special for dinner

Ice cream sundaes for dessert

Make popcorn & watch a Christmas movie

Make a special bookmark for your favorite storybook then read it together

Give your favorite pet a Christmas present

Write a love note and put it under Daddy’s pillow

Build snowmen in front of the Senior Center

Create holiday art/craft bags for kids in hospital

Make Snow Angels

Make snow ice cream (snow + sugar + vanilla + milk)

Sleep under the Christmas tree

Attend a program at library or local nature center

Shop for an adopted family in need

Christmas Crafts! Make paper chains, pom-pom garlands, noodle garlands & more

Plant paperwhites (early for blooms at Christmas)

Make tasty treats for the birds

Family game night

Fondue night

Chocolate Fondue night

Attend a holiday concert or play

Tell a friend at school you think they’re really cool

Recycle some toys to share with others

Read a Christmas book together

Take food to a local food bank

Go see Santa!

Sit by the fire & drink hot cocoa

Roast marshmallows in the fireplace

Make thank you notes before they are needed

Make a list of 10 things we are thankful for. Share with your Grandma!

Hot chocolate & cookies by the fire

Learn a Christmas song and Skype it or call to sing it for someone

Breakfast for dinner while wearing Holiday pajamas!

Christmas cookie play date

Gingerbread house-making party!

Make popcorn garlands for the tree

See a Christmas show

Go for a family hike to find signs of winter

Face painting

Build and decorate a gingerbread house

Make our own wrapping paper (dip cookie cutters in paint)

Wrap presents

Eat dinner by candlelight (celebrate Solstice!)

Take a drive in the dark to look at Christmas lights

Sprinkle Reindeer food (oats + glitter) outside

Put out treats for Santa (and the reindeer)

Let me know if you're interested in a printable version complete with fun little graphics--I'd be happy to pass it along and spread the cheer!

Halloween, Out

The “welcome skeleton,” plastic pumpkin buckets, and cute little ghoul ornaments are back in their storage boxes. Gone are the glo-sticks, vampire fangs, and spider rings. Three pumpkins remain un-carved but we’re off the hook, they’re merely elegant Thanksgiving decorations now.

I’m actually relieved it’s over. Chasing the kids while trick-or-treating with a mob of neighborhood friends pushed me over the edge, but I can’t let the holiday pass without posting a few memorable moments.

Some of our dear friends threw a wonderful party -- love how the kids are cracking up together here

Who says only pumpkins are for carving? Check out our 'alien tonsils'

Halloween was a day of much costume deliberation at our house -- then ultimately a costume flashback. Sara decided to get cozy in the costume from her first Halloween while Firefighter William did a re-run of last year.

His fluorescent stripes weren't great for pictures but they were the only thing keeping him in my sight on Halloween night (and the only thing keeping me from become extremely anxious) Phew!

I didn't think it was possible but she looks even cuter in this costume this year...

I take it back... look at that little cutie! Ah memories, back in the day when they were super excited to stay home and answer the door and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters

Goodnight Halloween

Autumn is...

…Salmon Days, our local festival celebrating the return of the salmon. The kids love the big parade but the big treats are even more exciting 

Chocolate coated strawberries with sprinkles and whipped cream = one happy boy (yes, he devoured the whole thing)

…lots of Indoor Arts and Crafts

Finger painting (which inevitably becomes whole arm then tummy painting)

Gack, also known as Flubber. William can't get enough of it, Sara says it's "too yucky" yet has no problem covering herself in slick finger paints

…chilly soccer evenings

...hay rides at Jubilee Farm

…pumpkin patches

…our annual pumpkin carving party with Grammy and Baba

Focused on getting the face just right

So proud that he carved it all by himself

…costumes

…and more costumes

We're going through a Super Hero phase, can you tell?

…and last but not least, our soundtrack these days is "The Monster Mash" courtesy of the singing Frankenstein doll my Mom gave us last year. Wow, those batteries are lasting a long time.

Halloween is still a week away but kids are incredibly good at making the most of it all month long.

Shine On

We celebrated the Harvest Moon with a potluck out at Jubilee Farm Monday night. As the sun set, the golden hued moon rose over the treetops, lighting up the happy scene of Farmers Erick and Wendy surrounded by CSA members, friends, family and neighbors.

Our favorite farmers, Wendy and Erick Haakenson

Hay bales were set up for sitting but the kids decided hay-hopping was a better idea.

Despite my efforts to explain otherwise, Sara says that the gorgeous glowing moon absolutely positively followed us the whole way home. We are rarely out driving after dark so it was a thrilling ride home for her. She kept mentioning that things were "flashing" and it dawned on me that she probably didn't know what else to call the "glow" of streetlamps and other lights in the dark.

Roadside photography, a stop along the way home, appreciating the gorgeous night

The Wisdom of Daddy: Surprise!

Give me an itinerary and I will give you organized bundles of toys for the car or plane, homemade snacks to keep blood sugars even, and a suitcase packed with everything our family might need (and then some). Planning and organizing can be part of the fun but sometimes it’s a huge relief to just relax and see where the day (or the Dad) takes us.

Weekend hikes have been a surprise all summer. The kids pepper their Daddy with questions:  “Where are we going, Dad?” “What’s the name of this place?” and everyone’s favorite “Are we there yet?” but he just keeps driving, not offering any clues about our destination. There’s a good chance he is simply undecided about which hike would suit us best but I prefer to think that this added element of surprise is a stroke of genius.

Speaking of surprises, Rob planned a brilliant overnight trip to Vancouver, BC for my birthday. He told me about it on Thursday then we left early Saturday morning, leaving the perfect amount of time to get things together but not obsess about the details or over-pack. Forty eight hours in Vancouver really doesn’t do the city justice but we managed to experience plenty of highlights without getting stuck in obnoxious Labor Day traffic at the border crossing.

Using Bing’s travel alerts, Rob scored an excellent last-minute deal at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, set near the lively harbor full of sea planes, enormous cruise ships, and the majestic sails of the iconic Canada Place. The Fairmont kindly let us check in early so we had our home base established, suitcase dumped, car parked, and we were ready to explore.

Our whirlwind of fun began with a bus ride to Granville Island, a mecca for art, shops, food, glorious produce, and all kinds of entertainment.  

We wandered aimlessly enjoying the sunshine, street entertainers and musicians, and window-shopping until we stumbled upon the Kids Market and our children saw a wall of toys in a store window… they had William and Sara at Lego. Rob and I had other thoughts on the best way to spend our time, namely not indoors and not shopping, so after letting them look for a bit, we pried the kids away from the clutches of the insanely huge building full of toy shops with the lure of lunch.

Next stop:  lunch at Bridges then the famous Granville Public Market. I’d like to say that we walked through this historic market full of exotic wares slowly and let all of our senses be delighted by the amazing sights, smells, and sounds but (here is where I wonder whether blogging should always be the whole truth and nothing but the truth) yours truly had a little meltdown…. nothing embarrassing just a quiet yet abrupt “Get me OUT of here!!!” moment. The closed-in marketplace was absolutely packed with people, it was extremely noisy, I was clutching on to Sara’s little hand terrified that I might lose her, and hating that William and Daddy were so far ahead that I couldn’t see them.  Plain and simple, I was overwhelmed. And since we had just dragged the kids out of the toy store I didn’t understand why we were “shopping” more.

Yeah, that's what I felt like, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Rob did not understand why I was suddenly freaking out and I was not in a great place to coherently explain myself. It took some time but we recovered. The refreshing water park smack dab in the middle of everything helped. We had fun running around in the mist, splashing in troughs of water, and spraying a couple fire hoses. After some fresh air, deep breathing, and being hosed down (kidding), I came to understand that (duh) people come to this island simply to experience the very market that had me out of my mind. We weren’t there to shop, rather we were there to experience interesting new things, one of the mantras of our vacation agenda... oops, Mommy forgot… maybe I needed a nap. Anyhow, we gave it another try and did great the second time around. We got to sample local honey, check out vegetables and fruits we had never heard of, admire handmade hats and scarves, appreciate local art, drool over gorgeous pastries, and take a nice quiet little break perusing books (a wonderful little bookstore was right across the street in another building called the Net Loft).  

A moving iron sculpture with balls rolling on ramps and chain "elevators" lifting the balls back up, located right next to the enormous cement factory. Even the massive cement trucks are decorated in colorful art on this Island.

Native artisans actually carve totem poles right on Granville Island -- they weren't working when we passed by but we got to peek a their workshop and see their creations up close.

After discussing the different images depicted on totem poles, Sara declared "dis one me!"

Pondering frozen treat options

Sara holding my hand

Our ride to the next destination

Taking the AquaBus was a relaxing and fun way to leave Granville Island. It took us to Science World.  

We didn't go in (it was under renovation plus we didn't want to be inside on such a pretty day) but Science World did look great -- maybe next time.

We were all a little tired by this point but talking about a ride on the SkyTrain perked the kids right up. 

We started high above ground, zooming along with views of the city. The kids were fascinated when it went dark around us and our stop was underground

A transportation theme had emerged. We drove the car up, rode the bus to Granville Island, hopped on a little boat to catch the SkyTrain then back to the hotel which is right next to the busy harbor with seaplanes, cruise ships, and all types of marine vessels coming and going.

The hotel's kid-friendly (only 3' 6" deep) pool was the perfect respite after our jet-setting day.

…and the pool was the perfect start the following day. After a little morning splashing we said goodbye to the Fairmont and were back in our car heading toward the awe-inspiring Stanley Park. Having misjudged the distance from the parking lot to the Fish House restaurant where we planned to have brunch, the kids were a bit tired but the benches along the way were a good spot to rest and the payoff was an incredible meal.

William with his cornflake crusted, banana, nutella french toast topped with caramel, whipped cream, strawberry and mint. No, this boy is not interested in the kids menu, thank you

William was happy and the waiter was impressed

A family could spend a full week in Stanley Park and still have fun things left to do. After some time at one of the many incredible playgrounds, we opted to hop on the Stanley Park Trolley to see as much of the park in our limited time frame.

Waiting for the trolley... looking a tad bit tired

While we would have loved to get out and enjoy the park more, the trolley turned out to be perfect for the kids' dwindling energy levels and it rounded out our "transportation theme" beautifully.

The Stanley Park Trolley, complete with a clanging bell at every stop

Rob loves giving gifts of experiences rather than things and I feel very lucky to have received such a well-planned gift. Thank you, Sweetie!