No Monsters in My Bed: advent calendar

Showing posts with label advent calendar. Show all posts

11/30/15

Things to Do/Make - Everyday Advent Calendar (2015)

So I went a little overboard on the Countdown to Christmas this year (click here to see countdowns from years' past). But I love the daily presents. Plus, this year I bought a lot of new boardgames that we could all play together.

December 1 (Tuesday) - Family PJs from Old Navy and Gap (I love their 50% off sales, which occur frequently this year).

December 2 (Wednesday) - Coloring books and new markers (Colour Me Swiftly (Colour Me Good); Kid's Coloring Book: Fun Minecraft Drawings for Kids; Unicorns Are Jerks: a coloring book exposing the cold, hard, sparkly truth)

December 3 (Thursday) - We can't find our Monopoly game (seriously, how is it possible to lose a Monopoly game?), so I decided to upgrade to a new, fancy edition - Monopoly Here & Now Game

December 4 (Friday) - Ballet Nova's the Nutcracker with the girls(T and Dan watch a western).

December 5 (Saturday) - Money for the Gifts that Give Hope Gift Fair

December 6 (Sunday) - Cut down our Xmas tree

December 7 (Monday) - Family movie night, Elf

December 8 (Tuesday) - New books (For P - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; For F - The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A with 50 fact-filled maps!; For T -
; Arnie, the Doughnut (The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut)

December 9 (Wednesday) - Make wassail

December 10 (Thursday) - Hot chocolate with marshmallows

December 11 (Friday) - New Game - Splendor Board Game

December 12 (Saturday) - Make teachers' gifts (homemade decorated mugs filled with hot coco mix).

December 13 (Sunday) - Make cookies

December 14 (Monday) - Family movie night, Meet Me in Saint Louis

December 15 (Tuesday) - New game - Lost Cities - The Board Game

December 16 (Wednesday) - Mustaches - 36 Pack Fake Mustache Mustaches Novelty & Toy 36pk -Orange By Allures & Illusions

December 17 (Thursday) - Star Wars premiere

December 18 (Friday) - Check out the lights at this house (one of the top 15 most decked out homes in America).

December 19 (Saturday) - New books - The Imaginary World Of...for P; 642 Things to Write About: Young Writer's Edition - for F; I Really Like Slop! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) - for T

December 20 (Sunday) - The Extraordinaires Design Studio Deluxe Edition Game, Aqua Blue

December 21 (Monday) - Coup (The Dystopian Universe)

December 22 (Tuesday) - Poemotion 1 (awesome book of optical illusions)

December 23 (Wednesday) - Hanabi Card Game

December 24 (Thursday) - Family movie night, It's A Wonderful Life

12/2/14

Things to Make - Everyday Advent Calendar (2014)

For the past three years, I've made the kids an "everyday advent calendar" to count down the days til Christmas (click here to see previous calendars). I almost skipped this year, as the children become older we don't craft as much as used to. Plus every year I find it more and more challenging to find things that all three of them enjoy. But, this is my one dorky parental indulgence of the holiday season (well, and Santa hats). I sort of love putting it together and watching them unwrap a new "surprise" every morning. Here's the 2014 list, let's hope they like it:

December 1 - Let's make new friends. [Okay, so I sort of splurged here, but lately all three of my kids are into Lego Friends, so this seemed like an easy pick.]

December 2 - Let's create together.

December 3 - Let's make cookies together.

December 4 - Let's wii together. [Our old wii sports is scratched beyond use and Dan really wanted a new copy, so this is really for him (surprise honey!)]

December 5 - Let's tell jokes together.

December 6 - Let's watch a movie together (Elf).

December 7 - Let's play a new game together [we're like the only people I know who don't own Uno].

December 8 - Let's make (salt dough) ornaments together.

December 9 - Let's buy things for each other [each kids receives money for sibling gifts].

December 10 - Let's go ice skating together.

December 11 - Let's make snowflakes together.

December 12 - Let's be funny together.

December 13 - Let's help people together [each child receives money for the Gifts That Give Hope Gift Fair].

December 14 - Let's watch a movie together (The Christmas Story).

December 15 - Let's make gingerbread houses together.

December 16 - Let's look at Xmas lights and drink hot cocoa together.

December 17 - Let's make body scrubs for teachers' gifts together [click here for recipe].

December 18 - Let's watch a movie together (Muppet Christmas Carol [Netflix streaming] ).

December 19 - Let's party on the solstice together.

December 20 - Let's read together [books to be determined, though this one looks pretty awesome].

December 21 - Let's play a new game together.

December 22 - Let's be silly together.

December 23 - Let's watch a movie together (White Christmas [Netflix streaming]).

December 24 - Let's make cookies for Santa together.

12/2/13

Things to Make and Do - Everyday Advent Calendar (2013)

For the past three years, I've made the kids a "countdown to Christmas" Advent calendar, usually full of books and crafts, though this year I've deviated somewhat and gone with more games than crafts (as games are what the kids seem to be into these days).

I try to keep everything low budget - I check the books out of the library (based mainly this year on recommendations from Julia's Book Bag) and look for sale items for the rest.

The kids love it and I find that this takes a lot of pressure off of Santa and Christmas, forcing us all to enjoy the month, rather than hurry through it.

December 1 (Sunday) - Bake cookies

December 2 - Read Christmas in the Big Woods

December 3 - Play a new Wii game

December 4 - Stargaze and come home to hot cocoa

December 5 - Watch Home Alone for family movie night I

December 6 - Make some Christmas Doodles, using these cards:

December 7 - Watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas for family movie night II

December 8 (Sunday) - Decorate ceramic ornaments from Oriental Trading Company

December 9 - Read Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury

December 10 - Assorted peg games from Oriental Trading Company

December 11 - Watch Elf for family movie night III

December 12 - Play new card games:

December 13 - Souvenir money (for a big day in the city)

December 14 - Special play tickets (more on this later)

December 15 (Sunday) - Play letter games from Oriental Trading Company

December 16 - Read Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree

December 17 - Assorted peg games from Oriental Trading II

December 18 - Read the book then watch Polar Express for family movie night IV

December 19 - Read Gift of the Magi