Sunday, November 24, 2013

Mini-Traditions

Jules here- I woke up this morning to see this outside:

Little November Snow

Now, for NH, this is nothing compared to the normal snows we get:

February 2013 Snow (at least 18 inches...)

So, what is so spectacular about a 1/2 inch of snow in New Hampshire (besides the fantastic slippery driving)?  It's the FIRST snow. My eldest IMMEDIATELY remembered the tradition I made up last year with the first snow: snowman pancakes!  Now, I have alluded to my pancake 'shape' incompetence before; however, how can you mess up---CIRCLES!  Instead of making one connected snowman, I find it easier to make three separate circles and then add them together.  I leave out different toppings to create your own snowman-- mini-chocolate chips, strawberries, whipped cream, etc.  Anything you can find in your freezer or pantry works-- canned peaches, frozen blueberries, sliced bananas, etc.  Kids can get VERY creative with their snowman and it is a super fun "mini-tradition".  It doesn't require much planning, the kids love it, and it becomes a fun thing to look forward to.


    Think outside of the Elf on the Shelf tradition that permeates Pinterest-- those ideas are time-consuming, and quite frankly too complicated.  Try to simplify and instead of tackling all the activities of each season/holiday, choose a mini-tradition: hand-print turkeys on T-day; first blizzard movie night; pajamas on Christmas eve; or even choose a random-holiday to celebrate (check out this link for BIZARRE and fun days to remember).

**Side Note of this day--- my mini-van door froze shut this morning, so I had to side load my kids in the car... only to have it "defrost" and open at 40 MPH on the way to church....  Such fun times to be had in a New England WINTER!!!


Easy Rule #5890-- Don't give up on celebrations because they are too challenging-- find a simple way to excite and encourage your kids to appreciate small moments!

Easy Rule #4222-- Finish cleaning out the garage BEFORE the first icy/snow mess. 

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