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Christmas Songs for Children

December 5, 2011 By 2 Comments

Christmas is right around the corner and I find that I want to sing all day and all night.  There is no better time of year for songs that are geared toward children.  Christmas songs for children is what the season and singing is all about.  This year my children have a few new favorites in addition to the good old ones.

  1. Nuttin’ for Christmas:  This song made its first appearance on the radio in 1955.  It is amazing how these songs live on generation after generation.  I am amazed that the kids keep watching a youtube video and sing along.  Even with technology this song lives on with children around the world.
    <iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/B_7xqqt1Vgs” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
  2. Up on the Housetop:  This is one of my favorites that you do not get to hear very often these days.  I am hoping that by singing it with my children again and again it will become one of their favorites as well.  <iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/Yep2d7H974w” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
  3. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer:  Who does not love the story of Rudolph all wrapped up in one fun and fast song?  This is one of the best and most popular Christmas songs for Children in the USA. <iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/T5VdsuQ-YfM” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
  4. Must be Santa:  I love this one because it is super fun and fast paced.  The kids catch on quickly as well.  <iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/JeKaV-yhN3c” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
  5. Frosty the Snowman:  What is more fun than a snowman who comes to life and leads the children on the adventure of a lifetime?  <iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/Z1RoN3CnxFw” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
  6. The 12 Days of Christmas:  This song is a huge challenge but we always have a great time trying to get through it all.  <iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/FF1xcKW2e-g” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
  7. All I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth:  We all remember the Christmas that we lost our two front teeth.  Even better is that there is a song about it all.  <iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/duMdZkuOGGg” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
  8. Santa Clause is Coming to Town: What is better than a song that reminds children how to behave?  I love this one and it is one of my personal favorites!  <iframe width=”420″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/HWv72L4wgCc” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

These are our favorite Christmas songs for children this year.  Which ones are on your children’s top Christmas songs this year?  I hope that they have a blast singing… because… It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Becca

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Christmas Countdown 2010

November 23, 2010 By 1 Comment
Santa Claus with a little girl
Image via Wikipedia

So as many of you have noticed I fell off of the Christmas countdown wagon yet again!  I have been having some personal medical issues but am hoping that I will be posting again, daily.  Thank you all for making sure that you have stuck in there and kept on watching to see what is new in the world of Christmas.  This Friday is the official start of the Christmas season and of course the biggest shopping day of the year.  Black Friday ads are already online and the secrets are already out!  So for today, a post of fun…A few questions to answer for you.  I guess you will get my answers as well… Please play along.

  1. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
  2. What is your favorite Christmas Movie?
  3. What is your families most precious Christmas tradition?
  4. When do you put your Christmas tree up?
  5. How early is too early to turn on your Christmas lights?
  6. What was the best present you ever received under the Christmas tree?

OK so here are my answers:

  1. My favorite Christmas song is the “Christmas Shoes” by NEWSONG.  I cry each and every time I hear it.  It makes me remember how blessed we are this and every Christmas to have each other.  I also love the classics with Bing Crosby and the gang!  “Santa Baby” still makes me feel cute and in a fun mood.
  2. My favorite Christmas movie is a tough one.  I am not sure that I can pick just one.  I love “It’s a Wonderful Life” because it again shows that all we need is one another.  I also love the original “Miracle on 34th Street”.  This is the movie that I must see Thanksgiving night.  It is a child who has no faith who sees that things are not always what they seem to be.  “Love Actually” is a movie that I usually watch this time of year as well.   I love British film and this movie met all of my expectations.  As far as some funny Christmas comedy, “Scrogged”  takes the cake.  It is a non traditional story with a whole lot of laughs.  So as I said earlier… how can I pick just one.
  3. I think that my most precious Christmas tradition is Elmer the Elf.  He has blessed the children in our family for almost a century.  Elmer works for Santa Clause himself.  He watched the children in the family and reports back to Santa daily.  If you are good he leaves a few small trinkets through out the Christmas season.
  4. We usually wait with our tree until a few weeks before Christmas.  We always get a real tree and if we put it up any sooner it would die before the new year.  My mother-in-law has an all white and silver tree.  It looks so beautiful but I cannot copy… so I have my miss match tree and it looks beautiful!
  5. I stand strong in the belief that the day after Thanksgiving is the EARLIEST you should turn on your Christmas lights.  Now I know here on the east coast the weather has been warm so I can understand if you have put them up so that you do not have to do it in the freezing cold weather.   On the other hand… this in no way means that you should be lighting those lights before we celebrate Thanksgiving.
  6. I would have to say that the best present under my tree was a shadow box that my husband made for me.  All of our children were in there and the things we like to do together.  It is a special thing that will live with me forever.

So there you have it.  I have shared… now it is your turn…

Becca

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Christmas Countdown 2010

November 6, 2010 By 2 Comments
Christmas cookies (Left to right, top to botto...
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50 Days Until Christmas 2010

So here we are!  Welcome to the 2010 Christmas Countdown.  I am so excited to be sharing the holiday season with you for the third year in a row!  This time of year can be busy and stressful but we will get through it together.  Here is a taste of what we have in store this year!

  1. Cookies:  Every day I will be posting one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes.  Nothing says Christmas like cookies!  I am hoping the husband can get a rate that cookie system up and running in the next few weeks.  Remember that many cookies freeze well.  It is not to early to begin baking your Christmas cookies!
  2. Homemade Holiday:  This year we are doing something extra special. Stay tuned for this exciting, money saving tip.
  3. Christmas Budget:  I know it is that B word again!  I think that it is important to know how much money you will have available to you this holiday and try to spend only cash.  Times are hard and digging a deeper hole is not advised.
  4. Christmas Movies:  If you are wondering when your beloved Christmas movie will be on… Stay tuned to Ask Becca!  I will let you know what will be on and when.  I know that I hate missing “It’s A Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street“.   As soon as I hear about it I will let you know!
  5. Christmas Traditions:  I know that every family has their own traditions and I would love to hear about them!  I think that it is important to celebrate your traditions and perhaps steal a few to make your own.
  6. Fun:  We all know that with Christmas comes fun times.  Parties, caroling, the Christmas at Church and day trips for the family.

This is not all.  It is just a sweet taste of what is to come in the next 50 days!  So off we go… 50 Days of Christmas really means 48 Shopping Days remaining.  Have fun and remember when you need a laugh, idea or break… stop by and say hi!

Becca

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Pumpkin Carving

October 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Last night we had an evening of complete Halloween fun!  As I stated yesterday we were going to watch Scared Shrekless.  We also planned a big event in our house… pumpkin carving.

I have to admit that each year it is something that the kids look forward to.  We even had grandma and pop-pop over to join in the fun.  I had dinner ready when daddy got home and we were carving pumpkins by 7:15.  We scooped and scooped.  By the time it was 8pm no pumpkins were carved!  So I missed Scared Shrekless and carved pumpkins all alone.

I am sure that the kids will remember that we “carved” pumpkins this year.  Their memories are never what we think they are.  I missed the kids sorting out seeds with me.  As I sat at the table at 1am picking pumpkin seed out of pumpkin goo I began to wonder why we did not choose to do pumpkins last weekend like I had wanted to.

So here they are.  I did ask the kids what shapes they wanted to pumpkin faces to have before carving.  Rather then buying pumpkin stencils this year I just cut out some shapes and held them on as I carved.  It was great and best of all free… other then the pumpkins that is.

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Birthday Quandry: Birthday Party For Three

May 8, 2009 By 7 Comments
A birthday cake
Image via Wikipedia

So here is the question for today…

My nephew, my neice and Analiese all have May birthdays all within two weeks of one another.  Each year we do a family and friends party for each kid.  This year we thought that perhaps we should combine all three of them and do one family party.  This means that family will only have to come to one party.  This means that it will be one day in the full month of May to have to donate to these birthdays.

So here is the problem.  Rob thinks that it is wrong.  He thinks that then friends and family will be strapped having to buy three presents all at once.  He thinks that it is just wrong and has told me to back out of the idea.  The trouble is that it was my idea and I still think that it is a nice one.  The other problem is that we have already mentioned it to people and how do we cancel now.  I am not worried about gifts.  Analiese is turning 2 and already has all of the clothing, toys and stuff that any two year old could need.

I want to know what you think?  Is this party a bad idea?

Becca

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Easter Pictures: Spring Break Survival

April 11, 2009 By 4 Comments
Sears Auto 35 TL
Image by UberJ via Flickr

OK so as I mentioned I am having a hard time with this entire Spring Break thing!  So today my mother and I dressed all of the kids in their Easter outfits and threw them into the car and were off to Sears.  Now I know what you are thinking… why did you head to Sears.  We were off to Sears for Easter pictures.  We have not had pictures in YEARS.  The last time was when the baby was a month old.  For those of you who do not know she will be 2 in a month!  So needless to say it has been a while.

We have never been to Sears so I was a little bit aprehansive.  It was great though.  They had a kid friendly waiting area which I did not have to wait in because they were ready for us when we got there.  The girls did great although it is difficult to make them all smile at once.  Abigail kept trying to make the baby smile and Emma had the fakest smile.  Even with all of these obsticales we were able to come out of the seccion with a few really nice shots.

So day two of Spring Break has been a success.  We did the pictures, went to lunch, had a play date and now we are getting ready for bed.   I am so happy that it is all working out.  I would say that going and having pictures done is a great way to survive Spring Break!  You should give it a try!  I found that it really occupied a lot of time, the kids had fun and we were out of the house.  We will not discuss how much Grandma spent though!  We will keep that part to ourselves!  Either way day two survived.  Nine days to go!

Becca

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Family Easter Traditions

April 4, 2009 By 7 Comments
Calgary Zoo Easter Bunny 2
Image by thivierr via Flickr

I became so interested in Easter traditions this week because so many people visited. It is a shame that more people did not leave their family Easter Traditions in the comments section. I was really hoping to post all of the great ones that I hear this week. I know that one that was mentioned time and time again is dying Easter eggs. Today is our big Easter egg dying day and I am so excited! I think that we are going to have a blast. I know that the smell of vinegar can turn some off the the entire thing but I think that it is important for people to give it a try!

Another tradition that people mentioned is spending time with family. This is what the holidays are all about. Being in a room with the people who share your gene pool. I know that for a lot of people this can be the down side to a holiday but I think that without the mother who wants to know when you are going to have another baby, the stinky grandparent and the kid who is eating dirt there are no memories. These are the people who have formed us into the person we are today. They really are the fabric of our lives. If we love ourselves then we have to love them. It is a guilt by association thing.

The Easter bunny is a tradition that I had forgotten to mention. I cannot believe that I left him out! Here is a little bit of Easter Bunny History! It is said that the Easter Bunny has been around before Easter. I know this is hard to believe! He is said to have originated in Germany in the 1600s. The Easter bunny can either just leave a basket out in plain site or he can hide it. In our house he is always hiding it here and there. The kids have a blast trying to find it and figure out whose is whose. I wish he had more time to write a name or two down.

There is one more tradition that I forgot to mention. The Easter Bonnet has always been my love of Easter. There are not many times in this day in age that a lady can wear a hat without people looking at her funny. I think that the hats and the white gloves just make Easter what everyday used to be. I wish that we all still dressed to the nines like this for church. I think that it is sad that it is now acceptable to wear jeans and a tee to Church. You should be in your Sunday best. That used to mean a hat and Gloves. Now it means jeans? What are we thinking people? Either way, Easter is a time when we can dust the hat off and slip the gloves on and walk a little taller!  Oh and do not forget to play the song Easter Parade when you are walking down the street in your bonnet and gloves!

Becca

I would still love to learn some more about what Easter traditions your family has.  Please let me know in the comment section.  I think it adds to the fun!


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Easter Kids Crafts

March 31, 2009 By 13 Comments
Hanácké kraslice, a traditional way of decorat...
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It is Easter time and with Easter comes Spring break.  Spring break means that the kids are home and need something to do.  I have been researching crafts all day to find just the right ones.  I have compiled a list with the links of crafts we are intending to try.

  1. Fancy Feathered Friends: These are little chicks made out of egg cartons and eggs.  They are super cute.   They will act as super cute decorations on Easter around the house.
  2. Nesting Instinct:  This is a cute birds nest which seems like it will be super easy to make.  All you need is clay and some sticks.
  3. Easter Pins:  These will be really cute for grandmas on E$aster morning!
  4. Leaf Print Eggs: These are so interesting and look so professional.  I cannot wait to give them a try!

These should occupy the first few days of our very long Spring break!  I hope that these look as good to the kids as they did to me.   I would love to hear and see what crafts you all have in mind for the Easter holiday.  I think that it will be a fun way to avoid the boredom bug!

Becca

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Easter Traditions

March 29, 2009 By 17 Comments
Easter eggs
Image by jmurawski via Flickr

Each year I feel as if Easter sneaks up on me.  I am never prepared.  I am always shopping for things on Easter Eve at 12 am with all of the other people who were clueless as to the date of Easter.  It is a tricky holiday that moves around more then migrant birds.  Each year I forget to check when it is coming.  Often times I realize that it is coming quicker then I think.  So what is the point Rebecca?  Well the point is that I looked on a calender yesterday for the first time.  What sparked me to do such a thing?  I have been reading all about it and everyone is off to Spring break.  When I looked I was shocked!  This holiday has snuck up on me yet again!  I think that forgetting about Easter is my biggest tradition at this point.

There are some other traditions we have as well.  Because I am often clueless as to when Easter is from year to year we do not always have time to fit in all of these traditions.

  1. Dying Easter eggs.  I know this is not all that traditional but the kids LOVE it.  I have to admit that I think it is a lot of fun too!
  2. Easter egg hunts.   Our town has one, our church has one and my grandmother has one.  It is a fun time to watch the kids on a hunt.  I remember a year or two ago Abigail was actually sweet enough to make sure that Emma had a full basket as well.  It melted my heart and made me think that they really do listen all of those times I lecture about helping others!
  3. Asparagus… yes I know but it really is a tradition.  There is never a year that we do not have asparagus with our Easter dinner.  In fact I will go as far as to say it would not be Easter without this odd looking veggie!
  4. Egg fights.  This tradition is courticy of my Aunt Pat.  Each person picked a hard boiled egg that looks good to them.  The tap the tops together in a “fight”.  The person who has a cracked egg has to eat it and the other person goes on to “fight” with someone else.  I think that this was her way to get us to eat the eggs as kids but you know what?  IT WORKED!
  5. Family is another tradition although it always ends up that my in laws are mad.  We go to my grandmothers each year.  There are not a ton of holiday we spend together so for Thanksgiving and Easter I like to assure that we are with my grandparents.  Some of the family gets upset but I feel as if it is where I need to be at this point in not only my life but my grandparents lives.  Either way we always will spend Easter with family!

So these are some traditions that we have.  What traditions does your family have?  I am so interesting in hearing some of the interesting things that you all do.

Becca

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BFF Best Friends Forever???

February 26, 2009 By 10 Comments
broken heart series
Image by tony sak via Flickr

Growing up I had my BFF.  Not only was she my BFF but she was my only true friend.  I was not hated by all but she was the one.  She was the person that I visited after school, slept over all weekend and had a blast with.  We were not the most popular girls in school nor did we want to be.  We were fine with that.  We were ourselves.  We played Barbies until we were older then I am willing to admit.  We were two peas in a pod.  We went for walks around the neighborhood and stayed up all night watching movies such as Dirty Dancing!  She was my escape from everything else and the ONLY person who really knew me.  This was all fine until one day it changed.

One Summer afternoon my BFF told me that she was moving.  I was all of a sudden broken.  As I think back on it now I wonder why it was so untactful.  Either way it was the worst moment of my life and one I carry with me.  I felt abandoned and alone.  She was my friend, she was my BFF she was part of me.  I remember thinking that this could not be happening.  My mind raced with ways around it.  Could I go too… Perhaps she could stay… perhaps it was a dream and I would wake up soon… QUICK some one pinch me!

It was no dream.  She was off to start a new life and I was left here alone.  We had plans that in the summer I would come and visit.  I looked forward to it for the rest of the school year.  I could not wait.  I missed my other pea.  I needed to have my BFF back!  While waiting to go and see my BFF something happened.  I met a new friend.  A boyfriend!  I was so anxious to have someone to tell all of my secrets to.  Someone to love me no matter what.  Someone to share me with.  And so it was.  By the time I went out to visit my BFF I had a BFF (boy friend forever!).  This made things tough that summer.  My BFF who had moved had changed as had I.  We spent three very hard weeks together and it ended us forever!

Over the years I have been sad about this loss of a BFF.  Can someone really be a BFF or is it childhood dream.  I remember having the heart necklaces together.  You know the ones where one person had the “best” and the other had the “friends”.  At what point is all of that lost?  I think that we grow and even in that short amount of time in 9th grade that we were apart we each changed.  The change was not a bad thing.  It was just something that neither of us expected.  As teens I think that we were not able to share that knowledge that perhaps we were growing apart.  We abruptly stopped talking to one another and have lived our lives for the past 17 years without one another.  The weird part is that she is always there in my head.

Recently I reconnected with this BFF of the past.  I so want to be 14 again and try again but it is just too late for all of that.  I have to live in the now.  I am a mother of three now.  I have new BFF’s (I think I am too old to call them that), I have changed so much as a person over time.  In my head she is still the same person she used to be.  I know in my heart that this is silly to think but I want it to be true.

So I am beinging a new journey with my BFF of the past.  I am not sure how it will go.  Perhaps we will have nothing in common.  Perhaps she has not thought about me at all in the past 17 years.  Perhaps I am just trying to cling on to a past that I have not resolved.  Either way I am thrilled to have found her.  To be able to tell her how much I think about her.  To be able to show her the new me.  Perhaps the journey will be a great growing experience!

Becca

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