Cozi Blog

The Joy of Family Giving

2009-12-07T11:00:34-08:00

Cozi has partnered with Education & Hope to inspire true giving this holiday season. Education and Hope is founded on the belief that education is a fundamental human right, and that all the world’s children deserve the chance to be educated.

We are a charitable nation. In the U.S., eighty-nine percent of households give and together we gave over 300 billion dollars in 2008. Even the poorest among us give to charity. Indeed, those making the least amount of money donate a greater percentage of personal income than any other income bracket.

Do you have plans to give back this holiday season? While helping those less fortunate is a basic value for many, your family might be stumped about how to donate or what cause to support. That’s understandable. The number of charities and people in need can be overwhelming.

Take the opportunity this holiday season to make a plan to give back. The benefits of donating go way beyond supporting the needy. Children learn the importance of giving and get a sense of how the needs of others compare to their own lot in life. For certain charities, very small amounts of money can make a huge difference in the lives or others. And, we all know that giving just feels good.

A first step is to sit down with the family and talk about what type of charity you would like to support:

Religious organizations
Combined purposes charities like United Way
Helping others meet basic needs
Health
Education
Arts
Your own school or church
Veteran’s organizations

Next, research things like how much of your donation supports the mission of the charity versus operating costs and how much of your money goes to the actual needs of others. Finally, take action and enjoy the true spirit of giving.

For more ideas, visit:

Five Ways to Give Back This Season

Education and Hope

Reference: National Philanthropic Trust, http://www.nptrust.org/philanthropy/philanthropy_stats.asp

The Truth About Santa

2009-12-03T04:58:38-08:00

A few months back, the Tooth Fairy got busted. She left a note for Alice up on her computer, and Lucy figured the whole business out. The Tooth Fairy cursed her need to write notes in elaborate fonts and tried to come up with a cover story, but it didn’t fool Lucy.

To her credit, Lucy has kept the secret from her little sister, who still hasn’t lost a tooth and deserves to wake up with money under her pillow.

But the Tooth Fairy knew it couldn’t be too long before Santa was similarly unmasked. She didn’t know when or how, but she knew the days of magic in her house, at least magic of a certain sort, were coming to an end.

And the Tooth Fairy—by which I mean myself—was pretty darned sad about the inevitable, which finally arrived last week.

Lucy and I have been exchanging notes since the school year started. We’ve talked about all sorts of things—sports, books we’d like to read, adventures we’d like to have, even stories from when I was in third grade. For the most part, though, it’s been light, casual stuff. Until last week.

I NEED TO KNOW, she wrote, using capital letters for emphasis. ARE YOU SANTA? TELL ME THE TRUTH.

What do you do when your kid asks for the truth? You tell it, of course, doing your best to figure out a way that keeps at least some of the magic intact.

Here’s what I wrote:

Dear Lucy,

Thank you for your letter. You asked a very good question: “Are you Santa?”

I know you’ve wanted the answer to this question for a long time, and I’ve had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

The answer is no. I am not Santa. There is no one Santa.

I am the person who fills your stockings with presents, though. I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my mom did for me, and the same way her mom did for her. (And yes, Daddy helps, too.)

I imagine you will someday do this for your children, and I know you will love seeing them run down the stairs on Christmas morning. You will love seeing them sit under the tree, their small faces lit with Christmas lights.

This won’t make you Santa, though.

Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us have lived. What he does is simple, but it is powerful. He teaches children how to have belief in something they can’t see or touch.

It’s a big job, and it’s an important one. Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family. You’ll also need to believe in things you can’t measure or even hold in your hand. Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.

Santa is a teacher, and I have been his student, and now you know the secret of he gets down all those chimneys on Christmas Eve: he has help from all the people whose hearts he’s filled with joy.

With full hearts, people like Daddy and me take our turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So, no. I am not Santa. Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness. I’m on his team, and now you are, too.

I love you and I always will.

Mama

--Martha Brockenbrough

Key Dates for Your December Calendar

2009-11-27T01:34:48-08:00

Holidays for your December 2009 Calendar

Dec 11: First Night of Hanukkah
Dec 18: Islamic New Year
Dec 21: First Day of Winter
Dec 24: Christmas Eve
Dec 25: Christmas Day
Dec 26: Kwanzaa begins
Dec 26: Boxing Day
Dec 27: Islamic Ashura
Dec 31: New Year’s Eve

Put the December Holidays on your Cozi Calendar in an instant. Go to your Cozi Calendar Settings, right click and copy the December Holidays iCalendar url and paste into the Calendar URL field in your settings.

Holiday TV Shows for Your December 2009 Calendar

Dec 1: A Charlie Brown Christmas, ABC, 8:00 p.m.
Dec 2: Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, CBS, 8:00 p.m.
Dec 3: The Polar Express ABC Family, 6:00 p.m., 8:30 p.m.
Dec 7: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, ABC Family, 7:00 p.m.
Dec 12: Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, CBS, 8:00 p.m.
Dec 12: It's a Wonderful Life, NBC, 8.00 p.m.
Dec 18: Frosty The Snowman, CBS, 8:00 p.m.
Dec 19: A Muppets Christmas: Letters To Santa, NBC, 8:00 p.m.
Dec 23: Miracle on 34th Street (1994), ABC Family, 7:30 p.m.
Dec 24: A Christmas Story Marathon begins, TBS, 8:00 p.m.

Put the December Holiday TV Shows on your Cozi Calendar in an instant. Go to your Cozi Calendar Settings, right click and copy the December Holiday TV Shows iCalendar url and paste into the Calendar URL field in your settings.

Holiday Shipping Deadlines for Your December 2009 Calendar

Dec 7:Deadline to send Hanukkah gifts First-Class and Priority (Rush deadline is Dec 10)
Dec 21: Deadline to send Christmas and Kwanzaa gifts First-class and Priority (Rush deadline is Dec 23)

Hint: Check out the USPS holiday helper guy for info on free boxes, package pick ups and a holiday shipping to do list. Keep watching for a laugh.

Put the Holiday Shipping Deadlines on your Cozi Calendar in an instant. Go to your Cozi Calendar Settings, right click and copy the December Holiday Shipping Dates iCalendar url and paste into the Calendar URL field in your settings.

Use the Cozi Free Shared Calendar to manage family activities and organize busy family life.

8 Old and New Ways to Send a Holiday Card

2009-11-15T23:04:59-08:00

Now is the time to gather holiday card ideas. Whether you have your own holiday card tradition or are looking for new card ideas, you have many options for sending a greeting this holiday season. However you choose to communicate, sending a holiday greeting is a great way to stay in touch with those whom you’ve shared a meaningful connection with this year.

Here is a list of holiday card options to consider. Pick one, or a few, and get started!

Pre-packaged holiday cards from the store. There is no shame in these. Try to make them a little more personal by adding a note to the recipient.
Holiday letter on themed stationery. With the letter, you can add as much or as little information as you would like. It is common to use the letter to sum up the year for a family, or make announcements. Although, please remember, not everyone will be as thrilled to hear the details about each tooth that Jimmy lost.
Homemade holiday cards. With today's plethora of pretty papers and card-making supplies, you can let your creativity run free here. Start thinking of ideas.
Have holiday cards personalized and printed. There are many places that will do this for you now. They usually will include a printed message inside that you have written. Many services will even supply postage and mail the cards out for you.
Photo holiday card. I am always a little disappointed when a Christmas card comes in the mail from people I don't see often and there is no picture. A photo card is an attractive way to go, but don't forget to include a personal note or letter!
Purchase your holiday cards through a charitable organization. Visit Cards that Give for an impressive selection of cards that will benefit quite an array of organizations, and ultimately, people.
Holiday eCards. While eCards may not be a traditional method for sending holiday cards, they make both a good time-saving and money-saving option. There is a growing variety of eCards available. Electronic communication beats no communication.
Send a family moment as a holiday card using the Cozi Family Journal. Create a special family journal entry just for the occasion, including a festive greeting and a special picture. From there, send the email card to as many on your list as you'd like. Find out more about sending a holiday card in Cozi.

Jennifer Tankersley is founder of ListPlanIt.com, with over 400 printable lists and planning pages, including everything you need to prepare for the holidays, manage a family, and organize your life. Jennifer is also the creator of 100 Days to Christmas: a daily dose of inspiration and motivation to help you through the busy holiday season.

Send a Holiday Card in Cozi

2009-11-14T23:13:00-08:00

Holiday cards are expensive! By the time you buy cards to send out to everyone on your list, you could spend well over $100, possibly much more if you have a large list or a fondness for fancy cards. This doesn’t even include the cost of stamps or special address labels.

Even with the cost, though, holiday cards are fun to send out, and fun to receive. The tradition of exchanging yearly cards is a good one, but modifying it slightly could save you money and time; Cozi can help!

Instead of sending printed holiday cards to your entire list, consider dividing your list into categories. Within your list, you undoubtedly have a wide range of people, starting with your inner circle of close friends and family, and spiraling out from there to include a range of far-flung friends from the past, neighbors, work colleagues and acquaintances. It’s nice to extend season’s greetings to all of these people, but it might not be necessary to send an expensive card to each of them.

For at least part of your list, consider sending out a holiday card through Cozi. You can create a special family journal entry just for the occasion, including a festive greeting and a special picture. From there, all you’ll need to do is click on “Send by e-mail," and add the e-mail addresses of those who will receive the card. Click “Send," and you’re done. It’s that simple!

You might even find that this option allows you to extend your holiday list to include more people you’d like to connect with, but couldn’t afford to keep on your list with the expense of printed cards. In addition to enabling you to reach out to more people, just think of all the time and money you’ll save by using Cozi to send out some of your cards!

Before you know it, you’ll be able to cross off “Send Holiday Cards” from your To Do list, and move on to the next item. That’s what Cozi’s all about; simplifying family life!

Use the Cozi Family Journal to send fast, free, personalized holiday cards this year!

What to Do With the Holiday Cards You Get This Year

2009-11-14T09:00:00-08:00

The holiday cards that arrive throughout the month of December are like little gifts in themselves—a fun way to reconnect with friends and family and see how families have grown over the year.

After the holidays, though, it’s hard to know what to do with those special cards. Adding them unceremoniously to the recycling bin seems like sacrilege, knowing how much effort, time, and money went into creating them.

Here are a few ideas for what to do with those cards when the holidays are over:

SCAN THEM: Scanning your cards onto your computer won’t take long, but it will allow you to enjoy them over the course of the year.

COZI COLLAGE SCREENSAVER: Once you’ve scanned the cards, you can include them in your Cozi Collage screensaver. With card photos in your collages, fun holiday memories will pop up unexpectedly all year long.

WALL COLLAGE: After you’ve saved your cards by scanning them, you can have fun with your kids by creating a poster-board collage. Try giving your kids free reign with cropping and arranging the cards on a winter evening by the fire, and see what they come up with. You can then put the collage up on your fridge, or on a bulletin board in the family room. Once you think it’s run its course, you can tuck the collage away—and pull it out next year to see how much everyone has grown.

SPECIAL GIFTS: The photos included in most family holiday cards portray families at their best: a freeze frame that represents the family for the year. Some families might keep a copy for themselves, but most send out every last card, thinking they have plenty of their own pictures. Even those who keep a copy probably don’t have copies of each year’s cards together in one place. Imagine how special it would be to quietly keep a file of the cards from your closest friends through the years, and use them to create a special gift down the road. What better surprise could you give your childhood best friend than a 15-year compilation of her children’s holiday photos for her 50th birthday?

These are just a few ideas for ways to enjoy these special cards after the holidays. What do you do with your holiday cards?

Let Cozi help you manage your family's holiday calendar, organize your holiday lists, and capture the chaos of the holidays with family journal entries.

Thanksgiving Dinner Survival Guide

2009-11-13T10:57:00-08:00

If you are hosting the big feast this Thanksgiving, start with the sage advice of a professional meal planner. Aviva Goldfarb, cook, author and founder of The Six O'Clock Scramble, a weekly meal planning system, has ten tips for having a successful meal while keeping your sanity intact.

I get the jitters before hosting almost any gathering. But with all the build-up to Thanksgiving, it feels like the stakes are even higher than usual. To keep it in perspective, I try to remember what is most important-to be with family and friends and appreciate our blessings. But if I'm hosting the feast, I still have a lot of work to do! I've devised some strategies for making the evening easier on us, while still indulging our guests:

Don't try to do it alone

Just because I love to cook, doesn't mean I have to do it all! If anyone volunteers to bring something, I take them up on it. I also try to involve the kids with the preparation, either by asking them to make place cards or table decorations, or clean the house. (A friend of mine cherishes the Thanksgiving tablecloth her kids made on which they traced their hands in fall colors and wrote what they were thankful for.)

Make a menu ahead of time

By the Sunday before the feast, I make a list of everything we are serving, from appetizers to coffee. I note who is making each item and when I need to start my assignments. I even jot down my daily tasks on my calendar.

Grocery shop early

I make a detailed grocery list (consulting the menu I've decided on) and buy the groceries by Tuesday, so I can start cooking on Wednesday.

Cook in advance

Most of the trimmings can be cooked well in advance of dinner, and then warmed before the meal. Even the turkey can be finished cooking (we even slice it!) hours before the meal. (Just put that Norman Rockwell image of the father cutting the bird at the table out of your mind!)

Get the house and table ready the night before

To avoid exhaustion on the big day, I make sure the house looks nice and the table is set before I go to bed on Wednesday.

Keep appetizers easy

Before dinner, I serve simple foods, such as gourmet cheeses, nuts, store-bought gourmet spread for crackers, vegetables and dip, and fresh popcorn.

Send the kids out for a picnic and sports before the meal

This strategy, suggested by my friend and colleague, Jeanne Rossomme, frees the kitchen for the big feast, and calms the kids so there is a higher probability of civilized behavior when guests arrive.

Have plastic containers ready so you can pack up leftovers

This makes clean-up easier. But save a slice of cooked turkey breast for next week's recipe for turkey pot pie!

Take the last thirty minutes off

An experienced hostess once told me that I should try to hold sacred the last half hour before guests arrive. I use this time to get myself cleaned up and put my feet up for a few minutes. That way I'm not utterly exhausted before the evening begins.

Give thanks and eat slowly

After sitting down, each guest shares one thing for which they are thankful. This simple tradition really sets the right mood. Then we enjoy the feast we've all helped to prepare, and we try to remember to savor the time together after all our hard work.

I hope you have good food, easy travels, and a holiday that's more full of gratitude than gripes.

Get help managing your holiday calendar and all your holiday lists with Cozi, the free online family organizer.

More on the Holidays

Aviva Goldfarb is a cook, author, and founder of The Six O'Clock Scramble ( www.thescramble.com ), a weekly meal planning system (recipes, weekly plans and automated grocery lists) to get healthy, earth-friendly, family-happy meals on the table each and every night. She can be reached at aviva@thescramble.com . You can also follow her on Twitter @thescramble.

Thanksgiving Crafts

2009-11-10T15:39:42-08:00

Gobble, gobble!

Looking for a quick craft to enjoy with your kids this month that keeps with the Thanksgiving spirit?

How about a leaf turkey?

Send the kids out to gather a collection of beautiful leaves and one pinecone.

Place the leaves on a large piece of orange construction paper in a fan shape. Use a glue gun or stick to attach the leaves to the paper.

Then glue the pinecone to the bottom center of your fan of leaves, and stick googly eyes on it for the turkey’s eyes.

Make an orange beak and a red wattle using felt, and glue them onto the pinecone.

Let your turkey dry, and hang it up for a festive decoration.

Happy Turkey Time!

Get your family organized and on the same page with Cozi, the free online family organizer.

-Lisa Kothari, Peppers and Pollywogs

Cut the Chaos: Getting a Jump on Holiday Madness

2009-11-09T12:16:29-08:00

Parenting contributor Lian Dolan on the virtues of holiday preparation.

Here we are in that sweet lull between Halloween and the holiday chaos that hits mid-November. We can choose not to think about what obligations lie ahead in the next six weeks (food, family, frenzy) or we can do a few items on our annual Holiday To-Do List and breathe easier come December. I’m a big believer in working ahead so you can enjoy the moment. When I was pregnant with my second child, I went into preterm labor at 30 weeks over Thanksgiving weekend. Bed rest was the best thing that ever happened to a Holiday Over-Achiever like me. We had a scaled-back but meaningful Christmas season that still stands out as one of my favorites. (And I had a healthy baby boy on Groundhog Day.) So whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or the winter solstice, here are my tips to cut the chaos and get a jump on the Holidays.

Take the family photo now! Really, stop reading and start clicking your digital camera. If you take a nice, tight headshot of the kids and dog, you don’t even need to buy matching snowflake sweaters. Forget about art-directing the perfect image of the perfect family. Your kids are cute; any photo will do. Snap it, order the cards, and start addressing those envelopes.

Think theme gifts. Organize gift-giving around a single theme. One gift does fit all, especially your budget and your time. Make it the Year of the Gourmet Brownies! Or Wool Socks! Or Personalized Tote Bag! Last year, I gave everyone in my family-man, woman and child-a reasonably priced down vest in eye-catching colors. One store, one hour, all the shopping I needed. My brother declared it “The vest Christmas ever.”

Display only half of your decorations. Breathe deeply-you can do this. You can leave some of the artificial gourds/holly-berry wreaths and talking reindeer in the basement. You don’t need a menorah in every room or the best lights on the block. Nobody will notice but you. Prevent holiday stress by spending half the time decorating, half the time putting away, and you’ll double the time enjoying your family.

Plan on skipping one big event. It’s okay to say no, even to a “holiday tradition.” Nobody needs more stress, especially this year, so don’t let the annual cookie exchange add to the chaos. Take this year off. Instead, celebrate the season with calm reflection and simple joy, surrounded by the people who really matter to you.

Get help managing your holiday calendar, to do lists and all your holiday lists with Cozi, the free online family organizer.

More on the Holidays

About the author: Lian Dolan is a writer, mother, Satellite Sister and creator of The Chaos Chronicles, a podcast, blog and website about modern motherhood.

MakingLifeBetter provides tips and smart strategies to help you feel good, look good, and get more out of life.

Things People Usually Forget to Buy at Thanksgiving

2009-11-02T23:16:00-08:00

Butter, enough for serving at the table and for cooking potatoes and rolls and dessert
Whipping cream or “Cool Whip” for desserts
Club soda for cleaning up wine
Candles for the table
Nice napkins and paper goods (it can be great to use paper plates for the dessert to minimize clean-up time)
Extra ice
Extra drinks, sodas
Snack foods like chips for in between meals and during football games, TV parades, etc.
“Sandwich makings”—mustard, mayonnaise, buns/bread, lettuce, tomatoes, and other needed items for making turkey sandwiches

Add all these items to your Cozi shopping list, instantly! (you may need to sign in to your Cozi account. If you don't have a Cozi account, sign up, it's free!)

Never forget another shopping list with Cozi Shopping Lists, accessible from anywhere, anytime.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Certified Professional Organizer Lorie Marrero is the creator of ClutterDiet.com, an innovative program allowing anyone to get expert help at an affordable price. She is also the author of The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life. Her organizing books and products are sold online and in stores nationwide. Lorie has been a spokesperson for Brother label makers and FedEx Office, and she is a sought-after expert for national media such as CNBC, Good Housekeeping, WGN News and Woman's Day.

Christmas Countdown 2009

2009-11-01T10:34:00-08:00

Get ready for Christmas with a countdown of what to do each week. You'll be reminded, you'll be accountable, and you'll be confident that things will get done in time for Christmas. Here is a suggested time line, beginning the first week of November, to help you make this holiday season your best yet.

Let your calendar help you prepare for the holidays by putting all the Christmas countdown reminders on your Cozi Calendar.

Week 1 – Holiday Gifts

Inventory the gifts you’ve purchased throughout the year. Sit your family down with catalogs to discover what is first on their wish lists. Create your own thorough gift list with space for each person you plan to make or buy gifts for. Don’t leave anyone off. You’ll cause stress if you have to make a last minute run for a forgotten gift for your child’s bus driver. Begin shopping online and in stores whenever you have a moment to spare.

Week 2 – Holiday Cards

Although this is a completely optional part of the holidays, many people find it the perfect way to stay in touch with friends and loved ones both near and far away. This week, focus on choosing a card or design, purchasing materials and stamps, scheduling a photo opportunity, addressing envelopes, writing an update on your family, and assembling the cards. Please keep in mind that nothing completes a holiday card like a personal note to each recipient.

Week 3 – Holiday Meal Planning

You can cover two holidays in one sitting if you take this week to make both your Thanksgiving menu and Christmas menu. Don’t forget any cookies, candy or food gifts you have planned for December. Gather all of your old family favorite recipes. Scan the internet for new possible food traditions. Once your menus are established, create a shopping list for each menu. Note which recipes can be made ahead and schedule baking days.

Week 4 – Cleaning and Decorating

With the American celebration of Thanksgiving this week, there will be a lot of home preparation as many people host feasts with their dearest friends, neighbors and family. Once the leftovers have run their course, it is time for Christmas decorations of all shapes and sizes to emerge from basements and attics. Vow not to put anything out until it has a dust‐free surface to rest. It is a good motivation for thoroughly cleaning your house in time for the holidays.

Week 5 – Holiday Party Planning

Whether it is a brunch, an afternoon tea, a cookie exchange, or an evening gala, many people find themselves hosting some type of holiday event. Guest lists must be made, invitations sent, menus created, activities scheduled, and a myriad of other details confirmed. This is the week to lay it all out on paper and begin to take action. Use this week to stock up on hostess gifts for parties you attend as well.

Week 6 – Holiday Happenings

Enjoy! The holidays are a fun time of year. There are special theatrical performances, seasonal activities, and family and community gatherings. Take it in. Experience the holidays. One of the rewards for planning ahead is the opportunity to relax a little and enjoy the celebration.

Week 7 – Holiday Giving

What are the holidays if not an opportunity to give? Yes, there are expectations from family members. Yes, there are traditions that must be carried out. However, if we forget that the meaning of the holidays is to give, whether it be through some sacrifice of our time, our abilities, or our resources, we forego the happiness that comes with giving. It truly is better to give than to receive.

Week 8 – Holiday Cooking

It may seem as though you’ve been cooking for a month straight by this time. However, there are few associations with special occasions as important as food. You’ve already planned the menu and the ingredients are stocked in your pantry and refrigerator. Now it is time to apply the magic of food to create mouth‐watering memories and continue traditions that have been passed down for generations.

The holiday season brings with it many associations and memories of family, warmth, joy and beauty. The reality is that it is also a time of busyness, anxiety, and stress. The key to a meaningful holiday is a little planning and a little more action. It is not enough to just think about what it takes to manage a successful family holiday. Scheduling time into your day to accomplish tasks early will bring the kind of peace to December that makes the song true: It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Let Cozi help you manage your family's holiday calendar, organize your holiday lists, and capture the chaos of the holidays with family journal entries.

More Lists and Calendars

More on the Holidays

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10 Ways to Keep Kids Happy During the Holiday Meal

2009-10-15T07:00:00-07:00

The holidays are a time for the entire family to gather for a leisurely meal. The meal can often go on for quite a while, leaving young children antsy in their seats. This meal is notoriously known for having a kids’ table where the children sit on their own with one adult, rather than at the grownups’ table.

Whether the children sit at a specially designated table or with everyone, having a few activities planned during the meal will go a long way toward keeping everyone happy. Find inspiration for easy fun that is sure to keep your kids happy during your special holiday meal here:

Fun Drinks. Set out special colored glasses—plastic would work well—and outfit the kids with fun straws, umbrellas, fruit, and ice cubes with holiday gummies frozen inside. The kids will be delighted with the fun drinks. They can even help make them before dinner and make re-fills too.
Crayons. Place holiday-colored crayons on the table with plain white napkins at the kids’ place settings. Ask the kids to draw their favorite holiday scene on their napkins for added decoration and fun.
Trivia. Have a ready-made holiday trivia game at the table. This works especially well with older kids, but you can also ask very simple questions to include the little ones too. For example, if this is a Thanksgiving meal, create a series of questions around the history of the holiday, traditions, etc. to keep them guessing.
Your Little Helpers. Include your kids in the preparation of one of the holiday dishes; even little kids can help bake cookies. When you are ready to serve, engage the children in a discussion about how they made the dish and have them help serve it.
Charades. Children often have a hard time sitting still at the dinner table for long periods of time. If the meal is long, have them take mini-breaks from the table. If you see your child fidgeting, ask them to get up and do a charade for the rest of the guests (such as a turkey for Thanksgiving or a reindeer for Christmas). After they are done, they can be seated again. This quickly breaks their monotony and also helps keep them at the table.
Place Cards. Have the kids create place cards for the guests to easily find their seats at the dinner table. They can create these cards using heavy stock paper and fancy glitter glue to spell out the names.
Storytelling. At some point during the meal, allow the children to tell the story of the holiday in their own words. See how much they remember about the pilgrims or the Christmas story or Santa’s origins. Alternately, allow children to read a special holiday tale from a favorite book to everyone gathered.
A Chorus Line. Although singing is usually considered rude at the dinner table, children have often learned special songs at school for the holidays. Allow them to get up and sing a chorus of favorite tunes. Invite everyone to sing together.
Clean Up. There is always plenty to clean up after a holiday meal. With kids ready to get up and leave the table, provide them with the task of helping clear the plates. It makes it easier on you and keeps the kids industrious.
Card Sharks. As the kids rush to finish their dessert, have several different card decks on their table that they can play with as everyone else finishes their meals. Games like Old Maid, Go Fish, and Concentration are all good choices.

The holiday meal is an annual tradition. Make sure to include some activities for the kids so they will enjoy it too!

-- Lisa Kothari, Peppers and Pollywogs

A Holiday Cookie Party

2009-10-15T07:00:00-07:00

Looking for an easy afternoon of fun with your kids and their friends this holiday season? Baking up a batch (or several) of festive cookies is an easy activity to put together and will make memories that last a lifetime.

When planning your cookie baking, take into account the ages of the children who will be attending to determine how much actual baking will be done. For small kids, simply decorating prebaked cookies would be excellent. School-age children can handle rolling out chilled dough, cutting the dough into shapes with cookie cutters, doing an activity while they bake and cool, and then decorating. Tweens and teens will appreciate taking on the challenge of making the cookies themselves from start to finish.

To throw a great holiday cookie party, try these ideas:

For an invitation, cut out holiday shapes using colorful construction paper with your cookie cutters; gingerbread men are a great idea. Write the party information on the invitation. Attach a candy cane to the invite if they will be hand-delivered.
The heart of this party will take place in your kitchen and dining area. Have enough seats available for the children to sit down and decorate. Line the kitchen table with wrapping paper for a festive feel. Providing your kids and their guests with red aprons and Santa hats will add fun, and they can be taken home as party favors. Certainly, play those holiday carols!
For younger children, set out plates where the kids will decorate their cookies. In the center of the table, place your frosting tubes, sprinkles, and candies for the kids to use to decorate. Older kids will most likely be spending a large amount of time in the kitchen cutting out dough and placing cookies on baking trays, or actually making the cookies from scratch.

While the cookies are baking, you might try some of these additional activities:

Hold a taste test. Place cookie ingredients or holiday spices in individual bowls, and have guests taste each one to determine what it is.
Have a cocoa station with hot chocolate, whipped cream, candy cane sticks, and chocolate shavings for the kids to create a sweet treat.
Have your recipe books out for the children to browse, as well as 3×5 cards and pens. They can copy a recipe or two that they would like to try during the season and take these cards home as well.
After the cookie cutters have been used, wash them, and have the kids use them to draw festive pictures, to make play dough shapes, and so on.
When the cookies have been baked and decorated, wrap them in red plastic wrap for taking home, along with recipe cards, aprons, hats, or other favors.

This is an easy party to put together, even at the last minute, and it can be as fancy or as simple as you make it. The kids will love it.

Happy holiday baking!

-- Lisa Kothari, Peppers and Pollywogs

Budget Holiday Party Tips

2009-10-14T10:58:00-07:00

The holiday season is a perfect time for parents to throw a fun holiday party. Here are top tips for planning just such a party this year that will be simple and loads of fun, but won’t break the bank:

Send your invitations out early. It's a busy time of year, and getting on people's calendars early is key.
Make your own invitations with candy canes. Attach a small card with the party details on it to the candy cane for an easy invite.
Have the children make paper ornaments, and hold an ornament swap at the party. You can purchase ornament kits, or children can create homemade ornaments using heavy card stock, glitter glue, markers, and other craft materials. Crafty and fun!
If your party is strictly for kids, limit the number of guests-perhaps just your kids’ best friends.
Let your holiday decorations serve as your party decorations.
Look around your home for fun stuff to create easy activities. Ideas include: a holiday taste test (bring out the spices of the season and let the kids taste and guess away), shaving cream or marshmallow snowmen, a cookie bake-off , and letters to Santa. The activities are endless when you look around your own home for inspiration.
Hosting an open house for the entire family may cut down on cost and time. If adults and children will both attend the party, make sure to have a few of those easy activities prepared for the kids and run by helpers.
Host a tree-trimming party. The main activity will be decorating the tree and your home. If you have small trees that need trimming, this is ideal.
Serve cocoa and cookies, not a full meal. Do not schedule your holiday party around a meal time.
Say no to the goody bags at your holiday party. Let a craft or a cookie that the children bake and decorate serve as a take-home favor.

-- Lisa Kothari, Peppers and Pollywogs

Christmas Countdown Reminders on your Cozi Calendar

2009-10-01T23:21:00-07:00

The countdown to Christmas has begun. Put the six weeks to Christmas countdown in your Cozi calendar to remind you what to get done each week.

Steps to add the Christmas Countdown Reminders to your Cozi calendar:

Go to the Add Internet Calendar settings in your Cozi calendar. (You may need to sign in)
Right click on the link below and select 'Copy link' or 'Copy shortcut'

Holiday Countdown 2009
Paste the link into the Calendar URL text box on your calendar settings page.
Click Add.

That's it! Enjoy your weekly reminders and have a wonderful holiday season.

Budget Holiday Party Tips

2008-12-09T14:26:00-08:00

Send your invitations out early. It's a busy time of year, and getting on people's calendars early is key.
Make your own invitations with candy canes. Attach a small card with the party details on it to the candy cane for an easy invite.
Have the children make paper ornaments, and hold an ornament swap at the party. You can purchase ornament kits, or children can create homemade ornaments using heavy card stock, glitter glue, markers, and other craft materials. Crafty and fun!
If your party is strictly for kids, limit the number of guests-perhaps just your kids’ best friends.
Let your holiday decorations serve as your party decorations.
Look around your home for fun stuff to create easy activities. Ideas include: a holiday taste test (bring out the spices of the season and let the kids taste and guess away), shaving cream or marshmallow snowmen, a cookie bake-off , and letters to Santa. The activities are endless when you look around your own home for inspiration.
Hosting an open house for the entire family may cut down on cost and time. If adults and children will both attend the party, make sure to have a few of those easy activities prepared for the kids and run by helpers.
Host a tree-trimming party. The main activity will be decorating the tree and your home. If you have small trees that need trimming, this is ideal.
Serve cocoa and cookies, not a full meal. Do not schedule your holiday party around a meal time.
Say no to the goody bags at your holiday party. Let a craft or a cookie that the children bake and decorate serve as a take-home favor.

-- Lisa Kothari, Peppers and Pollywogs