St. Nicholas Day 2016

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This was our first year celebrating St. Nicholas Day here at our house. I am hoping to keep this new tradition and continue to build on it as we go through the years. Below are some of the ways that we celebrated today:

The night before, after our Advent Study, we set out our stockings. Many traditions involve setting out shoes, but we chose to use our stockings because Momma didn’t want to put the shoes on the table. The kids also made some chocolate chip cookies with DD17. Then they left a glass of milk and a plate of cookies for St. Nick to snack on.

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Sometime after the kids went to bed St. Nick made a visit by our house.

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They each received a book, a coloring book, a small toy, and a few candies. (Santa picked all of these up at the Dollar Tree.) The kids were eager to check their stockings first thing. He even left a few items for Grandpa, DD17, DS21, and Momma.

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After everyone’s curiosity was satisfied we had a special breakfast…. Santa Pancakes!

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We happened to be having some really heavy rains today so Momma cancelled school due to the internet being really slow. Good thing Momma had some other activities planned out. (You can find a list of activities HERE.)

We read the Santa Who? book. We also had some coloring sheets and activities that I had printed from my St. Nicholas board on Pinterest. We also watched a few videos about Christmas.

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We also put up our Christmas tree! This was probably one of the most exciting things about the day for the kids. (We also watched a video about how the Christmas tree became to be a symbol of Christmas.)

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All in all it was a really good day. I think this will help us to keep the focus that Jesus is the reason for Christmas while also answering the numerous questions that arise about Santa Claus. It also honors the work that St. Nicholas did.

Guess Who’s Coming to Santa’s for Dinner?

I would have loved to invite Santa for dinner but I didn’t know anyone who would be available on such short notice. (I do have a Santa outfit in the building that we use for our Polar Express parties.) If you decide to start this tradition in your own house then do whatever you want to make it special to your family.

Merry Christmas!

Santa Pancakes

December 6th is St. Nicholas Day. It happened to fall on a Tuesday which is normally our French Toast day but the kids loved this extra special treat. Below are the instructions for how I assembled these today. These did take a little extra time but the look on their faces was well worth it!

These would also work well for Christmas morning! Continue reading “Santa Pancakes” →

Snacks & Other Goodies

We usually have a couple of snacks during the day. Snacks help to keep the grouchies away!

I always try to keep a bowl of fresh fruit on the table. Our favorites are apples and bananas. I will also try to buy whatever else is in season or on sale to give them a chance to develop a taste for other fruits.

Perpetual Meal Plans

Continue reading “Snacks & Other Goodies” →

November 27 – December 3, 2016 meal plan

This is our basic meal plan for the week. Sometimes we will switch the days around if I forgot to set something out or put something in the crock pot. Please feel free to use this or change it around to suit your family’s needs.

Sunday

Breakfast:

Banana Crumb Muffins

Lunch:

tuna salad sandwiches, fresh veggies

Dinner:

Free Day (USE PANTRY/FREEZER ITEMS TO MAKE A MEAL.)

Snacks:

Cinnamon Toast


Monday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

Leftovers

Dinner:

Hamburger Casserole, Salad

Snacks:

Muffins


Tuesday

Breakfast:

French Toast

Lunch:

PB & J sandwiches

Dinner:

Chicken Tacos, salad

Snacks:

PB Toast


Wednesday

Breakfast:

Muffins

Lunch:

tuna salad sandwiches, fresh veggies

Dinner:

Chicken Taquitos, Spanish Rice, Salad

Snacks:

PB Crackers


Thursday

Breakfast:

Pancakes

Lunch:

Hot dogs w/mac n cheese

Dinner:

Sloppy Joes, French Fries, Cole Slaw

Snacks:

Fruit


Friday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

Egg Salad Sandwiches, fresh veggies or fruit

Dinner:

Beef Tips and Gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans (we had egg noodles instead of mashed potatoes this time around.

Snacks:

Sugar Cookies


Saturday

Breakfast:

Dutch puff and fruit

Lunch:

Scrambled Egg Sandwiches

Dinner:

Meatball Sandwich Casserole, Chips, Salad

Snacks:

No Bake Cookies

Chicken Taquitos

Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients
•3 cups cooked shredded chicken
•6 ounces ounces cream cheese, softened
•⅓ cups sour cream
•½ cups salsa
•1½ cups colby jack cheese
•1½ cups chopped baby spinach, stems removed
•12 6 inch corn tortillas
•vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Instructions
1.Heat ½” oil in a sauce pan on medium heat.
2.In a large bowl mix together the chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, co-jack and spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3.Once oil is hot enough (place hand over pan, above oil, to feel heat), add a few tablespoons of chicken/cream cheese micture to the center of a tortilla and spread out. Roll up and set seam side down in oil using tongs. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
4.Repeat until all the tortillas are filled, rolled and fried.
5.Set on paper towels to drain.
6.Serve warm and ENJOY!

Serve w/ Spanish Rice and a salad