Happy Solstice!!!

We celebrated Solstice this evening by putting drawings of the sun and letters of our wishes into the fire, listening to medieval music, and having a festive dinner complete with... 

Orange chocolate! :)

I love Solstice, since it is such a joyful celebration. A time to remember to slow down and enjoy this moment, despite gifts needing to be made and all the rushing around before Christmas. Have an amazing, longest night!  

Fresh OJ

My little one is coming down with a cold, so we decided to make some OJ today. What I love about making our own juice is that we know what's in it. I've been reading recently about how most "100% Orange Juice" is really processed and is often stored in large containers for over a year. It is then flavored to make it taste like oranges again. Yuck.

The process of cutting, juicing, and pouring the juice is also a great time to teach math skills. We counted the oranges, then again when they were cut and talked about how there are twice as many pieces but the same amount of fruit. We also went over how when the juice is squeezed out of the oranges, they weigh less but if the juice and oranges were weighed together they would weight the same as they did before.

He's a happy little guy who feels proud to have made himself a yummy drink.

I love knowing that he is drinking something healthy.  

Recycled Crayons

Recycled crayons are so fun to make. Just collect the tiny leftover crayons from around the house, unwrap, place them in a muffin tin, and cook at 350 degrees until melted (7min).   

Alphabet Cards

My preschooler and I made these simple alphabet cards using paint swatches and a crayon. We made two sets so we can play a matching game with them. 

Painting in Boxes

I was looking through some old pictures and found this one. Kids love finger painting, and inside a big box theres no worry about the mess! Just dress them minimally and at the end they get a bath. Tomorrow I'll have to try it and see if the kids will still go for it now that they are older!   

Window Markers

I drew this window scene at my older son's school while we were decorating for winter.  

This is what he drew at home that afternoon:

They really do immitate what we do! Wow.

Holiday Cookies

These are the Peppermint Chocolate Cookies we make these every year. Although its always the same recipe, each year it comes out differently, which is awesome!
Heres how to do it:

Chocolate Pepperment Cookies

2 ½ C flour, 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 1 cup olive oil, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, a half bag of chocolate chips, 3 crushed candy canes, a hammer, towel and a grocery bag.

Unwrap the candy canes and place them in a dish towel. Put the towel inside a grocery bag and tie it. Go out to the front sidewalk with the kids and a hammer, and tap the candy canes until they become powder (carefully suprevise the kids). This is the best part!

Heat the oven to 350, stir the dry ingredients (except the candy canes and chocolate), and then add the wet ones. Bake for 2 min., then sprinkle the candy cane and chocolate on top. Bake for 8 more minutes, then let cool.  

We decorated re-purposed containers to give the cookies in this year.