Perpetual Bottle Cap Calendar

We've done exactly two things to prepare for 2012:  read a New Year's Eve book and made a calendar.

First, the book.  The Night Before New Year's is a fun version of the classic poem centered around New Year's Eve.  The kids beg to stay up until midnight, the family goes shopping for party supplies, they decorate, have a feast, make a toast, watch the ball drop, and they practice for midnight.  And then the unthinkable happens...they fall asleep and miss the whole thing!  The new resolution is to stay up for next year!

I've been thinking about a way to use those print index thingies you get when you order pictures.  You know, all those little mini pictures?  I don't know why, but I like them.  So I decided to incorporate them into a perpetual bottle cap calendar.  My kids aren't quite big enough to help yet, but they loved the finished product.  Here's how you can make your own (if you want one, that is):

You'll need:
*picture indexes
*bottle caps (at least 31)
*scrapbook paper
*adhesive magnet tape (I got mine at the dollar spot in the grocery store, of all places)
* paper adhesive, I used those little square scapbooking stickers


Start by cutting out your pictures.  Mine weren't big enough to fill the bottle cap so I backed it with a circle of scrapbook paper.  Then I numbered them 1 - 31. 

I stuck them in the bottle cap and then added some magnets to the back.

I did some special occasion ones too:

I made my own calendar but you can print off blank ones online too.  The plan is to reuse the bottle caps each month and just switch out the paper.  We keep the extras (the holiday and birthday ones as well as the 31 if we don't need it for the month) in a tin on top of the fridge.

Linking to Bear Rabbit Bear, Mom on Timeout, A Creative Princess, Thrifty 101, Gluesticks, Adventures in Dinner & The Artsy Girl Connection  , Living

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Baby New Year: The Procrastinating Mom's Elf on the Shelf

I wanted to do an Elf on the Shelf this year, but between our advent activities and all of the other Christmas preparations, it just wasn't happening.  So my sister and I were talking about it and this is what we came up with.  (Although I don't think she'll thank me for giving her credit for any part of this.)  Anyway, this might add a little fun to the long, cold month of January.

Baby New Year does all the fun things Elf on the Shelf does like bringing treats, leaving messages, and hanging out in unexpected places, but instead of reporting to Santa about behavior, he checks in to make sure everybody is keeping their New Year's resolutions.  Those on the right track at the end of January get a special surprise (yet to be determined).  Here are some places I suspect our little Baby New Year might be turning up:

Having a snack

Catching up on some reading

Caught in the make-up drawer!

Since my 2 and 3 year old had no idea what resolutions are, I introduced this activity by reading Squirrel's New Year's Resolution.  On January 1st, Squirrel hears on the radio that it's a great day to make a resolution, but she doesn't know what a resolution is.  She goes to Bear to find out.  He explains that it's a promise you make to yourself to be better or to help others.  Squirrel spends all day trying to think of a resolution, but mostly she ends up helping other forest animals with their resolutions.  At the end of the story, she realizes that her New Year's resolution is to help someone every day.

I thought Squirrel's New Year's resolution made a perfect one for us too, so that's what our Baby New Year will be keeping an eye out for.

Linking to Type A, Crayon Freckles, Today's Creative Blog, DIY Home Sweet Home, Someday Crafts, Sweet Peas & Bumblebees, Junk in Their Trunk
Playing with Words 365

Christmas Eve Books

Of course, when you are looking for the perfect book to read on Christmas Eve, you can always go the traditional route and break out the classic The Night Before Christmas.

But if you're looking to mix it up a bit, here are some fun versions for you.

We checked out A Pirate's Night Before Christmas from the library.  I admit this is not very Christmassey but it's silly (we like silly) and the detailed illustrations are a lot of fun to look at.  It's written in the same format as the original, but it's a pirate looking for Sir Peggety instead of Santa Claus.  This version of Santa is pulled by a team of sea horses named Salty, Scurvy, Sinbad, Mollie, Cutthroat, Cross-Eyes, Roger an' Jolly!  There's a happy ending when the pirate gets the very best gift you can give a pirate - a treasure map!

It started me wondering what other versions of The Night Before Christmas there are. Turns out there's one for just about everybody! Check these out:

For the little boy (or girl) in your life:
Dinosaur's Night Before Christmas



Racecar Driver's Night Before Christmas




Firefighter's Night Before Christmas



For the animal lover on your list:
The Barnyard Night Before Christmas


Wouldn't this make a cute teacher gift? (Trust me, she has enough candles.)
Teachers' Night Before Christmas


For the crafter (it even includes knitting projects!):
'Twas the Knits Before Christmas



I want this one.  The illustrations alone look amazing.
Night Before Christmas in Africa


Let's face it, we all know someone who would appreciate one of these:
Hillbilly Night Afore Christmas



Redneck Night Before Christmas



Hope you find time to enjoy a book with your little ones on Christmas Eve!  Have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Santa Spotter

Did you know that Santa is so fast it's impossible to see him with the naked eye?  It's true. How do you think he gets to all those houses in a single night?  You need a special Santa spotter to see him.

Don't worry - it's really easy to make your own.  All you need is a cardboard tube wrapped in paper and a clip art picture of Santa.  I cut holes in both sides of the tube so light would come in and also so I could tape Santa in place.

Okay, this didn't even fool my 2 year old, but we still had fun with it.  What brought this silliness about was the book I've Seen Santa!

Little Bear is anxious to see Santa on Christmas Eve.  He decides to wait up, but every time he hears a noise, it turns out to be something like Big Bear drinking Santa's milk or Mommy Bear setting out her gifts.  Little Bear is very worried that something is going to go wrong for Santa. Eventually Little Bear, Big Bear, and Mommy Bear all decide to wait up for Santa.  The illustrations of the furry bears are adorable and this is a perfect book for preschoolers.  The first time we read it, I wondered where it was going and if the secret of Santa was going to be revealed, but the last page shows Santa watching the three bears sleep under the Christmas tree.

Linking to Seven Thirty Three, Thrifty 101