Sunday, November 27, 2016

4 Simple Ways to Celebrate Advent with Children

Here are four SIMPLE and yet fun ideas I found on pinterest that might be fun for you celebrate with your children this Advent season.  Follow me on pinterest if you are interested in more ideas.

1.  Make an Advent Coloring Book

This website has free coloring pages for each week of Advent!  Your children can color 1 page a week and by the end of Advent have a beautiful keepsake for future Advent seasons to come.  

Picture courtesy of:  http://www.blessedbeyondadoubt.com/advent-coloring-pages/


2.  Handprint Stable

Crafty Morning has a super cute and very simple handprint stable activity for your children.  What a simple way to remind our children this season is about Jesus's birth!

handprint-jesus-stable-kids-craft-christmas


3.  Toilet Paper Roll Advent Wreath

The Advent season we were moving and our lives were anything BUT structured, my oldest son and I made this portable, burn-free Advent wreath and it was so much fun for him to "light" it each night. Even though our real Advent wreath was packed up, we could still celebrate the season waiting in anticipation for the coming of Christ.  If you have a few pieces of construction paper and a few TP rolls lying around the house, then you can make one too! Who needs something fancy when you can make a kid friendly Advent wreath?  Am I right?  Learn more specifics here.  

P.S. I will say that since we didn't have any Popsicle sticks at the time, I just make the flames wider than the size of the opening of the TP roll, when cut a small vertical slit on each side so the flame could slide onto the top of the roll.  A very easy adaptation if you don't have Popsicle sticks.

Picture courtesy of: http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/ChristmasToiletPaperAdventWreath.htm


4.  Manger Fingerprint Scene

Crafty Morning has another cute and very simple craft activity, a fingerprint manger scene complete with Baby Jesus.  Just think of the memories you'll have of those little fingerprints years from now when you put this out of your Advent decorations bin!  What a sweet, sweet memory.



So there you have it, a few simple but fun crafts to do with the kids this Advent season.  Have any family traditions you do for Advent season?  Please feel free to share!

Many blessings to you and yours,


Saturday, November 26, 2016

Advent 2016!

I'm very excited! It's my favorite time of year as tomorrow officially begins Advent 2016!

I still have to find a place for the Jesse Tree where a 2-year old who us continually in "destructo" mode cannot knock it over. With that said, most of the house is ready for our prayerful preparation over the next 5 weeks. Here are a few pictures.

Our fireplace mantle, is the focal point of our livining room. It turned out beautifully.

I purchased this Advent wreath this year from the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. I'm looking forward to many many Advent seasons using this lovely wreath.

Here's our "good deeds" manger, in which my boys will be placing a piece of yarn each time they perform a good deed for another. The goal being that the boys perform enough kind acts that Baby Jesus will have a soft bed on Christmas morning to lie on. This is a family favorite.

A simple Nativity set in the foyer at the entrance to our home to remind us everytime we enter, what this season is really all about.

We cannot forget the Advent music can we?

This Advent calendar is also a big hit in our family. 

So that's it. Tomorrow I'll find a place for our Jesse Tree and we shall begin this wonderful Advent journey.

Do you decorate for Advent? I love hearing others's ideas so please share.

May you have a very Blessed Advent with your loved ones,