Happy New Year!

I am not a night person, so the idea of staying up until midnight to welcome in the new year doesn't appeal to me.  Especially since Jonathan usually works New Year's Eve and Day.  But if you'll remember, I said that I would try to have a little more fun on the holidays with my kids.  I had to come up with a compromise.  In my random blog searching I came across a fun New Year's Eve activity and decided I could tweak it and make it my own. 

I made hour-by-hour countdown cards.  The compromise was that it started at 3:00 and ended at 8:00.   Each hour the kids got to read and do the activity on the card that matched the time. 

3:00 Make Snowman Brownies

3:00 is usually our afternoon snack time so I picked an activity that we could eat.  I actually used a mix, but did everything else the same.  Braedi made a tree instead.

4:00 Dress the Snowman

There's a bit of a winter theme to a lot of these activities. . .I found a printable snowman with funny clothes and body parts.  I helped cut out the little pieces, but the kids dressed their snowman how they wanted. 

5:00 Dinner and a Craft

I wanted something the kids could do on their own while I made dinner.  I made an outline of the new year and they decorated it with glitter and noodles. 

 

6:00 "All About Me" Time Capsule

I got this idea from the original website and used their printable.  I put the completed sheets in the box of Christmas decorations so that next year we can look at them and see how much we've changed.  This activity made me realize how "in the now" kids are.  They could hardly remember what happened in the month of December let a lone the whole year of 2011. 

7:00 2012 Goals

Another idea form the website.  The kids were encouraged to come up with 4 things they wanted to work on in 2012. 

Braedi: Memorize all 50 states and their capitals, learn how to lead music, learn how to cook more meals, and become better on my Rollerblades.

Corbin: Learn to play a new song on the piano.  (only 1)

Dyllan: Learn to sew a skirt, learn to sew better, and learn  my addition facts.  (only 3)

Ephram (in his words/spelling): Less cande, tryig to not hrte, and not plaing in the mud.  (only 3)

Me: No eating after dinner (5 out of 7 nights), cardio 2-3 nights and weights 2-3 nights, 4-5 mornings of school time, and read the Book of Mormon in Spanish. 

8:00 Stories and Bedtime

The least favorite of the kids!  They were in bed and asleep by 8:30 and I was in bed around 10:30.  Happy New Year!