The snow has hit us in New England. My little girl has had 3 snow days in the past two weeks.. And we have already had us a ton of snowy fun. One of my daughter’s favorites snowy day activities is making snow angels. There are snow angels all around our yard. Those adorable little angel prints inspired today’s fun snow angel craft.
We got our first real snowfall this weekend. There is nothing like the first snow of the season. It is so magical. We had a great weekend playing in the snow. We made a snowman, of course, but the highlight of our weekend was the snowball fights. I had so much fun watching my little one winding up to throw a snowball at me. Our snowy adventure was the inspiration for this fun piece of mixed media.
When I was young girl, I can remember my grandmother’s Christmas village. She always set it up at about this time each year. Her miniature houses sat on a blanket of cotton and were surrounded by little pine trees and Christmas carolers. I used to sit and look at them whenever I would visit during the holidays. Looking at them just felt like Christmas.
We have been reading a lot of books lately. On Sunday, I felt like we read about a hundred of them, though in actuality it was probable only about 5 or 6. In one of the books or magazines that we read together, there was a lovely illustration of children looking out the window. I love crafts in windows & I thought that a simple winter scene with the silhouette of children looking out would be a cute one.
This was our last week in our home. Our new house will be under construction for the next 5 weeks & we will be living with my husband’s aunt while we wait for the completion of our new home. Life has been chaotic & a lot of things have had us in limbo these past few weeks. Even with all that has been going on, we still managed to squeeze in a few crafts in between packing & moving. We were all about snowmen this week. We made acorn snowmen the other night & kept it going with one more quick snowman craft.
I can remember when I was a little girl, I could not wait until it would snow. I wasn’t much interested in building snowmen, but I loved having a good snowball fight & I loved to build snow forts, huts and igloos. The snow is hopefully still a little ways away, but I was thinking of my igloo adventures the other day. I had an idea for an igloo craft using an old milk jug.
The first snow fall of the season inspired a fun snow-filled weekend. We had a fun family day yesterday complete with more snow angels & snowmen. Even though the temperatures have dropped there are still a lot of fun things that we can enjoy with the family through the winter & holiday season. Whether it means bundling up & hitting the outdoors or keeping warm & cozy in the house there is a long list of things that you can do together with your children.
Outdoor Play
1. Build a snowman– Building snowmen has been a winter favorite long before Frozen ever came out. Do you want to build a snowman? You bet I do.
2. Go sledding
3. Make snow castles
4. Have a snowball fight – It turns out that my daughter loves snowball fights. I threw one at daddy & that was enough to have her sold. She laughed & jumped in excitement at each ball thrown.
5. Paint the snow- Put food coloring & water in a squirt or spray bottle & have a little bit of artistic fun in the snow.
6. Make snow angels
7. Build a snow fort
8. Use beach toys in the snow- Keep those sand pails & shovels out for the winter. They are wonderful for snowy days.
9. Go for a hike
10. Ice skating
11. Have a snowy photo shoot– A camera with a timer & a tripod are my family’s best friend. Most of our family photos are shot this way. Don’t forget to capture each of these moments while you can.
In Home Activities
1. Drink cocoa around the fireplace- What is better than snuggling up with your family around a warm fire on a cold day?
2. Write a Christmas list to Santa
3. Watch Christmas movies
4. Bake holiday cookies– I adore baking with my daughter. She is baking up pure joy.
5. Decorate the Christmas tree
6. Elf on the shelf- – That sneaky little elf is back. You better watch out. He tells Santa all.
7. Bake a gingerbread house
8. Make homemade Christmas cards
9. Make winter & holiday crafts– I will be honest, this is one of my favorite parts of the holidays. I love holiday crafting with my daughter. Here was our latest over the weekend… Mini muffin liners strung up around a pipe cleaner & topped off with a pipe cleaner bow.
10. Read Christmas stories
Family Outings
1. Go Christmas light peeping– I love the twinkling lights during the holidays. They are beautiful. There is always that street that is filled with the best Christmas lights in town.
2. Pick out a real Christmas tree
3. See a Christmas show
4. Go on a sleigh ride– There are places that do this. If you are lucky enough to find one, grab your family a blanket and some cocoa and go.
5. Go caroling
6. Visit a winter/Christmas bazaar
7. Visit Santa– My daughter is still pretty skeptical about the big guy in person, but she stepped up & asked for that train set that she wanted.
8. Donate toys or gifts – Teach your children that it is better to give than receive. Help those less fortunate than you.
9. Go Christmas shopping
I hope everyone embraces all that the holiday season brings this year.
This weekend we took an early trip to Santa’s workshop to beat the crowd and get in our Christmas lists. My daughter asked Santa to bring her a train set this year and some more Play-doh. She made certain to reiterate that she wanted a train set two more times before leaving his side.
Outside of his workshop there is a room, a magical room filled with twinkling trees & falling snow. I watched my daughter & her friend as they ran through the fake snow. As the snow formed small piles around them, they tossed it up into the air, giddy with excitement. At first I began to object, but the objections trailed off. Have I ever enjoyed anything as much as they do right now I wondered? I stared at my girl, unable to blink. I didn’t want to lose a precious moment. I felt my eyes well up with tears. I hoped that nobody saw me. I felt silly to be crying, but I just couldn’t help it.
There are moments when a mother cries. The tears are not from sadness, they are from joy. Sometimes there is so much happiness, so much love that your body simply cannot contain it. When it finally bursts, it can bring forth an explosion of smiles & laughter and at other times it flows out as tears. These tears are not bitter, they are sweet.
I felt as if I had never witnessed anything quite so beautiful. I could feel her wonder. It was magical. Her energy was contagious. I found myself grabbing a handful of snow as well. Before I could throw it, I was hit in the face with a small handful of white flakes. My assailant was a dimpled face angel with braids in her hair. She laughed uncontrollably. “I got you, mama.” She giggled & then ran away.
I looked around at the disapproving looks from the other mothers at our antics, but I simply did not care. Let them look. Today, I see life through my child’s eyes. Today, I am innocent and free and I don’t care what others think. With tears in my eyes, snow in my hair, a smile on my face & love in my heart I realize that this is my happy place. This is what life is all about. This is why I became a mother.
