New Year's Eve with Kids Part 2

We had so much fun last year with the kids on New Year's Eve that we decided to do it again! Our daughter is in 2nd grade and is learning to tell time, so I decided to use analog clocks this year for the bags. 

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Last year we started the first bag at 4 pm because coming up with 8 ideas for bags is plenty!

4 pm - New Year's Printables

There are so many options out there but this year I picked ones from Oh Rubbish Blog.

5 pm - New Year's Hats

Use the numbers for the year and a strip of paper (or two) to create a headband style hat for the kids to wear.

6 pm - Reflection Questions

I found these cute questions from Artsy Fartsy Mama and decided to print them out and put them in a bag.

7 pm - Game Time!

We have SO many board games in our house including some new ones we got for Christmas, so we let the kids each pick 1-2 games that we could play as a family.

8 pm - Popcorn and Hot Chocolate 

This is always a favorite, so even though it was on last year's list we decided to do it again this year!

9 pm - 2022 in review

We also did this last year, but it is fun to see how their answers have changed in a year

10 pm - New Year's Poppers

I found some cheap ones at Walmart this year, but also found this DIY version using toilet paper rolls from Honey and Lime.

11 pm - Sparkling Juice Toast

This year we picked up a bottle of sparkling juice and some plastic flutes from The Dollar Tree for the kids to do a toast at midnight.

See New Year's Eve 2021 post here.

From my family to yours, we wish you a year of full of happiness!

via GIPHY

Subject to Change

I always love to reflect on the previous year. Some years are great and others not so much. This year brought about a lot of changes.

We made some huge life decisions like moving our family down to North Carolina. It was something we have been talking about doing, but different things came up health-wise that kept us in Maryland an extra year.

I found a job in Wake County after being at my previous school for 9 years. Change can be scary and leaving a place where I had met so many coworkers that became friends was hard. A place where I had made a name for myself. A place where families and students knew who I was and wanted to be in my class. A place where I was comfortable.

We then had the joy of looking for a new house in a housing market that was crazy. People were putting in contracts for way more than asking price, offering ridiculous cash offers, etc. We came down during spring break to look at houses and didn't see anything that sparked our interest. Literally the day after we left NC a house came on the market that we loved. We decided to put in an offer without seeing it (crazy right?!) and somehow our contract got picked! Buying a house can be stressful, but everything worked out.

Next up moving. The moving industry is corrupt and I hope I never have to do it again. Add on to the fact that it was the end of the school year. I had covid, then the rest of my family had covid. The moving company held our stuff for almost 14 days, so my poor husband was in our new house with one bed and an air mattress, a few toys, and grocery delivery through instacart!

While April through June was stressful, we spent the summer traveling. We visited family and friends, saw new states, new baseball stadiums, and had a blast!

September brought the new school year! My amazing daughter started her third school in three years. She handles every change that comes her way like a champ. She is doing amazing. My son started kindergarten and while I was not sure how he would do with school as he spent all summer saying "I not going", he absolutely loves it and asks every morning if it is a school day.

I started at my new school love it. It is a place where I am treated with respect and as a professional. However it is challenging being the new person again. Students don't know me. Staff members don't know me. I want to be the leader that I was in my previous school, but also learning to take a step back and just learn this year.

The theme for this year was change. One of my favorite music artist is Kelsea Ballerini. She came out with an album and song called Subject to Change and it just felt like the theme song for my year. I used to hate change. I was a planner who thought things out from short term to long term. If things didn't go as planned I would struggle. Having cancer changed that. I stopped looking into the future so much. I learned to enjoy the day to day life. Whatever happens, happens. So enjoy these lyrics from Kelsea's song. I am certainly taking them into 2023 with me!

If I'm honest
Growing up, it kind of hurts like hell
It's chaotic, ironic
But it's how I learn to find myself, yeah
Thank God, I don't know about tomorrow
Thank God, I take it day by day
Oh, I don't think about the chapters
It's all about turning the page

A Year of Cooking with Kids

My aunt asked me to put together a year of cooking adventures that she could do with her granddaughters as a gift for Christmas. I had so much fun putting this together that I am going to do it with my own kids too and figured why not share it with everyone else as well!

Each month features a different recipe that you can make with your kids. I tried to keep them relatively simple recipes, but you can easily switch out any recipe. There are PLENTY of ideas out there on Pinterest.

Here are the recipes that I chose:

January - Mini English Muffin Snowmen

I originally got the idea from Snappy Gourmet, but I liked the idea of using English muffins instead of dough, so I combined this idea with Well Plated's recipe for English muffin pizzas. Easily swap out the olives with peppers or pepperoni to fit your child's tastes.

February - Air Fryer Heart Pies

I used Pampered Chef's recipe for the air fryer hand pies, then used Well Plated's idea of making them into hearts for Valentine's Day. These are so easy to customize with whatever filling your child likes!

March - Leprechaun Cookies

These delicious looking green cookies come from Never Ending Journey. Also, just add green food coloring to any of your favorite recipes to have some leprechaun fun!

April - Oreo Egg Truffles

I made these a few years ago and oh my goodness they are delicious! These Oreo truffles from Play Party Plan can be made into any shape!

May - Muffins for Mom

Swap out whatever your favorite muffin recipe is for this month! I used a banana muffin recipe from Live Well Bake Often.

June - Donuts for Dad

Again, swap out with your favorite donuts recipe. I used a recipe from A Grande Life that uses a can of biscuits!!

July - Firecracker Hot Dogs

These are so adorable for the 4th of July! The idea came from Handmade in the Heartland.

August - Jello Beach Dessert

This fun beachy themed dessert almost looks too good to eat. The recipe comes from Mommy's Fabulous Finds.

September - Apple Nachos

Who doesn't love a good apple recipe in the fall? This idea came from Momma Fit Lyndsey.

October - Jack o' Lantern Quesadillas

Here is another adorable take on an easy quesadilla recipe. The recipe comes from One Little Project.

November - S'mores Pies

One of my favorite things about fall, s'mores around the campfire! Here is a fun twist on a s'mores recipe from My Heavenly Recipes.

December - Reindeer Snack Mix

This salty and sweet snack mix won't last long in my house! This version comes from Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen.

The designs for each month were made on Canva. Click on the image below to get the Google Slides version of the recipes. The links to the original recipes are included in the speaker notes at the bottom of each slide.

Remember, the most important part of this is to have fun!