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IT'S ALL ABOUT TRADITION - A GINGERBREAD HOUSE

I am so excited. Today, at the store I found a Gingerbread House Kit for Hanukkah!  It is rare to find any items for Hanukkah celebration let alone something so adorable.  I know religiously speaking, Hanukkah is not one of the major holidays, but way back before I chose to live life a Jewish life, I celebrated Xmas.  Yes, I did.  I do not miss anything at all from my religious upbringing because my beliefs lean very much towards Judaic and Buddhists beliefs (as weird as that combination might sound.)  Recently, I read a quote that describes me perfectly.  It said, "Religion is belief in someone else's experience. Spirituality is having your own experience."  And I have certainly had my share of life-changing experiences, so therefore, I am much more spiritual than religious.

The only thing I truly miss is the holiday preparations for Xmas: the tree, the decorations, the gifts, the shopping.  So consequently, I have tried to implement the best of both worlds for my children.  I must interject that my kids know all about what Hanukkah truly means as well as what Xmas is about, but at the end of the day, I make it all about tradition.

I make the holidays at our home about tradition and family,  and less about religion.  I love to decorate the house with beautiful blue bows and happy-looking (blue & white) snowmen.  My menorahs are colorful and the driedels are everywhere for the kids to play. The outside of our home is beautifully decorated with (blue and white) lights, so there is no doubt as to what holiday we celebrate.

And out of the 8 nights of Hanukkah, I choose one night, to have the entire family together and exchange our gifts and have a wonderful dinner as a family.  This year, we are blessed not only to have our 5 children and their significant others coming home, but we now have a beautiful grandson, to add to the "Blatpack" mix!

So, now with this new find of a Hanukkah Gingerbread house, I am thrilled to make this with my kids and make it a new annual tradition to build our beautiful Gingerbread home that actually has the Star of David on it and a menorah as the front window.  It is a wonderful opportunity to join in the festivities of the holidays while implementing our Judaic traditions. It's the little things that make me happy.

No matter what holiday you celebrate, remember to make it about family and establish your own traditions.  Your kids will remember and treasure those memories for a lifetime.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you believe in, we all just "visitors" here, so just make it worthwhile and enjoy the ride!

Now, go make your gingerbread house and start your tradition!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

GREAT BOOKS FOR BOYS

Recently, my husband was at the library and asked me what books he should get for our 7-year old son and I was stumped.  Our son is currently not a big fan of reading but this is a must in our home.  He really only likes to read hockey books and books about wrestling but  I know that this certainly is not the best I can provide him with as a parent.  I couldn't even think of what books to suggest, so of course, I immediately turned to the internet and texted my husband a list.

We try to nurture the love of reading at home, so I know how important it is to find good books that not only he will love but that will teach something and expand his knowledge and vocabulary while having some fun.  I am a firm believer that if the child loves the book, he/she will be interested and develop the love of reading much easier.  We established this with our pre-teen and she now comfortably chooses her own books at a much more advanced level than the average 12-year old.

While browsing the internet for great books for boys, I came across a wonderful list of recommended books for boys on the Kids Activities Blog.  There are some great recommendations such as: Magic Treehouse series, Gruffalo Book Series, Big Nate Outloud and the ever-popular, Captain Underpants.





Our son is currently reading "The New Kid in School (Dragon Slayer Academy) and loving it.  He was only three pages into the book when he told me it was really interesting. (Smiling on the inside)

Again, it is all about choosing the right books.  Once you do that, your child will develop a love of reading that will last a lifetime!


SNOWY WHITE CHOCOLATE COCKTAIL

Recipe from Semihomemade.com

Snowy White Chocolate Cocktail
 
Ingredients:
Light corn syrup
Shredded coconut
Ice
4 ounces Godiva® White Chocolate liqueur
4 ounces Smirnoff® Iced Cake Flavored Vodka
8 ounces half and half (I used milk and the drink was plenty rich)
4 PEEPS® Marshmallow Snowman

Directions:
1. With a small brush, paint the rims of four martini glasses with light corn syrup. Dip each rim into shredded coconut; set aside.
2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add white chocolate liqueur, vodka, and half and half. Shake until thoroughly chilled, about 30 seconds.
3. Divide among prepared glasses. Cut a small slit at the bottom of the snowmen and slide onto rim of glasses; serve immediately.

Makes 4 drinks
Snowy White Chocolate Cocktail