Christmas cookies are as much a part of the Christmas tradition for many as a visit from Old St. Nick himself. The cookies are often prepared in hopes of his pending arrival by children that are as excited as they can possibly be with all sorts of visions of great things to come dancing around in their bright and shining little eyes. Preparing the cookies in these instances can be a great time of bonding with your little ones but can also be a trying time if you don’t follow a few of the tips and hints listed below.

If you want to make cooking Christmas cookies and/or candy with your little ones the very best experience for you all that it can possibly be make sure you do it on a day when this is the only thing on your calendar. You do not want to rush through this time that is not only important for bonding with your child as a parent but also a time that is an important opportunity to lock in a few precious memories of great times you’ll spend together. This is one thing that you want your children to look back at Christmas and remember doing with you and you want to be able to look back on Christmas and remember doing this with your children.

You should also make sure that everyone is well rested and well fed before beginning the process. This is important now more than ever before, as we know more about the dangers of foods, such as raw eggs, that are included in cookie dough as well as the dough for many of our favorite Christmas confections and candies. You do not want to risk the health of your children through temptation over raw cookie dough.

Be sure that every child gets a turn with the fun stuff. This includes of course using the mixer and watching things spin around as well as choosing their personal favorites for the next batch of cookies. You should also make a few cookies that you plan to let them paint, decorate, and play with just for fun and their own personal enjoyment. This will guarantee a few smiles while also scoring a few brownie points for mom.

Be patient and expect spills and messes. If you can afford a cleaning service once a year, the day after your cookie extravaganza is the day you want to splurge. Seriously, don’t sweat the small stuff. We make little messes every day it shouldn’t be such a shock when they make a really big mess in one day. This is one of the reasons why you want to plan your cookie making on a day when the calendar is clear-you will need time for clean up when all is said and done.

Make sure you have all the necessary ingredients for each and every single recipe before you begin. This is very important as cookie dough doesn’t wait well for that final egg and children don’t understand very well when they are interrupted from one project to run a quick errand (also, when was the last time you made it in and out of the grocery store in under an hour?). If you can make it through all the steps above you should be in for smooth sailing and Christmas cookie cooking.

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As a child, what was one of your favorite games to play? Like most little girls, you probably enjoyed playing house and being the mommy. You wanted to be a grown-up, and this was one of the ways you got to pretend and act like your own mother at the same time.
Now that you’re older and have children of your own, it’s likely that they like to play house as well. If you have a little girl and are looking at the perfect gift to get for her this year, then you should get her the latest in baby doll technology – the Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll.

Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll gives your young one an opportunity to play mommy and learn about child care and responsibility at the same time. The Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll comes with her own accessories, including a potty chair, dress, two doll diapers, baby bottle, bowl, spoon, two packets of doll food, bib and baby wipes.

The Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll utilize innovative technology to teach children about child care. Children will marvel at how Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll will sleep, eat food, drink from a bottle and then tell when she has to go potty! Your child can then put Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll on the potty. If they don’t put Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll on the potty chair in time, then she’ll have an accident. This teaches children about the importance of listening and taking care of the needs of others.

The Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll is available in different races, so children of different cultural backgrounds can have a Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll that has the same skin color as they do! It’s another way that Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll helps children learn about being a mommy and taking care of something responsibly.

Be sure to get your young ones their very own Baby Alive Learns to Potty Doll for the holidays this year. They’ll get to play one of their favorite games, house, with a doll that looks and acts very lifelike. Then, you can sit back and watch just how adorable it is to see your child growing up before your very eyes.

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Are you a parent? If so, are you children looking forward to Christmas this year? Whether your children are toddlers or teenagers, there is a good chance that they are excited with what Christmas may bring. In the weeks and days leading up to Christmas, you will find that their excitement just keeps on building. To hang on to that excitement, you may want to think about decorating your home for Christmas. Decorating your home for Christmas is a great way to keep your children’s excitement going strong until Christmas does finally arrive.

When it comes to decorating for Christmas, you will find that you have a number of different options. Your first impulse may be to decorate your home on your own, but you may want to think about letting your children help you. You will find that there are, literally, an unlimited number of benefits to letting your children help you decorate for Christmas, no matter how young or old they are.

As previously mentioned, there are a number of benefits to letting your children help you decorate your home for Christmas, no matter what their age. Despite the fact that children of all ages could benefit from helping you decorate for Christmas, there are some children who could benefit more than others. For instance, young children, especially toddlers, are in the learning stages of their life. This stage is where children can benefit the most from a small amount of responsibility and encouragement. Encouraging your children to help you decorate for Christmas, by hanging up pictures or by completing another small task, you could be encouraging them to use their mind, their imagination, and their decorating skills!

Perhaps, the best way to go about decorating your home for Christmas is together. Unfortunately, in todayís world families donít get to spend as much time with each other as they should. That is one of the reasons why Christmas is so important; it is one of the times when all families get to come together. Instead of decorating for Christmas by yourself or letting your children do it all, you all should decorate for Christmas. In addition to helping build up the Christmas spirit, decorating for Christmas as a family is one of the best ways to spending well needed bonding time together.

The best part of decorating, for your kids, may be the actual decorating process, but there is something else that your kids may also enjoy. They may also enjoy helping you pick out Christmas decorations. By taking your kids with you to the store, they could easily help you pick out Christmas decorations. If you are shopping for Christmas decorations on a budget, you are advised to visit your local dollar store or department store. These stores usually have low-cost Christmas decorations, many of which will appeal to children. If, by some chance, you canít find the decorations that you or your children were looking for, you could easily make their own Christmas decorations. In fact, making homemade Christmas decorations is another fun experience, all on its own.

Regardless of whether or not you ask your children for assistance, when decorating your home for Christmas, you are urged to decorate. For children, Christmas decorations help to keep them excited about the upcoming holiday. That is why Christmas decorations are an important part of the holiday season.

Do you plan on decorating your home for Christmas this holiday season? If so, do you plan on doing it by yourself?  While decorating for Christmas by yourself makes it easier to get the decorating done in an effective and timely matter, you may want to think about turning your Christmas decorating into a family event.  You will find that there are, literally, an unlimited number of benefits to doing so.

Perhaps, the biggest benefit of turning your Christmas decorating into a family event is the time that you and your family will be able to spend together, whether you have children or not.  Family bonding is even better with children, but you and your romantic partner could also benefit from the time that you spend together, when decorating your home for Christmas. In addition to getting your home decorated for Christmas, your relationship, whether it be with your children or your spouse, may greatly benefit from the experience.

As previously mentioned, if you are a parent, you and your children could benefit from decorating your home for Christmas together.  What is nice about decorating your home with your children is that they will likely enjoy the experience, especially if they are younger. Younger children tend to be more proud of their work or their accomplishments; therefore, they will likely be proud of the fact that you asked them for assistance, as well as how their decorations turned out.  If you are really looking to make Christmas decorating a family fun event, you and your family could also make some of your own Christmas decorations. Since most children love crafts, it may add extra excitement to the whole decorating experience.

While the majority of the benefits, to having your whole family help you decorate your home for Christmas is centered on family, there is another benefit that isnít really.  By having your whole family assist you with decorating your home for Christmas, you could save yourself a fairly large amount of time. The time saved will all depend on how much decorating you plan on doing.  Having your family assist you means that Christmas decorating could take a lot less time. This is a great way to get your Christmas decorating done, especially if you find yourself pressed for time.  The more people you have helping you decorate for Christmas, the shorter the whole process will take.

As previously mentioned, you can add extra excitement to this family fun event by having your children or other family members help you make homemade Christmas decorations. Even if you do not wish to make your own Christmas decorations, it may be a good idea to let the rest of your family help you pick out the Christmas decorations. This would really turn Christmas decorating into a family fun event.  Even if you are low on cash, you could still allow your children to pick out a few low-cost Christmas decorations.  You will find that many dollars stores carry a fairly large selection of Christmas decorations; decorations that many kids find attractive.

The above mentioned reasons and benefits, to why you should turn your Christmas decorating into a fun filled family event, are just a few of the many benefits that exist. Since Christmas is all about family, you should let your family help you prepare for and celebrate the upcoming holiday.