25 Classic Family Christmas Shows/Movies

Spending the weeks leading up to Christmas with some of our favorite classic yuletide shows and movies is a fun tradition. Many of these shows/movies can be found quite inexpensively online for purchase or watch on YouTube/Netflix/Amazon Prime. Grab some Christmas snacks and a few blankets and cozy up on the sofa with the family for some holiday cheer.
I have included one show/movie for each day leading up to Christmas.

1) Charlie Brown Christmas
2) Elf
3) Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas
4) Frosty the Snowman
5) Muppet Christmas Carol
6) The Polar Express
7) Miracle on 34th Street
8) It's A Wonderful Life
9) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
10) A Christmas Story
11) Mickey's Christmas Carol
12) Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer
13) Home Alone
14) The Santa Clause
15) The Little Drummer Boy (animated)
16) White Christmas
17) Twas the Night Before Christmas (animated 1974 show)
18) The Dog That Saved Christmas
19) Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (animated)
20) A Very Brady Christmas
21) Prancer
22) Arthur Christmas
23) Jingle All The Way
24) The Snowman (animated)
25) The Nativity Story

FREE Kids' Workshops and Classes

There are quite a few retail stores that offer FREE or very economically-priced workshops for children. These classes foster do-it-yourself skills, promote creativity and teach safety lessons. The workshops are largely aimed at the 5-12 yr. old age group.

Lowes and Home Depot both have free workshops. The kids make fun projects or crafts. I have a few that I've been using for several years: think Thanksgiving turkey napkin holder!
Lowes Build and Grow
Home Depot

There is a small charge for the Michaels craft store Kids Club. The craft opportunities are really cute and do not seem to take a high level of parental expertise.
Michaels Kids Club

The Disney Store also offers kids' events with music, stories and crafts. Check out the store locator and events page to see if anything is coming up.
Disney Store

The Pottery Barn also offers storytimes and
kid-related activiites. Other than the events listed at the top of the page, there are usually book club announcements farther down the page.
Pottery Barn Kids

These events, workshops and activities provide terrific opportunities to spend some time with your child without breaking the bank. My kids look forward to the ones that they attend and they almost always get something to take home with them and a certificate. 

3 Favorite Books For Parenting Insight

Being a parent is such a rewarding experience, but it is also fraught with worries, doubts and insecurities about whether you are following the right path in your parenting. Like most moms, I've read lots of child rearing books and some are full of practical application while others leave a lot to be desired. I have highlighted three books (series of books) that I have found to not tell me "what to do", but give me some insight into what makes kids tick or people in general for that matter.

The first book is "The Birth Order Book" by Dr. Kevin Leman.  I personally find this subject matter fascinating. It not only gives you an idea of the positives and negatives of each birth order, but it really helps you to see how responses to a similar situation could be different given where someone falls in the family birth line. Not only for applying the information to parenting, but I also found it helpful in regards to  friendships, work relationships and my own reactions. It was interesting to note that the birth order of the parents can affect their parenting style and expectations of children.
The Birth Order Book

"The Five Love Languages of Children" by Gary Chapman is the next book from which I have gleaned a lot of parenting direction. The book gives advice on how to understand and make practical applications on how your child gives, receives and interprets love. Based on the five love languages: receiving gifts, words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, and acts of service, there are illustrations of how your own love language and your child's might affect one another.
The Five Love Languages of Children

The third book is actually a series of books Dr. Louise Bates Ames based on studies from The Gesell Institute of Human Development. Even though the books were primarily written from a late 1970s perspective and some scenarios reflect that time, I have found a lot of useful knowledge and peace of mind. Each book focuses on a certain age and tells parents what to expect both good and bad for that age. Backed by data from studying thousands of children, the author sets up the scenario for the normal developmental strides and bumps you will more than likely encounter. I believe that in today's society we are quick to try and classify any little perceived abnormal behavior, but these books really put the "norm" in proper perspective. It is not so much
telling you what to do, but describing what to expect with each age. It also details what happens as the child rides into their half birthdays as well. The following link is a good synopsis for each age and the books are listed at the top.
http://centerforparentingeducation.org/library-of-articles/child-development/child-development-by-age/

FREE Thanksgiving Activity Ebook

Thanksgiving is such a terrific time of counting blessings, but it is also a fairly overlooked holiday in the shadows of Halloween fun and Christmas hoopla. I created this ebook to offer some fun activities leading up to Thanksgiving to celebrate this important holiday. It is refreshing to see the kids get excited about a holiday that does not involve obscene amounts of candy or presents and Christmas music overload.

The ebook is FREE and can be found on Smashwords in various formats or on Barnes and Noble or Apple iTunes store.

Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
Apple

Check out my ebook store with other titles:http://theeveryday-mom.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

20 Family Movie Night Films

Watching movies together as a family can create lasting memories of childhood. A family movie night is a great opportunity to introduce your child to some classic, wholesome entertainment. Some of the movies on this list are newer, but most have withstood the test of time and continue to entertain generations of children. I did not include any of the newer Disney cartoon movies, but some of the older classic Disney films are on the list.

1) Mary Poppins- The Disney version creates a much more chipper Mary Poppins than the one portrayed in the original book.
2) Benji- I loved this movie as a kid and always wanted a dog just like Benji.
3) The Parent Trap- The original Hayley Mills version is really fun even if as an adult you are wondering how this situation ever happened.
4) Dolphin Tale- A feel-good movie for everyone
5) The Muppet Movie- I watched the original so many times as a kid and I still loving hearing Rainbow Connection.
6) Jumanji- This is just a fun movie to watch!
7) Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory- The original with Gene Wilder is one of my favorite movies. Who wouldn't want to run rampant in a crazy candy factory?
8) Annie- I was 7 when this movie came out and I think I saw it about 10 times at the theater.
9) Pollyanna- An oldie, but goodie!
10) Goonies- One of my favorites in middle school- every family should enjoy this buddy movie together.
11) Swiss Family Robinson- Shipwrecked, pirates, having a treehouse to live in- what kid would not like this movie??
12) Night at the Museum- I just love this one!
13) National Velvet- A treasure of a movie and one that all ages can enjoy. Most kids won't know who Elizabeth Taylor was, but it is interesting to watch her in the movie as a pre-teen.
14) Charlotte's Web- Read the book together and then enjoy the movie.
15) E.T.- Enough said- I still cry every time.
16) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang- Classic car tale
17) The Sandlot- Fun baseball movie
18) Home Alone- Great movie of the 90s
19) The Adventures of Milo and Otis- Touching tale of friendship
20) The Wizard of Oz- While the witch and flying monkeys have been known to scare some little ones, this timeless classic is one to definitely watch with your children.

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5 Fun Fall Family Traditions

The fall season is upon us! Cool, crisp air, football, pumpkins, apples and pretty fall leaves are some of the wonderful things in store during the autumn season. There are so many opportunities for making some wonderful family memories with fall-themed activities. I've picked 5 that my family enjoys and does each year.

1) Visit a pumpkin patch. We have two pumpkin patches that we visit every year. It is fun to look back on pictures of the kids and how they have changed from year to year. The patches that we frequent also have other activities for families- wagon rides, animals, apple picking, corn mazes.
It is one of the things the kids look the most forward to in fall.

2) Take a fall nature walk. The brilliant fall leaves make the perfect backdrop for a hike in the woods, letting the kids collect leaves along the way. Use this as an opportunity for some enriching family time, unplugged from electronics. Time marches on so fast that one day you'll look back and wish for these days to rewind.

3) Make some favorite fall recipes. We fix a snack of pumpkin pound cake and frozen apple cider slush. Since we only make these goodies during autumn, it is a fun seasonal treat. The kids like to help mix ingredients and blend the apple cider.

4) Check out area festivals. Fall seems to be prime time for all kinds of festivals. Pumpkin, apple, corn, fall fests! You name it, I'm sure there is a festival for it and chances are it will be in the fall!
Most newspapers will have lists of area festivals either in print or online.

5) Decorate for fall. Whether or not your family participates in Halloween, you can still enjoy decorating with an autumn theme. Pumpkins, corn stalks, mums are all fall decorating staples. In order to let the kids participate, I will give them a few dollars to pick up some decorations at the dollar store. They also like to hang any fall crafts they've made.

Family traditions can really foster a sense of security and familiarity for kids. They look forward to certain things at specific times of the year. It is always fun to look back at pictures from the same pumpkin patch or festival from year to year and see how everyone changes.