Tag Archives: christmas

Life, Parenting

Fun Filled Festive Activities to do Before Santa Arrives

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The month of December is inching closer and closer by the minute, which means only one thing; Santa is well and truly on his way. The excitement that whirls around your household during the festive season is unbeatable and you want your family to have the best Christmas ever. There are so many exciting activities to be done before the big day arrives so grab some inspiration here and get excited for the holiday season. Your kids will be thrilled to have such a fun filled schedule over the next month, so make every second count and treasure the memories forever.

Find the Perfect Presents

One of the best parts of the pre Christmas preparations is going shopping for gifts. Take a careful look at your little one’s list to Santa and you will soon be able to see what their heart truly desires. If you’re not sure about choosing a specific toy they have requested then you might want to read some in-depth reviews online. When it comes to remote control toys and other gadget-type gifts it is always best to get a second opinion and check out the popular thoughts online.

Decorate the Tree

Heading out to choose the perfect Christmas tree with the family is probably one of the most exciting parts of the festive season, so make the most of it. You should fill an entire day with fun activities to keep the kids entertained; firstly you should head to your local garden center or tree supplier and pick out the perfect pine for your home. Once you have loaded it into the car you will be able to pull out the decorations, make some yummy hot chocolate and dress the tree beautifully ready for the big man to arrive.

Go Ice Skating

If you live near a local ice rink, whether it’s outdoor or indoor you should definitely plan a trip there this year. It’s such a wintry and Christmassy activity that nobody will be able to resist the fun that’s in store. Many local towns build makeshift ice rinks just for the holiday season so look online for the closest one to you.

Plan Your Christmas Feast

It wouldn’t be Christmas without baking festive cookies and getting messy in the kitchen. This is something that you can get all of the family involved in no matter what their age or ability. Look online for recipes for Christmas cookies or even have a go at making gingerbread house this year. You can serve these up on Christmas Day for the whole family and show everyone how much fun you had making them.

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Whether you’re getting busy in the kitchen or making a big deal out of decorating the tree, you can be sure that your fun filled festive activities are never forgotten. Christmas Day is so much more than opening up a few presents; it is about spending quality time with the people that you love. So indulge in some fun filled festive activities this winter season and you will have memories to last a lifetime.

Food, Going Healthy, NuttZo

2016 NuttZo Ambassador + 5 Healthy Recipes

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Exciting news in the Going household, I’m on for my second year as a NuttZo Ambassador! If you’ve followed the blog or any of my social media pages, you’d know we’re all NuttZo Fanatics over here, and I am looking forward to sharing the #NuttZoLove with everyone in 2016!

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Sure, peanut butter is good, but why choose good when you can have out-of-this-world awesome with organic nuts and seeds providing a host of healthy benefits? It’s delicious and something I feel good about giving to my precious little girl, Avery. She definitely has no complaints either.

Breakfast with NuttZo

Actually, I often have trouble getting it back from her.

Holding NuttZo Up

It’s almost a daily stand-off. Guess it’s no surprise when she hugs the jar and proclaims her love for NuttZo.

Since we’re all busy in midst of the holiday season, I wanted to kick off my renewed role as a NuttZo Ambassador by sharing 5 of my favorite quick and healthy recipes I shared this past year. These are perfect for entertaining or making just for yourself.

Microwave NuttZo Banana Bread

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Sweet & Spicy NuttZo Carrot Dip

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NuttZo Cinnamon Banana Frittata – Perfect Christmas morning breakfast!

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No-Bake Mini NuttZo Pumpkin Cake

NuttZo No-bake cake

Single Serving NuttZo Oatmeal Cake

Oatmeal Cake with Yogurt Frosting

It’s also good in savory meals like soup. Just stir a little in for that flavor *pow* that’ll have everyone asking for the secret recipe. Or at least saying they like it. 🙂

Annnddddd, there’s always Plan B for those not into putting something together. I even made a little rhyme…

If you’re in the mood for snacking,

but your time is seriously lacking,

just grab NuttZo and a spoon

and you’ll be happy really soon.

Hey, I’m no Robert Frost, but you get the point. Eat NuttZo, be happy and healthy.

Can’t wait to share more NuttZo goodness in 2016! Have a wonderful Christmas (or other holiday) season!

Do you plan on having NuttZo as part of your holiday eats?

What’s your favorite way to use NuttZo or other nut butter?

Life, Parenting

You Don’t Need An Elf or A Shelf For Tradition

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The Elf on the Shelf Christmas tradition is definitely cute and fun for kids and parents, but you can just as easily start your own, less commercialized tradition too. To me, once there’s an app for that, a lot of the fun part goes away.

I prefer to keep most traditions exclusively within the family, and recently, without the intent of it becoming tradition, we created our own Elf-on-the-Shelf-like tradition with Lamby. If you are not aware of her current best plush friend, it’s the lamb (obviously) in her hand.

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Lamby is always by her side unless he’s “taking a bath” in the washing machine from too much outside playtime. One night, after Avery’s usual pre-bed bath, I decided to place Lamby on the couch where he was peaking over the side. When she came running, naked straight out of the bath, there he was, staring right down the hall where she emerged.

The first time caught her off guard, but her face lit up as she proclaimed “Lamby!” as getting on to him for moving from the spot she had left him. Going Mom and I both loved seeing our wide-grinned daughter excitedly running to find Lamby and grab him to bring to bed. Thus, a tradition was born.

Every night since, I’ve been trying to find a new spot/pose for her wooly pal to be found. Now, after getting out of the bath, she’ll ask where Lamby is and my wife will say she doesn’t know and to go find him. He’s been on the couch in various areas, holding her toy kettlebell, climbing on the desk in our front entry, sitting on a balloon, and most recently, playing with blocks.

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Avery has been repeating “Lamby’s playing with blocks” for the past couple days now, so I am sticking with it for now. She obviously enjoys finding her rogue Lamby.

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Honestly, I’m running out of ideas. I know there is so much more I can do, but I don’t want her going on a scavenger hunt right before bed. Especially when she’s running around naked in a cold house; she can get upset in an instant. Oh wait, that’s toddlers in general.

So he doesn’t come with a book telling the story of his purpose for hiding around the house to keep tabs on our little girl for Santa or the Easter Bunny, but she love it nonetheless. Besides, Lamby is unique to us. Maybe other families have their own free versions too, but we have Lamby in our house, and that just makes it more fun to us.

Who knows, maybe she’ll want an elf as she gets older, but right now, Lamby is free and fun for all which makes it a win-win for everyone. Now, I need to find some new Lamby hiding spots since I know blocks can’t his thing every night.

Do you do Elf on the Shelf in your home?

Do you have your own version of this or any other popular/commercialized tradition?

Any thoughts on what Lamby should be doing next?