Three Quick and Easy Christmas Games for Kids

We recently hosted a Christmas party for four other families and I wanted some super simple games to play as a family which would work for a variety of age groups. I looked on Pinterest and found three keepers (aka I didn't need to buy supplies, it was eco-friendly, and great for all ages).

Watch Your Holiday Favourites on YTV

When you find something that all of your kids can agree on without fail, you grab on to it! For us there is a unanimous appreciation for snacking on freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, playing school, having chicken pot pie for dinner and watching YTV. This TV channel is the most watched in our home and they have stepped it up a notch for the month of December.

Getting into the Christmas Spirit with Kid-Friendly Netflix Movie Nights

November can be quite dreary and throw in a busy season of basketball after school hours and we are in the need for some calm and cozy connecting after dinner. Our house may not be decorated for the season yet but it has been the perfect opportunity to start watching kid-friendly Christmas movies on Netflix! Looking forward to the magic of Christmas is always fun and a great change of pace. 

What have the kids been watching?

Glow Christmas in the Fraser Valley

Glow is a Christmas event geared towards people of all ages in Langley, BC. With four light gardens, a 210-foot musical tunnel, food trucks, and Christmas market, it will definitely get you into the Christmas spirit. It has the beauty of outdoor lights in the cozy comfort of an indoor environment–a greenhouse! 

Some of the things that we enjoyed were:

Our Hope for an Intentional Christmas

We recently had a family meeting to discuss the upcoming Christmas season and how we can approach it intentionally. First of all, the kids loved the official term "family meeting" and took it seriously by sitting nicely and raising their hands to contribute. We also finished it off with a cheer which I would recommend – don't need to be too serious! The topic at hand was the reason for Christmas, how much we should be spending on gifts and what sort of items would be considered appropriate for the list. And yes, they know that Santa isn't real although Nya believes that he fills the stockings.

Christmas 2016

As we're just wrapping up Christmas over here, I feel very happy with how it all went.  We had just returned from our Disneyland Trip so I was worried it would feel stressful but it wasn't at all.  The kids were all healthy (possibly a first) and we weren't hosting (the benefits of having one of the smallest homes) so it was easy to attend two family functions alongside our own celebration.  

The Gift of Love: Foster Parenting at Christmas

Last night we placed the ornaments on our tree. As the kids oohed and aahed over their special pieces, we found the little owl. On the back is our Little One's name with the year 2015. A second Christmas with us. We never expected such a long stay as the tentative return date was a year ago. Among the many lessons that come from being a foster parent, I have realized that plans rarely go as expected. I am learning to be okay with this and my Type A self tries to "Let It Go". A little. It's difficult to prepare your kids' hearts (and your own) for what's to come if you don't know what is actually coming and when. For now, we are all excited to place extra presents under the tree for our Little One to open on Christmas morning. Our kids have all asked to go to the store to spend their own money on gifts for their littlest sibling – true love, friends.

Enchant Christmas Light Maze + Market {Giveaway}

If you live in the Lower Mainland, B.C., I am sure you have heard of the world's largest Christmas light maze coming to Vancouver November 24th: Enchant Vancouver.  This family-friendly festival will take place until New Year's Eve (with fireworks!) and contains a 55,000 square foot light maze, 64 foot Christmas tree, live performances and a marketplace–what an incredible way to get into the Christmas spirit!

Oh Christmas Tree!

The boys have a Christmas tree in their bedroom and Nya wanted her own.  She loves crafting so we decided to make one using canvas and paint!

This craft was found on Pinterest and looked simple enough for Nya and I. I buy canvases in bulk from Michaels which makes them very affordable.  First, she painted the base of the tree.

Then she used her hand print to make all of the branches.   We decided to add some red ornaments to the tree using her fingerprint.

A yellow glittery star at the top finished it off!

We might cut out some construction paper squares to put some presents under that tree.  I think adding some pom poms to it would give it a fun 3D effect. 

She likes to place it in front of her table lamp so that it give the effect that the tree is lit up.

This is a great little craft for your young ones! You can see more of the Christmas Crafts With Kids that I've pinned here.  I would LOVE to get some Christmas craft ideas from you–please share on my facebook page!

Love,
Louise

Family-Focused Advent Activities

Every December we go through our Family Advent Calendar. Inside each box is a family-related activity that the kids look forward to leading up to Christmas. It's a time for intentional togetherness which is a family value and usually quite fun. We try to make the activities a mix between giving, sharing, learning, and experiencing.

What are some advent activities that we include?

1. Play a board game as a family.

2.  Make a card for someone.

3. Decorate cookies.  

4.  Make crepes for dinner.

5. Go on a family outing!  Locally we have Timberline Country Christmas, Capilano Canyon Lights,  FlyOver Canada, Heritage Christmas,  and Vancouver Christmas Market to name a few.

6. Decorate the house.  

The kids love the nativity sets–we have a few.

7.  Visit grandma and grandpa. 

It's always fun to visit loved ones during the holidays!

8.  Go see Santa.  

Last year we went to the one at Port Kells Nurseries and will go back there–just bring something for the food bank!

9.  Choose an item in the Compassion Gift Guide to donate to someone in need. 

{Last year Kai raised about $45 going door-to-door selling  Chocolate Bark to raise money to provide a bike to someone in India! You can check out the online guide here.}

10. Play hide-and-go-seek in the dark.  

This is their absolute favourite activity every year; I usually just hide in the closet and enjoy some alone time.

11.  Go look at Christmas lights.   

Our neighbourhood is fantastic for decorations so the kids love running around and choosing their favourites. There is usually hot chocolate afterwards, too.

12.  Walk to Tim Hortons and get a donut.  

They have their Christmas ones out; who doesn't love sprinkles?

13.  Go bowling with the whole extended family.  

We go bowling once a year and it's a wildly chaotic and fun event with 20+ of us! I believe this tradition has been going for 8 years now.

14.  Build a gingerbread house. 

Well, let's be honest, buy a pre-built house and decorate it.

15. Go snowshoeing! 

While doing these activities, we often have Christmas music playing (oh, how I love it!) and we will talk about the true meaning of Christmas: celebrating Jesus' birth. There's Christmas church services and the kids have their performances at school and preschool–I enjoy this time of year.  

I hope you are looking forward to December because I sure am.

If you'd like to pin it for later, you can find it here.

Love, 

Louise

Photography Tip: Depth of Field & The Blurred Background

Don't you love a photo where all you can focus on is the subject? A great way to do this is to have bokeh in your photo. Bokeh is when you have an area in an image that is out of focus.

How do you take a photo where the background or part of the photo is blurred? 

 An important word to know is APERTURE. It is the amount of light that is let through your lens and acts like the pupil of your eye. In low light, your pupil will become larger to allow more light in.  Our 50 mm lens is f/1.4. The lower the f number, the higher the aperture and larger the opening.    Most kit lenses that come with your camera are probably f/3.5-5.6.

I almost always shoot in Aperture Priority (AV mode on my camera). This means that I can control aperture and ISO.  I love shooting at higher apertures. Why? Not only can I shoot in lower light but the lower your f number, the less depth of field you have. This means that you focus on a smaller area and the background or area around the subject will be blurry.  

Look at the ponies in comparison to the background. Lower f numbers create a shallow field of view.

A good rule of thumb is that the f number should be close to the number of people that you are photographing to get them all in focus.  

3 people=f/2.8 to f/4.0

Also, the further the subject is from the background, the blurrier the background will be.

I often like to capture wedding details at higher apertures to focus on just that object.  Here are some examples:

{Here the background AND foreground are blurred to focus on the bracelet}

If you would like to create a focal point in your photo by creating a shallow depth of field, get those f numbers as low as they can go and have your subject further from their background. If you have a Canon, aperture priority is called Av and for those with a Nikon it's A.

If you have any questions, ask away.

Love,

Louise

Pin here for later!