Happy New Year!

It's finally 2010; the fabled year of lore and movies.

If you make New Year's Resolutions, I hope that one of them will be to take your kids to more events. Personal experience is the way we learn best. It's one thing to watch it on TV, it's quite another to see it, hear it, feel it, smell it, and sense it with your entire being.

One fabulous event that is coming up this weekend is Celebrate Fairfax's first Annual Frostival!

Frostival is a wonderful way to start off the new year. This event is geared toward pre-k and elementary school aged kids. It's a wonderful way to celebrate winter indoors where it's not soooo cold - brrrrrrrr.

Check out their site for information on how to purchase tickets and times.

Please come back to give us some feedback!

May all your dreams come true in the new year!

A Christmas in Fairfax - Canceled

The City of Fairfax band, together with the 140-voice Fairfax Choral Society presents "Christmas in Fairfax."

This year, the concert was scheduled for Saturday. However, due to the snow, the show was moved to Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009 at Fairfax High School. Unfortunately, Fairfax County Public Schools have canceled all activities; therefore this concert has been canceled for this year.

Since you can't attend the concert, please enjoy this wonderful rendition of Sleigh Ride by the Boston Pops.

Happy Holidays!!

We Baked Until We Dropped...

..all the sprinkles, that is.

The kids and I made sugar cookies today. Well, I made the dough, they cut it out and then, decorated the cookies!

Sugar cookies are a little more work with little kids but if you just let them do their thing, it's fun for them (but a lot of clean-up for you).



Here are the cookies we made.

This is what happens when you let your two-year-old run wild with a bottle of sprinkles.




It was okay though, as it didn't stain the counter.




This is my Sugar Cookie Recipe - let me know how it works out for you!

2/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

4 tsp. milk

2 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt


Cream sugar, shortening, and vanilla.
Add egg; beat 'til light and fluffy.
Stir in milk.
Sift together dry ingredients; blend into creamed mixture.
Divide dough in half. Chill 1 hour.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
On lightly floured surface, roll to 1/8 inch thickness.
Cut in desired shapes with cookie cutters.
Bake on greased cookie sheet, about 6-8 minutes.
Remove from pan.
Decorate immediately before cookies cool off.

Makes about two dozen.

Isn't it great that all we have to do is follow a recipe instead of having to re-invent the wheel all over again to figure out which dough is best for sugar cookies?!

Enjoy making these with your kids. They will amaze you with their ability to use the rolling pin and cut out fun shapes.

Easy Holiday Cookie-Making with Little Kids

Little kids love to cook and help out in the kitchen, but during this time of year, it's not always feasible.

Here's a quick and easy treat little ones can help make that will wow everyone and make your little helpers feel special!

Pretzel Treats


Ingredients:

1. Bite size waffle shaped pretzels
   


2. Hershey's Kisses or Hugs
   


3. Whatever semi-hard candy you desire - M&Ms are most common
   

Heat oven to 170 degrees. Have your little helper set out the pretzels on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. If you have more than one helper, another one can open the Hershey's kisses at the same time. They can also take turns.

Top each pretzel with your unwrapped and hopefully uneatened Kiss or Hug.

Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (white chocolate melts more quickly), until the chocolates feel soft when touched with a wooden spoon.

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Little helpers can then press your hard candy of choice into the center of each Kiss or Hug.

Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes.

Place treats in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to set.

Enjoy!

Two More Weeks!

In just two weeks, Christmas will be here!

Have you taken pictures with Santa or gotten your yearly dose of the Nutcracker?

It's not too late. Check out the schedule for an updated list of these events.

Check out some neat events as well such as Tunes for Tots and Rockapella.

It's not too late to start getting into the Holiday spirit!

As always, please send us your events; we love to hear from you!

Happy Holidays!