Cute Nativity Set for Kids

I know Christmas is only two days away, but a friend of mine found this darling nativity:

http://catholicicing.blogspot.com/2009/12/diy-printable-nativity-for-kids.html

You can print out all the pieces, color and cut them out, then use toilet paper/paper towel rolls to make them all stand. It's cute, and kids can play with it without worry. :)

P.S. My girls absolutely LOVE it!

New 'do

After I braided Cora's hair, she pulled the braids in front of her eyes and asked if she could have it like that. I suggested above her eyes so she could still see, she was fine with that. Ruby wanted hers the same way, of course.

"Take my picture like this, Mommy"

Ruby Watching

Hidden amongst the needles of the Christmas branch you may find, if you are lucky, the elusive creature commonly known as the Ruby, officially the Rubonicus blondus. Often clothed in colors to blend into her surroundings, she can be difficult to spot. It takes practice and patience. The effort is well worth the results when you are able to spot the Ruby. Here is one of the rare snapshots of the Ruby, so you will know what to watch for:

My children know the rules

When you are in the car you have to be in a carseat. So when you are pretending you are in a car you need a pretend carseat:Very safe.

Cooking Adventures, Part 2

Apparently, the girls were so confident after making tortillas with me, that they decided to try it without me. They got out their bowls, measured some flour (I have no idea how much), then added some water (once again, I don't know the amount). At this point I found them:
They seem to have forgotten entirely about the salt, but Ruby knew she needed oil. I, being the mean mother that I am, did not allow her to add any.

I also wasn't quite sure what to do with their creation. There was no way for me to salvage it since I didn't know how much flour and water they had put in. So I let them stir for a while. We added food coloring (they seemed to think that was as important as all the other ingredients). Then it came to me: paper mache. What they made was paper mache paste, so we might as well use it that way.
I blew up two balloons and we covered them in some lovely newspaper strips dipped in the girls' paste. It was a very messy project and didn't make the girls very happy. Mostly because at the end of it they had no tortillas to eat.

Cooking Adventures, Part 1

The girls wanted to make tortillas. They regularly try to help me cook, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to let them do the cooking once. They got out bowls and spoons, I showed them what to put in and gave them the correct measuring utensil. They did all the measuring, mixing, and rolling. Well, I helped a little on the rolling or the tortillas would have been a bit thick. Then I cooked them. I don't trust my three-year-olds enough to let them near the hot stove just yet. :)

The results were two very proud little girls and a pile of oddly shaped, small tortillas that tasted great.
The different colors were a brilliant idea on my part. This way, the girls knew exactly which tortillas they made and didn't fight over who got to eat what.