Figgy Pudding!

Bobby's parents have been visiting for Christmas, and I wasn't in the mood for turkey or ham this year, so we decided to play with a "Traditional English Christmas Dinner" theme. Figgy Pudding anyone? I found a not-too-crazy website that laid out the feast from beginning to end, and thought it looked delicious, even if it was from the 8th century:

Honey Mustard roasted chicken leg joints
Almost Impossibly Perfect fried potatoes
Brussels Sprouts
Christmas Pudding (aka Plum Pudding, Figgy Pudding, Steamed Pudding)

Well, I must confess that the folks in the 700's didn't know how to marinate a leg quarter properly, but the chicken was still delicious. Cooking meat on the bones makes a WORLD of difference, people. Sometimes I forget that. I had a multi-tasking failure with the potatoes, though, so we ended up with mashed potatoes instead :( The brussels sprouts weren't done until most people had finished eating (d'oh!). I like them better as leftovers anyway. And the pudding...

Oh! The pudding! First, I had to find a recipe that wouldn't get me drunk. Then, I tweaked it just a hair to swap out the dried figs and dried plums (aka prunes) for dried craisins and cherries. That was a good call on my part. I don't regret it. The pudding recipe I used is essentially a pile of minced dried fruits with a little egg, a little flour, a few breadcrumbs, a little nut meal, a hint of molasses, the juice/zest of a whole lemon, and a good dollop of milk. Then you put it in a water bath and steam it for 5 hours. It looks hideous. Smells divine. I was pleasantly surprised at its bright flavor. It had the texture of very firm, soggy bread pudding with the flavor of molasses and dried apricot and dried cherries. It's potent. A little goes a long way. I think I like it better cold, actually, because it's firmer that way.

We weren't sure how the Christmas Pudding was going to turn out, though, so Bobby whipped up two flavors of fruit trifle just in case :) And they were delicious!

I found the whole Christmas holiday very satisfying. The kids make it fun. Five years ago, they were way too young to enjoy it, and 5 years from now they'll be getting too old for it. But this year, right now, it's the best thing ever. They got into both the fun and spiritual sides of it. We served other people more and tried to "Light the World" with our advent activities. I loved seeing them genuinely wanting to do good things for other people. And the joy/surprise on Christmas morning just made me smile deep down inside. 

Christmas night, I was helping James into his PJs and he asked with big eyes, "How many days 'till Christmas comes again?"

"365," I replied.

His eyes got a little bigger, his mouth opened a little, and I saw him grow weak for a moment. It was literally a shock to his 4-year-old brain. He had been counting down to this Christmas for the last 24 days, and that was an ETERNITY! How could he possibly wait 365 more days?! He didn't cry. He just soaked it in and let out a small whimper. Sweet little man.

Caroling

Alice asked if we could go caroling at a nursing home this year. It was totally out of my comfort zone, but I knew it was a good idea, so we made plans. I invited everyone I could think of. We had about 10 families sign up to sing with us, but a seriously slippery ice storm hit us last night and only 6 families were able to make it in the end. That's okay. That was enough.

I had never done anything like this before. I learned a few things. We ended up singing to a small group in an activity room before moving out into the halls. One family had prepared cute Christmas cards with handwritten notes and the kids were passing them out to the residents. The cards were a GREAT idea. Also, a friend had loaned me copies of song lyrics. Another great idea! That way, we all knew all the words and could just pick a song from the list. Any kid who could read was able to participate. Brilliant!

Was it a valuable service? Worthwhile? Well, most of the residents didn't acknowledge us in a way that I could recognize. Some were genuinely touched, some sang along with us. On the surface, and in the end, I felt happy for having done it, but I wonder if it made a difference to anyone besides us. Most people were happy just to see all the kids :)

Anyway, Alice loved it! She wants to make it an annual tradition. That's not a bad idea, actually. Now that I kinda know how it goes, it won't be so intimidating.

Preschool Christmas Program

James was THRILLED to participate in his preschool's Christmas Program this week. I can't figure this kid out. He dreads going to school most days, he won't actually make eye contact with any unfamiliar adult who's trying to speak to him directly, but he's bouncing with glee at the prospect of singing a handful of Christmas songs in front of perfect strangers. He spoke to me every day this week about how much time was left until his program. No, wait, I think he was actually counting down to the cookie party that would take place right after the Christmas Program. Okay, that makes more sense. Let's start over.

James was THRILLED to participate in his preschool's cookie exchange this week and had some fun in the Christmas Program that immediately preceded it.

He sang all the songs, did all the fingerplays, and managed himself pretty well in the spotlight. I was pretty impressed with him. This kid is a pretty good student when he feels like it: he's confident and silly and eager to answer questions. When he doesn't feel like it, though, he just doesn't want to be there. That's a tricky battle for me, especially at church. If the new meeting time (9:00am) in January doesn't improve things, I've got a little more work to do.

Christmas Surprises

SURPRISE #1

The kids got a dog! For about 30 minutes. I think the dog was happy to leave after all that loving attention. The dog's name is Biscuit and he escapes from his owners pretty often. Sunday morning at breakfast, we see him bouncing along the new snow in our backyard and decide to bring him in. The first thing the kids notice is Biscuit's energy. He's hard to catch, even indoors. The second thing they notice is his smell. Biscuit needs a bath. We immediately put up the baby gate and keep him on the tile floor. I have to laugh, though, because all of the kids immediately get inside the gate. James and Matthew drop to all fours and start barking/wrestling. Puppy mosh pit!

Matthew and Biscuit are about the same height, but Matthew outweighs him by 20+ pounds. That little boy couldn't get enough hugs out of that poor little dog.

SURPRISE #2

I got Matthew to wear a hat! The coat wearing thing is still touch-and-go (mostly no-go), but he loves his hat for keeping his ears warm.


SURPRISE #3

The kids asked to get a picture with Santa. First time ever! Huge surprise. Alice and Robert initiated it. James was obviously less than pleased that I asked him to stand within 5 feet. Matthew wouldn't even come that close. Robert accused the jolly man of wearing a fake beard. To which, the jolly man challenged Robert to pull on it. Hard. Robert was the most surprised of us all.


SURPRISE #4

My kids aren't too old (yet) to enjoy the magic of the first snow fall.


SURPRISE #5

Alice's eye shadow stash will do in a pinch when you really, really, really want to put on a play about Rudolph during quiet time.

Pink Eye strikes again

I pull Matthew out of his bed this morning and bring him out into the kitchen where the other kids have already turned on the lights and started breakfast. I plop him down into his chair and he says, "Dark! Lights on!" That's when we notice his eyelids are glued shut with a greenish-yellow crud. He thinks we're sitting around in the dark!

Yep, pink eye has returned.

A quick trip to the doc, a prescription for antibiotic eyedrops, and one wrestling match on the floor later, Matthew has received his first dose of meds. It's a 50/50 chance the infection was caused by a virus, making this ordeal of administering eyedrops completely futile, but we won't know which for a couple of days. It's pretty contagious, so the doc prefers to treat first and ask questions later.

Rocking out on the stationary bike!