My pre-schooler is a good sleeper. Last New Year’s Eve I tried to let her stay up to ring in the new year. She was passed out solid by 10 pm. So I and a few of my friends hit the drawing board. My daughter is still young enough I have time to formulate new family traditions and so help me, if we have to do them for the next 20- some-odd years, they are going to be good. I discovered I don’t have a clue what to do with a sleepy girl on New Year’s Eve. Heaven knows she is not gonna make it to midnight and even if she did the only thing I know to do when the bells ring and the ball drops is make insane amounts of noise, kiss total strangers, and drink cheap bubbly. Not exactly kid friendly. So after brainstorming a bit we’ve come up with a couple ideas that don’t take all night.
New Year’s Eve
Kid Friendly (Low Sugar) Cocktail Bar
- Hit up the convenience store for every sort of fruit juice you can find. The single serving sizes are best because there is less waste. Both Target and Walmart sell sparkling flavored water. These are carbonated, sugar & calorie free, and come in a variety of fruit flavors. They taste a little better than just plain club soda and make for some fantastic creative moments. Grab a few pieces of fresh fruit; citrus of all sorts, whatever berries you can land in January, apples, whatever floats your boat. Every wonder what a pomegranate acai blueberry lemon lime citrus splash with a hint of grape tastes like? You can find out, just be imaginative.
Ring Out the Old
- Take a quick trip to your local craft or fabric store and grab about 2 yards of 2 or 3 colors of fleece. Make fleece tie square lap blankets for you local senior citizens home. If you aren’t sure how to make these, here’s a decent pattern. Attach a few bells to the ties. While you are tying, it makes for a great time to talk about various New Year’s myths. Check out a full list of popular myths here.
New Year’s Day
“Baby New Year” Breakfast
- Fix up all your favorites, baby style. Quail eggs are great if you can get a hold of them. Silver dollar pancakes, dice up those hashbrowns to just this side of mashed potato – everything in miniature style. One of my friends suggested breakfast smoothies out of baby bottles but for those of us for whom sippies and bottles aren’t that distant a past, that one may not make any affect. However, moms with the older broods might get a kick out of serving breakfast out of a baby bottle. You can even encourage “chugging” contests between your kiddos. Its positively riotous. About.com has some great smoothie recipes.
One Year Time Capsule
- This is great for any age, but particularly poignant for GeekMoms (and Dads) with wee little ones. Tastes, education, skills, and abilities change so much in a year’s time when your kids are under six. A one year time capsule is fantastic. You can make a traditional capsule with items, physical pictures, and hand written notes, but I much prefer a digital one. Pick up a cheap pen drive from just about anywhere. Document the dumbest things like what your child ate that day and their favorite sippy cup and the mundane little things they like. It’s amazing how quick you forget the things you swear you never will. Ask them questions and write down their answers even if they don’t make sense. If you have a webcam record him saying Happy New Year or sitting in her cute little Baby New Year outfit. Lock it up in the fire safe for the year and open December 31st.
Oh, and Happy New Year, however you choose to celebrate it.
Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit!
(That’s Gaelic for Happy New Year.)
