Secret to Present Wrapping for Kids

I remember, growing up, picking up presents and trying to figure out who they were for.  My dad?  My mom?  My brother?  Me?  Inevitably, the name tags had fallen off of some of the presents.  My mom tried to remedy this by writing an initial on the bottom, but it was often hard to read and there would an awkward pause as we all looked to mom to see if she could remember whom it was for.

I have 3 monkeys of my own these days, and after a few Christmas mornings where I was sweating bullets and praying I had guessed the right kid for the right present, my husband and I came up with a pretty good way to keep track of everything.

Every year, we go out and buy indvidual wrapping paper for each child.  It's fun to match the wrapping paper to each kid's interest that year.  We've had lots of princesses, Thomas the train, Peanuts and Barbie wrapping paper.  This year we have Phineas and Ferb for son, Cinderella for my 9 year old and Tinkerbell for my little girl.  When it's time to wrap, we sort the presents into kid piles first and then it is easy to wrap everything at once, according to their wrapping paper.  No more wrapping multiple presents and forgetting which one goes to which kid!

On Christmas morning, every kid figures out real quick what wrapping paper is for them and the little ones can even play "Santa" at handing out presents.  No reading required!

What about Santa's gifts, you ask?  Well, Santa is nice enough to wrap his individual present in wrapping paper made in his own image.  So those couple presents are labeled for each child.

We even buy a couple rolls of completely different wrapping paper for friends and others in our extended family.  Does it sound like a lot of paper?  It is, but the hassle-free-Christmas of preventing my son from accidentally opening his sister's Merida doll, are well worth it.  Plus it makes a really fun tradition for our family.

First, the sorting into piles

Look what Santa brought last year! So easy to find!

Has he been nice this year?  YES!

If you have more than one kid, you should think about giving this a try!

Monkey Sayings

From my youngest monkey...

"Momma, I'm sorry I was bad in Church.  If I am bad again next week, you can ground me for a whole week!"

One week later, in Church...

*whispering*  "Momma...what does 'grounded' mean?"

Good thing this is a such a cute monkey!

Party At Knott's For New Year's Eve! #KnottsNYE

If you are like us, New Year's Eve is a night of DVD's and leftovers before turning in early.  We have never found a fun FAMILY oriented event for all of us.  This year is going to be different!  We are spending the day and evening at Knott's Berry Farm for their New Year's Eve Celebration Event!

Midnight Mayhem at Knott's This New Year's Eve!

We can't wait to watch Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang over at the Camp Snoopy Theater performing “Happy New Year Charlie Brown!” and then see the "It's Christmas, Snoopy" skating show. At dusk,  “Snoopy’s Magical Night of Lights” will light up thousands of lights with holiday music.  There will also be a family friendly comedian magician.  Dancing will be at two different dance parties in the park, and there will be even more live performances.  Plus, it's not a New Year's Eve party without a little sparkle. There will be a countdown with aerial fireworks display, stilt walkers, party hats and horns at midnight to welcome 2013 at Calico Square!

Knott's is going to be the place to make some New Year's Eve memories this year and the best part is you can buy annual passes to continue to make family memories.  Knott’s 2013 Season Passes are only $66.99 or 6 easy payments for a limited time. If it's been a while since you visited Knott's, they are curently remodeling for next Summer.  There will be three new attractions designed for families to stroll down a colorful California Boardwalk filled with amusements, games and fun food offerings.  Find out more about Season Passes here

Excited yet?  We are!  Here is all the information:

Knott's Berry Farm New Year's Eve Celebration Event

Monday December 31st, 10am-1am

8039 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park, Ca  90620

All of these fun activities are included in your general admission!

Santa Brunch at Smoqued BBQ

Enjoying food and family at Smoqued BBQ

We ventured out as a family to Old Town Orange to celebrate my cousin's recent engagement and enjoy some holiday fun at the new Smoqued BBQ.  Smoqued BBQ is getting in a festive mood this year with their special Santa Brunch.  It includes free pics with Santa Claus for bringing in canned food for their drive.

Love the hip atmosphere

No skimpy ham here!

This place carries a really fun and relaxed vibe.  The walls are entirely exposed brick from the original building and it adds a lot of character to the experience.  There is a really well planned kids menu that includes choices of waffles, cinnamon french toast and scrambled eggs.  Fresh juice is available too.  For the grown ups, the choices are plentiful and mouth watering.  I went with my favorite breakfast choice of Eggs Benedict.  The usual skimpy Canadian bacon found elsewhere is replace with a nice portion of smoked ham and topped with plenty of hollandaise sauce.  The fresh tomatoes added a nice juicy touch to the breakfast.  The fried chicken with waffles and gravy was a big hit too.  My son stole some from my future cousin-in-law and loved it.  The gravy is thick and delicious and the waffles are fresh.  Don't forget to try some of their fantastic homemade bacon.  Sprinkled with brown sugar and then smoked, it is real "meat candy".

Did I mention the beer?  Smoqued BBQ has cornered the market in Old Town Orange with their microbrew selection.  Dad had a wonderful coffee stout that was perfect with his breakfast plate.  My husband was thrilled that they have the latest (and last) Stone Vertical Epic Ale 12.12.12 and the bartender talked me into trying the Lost Coast Winter Braun.  The Winter Braun is a seasonal selection that I really enjoyed.  Just enough holiday spice to make it interesting, but still smooth and delicious.  The beer menu changes often, so check in frequently to find out what is the latest on tap.

To top off our brunch, we went and visited Santa Claus.  Santa is such a nice guy!  All three of my kids were able to take their time and really talk with Santa about their lists this year.  No big mall lines here!  Free photos are included when you donate to the canned food drive.

Jolly Santa Claus!

If all of this sounds too good for you to miss, they will be doing this all again next Sunday the 16th.  Call and make reservations now at http://www.smoquedbbq.com/