If you are in a location that gets a good amount of snow, take advantage of the snow and use it like a prop for your pictures. Have your children make snow angels, and capture pictures of them having a snowball fight or building Frosty. One of my favorite pictures of my son is from when he was one years old, bundled up in his jacket, sitting in the snow with fresh snowflakes falling on his head. This is a picture I would have never been able to take had I not taken a risk and taken the picture in the cold.

You can also use different props in the snow and cold weather that you aren’t able to use in the summer. Dress your daughter up in your way too big fur coat for her keep warm. Get out the sled or borrow your neighbors for your kids to sit on. Use scarf’s and hats to give your children different looks.

Don’t worry about the cold hurting your camera or affecting your pictures. Your camera should work fine in cold weather. You should however protect it from condensation when going from cold to warm by putting it in an airtight plastic bag until the camera reaches room temperature. Also be sure that you take extra batteries as the cold makes them run down faster.

You may be afraid that you or your kids will not stay warm enough to take pictures. Be sure to wear warm thin gloves that will keep moisture away from your skin while allowing you to be able to press the button. Don’t forget your hiking boots, galoshes, scarf’s and hats when or if they are needed.

Too often we forgo entertaining because of the mere thought of all of the preparation that is involved. And more is not better. Often we try to out do each other with lavish parties and expensive gifts. Stop and remember for a second what was important from your own childhood. Was it an outing? Baking cookies with your grandmother? Building a snowman with your dad? We need to connect. This doesn’t require more time, just shifting the focus of the time we already have. Here, a casual party and a very simple activity were the catalyst that brought everyone together.

To get the entire neighborhood into the Christmas spirit we planned a caroling party.

The day before our guests arrived, my kids and I spent an afternoon making decorative candleholders to give to each caroler, to light the way for our caroling expedition.

Dad, dressed as Santa, provided our very own photo opportunity. Little ones whispered their Christmas list in Santa’s ear. Grown ups, as well as kids, had their pictures taken in Santa’s lap.

Adults, kids, and even a few dogs then joined us on our merry way. Our numbers grew as we made our way caroling through the neighborhood.

As the carolers returned, we welcomed them with Mexican hot chocolate and ginger spice cookies. This party was a great way to engage everyone in an activity that the whole family could enjoy. And for a few short hours we were able to turn our attention away from the commercial marketing of the holidays to something much more personal.

Recipe: Mexican Hot Chocolate
Recipes are one of our most cherished traditions. Passed down from one generation to the next, they conjure up memories of holiday preparations or time spent with a favorite relative. Cooking provides a quiet time to pass on the wisdom of family lore.

Ingredients:
4 cups whole milk
4 ounces Mexican chocolate such as Ibarra

or

3 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla, preferably Mexican
2 eggs

1. In a medium sized saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until scalding.
2. Break the chocolate into pieces. Add to the hot milk along with the sugar and salt. Stir until melted. Beat with a wire whisk until frothy.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla. Continue to whisk.
4. Pour into 4 mugs. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

About The Author
Rondi Hillstrom Davis and Janell Sewall Oakes are the co-authors of the award-winning book Together: Creating Family Traditions. To check out their website that’s jam packed with family ideas, visit www.togetherparenting.com. To subscribe to their online newsletter, go to www.togetherparenting.com/feedback.asp. info@togetherparenting.com

Whether you are expecting your first child or you are a veteran parent with years of experience raising kids you have probably asked yourself the question “how will I go about keeping my baby as happy and smiling as possible?”

Well, I can’t give you a definite answer to that question because there are probably as many different answers as there are babies in the world. Every single human is unique but we do still have some things in common that you can benefit from. 

Firstly, you will have to provide your baby with the basic human needs. This includes the right amount and the right type of food, enough sleep, shelter etc. Without these basics you will have a hard time keeping your baby happy and you will probably experience more crying and screaming than you will see smiles and hear giggles.

Secondly, you will have to spend your time. Time is unfortunately on of the things that most people will never have enough of and the one thing that every human will certainly run out of at some point.

By “time” I mean that you will have to spend your time with your baby. After all you are the parent and I trust that this is in your own interest as well. One thing that is extremely important is that you do not you spend time because you “need to” but that you actually “want to”.

A baby or a child is a very sensitive being and they will see right through you if you don’t want to be with them. They are extremely good at reading “between the lines” because they still have their intuition.

When you provide you baby or child with genuine love and care you can be sure that it will come back to you ten-fold. If it doesn’t then you might want to take a look in the mirror and ask yourself the question “have I really given my unconditional love and care to my baby”?

If you feel that you have then you are on the right path. Surely there can be situations where other aspects kick in. The child can become sick, have slept poorly, have had to little to eat etc. Some of these things are just “life” and we all have to live with them.

The point is that love and care goes a long way and if you haven’t already tried it then I suggest that you give it a try. You might be surprised.

About the Author
Dr. Caron B. Goode is the founder of the Academy for Coaching Parents International, a training and certification program for parent coaches. In addition to duties with the academy, Goode is the founder of the website InspiredParenting.net, and the author of ten books, the most recent of which is Nurture Your Child’s Gift: Inspired Parenting and Help Kids Cope with Stress & Trauma. For more information on The Academy for Coaching Parents International or to sign up for academy announcements, visit www.acpi.biz.

A newborn baby is unable to regulate their body temperature and will often need to be wearing warm clothes no matter what the temp is outside. Inside, in air conditioning they can get too warm. Older babies will normally not need any extra layers on while inside the house, but when going outside the house an extra layer on very cold days won’t hurt your baby. Since a big part of the surface area on your baby is on their head, this is where they can lose the most heat. When you go out you should put a hat on your baby’s head to help him keep warm.

When it comes to layering, you don’t necessarily need a lot of layers. Get an onesie and warm outfit while inside, a jacket or warm baby jumpsuit, which many times comes with a hat attached when you run out of the house. Even if your baby is not wearing shoes, make sure to have him in socks and take an extra pair of socks with you just in case your baby gets wiggly during a diaper change.

During the summer months, an older baby can overheat easily. Unlike when they get cold and get fussy, when a baby gets hot he will probably just fall asleep, and you may not know that he is too warm. Dress you baby in light material, onesies and little jumpers that are not too tight. Let him have room to move and not be too bundled up. In the summer, if you are warm your baby is probably warm too. Don’t dress your baby in something you wouldn’t want to be in.

Every baby has his own level of comfort that you will eventually learn. He will also develop ways of telling you as he gets older that he is too hot or too cold, sometimes by crying, others by tugging at clothes. Learn to watch your baby’s signs, listen to his cries and you will be able to tell when your baby’s body temperature is too hot or too cold.