Advent calendar Days 19-24

Here is the last part of our Advent calendar activities. This was our first year doing an Advent calendar this way and our entire family loved it. I feel like it allowed us to take time out of our busy schedules to savor the holiday season. And here's a true measurement of the calendar's success (in my eyes at least): one day part way through the month, Cruz said to me "Mommy I like the bags with pieces of paper in them the best". After I asked him why, he replied, "because I like it when we do an activity together". In that moment I felt like I had done something right; that I was able to instill in him, the value of spending time together as a family over a material item or toy. As a working mother, I know that time is precious, and I am so thankful that I was able to teach my young son that value.

And now, here are the last 6 days of our super fun Advent calendar!

Day 19: a fart machine - again, boys will be boys!

Day 20: Kiss under the mistletoe...except that I couldn't find fresh mistletoe and didn't buy a fake one. So what's a 21st century mom to do? Pull up a Google image on the iPad of course! Here we are kissing under the "virtual" mistletoe!

Thank goodness for Google images

Day 21: Draw a Christmas picture

He drew a Christmas tree completed with ornaments

Day 22: Fun chocolate milk straws - just add milk!

Got milk?

Day 23: Go look at Christmas lights in the neighborhood. It has been frigidly cold these last couple of weeks so we have had to settle for viewing the lights from the warmth of our car rather than taking a nighttime walk, so no pictures of this fun activity.

Day 24: Bake holiday cookies. Strategically scheduled on the Advent Calendar so we could also leave those cookies out for St. Nick :)

Chocolate Chip cookies and milk