This year we’re having a family New Year’s Eve celebration. Assuming we can leave the house (yes folks, it’s snowing again in the Denver metro area) we’ll be going to the Denver Zoo to see the Zoo Lights.

If the zoo is closed (which it is today) we’ll stay home, watch celebrations on TV, and play board games. One of the things I may have Nathan and Lucie do is decorate their Make Your Own Calendar 2007 with an appropriate winter scene.

Make Your Own Calendar 2007 is a great DIY calendar for kids. Each month features a space for them to create their own picture. It also comes with a sheet of 198 stickers to mark off birthdays, school vacations, holidays, and appointments. Since most calendars are now 50% at book stores, this is a great time to purchase it. Plus, it’s a great tool to help children learn the days of the week and the months.

Finally, if you’re going to stay home with the kids, why not make some mocktails? Mocktails are unique and refreshing party drinks that don’t contain alcohol, and make the occasion feel festive, especially for the older kids who are tired of juice and soda.

There are some great mocktails recipes online from About.com, BellaOnline.com, and ThatsTheSpirit.com. But I especially like the Greater Kingston Area Safe & Sober Community Alliance site. Several of their mocktail recipes will really appeal to kids, like Foaming Dragon and Funkey Monkee. This one is especially appropriate for this time of year:

White Chocolate Frosty Reindeer
Lonestar Texas Grill

Ingredients:

1. 2/3 cup of 2% milk
2. 1/3 cup of table cream or half and half
3. 1 large scoop of mint ice cream
4. Dash of peppermint extract or green food coloring

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend until frothy.
3. Serve in a tall cup or glass with a candy cane and a squirt of whipped cream on top.

Technorati tags: calendars, New Year’s Eve, recipes, mocktails

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