I Haven’t Outgrown Advent Calendars

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Coco

I’ve always loved advent calendars. When I was a child, I never had the kind with chocolates, just the traditional ones with a holiday scene and 24 windows to open–one each day from December 1 through Christmas Eve.

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Look at this cute one I found for my office!

I gave in to my kids jaded sense of “cool,” and started getting them chocolate ones when they were teenagers. Even then, they would neglect the calendars for several days in a row. This year I ordered my daughter the Starbucks® advent calendar (it was a big hit) and sent my son back to college after Thanksgiving with one from Trader Joe’s (meh).

While it has gotten harder and harder to find traditional advent calendars, there are tons of advent calendars on the internet.

If you are looking for new Christmas cookie recipes to try, you might like the Cookie Countdown Calendar from myrecipes.com.

If the summer Olympics made you an Anglophile, you might enjoy this elaborate London Advent Calendar. It’s the only one I’m listing that is not free (it costs $3), but it might be worth it. Check out the “free demo” video and see what you think.

If you want something more on the kitchsy side, then this Advent Calendar from SantaGames.net may be for you. (Warning: you may want to mute your volume before you click through!)

If you want a calendar with inspirational messages and ideas of how to help people living in poverty around the world, check out the Episcopal Relief and Development Gifts for Life Advent Calendar.

For more inspiration from the blogosphere, these fellow FitFluential Ambassadors have some great blogging planned for December:

Monica is going to be posting a recipe for a holiday treat every day–check out her delicious ideas and drool-worthy photos at MoniMeals.com.

Jenny will be following her son’s Christmas Countdown at SimplyBeMe.com. Watching his wonder and joy surely will put you in the holiday spirit!

Do you enjoy Advent calendars?

Traditional or chocolate?

Posted in Life, My Faith | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Advent: Ready Or Not, Christmas Is Coming!

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Coco

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. 

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In the Christian church calendar, Advent is the “season” when we get ready for Christmas. In most Christian traditions, Advent has a dual meaning: we remember the first Christmas when Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the three kings awaited and rejoiced at the birth of Christ, while we also await and prepare for Jesus’ promised return.

Every year, I feel like Christmas comes earlier and earlier. I am never ready for the holiday season to start, and I usually put off most of my shopping and decorating until mid-December. Maybe it’s because we have so many family birthdays in November and December, and I’m not in the mood to celebrate Christmas until we have finished the last piece of birthday cake, or maybe it’s because I need to catch my breath after Thanksgiving before I add more to my “to do” list.

(Our Christmas tree, which most certainly is not up yet!)

But, Christmas is coming, and I will do all the shopping, wrapping, decorating, baking and wassailing it takes to make my home merry and bright. (Well, not wassailing, but I will break out the Christmas CDs). I also will  get ready to celebrate the birth of Christ. I will make an extra effort to go to church, say Advent prayers, and try to treat others with kindness and generosity that reflect God’s love for us all.

I’m sure I won’t get everything done that I’d like to do, and I’m sure that I won’t always be cheerful and nice, but Christmas will come, and the wonder and joy of that Holy Night will outshine any of my shortcomings.

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Prayer for the first week of Advent:
The light of God lead us and make us unafraid.
The power of God protect us and make us strong.
The joy of God heal us and make us happy.
The grace of God bless us and keep us loving.
Now and evermore.
Amen

Have you started to get ready for Christmas yet?

Posted in My Faith | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Holiday Traditions: Our Annual Christmas Cookie Bake-A-Thon

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Coco

These pictures are  from our our Twelfth Annual Christmas Cookie Bake-A-Thon in 2010. Today I am participating in the fourteenth year of this tradition. Same friends (with welcome new additions), some of the same cookies and some new ones, and definitely the same fun! 

I’m sure it started innocently enough.
Fourteen years ago, three of us decided to get together to bake Christmas cookies. We each planned to make a few recipes, and brought our own ingredients and equipment to work side-by-side in my kitchen. It’s  a busy time of year, but it was nice to carve out some solid girlfriend time to relax, catch up, and get one big holiday “to do” done.
Our families didn’t complain because we came home with a variety of delicious cookies.

Somehow, despite job changes, family changes, and local moves, we’ve managed to keep this tradition going for 14 years! Our group has grown, but we all are lawyers who worked at the same firm at one time or another. Although work brought us together, it is friendship that has made this event such a priority that we set aside a weekend day in December to get together.

This year there will be five of us baking.  We each chose two different types of cookies to make (in double batches to have enough to share) and one of us pre-made cut-out cookies that we will decorate while other cookies are baking.

Which ones look best to you?

Do you have a special holiday tradition with your friends? 

Posted in Food, Life | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Three Things Thursday (The Cranberry Edition)

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Coco

I love my mom’s cranberry sauce. She uses fresh berries, lots of orange zest, and whole cinnamon sticks in her recipe. It really is good enough to eat with a spoon, but I usually restrain myself, and opt for one of these uses for cranberry sauce instead:

Cranberries on my whole grain Kashi® waffle.

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Cranberries on my peanut butter toast.

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Cranberries in my plain Chobani® yogurt.

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What is your favorite Thanksgiving leftover?

Posted in Food | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Wednesday Workout: 30 Minutes Of Speed Intervals

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Coco

In an effort to keep my weight steady through this holiday season, I have challenged myself to fit in 30 minutes of cardio every day through the New Year. One way to make the most of a short workout is to do intervals, and my favorite type of interval workout is speed intervals on the treadmill.

Here’s what I did last week, after my warm-up:

30 Minute Speed Interval Workout
0-2 min: 6.5 mph
2-3 min: 6.3 mph
3-5 min: 6.5 mph
5-6 min: 6.3 mph
6-8 min: 6.5 mph
8-9 min: 6.3 mph

9-11 min: 6.7 mph
11-12 min: 6.3 mph
12-14 min: 6.7 mph
14-15 min: 6.3 mph
15-17 min: 6.7 mph
17-18 min: 6.3 mph

18-20 min: 6.9 mph
20-21 min: 6.3 mph
21-23 min: 6.9 mph
23-24 min: 6.3 mph
24-26 min: 6.9 mph
26-27 min: 6.3 mph

27-28 min: 7.1 mph
28-29 min: 6.3 mph
29-30 min: 7.1 mph

I followed this up with a short cool down: 2 min of running at 5.7 mph, and 3 min of walking at 3.7 mph. It was a fun workout and I felt strong.

A few hours later my right knee felt wonky, but after an evening of icing, it was fine the next day. I don’t know if that flare-up was a coincidence or caused by this workout–only the intervals at 7.1 mph felt really challenging.

How do you decide if a specific workout caused an injury?

Do you try it again to see what happens?

Posted in Fitness, Treadmill Workouts | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments