Jan Scott, Author at SavvyMom

How to Do a Family Activity Advent Calendar

Jan Scott — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 22:10:00 +0000

I did a December advent calendar for my kids since they were very, very little. It started off as something I thought we would do for a year, or maybe two, but easily morphed into the thing we love most about the holidays. As proof of my kids’ adoration for this tradition, when my son was 15 he sent me the following text from his grade 10 business class: “Can you please do a Christmas Advent Calendar again this year?” I think he thought that I was going to phase it out once he and his closest-in-age brother were teenagers, but the truth is there’s no chance I’m ready to give it up either, so this week I start compiling my list of fun for the month to come.

Our Advent Calendar is really nothing more than intentionally scheduled seasonal activities, and I began it as a way of making sure we didn’t miss out on doing some of the things we enjoy the most about December. Baking cookies? Check. Driving around to look at the Christmas lights? Check. Donating non-perishable foods to the food bank? Check. We also have a few activities that are specific to our family like a holiday dinner party, our family snowflake competition, and the gift opening on Christmas Eve morning.

I’ve noticed in the past few years that some of the advent calendars have become Pinterest-perfect, but I can assure you that mine is no such thing. It’s meant to be fun, and simple, and if it had to look like the Queen of Crafting made it, it would never get done. Here are some other ideas for keeping advent season sane:

Because I’d like to think I’m a somewhat savvy mom, (Editor’s Note: Jan is the savviest of us all) I schedule things into the calendar that will keep the kids busy on the days I know I’m going need them totally occupied (read: out of my hair). This is usually done by suggesting via the Advent Calendar that they can watch a holiday movie on a random Wednesday night, or offering up an extra hour of computer/TV/video game time (great for those nights when you need to wrap gifts).
Some years I’ve been busier than others, and I’ve kept the activities limited to the weekends, and filled the weekday advents with small chocolates or Calvin and Hobbes comic strips printed from the Internet. Other years, I’ve included jokes instead of activities.
Before I plan the activities, I consult the calendar and work around social and work events, hockey schedules, and anything else that might pose a conflict. Then I put each day’s activity in the calendar on my phone so I know which activity is scheduled for what day (you’d be surprised how easy it is to forget what you’ve planned).
If you plan on making an Advent Calendar don’t forget to do it early — as in, before December 1st (this week is the perfect week to put it together).
Advent Calendars can hang in the form of garland (mine does), but others can be placed on a shelf, on the fridge, etc. Consult Google for ideas on how to construct yours based on the amount of space you have.
Don’t stress over making it perfect. Your kids will love it, regardless of how it looks.

Lastly, if you’re looking for ideas for your own family Advent Calendar, here are 35 of the ones I’ve used over the past years:

Find and decorate a Christmas tree
Spend the morning in our PJs watching Christmas movies.
Enjoy an extra 1/2 hour of video game time after homework
Make hot chocolate after school
Bake cookies!
Have a paper snowflake competition
Head to Starbucks or Tims for a hot drink
Surprise! Stay up an extra ½ hour tonight
Mail a greeting card to a family member or friend who lives far away
Hang some mistletoe and give out kisses
Make a paper garland to hang on the tree
Enjoy 1 extra hour of computer, TV, or video game time today
Family movie night! Pick a classic Christmas movie to watch
Surprise! No chores today! Leave your bed messy and skip out on table-setting duty
Go shopping and donate canned foods today
Go find the wackiest Christmas light displays and drink hot chocolate and eat cookies in the car while you do it!
It’s time for some outdoor fun! Go sledding, skating, or for a walk in the snow
Have a family story night and read all your Christmas storybooks while enjoying a plate of cookies and milk
Snuggle up in mom and dad’s bed and read The Night Before Christmas
Take a family photo
Have a bubble bath by candlelight with Christmas songs playing on the stereo
‘Help’ Dad put up the outdoor Christmas lights and decorations
Have a living room dance party to a fun Christmas album
Everyone in the family chooses a country and then Googles to see how they celebrate Christmas there
Unwrap and read a new Christmas book
Invite another family to come over in their jammies to watch a favourite Christmas movie
Write Christmas cards
Decorate a Christmas card for your teacher or favourite babysitter
Color a Christmas picture or make a Christmas craft
Make paper snowflakes to hang from the kids’ bedroom ceiling
Write letters to Santa
Make a red and green-themed meal
Make gingerbread cookies
Decorate a gingerbread house
Invite a few friends over for a cookie decorating party

The post How to Do a Family Activity Advent Calendar appeared first on SavvyMom.

What Time Does Trick or Treating Start?

Jan Scott — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 13:22:00 +0000

We’re sure your little ones are bursting at the seams with excitement, anxiously waiting for the time when they can slip on their costumes and collect that coveted candy on the most-beloved event called Halloween.

What time will you be heading out the door with your kids? I was following a thread online earlier this week and, to my surprise, there is quite a lot of confusion over what time trick or treating should actually start. While there are no hard and fast rules, of course, I do think there is a social cue or two parents can look for when it comes to knowing if it’s a good time to knock on a neighbour’s door.

Here are a few tips to let you know when it’s a good time to start trick or treating—and when you should probably call it a night…

What Time Does Trick or Treating Start?

Early is perfectly fine for the wee ones

Little kids like to get out the door early, before the older kids in spooky costumes start strolling the streets. Expect to have your first candy collectors arrive anytime between 5:30-6:00 pm. Feel free to have your young kids start going door to door around the same time.

Look for a (spooky) sign

A good way to know if it’s okay to knock on someone’s door is to look for a lit pumpkin on the porch or patio. This visual clue indicates that the house is ready for Halloween to begin. A well-lit house is also a good indication of one that’s welcoming kids.

Skip the dark doors

When a doorway is darkened it means that that house is not passing out candy. Don’t bother the homeowners by ringing their bell, just move on to the next Halloween-friendly home.

Feel free to close up shop by 9 pm

Blow out the candle in your pumpkin and bring it indoors to prevent an unwanted prank from being played on you. Turn off the porch light and close any curtains or blinds that face the street, if possible.

Have a wonderful, safe, fun night! Are you all set? Don’t miss our Savvy Guide to Halloween and here are some ideas of what to do with all that excess Halloween candy.

The post What Time Does Trick or Treating Start? appeared first on SavvyMom.

Party Game: Donut Eating on a String

Jan Scott — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 15:37:00 +0000

When it comes to cheap and cheerful party games and treats, almost nothing can top the classic Donut Eating on a String. In my family, it’s a huge part of our celebrations, as the twelve cousins lined up to be the first to successfully devour a donut without using their hands. It was hard for anyone to beat my son when he was 15 with his Titanic-sized teenage appetite! It’s a tradition, and one that all of the kids look forward to more than anything else. And it’s an excellent party game for any celebration or birthday, regardless of the party theme.

To put it together you’ll need three items: donut (one per participant), rope, and ribbon. Tie a length of rope between two trees and ask the kids to line up underneath it. Tie pieces of ribbon to the donuts and then to the rope, hanging them slightly above the kids’ mouth level. Let the children know that on the count of three they are to begin eating their donut without using their hands AND without letting it fall off the ribbon. The first to finish is the winner, and the prize is the eaten donut.

For fall, I usually pick up plain or pumpkin spice donuts, but it’s also fun to get powdered sugar covered ones because it leaves little faces coated in a sweet and sticky mess that looks adorable in photos. To make your donuts match a specific theme, choose sprinkled covered donuts, or drizzle some coloured icing over the donuts yourself before hanging them between the trees.

The post Party Game: Donut Eating on a String appeared first on SavvyMom.

Slow Cooker Turkey Stock

Jan Scott — Sat, 11 Oct 2025 22:49:05 +0000

Luckily for me, Thanksgiving happens to coincide with the start of soup season in my house. From October to May, we can be found eating soup up to four times a week. Without a doubt, soup is my favourite food. And while my kids don’t quite enjoy it on the same level that I do, they do eat it, meaning I get double the veggies in them at this time of year thanks to the purees I make, which often call for plenty of produce that might not make it on their plates otherwise. Most of the soup we eat requires a stock for the base, which is where Thanksgiving comes in handy. Our large family devours my 25-pound turkey, and the carcass is left for me to have a little fun with, in the form of making homemade turkey stock for the freezer.

I like to use my slow cooker for the turkey stock. I can’t always fit all the bones in, but if you have a smaller turkey, or a whole chicken, you’ll have no trouble. The longer the stock cooks the clearer it will be which is why I like to cook mine overnight while I’m sleeping, but it can be done during the day while you’re at work, too.

Do you like to make stock with your turkey leftovers?

Slow Cooker Turkey Stock Recipe

The post Slow Cooker Turkey Stock appeared first on SavvyMom.

The Perfect Drinking Glass for Toddlers

Jan Scott — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:00:40 +0000

When my baby was six-months old, I read and bookmarked a blog post about toddlers drinking from glass water cups. The idea struck me as brilliant and the minute my little guy turned 18 months old, I promptly ordered a few sets for my house and started steering him away from plastic sippy cups.

I have to admit, originally the idea seemed a little scary despite being so smart (babies with real glasses?), but then I remembered that when I lived and worked in the south of France all of the children over age one seemed to use these perfectly-sized drinking glasses for their water and juice. I didn’t know much about kids at that time, so it didn’t strike me as overly odd, and by the time I had children of my own I quickly forgot all about them.

Picardie Glasses Are the Perfect Drinking Glass for Toddlers

These French drinking glasses (aka Picardie glasses) replaced most of the cups in our home and I keep them in a variety of sizes. By the time he was 19 months old, my toddler had totally nailed how to sip from them, with spills being kept to a minimum. And by 22 months old, they are all he used to drink, with the exception of the tiny espresso mugs I kept on hand for him for hot cocoa. I do still use an insulated stainless steel cup and straw for when we’re on the road, but at home we haven’t had sippy cups in ages.

Here are a few more fun facts about these brilliant French drinking glasses:

I used the 160mL sized cups for Matthew. They hold just enough for a few sips, and I refill it frequently during meals.
We love them so much we also ordered the 360mL size for juice for the adults in the house, but tend to use them more for red wine or sipping maple whisky on ice, a crowd pleasing drink for winter if there ever was one. Trust me.
The glasses are virtually shatter proof, and can survive an 8-foot drop on linoleum.
I ordered all of my glasses online. Though they are pricier that most drinking glasses, they go on sale quite frequently (down by at least 40% almost every month) so that would be a good time to snatch them up.

Tell us, how do you feel about toddler’s drinking from glass cups? Are you a fan of the sippy cup, or no?

The post The Perfect Drinking Glass for Toddlers appeared first on SavvyMom.