Holidays Helper

 Letter from the Editor
Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year - between
the new clothes, yummy food (fried rice and turkey wings
especially), and unlimited drinks and digging through gift hampers.
Oh how I love the hampers so!!! After that came the “knockout” +
“banga” welcoming in the New Year - there’s just something about
the season that you don’t need to be a Christian to celebrate and
have a great time!
For many, Christmas is about Christ and the culmination of other
religious holidays but one thing at the end of the day that has
always stood out is how people of all religions came together to
celebrate during this season – seems to be the one time of the year
we all hang up our religious cloaks as we embrace the true meaning
of togetherness and showing love.
This Christmas, we wanted to pull together a Holidays Helper with
a shortlist of our favorite products and businesses – whether you
need a last minute gift for the Holidays or have a pregnant woman
on your list for the next year or just because, you’re sure to find
something good. We’ve also included a few treats – recipes, holiday
cleaning tips, and more to spice things up.
This year as you celebrate with family, be thankful for the love
surrounding you; take in the moment and truly celebrate what it
means to be around those who love you. Better yet remember to
tell them just how much they mean to you, share with someone
who doesn't have and say a prayer for someone you don't know....
Thank you for your ongoing support! Happy Holidays and wishing
you an amazing new year in advance!
Warmly,
Kemi Macaulay-Newman, Managing Editor
9jaMom Media
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Traditions:
Holiday Decorations
&
Sweet Treats
Create Your Own Holiday Ornaments
Trying to save a little this season? Create your own Christmas ornaments – here is an easy and fun ornament that kids can easily help with! Matchbox Ornaments What You Need: 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Empty safety matches boxes Wrapping paper Ribbon or string Safety scissors Tape Eager little helping hands Instructions 1. Measure wrapping paper required to fully cover each box as if wrapping a present and cut up enough for all safety matches boxes 2. Wrap boxes with wrapping paper using tape 3. Tie the ribbon or string around the matchbox and create a bow at the top side without tape 4. Use an extra piece of ribbon to create a loop from which the box can hang (alternatively, you can use ornament pin hangers) 5. Hang on trees and admire your beautiful ornaments Tip for Next Year Greeting cards make great ornaments so save the ones you receive this year! Have your child cut out the greeting card pictures in different shapes, punch a hole, tie a string and voila! Glue two pictures to create double-­‐sided ornaments. 4 Sweet Treats: Sugar Cookies by 1st time 9jaMom Christmas has become my favorite time of the year and it’s even more special
now that my daughter turned two and is old enough to understand more. I
have started to create traditions as it gives me the opportunity to bond with my
ladybug and get her involved with the holiday festivities. One of my favorite
things to do is pass on my love for cooking/baking to my daughter. It gives me
so much joy that she is interested in cooking and baking and she is only 2.5yrs
old. Here’s one of my favorite recipes that’s easy for the little one – enjoy!
Baking is very precise, so it is important to measure the ingredients correctly
and that ingredients are at the right temperature. Note: all ingredients should be at room temperature.
Sugar Cookies Ingredients
• 2 Sticks of Butter (1 cup of butter)
• 1 Cup of Sugar
• 3 Teaspoons of Vanilla
• 3 Cups of Flour
• 1 Egg
Sugar Cookie Instructions:
1. Cream the butter and add the sugar
2. Add the vanilla
to the butter and sugar mixture
5 3. Beat the egg lightly in a separate bowl 4. Add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture and combine 5. Measure the three cups of flour in a separate bowl – To accurately measure flour, use a spoon to lightly add the flour into the measuring cup, and then use a knife to level off. Do not pack in the flour into the cup, or scoop directly out of the flour bag or container 6. Then add the flour to the Butter/Sugar Mixture and mix until the dough is easy to shape in a ball. Do not mix beyond this point 7. Place the sugar cookie dough in the refrigerator to allow it to cool. It
makes it more manageable when trying to roll it out
8. Place flour on the work surface and roll out the dough to the desired
thickness. Make sure you apply even pressure on both sides of the
rolling pin when rolling out the dough
9. Cut out the cookies and place on a baking pan with parchment paper
10. Bake in the oven for 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. Note the time
to bake varies depending on the size of the cookie. You know it is
ready when the edges become light brown
11. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Please note the cookies are
very soft and delicate at this point and will become hard as it cools.
Handle with care!
12. Cookies are ready for icing!
Equipment Note: you can use a stand mixer, food processor or hand mixer
and still achieve the same results. Butter Cream Icing:
There are different types of icing; the
best are made from scratch as you can
control the amount of sugar, texture,
and taste. The recipe below is for
larger batches, I didn’t use any
measurements for the small batch
below due to its size.
• 1 ½ cups of powder sugar
• 2 ½ sticks of unsalted butter at
room temperature
• Pinch of salt
6 Butter Cream Icing
Instructions:
• Bring the unsalted butter to room temperature
• Cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Note if I am making a
small amount, I use a bowl and a rubber spatula rather than a
mixer
• Slowly add in sugar to desired sweetness and beat into the
butter. Keep adding the sugar gradually and taste until satisfied
with sweetness
• Add a couple of drops of vanilla
• Add a tiny dash of salt to bring out the sweetness of the sugar
• If adding color, use the gel instead of the liquid as it tends to
make the icing runny
Decorating Cookies
This is my favorite part as I just put the sprinkles in containers and let
my daughter decorate.
• Spread the Buttercream on to the cookie
• Add the sprinkles!
I always love to present my cookies on a cake stands especially when I
can change the ribbon color to match the theme. Good Luck!
View additional photos on 9jaMom.com
7 Sweet Treats: Ginger Tea by Lazy 9jamom
My favorite drink of all time is Ginger Tea – brings back wonderful memories of my mom boiling huge pots of ginger for ginger beer. It’s still my go-­‐to drink when I just need to relax, put my feet up and read a book. Why not enjoy your sugar cookies with ginger tea? It’s healthy, yummy and economical too so…. What are you waiting for? Total Time: 10 minutes Tips & Tricks
Need to get rid of the after-cooking
smell from stockfish, ogiri/iru, and
dodo?
Ingredients: • 3-­‐4 raw ginger roots • 3 – 4 cups water • 1 Lemon cut in quarters • Honey to taste Preparation: After airing 20mins, boil 3-4 cinnamon
sticks in water on medium heat for
approx. 30mins or longer on low heat
until smell dissipates. Remember to turn
off the kitchen vent, as you do want the
fragrance permeating the rooms!
• Peel the ginger and slice thinly to maximize the surface area and increase the ginger flavor. • Boil the ginger in water for at least 10 minutes. For a stronger and tangier tea, boil for 20 minutes or more, and use more slices of ginger. • Remove from heat and pour in your favorite mug • Squeeze in 1 lemon wedge and add honey to taste Flavor Play: add sliced apples, oranges, or pomegranate seeds to play around with your flavors a bit The key to making a really flavorful ginger tea is to use plenty of ginger – you can never use too much but only a dash of lemon/lime so it doesn’t take over. Did you know? Ginger is perfect for soothing stomachaches, it increases metabolism to aid in digestion, and it improves your immune system, which can help beat the holiday stress! Health Tip: start your morning off with room temperature water and lemon prior to any meal to help flush your system! 8 Five New Holiday
Traditions for Empty Nesters
Holidays and festivals can be an extra trying time for empty nesters. With kids away, empty nest moms may often wonder if they should go to the trouble of decorating and cooking. However, holidays, festivals and special occasions aren’t just about prettifying the house and making special foods, you can have some special holiday traditions that include just you, or you and your partner: 1. Take a Vacation One of the easiest and most fun things you can do is to go away somewhere nice for a holiday. These are the days when you don’t have to worry about kids’ gifts, cooking big meals and more, so why not take the time to schedule a vacation. 2. Have an Annual Donation Drive A holiday or festival is a great time for decluttering your home AND helping another in need. What may be useless for you may be priceless for someone else. Go through your home and pick out everything that you’ve not used in the last 6 months or so – clothes, utensils, decoration items, books, movies, etc. Donate to charity. Organize a donation drive with all your empty nester friends and feel good about making someone else’s holidays a really special time. 3. Have a Friends-­‐Only Dinner Want to cook your festive foods? No reason you shouldn’t. Have a lovely friends-­‐only dinner where you can invite other couples whose kids have left the nest. Again, this is something that all of you can do each time the holidays roll around. 4. Indulge This is one holiday tradition that most empty nesters can create and enjoy. After all, you’ve spent nearly 20 years of buying the best gifts for kids, now is YOUR time. Indulge in that wine collection or gift yourself a new wardrobe! 5. Make and Deliver Food Baskets Finally, remember that holidays and festivals aren’t about you and yourself only -­‐ help another in real need. Cook up all your special holiday goodies, pack them into baskets and take to families dealing with unemployment or ill-­‐health. Donate food baskets to orphanages, young mother shelters and senior citizen homes. A tradition that will warm your heart and many others as well. 9 To give couples that WOW factor in
their romance life! To redefine the art
of showing love and to put that extra
dramatic touch to any romantic plan
you've got. Also to help revive the
romance in marriages
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10 Holiday Household
Cleanup Tips
Cleaning can be a challenge and it’s always on our to-do list. Whether it’s dusting or
vacuuming, keeping your home clean can sap both your time and energy. But even when
you spend all your time and energy and just when you think you’re done cleaning, you
find yourself having to cleaning more. You’re not alone! So here are a few tips to make a
tough job easier during the holidays and as you go into the New Year!
Cleaning tips
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
When you dust, start at the top and work down.
Take all your cleaning tools and avoid unnecessary trips back and forth.
Clean as you go! It takes a lot less time to remove new dirt than old.
Leave baking soda on carpeting over night will absorb musty odors - Make a
checklist of chores to get organized first.
Wash walls from the bottom up, to avoid streaking.
Use old socks as mitts for cleaning difficult woodwork.
Wash small knickknacks instead of dusting.
To removing heel marks, take pencil eraser and rub them off.
Don’t mix cleaning products. Ammonia and bleach are toxic. (Remember common
cleaners such as Windex and Comet meet this don’t do rule.)
Allowing cleaners to set for several minutes will ease the cleaning job.
Interior Walls
• Wall cleaner mix 1/2 c. ammonia, 1/4 c. white vinegar, and 1/4 c. baking soda to 1
gal. warm water.
• For cleaning textured walls use nylon socks instead of a sponge or cloth to avoid
leaving material chunks behind.
• To dust wall paper, tie a dust cloth over your broom and work from the top down.
• To remove pencil marks & other non-greasy spots from non-washable papers, use
an art-gum eraser.
• To remove greasy spots or crayon, apply a paste of cleaning fluid and fuller’s earth
and cornstarch. Let the wall dry and brush off residue. Repeat the treatment until
the spot is gone.
Windows
• Make your own spray cleaner. Fill a spray bottle with 3 tablespoons of ammonia, 1
tablespoon of vinegar & the remainder with water.
• Dust blinds by wrapping a cloth around a ruler. Spray cloth with a dusting spray
and run the flat end across each blind. - Shine windows using old newspaper.
• Clean windows on an average temperature, preferably overcast day to avoid
streaks.
• Dry windows outside in one direction then inside in the other direction. If you see a
streak, you will know which side is the offender.
11 Holiday Household
Cleanup Tips (Contd.)
Bathroom
-
Rubbing alcohol can remove the dull haze from mirrors.
Use rubbing alcohol to remove spots from bathroom fixtures
Glass shower doors will sparkle if cleaned with white vinegar
To clean the shower, use a solution of 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 cup ammonia,
and 1/4 cup baking soda added to one gallon of warm water
Lemon furniture oil will remove water spots on metal frames
Rusty tile marks can be removed with kerosene
Running the shower on hot for five minutes will steam the dirt loose
Dull walls will shine when washed with vinegar and water and polished
with a dry cloth
Lighter fluid will remove most stains from porcelain sinks and bathtubs
Modt Life Stores
A new year is right around the corner and your children’s rooms and yours deserve a makeover! Don’t go into 2014 with the same overused, over-­‐laundered, faded and begging for replacement bedspreads – visit: https://www.facebook.com/modtlifestores Phone: 08121716955 BBPin: 2A38E9E7 Email: [email protected] 12 Afrimart Jewelry:
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13 9jaMom Holiday Must-­‐Read List for Kids Boosting Your Confidence, 15
Steps To Success In The
Workplace shares simple
effective tips and strategies,
based on personal experience
and research that women can
practice to boost their confidence
at work or in business. Get your copy:
http://www.superworkingmum.com/boosti
ng-your-confidence-ebook.html
Follow:
www.facebook.com/SuperWorkingMum
www.twitter.com/SuperWorkingMum
www.superworkingmum.com
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