Sushi and Cookies....Mmmmmm.....

This has been the first week of the holidays for both of my older children and, like every other parent of school-aged children, I have been trying to keep the girls busy to keep myself sane until January 4th rolls around and they go back to school.  This week, we took a little sojourn to Japan, as my oldest daughter wanted to make sushi.  (These were really California rolls, as they both turned up their noses at raw fish.  No sashimi for me.  Boo.)  We filled nori wraps with sticky and seasoned sushi rice, slices of cucumber, avocado, carrot and the pressed fish product that my husband refers to as, "K-R-A-B".  My younger daughter did not really care for the Krab, so she resolutely picked it out of every roll she consumed.  The activity lasted for the better part of an hour and gave us a pretty good sized little tray of sushi for dinner, so I would call it a resounding success (especially because EVERYONE actually ate it).

Our second activity this week was baking and decorating sugar cookies, ostensibly for Santa to consume on Christmas Eve.  We don't do this every Christmas, but my oldest daughter has gotten it in her head that we do, in fact, so I decided to keep up the "tradition" again this year.  (Honestly, I think we have decorated cookies, specifically for the St. Nick purpose perhaps once in her eight years.)  Again, this was a good activity for them to do and was so successful at eating up such a large chunk of time that I am starting to wonder if I should begin a "New Year's Eve" cookie decorating tradition. Nah....that just makes my New Year's Resolution to stop eating so many freaking cookies that much harder.  Anyway.....we actually had a couple of play dates during the cookie making and decorating processes, occurring on two separate days, so I was able to pawn at least a dozen cookies off on other kids (and their extremely grateful parents, I am sure.  My sister just wrote me a message the other day, asking, "why has someone not invented a sarcasm font?"  I know, right?!?  I sure could use it in this little passage right here!).  Seriously, there is nothing like homemade sugar cookies and there is nothing like the sugar high induced by said cookies, covered in globs of powdered sugar glaze, and crusted with every kind of sprinkle imaginable.  You are welcome, Santa.  (My insulin levels are shuddering as I type.....in a "wink-wink" kind of code in case my daughters somehow happen upon this post.  Just go with it.) 

So, from our house to yours, Merry Christmas and, in case I don't get a chance to post something next week because I have lost my mind screaming at my kids to stop beating each other because they are bored out of their minds, Happy New Year!