It's almost 2014! Wow! Here's ten of our favorite ways to celebrate NYE with your little buzzkills. No bar-hopping crazy parties for you this year, but New Years Eve was never that much fun anyway, right? Celebrate with the best people in your life, your kids! (If you/they can stay awake till midnight...) Only downside of staying home and ringing 2014 in with your Psychobaby? You still might get puked on. Hey, spit happens.
1. Plan ahead for the coming year. No, this is fun, we promise! Buy a piece of poster board, grab some glue sticks, scissors, markers and magazines and go to town making a "2014 Board." Cut out pictures of places you want to go as a family, recipes you want to try, things you want to accomplish, movies you want to see... you can add to the board as the year goes on, too.
2. This New Year idea is also nutritious! There's a Spanish custom of eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Years Eve, one for each chime of the clock. This tradition is supposed to bring prosperity, something we can all use after the Christmas credit card bills show up, right? Fill up plastic champagne or wine glasses with grapes for the kiddos so they can feel fancy too.
3. Make some silly party hats!
Click here for easy instructions, how cute would a photo of the whole fam in these goofy hats be?
4. You deserve a glass or two of champagne, and the kids deserve a sparkling treat too! Make a fun fizzy fruit drink by combining your favorite fruit juice and club soda or seltzer water in equal parts, add more juice if you like it sweeter! Grab a bag of frozen berries or pineapple (or whatever fruit you like best) to use instead of ice cubes to make this mocktail extra special.
5. While you're in the kitchen, kill some time while you're waiting for the clock to strike 12 and have the youngins' help prepare this
Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole. You'll be glad you did on January 1st! Or, if you're feeling ambitious, we like the idea of making
2014 pancakes.
6. This would be a very cool tradition to start: New Year Family Interviews.
Here's a downloadable version from Teach Mama, or you could easily make your own. Each member of the family gets a sheet of paper with a list of fun questions to answer - then each consecutive year you can pull out last year's answers and see how everyone has changed!
7. This picture says it all - the perfect way to involve your kiddos in a
midnight toast!
8. Confetti? All over the house? Smooshed into the carpet? Vacuuming for
days? Um, no thanks. How about some homemade bubbles insted? Add a drop
of food color for a festive touch! (Use these outside though, food
coloring can stain fabric/upholstery.) Here's an easy recipe from
babysavers.com:
1/3 cup dishwashing liquid (Dawn is reportedly to be the best!)
1 1/4 cups water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 drop food coloring
9. Start this project this New Year to enjoy a year from now! Take an empty jar (you could decorate it too, if you're feeling crafty), and all year long place notes inside about good things that happened. Next New Years Eve, empty it out and have fun reading and remembering all the awesome parts of 2014!
10. Let us not forget one of the main reasons to even bother celebrating New Years Eve - dressing up! You're on your own for your outfit (may we suggest your finest pair of sweatpants?) Our top picks for the kiddos:
Psychobaby Little Black Dress Racerback Tank Dress
Psychobaby Party Pooper One-Piece
Psychobaby I Drink Until I Pass Out One-Piece
Psychobaby Mommy & Daddy + Drinks = Me One-Piece
Psychobaby Black Tie Tuxedo One-Piece
Psychobaby Punk Rock Gentleman Tee
However you decide to celebrate, we wish you and your family a very safe and happy 2014!