Bonus cool points if you figured out that today is in fact...
January 17th: Blue Monday
"Blue Monday was created back in 2005 by Sky Travel Shop, a television channel devoted exclusively to programs about traveling, documentaries, and commercials for travel agencies. The folks at Sky Travel named this day “Blue Monday” and called it the most depressing day of the year for a variety of reasons. The date varies from year to year, depending on a variety of factors, such as weather, debt, the time that has passed since Christmas day, the time that has passed since we failed at fulfilling our New Year’s resolutions, low motivational levels connected with previous failures, and the need to take action."
Whew 😅
What better day could there be than today to restart 365 Days of Celebration? The sickness that has had it's dirty teeth in the house seems to be subsiding in Middle and Little. Momma's still fairly miserable, but the show must go on. Let's beat the winter blues with a recap of the days we missed....
Wednesday January 12: National Marzipan Day
Similar to fondant, but made from sugar and almond meal, marzipan is used in many different types of cakes and sweets because it can be molded into whatever form is desired.
Thursday January 13: National Rubber Ducky Day
"Rubber Duckies have the distinction of being one of only 53 toys that are included in the Toy Hall of Fame, first established in 2013. The toy first appeared prior to World War I, and were actually shaped like a broad variety of animals. Rubber Duckies were just the most popular of the varieties. During the era of the World Wars, rubber was too valuable a commodity to be used on simple toys, so plastic and vinyl began to be used."
Friday January 14: International Kite Day
"Kites have been around for more than 2,000 years and likely originated in China. One legend is that a Chinese farmer had trouble keeping his hat on in the wind, so he tied it to a string and when it blew away, he hung on to the end of the string. Thus, the first kite. International Kite Day originated in India, in the state of Gujarat, which is famous for the amount of festivals taking place there every year. The inhabitants of Gujarat begin manufacturing the kites months in advance so they can be sure to have enough, as millions of people visit Gujarat during it."
Saturday January 15: National Hat Day
"Hats have been in the world since at least 3000 BC. This is known because an image of a man wearing a hat that seemed to be made of straw was discovered in a mural from that period of time."
Sunday January 16: National Appreciate A Dragon Day
Appreciate a Dragon Day began when Donita K. Paul wanted to celebrate the publishing of her first fantasy novel “Dragonspell" in 2004. It's a day dedicated to learning about and sharing your love for those fiery creatures.
So you're probably asking yourself, how in the world do you combine all these days? Well....
First, Middle needs a hat. But not just any hat will work. It has to be a special kind of hat.
Yes, Momma's kitchen helper needs his very own chef's hat. We started out by measuring around his head and cutting and connecting two strips of cardstock to the proper length. Next, I let him put his own little pizzazz on it.
Once he was finished, I used a sheet of tissue paper (yep, it's got glitter!) to form the top. I bunched the bottom up and began taping it along the backside of the headband. It took two sheets total. Once the full length of the head band was covered, I taped the ends together to form the circle. Then I folded the tissue paper in towards the middle and secured it with a staple on the inside.
Now that he was properly attired, Middle was ready to help me make some marzipan. Middle hasn't been exposed to nuts just yet due to allergy concerns. Marzipan is traditionally made with almonds, so at first, I wasn't sure we were going to be able to take part in this day's festivities. Thankfully, the internet brought me an alternative, nut-free marzipan! The recipe uses semolina flour, powdered sugar, vanilla, and butter.
Once mixed, the marzipan needs to chill in the refrigerator for a bit to harden, so we needed to make this next. Middle loves helping by dumping the ingredients into the bowl for me.
The recipe called for all the ingredients to be mixed together via a mixer, but after a few minutes of getting nowhere, we decided it was just better to hand mix. It formed a doughy consistency fairly quickly. Next, we had to use food coloring to get our desired colors. We separated it into one large ball and one smaller. A few drops of coloring on each and then mashed around to mix.
Little was watching Middle and I have all the fun, and decided that he too needed a fun hat for the day. I don't think he quite got it right, but I'll give him an A for effort.
Once our marzipan was chilling, it was time to move on to our next project...lunch! Middle and Little got to sit down for a quick bite and then settle in for a nice afternoon nap. While they napped, Momma prepped our real next project. We had to make a kite, but we needed something a little simpler for Middle. I found this idea on Pinterest.
But we're not celebrating birds...we're appreciating dragons! I sketched out a dragon head and tail and set out a plain piece of paper for Middle to color when he woke from his nap.
Once he was finished coloring, I took the big sheet of paper and folded the wings down and secured them in place with a staple.
Next I cut out and attached the head and tail to our body and ta-da! Dragon kite!
It's cold and snowy outside today, so flying him outdoors wasn't happening. But we decided after we finished with dinner and the rest of our projects for the day, we'd let him take a whirl inside....
But first, back to that marzipan. Once chilled, it becomes a playdough consistency. Perfect for molding...Rubber Duckies! We had enough marzipan for 3, in fact. A Momma, Middle, and Little rubber duckie!!
Of course I also saved some aside for Middle to play.
Now, it's supposed to be edible. I'll admit, I tried a piece. Momma was not a fan. I imagine the real stuff has a much different taste because of the almond flavor, but this was very much just sugar and flour tasting. I offered a piece for Middle, and much to my surprise, he seemed to like it.
So, that's how we did it, we tied together all our missed days. Hopefully the sickness will stay away for awhile and we won't need to do that anymore this year.
But back to that dragon...He got to fly after all. You'll want your volume on 😂
Tomorrow is supposed to be a warmer day and we've got some errands to run, so if there's a wind, maybe the poor guy can fly for real.
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