Oreo Truffles

Christmas would not be Christmas in our house without these Oreo Truffles!
Not only are they one of our favorite treats, but they are also super simple to make!

Oreo Truffles

We served these a few years ago as favors at our wedding reception, and we returned from our honeymoon to loads of messages asking, What is the recipe for those thingy-ma-bobs you served at the wedding?! I have to know!.

They are amazing, and we love sharing them with others. I sure wish I could take credit for this recipe, but a friend actually passed it along to me. If you are looking for one last special holiday treat to serve or gift to others, these would be perfect!

Here's how to get started:

Ingredients:

One package of Oreos

One 8 oz. block of cream cheese

1/2 of a block of Almond Bark

Toppings of your choice - We used crushed Andes Mints.

Note: We usually make 2-4 batches. I would highly suggest that you do the same. *smile*

Step 1: Crush one package of Oreos up in a food processor.

Step 2: Begin melting your Almond Bark (on low heat). Add a little oil for smoothness~

Step 3: Mix an 8 oz. block of cream cheese in with one package of crushed oreos.

Step 4: Roll mixture into small, truffle-size balls. (I would then suggest placing them in the freezer for a couple of hours just to give them a chance to set up - This makes dipping them in the chocolate a whole lot easier.)

Step 5: Dip each ball into the melted Almond Bark.

Step 6: Immediately top your truffles with anything you like. We typically use crushed Andes mints - a mixture of both red and green. See that cracked truffle back there? That's the first one I ate!

*We store these in the fridge/freezer until it's time to share~

Friends have tweeked this recipe, and here are a few yummy things they have tried:

- white Almond Bark instead of milk chocolate

- Nutter Butter cookies instead of Oreos

- crushed peppermint for the topping instead of Andes mints

The options are endless, folks! Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

P.S. If you liked this recipe, you may also love these Dipped Nutter Butter Cookies!

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Christmas-Themed Cooperative Learning Activities

December Co-Op Activities 

These activities can be modified/used for babies, toddlers, and/or preschool-age kiddos.
They can done individually or with small groups.

You can always count on food coloring to add a little excitement to an activity!

Add red or green food coloring to either shaving cream or bubbles & let the fun begin.

Very festive (and messy)!

Note: Moms will need an extra cup of coffee before diving in to this activity.

These Jello molds are great for sorting! What do we "sort" at our house? Cheerios! *smile*

 I love using cookie cutters for grasping practice, shape recognition, naming games, etc.

Holiday cookie cutters are probably my favorite!
*Cookie cutters and paint can also make for a fun combination!*

 Pull the red and green Mega Blocks from your stash, and let the holiday building fun commence! Ho, Ho, Ho! 

 Christmas picture books are easy to incorporate - here are couple that we have loved this year.

These are perfect reads for short attention spans!

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

Bear Stays Up for Christmas

This last activity doesn't look very "Christmasy", but we call them "December Dolphins" (Amazon calls them Tomy Toys Do Rae Mi Dolphins). The boys love them. As you bop each dolphin on the head, they produce a different musical note. They are super fun~

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy browsing these Christmas Books for Kids of All Ages!

and Fall-Themed Cooperative Learning Activities for Babies & Toddlers

Boundaries: The Challenge

A few years ago, I read the book "Boundaries" by Cloud & Townsend. If you've never read it, I highly recommend it. Second to the Bible, it is the book that has changed my life more than any

other.  As I was reading it, I started to see areas of my life where I needed to establish boundaries.

My number one issue [at the time I read the book] was that I was allowing my job to completely consume me. I absolutely loved teaching, but if you've ever been a teacher or you know a [committed] teacher, you realize that it can easily consume and leave little time for other important things.

Everyone's life - Everyone's situation - Everyone's personality is different. These are just some things that made a huge difference for me - in my work life and beyond:

I started delegating! Let me tell you - for the most part, I am a Type-A personality. I am a perfectionist. I am a list-maker. I'm usually the one to complete the tasks on my list, and I am much more comfortable that way. However, I started delegating tasks - and if I can do it, anyone can! Things were not always done the exact way I would have done them, but I learned very quickly how to cope with this. Deep breathing exercises were of great help to me. *smile*

I stopped rescuing people! Here me out here: True emergency situations? I am there! Rescuing people who continually have crisis situations because they are irresponsible over and over again? No more! I realize that these people will always find someone to bail them out of their messes, but that person was no longer me. I can not tell you the freedom this change brought. One of my new favorite quotes: "Lack of planning on your part does not call for an emergency on my part." Amen & Amen!

I started saying "No!" Okay, maybe I didn't say it in such a strong way - I tried, "probably not", "no, thank you", "I'm sorry, but I don't think that's going to work for me", "I'll pray about it"...you get the idea. Quick Note: Cloud & Townsend encourage you to never apologize when you say no for the right reasons and in the right way. It is truly ok to just say "No!". People will not always respond well to your boundaries (especially when it involves your children), but that is their problem - not yours.

P.S. It is okay to say "No!" even when it comes to serving in your church. Yes, we are saved to serve. Yes, everyone should be serving, giving, and sacrificing in the ways that God has directed them. However, so many people are in positions of service simply because "no one else would step up", and they are over committed, frustrated, and burnt out. Their family life is suffering because they feel like they can't say "no!". Why has no become such a dirty word?

"Often he who does too much does too little." - Italian Proverb

I stopped taking work home! Teacher-friends would ask, "How in the world are you pulling this off, Liz?" Here are a few things I did: 1.) During planning periods, I shut my classroom door, turned down the lights, and worked non-stop! 2.) During independent work time, students were actually required to work independently. Only true emergency issues could be brought to my desk, and during that time, I worked non-stop! 3.) I accepted that sometimes there would be unfinished work left on my desk - One of my principals would remind us, "Teaching is like housework. Your job is never really finished." Her advice encouraged me to relax and not stress when things were left for the next day. 4.) I also started implementing so many of those great "Self-Assessment Strategies" I had learned in grad school. Yes, they take some work to kick off, but they save so much time in the end. It's truly amazing what happens when you start allowing students to grade some of their own work. Most of the time, they are actually far tougher on themselves than the teacher would ever be.

Now, as a stay-at-home mom, I have a totally different type of work load to manage. While it is a different environment, it still requires the same game plan - prioritize, reprioritize, and then rereprioritize. (I think I just made up a new word. Cool!)

Signed,

A Work-in-Progress

"While normal people continue to add items to their to-do list, maybe you should do something weird instead: start a to-don't list." -Craig Groeschel

To read a little bit about the boundaries I have establish with blogging hop over and check out
To My Fellow Mommy Bloggers

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My Favorite Christmas Music

It's that time of year, folks! You see, I've been listening to Christmas music all year long, but since you are finally joining me in all this yuletide goodness, I thought I would share [in no specific order] a few of my favorite Christmas music albums that one must not live without:

Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas
How many times have I driven down the road singing "All I Want for Christmas is You" (at the top of my lungs)? Just kidding - I would never behave in such a manner. *blush*

Carpenters - Christmas Portrait
Nothing "takes me home" like this album.

Carpenters - Christmas Collection
Yes, the Carpenters have earned two spots on my list. They are amazing. However, what were they thinking with this album cover? His jacket just does not scream "Happy Holidays", do you think?

Jim Brickman - The Gift
Have you seen this man perform in person? Amazing!

Although, he's shorter than I imagined. 

What would you do without the intriguing information I share with you?

Bing Crosby - White Christmas
My mom's favorite movie is "White Christmas". I think she has a crush on Bing Crosby.

It must be the Santa hat in this photo that does it for her. *smile*

Andy Williams - The Andy Williams Christmas Album
What a voice! What a smile! What scary looking eyes he has in this photo!

Amy Grant - Home for Christmas

Give me this cassette (yes, cassette) and a hairbrush, and I am back to 1994 in no time~

Steven Curtis Chapman - The Music of Christmas

Here's my crush - Please excuse his hair in this photo - He was going through a bad phase.

While I could probably thinking of 100 more Christmas albums that I love, I will stop there with my favorites. Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la~

Still in the Christmas mood?

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