I got my iPhone yesterday, and I’m like a kid at Christmas. Almost jumped up and down (OK, maybe I actually did a little) when the FedEx guy showed up.

One of my favorite apps, already, is ColorSplash. It allows you to turn a color photo into black-and-white and then add back just a touch of color to any part of the photo you choose.

Speaking of a kid at Christmas, here’s one of my favorite photos of my niece, after I had some fun with it with ColorSplash.

If you’re a busy parent with an iPhone, I’d love to know what apps you use to save time, stay organized and have fun! Please share your recommendations in comments.

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I wish you and your family love, peace and a wonderful 2010. See you back here on Jan. 4!

Make a Smilebox greeting

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Merry Christmas to my brother, Lee!

We shared many adventures together as kids growing up in Ohio and Arizona, but apparently going down steep hills on a sled wasn’t one of them.

I wonder how long it took us to go 20 feet?

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It’s the crazy-making season. All of a sudden you find yourself with flour on your elbows, tinsel hanging from your butt (because you first sat in some chocolate left behind by a kid, then you backed into the Christmas tree when the dog ran by and almost tripped you).

And it’s ALL good — as long as it’s all good with you.

When does it become NOT so good? When you stop laughing at your glittery butt and start stressing about all that’s left to do, all the cards, and packages and shopping and budget decisions and cooking and cleaning and… where did all the fun go?

I don’t want to be that mom this year. So I’m cutting back on a few things in hopes of maintaining my sanity. I’m only making one batch of Christmas cookies and I’m letting Trader Joe take care of the rest. I’m leaving some of our many ornaments and decorations in the boxes. EVERYTHING doesn’t have to be on display EVERY year.

And I’m trying (really hard!) to get things done ahead of time so that the last week before Christmas, I can sit back a bit and relax with my family in front of the tree with some Christmas music playing in the background.

In truth? I’ll be lucky to have everything done by noon on the 24th. But just by making that a goal, there’s a chance that I’ll have a bit more breathing room this year.  Either way, I plan to pour a glass of wine, whip out my new Sugarland Christmas CD and put my feet up. Ahh.

Care to join me?

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The children’s theater program at our church puts on a Christmas musical every year, and my son has been in these productions since he was 5 years old.

But my husband? He’d never set foot on a stage, and I would have bet the farm that he never would.

But when the choir director asked him if he’d play Santa (with a bunch of lines!) in “Babes in Toyland,” Randy — bless him — said yes. What a wonderful family memory.

Matt gets to play the bad guy, Barnaby, and Santa tells him off and saves the day at the end of the show, which makes it a real hoot.

Thanks, Randy, for being such a great dad and for giving Matt — and me — this wonderful Christmas memory. It’s better than anything we could find under the tree.

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We’ve all received them — those holiday newsletters that brag about how Shane (the preschooler) is reading at the second-grade level, Billy got straight As (again), Ashlie got into Harvard and Sam made the law review.

But according to an article by Jeffrey Zaslow from The Wall Street Journal Online, there’s a risk you take when you send out such an annual family letter: Recipients might gather in small groups to read it aloud and laugh at you.

In a neighborhood in Hillsborough, N.J., exactly that happens every year, Zaslow reports. Each December, a family that used to live there send its holiday letter detailing the husband’s fabulous career, the kids’ unbelievable achievements, the wife’s terrific life. Their former neighbors find these annual reports so entertaining, they meet at a neighbor’s house for a theatrical reading of the pompous letters.

Yikes!

But don’t let this little tale scare you into just sending a card with “Happy Holidays” scribbled on it. Your family and friends really do want to hear about your family’s news — if you make your newsletter entertaining, says Elaine Floyd, author of Creating Family Newsletters: 123 Ideas for Sharing Memorable Moments With Family and Friends (EFG Inc.).

Try these tips for making this year’s newsletter a real keeper:

°         Be a pack rat. Don’t try to remember every event of the past year. Instead, grab a file folder. Toss in the program from the ballet recital, the playbill from your trip to New York — anything that will offer inspiration later when you sit down to write. Go through your family calendar and your photo album and take notes about special events. (You might want to use some of those photos in your newsletter, too, using the color copier at your local copy shop. Don’t forget to ask for a bulk discount on those color-copying costs, which can add up.)

°         Keep a vacation journal. Another way to snag those memories for later retrieval is to ask your kids to keep a diary of your trip, vacation or family reunion. When you’re ready to create your newsletter, all the details — as seen through the eyes of your children — will come back to you, and you’ll be ready to write. Another option: Include a photocopy of a particularly fun or meaningful journal page that highlights a memorable family outing.

°         Include the right amount of detail. To avoid putting readers to sleep, ask a friend to read your first draft and highlight the most interesting information. Save the long version for your family scrapbook and shorten the final letter.

°         Use lists. Try creating a list of the top 10 best (or worst!) events of the past year — or list things you’re looking forward to in the year to come.

°         Share a favorite recipe. Include a picture of you and the kids making your famous apple-pecan pie or oversized oatmeal cookies, and add the recipe as part of your newsletter. Instead if including it in the text of the letter, box it and write it in standard recipe style so your readers can cut it out for their own recipe boxes. Or get really fancy and include the recipe separately on colorful holiday card stock. Cut the paper to recipe-card size.

°         Handle bad news sensitively. Be honest, but try to concentrate on the positive or hopeful aspects of the situation. Very bad news should probably be hand-written rather than included in your photocopied letter.

°         Avoid “brag lists.” One way to handle discussing children’s grades, sports awards and other accomplishments is to have the children write about themselves. Or ask them questions and write using their own words. Write about or show photos of children’s specific gifts and talents, such as their favorite school subjects, Ford suggests. Mention what the children are doing — don’t quantify how they are winning.

°         Think beyond work and school. What sport does your family love? What about hobbies? What trouble has the dog gotten into lately? Adding fun details about your family’s everyday life will make your newsletter sound less like a status report. Sure, your friends want to hear about your promotion, but they’d rather read the details of how you tried to cram two adults, two kids and a wet dog into a Jeep for a weekend fishing trip.

°         Use exclamation points sparingly!!! Let your writing and content share your enthusiasm and save the exclamation point for a punch line or surprise ending.

°         Watch for overuse of jargon. If you find yourself wanting to use overly common expressions or to put phrases in quotes (things like “Supermom” or “Mommy’s Little Helper”) look for another way to say it.

°         Personalize it. On the front of your newsletter, try creating a family holiday scene using cut-out photos of each family member. Draw empty “caption bubbles” (like those used for comic strips) above each person’s head. Then color copy your page. Now go back and add captions for each individual newsletter. After all, the captions you’d use for Great Aunt Susie’s letter might not be the same as those you’d send to your old college pals. And your recipients will love knowing you’ve personalized the captions just for them.

°         Leave room for a hand-written note. Writing just an extra sentence or two, near your signature, is a nice touch.

°         Add a little extra holiday cheer. Try using ribbon or string to close the newsletter. Use rubber stamps or stickers to add a message or to decorate the envelope or the margins of your letter. (Kids love to help with this part.) Or punch out shapes on the corners of the pages. Use the punched pieces for confetti for the inside. Use glitter glue on the front page or the envelope for extra sparkle.

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Thinking about heading to Disneyland for a holiday treat for the family? I’ve got a great preview for you right here. Keep scrolling for lots of photos, videos and details. Our family was invited to a fun holiday event for parenting bloggers at Disneyland and California Adventure recently, and we had a blast! (The nice folks at Disneyland even invited our our son, Matt, bring a buddy, Max, since Matt doesn’t have siblings. When you’re 13, it’s always more fun with a friend.)

Disneyland will be celebrating the holidays through January 3, so you have a whole month to check out all the festivities.

And remember my contest to win a day at Disneyland as a guest of Parent Talk Today? Here I am with our winner, Sarah Auerswald, and her family…

My family loves Disneyland any time of the year, but at the holidays it really is something special. Check out this video for a sneak peek:

We also saw the new show, “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!” It’s a terrific show that even Randy, my husband, thought was worth the time spent away from the rides! (Randy is a tough sell on shows like this, but he loved it.) The parade through New Orleans Square on the way to the Showboat is a nice touch, too. Those costumes, seen up close, are amazing. (BTW, I didn’t have great luck with my video camera here, so I’m grateful to the person who posted this video on YouTube, from the first day of the show, and made it available for public sharing.)

We had an opportunity to “test drive” Disney’s new Mobile Magic phone app while we were there. It’s an app that helps you navigate the park, kind of like a personal tour guide. It’s available on select Verizon Wireless phones and it offers:

· Updated attraction wait times and FASTPASS return times for the park you are in.
· Locations of  your favorite attractions, characters and restaurants, with GPS-enabled maps
· Restaurants for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks
· Tips on what’s happening in the parks
· Trivia games to play against other parks guests

Mobile Magic is available for download and purchase for $9.99 for a 180-day subscription. We had fun playing with it. (It’s great for when you’re waiting in line and you need a diversion.) And the whole family thought the best feature was the ability to check ride wait times in real time. Cool! (OK, and I liked being able to use it to find the nearest restroom when I got temporarily turned around in California Adventure, too.)

Did I mention the HUGE Christmas tree on Main Street? Talk about getting in a holiday mood! Santa was visiting with the kids over at California Adventure, too.

But the BEST part of the day was seeing the holiday fireworks display over Sleeping Beauty’s Castle (totally decked out in gorgeous lighting), followed by “snow” falling and beautiful holiday music. You got to see a bit of the fireworks display in the video above, but check out this photo, too. This is true Disney magic at work. I saw parents wiping away a few happy tears as they watched the snow through the eyes of their children, who were mesmerized.

With everything you have to do this holiday season, make sure you make time to check out this wonderful transformation of Disneyland and California Adventure. We won’t soon forget our day there.

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Ready to throw calorie caution to the wind and bake up a truly magical dessert with your kids?

My family and I were recently invited to Disneyland and California Adventure for a special event for parenting bloggers, and a wonderful Disney pastry chef taught us how to make this yummy dessert. What a fun demonstration! It takes some time, but it’s a great family project for a weekend afternoon during the holidays.

Silly me, I was so busy looking at the chef’s finished yule log that I forgot to take a picture of it to share with you! But this photo shows a similar finished log. There are lots of ways to decorate it and add your own touches.

This recipe makes one 15-inch yule log.

Kahlúa Simple Syrup

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

3 tablespoons Kahlúa Liqueur

Biscuit Roulade

1/2 cup pastry flour or all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted

1/4 cup cocoa, sifted

4 egg yolks, room temperature

1 cup sugar, divided

4 egg whites, room temperature

Coffee Buttercream

1 cup water, divided

3 tablespoons coffee grinds

1 cup fine granulated sugar

5 large egg whites, room temperature

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cold and cubed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache

11 ounces dark chocolate (58% cacao)

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons honey

1 cup heavy whipping cream

For Kahlúa Simple Syrup:

1. Place the granulated sugar and water in a small sauce pan over medium heat and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and add the Kahlúa.
2. Stir to combine and allow syrup to cool completely.

For Biscuit Roulade:

1. Preheat oven to 375º F.  Butter and flour a 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan.  Line bottom with parchment paper.  Butter and flour parchment paper also.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and cocoa in a small mixing bowl, set aside.
3. Beat egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 minutes, or until thick and lemon colored.  Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar, beating on high speed till the sugar is dissolved.  Thoroughly wash and dry the beaters.
4. Beat egg whites in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes, or until soft peaks form.  Slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, beating on medium speed till stiff peaks form.
5. Carefully fold egg yolk mixture into the egg whites, using a rubber spatula.  Once all the egg yolk mixture has been incorporated, sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg mixture and fold in gently just to combine.
6. Spread batter evenly into the prepared jelly-roll pan.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched near the center.
7. Lay out a clean, thin cotton kitchen towel on a work surface; dust with confectioners’ sugar on the top, set aside.
8. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, loosen the edges of the cake from the pan using a knife.
9. Turn cake out onto the sugared kitchen towel, parchment paper side up. Carefully pull off the parchment paper.

10.  Fold towel over the longest side of the cake and roll up the cake with the towel inside.

11.  Cool on a rack with the seam side down.

For Coffee Buttercream:

1. Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat.  Remove from heat and add coffee grinds; allow to steep for 5 minutes.  Strain through a coffee filter into a small bowl and set coffee concentrate aside.
2. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup of water and sugar in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Clip a candy thermometer to the pan and heat to 240º, soft-ball stage (18-20 minutes).  Keep the edge of the saucepan clean by brushing it with a pastry brush moistened with water as needed.
3. Once the temperature reaches 240º, remove the candy thermometer and remove from heat.
4. Beat egg whites in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes, or until soft peaks form.  Gradually pour the hot mixture in a thin stream over the whites while continuing to beat the mixture for 2-3 minutes.  Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed and continue to beat until a meringue forms.
5. Add the butter all at once, and beat on medium speed until incorporated.  Increase speed to high and continue beating for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth and shiny. Add vanilla extract and coffee concentrate, mix for one minute until combined.  Set aside.

For Chocolate Ganache:

1. Place the chocolate, butter, and honey in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the whipping cream in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until it begins to boil.  Remove from heat and pour cream into the chocolate mixture.  Whisk until smooth.
3. Set aside and allow the ganache to come to room temperature.

To Assemble:

1. Unroll cake, remove towel.  Using a pastry brush, “baste” the cake with the Kahlúa simple syrup.
2. Evenly spread the coffee buttercream over cake to within 1 inch of the edges.  Re-roll the cake to form the “log.”  Place, seam-side down, on a serving platter.
3. Spread the chocolate ganache over the top and sides of the cake.
4. Score ganache with the tines of a fork to resemble the bark on a log.
5. Decorate as desired and refrigerate for an hour to let the ganache set.

Cook’s Notes:

Make sure you butter and flour the parchment paper after putting it on the jelly-roll pan.  This will make it easier to remove the paper from the cake when cooked.

Always thoroughly clean and dry your electric mixer beaters before using them for another procedure—especially when working with egg whites.  If the beaters have any residue or water on them, the egg whites will not form as needed.

You can decorate the Yule Log with meringue mushrooms, flowers, and leaves.

Have you made a yule log before? I’d love to hear about it in comments. Happy baking!

And for info on Disneyland and California Adventure at the holidays, check out my post.

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We parents always hope for that picture-perfect shot of our little ones with Santa — but it doesn’t always work out that way… And you know, those funny photos often make the best memories.

The editors over at Lowcountry Parent magazine came up with a terrific idea: a photo gallery where parents can upload their favorite “scared-of-Santa” pics. This one is my favorite from the gallery so far. I’ll be stopping by often this holiday season to check out the latest photos.

Do you have a funny photo of your child on Santa’s lap? Submit it!

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