Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
I don't know about your neck of the woods, but Spring is afoot where we live. Its true that without snowy winters here, the change in season isn't very drastic, but I still find myself getting anxious for this beautiful time of year. And it seems that everyday my son and I discover new signs that Spring is near. Flowers are budding on the branches of trees, the earth is turning from a dusty, desert brown to a beautiful, lush green, and nature seems to be waking from a deep sleep. Most of all, I love watching my son press his nose up to the window to watch the newly returned birds hopping around our backyard. "Birrr! (Bird)" He says, pointing enthusiastically at them!
Spring is in the air, but with St. Patty's Day at hand, so is a little mischief. I was excited to celebrate this fun holiday with my toddler by introducing him to some of my family's favorite St. Patrick's Day traditions. We also added a few new ones of our own. I hope you enjoy seeing what we've been up to!
ST. PATRICK'S DAY BOOKS
Growing up, our mom would pour us a tiny leprechaun sized glass of ginger ale and read to us some fun St. Patrick's Day tales. We'd have ginger ale because it was invented in Ireland. The locals there first crafted it as a non-alcoholic alternative to their popular gingered whiskeys and ales. For us, it was always a perfect accompaniment to our afternoon of Irish fun.
These are some of the books I grew up loving. This first one especially (St. Patrick's Day in the Morning) makes me nostalgic for childhood St. Patrick's Days. I can still remember listening to my mom read it aloud as if it was yesterday.
I got this next one for my son to enjoy this year since he's still so little:
Some other fun suggestions:
Of course we also sang our St. Patty's Day songs:
The Wearin' O' the Green, by Janeen Brady
Lucky for Me, by Pat Kelsey Graham
Danny Boy, Words by Fred Weatherly, Music from an old Irish Air
Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral (Irish Lullaby), by James Royce Shannon
and
(Its not that Easy) Bein' Green, by Joe Raposo and Kermit the Frog
and
(Its not that Easy) Bein' Green, by Joe Raposo and Kermit the Frog
(Talk about the beautiful meaning of this song while eating green gummy frogs!)
LEARN ABOUT IRELAND
Along with singing and story time, we would also learn some fun facts about Ireland and Leprechauns!
SHAMROCK PIZZA
I saw this several places online and thought it was so cute! Since my family has a new goal to "eat clean" (zero processed and artificial foods/ingredients), I found a fresh pre-baked cheese pizza at Sprouts (our local whole foods store) that was made of entirely organic and natural ingredients. I then added the bell pepper slices at home and baked it. To make, just cut a bell pepper width-wise into slices. Then cut one of the slices into little pieces to make stems. Just lay the slices on the uncooked pizza and attach a "stem" to each.
We served ours up with a leafy salad and honeydew melon and kiwis for a green leprechaun lunch!
My little guy especially enjoyed the shamrock pizza! (Fewer things bring me more pleasure in life than watching this kid eat!)
For fun, I decided to surprise my hubby with a festive lunch when he told me that he was bringing some dental school buddies home during their break for lunch. My husband is a hot dog/bratwurst connoisseur so I was excited when I found these Irish Brats (they're not technically "clean" but I couldn't resist). I paired them with green Sun Chips and natural ginger ale.
GREEN FUN
Another idea I saw several places online was a mess-less finger painting solution. I bought washable green finger paint and squirted a few big dollops in a plastic bag and then taped it shut to be extra careful. Then I let my son have at it! It was so nice to toss the bag when my son was done playing and have no messy hands/clothes/highchair/face etc. to clean up!
EAT GREEN FOOD!
Kids aren't usually very enthusiastic about eating healthy green foods. Well, unless you're my son. Some of his favorite foods are broccoli and spinach. No joke! Regardless, I thought it would be fun to see how many green foods we could eat this month.
There are so many! We had avocado, green melon, kiwi, kale, spinach, broccoli, green beans and pears. There is also asparagus, artichoke, green apples, green grapes, and many more.
We love veggie smoothies at our house and this one has got to be my favorite. It is from my Weelicious cookbook (I cannot sing enough praise about this cookbook/website for its whole food kid-friendly recipes!).
1 Cup Vanilla Rice Milk
(I used raspberry Kefir + 1 tsp Vanilla Extract instead)
2 Cups packed fresh spinach
1 large ripe banana
1 Tablespoon honey or agave nectar
Blend and enjoy!
Another fun thing we made was
These are actually baked, not fried, and can be made using all-natural ingredients. [Please note that mine do not look as tasty as hers. I used homemade flaxseed breadcrumbs instead of Panko, and while yummy they turned out kind of ugly haha ;) ].
WEAR GREEN
And of course it was prerequisite growing up, as it still is today, that one must have something green to wear on St. Patrick's Day or risk getting pinched! I found my little guy two new shirts at Old Navy for just $4 each! Score!
FAMILY NIGHT LESSON
Years ago I prepared a Family Home Evening lesson with a St. Patrick's Day theme. (For those of you unfamiliar with Family Home Evening, click here to learn more.) This year, I resurrected this old lesson and shared it with my husband for our family night. In case you'd like to use this as a reference sometime, here is the overview of my lesson:
1. Read The Legend of the Leprechaun:
(I've found this legend many places, printed exactly thus. I'm not sure of the original author/source).
"According to legend, the leprechaun has a pot of gold hidden somewhere, and he must give up his treasure to the one who catches him. You'll have to step lively and think quickly to capture a leprechaun's gold though, because this sly little fellow will fool you into looking away an instant while he escapes into the forest.
A story is told of the man who compelled a leprechaun to take him to the very bush where the gold was buried. The man tied a red handkerchief to the bush in order to recognize the spot again and ran home for spade. He was gone only three minutes, but when he returned to dig, there was a red handkerchief on every bush in the field. As long as there are Irishmen to believe in the "little folk," there will be leprechauns to reflect the wonderful Irish sense of fun, and many a new story of leprechaun shenanigans will be added to Irish folklore each year."
2. Explain how Leprechauns are mischievous and often make promises they don't keep. They lure men to chase after gold and treasure, but trick them into never finding it. They are deceitful, tricky, and cunning.
3. Ask who in our lives acts like these impish little elves? Satan. Like Leprechauns, Satan makes promises he doesn't keep. He seeks to lead us away after fortune and vain things of the world, but in reality seeks to trick us and ruin us. God also promises us treasure but unlike Satan, His treasure can actually be obtained. God never makes a promise He doesn't keep. His treasure however, is of a different kind than the riches Satan tempts us with.
Read:
Matthew 13:44
Matthew 6:20-21
Doctrine and Covenants 6:7
4. St. Patrick used the 3 Leaf Clover to teach about the Godhead (3 separate appendages but still one leaf). Explain that the clover has other meaning as well. Share the Irish poem Four Leaf Clover by Ella Higginson:
I know a place where the sun is like gold,
And the cherry blooms burst with snow,
And down underneath is the loveliest nook,
Where the four-leaf clovers grow.
One leaf is for hope, and one is for faith,
And one is for love, you know,
And God put another in for luck—
If you search, you will find where they grow.
But you must have hope, and you must have faith,
You must love and be strong – and so—
If you work, if you wait, you will find the place
Where the four-leaf clovers grow.
5. Explain that to obtain God's treasure we too must have hope, and faith, we must love and be strong, and we must work and wait. Talk about some of the things we must do to obtain God's "riches." (Pray, read our scriptures, go to church, have charity, faith, etc.) Explain that God's treasure isn't easily found or obtained, it takes obedience, determination and discipleship. But Heavenly Father seeks to help us every step of the way! That's why He gave us His Son Jesus Christ- to make it possible for us to return home and inherit all that He has. If we do these things, we will find treasure and it will be greater than any riches this earth (or even a leprechaun) could ever offer.
LEPRECHAUN MISCHIEF
As kids, on the morning of St. Patrick's Day we would always find that leprechauns had been about our house. Chairs were tipped over, drawers opened, and a trail of gold coins led to hidden loot that the little Irish elves had left for us. The same thing happened this year for my toddler! I loved watching his face in the morning when he noticed a trail of shiny coins and shamrocks. They led to a mischievously tipped over kitchen chair where he found a surprise lurking!
Discovering his leprechaun loot!
The cutie was kind of in awe. He just sat and stared at it all for a minute :)
IRISH DINNER
I've been excited to see on Pinterest (of course) that so many family's have this same St. Patrick's Day tradition! I suppose I could have guessed by the pounds and pounds of Irish corned beef Costco was selling this last week!
This truly was one of my favorite St. Patty's traditions growing up, when my mom would serve up a hearty Irish dinner for us. We would always have corned beef, colcannon, Irish soda bread, and of course, ginger ale!
I had a lot of fun this year making this meal for us. It was my first time but wasn't too difficult! It did make me miss my mom though! I would have loved to be back home helping her serve this up to the rest of my family :)
COLCANNON
1.5 Lbs Potatoes peeled
1 C Milk
1 1/2 Cups boiled green cabbage or kale (I used both)
2 tbsp melted butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Boil the potatoes until tender
Drain well and mash. (I hand mashed mine because I like them lumpy)
Toss the cooked cabbage in melted butter
Fold into potatoes
Season with salt, pepper and extra butter to taste.
CORN BEEF
It got its name from the corn kernel-sized salt pellets used to pack and preserve it.
I slow-cooked it for 10 hours according to package directions.
IRISH SODA BREAD
I got ours at a local bakery: Wildflower Bread Co.
CARROTS
steamed in corn beef juices
I went the easy route and served store-bought sugar cookies for dessert.
My little man loved the food and so did we! :)
Hope you all had a great St. Patty's Day! Thanks for reading!
I'll leave you with an Irish blessing :)
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
