What to do when it's -14 degrees...

1. Find your air popper. You know, the one you haven't used in say...6ish years. Giggle a little when you explain (while searching for the popper) that, no, you are not looking for a BIG HUGE popper like the one they use at Target (in the food court).

2. Take the kids on a very short (no one wants to pile in and out of the car multiple times in weather this cold!) trip to get some popcorn kernels.

3. Laugh and feel slightly ashamed that they cannot believe that popcorn really looks like "those little seeds". Yes, my children totally thought that all popcorn either came from a movie theater or magically grew from little bags in the microwave.

4. Pop away. Be sure you have real butter on hand for the finished product.

5. Cover the living room floor in blankets, give the kids each a gigantic bowl of their own popcorn, and watch in wonder as they proceed to have a library-book-a-thon of sorts for a full HOUR together while eating their popcorn.

6. Laugh when one of your children (Milo) frantically runs to the kitchen when he hears you putting away the popper. "Mom wait! We have to put this one back in!" (Holding up a half popped kernel.) Laugh even more when, after explaining that you don't put half popped popcorn back in the popper, your child says, "But Moooooom, look at it! It WANTS to pop!".

Later, when it's more like 17 below and it's now dark, you should invite some friends over, read Christmas stories to all of the kids, watch a clip about the birth of Christ (emphasizing that the most important Christmas story of all is the story of Christ's birth and his life), then help the kids make super cute ornaments (thanks Melissa), and eat soooo much homemade gingerbread with applesauce and whipped cream. Yum. So fun.

Best Ever Gingerbread

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, plus more for dusting pan
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
8 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, then cooled to room temperature
3/4 cup mild molasses
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 11 by 7-inch or 9x9-inch baking pan; dust with flour, tapping out any excess.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and cocoa in medium bowl.

3. Beat butter, molasses, and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in egg until incorporated. Gradually add buttermilk and milk until combined.

4. Add dry ingredients to liquid; beat on medium speed until batter is smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Do not overmix. If using fresh ginger, batter will be lumpy. Scrape batter into prepared pan.

5. Bake until top springs back when lightly touched, and edges have pulled away from the pan sides (or until wooden skewer, inserted in middle, comes out crumbless), about 40 minutes. Set pan on wire cake rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm, or at room temperature with applesauce and whipped cream. (Gingerbread can be wrapped in plastic, then foil, and refrigerated up to 5 days.)