Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

This post contains affiliate links and most of the items have been received for consideration.

Typically around this time of December many people are done (or almost done) Christmas shopping. This year though, probably because of how late Thanksgiving was, most people I’ve talked to haven’t finished Christmas shopping yet (myself included!) Some people haven’t even started, or have just picked up a couple items. I’ve bought some things for my oldest and my youngest but I haven’t even started buying anything for my middle child yet (those poor middle children!)

If you are still looking for great gift ideas I have some and, best of all, most of them will arrive before Christmas Day :)

For the gamers…

Any child, tween, or teen that plays video games (which would be most of them) would be appreciative of a new game for their favorite system. Jacob’s top pick of the year is Madden NFL 20 and he loves playing it with his friends. Lucas and I were excited to check out Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 which is exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. These iconic characters bring back nostalgia for us ’80s kids but the game is also fun for kids of all ages who get to compete in more than 30 different events. Then there’s Mario Maker 2, a game that the boys first got a sneak peak at this summer when we went to the Nintendo Switch Road Trip Tour. This game, again made exclusively for the Switch, lets kids play, create, and share the side-scrolling Super Mario courses of their dreams. All these games are sure to bring hours of fun!

For moms, grandmas, and anyone else who loves personalized gifts…

There is nothing much better to receive, as a mom, than something my children have made or something with their picture on it (okay well maybe a self-cleaning house would be preferred but that doesn’t exist yet so….). One of my favorite things I own is my Photospring Digital Frame. I love that I can showcase my favorite photos, relive special memories, and look at pictures of my kids while they are at school or sleeping anytime I want! The new one holds 15,000 photos (WOW!) and it’s easy to upload pictures to wirelessly, directly from your phone. Another item that would make a nice gift is a personalized photo locket and it just so happens I’m giving one away so you can learn more about it and enter to win here.

For little ones…

Anyone with a little one in their life knows that sometimes the best gifts for them are the simplest (which is why they often seem to love the gift box more than the actual gift that came in the box) so I shared over 20 experience gift ideas for toddlers here. Gift-wise I searched Facebook Marketplace for used toys because small kids don’t know the difference between new and used toys so it’s worth it to save some money. My favorite find for Emma was this Little People Disney Princess Magic Wand Castle for $12 and when my boys were younger I got a whole box of Thomas trains for the cost of a couple new ones (that find was such a blessing at a time when our budget was really tight)! I also got a great deal on this Laugh & Learn Food Truck (that has wonderful reviews) and hope that it will lead to hours of imaginative play!

Looking for infant gift ideas? I got you covered with these great gifts for new moms and newborns – a simple but sweet suggestion is putting together a bath time gift basket and diapers/wipes are always appreciated as well since new moms go through those so quickly! I also love Infantino’s baby gear like their 3-in-1 Grow with me Activity Gym (that turns into a fun ball pit when they start crawling and walking) and the Sit, Spin & Stand Entertainer 360 Seat for older babies (that turns into an activity table for toddlers).

Gifts for men…

If you are looking to buy something other than socks and ties for your husband or dad this year I have some suggestions! Hubby will love a romantic date night gift basket because it means he will get to spend some alone time with the woman he loves. I particularly love this romantic “dinner for 2” gift basket but I have a whole bunch more ideas here.

Have a man who loves to cook? The Magic Chef Air Fryer Oven is amazing! It is an airfryer, convection toaster, dehydrator, and rotisserie all in one! We use it several times a week since our oven is on the fritz and I love that it cooks a large amount at a time so it’s perfect for families. We’ve used it to bake cookies, make our own french fries, cook perfectly toasted cheese on our zucchini pizza bites, and make chicken with amazingly crispy seasoned skin.   

Know a guy who spends most of his free time rooting for his favorite football team and playing fantasty football? NFL Shop has hundreds of ideas from holiday pajamas to draft tumblers to throw blankets. You could also gift him a subscription to ESPN+ (while you gift your family Hulu and Disney+ through their great bundle deal).

Then again, if dad asks for socks (like my dad did almost every year when I was growing up), get the man some nice wool ones!

For kids in elementary school…

Out of all the toys my boys have ever owned, none were played with more than their Imaginext toys. My youngest son played with them daily for about four to five years so they were definetely a worthwhile investment! Another great gift idea is to gift board games for a fun family game night. I share 10 of my family’s favorite games here and some more great games here. Football fans will love NFL-opoly Junior and there’s also a new game for Rubik’s Cube lovers called Rubik Tilt that looks pretty cool! (BTW I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to solve a Rubik’s Cube. I had a child show me how “easy” it is to solve them and I’m more confused than ever lol). I also have dozens more ideas on this blog! Here’s last year’s gift guide for kids and 2017’s gift guide for children.

What gifts are you giving this year? Chat with me on social media and let me know!

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Our Favorite Place To See Santa

Thanks to HGTV’s Santa HQ for sponsoring this post.

Christmas is right around the corner which means if you haven’t taken your kids to see the big guy in red yet, you better hurry! We did our annual Santa visit this weekend and went to HGTV’s Santa HQ in the Fashion Outlets of Chicago where we have gone the past three years. Today’s families are always connected, and the innovative Santa HQ guides visitors through an immersive, interactive holiday experience with the use of state-of-the-art digital technology that incorporates special mobile apps, social-media-ready opportunities, and even augmented reality. They really revolutionized the traditional Santa Claus visit!

My favorite part of the Santa HQ experience though? Not having to wait in long lines to see Santa! I don’t remember much about my family’s Santa visits when I was younger other than having to wear matching outfits and, worst of all, standing in lines with my parents for what seemed like hours.

Instead of standing in lines, children will enjoy a visit to Santa HQ’s Elf Academy. The Elf Academy is a family-friendly experience that features interactive technology to make the wait fun. It includes the following:

  • Magic Mirror where guests can transform into one of Santa’s elves and virtually try on various elf outfits
  • Elf-ID where guests can create their very own customized Elf-ID card using the new Elf-ID app and a “selfie”.
  • Elf-Ray Vision where guests can explore Santa’s Observatory through the use of tablets. Areas within Santa HQ trigger an augmented reality experience for guests.
  • Naughty or Nice Meter where visitors can stand next to an interactive board to find out which of Santa’s lists – Naughty or Nice – they made.

My favorite area – and I think the kid’s favorite- is the “naughty or nice” meter. Somehow my kids always end up on the nice list… lol. They are lucky because after they make it through the academy it’s time to see Santa Claus and you know he always asks if you’ve been naughty or nice!

Santa HQ offers the traditional Santa visit exprience and a variety of photo packages. My favorite package is the one that gives prints (because, let’s be honest, I never actually take the time to get my digital images printed on my own) and also the digital images that are perfect for sharing on social media. I love that you get three digital photos with Package A and you can pick which images you get.

I remember last year the best one of my two boys featured a pasted-on smile on my oldest’s face. The second photo I chose had him with a genuinely happy smile which is something every parent of tweens and teens wants to see! And this year? I was just trying to get a picture where my 11 month old wasn’t crying…

Crying.

Emma realizing she’s not on Santa’s lap anymore and maybe this big guy in red isn’t so scary…

This last expression can kind of pass as a smile, right? At least she’s not crying! #WINNING It definitely helped when we had big brother hold her!

Check out my video of the fun at Santa HQ below!

Want to take your kids to HGTV’s Santa HQ? They have 15 locations around the U.S. so hopefully you can find a location near you! Limited on time this holiday season? Visit http://bit.ly/32vmTQ1 to secure a Fast Pass and pre-purchase a photo package to make your visit to Santa even quicker! You can select the date, a 30-minute window of time to use the Fast Pass, pre-pay online, upgrade your package by adding a family photo weeks/days in advance, and opt-in to receive text reminders about your Fast Pass window.

20+ Experience Gifts For Toddlers

This post contains affiliate links.

The holidays are here and I’m so excited to be celebrating Emma’s first Christmas this year! Since my other two are older, and were born so close together, I don’t remember much from this stage because it was all a blur and honestly I was just trying to survive with two under two. It’s been fun watching my daughter as she takes in the lights and everything else this holiday season holds. As we get closer to Christmas though I’ve been on the hunt for Christmas gifts for my kids. For Emma (who has a birthday several days after Christmas) I have things I’d like to get her but I’m hoping to find everything I want used from online garage sale sites and thrift stores or at the store if I can find great deals (like I did with this food truck that I got for just a third of the advertised store price using gift cards and a coupon). I’m also adding some experience gifts to the list because a kid can only have so many toys! Some of these are places you can take the kids but some of these experience gift ideas are things you can do at home with your child.

As much as experience gifts are for the child, I think they are just as great for mom, dad, or grandma who gets to join in on the fun with the little one! Here are ten great experience gift ideas for toddlers:

Baking Kit

What toddler wouldn’t want to spend time with his or her favorite adult baking cookies, decorating them with an overload of frosting and sprinkles (like Luke’s gingerbread man above), and then – best of all- getting to eat their creation?! Cookie making will be messy but what fun toddler activity isn’t? A baking kit for a toddler can include a child-sized apron, kid-friendly kitchen tools, a cookie mix, sprinkles in their favorite color, and a tub of frosting.

Zoo Membership

We love going to the zoo and the great thing about zoo memberships is children can enjoy the zoo through all the seasons. Brookfield Zoo here in the Chicago suburbs has many fun events throughout the year including Summer Nights with live music and family fun in the summer, Boo at the Zoo for Halloween costume fun, and Zoo Lights during the holidays.

Craft Supplies

When my oldest was about 18 months old I made him a toddler art station. On the easel there were papers and large chunky crayons to color with (we used Crayola jumbo crayons and crayons I made out of old recycled crayons but now a decade later we have more choices like these 100% natural Honeysticks made from beeswax which won’t harm toddlers when ingested and are almost impossible for them to break). I also put together a craft kit full of toddler friendly craft supplies he could use to create open-ended art projects with adult supervision. I included finger paints, cotton balls, feathers, foam stamps, safety scissors, dot markers, a long sleeved art smock, and more. You can make your own DIY kit or buy a premade one like this kit from Alex.

Tinkergarten Classes

Tinkergarten is a national program that offers children a chance to learn through well-designed, outdoor play-based activities. They help kids develop a number of important capabilities, including empathy, collaboration, creativity, persistence and problem solving. Their expert-designed classes and activities help kids ages 6 months—8 years develop core life skills while enjoying healthy, fun, engaging experiences in the physical freedom of local outdoor spaces. If you are in the Chicago suburbs I’d love to introduce you to some local Tinkergarten leaders I know or you can look for classes nearby you here.

“Snow Much Fun” Kit

Winter means snow here in Chicago so gifting some fun items your toddler can use during the winter months just makes sense. Giving them a sled like this infant boggan could make for a fun afternoon on a snowy day. The Snow Much Fun Kit you put together could also include a snowsuit, waterproof mittens (with strings), and some little shovels, buckets, and shape forms (bonus- the beach toys can then be used in the summer, too). Too cold to go outside? Bring the snow inside and put it in giant plastic tub or the kitchen sink.

Children’s Museum Membership

When my boys were young I loved taking them to our local children’s museum. There they could learn new concepts, be creative, and explore the world around them in a safe environment that was made just for them. Gifting a membership to a children’s museum will give the toddler in your life a place to go on rainy days, chilly winter days, and any time their caregiver wants to get out of the house. In the Chicago area we love the Chicago Children’s Museum and the DuPage Children’s Museum in Naperville!

Science Subscription Box

Children ages 2 and up would love to receive a subscription box every month filled with fun science experiments that they can do with their mom or dad. Science concepts for children this young are kept simple, like learning about the colors that make up the rainbox and different animals. For toddlers, the KiwiCo Koala Crate is a good choice along with the Green Kids Crafts Junior Boxes that are made to “deliver discovery, learning and fun to children”.

More ideas….

  • Music Lessons
  • Dance Class
  • Sports Lesson
  • Sensory table or tub (like this hot cocoa sensory tub I made)
  • Membership to a local children’s garden
  • Swim Lessons
  • Water table and other items for backyard fun
  • Nature kit with magnafying glass, bug catcher, and a book about bugs
  • Gymnastics Class
  • Membership to an indoor children’s play attraction
  • Sports sets (like this tball set or this basketball hoop)
  • Musical Instruments (like a classic xylophone or a drum)
  • Trip to an indoor waterpark
  • Gardening kit with seeds to plant, cute rain boots, toddler sized gardening tools, and this cute gardening board book

Then there’s always the greatest gift of all time….a big box that can be turned into anything your little toddler can imagine!

What’s your favorite experience gift? Chat with me on social and let me know!

 

2019 Advent Calendars For Kids

It’s November 1st which means two things…. one, we made it through October! Whew. That is always an insane month with Halloween festivities, school events, and meetings galore! The second thing it means is that the holidays are just around the corner. I enjoy Thanksgiving but Christmas is my favorite holiday so I start planning for it as soon as Halloween is done.

I think what I love most about the holidays, other than spending time with family of course, is that it’s full of traditions. One of my children’s favorite holiday traditions is finding a special Advent calendar each year that they can open throughout the month of December. This year is special because I get to find an Advent calendar for my daughter who will be turning one right after Christmas. Here are some fun Advent calendars I’ve found for 2019. (Please note: This post contains affiliate links.)

Paw Patrol Advent Calendar

Hatchimals Colleggtibles Advent Calendar

Charm Bracelet Advent Calendar

 

PJ Masks Advent Calendar

Disney Jr. Advent Calendar

LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar

Thomas & Friends Minis Advent Calendar

Schleich Horse Club Advent Calendar

L.O.L Surprise! OOTD Advent Calendar

Playmobil 1.2.3 Christmas In The Forest Advent Calendar

 

Fortnite Advent Calendar

Super Mario Advent Calendar

 

Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 Advent Calendar

VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels Advent Calendar

 

Mochi Squishies Advent Calendar

Disney Pixar Cars Advent Calendar

Star Wars Snowman Chocolate Advent Calendar

Little People Nativity Advent Calendar

Barbie Advent Calendar

Step2 My First Advent Calendar

Peppa Pig Advent Calendar

There are so many fun choices this year! I think my tween boys would love the Fortnite one and I’m eyeing the Step2 Advent Calendar for Emma because it looks durable and perfect for her first Christmas!

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Why Santa HQ Is The Best Place To Visit Santa This Year

This is a sponsored blog post. While the views expressed here were genuinely mine, consideration was paid to me by Santa HQ to review this product.

One of our family’s favorite Christmas traditions is visiting Santa at the mall. It’s actually a tradition that I’ve done since I was a little girl growing up. In years past, we’d go and have to stand in line for at least an hour which wasn’t so fun (especially with little ones). Last year though, we discovered Santa HQ, a brand-new way to visit Santa without the wait! Santa HQ allows families to make reservations to visit Santa at a time that’s convenient for them and creates a more enjoyable experience for all!

Not only is there no line to see the big guy in red but there are fun activities to do before seeing Santa. As soon as kids walk in to the Santa HQ experience they can discover if they’ve been “naughty” or “nice” with the ‘Naughty or Nice Meter’. Of course both my kiddos made the “nice” list (though I suspect Santa must have been sleeping on the job and not watching them yesterday afternoon lol). The boys loved seeing their names up on the illuminated list.

Next, kids can have fun in the Elf Academy and make their own Elf ID cards that include their photo imposed on an Elf’s body and a list of all their important facts like favorite foods, favorite hobbies, favorite reindeer and what they think their super power is.

Other things to do in the Elf Academy include ‘The Magic Mirror’ where kids can transform into one of Santa’s elves and virtually try on various elf outfits, the ‘Elfie Selfie’ that lets children take a selfie and star in their own holiday video, and ‘Elf-Ray Vision’ which is augmented reality fun throughout Santa HQ.

There’s also a light show set to music, with more than 10,000 individual holiday lights synchronized to the tune of “Carol of the Bells” that’s the perfect place for a holiday photo opp before they visit Santa.

I love how much time the kids get to spend with Santa at Santa HQ because there’s not a long line of people waiting to see Santa. It’s not just a rushed “what do you want? Okay, bye” experience. Santa sat there and actually had a conversation with my boys, asking them questions and talking for a few minutes. Best of all, they took at least half a dozen photos with Santa instead of just the one which is great because the one picture doesn’t always turn out. They took a handful of smiling photos and a couple silly ones. The photo above is the one that was printed but then I had a link to view the rest and found this gem below. See the genuine smile on Jacob’s face as opposed to the plastered on one in the image above? I would have never got that photo if this had just been a quick click-and-done type thing!

Overall, I believe Santa HQ is the best place to visit Santa for fun and a quality image (or two) that really capture your kids and the festivity of the season. Want to see if there is a Santa HQ near you? Check out the Santa HQ site here.

One other thing that I wanted to mention…..this year I learned about HGTV’s Help Through Holiday Giving Drive where visitors to Santa HQ can join in and donate new, unwrapped toys for local children in need. The program’s goal is to collect over 1,000 toys per center. In 2017, HGTV’s Help Through Holiday Giving program collected over 66,000 toys benefiting local organizations like Forgotten Angel Tree, Salvation Army Angel Tree, Toys for Tots, and Spark of Love Stuff a Bus. Just something to keep in mind for your visit if you are feeling in the giving spirit :)

Have you visited Santa yet this year? I’d love to see your family’s photos if you want to share with me! Tweet with me @aliciamarie112

Tips To Calm The Holiday Chaos

This post is sponsored by Red Baron but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

With Thanksgiving in just a couple of days, the holidays are on my mind and I’ve already started thinking about ways to calm the chaos that I know is right around the corner. Between the two boys and all of their school, sports, and other obligations, finishing everything on my giant to-do list before Emma is born (just 50 days until my due date!!), and all of the holiday gift shopping, decorating, and planning, I just know that things are going to be crazy around here. I’ve come up with a few simple ways to keep things running smoothly and I’m sharing them because I think these tips can help everyone during this hectic time.

Keep meals simple.

I’ve discovered that during the holidays it’s best to keep meals simple. I love having frozen pizzas on hand for those nights where we are running from event to event and don’t have time to cook. They are also wonderful for family movie nights where we are cuddled on the couch watching movies together. Pizza is one of the few things that everyone in my family loves and it even gets my picky eater’s seal of approval. We love Red Baron Classic Crust pizza because it has a crispy crust with delicious toppings and can be made quickly on busy evenings. Plus, there are 11 flavor varieties so there’s plenty of tasty choices to choose from.

Let go of perfection.

During the holidays I always want to make everything perfect but I’ve discovered that sometimes I’m so busy making sure everything is perfect that I don’t actually enjoy the holidays. And guess what? My kids fondest holiday memories aren’t the times when everything has been perfect but the moments when I was spending time with them. They’ll take the evening of helping me decorate the tree over branches full of perfectly placed ornaments. They’d rather help frost cookies -and add an extra shake or two of sprinkles- than have a platter full of professionally frosted sugar cookies. And perfectly wrapped gifts? My kids could care less so why have I spent so many hours agonizing over how the gifts are wrapped?

Pick your family’s favorite holiday traditions and schedule them.

When my boys were younger I tried to squeeze in every single holiday tradition that I could and would be dissapointed when we didn’t do everything on the long holiday “to-do” list. In recent years though, I have chosen to pick our family’s favorite traditions and make sure to schedule time for our family to do them. Things like making gingerbread houses, having a holiday “cousin’s sleepover”, packing shoebox gifts, visiting Santa, baking cookies, and having family over on Christmas Eve all make our list. Then I stopped worrying when those things that weren’t so important- the things that weren’t our favorite traditions- didn’t get done because I knew we had made time for those that meant the most to us as a family.

Make time for yourself

The holidays are typically the busiest time of year so make sure you are taking time for yourself every day! Whether that’s taking a bubble bath, enjoying a mug of hot apple cider or hot cocoa while you watch a holiday movie on Hallmark, or reading a good book, making time for yourself every day is essential to finding peace during the holiday season.

How do you calm the chaos during the holiday season? Chat with me on  Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and let me know.

Best Advent Calendars For Kids

One thing my boys look forward to doing each holiday season is picking out a special Advent calendar and opening it each morning throughout December to see what little surprise is inside. While they are still searching for the perfect Advent calendar this year, I thought it would be fun to gather up some of the favorites I’ve found online in case you are still needing to grab a calendar as well. Some of these Advent calendars are for little kids and some are for older kids. (And parents, don’t feel sad because they make Advent calendars for us too….I have my eye on the cheese one at Target this year!)

(This post contains affiliate links.)

LEGO City Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Eric Carle’s Pop-Up Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Paw Patrol Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Crayola Activity Advent Calendar

 

Buy it here.

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PLAYMOBIL Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Frozen Disney Olaf’s Adventure Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Melissa & Doug Wooden Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Play-Doh Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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VTech Go! Go! Smart Animals Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Funko Harry Potter Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Thomas & Friends Fisher-Price Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Mars Assorted Candy Christmas Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Stuffed Christmas Tree Fabric Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Schleich Farm World Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Felt Christmas Countdown Garland

Buy it here.

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LEGO Friends Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Peaceful Prince Chocolate Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Barbie Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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PLAYMOBIL® NHL Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Hot Wheels Advent Calendar

Buy it here.

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Which Advent Calendar would your child love to open this holiday season? Chat with me on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

When my boys were toddler and preschool age we also enjoyed doing the Truth In The Tinsel Advent series. If you are interested in spending December impressing God’s Word on your kids’ heart this is something you’ll want to check out! You get 24 days of Scripture reading, ornament crafts, talking points and extension activities plus fun printables and templates! Learn more and get the ebook here.

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The Best Place To See Santa This Season

This is a sponsored post but all thoughts are my own.

Seeing Santa is a yearly holiday tradition that many families partake in. The first couple years of my boys’ lives I enjoyed taking them to see the jolly man in the red suit but then, as the years went on, it was one holiday task I started to dread. Seeing Santa meant standing in a long line, especially if you went on a weekend, and by the time you got to the front of the line the kids were always cranky. The folks at HGTV and Macerich saw this problem and came up with a better experience for families. This year I took my boys to Santa HQ and I can honestly say that I enjoyed the experience and now will actually look forward to this little ritual every holiday season.

Located inside Macerich Shopping Centers in California, Arizona, Chicago, Metro New York, and the Washington, D.C. corridor, Santa HQ is different than other places where you can see Santa. The biggest difference was that there was no line to wait in even though we went mid-day on a Saturday. They offer reservation times but also accept walkups (which is what we did). Guests can register online and select and pre-pay for their photo package which gives them the opportunity to upgrade their package by making their family photo session days or even weeks in advance. The online reservation systems even has an opt-in text functionality to provide reminders about their Santa photo session reservation.

The other big difference is that HGTV’s Santa HQ adds a whole new dimension to the traditional family Santa Claus visit by guiding visitors through an immersive, interactive holiday extravaganza that uses state-of-the-art digital technology. Each Santa HQ location is set with a dazzling array of holiday experiences, including:

  • The traditional photo-op with Santa Claus
  • Elfie Selfie: Where visitors take a selfie and star in their own holiday video
  • Elf-Ray Vision: Guests can explore Santa’s Observatory through the use of special goggles that trigger a series of augmented reality experiences at multiple locations throughout Santa HQ
  • Naughty or Nice Meters: Where visitors can stand next to an interactive board to find out which list of Santa’s they made
  • Light Show: With more than 10,000 individual holiday lights synchronized to the tune of “Carol of the Bells” to create an illuminated orchestra

My boys loved the Naughty or Nice O’Meter the most I think. It was funny to watch their faces as they waited to see if they were on the “naughty” or “nice” list. Luckily both of them made the nice list this year ;)

Once we enjoyed all of the interactive experiences we got to see Santa. The boys took a picture with him and then told him what they wanted for Christmas. Jacob asked for a video game and Lucas asked for LOL surprise balls.

At the end of their visit, Santa let them each pick out a coloring book and crayons. Overall we had an awesome experience at HGTV’s Santa HQ. It really is the best place to see Santa this holiday season!

Have your kids visited Santa yet this year?

Christmas Crafting Fun And Homemade Ornaments

Thanks to Tampico for sponsoring this post.

I love the holidays and one of the main reasons why is all of the extra family fun Christmastime brings. From cuddling on the couch while we watch Christmas movies to decorating our home for the holidays and having special drinks and treats. Tampico is a staple in our fridge, and during the winter months we love the Apple Punch flavor. It’s so festive!  Many of my most cherished memories are made during the month of December. Another tradition we have each year is making holiday crafts. Ornaments are my favorite craft to make with my boys because I love pulling them out of the box each year when we decorate our Christmas tree.

Our tree is loaded with ornaments, from apple ornaments gifted to me when I was a teacher to our yearly family personalized dough ornaments to ornaments I was given as a child. The homemade ornaments stand out most of all though. There are colorful painted ornaments, jingle bells formed into candy cane shapes, and pictures of my children’s faces surrounded by carefully placed sequins. It’s fun to look back on the ornaments my boys have made in past years.

This past weekend I gathered everything we’d need to make ornaments. I found some tree shapes and round ornament shapes to decorate along with sparkly pompoms, sequins, red and green colored letters and holiday glitter glue. To get us in the holiday mood I also found some holiday cups with red straws and Christmas napkins and set out a snack of holiday cookies and of course our favorite Tampico Apple Punch! The perfect set-up to keep any family fueled for the crafting session.

Once I got everything set up, the boys got to work making their ornaments. Lucas went with the “a lot is good but more is better” approach and piled on the pom poms and glitter glue while Jacob was very particular and put each sequin on carefully. Years from now I’ll still remember whose ornament is whose because they decorated them according to their personalities as always.

The boys had a lot of fun making the ornaments. I really love this yearly tradition!

Does your family like to craft together during the holidays? If so, I’d love to hear what you make together in the comments below.

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Kinzie Hotel Brings The Holidays To Their Guests With The Holiday North Pole Express Package

Disclosure: My family enjoyed a complimentary stay at the Kinzie Hotel but all thoughts are my own.

The holidays are here! It’s a magical time of year and Kinzie Hotel, located in Chicago’s River North neighborhood, wants to help their guests celebrate the holidays when they are away from home. To embrace the spirit of the season, the boutique hotel is offering the new Holiday North Pole Express Package featuring the North Pole Sweet Express delivering treats to guest rooms, passes to ice skating at Millennium Park, festive activities and more.

Guests who order the Holiday North Pole Express Package will enjoy the North Pole Sweet Express, a festively decorated vintage bar cart with treats galore! The cart includes a hot cocoa station featuring marshmallows, peppermint, and other toppings, boozy hot apple cider and hot cocoa, holiday-themed cookies, and Christmas candies. (For those traveling with fur-family members, dog-friendly holiday cookies are also available upon request.)

After a long day, including an auto accident on our way to the city, the North Pole Sweet Express was just what we needed to get our weekend back on track! Though there are so many things to do in the city during the holidays, I was content to just curl up in the comfy bed and spend an evening relaxing with my mug of hot apple cider while I watched my favorite college football team play on tv….

Along with treats and drinks, the North Pole Sweet Express also had ornaments we could take and decorate in our room. Once done we could hang them on the community Christmas tree in the lobby of the hotel or take them home to hang on our own tree.

For guests who want to get out and explore Chicago’s festive atmosphere, Kinzie Hotel offers guests maps of the city’s top holiday activities and attractions along with skating passes to Millennium Park. (Hopefully you all would have a less comical experience on the ice than we did this past weekend, with my boys trying out ice skates for the first time lol).

Kinzie Hotel’s Holiday North Pole Express Package is truly a holiday experience guests will not forget and such a great option for those who are away from home over the holidays. In addition to all the great offerings of this special package, Kinzie Hotel guests enjoy the many other perks that guests do year-round including deluxe continental breakfast served on every floor, a nightly manager’s reception with complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres, and a staff that is there to make sure their guests enjoy nothing but the best their entire stay.

Best of all, prices for this fabulous boutique hotel are really affordable which makes it the perfect holiday getaway your family will talk about for years to come! Ready to book your stay? Make reservations here.

Our Classic Christmas Decorations

Thanks to At Home Stores for sponsoring this post.

I love decorating for the holidays. From putting up our Christmas tree with all of it’s special ornaments to hanging our personalized stockings above the fireplace, it’s one of my favorite things to do. I love it so much in fact, that I’ve been known to decorate on November 1st sometimes! (I can hear all of you “not before Thanksgiving” folks gasp at that statement! lol)

This year I headed to my local At Home store to buy some new decorations to brighten up my home and front porch. At Home Stores have thousands of holiday items, available at everyday low prices. I really loved the variety of decorations and how they were organized by holiday themes. There is something for everyone, from the beach lover looking for “Sea & Greetings” decor to trendy pink and rose gold decorations.

Personally, when it comes to holiday decorations, I tend to stick to the traditional reds and greens. Over the past couple of years I’d fallen in love with the decor that had an old red pickup truck carrying a Christmas tree and I was pleasantly surprised to find some items to start my classic Christmas collection with (like this beautiful tray pictured above). I also picked up a number of items to add some Christmas to every room- from the kitchen to the living room to the bathroom.

The main space I was hoping to decorate though was my outdoor space. Last year you wouldn’t have known how much I love Christmas just by looking at the outside of our home. We had just wrapped some lights around the columns by our entrance and added a wreath to the front door. This year I wanted a more festive look but still wanted it to be easy.

In just twenty minutes our front porch went from “blah” to festive all thanks to the amazing finds from At Home Stores. We added two strands of berry and pinecone lighted garland, a welcome sign, a festive wreath and a bright red door mat.

Our decorated front porch puts a smile on my face every time I come home now. Do you have a space you’d like to makeover? Check out At Home Stores for finds to give any room or outdoor area a personal touch!

Sensory-Friendly Gift Ideas

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post and includes affiliate links.

When my boys were first diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder I spent hours searching for the best items that would help them regulate their little bodies. Now years later, we’ve tried a number of things- some we’ve loved and some they didn’t really use. Today I’m sharing my favorite sensory gifts for sensory seekers.

ZURU’s Tangle

The ZURU Tangle is a fidget toy that provides sensory and motor stimulation that has been found to help stimulate and maintain attention. It’s also a great tool as a means to relieve stress and anxiety. The shape, color, texture and visual impact of Tangle stimulates the brain and makes Tangle a fun and functional toy for children and adults alike. Tangle come in a variety of colors including Classic, Crazy, Metallic, and Sparkle. You can get multiple Tangles and connect them to create longer and more colorful Tangles! For under $5, it’s an affordable and collectable toy for everyone. ZURU’s Tangle is available at Walmart and Toys “R” Us.

Doorway Gym

In our old home we had a doorway “gym” hanging in the doorway of the boy’s room. The most used piece was a hammock but our set also had a swing, rings, pull up bar and rope to climb. The set was perfect for days we were stuck inside and the hammock swing was good for restoring balance to the vestibular system and providing deep pressure (both of which help kids on the spectrum feel more in balance). I can’t recall the name of the set we had but it was similar to the one linked below on Amazon. Whichever set you choose I recommend finding one that doesn’t need to be screwed in and has multiple ways it can be used.

Lycra Tunnel

If you are looking for a sensory toy that doesn’t take up much space you’ll want to consider a lycra tunnel. These soft, resistant fabric tunnels encourages heavy work and is the perfect activity for coordination, gross motor skill development, low tone and sensory-seeking.

Mini Trampoline

If you have a child who constantly has to be moving you will want a trampoline to let them burn off energy- especially during the colder months. We had a small square one with a handle that my sister-in-law had bought but I really like this one because it’s enclosed.

Theraputty

Theraputty is great for strengthening hand muscles and improving fine motor skills. It is sold in a set of various colors, each one having a different firmness. Children can start with the softest one and switch to different colors as their hand muscles strengthen and they find the putty easier to manipulate.

HOOT for Kids Subscription Box

Children on the spectrum can have a limited range of interests and play materials, which can make it difficult to engage in purposeful play. HOOT for Kids encourages the use of sensory materials that can help children reach developmental milestones in a unique way by tailoring each toy and activity to their specific needs. HOOT for Kids’ Treasure Boxes are tailored for your child by the in-house Pediatric Occupational Therapist. Starting at just $34.99, each Treasure Box includes a personalized activity card with suggested tips for play, including instructional tips for parents on how to play with their kids utilizing each of the hand-selected toys. This subscription box is well thought out and I love that it comes with the activity card to help parents navigate playtime with their child.

Weighted Blanket or Lap Pad

Weighted products, including lap pads, have proven useful as a calming tool for individuals with sensory issues, ADD, ADHD, autism and hyperactivity. I’m linking to one that has good reviews and is affordable but you’ll want to ask your child’s therapist what weight they’d recommend since each child’s needs will vary. You can also look online for tutorials to make your own weighted blanket or lap pad.

Playfoam

We didn’t have playfoam when the boys were younger however we just recently got some of this last weekend at the Chicago Toy & Game fair and it’s great for creative tactile play! Kids can squish, squash, roll, and sculpt while molding the muscles they need to write, draw, and manipulate objects with their little hands. Best of all, playfoam has a great no-stick formula and never dries out.

What would you add to this sensory-friendly gift list?

You might also like the following posts:

 Tips for navigating the holidays with a child who has special needs

15 Christmas Themed Sensory Activities

New Christmas Books For 2017

Disclosure: Samples were received for consideration and this post contains affiliate links.

Every November we get in the holiday mood by watching Christmas themed shows and movies and reading Christmas themed books. We have our old favorites that we pull out each holiday season, but each year new ones come out that we like to check out as well. Today I wanted to share some of the new book titles out for Christmas 2017. Some are for adults, some are for children and some books are something that both children and adults can enjoy together.

Picture Books

 

The Nutcracker in Harlem written by, T. E. McMorrow, illustrated by James Ransome

Ages 4 to 8

The whimsy and beauty of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic story THE NUCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING has fascinated readers and audiences for more than two hundred years. The music of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet is forever linked to the story in our minds—but another kind of music sets the beat for this imaginative retelling. Set in New York City during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, this jazz-inspired reinvention of THE NUTCRACKER is a worthy tribute to the dreamlike wonder and magic of the Christmas season.

Danny and the Dinosaur: A Very Dino Christmas written and illustrated by Syd Hoff

Ages 4 to 8

Danny’s friend the dinosaur has never experienced Christmas before, so he and Danny decide to celebrate—dino-style! But what will happen when the museum director isn’t so happy with the new museum decorations? Find out in this Danny and the Dinosaur 8×8 adventure, complete with holiday cards, a poster, and stickers! This brand-new story is based on Syd Hoff’s beloved classic.

 

Jingle Bells written and illustrated by Susan Jeffers

Ages 4 to 8 

Ride along through a magical winter wonderland with a girl, a boy, their horse, and a spirited dog! It’s a joyous adventure that could only end in one place: The North Pole. NEW YORK TIMES bestselling artist Susan Jeffers’s dazzling illustrations put a lively spin on the classic Christmas song: Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way . . .


Santa’s Moose written and illustrated by Syd Hoff

Ages 4 to 8 

“Soon Christmas will be here,” said Milton the moose. “I will help Santa pull his sleigh.” But Santa already has eight little reindeer. Will Santa let Milton help? Originally published in 1979, this reissued edition has full-color art.

Chapter Books For Kids & Tweens

Christmas Stories (Reillustrated Edition) written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Ji-Hyuk Kim

Ages 6 to 10 

For Laura Ingalls, Christmas means good things to eat, visits from friends and family, and special gifts to give and receive. And as Laura grows up, every Christmas is better than the one before!

The 12 Dares of Christa by Marissa Burt

Ages 8 to 12 

Christa is a holiday junkie. But thanks to her parent’s recent separation, Christa’s favorite time of year is now filled with heartache. And when her mom announces that she is taking her on a trip to Europe over winter vacation, Christa knows she should be excited. She just can’t imagine spending the yuletide season away from home-and without her dad. However, waiting at her hotel in Italy is a special package from her father: the first of twelve dares that take Christa to landmarks in three beautiful countries, and introduce her to people who will show her that hope is still alive in the strangest of places.


Adult Books 

Hope at Christmas: A Novel by Nancy Naigle

A heartwarming Christmas story that proves you can always go home again.

Sydney Ragsdale is looking for a fresh start far away from her controlling ex-husband and the self-doubt that has plagued her since the divorce. Returning to her childhood home in Hopewell, North Carolina is just what her soul needs. Praying some Christmas magic will follow her she moves with her daughter to a farmhouse that once belonged to her grandparents. While there Sydney finds solace working at The Book Bea, her favorite bookstore.

Single dad Kevin MacAlea, Mac to his friends, is the local high school history teacher and baseball coach. He is also the towns best kept secret—he has been playing Santa since his son was born twelve years ago. Mac loves the enchantment of the season and wants his son to share in his joy.

When a catastrophe forces The Book Bea to close before the end of the year, everyone in the small town is feeling the loss. While Sydney is already off-balance by the bad news, her ex-husband breaks a promise to their daughter that sends her running away and threatens the relationship that she has begun with Mac.

As Sydney and Mac try to figure out what their next steps are together they will soon discover that there’s always hope at Christmas.


 

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe written by Melissa de la Cruz

Darcy Fitzwilliam is 29, beautiful, successful, and brilliant. She dates hedge funders and basketball stars and is never without her three cellphones—one for work, one for play, and one to throw at her assistant (just kidding). Darcy’s never fallen in love, never has time for anyone else’s drama, and never goes home for Christmas if she can help it. But when her mother falls ill, she comes home to Pemberley, Ohio, to spend the season with her family.

Her parents throw their annual Christmas bash, where she meets one Luke Bennet, the smart, sardonic slacker son of their neighbor. Luke is 32-years-old and has never left home. He’s a carpenter and makes beautiful furniture, and is content with his simple life. He comes from a family of five brothers, each one less ambitious than the other. When Darcy and Luke fall into bed after too many eggnogs, Darcy thinks it’s just another one night stand. But why can’t she stop thinking of Luke? What is it about him? And can she fall in love, or will her pride and his prejudice against big-city girls stand in their way?

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe is a sweet, sexy and hilarious gender-swapping, genre-satisfying re-telling, set in contemporary America and featuring one snooty Miss Darcy.

Miscellaneous Books

Mary Engelbreit’s Color Me Christmas Book of Postcards written and illustrated by Mary Engelbreit

With Mary Engelbreit’s COLOR ME CHRISTMAS BOOK OF POSTCARDS, fans can deck the halls, the tree, and their gifts with 10 postcards, 15 cut-out gift tags, and 10 cut-out ornaments—each printed in black and white and waiting for a personal touch of color! The NEW YORK TIMES bestselling queen of Christmas once again helps fans put a festive, original, and heartfelt touch on the holiday season.

 

Bear’s Merry Book of Hidden Things written and illustrated by Gergely Dudas

Bear has many secret treasures to find before his holiday party tonight, and he is only one very little bear! Can YOU help him get ready for the party? Bear loves Christmas, and this year he’s throwing the perfect holiday party for all his friends—a gang of woodland and winter animals almost as cute as he is. But there’s so much to do to get ready! From picking out gifts at the market, to finding the most magical tree decorations, to selecting delicious treats at the candy factory-every page turn reveals a new and utterly delightful sensory challenge. Readers of all ages will find this lush, charming illustrated wonderland irresistible—and irresistibly challenging! A perfect read for parents and children alike this holiday season.

The New York Times Home for the Holidays Crosswords: 200 Easy to Hard Puzzles by The New York Times, Will Shortz

Enjoy the holiday spirit with 200 easy to hard New York Times crossword puzzles in a cheerful Christmas-inspired package. The only thing better than being home for the holidays is relaxing with this merry compilation of New York Times crossword puzzles, which packs hours of solving into a large-size paperback with a fun, flashy cover.

What’s your favorite holiday book?

Christmas Morning Traditions And An Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe

This post is written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc.. All opinions are entirely my own.

My favorite day of the year is Christmas Day. When I was a kid it was probably (mostly) because of the gifts but now, as an adult, it’s my favorite because of all of the uninterrupted time we have together as a family. The days leading up to Christmas may be chaotic with last minute wrapping, grocery shopping, holiday parties and everything else, but on Christmas Eve we start to slow down and then Christmas Day we really slow down.

Our day starts early with our boys, clad in matching Christmas jammies, coming in to wake us up. Daddy normally wants to snooze a bit but I sense their excitement so I hop out of bed to make sure everything, including my camera, is ready for the moment they come running out to see what special holiday surprises there are.

The boys head to the fireplace to see what Santa has brought them. They each get a gift or two from Santa and then a stocking full of candy, little trinkets and toiletries. After that they check to see if Santa ate his cookies and drank his milk and check our cat’s stockings to see what little toys Santa left for our fur babies.

After stockings, it’s time for breakfast. This is a tradition that my parents started when I was younger and I continue with my own kids. While my dad cooked a big family breakfast we’d get dressed for the day (and I’m pretty sure this was the one day a year that my three siblings and I got ready without having to be prodded to “hurry up”). Nowadays, we stay in our holiday pajamas all day but we do go and make ourselves a bit presentable for pictures while breakfast is cooking.

This tradition of breakfast before gifts is one of the most enjoyable parts of the day since we generally don’t get to sit down for family breakfasts. We have a variety of breakfast foods but the best part is the breakfast casserole that Sinisa makes. He usually prepares it the night before so it’s simple to pop in the oven Christmas morning. We are all about keeping it easy over here!

This year he is making a casserole with eggs, cheese, sausage, hash browns, peppers and onions. We made it for a quick dinner this past week, to test the recipe out, and the kids ate it, peppers and all. I’m sharing the recipe because if you are looking for an easy casserole idea for Christmas morning (or really any busy day this holiday season) this will be perfect!

Ingredients for the breakfast casserole:

  • 7 eggs whisked together
  • 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese
  • One package of Jimmy Dean® Refrigerated Sausage
  • 1 1/2 cups of chopped peppers and onions
  • 10 ounces of hash browns

Directions:

1) Cook the sausage according to the package. We like using the Jimmy Dean® Refrigerated Sausage because the fresh, high quality pork sausage is made with a unique savory blend of Jimmy Dean® signature seasonings which really gives the casserole a great flavor and keeps the ingredient list low. NOTE: You can cook the peppers and onions with the sausage if you’d like to or you can add them to the recipe raw.

2) Add ingredients into a large casserole dish, layering them. We put uncooked hash browns on the bottom, added a layer of sausage and vegetables next, then poured the eggs evenly over the casserole before sprinkling the top with a generous layer of shredded cheese.

3) At this point you can either put it in the fridge if you are making it the night before or you can stick it in the oven. We cooked our casserole (in a covered dish) for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Keep in mind that oven times vary so you’ll want to temp it and make sure it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

That’s it. So easy but so delicious! We had “breakfast for dinner” the other night and served this casserole with a side of fresh fruit and doughnuts for dessert.

On Christmas morning, after we enjoy our breakfast as a family, we open gifts. The boys play with their new toys while we sit in front of the fire together. We play some of their new games they received and just relax in the glow of the twinkling lights on our Christmas tree. It’s the perfect day.

Want to recreate this recipe? Find all the ingredients you need for this breakfast casserole at Meijer. Tyson® products, like the Jimmy Dean® Refrigerated Sausage, are perfect for all cooking occasions and all holiday season long. Remember that the holidays mean many moments and many meals to share so make sure to stock up on things that will help you create easy meals so you are spending less time in the kitchen and more time with your family.

How do you spend Christmas morning? I’d love to hear about your family’s holiday traditions and any delicious meals you make!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Holiday Coffee Bar With DIY Chocolate Stir Spoons

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayFlavorsAreHere #CollectiveBias

It’s no secret that Starbucks® is my go-to coffee brand. Ever since my boys were tiny (when I was lucky to get a few hours of sleep each night) I needed a good (strong) coffee to get me through my day. Nowadays, I get a lot more sleep since my boys are in elementary school, but I still enjoy my daily cup of Starbucks® Coffee.

With the holidays quickly approaching I thought it would be fun to put together a coffee bar. I kept the decorations simple, going with a plaid tablecloth and red and wood accents. I love the “baby it’s cold outside” theme as well so I included a cute sign to encourage my guests to enjoy a warm cup of coffee.

Along with the Starbucks® Holiday Blend 60ct K-Cup® pods, I added a jar full of Lindt Chocolate Assorted Lindor Truffles and some little glass jars of add-ins including nutmeg, sugar and crushed peppermint pieces. I also made stir spoons out of the truffles because what is better than coffee and chocolate? The sweet, rich taste of Lindt Chocolate Lindor Truffles brings out the sweet maple flavor of Starbucks®  Holiday Blend Coffee.

(Hover over the image above to shop directly from it!)

The spoons were simple to make. I used 12 Lindt Chocolate Lindor Truffles (dark and milk chocolate varieties) and melted them over low heat until they were a liquid. I then poured the melted chocolate into a silicone mold and refrigerated them for 2 hours. After the chocolate hardened I gently released the chocolate spoons from the silicone mold and placed them in a wooden tray. (The 12 truffles made about 8 chocolate stir spoons.)

The last things you’ll want to add to your coffee bar are holiday mugs. I love big mugs and this one with the words “choose joy” is one of my favorites! Once your coffee bar is all set up you will *have* to test it out. Let the scent of coffee brewing fill your room as you sneak a truffle!

If you entertain often, I’m sure you know how fabulous buying in bulk is so you’ll be happy to know you can find both the Starbucks® Holiday Blend 60ct K-Cup® pods and the Lindt Chocolate Assorted Lindor Truffle Bag at your local Sam’s Club in the coffee and candy aisles. You can enjoy 50 bonus stars with purchase of any one qualifying Starbucks® packaged coffee or K-Cup® pods at Sam’s Club through 11/1/17-12/26/17.

How are you preparing for the holidays? Will you be discovering a new holiday combination as you set up a coffee bar for your guests to enjoy?

DIY Favorite Memory Ornaments

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post but all thoughts are my own.

One of my favorite things about the holidays is decorating our home for Christmas. Out of all the decorations that I own, none are more cherished than my personalized ornaments. Most of my personalized family ornaments are “dough” ornaments that I have gotten over the years, from my childhood and through my parenting journey. They all have our names and the year we received them. This year I wanted to try my hand at creating our own personalized ornaments but wanted to add some memories to the ornaments so every year when we pulled them out we would think about fun times we’d had over the years.

I’m loving rustic Christmas decor lately so I thought it would be fun to use round wood pieces to make some favorite memory ornaments for 2016. Originally I was going to get round wood pieces and drill a hole into them to make them into ornaments but I found pre-made wooden ornament packs in the woodworking section of my local craft store which made this DIY craft even easier. If you have a live tree you may even want to cut pieces off the bottom of your Christmas tree trunk (after the holidays) to make this craft. That would really make these ornaments special and personalized!

So other than your wooden circle pieces that have drilled holes towards the top you are going to need pretty ribbon and Sharpie markers. I chose to use the new Sharpie Extreme Permanent Markers because they are fade-resistant. There would be nothing more devastating than creating these special ornaments only to take them out of the decorations box years later to find the ink had faded and you couldn’t read the special memory that you’d written down! These new markers are also specially formulated for wood (along with plastic and glass) so I knew they’d be best for this project.

The first thing I had to do was switch out the twine for some festive ribbon. I got double sided ribbon that was polka dot on one side and striped on the other. I recommend using thin ribbon but if you have thicker ribbon, like I did, you can just roll it to get it through the hole in your wood. One it’s through, tie a knot in the ribbon so that you’ll be able to hang it on your Christmas tree. You’ll want to create one ornament for each person in your immediate family.

The last step is to write on the ornament. Using my green Sharpie Extreme Permanent Marker, I wrote everyone’s name and the year on one side of the ornament. I then asked my family members what their favorite memory from 2016 was and wrote that memory down on the opposite side. If you have younger children you might want to talk about some of the things you did throughout the year so you don’t end up with their favorite memory being what you did the day before because that’s all they can remember doing.

With this year being our first Disney trip I wasn’t surprised that both Jacob and Sinisa listed Disney as their favorite memory. Lucas thought back to one of our summer day trips at a local theme park and decided his favorite memory was when he rode roller coasters there. I had a lot of great memories this year but chose our Mackinac Island vacation, where I showed my family the place I’d loved visiting as a child, as my top memory.

I was so excited to put these ornaments on the tree and know that they are going to bring back wonderful memories every holiday season. I will be making these ornaments every year as our new family tradition.

What memories would you put on your ornaments?

 

50+ Stocking Stuffer Ideas {Something For Everyone!}

Disclosure: Some items were received for consideration but all thoughts are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

One of the last things “Santa” has to purchase every holiday season is stocking stuffers. “Santa” tries to limit the candy in the stockings and instead stuff it with small necessities and a few fun items. If you are still looking to fill your stockings I wanted to share some ideas of things you can put in them. This list has something for everyone from kids to teens to adults!

1) Nail polish and nail art – Espionage Cosmetics offers a line of cruelty free nail wraps in fun designs like the rose ones pictured above. They are easy to apply, do not require a heat gun, and when mastered it only takes 5 to 10 minutes to apply.

2) Socks

3) Deck of cards

4) Bath toy

5) Mini screwdriver

6) Keychain

7) Hair ties, bows or headbands

8) Gloves 9) Toothbrush – The kids love BrushBuddies! There’s a new Shopkins Brite Beatz one that plays the Shopkins theme song along to synchronized lights. Brite Beatz helps improve oral care making brushing fun for kids. Shopkins theme song will play for the dentist recommended two minutes. Shopkins Brite Beatz has fun characters on the handle and a comfortable grip for kids.

10) Gift card to their favorite restaurant

11) Chewing gum

12) Stickers

13) Small bottle of alcohol (21+)

14) Crayons

15) Body spray 16) Reusable bags – Urban Market bags are stylish, high quality, reusable shopping bags that are eco-friendly and completely washable. These bags are made from a lightweight nylon fabric with strong stitching that makes them extra durable and the ideal reusable tote bags that will last for years. Best of all, they are compact when not in use which make them ideal for stashing in your glove compartment box, your purse or anywhere else you may need to keep it.

17) Hot sauce

18) Makeup brushes

19) Money clip

20) Ornament

21) Gift card to a coffee shop

22) Stuffed animal – Bears for humanity is a great choice because for every stuffed animal purchased, another is given to a child in need. The bears are made using only certified organic materials by at-risk women in welfare-work programs right here in the US. They have a number of animal pals to choose from so you can find the perfect companion for the little one in your life!

23) Lip balm

24) Small notepad

25) Movie tickets

26) Jar candles

27) Comb or small brush

28) Luggage tag 

29) Headphones – Cozy Phones are awesome because not only are they headphones but they keep the head and ears warm at the same time. There are lycra, mesh lines ones for active people and also fun, fleece animal ones for kids.

30) Lotion

31) Coffee beans or K-Cups

32) Handmade soap

33) Things for their hobby- guitar picks, paintbrushes, soccer shin guards, etc

34) Makeup

35) Guides – You can purchase a guidebook that teaches a new language or skill but Deckopedia is cool because it makes guides in deck form. Fun ones include Mixology 101: The Art Of Crafting Cocktails and Natural Beauty Skincare, a collection of homemade beauty recipes.

36) Hand warmers

37) Bubble bath

38) Tie

39) Coffee Cozy

40) Hair gel or spray

41) Small games

42) Bubbles

43) Face masks – 7th Heaven makes a variety of single use masks that are available at Walmart. Their mud masks are enriched with nourishing active ingredients to deep cleanse, leaving skin fresh, clean and glowing. Peel off masks purify skin enabling all the natural goodness to nourish and pamper skin to perfection. Exfoliating masks deep cleanse and polish to remove stubborn surface blackheads and awaken dull skin and renew skin texture.

44) Tiny puzzle

45) Phone case

46) Scalp massager (I got these ones on Amazon for less than a $1 each!)

47) Pens and pencils

48) Selfie stick

49) Coins

50) USB charger – Ezisoul’s multi-port charger is the perfect travel charger because it let’s you charge 5 devices (phones and tablets) at once using only one charger. Engineered with Auto Detect Technology, this USB port charger lets you plug any device, Android and Apple, into any port and the smart charger will get exactly what it needs to charge the device rapidly and effectively.

I’d love to hear any other ideas you have!

Cucumber Bites Christmas Tree Appetizer Tray

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayEntertaining #YogurtInspiration #CollectiveBias

One of my favorite ways to celebrate the Christmas holiday is to have my family over to spend time together. Christmas Eve is our big celebration at my house and I always have a table full of appetizers. I don’t just do parties a little bit. I go all out and make as many appetizers as I can. We then enjoy the leftovers as we lounge around on Christmas Day (because nobody really feels like cooking after all the work of the holidays has ended in ten minutes of unwrapping frenzy).

If you do any entertaining over the holidays you’ll want to make this fun Christmas tree shaped appetizer. I love cucumber bites but I decided to change them up a bit after having a gyro for lunch one day and wanted to make the topping for them taste somewhat like the tzatziki sauce I love. To do so, I added dill and feta cheese in to try to recreate the flavor. You could always add in some ranch mix instead of the dill and feta cheese if you’d rather.

Since I was making this recipe for the first time it was a bit of trial and error trying to get the thickness right. The texture of the creamy mixture on top should be similar to the texture of frosting. You don’t want it to be thin and runny. I think I nailed it after making a couple of adjustments.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of Dannon All Natural Plain Yogurt
  • 8 ounces of cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons of feta cheese
  • 4 sprigs of dill
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
  • 4 cucumbers
  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
  • Brick of cheese (optional for star on tree)
  • Crackers (optional for trunk of tree)

To start you will want to add your yogurt, cream cheese, feta cheese, dill, garlic and lemon juice into the cup of your food processor and blend until you have a thick, creamy consistency.

Once you have your topping you’ll want to cut your cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. Before cutting your cucumbers you can use a vegetable peel to take the skin off or you can leave it on. Cucumbers should be sliced about an inch thick and cherry tomatoes should be cut in half. Set aside the tomatoes and place the cucumber slices on your tray to look like a Christmas tree. You may need more than one platter if you have smaller sized trays.

To top the cucumbers I put the cream filling in a frosting decorator tube with a frosting tip but a piping bag works just as well. If you don’t have either of those you can always use a plastic sandwich sized bag and just cut one of the corners off to squeeze the topping through. I liked how fancy they looked with the special tip and I wanted to get some use out of the frosting decorator that I had discovered as I was cleaning out my pantry this week.

Once the cream mixture is on the cucumbers you’ll want to top each one with a piece of tomato.

The last step is to add the “trunk” of the tree and the star. Both are optional but I thought they really made things look festive. To make the trunk of the tree I stacked crackers on the tray and for the star I used a cookie cutter to cut a star out of a brick of cheese.

I love how my Christmas “tree” turned out and I know my guests will love eating these appetizer bites.

As I shared a couple weeks ago, I love using Dannon All Natural Plain Yogurt in my recipes because it’s made with only natural ingredients. While it can be enjoyed on it’s own, I often use it as a cooking substitute in recipes. Many recipes for these cucumber bites use other ingredients like sour cream or mayo but I chose to make mine with yogurt to make it a bit healthier. Yogurt is also a great base for any dips you may be making this holiday season!

 

You can find Dannon brand yogurt at your local Meijer store.

Will you be entertaining in your home over the next few weeks? If so, what kind of appetizers do you set out for your guests?

7 Ways To Celebrate The Reason For The Season

Disclosure: Some product samples were received for inclusion and this post includes affiliate links.

The Christmas season is the most hectic season of the year. From buying gifts, to going to holiday parties, to holiday baking, it’s so easy to get caught up in the “doing” that we forget why we are doing everything in the first place. Throughout all the busyness of the season I want to remind my family of why we are doing everything we are doing so I wanted to share a number of ways your family can celebrate Advent and focus on Jesus.

1) Serve others. It’s important to remember this is a season of giving more than it is a season of getting. Here is a list of 50 ways to give back this Christmas season.

2) Turn on some Christmas music that focuses on Jesus’ birth and sing along. My favorites are:

3) Do an Advent devotional with your family. For those with young children, we love Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands ebook that includes 24 days of Scripture reading, ornament crafts, talking points and extension activities, plus fun printables and templates. For adults and families with older children I love Ann Voskamp’s Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas. She is such a beautiful writer! 

4) Throw Jesus a birthday party. We all attend a lot of Christmas parties but how about having a party for Jesus? We loved doing this with our kids to take the focus of Christmas Day off presents and remind us of the reason we are celebrating Christmas. Here are 10 ideas for the birthday party!

5) Make a CHRISTmas craft. From homemade nativities to angel crafts, I share ten of my favorite crafts that put Christ back in Christmas here.

6) Read about Jesus birth. During your Bible reading time, read about the birth of Jesus. Young children may also enjoy the beautiful pop-up version of The Christmas Story by Robert Sabuda.

7) Play a game that helps children learn and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. “The Christmas Star From Afar” is a game that can be used for Advent or a Christ focused alternative to the Elf. The set encourages children to go on a hunt for their Star, similar to that of the Wise Men. Everyday the Star is hidden and the children participate in a fun hide-and-seek game to locate it. Once they have found their Star they move all Three Wise Men to its location. On Christmas morning the Three Wise Men reach their final destination when the Star is found at the stable with the newborn baby Jesus.

The activity book includes a wooden Star, a full wooden nativity scene that matches the artwork of the book, and optional scripture to use throughout the month. Help your children reconnect with the true meaning of Christmas by purchasing a set for your family here. Use the code ‘FOLLOWTHESTAR’ for 10% off of the set. You can also enter to win “The Christmas Star From Afar” using the form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our Family Christmas Pictures

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post but all thoughts are my own.

Holiday photos of my family, both of me as a child growing up with my siblings and now of my own children, are some of my most cherished possessions. Looking at holiday photos makes me happy and I love being able to look back at how my family has changed and grown over the years.

While I get the kids pictures taken a couple times a year, we haven’t had a family portrait taken since Lucas was a baby. This year we decided it was time for another family photo so we headed to our local Portrait Innovations to get Christmas pictures taken. I wanted some of our family, some of Sinisa and I as a couple, some of the boys together and some of each of the kids individually. I loved that our photographer took into consideration what I wanted and made sure to get shots in different poses, and on a number of different backgrounds, so I’d have many choices to choose from. (As you can tell, I really loved their holiday background.)

Portrait Innovations specializes in giving customers a customized portrait studio experience with creative options for beautiful, professional portraits. Our photographer ended up taking close to 100 images during our photo shoot and I got to go through all of the images and pick my favorites. I loved that I didn’t feel rushed to go through the images and make my selections in a hurry as I have in the past at other studios. Another great thing about Portrait Innovations is that the packages are completely customizable so you aren’t stuck with a bunch of prints in random sizes that you’ll never use. You can also request edits, like cropping, on images to make sure all your images are perfect.

Want personalized gifts and keepsakes? Portrait Innovations makes it easy to create them while you are looking over your images in store or from the photo CD if you choose to purchase one. Photo gifts are perfect for holiday gift giving. I chose to create some ornaments and a canvas. I also got some photo Christmas cards to give out to my family.

Best of all, the prints were ready within 15 minutes of the order being placed. I like that I didn’t have to wait weeks for my prints. I am excited to get frames for our portraits and put all of our beautiful pictures up in our home! I also got the picture CD so I could share the images online and make more prints in the future if I want.

Do you still need to get your family’s holiday photos taken? This holiday season, preserve memorable moments in the best way with Portrait Innovations! They currently have a great deal going on now through December 11th. You can get a package with 42 holiday portraits for only $19.99 (Regularly $24.99), plus a free gift of your choice- either a mug or holiday ornament- (Regularly $25).  The Portrait Package includes 1-10×13 Wall Portrait, 2-8x10s, 4-5x7s, 4- 3x5s, 16-2x3s, plus, 5-5×7 Greeting Cards and 10 Gift Tags. There are never any sitting fees so this is a great deal! Find your closest Portrait Innovations here.

Do you get holiday photos taken every year?

Our Favorite Christmas Pajamas: Buy A Pair, Give A Pair

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post but all thoughts are my own.

One of my favorite purchases every holiday season is a set of matching pajamas for my boys. Each year, on Christmas Eve, they wear their new pajamas when they go to sleep and wake up to celebrate Christmas morning in their festive jammies. (Truth be told, they pretty much lounge around all Christmas day in them!)

We’ve had Christmas pajamas every year and this year I found the cutest pair at Carter’s. With close to 900 styles, including 1-piece, 2-piece, 4-piece, and gown options in cotton, flannel and fleece in sizes newborn to 12 years, parents and gift-givers are sure to find the perfect PJs at Carter’s to outfit all the little ones on their holiday gift lists. I was thrilled to find out that Carter’s is doing something special for Giving Tuesday, which is November 29th, because I love supporting companies that give back. I also now have a reason to head back to the store and get another pair of pajamas for our New Year’s Eve celebration at home :)

Carter’s is partnering with Pajama Program to help further its mission of delivering new, warm pajamas to children in need. This year’s campaign aims to surpass $2 million worth of pajama donations. For every Carter’s pajama purchased at one of Carter’s 600+ US retail stores or online at www.Carters.com on Giving Tuesday (November 29), Carter’s will donate one pajama to children in need, up to 100,000.

If you’ve never heard of the Pajama Program, it’s a great charity. Pajama Program provides new pajamas and new books to children in need nationwide, many of whom are waiting to be adopted. These children live in group homes, shelters and temporary housing facilities and are shuffled often from one place to another. Many of them have been abandoned, abused or neglected. Most of these children have never enjoyed the simple comfort of having a parent tuck them in at bedtime with warm, clean pajamas and a bedtime story. Some of the children are living with their families below the poverty level, in desperate need of food, clothing and shelter. These two simple gifts of pajamas and books let the children know that someone cares – sometimes these are the only new things they have ever received.

Will you join me in supporting this great cause and giving back on Giving Tuesday?

Chicago’s BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Lights Festival Returns

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank but all thoughts are my own.

One of the most magical times here in Chicago is the Christmas season. The kickoff to the holidays starts with a fun event called the BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Lights Festival which includes a parade downtown Chicago along the Magnificent Mile, a tree lighting of a giant Christmas tree and a fireworks display along with other family-friendly activities. It’s an event we’ve had the pleasure of attending a few times and always enjoy. It’s nice to spend the day shopping downtown and then getting hot cocoa before we find a spot along the parade route.

Over a million lights are lit during the festival and the parade, led by Disney’s Mickey & Minnie, features spectacular floats, helium-filled balloons, marching bands, top musical performers and well-known Chicago mascots. Santa and his reindeer can be found in the parade, too!

This year’s event is on Saturday, November 19th. For the fifth consecutive year, BMO Harris Bank is the title sponsor of the festival and they are working with a few local businesses in Chicago to make the parade day even more special for their customers. BMO Harris Bank customers will enjoy discounts, perks and offers including:

  • 15% off at Dylan’s Candy Bar
  • Discounted holiday beverages at Dylan’s Candy Bar
  • Discounted parking with Spot Hero
  • 20% off a single item at the BlackHawks store on Michigan Ave

Some customers will also get to enjoy one of the best views of the parade from a special seating area! BMO will select 100 customers on parade day to enjoy the parade from grandstand viewing in the broadcast zone. Find out more details here.

Have you ever attended this festival in Chicago? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below :)

 

 

 

More Time To Make Memories

(Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.)

Food is a big part of the holidays and usually what I’m still needing to shop for the couple days before Christmas. Creating delicious meals and party favorites brings joy to many but unfortunately, shopping and preparing foods during the holidays can get hectic and add more stress to an already busy season. I love grocery shopping and sometimes lose myself while walking down the aisles looking for ideas and foods to inspire me but sometimes that leads to me spending too much time in stores which is not something I have an abundance of this time of year.

For over a decade I have enjoyed shopping at Sam’s Club to save time and money around the holidays. I can find a great variety of quality foods and save even more time this year with their new Club Pickup. Their Club Pickup is a free, “personal shopper” service that is focused on making shopping more convenient for members. Club Pickup provides an easy and quick pickup option through seamless ordering online at SamsClub.com from any computer or mobile device. The service is available at all 653 Sam’s Club locations. I love how this is done. In this tech-savvy world we all use apps and online shopping so Club Pickup is something that is very simple to do. I can place the order on my phone while waiting for the kids in the car pick up lane at school. During very hectic times (like this week!) there is also an easy reorder feature as well which is a great tool that lets me order go-to items quickly by creating a list of my past purchases.

One thing about Christmas that rings true is the plentiful parties and meals. Fantastic desserts and treats and great recipes that bring smiles to all.  That is one of the biggest reasons I shop at Sam’s Club around the holidays. I can stock up on all kinds of party favorites and new side dishes that also guarantee I will have leftovers (which is one of my favorite things about hosting).

This year we tried some new side dishes like sweet potatoes with pecan butter and marshmallows. We also bought the staples like scalloped potatoes. Sam’s Club has something for everyone.

The 200% satisfaction guarantee on high-quality produce, meat and baked goods is the number one reason I keep going back and why I am always eager to try new offerings at Sams club.

We also purchased Holiday decor from Sam’s Club including Christmas plates and a festive, fresh wreath for the front door. Being able to check one thing off the to-do list without leaving the couch gives me more time to make memories with my kids.

50 Ways To Give Back This Holiday Season

The Christmas season is here! All of the crazy Black Friday videos online made me realize today would be a great day to share my list of ways to give back during the holiday season. It’s important to remember this is a season of giving more than it is a season of getting. My family’s goal is to do at least a handful of these ideas each week leading up to the holidays. I tried to include a number of ideas that were either free or fairly cheap so even if you are on a budget you can find ways to give back!

1) Bake cookies for a neighbor

2) Buy gifts for a child on the Angel Tree

3) Take your family and friends to sing carols at a nursing home

4) Adopt a family and buy them gifts for the holidays (this can be someone you know personally or you can contact a charity in your town to find a family in need)

5) Send a care package to someone in the military

6) Volunteer at a food bank or a non-profit that packs meals for the hungry (like Feed My Starving Children in the Chicago area)

7) Donate art supplies to a local afterschool program

8) Pay for someone behind you in the drive thru

9) Donate toys, books and games to a children’s hospital

10) Babysit a friend’s children so she can have some time to herself

11) Donate clean water (charitywater.org)

12) Make a meal and drop it off to a new mom, someone who lost a family member or someone who is homebound

13) Leave a large tip for your waitress or barista

14) Drop off magazines you’ve already read at the hospital for people to read while in the waiting rooms

15) Donate pet food or cat litter to a no-kill animal shelter

16) Hold the door open for someone at a store and wish them a good day

17) Donate toiletries to a homeless shelter

18) Adopt a pet or use your social media channels to share about a pet that needs to be adopted

19) Host a pajama and book drive for the Pajama Program

20) Pay for someone’s groceries at the grocery store

21) Donate used items to a thrift store that gives back to charity (my favorite is Savers)

22) Bake treats to bring to your local school for the staff to enjoy

23) Put money in the Salvation Army bucket when you pass by (or volunteer to ring the bell yourself)

24) Shovel someone’s driveway for them

25) Donate food to the local food bank

26) Fill a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child

27) Hand out gas gift cards to those pumping gas at the gas station

28) Send a handwritten note to a loved one telling them how much you appreciate them

29) Make cards for those in a nursing home or hospital

30) Help grant a child’s wish through the Make A Wish Program

31) Donate blood through the American Red Cross

32) Buy a meal for someone in need

33) Donate to a cause that is important to you

34) Donate hats, gloves and other winter accessories- many Churches have “Mitten Trees” where you can donate them

35) Plant a tree in celebration or memory of a loved one through the Arbor Day Foundation

36) Have children create thank you cards for community workers and deliver them along with a treat

37) Volunteer your talents. Whether that’s offering your marketing services to a non-profit, cooking food for the homeless or tutoring children

38) When purchasing Christmas gifts, shop local or purchase an item that gives back (like something from the World Vision gift catalog)

39) Donate coats and blankets to a homeless shelter

40) Bring a gift basket of essentials to a new mom

41) Volunteer at an animal shelter

42) Offer to help someone clean their home or wrap their Christmas gifts

43) Donate toys to Toys For Tots

44) Pack ziploc bags or stockings with toiletries, snacks and an encouraging note and store them in your car to give to any homeless you may pass by this season

45) Make a blanket or pillowcase dress to donate

46) Volunteer at a nursing home

47) Head to the store and leave kind notes of holiday cheer on windshields

48) If you have a friend who will be alone for Christmas this year, invite them over to celebrate with you at your house

49) Send a letter to a hero in the military

50) Spend time with your loved ones. Remember- your presence is more important than your presents

What does your family do to give back? I’d love to read about it in the comments below!

10 New Cookie Recipes To Try

#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Intel. This could include the Intel Corporation providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is bake cookies with my family. I tend to make the same cookies year after year but this year I wanted to make some new varieties. I headed to Pinterest to see what I could find and wanted to share 10 of my favorites with you all! One of these will be in the oven on Christmas Eve but I’m still deciding on which one I want to bake.

Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Eggnog Cookies from Cooking Classy

Pecan Snowballs from Southern Bite

No-Bake Peppermint Bark Cookies from The Suburban Soapbox

Strawberry Pinch Cookies from Eating on a Dime

Melting Snowmen Cookies from Better Homes and Gardens

Pecan Pie Cookies from Spend With Pennies

Hot Cocoa Cookies from Glorious Treats

Ultimate Grasshopper Cookies from Your Cup of Cake

Mocha Crinkle Cookies from Cake Whiz

I love being able to bring my tablet into the kitchen and follow recipe directions on it. I used to have to print out the recipe or write it down but now I can skip that step. Some websites even provide quick video tutorials and I can watch them while following the step by step directions as I watch. I like the crisp, clear images and the videos load really fast on my tablet all because of the Intel processor that’s inside of it. In fact, Intel Tablets have 1.9x better web performance than other tablets which means I can spend less time searching the web and more time baking this holiday season!

My Festive Kitchen {Target Gift Card Giveaway}

Target is my favorite store so I’m excited to be working with them on this sponsored holiday post and giveaway.

I can never seem to get out of Target without a cart full of goodies, so when I saw the holiday kitchen and entertaining aisles I knew I was in trouble. This is our first Christmas in our new home so it was the perfect time to add some seasonal items to our kitchen. Everything was so adorable and many of the things would be perfect for making my home festive while entertaining family and friends this month.

One thing my family likes to do is get together to decorate cookies. We bake sugar cookies and then let the kids decorate them however they’d like to with frosting, candies and sprinkles. Normally the toppings are in plain bowls but I love these Threshold stoneware bowls. Though they are red and white I can use them year round since they aren’t too Christmasy.

We also like to make peanut butter kiss cookies. The kids unwrap the hershey kisses for me. It’s their favorite job because they get to sneak a few candies while mommy isn’t looking. Target has lots of cookie plates. I picked up a couple along with a cookie jar since we always have dozens of Christmas cookies during the holidays.

Another thing I made for holiday guests this year is a mini hot cocoa bar. I put hot cocoa mix in a big glass jar, marshmallows in a mason jar, and then set mugs out. I used a large gift tag and red ribbon to add a little holiday cheer to the setup.

I love how much more festive my kitchen looks now! I think it is so welcoming and I can’t wait for family to come on Christmas day to celebrate with presents, cookies and mugs of hot cocoa!

How can Target help you celebrate the holidays? Tell me what you pick up from my favorite store to make your Christmas, Chanukah or New Years celebrations brighter for a chance to win a gift card!

One reader who comments with their answer below will win a $75 Target gift card. You can earn an extra entry for sharing this post on social media (just leave a second comment with the link).

This giveaway ends December 31, 2014 at 11:59pm CST. Must be a US resident and 21 or older to win.

The Christmas Pickle Tradition

(Disclosure: We received a gift set in exchange for writing this post but all thoughts are my own.)

The Christmas Pickle Tradition is a wonderful holiday story that reminds us all about the true spirit of Christmas.  Follow the journey of Pickle Elf as he learns the magic of giving, and inspires Santa to begin this wonderful Christmas tradition.

Want to join in the fun this holiday? It’s easy!

Leave the pickle ornament by the milk and cookies for Santa to hang on your Christmas tree. In the morning watch your loved ones, big and small, search for the pickle. The first one to find it will receive an extra present from St. Nick! This is our first year doing the tradition and we can’t wait to see where Santa hides it on Christmas morning!

The beautiful gift set comes with a glistening pickle ornament, annual pickle finder and the beautiful Christmas Pickle Tradition book in a ready-to-gift box. If you’d like to start this tradition this year it’s not too late! You have until December 20th to ensure Christmas delivery and the shipping is free. Purchase this gift set here.

Holiday Bouquets From Teleflora And The Cake Boss

(Disclosure: I received a bouquet from Teleflora but all thoughts are my own.)

Teleflora, the world’s leading flower delivery service, teamed up with the “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro to create a brand new line up of holiday bouquets perfect for decorating, gifting and entertaining. Buddy’s floral collection features three new bouquets that capture the authenticity and spirit of his festive family holiday traditions.

The trio includes a holly motif-serving bowl, a gingerbread-house cookie jar and a merry mug. Each bouquet arrives professionally-arranged and hand-delivered by a local florist in your community with an exclusive holiday recipe personally created by Buddy. What a great gift for the person who has it all!

We received the Teleflora Holly Days Centerpiece. The holiday collectible table top serving bowl is adorned with a holly motif and is bursting with red and white holiday blooms and fragrant assorted greens. It’s the perfect addition to our holiday decor and I love how it brightens up our whole kitchen while making it smell wonderful.

I wish Christmastime would never end but sadly it does. It’s nice to know that your gift will be enjoyed for years to come because the containers these special bouquets come in are FDA approved to safely serve and store food and are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe. What a great addition to kitchens everywhere.

Which bouquet is your favorite?

 

 

Great Gift Ideas From Family Christian {Giveaway}

Still have some names to check off your shopping list? I’m happy to be working with Family Christian to share some of the amazing gifts you can find in their stores and online.

Music- From Holiday CDs to the WOW series full of top hits to Casting Crowns, Family Christian has some great uplifting music. During the Christmas season I love to have holiday music on so I was excited to see Family Christian offering an exclusive ‘A Christmas to Believe in’ CD. Another CD I purchased was Casting Crowns new CD, Thrive. I have not heard the whole album but as one of the top Christian music groups out there I have no doubt that this will bring joy to anyone who receives it.

Kitchen Gifts- If you have someone on your list who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, how about getting them something special to use when they cook or bake? I love these little loaf pans. A great gift idea would be baking a little treat in them and then gifting the treat and dish together with a little note telling the person how thankful you are for them. There are also mugs, serving platters, kitchen tools, casserole dishes and more. Now through Christmas Eve select holiday gifts are 50% off so it’s the perfect time to pick up Christmas dishes, too!

Devotionals & Books- Gifting a book that guides others in quiet time is such a blessing- to them and to you! We love our Veggie Tales devotional but I was excited to give my boys the new Jesus Calling for Kids after hearing on Twitter about how great it was. All Jesus Calling books are 50% off right now. Another special book by one of my favorite Authors/Bloggers called Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas would make a nice gift for families looking to start an Advent tradition.

Willow Tree- I wrote a whole post about Willow Tree and all the beautiful figurines they have. Know a pregnant mom, a new dad, or a couple who just got engaged? Willow Tree makes the perfect gift to honor special life moments. Read more about them here.

Home Decor- The home deor pieces from Family Christian make ideal gifts! Encourage a friend with an angel figurine or a wall cross, or share one of their Christian plaques with an inspirational message. This ‘Be The Good’ print is one of my favorites.

Which Christmas gift idea is your favorite? Tell me in the comments below and you are entered to win a $25 gift certificate for Family Christian! Share the giveaway on a social network and leave another comment with the link and that will get you an extra entry. Giveaway ends December 24, 2014 at 11:59pm CST.

Good luck and Merry Christmas!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas: PEEPS {Now Minion Approved!}

Some of you may remember how I worked with PEEPS® last year and created a recipe for Chocolate Candy Cane Cake Pops with the PEEPS® Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Flavored Chicks for their 24 Days of Peepsonality Advent Calendar. I had so much fun and am excited to be working with them again this year!

This year PEEPS® has teamed up with the producers of the “Despicable Me” movie series for a holiday treat you just can’t miss! Minions, those fun-loving, mischievous characters, have taken over nearly the entire PEEPS® Holiday collection for 2014 in their role as the official PEEPS® Taste Testers.

With new shapes and flavors like the PEEPS® Marshmallow Minions and iconic PEEPS® Chicks, the festive marshmallow treat are a perfect stocking stuffer for all ages. We received an assortment of flavors and my boys, my niece and my nephew enjoyed trying them.

 PEEPS® holiday offerings include:
  • NEW PEEPS® Marshmallow Minions (6ct)
  • NEW PEEPS® Hot Cocoa & Cream Flavored Marshmallow Dipped Chicks in White Fudge (3 ct)
  • NEW PEEPS® Candy Cane Flavored Marshmallow Chicks (10 ct)
  • NEW PEEPS® Large Marshmallow Snowmen (1 ct and 3 ct)
  • PEEPS® Milk Chocolate Dipped Sugar Cookie Flavored Chicks (3 ct)
  • PEEPS® Gingerbread-Flavored Marshmallow Gingerbread Men (6 ct and 3 ct)
  • PEEPS® Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Flavored Chicks (3 ct)
  • PEEPS® Milk Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Mint Flavored Trees (individually wrapped)
  • PEEPS® Chocolate Mousse Flavored Marshmallow Reindeer (6 ct)
  • PEEPS® Marshmallow Trees (3 and 9 ct)
  • PEEPS® Marshmallow Snowmen (3 and 9 ct)
  • PEEPS® Holiday Rainbow POP (4 ct)

Which ones will you add to stockings this year?

Give The Gift Of Hope To Families In Need This Holiday Season

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

For many, the holiday season is a time filled with festivity and fun. For the more than 800 million people in the world that go to bed hungry every night, however, this time of year isn’t filled with the joy that it should be. Together we can change that by giving a gift that can make a meaningful difference for a family in need.

Heifer International works to empower millions to go from poverty to self-reliance by providing alternative gifts of livestock, seeds, trees, training and more to families in need. Heifer’s strategy is the hope that these families will pass on the gift—by sharing their animals’ offspring and their knowledge, resources and skills—to create an expanding network of hope, dignity and self-reliance that reaches around the globe.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

So while you check off your holiday gift list and gather last minute ideas, consider making this the year you helped end hunger. Give an animal instead of a gift and help change a life! Heifer has some suggestions if you are interested in shopping from the Most Important Gift Catalog in the World:

* GIVE A GOAT Goats provide milk and extra income that lead to opportunities for education and improved healthcare

* GIVE CHICKS Chicks immediately begin producing protein-packed eggs for children and families

* GIVE A COW The gift of a cow can transform a family’s life providing milk, income, and manure for better crop yields.

For every donation, Heifer provides a free custom honor card, making it easy to honor someone special to you. To learn more about alternative gifting and Heifer International please visit: www.heifer.org.

Delicious Selections For Christmas Dinner

(Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.)

For many families, Christmas dinner wouldn’t be complete without ham. In my family this hasn’t always been the case. See, I actually used to believe that I didn’t like ham because I had grown up eating salty ham. Enter HoneyBaked ham with their sweet, crunchy outsides and I discovered a couple years ago that I actually love ham. It just has to be the right kind of ham! I ate leftovers of this ham for days, most of the time just picking pieces out of the bag in the fridge because I couldn’t wait for it to hit my plate.

HoneyBaked Ham has such a great selection of items to complete your Christmas meal, from meat to sides to dessert. With picky eaters and a different taste buds this variety is important. Macaroni and cheese was a big hit with the kids and the adults enjoyed a little of everything.

Once dinner was over it was time for dessert. The kids were so excited to see the dessert tray they got to choose from. There were cookies, chocolate brownies and cheesecake slices.

Which one would you pick?

From now until 1/11/15 you can enter to win a $25,000 HoneyBaked Kitchen Makeover when you buy a Ham and Turkey Breast bundle.

Check out this amazing limited time coupon for $8.00 off any Bone-in Ham and Turkey Breast or Boneless Ham and Turkey Breast from HoneyBaked Ham to help you make your holiday dinner easy and delicious! (This offer is valid only at the following locations: Rolling Meadows, Orland Park, Villa Park, Morton Grove, Naperville, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Mesquite, Hurst, Lewisville, Houston, Austin, Spring, Clear Lake, Sugar Land, Indianapolis, Ferndale, Grand Rapids, Roseville, Birmingham, Troy, West Bloomfield, Livonia, Flint, Dearborn Heights, Sterling Heights, Taylor, Ann Arbor, Canton Township, Oklahoma City, Pittsburgh, Mechanicsburg, Monroeville, San Antonio, Bellevue, and Lynnwood. For store addresses click here.)

Donate $1.00 to Feeding America during checkout at the register of any HoneyBaked store. $1.00=10 Meals!

Roaming Reindeer: Our New Christmas Tradition

(Disclosure: We received a copy of the book for review but thoughts are my own.)

My favorite holiday is Christmas. I love the extra family time and gift giving but one thing that really sets this holiday apart is all of the traditions that go along with it. From baking cookies to watching holiday movies to drinking hot cocoa while looking at light displays, everything makes the holiday just a little more special.

As my kids get older we occasionally add traditions in to the mix. We do Elf on a Shelf here (though our elf doesn’t do anything fancy) and this year we are also doing Roaming Reindeer. What is Roaming Reindeer you ask? Here’s a little more about this brand new tradition:

Gus and Sam are two of Santa’s reindeer.  They decide to visit girls and boys to help Santa see who’s being naughty or nice.  Sam gets sad whenever he sees a child who is naughty and ends up telling Santa.  Gus sticks around to keep watch.

When the two realize that there isn’t enough time to visit all of the children before Christmas, they call on their friends for help.  They send their friends off in pairs of two, and assign each pair to a home. Reindeer 1 will disappear to tell Santa any time someone has been naughty. Reindeer 2 will always stick around to keep watch.

On Christmas Eve, the reindeer disappear to help Santa deliver the gifts.  They will return again next year during the Christmas season!

If you are like me and forget to move the Elf you will love this because the reindeer stay in one spot most of the time! The only time one of them moves is if they have to go tell Santa something and then they can be gone for 30 minutes or a couple days. It’s not as rigid of a schedule as the Elf and I really appreciate how much easier it is.

Want Roaming Reindeer of your own? Purchase a kit here.

 

Baking Christmas Cookies With Betty Crocker {Prize Pack Giveaway}

Thanks to Betty Crocker for sponsoring this post and giveaway.

One of my favorite holiday traditions is baking Christmas cookies. I still remember all the fun I had in the kitchen when I was growing up and love reminiscing as I bake cookies with my own boys. When I was younger my favorite cookies to make were sugar cookies, corn flake wreaths, and peanut butter chocolate balls. Now that my kids are helping bake they generally are in charge of picking which cookies get made and their choices are chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies (with lots of frosting and sprinkles!)

This year Betty Crocker sent us some baking supplies and my boys were excited to see their two favorite cookie mixes in the box. Luke decided he wanted to make the chocolate chip cookies and then use the frosting and icing to decorate them. He enjoyed spending time in the kitchen with daddy for some father/son bonding time :)

Betty Crocker wants to encourage you to spend some time in the kitchen with your loved ones this holiday as well! They have created a “kid’s corner” on their website and shared the top 10 cookies for kids. Each recipe also has a short how-to video as well. Tweet your cookie creations with the hashtag #GetYourBettyOn to share them with the folks over at Betty Crocker!

GIVEAWAY:

One person will win a Betty Crocker prize pack that consists of:

  • Kitchen tablet stand
  • Betty Crocker™ Mixing Spoon
  • Betty Crocker™ Oven Mitt
  • “Get Your Betty On” Apron
  • Gingerbread Cookie Cutter
  • Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie Mix
  • Betty Crocker™ Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
  • Betty Crocker™ Whipped Vanilla Frosting
  • Betty Crocker™ Holiday Recipe Booklet 2014 – feat. The Top 10 Cookie Decorating Ideas of 2014

HOW TO ENTER:

Comment below with your favorite Christmas cookie

For an extra entry, share this giveaway on a social network and leave the link in the comments

Giveaway ends December 15, 2014 at 11:59pm CST. Must be 21 or older and a US resident to enter.

Share The Joy Of Life’s Milestones With Willow Tree Figurines

I’m a Family Christian blogger and this is a sponsored post but all thoughts are my own.

There are some things in my home that just mean the world to me. Some are pictures, some are mementos and then some just represent something to me, like my collection of Willow Tree figurines.

I started my Willow Tree collection when I first became pregnant and bought the “Promise” couple figurine to signify the love between Sinisa and I and the “Cherish” pregnant figurine to celebrate the baby I was carrying. Weeks later I headed to the doctor for a sonogram and discovered I was carrying twins but then got the devastating news that I would most likely be losing one. The set of Willow Tree babies was available at that time and I got them. Every time I walk past them it’s a reminder of my angel baby, Avery. The “Our Gift” couple holding a baby completes my current collection. I hope to get the Mother & Son and the Quietly sets still to keep out year round in my bedroom.

Do you know anyone that is pregnant, getting married or going through major change in their life? I think that Willow Tree figurines would make great gifts. I think it means a lot to people to receive a gift that says “I was thinking about you” and “I’m there for you” instead of just giving a generic gift you could have bought for anyone.

I’m also excited to see that there is a Willow Tree Nativity set at Family Christian! What a beautiful centerpiece to have out at Christmas time. I think it would spark some great conversations during holiday parties with family and friends.

See the whole selection of Willow Tree figurines at Family Christian here.

Cookie Bouquets From Cookies By Design

Looking for a fun, delicious gift to send to a friend or family member? Cookie Bouquets from Cookies by Design are the perfect gift idea! My boys received this ‘Merry Christmas’ bouquet and they were so excited when they found out the Christmas shapes were cookies that they’d get to eat.

The boys picked out their favorite designs and I chose the Christmas tree one to eat. I loved the detailed designs on the cookies. Every one was pretty perfect and it was obvious that quite some time was spent creating each cookie. They were also individually packaged which I thought was a nice touch.

Cookies by Design has a variety of other cookie bouquets for the holidays including beautiful poinesetta shaped cookies and elves going down the chimney. See the full line of available bouquets here.

I’m Christmas Shopping From My Couch This Year

#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Intel. This could include the Intel Corporation providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

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I used to love shopping for Christmas gifts. I enjoyed checking out the ads and made my shopping lists months in advance. I’m normally so on top of things that by Black Friday I am at least half done shopping for the gifts I need. This year is different though. I really don’t feel like shopping. Shopping has went from being one of my favorite stress reducing activities to something I dread. I don’t know if it’s because it means pulling my work-at-home-mom, yoga pants wearing butt out into the cold and driving through traffic to push around a cart in a crowded store or it’s because I just really want to do nothing after a long day of work and playing “mom taxi”.

Since the shopping won’t get done itself I’ve decided to make it a little more enjoyable and shop from the comfort of my couch while I catch up on my DVR’d shows. I have been using my new Acer Iconia One 7 tablet and have been loving how easy it is to use. Intel Tablets are up to 36% faster than other similar tablets. They also have added security features built in so I feel comfortable purchasing things right from my tablet.

To make life even easier I decided to start a Christmas wish list doc on the tablet so every time the boys tell me something else they want I can just add it to the list. I think it’s going to work so much better than all the scraps of paper Jacob has been giving me. When I do venture out to the stores I will always have the wish lists with me since I can easily keep the small tablet in my purse. It will also help when I get those calls asking me what the kids want for Christmas or, harder yet, what I want for Christmas (to which I normally reply- “um. Let me get back to you…” because my mind always goes blank.) My Intel tablet has a long battery life which means I don’t have to worry about the battery dying while I’m out and about.

Along with Christmas shopping, I think my tablet will come in handy when it’s time to make Christmas cookies next week. I can research ideas on Pinterest and bring my tablet into the kitchen when it’s time to follow recipes. It’s my tech must-have this year.

Tips For Navigating The Holidays With A Child Who Has Special Needs

 

The holidays are coming! Christmastime is my very favorite time of the year. I love celebrating the birth of Jesus, giving gifts, baking cookies, holiday lights, the joyfulness, and the hustle and bustle of the season. My kids on the other hand? Not so much. I mean yes, they LOVE the whole gift thing and all the fun activities our family does, but it is also so overwhelming for them and causes many meltdowns. Additional planning goes into making sure everyone enjoys the season.

I’m excited to share some great hints to get through this holiday season for those parents of children who have Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, and self-regulation difficulties. Cara Koscinski, MOT, OTR/L, Author of The Pocket Occupational Therapist, helps us navigate the holidays with some tried and true strategies that she personally uses and recommends to her clients.

Shopping

We are all familiar with the chaos and stress that ensues at the malls and stores during the holidays.  Scents, bright colors, and music can be extremely overwhelming to anyone, and this can be significantly magnified when a child has sensory processing difficulties.  Even standing in long lines can prove to be extremely uncomfortable for kids.

1) Allow children who are overwhelmed by sights and sounds of shopping to stay home.  Ensure that the child is comfortable and familiar with the sitter.  Allow kids to have a pajama and movie night while you’re shopping.

2) Children enjoy giving gifts, but if they cannot go to the store, purchase a few gift items for family members and set up a store at home.  We call ours, “Santa’s Workshop.”  Our boys choose a gift for family and they go to the “wrapping station.”  Help the kids to wrap and decorate the gifts with markers or stickers.

3) If a child must attend the shopping trip, schedule downtime or breaks for children to de-sensitize.  This can be located in the car with some crunchy snacks, a weighted blanket, and some calming music.

4) Keep organized and ask children to help you create shopping lists.  Permit the child to mark off completed tasks and errands so that he has some control of the situation.

5) Encourage children to make a list of preferred toys well in advance.  Give family lists of toys to choose from.  I even purchase the toys my children will enjoy and provide them to my local family members ahead of time.  We sometimes have a “trunk sale” and everyone chooses which gift they will buy and wrap for my boys.

Family Photographs

1)  Go at a time of day when children are well-rested and not hungry.  Do not rush and arrive early.  Even though you may not realize it, children pick up on your energy and mood.  Try to remain calm and relaxed about the photo shoot.  Some of the best pictures are candid and taken at un-expected times.

2)  Write a letter or speak to the photographer ahead of time.  Most studios will schedule extra time for children who have special needs.  Request a photographer who is patient.  If possible, schedule a photographer to visit your family outside of the studio.  We have found that this may be a more affordable option than a studio because of low-overhead costs.

3)  Use social stories and real-life pictures about what the child will encounter during the photography process. Practice often.  Explain that the bright lights/flashes are OK and will not hurt children.  Photography props are often wonderful distractions for kids.

4)  Permit a child to have a transition or “safe” item.  In every one of my family’s holiday pictures there’s an item that doesn’t quite belong, such as a train car or Minecraft figurine.  Remember that the memories of family being together should be more important than the “perfect” picture.

5)  Be flexible.  Consider that “fancy” clothes are often scratchy, have tags, and may contain textures that aren’t familiar to children.  Permit the child to wear comfortable versions of colors that you’d like the family portrait to have.  For example, last year we used blue and while colors.  My younger son will only wear soft sweat pants so we permitted him to wear blue sweats.  We all matched, and no one was the wiser!

Visits with Santa and Holiday Traditions

1)  Make a plan of all the things your family wants to accomplish during the holidays.  Allow your child to participate and explain that while there are things everyone must do, other things can be flexible.  For example, choose a visit to see the local holiday light show or the light-up night at the shopping plaza.  Post the schedule in a central location and review it daily.

2) As my children grew, I had high expectations that the traditions we had in our family would continue.  This was not the case.  Instead of feeling let-down, we decided to begin fresh.  Every year, I permit my boys to choose the types of lights on our tree, colored or white.  They love being given the choice.  We permit them to help decorate the tree and do not move the items which are clustered together or imperfectly perfect!

3)  No holiday is complete without the visit with Santa Claus….not true for all kids.  My older son never enjoyed or felt comfortable looking at someone in a costume.  It seemed as though he always knew that Santa was a “helper” and not the real deal.  To make the memory of Santa special, we take children who are younger, such as cousins or neighbors, to see Santa and my son enjoys seeing their excitement!

4) If children do agree to see Santa, create a social story with pictures of Santa, including his beard, velvet/soft red suit, and the setting in which Santa will be located.  Go to the location prior to the visit and watch other children.  Practice, practice, practice!

Holiday Parties

1) Give kids a job to do so that they will have a sense of belonging and success.  Even something such as helping to create place markers for seating or setting the table can give kids a feeling of accomplishment.

2)  Remember that heavy work is generally calming.  Include activities such as moving chairs, picking up and placing dirty clothes into a basket and carrying it to the laundry room, or vacuuming are great ways to encourage children to help to prepare for the party.

3) Encourage comfortable clothing and avoid new and scratchy clothing.  Family gatherings should be focused on providing fun memories and not on appearance.

4) Practice greetings ahead of time.  My son does not enjoy hugs, so we practice reaching out his hand for a handshake or high five.  Let family and guests know ahead of time that your child shows affection, but in a different way.

5) Consider food allergies and sensitivities.  Bring extra “safe” foods that match what others are eating to be sure children feel included.  For example, if cousins are eating macaroni and cheese, we prepare my son’s gluten free version and bring it along.  Out of respect for the host, talk with her ahead of time and thank her for hospitality.

6) Plan an “out” or an escape plan.  Even a short visit that is successful can create memories that last a lifetime!  Remind yourself that the holidays are about fun and not stress.  Don’t be hard on yourself or your child.

Family Gatherings

1) Utilize relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and meditation.  Social stories can help with anxiety.  Whenever possible, use actual pictures and rehearse as much as you are able.

2) Create a “safe-zone” to which the child can go whenever they feel overwhelmed.  Set a password or sign that your child can use to excuse himself.  Place a bean bag, calming music, a heavy blanket, and favorite hand fidget toy in the area.  Practice ahead of time.

3) Use calming scents such as vanilla during the party.  Essential oils can be calming in scents such as lavender.  Encourage your child to choose scents prior to the event and keep them accessible.

4) Create a letter to family members prior to family gatherings to explain your child’s wonderful progress toward goals and suggestions for conversation topics.  For example,

“Joshua’s had a wonderful year in therapy.  He’s learned how to tie his shoes, take one turn during conversations, and how to write in cursive.  Joshua likes Angry Birds.  Here’s a link to the Angry Birds’ website if you’d like more information.  Please know that even though he’s not looking directly into your eyes, he IS listening to you and loves you!”

5) At mealtime, make sure to serve a preferred food so that children who have feeding difficulties can successfully participate.  Encourage positivity during family mealtime.

6) Rehearse family’s names and match them to their picture.  We practiced family recognition beginning in November.  When the child is familiar with the person’s name, add the family member’s interest such as favorite color or food, occupation, or hobby.

What tips do you have? Share them in the comments below! :)

My Favorite Christmas Traditions At Home

(Disclosure: This post was inspired by a special moment I had with Lucas while eating free popcorn from The Popcorn Factory.)

I am a big fan of traditions. As a mom, there are some traditions that I insist on keeping from my childhood and then others that I have started since having children. I wanted to share some of my favorite ways we celebrate Christmas and the whole holiday season in our home.

Decorating the tree with special ornaments – The tree we use may change but one thing that will always stay the same is the type of ornaments that are on it. I love handmade ornaments made with love by my kids and proudly display them. These ornaments mean the most to me and I love seeing how my children have grown from year to year. I also love dough ornaments that feature our names on them. We had a new one of these every year I was growing up and I think they are so special to have.

Baking cookies – Some years we bake a lot and some we only back a couple types of cookies but this is always a fun time. My favorite cookies to bake during the season are peanut butter balls (which are basically crunchy peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate), peanut butter “kiss” cookies, and sugar cookies. The sugar cookies my mom used to make are my favorite. The dough is rolled into a log, the log rolled in sprinkles, and then the cookies sliced and baked. They were soft and buttery with just the perfect amount of sprinkles.

Eating popcorn in front of the fire – Lucas and I were doing this last night and that’s what inspired this whole post! The Popcorn Factory sent us a big tub of popcorn and as Lucas and I were eating the delicious treat I thought back on how this was a tradition I loved as a kid. We’d always get a popcorn tin (sometimes more than one of them!) filled with 3 or 4 types of popcorn. My favorites are the cheese and caramel. Yum! We don’t have a fireplace in our current home but I’ve found that the “fireplace” app on my computer works perfectly. Turn some holiday music on and you have the perfect way to relax with your family! (BTW- If you want to order from The Popcorn Factory make sure to select “overnight shipping” if you order Sunday or Monday in order for it to arrive on Tuesday in time for Christmas.)

Christmas Eve – Before we go to bed Christmas Eve we get in our Christmas pajamas, sprinkle “Reindeer Food” outside, leave cookies and milk for Santa, and read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. We then tell the kids they need to go right to sleep so Santa can come ;)

Christmas morning – This is the silliest thing but I am very particular about the order of Christmas morning festivities. We come down (still in our pajamas!) to see what Santa left us in our stockings and the one gift he left us, we eat a special Christmas breakfast and then we can open gifts. Not sure how that tradition will work in the future but as of now the kids are still okay with doing it that way :)

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

 

Free Printable Holiday Gift Tags

Check out the newest printable that Paper Coterie is offering on their blog! These cute holiday gift tags come just in time for all the gifts I’m going to be wrapping this next week. Find the link to download and print the tags here. Enjoy!

Chicago’s Favorite Chocolates

(Disclosure: I received a box of chocolates for review but all thoughts are my own.)

You all know I love chocolate. As a Chicagoan, I am lucky to have one of the very best chocolate companies based right here in my area- Fannie May! I can’t remember a Christmas without a box of Fannie May chocolates. My favorites include their pixies and their mint meltaways. I also enjoy their boxes of assorted chocolates.

I’ll tell you a funny story that I am extremely embarrassed to share…. when I was younger (a long time ago) we had a box of assorted chocolates in the fridge. I don’t remember how old I was but I was young enough that I couldn’t just eat as many chocolates as I wanted because they were limited to a dessert item. Well I had my favorites and then flavors I had never tried. I was in the fridge one day when I decided that I wanted to try the other flavors but didn’t want to be selfish and eat the whole piece of chocolate so I took a bite of a few of them and left the other halves in the fridge.

At the time it made sense in my head to share the other half with someone else but, as you can imagine, my dad was not very happy that I had left half-eaten chocolate in the fridge. He probably would have preferred that I just ate the whole piece. Looking back I realize now that a knife would have been a better cutting choice than my teeth. I think about that story every time I have a box of chocolates from Fannie May and it brings back memories of my childhood every time I bite into a piece of chocolate. 

Along with the special memories I have of Fannie May chocolates, I think the chocolate is delicious. I took a look at their website and chose some of the gifts I think *someone* would like if you haven’t bought me them a gift yet ;)

Sea Salt Caramels

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Milk Chocolate Pixies

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Artisan Holiday Bark

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Mint Meltaways

I checked and it’s not too late to place your order for Christmas. There is a 20% off sale and free 2nd day shipping promotion as well. Head on over to their website for full details!

VeggieTales Christmas Printable Crafts

(Disclosure: I am a VeggieTales Mom Blogger and received a copy of their newest movie. All thoughts are my own.)

When it comes to kid’s movies, some of our favorites are from VeggieTales. I love the positive messages that the movies share and the characters are so lovable. VeggieTales newest movie, Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas, does not dissapoint. Check out the trailer for the movie:

The movie is about Larry The Cucumber and reminds people of the true meaning of Christmas. Larry is a Christmas elf at the Spring Valley Mall who just wants to spread joy at the holidays. When he meets a little girl with a big heart whose only Christmas wish is to help a friend in need, “Merry Larry” sets off on adventure that will light up the holidays like never before and show the town of Spring Valley what Christmas is all about – “Christmas shines most bright and true when you give the love God gave to you!”

To go along with the movie here is a fun craft you can make with your kids. Just print, color, cut, and hang!

Here’s another fun craft! Print out the page and have your child press their finger on an ink pad and use the fingerprint to make the lights part of the Christmas lights.

Have a very Veggie Christmas!

Top 10 Stocking Stuffer Ideas For Preschoolers

I’m  excited to be joining in with a great group of bloggers for a special Top Ten Holiday Gift Ideas series. Please join us as we share our favorite books, games, building toys, pretend play toys, and stocking stuffers! Each participating blog will create their own unique list each week for each of the categories so be sure to stop by each of the links at the bottom of this post.

Here are 10 of my favorite stocking stuffer ideas that are not edible:

Art Supplies: crayons, markers, collage materials, little pads of paper, stamps and ink pads, stickers, playdough, art smock

Toiletries: mini bubble bath bottles, fun character toothbrushes, mini tubes of toothpaste

Vehicles: trains, cars, small planes, construction vehicles

Wearable Items: socks, hats, underwear, jewelry, gloves, dress up clothes

Figures: tiny dolls, Super Hero Squad super heroes, small princesses, dinosaurs, farm animals, characters from movies or TV shows

Games: Go Fish card game, character dominoes, Fruitominoes, game for electronic system

Musical Instruments: harmonica, recorder, triangle

Building Toys: lego bricks, wooden blocks, magnetic block sets

Books: any soft cover books that interest your kids, coloring books

Bath Fun: bath toys, bath crayons, bath squirters

Find more great gift ideas in these posts:

Stocking Stuffers for All Ages {Top Ten Holiday Lists} from Something 2 Offer

Top 10 Stocking Stuffers for Boys Ages 3+ from Stir the Wonder

Stocking & Stuffer Ideas for Kids from Powerful Mothering

Top 10 Stocking Stuffers for Preschoolers from Makeovers & Motherhood

Top 10 Stocking Stuffers for Preschoolers from P is for Preschooler

Inexpensive Stocking Stuffers for Preschoolers from Little Bins for Little Hands

DIY Stocking Stuffers Ideas from Creative World of Varya

 

 

 

 

Easy Cinnamon Dough Ornaments

(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by McCormick. All thoughts are my own.)

The boys and I had so much fun making ornaments today. I found a McCormick recipe for a cinnamon dough that only used two ingredients- applesauce and cinnamon. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

I thought the recipe on the McCormick website didn’t seem like a lot of dough so I doubled the applesauce and cinnamon. I found that their recipe would have made plenty of dough for about a dozen ornaments so I’m sharing the recipe as it is on their site.

Ingredients:

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 200°F. Mix applesauce and cinnamon in small bowl until a smooth ball of dough is formed. (You may need to use your hands to incorporate all of the cinnamon.) 
  • Using about 1/4 of the dough at a time, roll dough to 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap. Peel off top sheet of plastic wrap. Cut dough into desired shapes with 2- to 3-inch cookie cutters. Make a hole at top of ornament with drinking straw or skewer. Place ornaments on baking sheet. (Note from me: Make sure it’s a non-stick cookie sheet!)
  • Bake 2 1/2 hours. Cool ornaments on wire rack. (Or, to dry ornaments at room temperature, carefully place them on wire rack. Let stand 1 to 2 days or until thoroughly dry, turning occasionally.).
  • Insert ribbon through holes and tie to hang. Decorate with opaque paint markers, found in arts and crafts stores, if desired.
The boys love seeing their ornaments on their little tree and I loved spending time with them making something we can keep for years to come.

How To Make Perfect Sugar Cookies

With baking season in full-swing I wanted to share these 9 tips from Country Woman magazine to help you make the perfect sugar cookie. I’ll be baking with the boys tomorrow so these tips came just in time!

1.    Don’t Be Too Touchy: Use a light touch when handling the dough. Over-handling will result in tough cookies.

2.    Stay Cool: Refrigerate the dough before rolling for easier handling.

3.    Avoid Sticky Situations: Prevent sticking by lightly dusting with flour both the rolling pin and work surface. Be careful—working     too much extra flour into the dough will make the cookies tough.

4.    Start Small: Roll out a portion of the dough at a time; keep remaining dough in the fridge so it stays easy to work with.

5.    Create An Even Playing Field: Roll from the center to the edge, keeping a uniform thickness. Check thickness with a ruler. Uneven dough means cookies will bake unevenly, and thinner cookies may burn before thicker ones are done.

6.    Get a Clean Cut: Dip your cutter in flour or use nonstick cooking spray to keep dough from sticking to the cookie cutter.

7.    Take Out the Tools: Keep cutouts intact before and after baking by transferring them to and from the baking sheet with a large    metal spatula or pancake turner that supports the entire cutout.

8.    Keep it Simple: Limit designs and colors when decorating. Too many colors and shapes can be overwhelming.

9.    Leave Them Out to Dry: Let decorated cookies dry overnight before packaging them for gift giving or freezing.

15 Christmas Themed Sensory Activities For Kids

We have one more week of school before the boys are out for Christmas break. Both boys get Occupational Therapy in school to help regulate their bodies so if I don’t have any sort of sensory activities planned for their two weeks off things will be really crazy at our house.

Here are 15 of my favorite Christmas themed sensory activities that I’ve found online. Click on the links to get all of the details so you can recreate the activities yourself!

Christmas Sensory Bin from Sow Sprout Play

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Messy Christmas Sensory Play: Demolish A Snowman from Fun At Home With Kids

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Peppermint Scented Homemade Finger Paints from Golden Reflections Blog

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Jolly Jello Sensory Activity from Growing A Jeweled Rose

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Hot Cocoa Sensory Tub

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Christmas Present Pasta Dig from Bath Activities For Kids

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Christmas Slime from Craftulate

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Ten Scents of Christmas Sensory Cards from A Little Learning For Two

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Fingerprint Wreath from 3 Dinosaurs

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Christmas Colored Gel Sensory Bags from The Preschool Toolbox

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Christmas Sensory Bin from Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

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 Candy Cane Foam

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Christmas Sensory Table

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Christmas I Spy Bottle from Play and Learn With Dana

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DIY Holiday Touch & Feel Box from B-Inspired Mama

10 Handprint & Footprint Christmas Crafts For Kids

I think handprint and footprint kid’s crafts are so adorable. Here are 10 of my favorite Christmas ones:

Christmas Tree Footprints from House of Burke

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Reindeer Card with Handprint Antlers from The Craft Train

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Family Handprint Christmas Tree from Mama Smiles

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Footprint Snowman from Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

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Hand and Foot Print Christmas Cards (Tree, Reindeer, Santa) from We Made That

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Snowman Hand Print Christmas Ornament from Glittering Muffins

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Hand Print Angel from My Little 3 and Me

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Handprint Christmas Wreath from NurtureStore

Christmas Pictures {Wordless Wednesday}

A few weeks ago we went to get the boys pictures taken with their cousins. Here are my favorite images:

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Pictures With Santa For Children Who Have Special Needs

Caring Santa is an opportunity for children with special needs and their families to enjoy a photo session with Santa. Extra care has been taken to support the sensory, physical and other developmental needs of children so they can enjoy this wonderful holiday tradition.  To learn more and find a location near you check out the website here.

Giving Tuesday {Giving Back To My Community Thanks To Kohl’s}

(Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. Kohl’s provided a gift card that I used to purchase gifts for others in the community.)

I try to give back to my community and those around the world all year round but I absolutely love the fact that there is one day that is called “Giving Tuesday”. This very special day is tomorrow, December 3rd, this year. What a great feeling to see people blowing up social media with talk of giving after a week of shopping and “getting”. When someone from Kohl’s emailed me and asked if they could send me a gift card to go shopping for others I was really excited. I enjoy working with Kohl’s on a regular basis and love that they give back to the community throughout the year with their Kohl’s Cares program. This was just more proof that I’m blessed to partner with such an amazing company.

Once I received the gift card I wanted to shop online right away because Kohl’s had fabulous deals and they were giving Kohl’s cash back so, like their commercial says, it’s like getting paid to shop! I had a few things in mind that I wanted to do with the money. My kids and I had chosen two “angels” off of the angel tree at Church to buy gifts for. The gifts would go to children who had parents in prison. I also wanted to purchase mittens and gloves for the mitten tree which would keep children and adults warm during the cold winter. With the remaining gift card balance I was going to get toys for a local gift mart. These toys would fill a makeshift store in a neighboring low income town’s school and gave parents the chance to “shop” for toys. Paying just $2 per toy allows parents to keep their dignity while being able to afford gifts for their children and then all proceeds go back into the local school. During my first few years of motherhood I would have been one of these parents so I’m happy to be able to help them.

I started with our angel tree gifts. Each parent in prison had written (or dictated) a note for their child that would be attached on the gift. It was humbling to see their Christmas wishes were so simple- they asked for clothes. The 3 year old wanted blue shirts and Spongebob themed clothes. The 6 year old’s wish was red clothes and Angry Bird themed items.

Gifts for the 3 year old- had a coloring book and crayons for him as well

Gifts for the 6 year old

The Angel Tree ministry is such a wonderful ministry and I’m so happy that we could bless not one, but two, kids this year. These kids will see gifts under the Christmas tree and a note from their parent that can’t be with them and I think it will bring such joy to them on Christmas morning.

I bought two 3-packs of mittens for little kids, a 3-pack of gloves for boys in elementary school, and a pair of gloves for a teenager or woman. Though it’s called a mitten tree I realized that we could have brought hats and scarves as well so I will definitely have to keep that in mind next year.

The mitten tree!

I’m still waiting on the second half of my gifts because I ordered the toys just a couple days ago. I found great deals on Thomas The Tank Engine, Melissa & Doug, Imaginext, and lots more to bring to the gift mart in a couple weeks. With my Kohl’s Cash I plan on buying some warm blankets to bring to a local homeless shelter. I bought a sherpa lined blanket from Kohl’s last month that I love so I think that I might get a few of those for the shelter. Again, a huge thanks to Kohl’s for providing the gift card and sharing the love this holiday season.

I hope that this post and the #GivingTuesday campaign have inspired you to think about new ways that you can give back this year. If you have ideas I’d love to read about them in the comments below!