{frantic christmas}

I feel like I've been away for so long. This last month has been rough, with torn muscles and now the never-ending cold from... well, you know. After over a week with this cold, I finally broke down and got a z-pack. Only after trying every medication that has ever worked for me with no luck. So, this year I'm asking Santa for the ability to breathe through my nose again.

On a happier note, since I'm starting to feel a little better, I decided to salvage what's left of this holiday season! We did put up the Christmas tree and outside lights this year, which is sadly a big step for us. We usually leave the Christmas decor to my parents since we spend the holidays at their house. Granted, half our ornaments are now broken because my daughter think they're toys, but that's okay. At least I caught the ones she hung on the light strands instead of the actual tree.

BUT, today was my favorite holiday prep-day. For the first time, I made Christmas cookies with my kids! We were making them for their teachers, so I got a little upset (unfairly) when they kept eating them. I finally promised them we'd make more when we get to my parents' house, and that they could eat as many of those as they wanted. We made skinny sugar cookies from Dashing Dish - great place for lower calorie treats! (I also recommend the monkey bread. Simple and yum!).

For teacher gifts, we also made chocolate covered coffee beans, and then dipped some candy canes and pretzels sticks in milk chocolate and white chocolate (no fights here since I let the kids eat the leftover chocolate & pretzels). Tomorrow I'll pick up some cute baskets to hold all of this with a MEpad, a CheckME and maybe a ListME, because I think they're fun :) Did I mention there are 3 teachers and one school director?

Now I just have to pack up everything I'll need for a week or so at my parents' house! Come Friday, the extended family descends upon South Texas and the insanity begins. AND, this is one of the special years where Hanukkah (Chanukah?) falls during Christmas and we get to celebrate it! This is because my amazing Aunt Cheryl & cousin Miriam will be leading the celebration. I can't wait for my kids to experience it and spin a dreidel!

So, from our family to yours, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!!

image from here

{ all is calm, all is bright }

My goal was to enjoy the holidays and to simplify, simplify, simplify. I'm glad my plan is working. I've had to let a few things go (a blanket I was going to sew for Henry with basketball fabric, some of the advent activities (which I may do away with all together next year), a few holiday gatherings, saying no thanks to afterschool playdates and keeping the kids home more (baking cookies in the kitchen with me). The simple decorating is finished, the minimal shopping done. I'm exercising, eating well and trying to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. I laid in bed the other night after the kids went to bed and watched Eclipse, ate popcorn and relaxed. I'm getting orders out as quickly as I can but I'm not stressing about it. On busy shipping days (which are more often than not), I'm ordering healthy take-out and that's okay. We eat at the table with the twinkle lights shining and being thankful for the food on the table (home cooked or not). We delivered neighbor gifts this past weekend and teacher gifts on Monday. Stocking stuffers are purchased and tucked away. I'll just have some last minute Santa things to do on Christmas Eve.

What can you let go of to be able to enjoy the holidays a bit more this year?

I'm signing off from this space for a bit to spend as much time with family. Wishing you all a merry + bright holiday season with those you love. xoxo ~ jenny

{ making my lists, checking them twice... }

I am done with all of my Christmas shopping. Don't hate me please.

1. The kids are getting this from Santa. Santa always leaves the kids something to play with together (an indoor toy)- last year (cardboard rocketship) & this year the kids are getting a cardboard playhouse on Christmas morning. Note to all of you...it keeps the kids busy ALL day decorating it with markers, stickers, etc. and its fully recyclable.
The other gifts we do are 4 categories (Want, Need, Read & Wear). We do this in order to limit what the kids get from us - they get too much as it is, especially when factoring in all of the grandparents gifts). I also attempt to find things at second hand shops or that are handmade or are from local stores and to not spend too much.
Samme...
Want - wood vanity for her room (I bought it at an estate sale this summer and have been hiding it since).
Need - new snow pants
Read - a children's bible & this AWESOME book.
Wear - new outfit for school (etsy)
Henry...
Want - scooter (a thrift store find, it is like new but was only $5)
Need - new sneakers (light up sketchers from local store)
Read - basketball book (from local book store)
Wear - NY Giants jacket (that I bought at the thrift store in like new condition for $3 - score!)

2. I got this print for Will. I thought it was fitting for us. We generally try to stick to the principle of "Trips NO Gifts" but I like to get him a little something each year for our home.

3. The kids teachers are getting a giftcard to a local coffee shop/restaurant; LobotoME notepads, jar of homemade granola and an apple ornament.

4. The grandparents are all getting a shutterfly photobook, a framed family photo, a print of Samme's school picture and a box of coal.

5. My brother & I are chipping in to buy my dad a used golf cart (it is a rockin' red); and my mom a gift certificate for a day at the spa. We get each others kids each one small gift but don't exchange gifts with the adults.

6. Neighbors, bus drivers, friends are getting baskets of homemade goodies - bread, granola, jam, etc.

What's on your shopping/making list for the holidays? Are you done? Haven't started yet?

image via sundance

{ on my mind + menu }

1. This song.

2. Love her style.

3. Love this advent calendar. I have had to resist buying it like 10x already.

4. Her workouts really kick my butt in a great way. Trying to schedule at least an hour of exercise a day so I can enjoy all of the Christmas cookies I want (and to keep my sanity)!

5. I'm also scheduling in time each day to do work on our families December Daily album...this month despite all of the holiday happenings. This may be the last year of the "believing" from a certain 6 1/2 year old and I want to document it all... I purchased an adorable pre-made album off of etsy so I have no excuses not to do it.

6. Love everything about this Advent project.

7. Next year I plan on incorporating this into our Thanksgiving tradition.

8. We've been making lots of these reindeer cards.

9. I'm in love with this house/compound.

10. Later this week... my holiday gift lists. Other than a few homemade food items, I'm done. Don't hate ME. I'm trying to wrap up other loose holiday ends (travel plans, babysitters, etc. this week) so that I'm on top of everything and not scrambling around last minute....

Happy Holidays my friends!

{ sanity saving holiday tips }

- KISS....Keep It Simple Stupid. :)
- Have a stash of nice wine to bring to holiday parties.
- Have a stash of extra kids gifts on hand. I like these blank/make your own books with a set of new markers or crayons.
- Buy a large roll of kraft paper, leave it plain, or have the kids decorate it. Add red & white twine, a white label and you are good to go with all of your holiday wrapping.
- Have a stash of LobotoME notepads for hostess, teach & co-worker gifts.
- I make an 8x8 hardcover Shutterfly photo book each year for all of the grandparents. It's their favorite gift always and we get them done all in one shot.
- Have ingredients in the pantry to make a large impromptu batch of veggie chili or lentil soup & cornbread for unexpected company or last minute guests.
- Don't know what to get a hard to buy family member? Buy them Coal. Seriously, its a great program to provide fuel efficient stoves for families in Haiti.
-And remember, its okay to say no during the holidays.
- I keep the Christmas decorations to a minimum. Think Sundance Catalog style. Simple & classic. Fresh evergreen on mantle, a simple tree decorated by the kids with white LED lights, homemade ornaments & vintage silver balls from Will's grandparents, lots of white & red candles throughout the house... About 2 years ago, I purged almost all of the holiday crap we accumulated. Now, I'm down to one bin of ornaments and one of decorations, lights & candles.

Here are some previous years Simple Christmas posts here and here.

What are some of your sanity saving holiday tips?

image via a lovely morning

{ on my mind + menu }

1. Thanksgiving week...so much to be thankful for...our family, our home, our health (which btw, my recent bloodwork (post-cancer quarterly screening) came back and it was AWESOME). Green juice rules.
2. We are going to do some of these & these adorable Thanksgiving projects.
3. Christmas planning...1st up - this year's family photo. Fortunately, we get to spend Thanksgiving with my talented brother in law.
4. Advent calendar list compiled & family activities ready to go.
5. Love this post via Tara at Ink+Wit about quality vs. quantity...an important thing to keep in mind as we go into the holiday season.
6. On the menu... veggie this, an organic turkey, our famous cranberry jello recipe, roasted veggies, big salads with pomegrantes, apples and walnuts and pomegrante mojitos...for thanksgiving. yum.

More soon on sanity saving holiday tips, simple Christmas ways, and more ways to stay healthy + sane during the busy holiday season... In the meantime, happy thanksgiving my friends.

{ simple holidays...revisited + revised }

What I want for this month is simplicity not stress. Letting go of my expectations seems to be the way to make that happen. Gasp, this means I'm not decorating the trees outside with white lights, not doing the kids advent calendar like I usually do (although I have fun family activities written in for most days this month, they just happen to occur at home instead of out and about), not buying anymore gifts but baking some bread instead for friends & family, not stepping foot into a Walmart or other box store the rest of this month, not buying stupid stocking stuffers but filling the kids stockings with fresh fruit & art supplies, volunteering & giving to those who need it the most this holiday, having Sam choose only 2 playdates for winter break, saying NO (gracefully) to pretty much every holiday party we get invited to (this is a hard one for a social person like me) but after having almost 8 straight weeks of company & travel I just want to be home with my sweet little family....

I've got a smaller to do list now than when I started....I hacked about 25 things off of it (things like make homemade organic salt scrubs for family & friends, bake 12 different kinds of cookies, make Gram's Swedish coffee cake and mail to family, etc.! Here is what I'm left with and it seems manageable now...

- Put up tree - done
- Decorate mantle - done
- Freeze huge batch of veggie chili for nights I don't feel like cooking - done * recipe in comments section of this post
- Order Newspaper GC for Jason (done)
- Pick up Spa Shop GC for Mom (done)
- Food Bank donation & Project Merry Christmas with Samme (done)
- Return book (done)
- Send holiday e-card (done)
- Burn CD for M - done
- Make crayons for Jayden with Sam (done)
- Finish wrapping gifts (Next week)
- Bake vegan pumpkin bread (done)
- Bake cookies with Sam & Mom (next weekend)
- Plan Christmas Day Brunch (keep it simple - blueberry coffee cake (make ahead), coffee, mimosas, veggie quiche (make ahead), homemade granola (make ahead) and fresh fruit).
- Finish mailing gifts to remote family (we send grandparents a shutterfly book of photos from the previous year & a framed family pic). (done)
- Get healthy & crafty stocking stuffer items together (check to see what I have on hand first) (done)
- Get gifts together for teachers & neighbors (LobotoME notepads & homemade bread) (done, deliver next week)
- Have items on hand for impromptu drinks with friends (cranberry margaritas, crackers & goat cheese & olives; chips & salsa & guacamole). And did I mention CRANBERRY margaritas? :) (done)
- Go to YOGA.

What are you doing to keep it simple this year or are you running around like a chicken with your head cut off?

quote image via Ink+Wit

{ good for the planet + soul gift ideas }

Here are some of my favorite {not made in China, plastic crap gift ideas}.... I meant to post this before our trip but forgot!


1. Feed Bags (buy a bag and feed a family in Africa).
2. Lovely Ink + Wit Calendar
3. Custom Initial Letterpress Stationary from Bird Dog Press
4. Eco-friendly notepads from LobotoME


5. Hand-stamped Jewelry from Hot Mama Designs
6. Handmade wood toys & teethers from Little Aloutte
7. Simple Song's I Heart Lists letterpress sheets
8. Vegan Tote from Delight.com

{ the season of GIVING }

We have several family traditions during the holidays that have to do with Giving. Here are a few of the things we do if you are looking for ideas...

Operation Christmas Child...We save up our show boxes throughout the year and then in early November fill them with goodies (art supplies, toothbrushes, soap, paper, pencils, etc.) and donate them to this wonderful program.

Food Bank - We have Sam decorate a few large boxes with markers & stickers and then we go to the store to buy food for the Food Bank. She helps us fill up the boxes and comes with us to deliver them to our community food bank.

Project Merry Christmas - We adopt a family through our local Project Merry Christmas program and provide them with a holiday meal, warm clothes and gifts for the kids. Toys for Tots is a similar nationwide program.

Holiday Mail for Heroes - We have Sam help us make holiday cards that the Red Cross will send to soldiers abroad during the holiday season. Note: Cards must be postmarked by 12/7.

Here are some other holiday giving ideas from Real Simple.

What ways do you GIVE to those in need during the holiday season or year round?

{ the gift of clean water }

I found out about this program via this blog and think it is an amazing idea and wanted to share with you what I WILL be buying today. Water. Clean Water.

Today is the day where bloggers everywhere are joining together in a campaign to
buy water for christmas.

1.1 billion people on our planet lack access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in six of us.
4500 mothers bury their children EVERY DAY due to contaminated water.
The lack of access to clean water is the leading cause of death in underdeveloped nations.
and it doesn't have to be.

We can all spare $10 for this important cause....can't WE? What if we give the gift of clean water for Christmas gifts to each other this year? As we start the madness of the holiday season here, let us think about people there. Do we need more THINGS or do they need clean water?

Today...November 13...lets buy clean water. Clean life saving water.

$10 will provide one person in Africa clean water for 10 years.
100% of proceeds go directly to clean water solutions in West Africa.

And in case that hasn't inspired you enough check out this mother of 6's journey to Africa in support of this program here.

{ a simple Christmas }

On average, it takes 6 months for families to pay off holiday bills...ouch. The mode of our culture is to consume and shop throughout the year. During the holiday season people feel they have to shop even MORE than normal. But it doesn't have to be that way. This year can be different. You don't have to spend a lot to have a meaningful celebration. Instead of shopping like crazy, here are some ways to simplify your holidays. { Here is my original post on this topic and here is a great article from the Seattle Times about moms taking back the holidays by taking on consumerism. }

1) Establish or honor family traditions.

2) Sit down with a calendar and make a list of things everyone in the family would like to do over the holidays. I like to build these things into our advent activity calendar.

3) Schedule in some "helping other" activities...donating food at the food bank, donating blankets to the homeless shelter, adopting a family for Christmas, etc. Involve your kids in choosing and taking part in these acts of giving. For example, I have Sam decorate paper bags that we then fill with food for the food bank, go grocery shopping and deliver them together.

4) Celebrate the Winter Solstice on December 21st. We always do a fancy dinner at home with sitting outside looking at the starts & drinking hot chocolate.

5) Light a special candle each night during the month of December and take turns reading stories, poems or saying things you are each grateful for. We generally try to incorporate this into our evening dinners together.

6) Make Christmas Day about spending time with family & friends and not about the gifts. We do this by having a simple bunch- Swedish coffee cake (my Gram's recipe), bagels & cream cheese, egg casseroll (make ahead of time)...And then we all don our snowshoes and go snowshoeing together.

Last year we pared down the gifts for the kids into 6 gift giving categories...But this year we are doing advent calendar activities and only 3 gifts. Note: Sam thinks Santa leaves ONE gift for each child (lots of kids to give things to...only one per child reasoning). We have again asked all of the grandparents to go easy on the gift giving (1-2 gifts per child) or donations to the kids college funds. So for Samme this translates into:

1 Want from Santa: A piano. I found a great (and super cheap) piano at the thrift store a few weeks ago. Score! Sam has wanted a piano forever....

1 Need: Winter gear - she outgrew last years snow boots.

1 Read: A new book.

Henry gets...

1 Want from Santa: An Ikea Trainset

1 Need: New PJ's

1 Read: A new book.

I've also created a year in review photo book from Shutterfly for all of the grandparents and birthparents. This is all our parents/grandparents are getting {oh and some custom (painted by Samme) artwork}.

Teachers are getting homemade bread and LobotoME notepads. Neighbors are getting bread or cookies. Hostess gifts will be wine & LobotoME notepads.

We are putting up our lovely reusable tree after Thanksgiving (I prefer the term reusable to fake...as much fun it would be to tromp into the woods and cut down a tree I can't bring myself to do it)...the peace on the front door, a live tree with white lights on the front porch (that we'll plant in the spring) and our stockings hung by the chimney. That's it. The rest of the holiday decor went to the thrift store last year.

The holidays are about spending time together. Peacefully. Not rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off.

What are you doing to keep it simple this year?

{ simple christmas wrap-up }

So, how did our simple Christmas go you ask? Well, better than last year but we still have work to do (especially with the grandparents)...while we asked grandparents to limit gifts to one per child, and kindly suggested donations to their college funds...multiple gifts arrived via UPS & Fed EX in the weeks leading up to Christmas and the kids college funds remain at almost ZERO $.

While, we had a goal to spend under $500...we ended up spending close to $700 when all was said and done...which granted is a lot less than last year, but still room for improvement. For all of the grandparents we gave these custom shutterfly books - see below - (but at $30 a pop and with 10 sets of grandparents and birthparents to send them too, that added up right there)...But it was a well received gift and we will do it again next year. The kids got their gifts in the pre-set categories (and I was really good about sticking to it except for a ski helmet for Sam that I forgot she needed and a bebe pod seat for Henry that I got a great deal on, both on ebay). But an additional $100 that I hadn't accounted for in early December. We also spent $100 on Nutcracker tickets (not necessary but Sam loved it!)

With our siblings - Will's brother & wife were on the same plan as us - so we gave their daughter a huge bin of great hand me down clothes and they gave us some great burned CD mixes and Todd took our family photo. My brother & his wife wanted to exchange gifts (I tried hard to discourage it but they weren't budging)...so we set a limit of $20 per person... So we gave them books and framed pics of the kids and gave their daughter a huge bin of hand me down clothes and a new pair of pj's and a new book.

We still (despite our pleas and my not so subtle hints) got plastic toys from China...I hate them (and I'm going to return them this week).

I gave Sam's teachers (all 10 of them at the school) LobotoME notepads and homemade cards by Sam and our neighbors homemade bread. Will & I didn't exchange gifts this year instead reminding each other of our {gifts no trips} plan! We didn't give gifts to friends this year, instead made an effort to spend time with all of them this month (we had many over for a post holiday chili & cornbread party post-skiing).

I've also limited our holiday decor to our big tree, one tub of ornaments and one tub of misc. greenery and lights. Out with all of the rest of it.

One of our biggest successes of the season was that we spent a lot of time practicing and teaching Sam {generosity} - we packed up her old clothes and toys and donated them to families in need in the community. We packed up boxes of food and paper goods to donate to the Food Bank. We gathered blankets and jackets to drop off at the Homeless Shelter. We adopted several kids through the Project Merry Christmas Program and bought them new coats, toys and books. And we gave money to the Salvation Army Bell Ringers.

Next years plans...Trying this recycled Christmas idea...I like it a lot. Giving stuff you already have...why not??! We all have stuff we can share with one another! And I am going to buy next year's winter gear this year on sale. I can't believe I paid full pop for snowsuits for the kids. I am also going to create a family wish list on wishpot so that all of the rebellious family members who simply must enjoy the shopping madness can get us something we need/want.

How did your simple Christmas plans go?

{ what we've been up to lately... }

a whole lot of playing, sleeping and relaxing... hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your family & friends!

{ less than 2 days to go }

photo: from Crazy Sexy Cancer Blog

...and I just spent an hour bookmarking these great ideas for next Christmas. My husband gently suggested that perhaps I should focus on THIS year first!

But some ideas too good not to share...

Peace Wreath for the Adopt a Minefield program.

A great idea for neighbor gifts from Dandee.

Another great idea for satchels of clementines for neighbors from Marta Writes.

This holiday cookie party followed by a visit to the nursing home via Mostly Mod.

A December daily gratitude journal.

{ happy holidays }

Here is our digital holiday card...after sending out Henry's birth announcements I couldn't muster up the energy or enthusiasm to mail out holiday cards this year!

ps. sorry for being MIA on the blog recently - i've been trying to spend as much time (both quantity & quality) with the family this holiday season...

{ yum-ME }

Thinking about what Christmas cookies to whip up this holiday season...

Thinking these, these, these and these. What are you baking?

{ make your own gifts }

Love this compilation of homemade gift ideas via Hallmark Magazine.

{ simple, green christmas }

Love the eco-friendly Christmas ideas from the December issue of Body & Soul Magazine...one of them is to make your own ornaments instead of buying them...we are going to make these dough ornaments this weekend.

Dough Tree Ornaments

1. In bowl, mix 2 cups flour, 2 cups salt, and 1 cup water.

2. Stir, and then knead into a ball.

3. Roll out dough to a 1/4-inch thickness.

4. Cut into shapes using cookie cutters, and poke a hole through the tops with a pencil.

5. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes or until hard.

6. Loop a ribbon through hole and tie a knot.

{ simple, modern, organic christmas }

These beautiful images of a home in Denmark via The City Sage are what I aspire to...simple, clean, modern, eco-friendly.

{ the spirit of things }

I recently discovered this delightful blog {Marta Writes} and am very inspired by this recent post. In particular, I love this paragraph...

"...am looking forward to being together and running from place to place, bundling up the baby, sipping hot cocoa, flipping through books at a used bookshop, going on wilderness hikes, and taking a good break from regular life. staying up late, watching movies and wearing fleece pajamas."

oh, and this...
"...am looking forward to feeling the real joy of christmas this year. am hoping to truly get into the spirit of things.}"

via Marta Writes

I too am looking forward to the month of December. We are keeping it simple and fun and I am really looking forward to being on the computer less and being in the kitchen more. Being in the moment more and rushing around less. Doing only the things we want to do and saying no to the rest. I've got my plan and I'm sticking to it.