Holiday

Let’s Stay in for Valentine’s Day Let’s face it, we are living in a very face-paced world. With that everyday hustle and bustle, we all need to outsource as much as can. Work, chores, tasks, dishes, laundry all pile up faster than you can even create a plan to reduce the load. So as Valentine’s Day approaches, it goes without saying that you now are faced with another task on the “to-do” list. Add this to the constant fluctuation of COVID rates, and what is one to do. Let’s just STAY HOME! There are several ways to make this Valentine’s Day memorable without the risk of large crowds. Here are my top five Valentine’s Day at home Iideas: Hire a Private Chef ...

The holiday season is in full swing and who doesn't love a gingerbread decorating party? I know ... the mom who has to plan, host and clean up! In addition to the added tasks this season will bring, hosting a gingerbread party may be the last thing on your mind. Gingerbread decorating happens to be one of my favorite traditions, so this year I allowed my daughters to invite friends over to join in the fun. Below are a few details to help with hosting a very simple gingerbread decorating party. The Gingerbread If the word gingerbread house makes you cringe, I have just the trick for you. Hot glue is a game-changer for assembling gingerbread homes. Have you ever spent...

Every year during the holiday season, families enjoy their own traditions. When you become a parent, you can’t help but think back to your childhood holiday memories. If you’re me, you assess which activities were fun, which memories were amazing, and which traditions could be cut. I am a daughter of the ultimate stay-at-home-mother (SAHM), so I was blessed with a lot of fun, creative memories to choose from. When my brothers and I visited Santa, we were wearing matching homemade puffer paint Christmas sweatshirts. At the Christmas Eve candlelight service, my brothers were trying (not) to light each other on fire with their candles. In the blur of Christmas cookies and Christmas plays, one tradition stood out. It...

A few years ago my husband’s family decided to forgo the adult gift card exchange, the Secret Santa and the white elephant and instead decided to do a homemade gift exchange. (Don’t worry the younger kids/great grandchildren still got their regular gifts.) There were a few rules: Each family unit made a gift for the other family units. Grandparents, Aunts/Uncles, Cousins, Siblings and Parents all included. The cost was to stay between $2-$3 per item. The results were fun, entertaining and delicious!  The majority of the items were consumables. I liked this, as it was something that could be used and enjoyed, and not take up too much space in your house. Most gifts were packaged in mason jars, or...

In my family, the holidays are steeped in tradition. Every year, we set up my husband’s porcelain Christmas village that he got as a child (but NOT, thank goodness, the Nutcrackers) The tree MUST be up no later than the day after Thanksgiving. And, though we paused it during Covid, the annual trip to New Orleans for Celebration in the Oaks is a must. For the past fourteen years my husband and I have exchanged ornaments that represent something about that year, a tradition we now share with our kids, who also eat their Christmas morning cookies, just like I did as a child. And, it just wouldn't be Christmas Day without milk punch and my grandmother's spinach. No question. I love...