Holiday

I LOVE CHRISTMAS! The holiday hustle and bustle, the general good will of people everywhere, and the twinkle of holiday lights gets me giddy from about Halloween on. I (being an overly organized planner) begin thinking about holiday plans around Labor Day and love to make the holiday season last as long as possible! I was raised to fully believe in the "magic" of Christmas. Even before my children were born, my husband and I fully celebrated the holiday season. Now that I'm a mother, I want my children to know the magic of the holiday season just as I did when I was younger. My mother loves Christmas, my grandmother loved Christmas, and now I hope to raise...

I used to love the holidays.  Thanksgiving and Christmas were my annual highlights.  I relished the decorations, the music, the food, and the overall jolly spirit.  That laid-back attitude of enjoyment has subsided in recent years and has become overshadowed by stress, panic, disappointment, and comparison.  Now when I think about the impending holiday, a growing dread comes over me.  I obsess over gift-giving.  I worry about family expectations.  I procrastinate and then live on edge until Christmas is over.  This is not okay.  Baby Jesus did not intend this for me on His birthday.  I long for a Christmas that is beautiful and low key and fulfilling.  I want laughter and smiles not tears and overwhelmed sighs. The last...

Here is a simple, all-natural way to dye your eggs this Easter! And it can be done with things you already have around the house. Start a new, beautiful tradition as you follow these steps: 1. Start with a dozen of your sister-in-law's fabulous "home-grown" eggs. (Well, at least my sister-in-law's. I'm lucky.) Aren't they pretty? If you don't have a family member who raises chickens, you can most certainly get a dozen eggs at the grocery store. 2. Take out a pile of onion peels from standard, yellow onions. Just save the skins of the onions you cook with (like I do) or go to a grocery store and ask if you can clean out their onion bins. They'll be...

The morning of my son’s Christmas program at daycare, I found myself catching vomit with my bare hands. I quickly realized that even though he had been practicing “Jingle Bells” (very loudly) all week long, he would not be able to sing it with his class. And the thought of this made me sad—almost to the verge of tears sad. I felt silly for getting so worked up over something that happens yearly and knew that he would be up on stage next year. But it really got me down. I felt like I was missing one of those milestones that I expect to sit back and laugh at how cute he is and how big he's gotten. So...

Ahhhh the new year!  Theres so much to look forward to...a whole brand spankin' new year to make yours.  Most look forward to the fresh start January 1st brings in, and I'll go ahead and put it out there, who doesn't?!?!  The thought of a fresh start, getting healthy, spending less can be quite exciting for anyone!  While I too love starting off my new year eating cleaner and getting in a few more walks around the block, there's quite a bit more I look forward to as my family rings in the new year. I find that my goals for any new year are heavily influenced by the three or four months preceding January 1st.  Every year, September all...