Wednesday, December 28, 2016

10 THINGS TO REMEMBER FOR CHRISTMAS NEXT YEAR

I can hardly believe Christmas is over already.  It seems like just yesterday that it was Halloween and here we are putting away our Christmas decorations and getting ready for a new year.

Life Lately 1

Here are ten things I want to remember for Christmas next year:

1 – Start shopping early.  Will someone remind me to start shopping early next year?  I would love to be one of those people who is totally on the ball and done before Thanksgiving and not shopping two weeks before Christmas.

2- Have Minted address our Christmas cards.  Did you know if you buy your Christmas cards from Minted they will address your Christmas cards free of charge? (true as of this writing)  It’s pretty awesome and after I ruined more envelopes than I care to admit, I decided I’d go ahead and let Minted take care of this task for me next year; assuming they still offer this service.  I’ve already uploaded our Christmas card list to my account so all that I need to do next fall is update new addresses or make any additions and deletions.

3- Elf on the Shelf.  We bought an Elf on the Shelf two years ago and our kids were not into it at all, or quite possibly they were just too young.  We were also horrible at moving him.  He stayed in the same place most of the time and we didn’t even get him out this year.  I’m sure our kids will love having the elf visit now that they are older, but it also means we need to up our elf game.  I should probably start planning his 30 day visit now for next year.  I’d love for you to share your favorite elf on the shelf ideas in the comments.  If you see me pinning Elf on the Shelf ideas year round, you know why.

4- The Polar Express.  We’ve taken the kids to The Polar Express the last two years and it’s easily one of my favorite holiday events.  If you ever get the chance to go, I highly recommend it.  It’s so magical for kids and such a fun family experience.  Book your tickets early, like over the summer early, because it always sells out.

5- Plan family pajamas.  See number 4.  Yup, we will be in matching pajamas next year.  I debated too long this year and won’t make that mistake again next year.

6- Santa gift wrap, tags, etc.  Gone are the days when I can cruise the aisles of Target picking up a roll or two of gift wrap with the kids in tow.  I made that mistake this year and didn’t realize that they might (ok, totally would) recognize the paper and had to go back solo for more paper for Santa gifts.  As I was wrapping gifts, it dawned on me that I need to have different tags too next year.

7- Make a gingerbread house or two. Okay, maybe a whole village. On a whim I picked up a gingerbread house kit at Target a couple of weeks before Christmas and Dylan had so much fun decorating it with me.  Lex was’t really into it because she had to be patient while the house was constructed.  Next year I want to remember to pick up a couple of kits because I think by then she will be all about decorating one too and build the houses after the kids go to sleep so they are ready for decorating the next day.

8- Bake more cookies and treats with the kids.  They both really like cutting out cookies and decorating them.  Next year we will probably make at least two kinds of cookies, some candy and another treat or two.  I love baking with them. Baking with my mom are some of my favorite childhood memories, especially around the holidays.

9- Decorate early.  Since Lex’s Birthday is the first week in December I always thought I wanted to wait to decorate for Christmas after her birthday but the kids are so excited for all things Christmas that I think we will decorate early next year.

10- Decorate the kids rooms for Christmas.  See number 9.  They’ve both tried claiming decorations for their room next year and Dylan has a request in for his own Christmas tree so I think brining a few decorations, bedding and maybe that tree he’s after into their rooms next year will be on the agenda.

Do you have anything you want to remember to do next Christmas?

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: DAY TWELVE

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Yay!  We finally made it to day twelve of the 12 days of Christmas.  This series took on a life of it’s own; I didn’t initially intend for it to be so heavily focused on the little lady, but there were just so many cute girl things to share!12 days of christmas: day 12dress | tights | boots

I am so excited to share this final look with you today.  It’s another one from Childhoods Clothing, you might remember them from the coziest winter nights sets we shared on day nine.  This green tree print is ah-mazing.  I love both the ribbon dress and bloomers for Lex.  What I love even more is that Dylan can coordinate in the matching sweatshirt.  Lex loves matching Dylan even more than I love matching them.  Which, let’s be honest is usually just pajamas.  I love how Childhoods Clothing offers a number of pieces in the same print and coordinating solids so you can mix and match outfits or coordinate your children without having them in exactly the same pieces.

This collection released today and is sure to be a favorite all winter long.

Monday, December 12, 2016

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: DAY ELEVEN

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Hi friends, happy Monday.  I hope you had a nice weekend.  We’re almost done with the 12 days of Christmas, I hope you’ve enjoyed these looks and found something you love as much as we do.  I’m back today with day eleven and Wednesday will be sharing our final day, day twelve.12 days of christmas: day 11bow | dress | boots

Day eleven is the perfect look for a more traditional holiday get together, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  Since Christmas is on Sunday this year, this would be the most darling church outfit.  I went back to our favorite, Peek Kids and this green lace dress doesn’t disappoint.  I paired it with a perfectly festive holiday bow and contrasted the feminine lace with some boots.  You can easily swap the boots for a more feminine shoe for church.

Friday, December 9, 2016

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: DAY TEN

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase from the site, I will earn a small commission from the sale.12 days of christmas: day 10top | pants | bows | slippers

Over the summer I was introduced to the cutest handmade shop, June-Park and have been in love ever since.  She has a number of adorable pieces in her shop: the cutest bloomers, sweats, dresses, bows but my favorite of all are her peplum tops.  We have a couple of her sleeveless tops and once it cooled down I knew we needed to add a long sleeve top or two to Lexi’s wardrobe.  Katie uses the softest fabric so Lex loves wearing it and I love how cute she looks.  We always get complements when she’s wearing her June-Park tops around town.

Lex has been wearing her red top all month long so when I decided to do the 12 Days of Christmas I knew I needed to include it.  We usually wear it with skinny jeans and boots or sneakers but when I was putting this together, it just seemed right to make it a super cozy look perfect for all of the photo ops on Christmas morning.  I know I would love to look back and see tons of pictures of Lex opening presents in this cute outfit.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: DAY NINE

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Welcome back to day nine of the 12 days of Christmas.  Lex seems to be doing better and I finally got our Christmas cards ordered, which feels like such an accomplishment this year.  I had the hardest time selecting our card, but am really happy with how it turned out.

Today is all about being cozy and enjoying those winter nights as a family; which is perfect timing since these cute winter night sets from one of our favorite brands were just released.12 days of christmas: day 9winter nights sets

Can’t you just imagine your little one cuddled up watching your favorite holiday movie as a family or reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas while drinking hot cocoa?  Since they are unisex, I love that my kids can twin while being oh so cozy and that Lex can wear Dylan’s as a hand me down in a couple of years.

If  you need to catch up, you can find the previous days here:

day one | day two | day three | day four | day five | day six | day seven | day eight