Merry Christmas

Today I'm so thankful for a warm roof over my head and the beautiful people inside of it.

Elf on the Shelf Time!

It's Elf on the Shelf time and we get really into it.  I have an entire page of ideas devoted to it, which you can check out here.

Here's what our Elf Binky has been up to so far.

Holiday Love

There's really nothing like the holidays.  We celebrate all month long at my house because we celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas.  I love filling our home with delicious smells and the laughter or screaming resulting from insane projects.  Don't you???

Check out my Elf on the Shelf page for some creative Elf ideas.

Every year I make homemade cinnamon buns for Christmas morning.  Every year I regret it.  

Latke fail!

Choco PB win

I'm fairly certain she is letting her lick the bowl.

Snowman Pizza

Thanksgiving Ideas

There are no instructions for the Thanksgiving ideas shared below other than "wing it" and "have fun." Happy Thanksgiving!

Play Dough Table Card Holders

Turkey Appetizer

Pre Gaming

My Favorite Etsy Purchases Part 1

I've been a huge fan of Etsy since it's infancy.  Not only do I have my own shop there, I love finding treasures of my own to purchase.  

KITCHEN KNOBS 

PERSONALIZED BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT PILLOWS 

HOME PLATE SIGN - For the baseball enthusiast.  

PERSONALIZED BIRTHDAY T-SHIRTS

DISNEY MOUSE EARS

GREETING CARDS

CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

JEWELRY

BABY GIFTS

ROOM DECOR

ADORABLE TRINKETS

NERDY FASHION

Disney World on a Budget

We spent a week in Disney World at the end of August and it was epic and awesome.   It's just a magical place to be happy with your family.  Being a planner by nature, I spent a lot of ways researching how to make an expensive vacation more affordable.  Voila my tips.

1) GROCERY DELIVERY.  Food is ridiculously expensive at Disney World, so if you have groceries delivered to your hotel room, you can easily eat breakfast and lunch with your groceries.  I use Amazon and Garden Grocer to stock the mini fridge with fruits, veggies, DRINKS, hummus, yogurt, milk, you get the picture.  Taking snacks and drinks with you to the parks, eating breakfast and lunch on the go or in your room, saves you money and frees up money for a nice dinner out. Furthermore, small kids just don't have the stamina for multiple meals out, so storing it for dinner after a long day of touring makes sense.   

2) RENT VACATION CLUB POINTS.  Staying in the Magic Kingdom on the monorail was a top priority for us having two small children.  However, this can be an extremely pricey proposition.  I worked with David's Vacation Rentals to actually rent Disney Vacation Club points.  The beauty of this is you get a huge discount on a great, huge room.  You pay even less if you visit during a less busy time of year.  The only downside to this is you don't get mousekeeping like you would in a traditional hotel room, so you have to put a little extra effort into staying tidy during the duration of your trip.

3) SKIP THE PARK HOPPER.  Not only will this save money, but if you have small children, park hopping is a logistical nightmare.  Taking in one park a day is a lot more manageable for your wallet and attitude!

4) BRING SOUVENIRS WITH YOU.  I used Zulily to purchase souvenirs to take with us on our trip.  I even bought some of those light-up wands from Amazon for a quarter of the price, and those were such a hit!  Our kids knew that if they followed Tinkerbell's rules all day, she would leave them a small present at the hotel at the end of the day.  At the end of the trip, they each got to pick one gift at the souvenir shop.  

Take me back!!!

Thankful Wall

This is a super simple way to get your family thankful on Thanksgiving.  Set up a thankful wall close to your thanksgiving table.  Each person grabs a heart and lists what they are most grateful for this year.  Sarcasm optional.

Happy Halloween!

Check out the recipe for the toddler muffins below.  Add a googly eye for some Halloween spookiness!

I gave birth to them, which means I get all their Reeses.  

Veggie Spice Muffins - Amended from Foodlet's Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups roasted and mashed sweet potatoes (about 2 large sweet potatoes) - I save a step and just add about 4 of those baby food pouches.  I typically use the ones with sweeter vegetables like carrot/sweet potato blends.  
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup wheat germ
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare the pan by greasing with butter or oil, then sprinkling lightly with flour. Or use muffin liners.

Using a handheld beater or standing mixer, beat wet ingredients together until frothy: eggs, sweet potato, oil, apple sauce and vanilla. Add sugar and beat again. Put a sifter over the mixing bowl then add the flour, wheat germ, spices, baking powder, salt and soda. Stir to break up clumps but don’t over-mix. When just incorporated pour into muffin pan, filling each cup almost to the top.

I usually get the kids involved here and we add sprinkles or something fun to bake into the muffins.  

Baking times:

• Mini muffins: 10-12 minutes
• Medium and regular-size muffins: 20-25 minutes

Test with toothpick; if it comes out clean they are ready. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan..

Favorite Rug in the House

This post is a little random, but here is my absolute favorite rug in my house.  I had to buy a lot of them on a budget when we moved into our house.  This one just makes me happy.  It's different colors depending on the light coming in, and it's an optical illusion on the eyes - perfect for dirt, and crumbs, and a messy/beautiful life!

It's called the Nourison Graphic Illusions Grey Antique Damask Pattern Rug (5'3 x 7'5) and you can buy it on Overstock.

Happy 5th Birthday!

Today my little girl is 5!!!  

First Birthday Time Capsule Instructions

I am now offering first birthday time capsule instructions - in printable or printed format at my Etsy Shop.  As always everything is customizable to best fit your party vision!