Do the holidays find you festive ... or frazzled? Stop the stress with helpful articles, holiday get-organized plans, printable pages, recipes and crafts.
Recently, I eavesdropped on an online discussion about teaching children to give.
The original writer was a concerned, conscientious parent of a preschooler. This father shared his plan to teach his daughter about holiday giving. They would, he wrote, sort through the child's toys and set aside several toys "to give to needy children."
An admirable effort, I thought--until he set forth the rest. He hoped to locate a charitable agency that would permit his daughter to hand her toys directly to the child who would receive them. This way, he felt, his child would learn what giving meant in a direct and unambiguous manner.
I stared at the screen and asked "What is wrong with this picture?" Read More >>
Holidays ahead! About this time of year, it's a good idea to contemplate the toy situation in your child's room. Adding Santa's bounty to overstuffed kids' rooms is a recipe for January clutter disaster.
Clear the decks and cut kid clutter with a pre-holiday toy clear-out!
It's a fact of modern life. Children's playthings have exploded in number, size, and complexity, while children's storage options have remained static. Just try storing a Happy Meal collection in the average toy box! Even the best-organized kid's rooms can easily drown in today's toy avalanche. Read More >>
Ready to share Yuletide greetings ... with a clever twist? This "We Whisk You A Merry Kissmas" stocking stuffer is a sweet surprise for the chocolate lover in your life!
A homemade Christmas gift, a "Kissmas Whisk" is easy enough for children to make and give--and with ingredients from the dollar store, it's inexpensive to make.
Makes a great teacher gift, stocking stuffer or office Secret Santa present. Read More >>
Santa's coming ... will there be room to store new toys?
Adding Santa's bounty to overstuffed kids' rooms is a recipe for January clutter disaster--and don't even try to tell this Nana to scale back on presents for the grandchildren. Bah, humbug!
About this time of year, it's a good idea to contemplate the toy situation in your child's room.
It's a fact of modern life. Children's playthings have exploded in number, size, and complexity, while children's storage options have remained static. Read More >>
"Tradition" is a powerful force that sometimes pulls an unsuspecting family along in its wake. Do your holiday traditions serve your family, your values and your spiritual beliefs--or are you running a tired and joyless circle each holiday season in the name of tradition?
To cut stress during the season, don't wait to give your family's holiday traditions a stiff scrutiny.
Give some thought to your family's holiday traditions well before the season is full upon you. Try these ideas to simplify your family's traditions--and deepen the season's joys! Read More >>
Interested in making layered baking mixes in a jar?
While pretty, these gift mix recipes can leave people asking lots of questions.
How do you get all the ingredients into the jar? How do you make sure the finished product tastes as good as it looks? How far ahead can you make these gifts?
You've got questions? We've got answers! Try these tips for successful Mason jar gifts. Read More >>
Celebrate! Week sees us into the full swing of the holiday season, prepared (or nearly so) for a great holiday with family and friends.
During Celebrate! Week, we complete gift shopping, mail Christmas cards, plan parties and put the finishing touches on holiday decorations. During this phase of the Countdown, we also gather information--memories, traditions, debriefing--that will guide our preparations for next year.
Ready to celebrate? Let's get organized! Read More >>