Let's Be Honest Mamas || Holiday Edition

s i m p l i f i e d   h o l i d a y s

Today, I am joining a group of amazing bloggers for our Let's Be Honest Mamas series and this month we are talking all about the holidays. My friend Kacie from Elements of Ellis (find her blog here + IG here) puts these group posts together once a month. I think it's really fun to read other mama's opinions and ideas on subjects we all talk so much about. I linked everybody else participating this month at the bottom of this post so be sure to visit their blogs!

Christmas always looks a bit different for us because we are a military family, usually stationed in a different state from our families. We try our best to create happy memories for our little family while still trying to balance traveling and spending time with extended family without too much financial hardship. We learned what works best for us during this season of life. 

+ How do you make the holidays less hectic around your home?

I am a planner, so I get stressed when things aren't planned. I start setting money aside ahead of time, usually around August/September so the holidays aren't as financially stressful for us. We keep gifts and meals simple and don't commit to too many parties/ gatherings. 

+ In a season inundated with receiving, how do you teach your kids about giving?

Since Eloise is so young still, we decided to start small and keep it simple. Around thanksgiving this year we made muddy buddies together and then handed them out to our neighbors, mailman, garbage men and post office. I explained what it means to thank people in our lives that maybe don't get recognized. As she gets older and can understand more, I'm sure this will change. I would love to volunteer at a shelter or food bank as a family, or sponsor a local family's Christmas dinner. 

 + In order to enjoy the holidays, it's important to be thoughtful with your celebrations and only do the things that make you happy. Are there traditions you've said “no” to? How did you make that change/tell your friends and family “no” is a way that didn't upset them? 

This one is tough for me because as a military family, we are rarely stationed near our families. Traveling gets expensive, so we decided to travel every other year around Christmas. Before Eloise, on our "off" years from families in WA, Nick and I spent Christmas exploring local places instead of giving gifts to each other. We went to New York City for Christmas one year, and Catalina Island, CA another year and it was so much fun having this time together, just us two. But after Eloise was born we decided to always give her Christmas in her own home. SO this year, we are driving from CA to WA with our trailer and are staying for a little over a week to celebrate early with our families and then we will be home in time for christmas at our own house. 

 + It's easy to overspend this season. Share your tips for limiting the amount you spend on gifts. (example; making gifts, the 4 gift rule, etc.) 

• Right now we don't follow a rule, but we follow our set budget. I would love to start following the 4 gift rule of "want, need, wear, read" as Eloise gets older, and then have her stocking and one gift from Santa. I've talked a little about our minimalist views, specifically Eloise's toys, so we always create an amazon wishlist for her of mostly books and toys we know she would love. We try to limit battery powered toys and encourage imaginative play, but that's a whole separate blog post I could write. We also set up a college fund when she was born and love when people put money into that for the holidays instead of gifts.

+ Preparing meals for the family can be stressful. Do you have a simple meal you prepare ahead of time to help lessen the stress?

 We always have cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning and I usually prepare them the night before. We keep dinner simple and do steaks and potatoes or baked potato soup. Comfort food + Christmas cookies all the way.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic in the comments here or over on IG!


Bloggers: Kacie Ellis elementsofellis.com // Amber Hill amberlately.com // Kymberly Janelle lifewithkymberlyjanelle.com // Stephanie Pollock stephpollock.com // Emily Lindsey happilylindsey.com //  // Carla Thompson curiousnatalia.com

Fall Adventures || wunderkin co feature

We've been locked up inside all summer and I've been itching to get us out now that it's cooling down. We've been taking short trips to Indian Cove,  a camping area outside of Joshua Tree National Park, a couple times a week and Eloise loves it. She will now request to "go play on rocks." :) This luxury of driving 10 minutes to a national park is something that we will really miss when we move.

Fall Capsule Wardrobe

f a l l   c a p s u l e

"the best way to enjoy your favorite things everyday is to only own your favorite things"

-- by be more with less

Fall & Winter are my favorite seasons and we spend a lot of time out of the house from September- March so I decided to invest more in these seasons than I did for spring/summer. I love layering and pairing quality pieces with other items in my closet to make different outfits. Most of these pieces will transition into my spring/summer for next year and will hopefully last for years to come.

An example of a quality basic piece that pairs well with SO many items in my closet is this t-shirt dress from Amae Co. I quickly paired it with a few things and I know I could make more outfits if I spent more time looking. Make sure your expensive items work well with the rest of your closet. I changed my mindset through this capsule wardrobe project to look at my closet as a whole, and fill the missing spaces. Everything works together. I used to make the mistake in buying an item because I loved how it looked, but once I got it in my closet I realized I could only wear it with 1-2 things. Invest in pieces that you can make more than 4 outfits from; it's worth it.

I'm wearing Free People Booties-- these are over 2 years old and not on their website anymore. But the style is "braeburn" incase you wanted to track them down :)

Let's be Honest Mamas: Postpartum

Today, I am joining a group of amazing bloggers for our Let's Be Honest Mamas series (you can check out our last post here) and this week is all about postpartum. My friend Kacie from Elements of Ellis (find her blog here + IG here) puts these group posts together once a month. I think it's really fun to read other mama's opinions on subjects we all talk so much about. I linked everybody else participating at the bottom of this post so be sure to check them all out! 

Eloise is now two, so I'm sure my answers would be a little different if we had another baby. I would love if you guys left me some of your answers in the comments so I can come back to this post later! 

My dress: AMAE CO

What's Inside | Whirlwind Diaper Bag Feature

Hi friends! I have been neglecting my blog this summer and it's honestly been a much needed break.
But I'm back and refreshed and have some fun things planned for fall :)  I always wonder what people carry in their diaper bags and what some of their favorite products are to pack in there so I thought I would share mine. Eloise is almost two, so I don't need as much for her as I used to, but still like carry both of our stuff in one bag. I would love to hear your favorites in the comments.

Summer Recipes // guest post

Hi y’all! My name is Katie Morton, and I am a chef from Greenville, South Carolina. I became interested in cooking at a very young age. I helped my mom in the kitchen growing up, and continued to develop my chef abilities over the years. When it came time to decide on a college, I knew I had to pursue a degree in the culinary field. I chose to attend the Culinary Institute of the Carolinas and earned a degree in culinary arts. While attending school, I got a job as a prep cook at a local delicatessen in Greenville called Two Chefs. Over the course of five years, I worked my way up to the position of back-of-the-house manager. As manager, I ordered all necessary ingredients through local food vendors and distributors, supervised the preparation of all menu items, and inspected each meal that left the kitchen. 

Photo Credit: Amanda Cavett 

It was while working as manager at Two Chefs that I began to further explore healthy eating, and integrate it into my home cooking. I was sick and tired of the common misconception that healthy equals bland/boring/not yummy meals, so I set out to change that. I continually experiment using healthy ingredients to create satisfying, filling meals for the everyday man or woman. 

My husband and I recently had our first son, Siler, so my interest has expanded from just making meals for my husband and I, to including meals that our son can eat and enjoy, while still maintaining my goal of creating health-conscious meals. Included in this post are two breakfast, and two dinner options – with ingredients and complete recipes – that have gotten the stamp of approval from my husband and our son. I hope you are able to enjoy these meals as much as we have. 

If you try any of these recipes I would love to hear how you liked them. And if you LOVE them, please make sure to print them out for your home recipe collection, pin them on pinterest and share this blog post with your friends and family. Bon appetit!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie