5 Self-Care Tips: Beating the After-Holiday Blahs

So it's over! You made it through the family get-togethers! Meals were made and eaten, presents were wrapped at the last minute, and now you finally get a full night's sleep.

What now?

Well if you're anything like me, the days after Christmas can be difficult to navigate through. The lack of structure, the chaos of the event, and the financial worry from going a bit overboard can seep in and grab ahold of my anxiety. It also doesn't help that I miss my Cali family so much this time of year.

These feelings can turn the hopes of a productive break into one that leaves me unsettled and feeling like I "wasted" it when I get back. There's nothing wrong with taking time off, watching some Netflix, and letting the to-do list wait. There is something wrong with feeling so overwhelmed that you do nothing, and continue to do nothing in the hopes of avoiding everything.

To combat this, I practice something called self-care. The good thing about self-care is that it doesn't have to cost a thing, because it's more of a mental shift. Rather than fall into the void, you make the effort to do one thing. That one thing can vary from person to person, but tends to lead to doing one more thing, then another. My 5 self-care tips that help me get focused and let go of anxiety are:

1. Take a shower. 

Yes, I understand that it seems simple. Again it's a mental shift, for me taking a shower usually means I'm getting ready for the day. It forces me to do my hair afterward, and while I'm there I tend to do my makeup too. I put on real clothes. It's a small, intentional step that helps me get back to a better mental headspace.

2. Drink water.

Again simple, but I feel so much better when I intentionally drink water. When I start to feel anxious, adding coffee to it can make that jittery feeling more intense. I can also feel panicky because I still don't have the drive to do something, but I have an increased heart rate that makes me feel like I need to be doing something. It's not a fun feeling, and doesn't help me get moving.

3. Get dressed.

Real clothes. Do your hair. Put make-up on if you feel like it. Again, it's simple, but it goes back to the intent behind it. When I feel like I'm getting lost into the abyss, getting dressed helps me recenter. I love a good pajama day, and days when I don't have to put in a ton of effort. These days are not the same. It's less about relaxing and more about giving up. On those days, I need to put on real clothes.

4. Go outside.

Take the dogs out. Walk with a family member around the block. Sometimes it's enough to just get out of the door and away from the walls that both protect and smother you. If it's cold, rainy, miserable- you don't have to be out for long. Just long enough to have left the walls for a bit.

5. Pick one thing.

This is intentionally vague, because the abyss can vary from person to person. Pick something that you feel needs to be done. One, small thing on that list in your head. Maybe it's taking the tree down, getting the dishwasher unloaded, folding a basket of laundry. Something, but not everything. Your one thing isn't "do the laundry," that's too broad. As we know, laundry is never really "done," so rather than help your anxiety, this will leave you feeling like you still have that mountain to climb. Specific, attainable things such as "fold the basket of laundry by the steps," "unload or load the dishwasher," and "take out the overflowing trash" can be completed. It can be scratched off the list. You can go back to the couch sit once it's done.


Then drink some water and, if you can, pick one more thing.

Hopefully by doing the 5 steps, you start to feel less anxious, and at the same time start taking steps to get rid of the things causing anxiety. You may be able to get many "one things" done in a day and start to feel like you're back in control. You may just get the "one thing" done. That's okay too. You can try again tomorrow.

Kid-Friendly NYE

2013 is almost here!

We usually ring in the New Year as a family. We eat food, play games, watch tv, and stay up late.

Well, most of us do.

But this year I wanted to think of a few kid-friendly ideas to entertain the masses. Otherwise staying up late to eat and be online would just feel like another day. 

Here are a few things I want to try this year:

1. Noisemakers. {These are really cute and seem simple enough to make :)} 

2. New Years Resolutions  by Thirty Handmade Days {These will be really fun to read next year!}

3. A Good Memories Jar {I have a jar ready to decorate, and I can't wait to start filling it up!}

4. Making a Calendar {Rather than buy one, I'll print and have the kids make one for me :) }

5. Set Goals by The Dating Divas {This site has a lot of other cute ideas too!} 

What do you do for a family-friendly New Year's Eve? I would love some more ideas! 

Felt Bow Ties: Tutorial

I've been really good about finding different things to make my daughter, but I've had a harder time figuring out what to make my son. I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner since I love bow ties :) 

These are really thrown together (I had a spark of inspiration 20 minutes before his school Christmas program), so play around with this idea. I plan to make some nonfelt versions and really wish I thought of this in time to ship them to my nephews! 

Materials Needed:

Felt

Scissors

Needle and thread

Hot glue gun

Alligator clip (or pin, if you'd rather pin it on). 

1. Cut a rectangle out to be the bow. You can make it bigger or smaller, it's not really an exact measurement.  I'd start with 5" by 3" and trim to how you want it to look. Cut a smaller strip to go around the middle (about 1" by 3".

2. Scrunch it to make a bow shape.

3. Sew a few stitches just to hold it in place so gluing is easier.

4.  Wrap the smaller strip over the area you just sewed. Use a glue gun to put it on.

5. Wrap the strip completely around and trim if necessary. Get alligator clip.

6. Glue on the alligator clip. You may have to hold it open and together as it dries so it won't stick together.

Then you just clip it onto your shirt or it can even be a hairbow if you want it to :) He loved it and I loved that I could make something for him :)

Ways to make Christmas Awesome (without breaking the bank)

It's that time of year again. Where I start to base my self-worth on how many presents I'm able to put under the tree and start to feel the green envy monster come out when others are able to put better things under theirs.

It's such a frustrating time because I feel like parts of myself are at war with each other. The part that wants to spoil my children rotten pouts at the part of me that has to do the budget. Then the part of me who wonders why we put so much stock into all the extravagance comes out and complains that we're feeding greed and selfishness. The part of me who gets dazzled by all the lights and tradition of it all tells that part of me to get over myself.

My head is a scary place sometimes.

This year our financial constraints are even more difficult. I feel like I say that every year, so maybe it's really just me having to come to terms with the fact that I have champagne dreams on an apple juice budget (I'd say beer, but I think that may even be too pricey right now).

Somehow I got to gather all my different parts together and focus on the things we can do, and I wanted to share those with you. Every year we have a countdown to Christmas starting Dec 1. Here are some of the things that make the list every year:

1. Make a "countdown to Christmas" chain. One year we had so little that I ended up making the chain using white paper and red and green crayons. The kids scribbled on the paper and I cut it into strips to make the chain. It wasn't really spectacular but it didn't have to be.

2. Movie nights. We pop popcorn, light up the tree, put on our pjs, and watch a movie together as a family. This may not seem out of the ordinary, but it has always been special and being Christmas just adds to that.

3. Salt dough ornaments. You can find a variety of different recipes online. Some add cinnamon to make them more festive, some are colored with Kool-aid, and others are mixed with glitter. As the bare bones it is usually a cup of flour, a cup of salt, and water added gradually. Let dry overnight or  cook in a low oven. Even if they don't go with your tree decor or end up in pieces later (thank you toddler!), the memories you make by creating them will last far longer.

4. Make Christmas cards. We keep a bunch from previous years, and use those to make cards for others. This is the time when the thought is more important than the end result, but the kids love putting their hearts into something for others.

5. Check your library. Our library has has programs where children can make a Christmas craft, listen to a story, meet reindeer, and bring in an ornament for their tree. These are all little things but can make some great memories.

6. Make Reindeer food. My daughter brought some home from preschool one year, but I worried about putting glitter out on the ground. So when we make our own I use food coloring to color oats green, then add some red coloring to sugar. Mix it together and you have reindeer food ready to put out on Christmas Eve!

7. Go see the lights. We have bundled the kids up in their PJs with cups of hot (warm) cocoa and driven around the neighborhood to see the lights. I love watching through their eyes, because even the houses with one strand of lights get an "ohhh!!!" out of them :)

8. Sing Christmas Carols. Visit your friends and family and sing a carol for them. Skype with out of town relatives and sing for them. Record your kids singing and put it on facebook. Mine love to watch themselves, so giving them a chance to "perform" has always been a hit.

9. Make cookies. There are so many great cookie recipes (and thanks to pinterest my list of ones to try has tripled), and some only take a few ingredients. Find ones that match what you already have so that you're not buying pricey ingredients that you'll only use once. Food coloring and powdered sugar go a long way :)

10. Visit Santa. The mall Santa may be pricey, but if you watch you may be able to find a way to visit Santa locally for free. Our park has Santa on the weekends and even gives free cocoa and cookies. We take our own picture and the kids have a lot of fun without us spending anything extra.


What are your frugal Christmas Traditions? I'm make my list this year and I'd love some inspiration to add to it :)

Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty List and Giveaway!

Have you started your Holiday Shopping yet? I.. haven't. So I probably should start thinking about that.

Melissa & Doug toys have been household favorites for a long time, and they have come up with a Terrific Twenty List of Holiday Gifts for 2012 to make shopping for the holidays easier. I love that the list includes gifts for kids of all ages so I could find something for my 9 year old, 6 year old and 2 year old!

Not only can you find a great selection of gifts, right now Melissa and Doug are having a 20 Days of Terrific Twenty Giveaway! You could win one of the gifts on the list :) 

Holiday Fun- Cookie Exchanges.

The Holidays can be magical. Children listen for the sound of reindeer on the roof, decorations transform ordinary rooms, and a dusting of snow can turn a yard into a winter wonderland. I discovered a little magic of my own today. I turned a tray of one type of cookies into a tray with EIGHT different types.

Of course I had a little help from my friends :) A Mom's group that I'm a part of had their annual cookie exchange today. A cookie exchange is where you bring 3-4 dozen of your favorite cookies on a tray. Each person brings a batch of cookies and then you leave with a tray full of all the different types. The trays are perfect for entertaining (if you have more will power than I do!) and it breaks up the monotony of one batch of cookies without spending hours in the kitchen.

At first it was pretty comical. Cookies were dropped, burned, oddly shaped, and forgotten. It almost felt like the "ugly sweater" equivalent for cookies, here are a couple of the casualties:




In the end we had a wonderful spread! I loved trying new recipes and it gave us the chance to socialize and spend some time relaxing before the chaos of the holidays began.



Do you attend a cookie exchange this time of year? What is your favorite holiday treat?

Recycled Christmas Crafts

I am a Coffee-Mate addict. I feel safe admitting that here, among friends. I love all the seasonal flavors that they have (Brown Maple Sugar is so good!) but my fall backs are Hazelnut and Vanilla Caramel. I usually just toss the containers out with the recycling when I'm done, but I was inspired to do something else instead!



I made some holiday buddies out of them! :) I spray painted the penguin black before using acrylic paint to paint his features, but I found that putting the paint on the inside worked better, so I just poured acrylic paint into the Santa and snowman ones then added the features.

This would be a fun project for the kids too and make a nice decoration you can use for years to come!

10 Holiday Planning Tips

October is one of my favorite months. There’s so much to do! Fall festivals, pumpkin patches, playing in the leaves. I just love it. The only downside is that it seems like once October hits, time goes on fast forward and it’s suddenly Mid-December and I’m not prepared for anything.

So I thought that now would be a good time to start getting ready for the holiday season. Anything I do now will only save me work later, right? I’ve thought of 10 tips (or really, goals if I’m being honest) to help me (and you) get ready for the holidays.

1. Budget. If you haven’t already figured out what you are going to spend this holiday season, time is of the essence! Figuring out what price range you would like to stay in can really help you narrow down the list of things you’re going to get. Don’t just budget for gifts- think about the cookies and goodies you’ll be making, any entertaining you may do.

2. Make your list and check it twice. This goes along with budgeting, but once you have your price range it will help to list all the people you are buying or making gifts for. Don’t forget teachers, friends, class gift exchanges, or secret Santa exchanges. Having a list ahead of time will help you avoid last minute trips to the store to get the gifts you overlooked.

3. Add to your grocery list. Holiday meals can add up, especially if you’re the one entertaining. Start thinking about what you make for your holiday meals and pick up a few extra things as you grocery shop now. If you know you’ll be making green bean casserole, then get extra green beans and set them aside for the holidays. It’d help to have a designated “holiday food” spot in the pantry (if you have the room) so that you can keep track of what you’ve got.  Consider donations to food pantries as well when shopping.

4. Order your cards early. I am one that always has such great intentions when it comes to sending out holiday cards just to have to rush to mail them out in time to get them by New Year’s.  Storkie.com has a great selection of cards to choose from. I love the one below because it shows you don’t have to wait for snow or put on matching PJ’s to send out a great holiday card. The photo from a family vacation is really sweet and shares a memory with others!

5. Start making gifts. If you plan to get crafty and make some (or all) of the gifts you give, the sooner you start working on them the better. This way you can find out if something does not work with plenty of time to figure out a backup plan. It will also prevent you from rushing at the last moment to get things ready. If you haven’t thought about making gifts, check out some of the projects on Pinterest.com. There are so many ideas that you may be inspired to try one out!

6. Bake bake bake. If you plan to make a lot of holiday cookies and goodies, you may want to start your baking a little early. You can freeze the dough for many cookies, or even freeze the baked cookies and thaw them out when you expect company. Making pies and casseroles ahead of time can also help alleviate some stress later.

7. Switch up your wardrobe. Right now in Indiana the weather is indecisive. It is pretty chilly one week and warmer the next. Even so, switching to a fall and winter wardrobe right now would be easier than trying to fit that in during the chaos of the holidays. I talked about my tote system before; I keep off season and larger sizes on hand in totes so that I can easily swap over as needed. If you do it now you can also see if you need new dressy clothes, if tights have seen better days, or if shoes are outgrown. Keep a few items that you can layer in the drawers until the weather has transitioned to cold. 

8.  Clean out the clutter. The holidays seem to just make everything in my house multiply. It would help a lot to start clearing clutter now so that when they arrive I am not completely overwhelmed by stuff. If you don’t need it, donate it. Go through the kid’s toys as well to make room for the haul to come. Also, I think “less is more” when it comes to decorating, because remember everything you put out- you’ll have to eventually take down.

9. Make a holiday calendar. Every December we make a “countdown” to Christmas and do something festive daily until Christmas Day. They range from “build a snowman” to “watch a Christmas movie with popcorn” and are a really fun way to keep the Christmas fun going for a whole month. Think of things you’d like to do with your family and talk with your kids about what they’d like to do this year. 

10. Be flexible. All these plans can be really helpful. You may cut stress out and feel like you’re ahead of the game for once. You also may find that even with the best of intentions things start to fall apart. That’s okay! You’re not a failure and the holidays were meant to be enjoyed, so if the plans don’t work- change them and move on. Don’t get too wrapped up in the itinerary that you forget to enjoy time with your family. 

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the Storkie holiday blogging program. I received compensation for my participation. All opinions are 100% mine.”

Happy Leftovers day!

I hope that each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now we're on to my favorite part- the leftovers. Not often can a meal turn into a week of yummy meals for your family, but Thanksgiving gives us more to be thankful for. If you get tired of having a Thanksgiving meal each night then mix it up. Use turkey for stir-fry or fajitas, turn mashed potatoes into potato pancakes, add sweet potatoes to chili.  Really the possibilities are endless. That's why my family did a full Thanksgiving meal even though we were also eating at my in-laws.

One of my favorite things to do is make soup. This meal is practically the most frugal of the all. Cut as much meat off your turkey as you can- but don't throw out that carcass! By making it into soup you can score one more meal, for pennies.

Add the carcass to a big pot of water and boil it for a few hours. Just start it as you get up for Black Friday sales and smell it simmer. If you have a big enough crock pot just set it up and head out the door.  If you have carrot or celery ends add them to the pot for even more flavor.

Then after a few hours turn it into soup. Strain out the bones and you'll be surprised at just how much meat was hiding. Chop up onions, carrots, celery- or even throw in the leftover veggies from yesterday. Add the veggies and meat back to the broth and continue to simmer. You can add some cooked rice or pasta before serving.

Soup is already a frugal meal, but using everything from your Thanksgiving turkey can help keep to your budget this holiday season.

Free 8x10 Collage at Walgreens

Photos make wonderful gifts, my family members love receiving them. Walgreens makes this so easy by giving free prints. 

Right now you can make an 8x10 collage for free! Use the code BFCOLLAGE at checkout and choose to pick it up at the store.

This offer is good through Saturday, November 27, 2010.

Christmas Giveaway!

itsThoughtful is having a $500 Christmas Giveaway! If you sign up and then refer 15 friends you can get a $25 gift card as well! :)

Sign up and refer your friends for some Christmas Cash!