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Shared Dec 28, 2016 comment

A Peek Into Our Laid Back Christmas

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 28, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I told you earlier this month that we’ve intentionally chosen to keep Christmas simple. I thought I’d share a little peek into our Christmas celebration the past few days to give you an idea of how that has looked for us…

We did our family Christmas gift exchange before we left for Kansas. We gave the kids a few gifts each this year — 1-2 physical gifts + a subscription. We do it a little differently every year, but it’s usually no more than a few gifts that are things our kids really, really want. This is what works for our family and what our kids prefer.

We also did our annual Dollar Store Stocking Adventure. This is one of our family’s favorite traditions! We all go to the Dollar Store right before Christmas and everyone gets $6 to spend to buy one item per person (+ tax) for their stocking. We have so much fun trying to split up, hide our purchases, find something creative that no one else would come up with, and pick gifts that people would really love. Plus, the kids get to pick one gift for themselves, too!

I wish I would have taken pictures of our family Christmas evening, but we were having so much fun together that I completely forgot to ever bring out my camera! I was determined to not forget to take pictures the rest of Christmas!

We drove to Kansas and stayed in an Extended Stay America because they had asked our family to do a review (look for a blog post on January 9 with my complete in-depth review!). We were overall very impressed with the price (just $65 to $75 per night per room) and that included a room with a full kitchen + a grab and go breakfast.

We loved having a full kitchen as we brought most of our food for the meals we wouldn’t be eating with family and it was so nice to be able to cook hot meals on the stove and have a full-sized refrigerator to store everything in.

We spent Friday afternoon and evening with my family. We got to help decorate their tree and play some really fun games. If you missed all the pictures from that day, be sure to check out my post here.

We slept in on Saturday and then spent the morning wrapping presents and buying a few more items we still needed to get for our extended family gift exchanges. Then, we went with Jesse’s family to their church for the Christmas Eve Service and back to their house for dinner afterward.

We went to Jesse’s family’s house for Christmas Day. And the day began, as it usually does, with photos in front of the Christmas tree. Our kids asked if they could wear their new matching footie PJs jammies all day and we said, “Of course!”

And then it was time for cousin pictures in their PJs. 🙂 How cute are they???

And then it was time for the annual Sibling Photo. Not all the siblings could make it this year, but there was clearly still plenty of PERSONALITY going on here. 😉 {Jesse’s siblings have some of the biggest and most diverse personalities — and we love ’em to pieces!!}

We finally got a photo where almost everyone was smiling and no one was goofing off. 🙂

We drew names for all the siblings and cousins this year and had a blast seeing what everyone had picked out for their person. There were a few gag gifts given which meant that there was lots of laughter and teasing, too — which is pretty much *always* what happens when we are with this bunch!

The little cousins pulled out a game of chess and played together — which was so fun to watch!

We also had some rousing rounds of the Pie Face Game. (I didn’t get any pictures but I got some video proof here!) (By the way, the Pie Face Game is pretty expensive. I found a much cheaper knock-off version on Amazon here.)

We ended the night with stockings and watching the Chiefs beat the Broncos (oh yeah!)

We spent all day Monday with my family for Christmas. We also drew names — this time with all of the family members. We used DrawNames.com which makes it so nice because everyone can share a wishlist.

Silas was SO excited with his gifts!!

My brother, Zachary, picked Jesse’s name and got him such good gifts — including this genuine leather skull cap for him to wear underneath his motorcycle helmet. Zachary always seems to find his person unique and expensive gifts that he gets at a great deal in some sweet sale he discovers online or on eBay. 🙂

After the gift exchange, my dad had put together a treasure hunt for all the cousins. They had so much fun finding each clue — and of course they were written in rhymes because that’s how my dad rolls!

When we were little kids, he almost always made us go on treasure hunts on Christmas morning for us to find our gifts! It’s such a fun memory — and I loved watching the kids get to experience the same joy this Christmas.

(By the way, if you don’t have a lot of money for gifts but you want to make things fun and memorable, you could consider creating a treasure hunt to find the gift(s) — because it always make it seem a lot more special and thoughtful, even if it’s a really small and simple gift at the end of the treasure hunt!)

The highlight of Christmas for me was meeting my little sister’s long-awaited baby boy — Atlas Flint! I could have held him all day. And the kids are utterly smitten with him (as evidenced by Silas’ face!)

All in all, it was a great Christmas. Simple, laid back, and full a memory-making with our family.

And now we’re in the car headed back to Tennessee all rested, refreshed, and hearts full.

How was YOUR Christmas? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Shared Dec 27, 2016 comment

I am SO excited to announce this!

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 27, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A few friends have told me that I need to go back and look at pictures of myself from a year ago because they see such a difference in how I looked then versus how I look now. So I did recently — and it was pretty shocking.

You guys. I forgot how tired I was. How utterly bone weary exhausted I was. How much I was living on fumes and adrenaline… and, let’s be honest, coffee… to make it through each day.

But the pictures of 2015 Crystal bring me right back to that place and space of burn out.

I don’t shame myself or condemn myself for being in that place. It was what I knew. It had become my existence. And I had bought into the hustle of more.

To be clear, I was chasing good things overall and my heart and intentions were good, but my body was suffering from all of the pushing and pursuing and productivity.

When I declared 2016 as my Year of Rest, little did I dream how much that commitment was going to change my life!

The changes began on the inside as I stepped back from the crazy, said no to almost everything and everyone, and pared down my life to the basics. It was in that space of quiet that I started to really re-examine my life and my priorities and realize that I had made productivity more of a priority than my family, my marriage, and my health.

I processed through a lot the first few months as I walked into a space in my life where there was so much breathing room. It felt too quiet. It felt too empty. And it forced me to work through a lot of unresolved hurt and grief and wounds I had stuffed down deep in order to stay focused and driven for so many years.

Once I had cried and cried and cried some more, I began to experience a new season of wholeness. I stopped finding my joy and worth in what I did. I stopped living life according to who I thought I was supposed to be. I started experimenting with new things and letting myself try living a little less on the ultra-frugal, ultra-minimalistic side.

This gave me newfound freedom, joy, and LIFE. It also emboldened me and my husband to make some decisions that were in the best interest of our family — like having our kids start going to a small Classical Christian School (which was a really, really big decision for us!). It also encouraged me to think long and hard about what would spark more joy in my life and I began to add in a few new things — like serving in the Children’s Ministry at church and joining a Discipleship Group at church.

And then came the completely unexpected change: I got connected with a nutritionist and made some radical changes in my diet and overall lifestyle.

I gave up coffee.

I did a cleanse.

I gave up white flour and all sweeteners and pretty much all processed food and a host of other foods.

I started drinking a gallon+ of lemon water a day.

It was torture for the first few weeks. I missed coffee and chocolate and pancakes and cinnamon rolls and, hello, all the NORMAL foods!

I was sick of salads (I had to eat them for breakfast many mornings on the eating plan — yuck!). Sick of fish. Sick of Wasa crackers. Sick of drinking so much water.

But because I’m not one to be a quitter and because I had committed to stay on the plan for 2 months, I stuck with it.

At 5 weeks in, something changed inside of me. My head cleared. My energy sky-rocketed. And I stopped craving junk food and started wanting to eat healthy stuff.

Not only that, but I felt so empowered. I was living without coffee! I was surviving without chocolate and sugar and empty carbs.

Most of all, I HAD GOTTEN OFF ALL OF MY MEDS!

Every. single. one of them.

My eczema meds.

My acne meds.

My allergy meds.

And even the 5htp that I never thought I’d be able to function without (I’d been on it ever since having Silas and any time I’d go off of it for even a day, my anxiety would come back in a serious way.)

I was functioning really, really well and feeling AMAZING — without a single pill! It was incredible — and it gave me enormous motivation to stick with the nutritional program and not give up.

It has now been 12 months since I officially started my Year of Rest and 18 weeks since I radically transformed my eating and my overall lifestyle and I look in the mirror and it almost seems as if I’m looking at a different person.

So many people have asked me about my Year of Rest and about the radical health changes I’ve made. For many months, I’ve been working on a special project to share some of the things I’ve learned this past year to encourage those of you who are interested in becoming the best version of yourself that you can be, too!

I have a passion to help you become your best self. I don’t want you to go through life feeling exhausted and burnt out. I don’t want you to have to rely upon coffee or coping mechanisms to make it through the day.

That’s why I created 15 Days to a Healthier You. It’s a brand-new program to help you prioritize your health and give you the hands-on strategies, support, and know-how you need to create real, lasting change — without an overwhelming time commitment!

When you sign up for 15 Days to a Healthier You, you’ll get access to:

Daily 15-minute LIVE videos in our exclusive private Facebook group. In these videos, I’ll be your coach and cheerleader to jumpstart your success to better health! We’ll discuss the daily lessons and projects and I’ll take a few questions live, too.
Daily lessons covering important topics like why self-care is important, what self-care really is (probably not what you think!), and why self-care looks different for different people.
Daily projects to help you stay on track and meet your personal goals.
Access to an exclusive members-only private Facebook group where you can find encouragement from others who are going through the series.
Daily accountability through the Project Check-In Threads on the Facebook Group where you can share your progress and struggles with all the participants.
Bonus links and resources I love for additional inspiration!

You get all of the for just $15 total! That’s just $1 per day! Go read more about this program and sign up here.

No, I’m Not Going to Make You Give Up Coffee!

Please note: This program is not about giving you an exact formula for what you should eat or how you should exercise. Nor am I going to try to convince you that you have to give up coffee (I promise!).

I will be talking about my own personal journey and I’m happy to share more details on what has worked for me, but I want to help you figure out what works best for YOU — and that might be very different than what works for me!

Rest assured, I will not make you give up coffee, drink a gallon of lemon water, or eat salads for breakfast! I will, however, be walking you through a lot of practical exercises to help you determine simple changes you can make so you can have more energy, feel less drained, and experience a lot more joy in your life!

25% Of All Proceeds Go to South Africa!!!

Now for the really exciting part…

You all know that our family is madly in love with South Africa and we are very committed to using the gifts and platform God has given us here to be able to make a difference in some of the poorest communities there.

Because of this, 25% of all sales through my blog and email newsletter will be donated to fully finish the Reagoboka Centre Preschool & Community Centre where you all already helped build a two-classroom building last year.

You can see that the building is so close to being finished above (that’s a picture from our recent trip to South Africa!) and I’m prayerful and hopeful that this sale will allow us to have enough funds to help them completely finish that building so they can serve many more children, get a lot more government funding, and make a bigger difference in that community. (Read more about the building and what the money will be going to here.)

What Are You Waiting For?

Go register to join us for the 15 Days to a Healthier You program here. But hurry! Because enrollment ends January 3, 2017 and it likely won’t be open again for at least another 6 months — or even longer!

Shared Dec 25, 2016 comment

When Christmas Just Hurts

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 25, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I wrote this last year, but wanted to share it again this year in hopes it might encourage some of you who might feel the same way…

Can I be really honest with you? My heart’s been heavy this December.

I usually love the Christmas season. I love the smells, the music, the food, the time with family and friends, the special moments and memories.

But this year? My heart feels burdened.

There are so many people around me who are going through hard things… friends who are grieving the loss of a child, friends who have experienced deep physical and emotional pain this past year, friends who are struggling in their marriage, friends who are struggling financially, friends who are grieving big losses… and on and on the list goes.

I just want to fix it all and take it all away so that Christmas can be joyful and cheerful and wonderful — instead of painful and hurtful.

But I can’t take away the pain. I can’t replace what was lost. I can’t fix someone else’s marriage. I can’t heal someone else’s wounded relationship. I can’t wave a magic wand and solve someone’s unemployment struggles.

So what can I do? I can pray. I can listen. I can encourage. I can go out of my way to show that I care.

I can give the gift of myself.

And that’s the gift that most are longing for this Christmas — to know that they aren’t alone. That they are loved. That they are seen. That they are cared about. That, in the midst of all of the festivities and celebrations, their pain and hurt and heartache is not forgotten.

So my Christmas challenge for all of you today is this: In the middle of the merry-making, the carol-singing, the cookie-decorating, the present-giving, and the gift-unwrapping, look around and notice that person who is hurting and grieving.

The widow across the street. The woman holding the tattered sign on the side of the road. Your aunt sitting across the table from you at Christmas dinner.

Look into her eyes. Ask her how she’s doing. Let her know — by your words and actions — that she isn’t forgotten. That she is seen. And most importantly, that she is loved.

Give the gift of yourself this Christmas. It’s the greatest gift you have to offer.

Shared Dec 24, 2016 comment

Frugal Family Fun: The Christmas Paper Plate Game & The Tissue Box Game

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 24, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We made it to Kansas on Thursday night. We drove this time as we didn’t really want to re-live our getting stuck at the airport in Dallas for 4 days experience from last year! 🙂

We spent part of yesterday with my mom and dad and my youngest brother and sister. My parents always buy a live evergreen tree with the root ball from a local nursery and then plant it after Christmas on their land (they live on 56 acres).

This means that they don’t get their tree until right before Christmas, so our kids got to help decorate it last night.

Here they are putting the finishing touches on the tree with my youngest brother. He’s 17 years younger than me and a senior in high school.

Silas thinks he’s pretty much the coolest uncle ever — especially since he has a booming eBay business. Silas has been begging and begging to start his own eBay business since he’s so fascinated by what Uncle Zachary does! 😉

And yes, my family strings their Christmas cards up around the living room. It’s a tradition passed down from my great-grandma!

The Christmas Paper Plate Game

After the tree was decorated, we played some fun games, including The Christmas Paper Plate Game. I’ve seen this around the web over the past few weeks and had wanted to try it. We had so much fun with it.

Here’s how to play the game…

Every one gets a paper plate and a pen. Every one puts the paper plate on their head and then are instructed to:

Draw a line for the floor.

Draw a Christmas tree on the floor.

Draw a star on the top of the tree.

Add 3 ornaments to the tree.

Draw a fireplace with a mantel next to the tree.

Draw a stocking hanging from the mantel of your fireplace.

Draw a fire in your fireplace.

Then, take your plate off your head and look at it — and, if yours looked like mine, die laughing at how terrible your drawing is!!

Then, score your drawing. You get:

2 points if the tree touches the floor.

2 points if your star is on top of your tree.

1 point if your star touches your tree.

1 point for every ornament that is actually on your tree.

2 points if your stocking is actually touching your mantel.

1 point if your fireplace doesn’t touch the tree (it’s a fire hazard!)

2 points if your fire is actually in the fireplace.

The person with the most points wins!

The Tissue Box Game

We also played another fun MINUTE TO WIN-IT game with tissue boxes that would be great for a holiday get-together — or really any get-together.

To play, break into teams and give each team a full box of tissues. The object of the game is to see which team can get all of the tissues out of the box the fastest — while only pulling one tissue out at a time.

I have no idea if this particular tissue game has been all over the internet (I haven’t seen it before), or if my dad made it up on the spur of the moment. He’s known for making up spur-of-the-moment games that leave us all laughing our heads off!

If you want to see us playing this game in action, you can watch the short video here. And yes, apparently I have a tissue-pulling talent I didn’t know anything about! 😉

Both of these games are super frugal, would work with large groups of people of many different ages, and were so much fun!

Note: There were a few people on Facebook who were appalled at how wasteful the tissue box one was, but if you buy the boxes at the dollar store, it’s a super cheap game and you can recycle everything. Or, feel free to save the tissues and use them for something else. 🙂

Shared Dec 22, 2016 comment

Homemade Christmas Potpourri in 2 minutes!

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 22, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Christmas Potpourri

Want to make your house smell amazing and all Christmas-y?? Try making a pot of this Stovetop Potpourri.

I made this earlier this week and my husband walked in the door and was like, “What smells SO good??”

This recipe literally takes 2 minutes to make and can last for a few days (just refrigerate overnight, add more water, and simmer again!)

Christmas Potpourri Recipe Ingredients

2 oranges (or the peel from 4-5 whole oranges — no need to ruin good oranges if yours aren’t past their prime!)
1 teaspoon cloves (ground or whole)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon (or a few cinnamon sticks)
Your favorite essential oils (optional)
2-3 cups water

Christmas Stovetop Potpourri variations

This recipe is extremely versatile! It can be incredibly frugal if you use what you have on hand — such as apple cores, orange peels, and/or fruit going bad.

Or — as these photos show — you can fancy it up with cranberries, lemons, pine sprigs, or whatever scents you enjoy!

How to Make Homemade Christmas Potpourri

1. Cut the oranges (and any other fruit) in half or fourths and place them in a medium saucepan.

2. Sprinkle the spices over the fruit and pour the water over everything to cover.

3. Simmer on low for 4-6 hours.

4. Check the saucepan occasionally and add more water as necessary.

You can also make this in a small crockpot set on low for several hours — perfect for if you will be gone, or away from the kitchen for any period of time.

Stovetop Christmas Potpourri FAQs

How long does homemade Christmas potpourri last?

You can simmer one batch of Christmas potpourri for the better part of a day (especially if it’s in a slow cooker). You can also refrigerate it and use it again the next day (see below).

How many times can you use stovetop potpourri?

You can reuse this stovetop potpourri, however, if you use apples, the mixture will turn into applesauce (which can burn and smell horrible!) So if you plan to re-simmer the mixture for a few days, skip the apples!

How do you make potpourri smell stronger?

Adding more spices, more citrus fruits, and more essential oils will intensify the smell. Alternatively, if you want less scent, you can add more water.

Recipe

Stovetop Christmas Potpourri

Author Crystal Paine

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 6

Ingredients

2 oranges
1 tsp cloves ground or whole
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon or a few cinnamon sticks
Your favorite essential oils optional
2-3 cups water

Instructions

Cut the oranges (and any other fruit) in half or fourths and place them in a medium saucepan.
Sprinkle the spices over the fruit and pour the water over everything to cover.
Simmer on low for 4-6 hours.
Check the saucepan occasionally and add more water as necessary.

Notes

This recipe is extremely versatile! It can be incredibly frugal if you use what you have on hand — such as apple cores, orange peels, and/or fruit going bad.

Or you can fancy it up with cranberries, lemons, pine sprigs, or whatever scents you enjoy!

You can also make this recipe in a small crockpot set on low for several hours — perfect for if you will be gone, or away from the kitchen for any period of time.

Love this recipe?

Make sure to share and save it on your favorite platform below!

Pin Recipe

Get the recipe here or watch me make the frugal version in the short video below.

Psst! I’d love for you to subscribe to my YouTube channel while you’re there! One of my 2017 goals is to learn how to record & edit videos for YouTube — and I’d love to have you join me for the ride!

Products shown in the video:

Some of my other favorite shirts on Amazon here and here.
Rocky Mountain Oils. Read my review here.
My earrings & necklace are from Rocksbox — get a FREE month here.
The cutting board is from Stacy from Humorous Homemaking’s husband. Isn’t it a beauty? You can see his Etsy shop here.

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Click here to sign up!

Shared Dec 17, 2016 comment

Brigette’s $48 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Published: by Brigette on December 17, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Aldi

1 64-oz carton Orange Juice – $1.69

1 64-oz carton Almond Milk – $1.99

1 canister Quick Oats – $2.39

1 10-lb bag Russet Potatoes – $1.99, plus receive $0.25 back from Checkout 51

1 canister Old Fashioned Oats – $2.39

1 gallon Whole Milk – $2.49

2 pkgs Rice Cakes – $2.58

1 3-lb bag Pink Lady Apples – $2.99

1 pkg Artisan Lettuce – $1.99

1 24-oz carton Cottage Cheese – $2.29

1 head Cabbage – $1.19

2 1-lb bags fresh Green Beans – $1.98

1 pkg Zucchini – $1.99

1 pkg Broccoli Crowns – $1.39

2 dozen Eggs – $1.38

1 pt Grape Tomatoes – $1.89

1 16-oz carton Egg Whites – $1.99

Total after rebate: $34.35

Harris Teeter

2 pkgs Ritz Crackers – $4.49, used $0.75/2 Nabisco Cookie or Cracker Products, exp. 12/17/16 (SS 11/06/16) (doubled), plus receive $1.15 back from Checkout 51 – $1.84/2 after coupon and rebate

4 cans Evaporated Milk – $2.28 (I recently switched to using this plus almond milk in my coffee – and love it!)

2 Crisco Canola Oil – $3.14

2 1-lb pkgs Butter – $4.54

2 bags Armour Meatballs – $4.00, used 2 $0.75/1 printables (NLA) (doubled) – $1.00/2 after coupons

2 Keebler Pie Crusts – $3.34, used $0.50/2 Keebler Ready Crust, exp. 12/25/16 (RP 11/13/16 R) (doubled), plus receive $1.00/2 back from Ibotta – $1.34/2 after coupon and rebate

Total after coupons and rebates: $14.14

Grocery Total for the Week: $48.49

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Oatmeal x 3

Cereal x 2

Scrambled Eggs, Oranges (leftover from last week)

Christmas Cantata Practice at Church – breakfast provided

Lunches

Peanut Butter on Rice Cakes, Apples, Carrots x 2

Fried Egg Sandwiches, Grape Tomatoes, Oranges x 2

Leftovers x 3

Dinners

Perfect Baked Potatoes topped with chopped Ham and shredded Cheese, Roasted Green Beans

Hamburger Vegetable Soup (I’ll be using ground venison in place of hamburger), Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Chicken Fried Rice (This was on the menu last week, but I ended up not making it. I don’t use a recipe, but do something similar to this and add peas and carrots), Tossed Salad

Venison Roast in the Crockpot, Carrots, Garlic Mashed Cauliflower, Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Three Cheese Baked Spaghetti, Italian Garlic Bread, Tossed Salad

Leftovers x 2

I also will be making batches of Homemade Granola and Better-Than-Mounds Bars to give as gifts/take to Christmas get-togethers.

Shared Dec 16, 2016 comment

For the mom who feels guilty that she’s not doing Elf on the Shelf

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 16, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A few weeks ago, I was talking with a friend about our Christmas plans. I was sharing how we like to keep Christmas simple and that we don’t do things like give our kids a lot of gifts, go to a lot of Christmas events, give gifts to almost everyone we know, make lots and lots of Christmas treats, send out Christmas cards, or do Elf on the Shelf.

This friend was pretty shocked and almost immediately responded, “You’re such a SCROOGE!!”

Yes, maybe I am. But the truth is, the thought of running ourselves like crazy all during December just so we can “make more memories” feels like the exact opposite of making this “the most wonderful time of the year!”

I know that this friend was mostly just joking, but I have to admit that the comment made me want to defend myself. I wanted to say things like, “But you don’t understand! We DO celebrate Christmas! We really do! And it’s fun and memory-filled and wonderful!”

But for the next few days, instead of just brushing off the Scrooge comment and going back to my simple December, the conversation haunted me.

I started to feel guilt seeping in.

Maybe I’m not doing enough.

Maybe we’re not celebrating Christmas right.

Maybe we should add some more activities or events or gifts or decorations to our to do list.

Maybe I’m saying I want to celebrate a simple Christmas but it’s really just because I’m sort of lazy.

And on and on the thoughts in my brain went.

Instead of staying there stuck in Mommy Guilt, I decided to ask my family for their perspective. So, while driving in the car together one night right after Thanksgiving, I broached the subject:

“Hey guys! I wanted to ask for your opinion on something. Can you tell me honestly what you think about how we celebrated Christmas? What are some traditions you love? Are there things you wish we would do that we don’t do?”

I braced myself for their responses. I was kind of scared as to what sort of Pandora’s Box I was opening, but I really wanted to know the truth.

And I knew that asking my kids was the best way to find out what they really think… because those of you who know my kids personally, you know that honesty is very important to them and they are not ones to sugarcoat how they actually feel about things (which I’m so grateful for — most of the time!!).

Well, their responses shocked me!

“Mom! I LOVE how we do Christmas!”

“I love our stocking tradition!”

“I love that we do things a little differently every year!”

“I love that we focus on making memories as a family!”

And on and on it went. I started to get a little braver and ask them specific questions about specific ways we could celebrate or other ideas of things we could do.

{Helping decorate the tree at Grandma & Grandpa’s house last year!}

I quickly realized that the events and activities and gifts weren’t what was important to them. Instead, they wanted to keep on with our few simple traditions:

The Kids Decorating the House — Yes, for the past two years, our kids have put up all the Christmas decorations. They think it is the coolest thing ever, they actually do a really good job of it, and they not letting us see things until it’s all finished and then getting to surprise us with the finished look.
Our Advent Countdowns — We have a few Advent Countdowns that they love to use — a chalkboard countdown and a felt wallhanging countdown. First thing in the morning, whoever gets up first gets to mark off the chalkboard and move the felt heart in the wallhanging countdown.
Christmas Movies — We love to watch Christmas movies as a family together. Each year, we try to find at least a few new ones and also enjoy a few of our old favorites, too. Their favorite thing is for us to all get on our PJs, make some hot cocoa, and snuggle up with blankets and watch a movie before bed.
Christmas Books From the Library — I already told you recently how much we love Christmas Picture books! This is one tradition I hope my kids never grow out of… though I’m guessing they eventually will! 🙁 (Here are some of our favorite Christmas picture books.)
Christmas Lights & Hot Cocoa — We research the best Christmas light displays and then take one evening to go check them out. This is best done with PJs on and warm cups of hot cocoa! (This year, we got matching footie PJs and the kids have already declared that everyone must wear theirs for our Christmas Lights viewing evening — including Mom & Dad!)
Gingerbread House — We always get a Gingerbread House kit and make it together. Some years are more successful than others. This year, the kit was kind of a bust. But the kids still had fun trying to put it together — even if it was not cooperating very well.
Ice Skating Show — Kaitlynn participates in a Christmas Ice Skating Show every year and it’s a big highlight. Not only is it so fun to get to see her performing on ice without the stress of a competition, but it’s an amazing opportunity to get to see other really talented figure skaters!
Dollar Store Stockings — This is one of our family’s favorite traditions! We all go to the Dollar Store right before Christmas and everyone gets $6 to spend to buy one item per person (+ tax) for their stocking. We have so much fun trying to split up, hide our purchases, find something creative that no one else would come up with, and pick gifts that people would really love.
One Big Giving Project — We choose a giving project to all raise money for during the month of December. The kids do this by doing extra chores or giving some of their money they’ve saved up throughout the year. And then we come up with other ideas of areas we can cut back on so we can add more money to the Giving Project bucket. It’s so much fun and it’s a great way to put our focus on other people rather than ourselves.

Each of these are very simple ideas. They don’t require a lot of extra effort ahead of time. They don’t cost much money. But they are things we all love to enjoy together.

This is the stuff that memories are made of in our house. It works for us. And I’m going to celebrate that — without any Mommy Guilt!

And I issue the same encouragement to you, mamas: You can celebrate however you want to celebrate.

This is not a post knocking doing Elf on the Shelf or sending Christmas Cards or making all handmade gifts or giving lots of gifts or putting up lots of decorations or participating in lots of activities in December. If those things are your jam, please, by all means, DO THEM.

But if you’re feeling guilty that you’re not doing enough, STOP.

Step back and really ask yourself, “Why am I feeling guilty?” Is it because I think we need to “do Christmas like other people do” or because you don’t want to be seen as the Slacker Mom?

Do what works for your own family. Do what is special and memorable for your own kids. Do what works for your schedule and capacity.

And don’t apologize if it looks very different from how another family celebrates Christmas.

After all, kids survived for hundreds of years without an Elf on the Shelf. I think you’ll be okay! 🙂

P.S. Read last year’s post on Why We Simplified Christmas.

Shared Dec 15, 2016 comment

Homemade Salt Dough Ornaments

Published: by crystal on December 15, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Looking for a frugal Christmas craft to do with the kids? Try making Homemade Salt Dough Ornaments!

Shared Dec 13, 2016 comment

Decaf Chai Latte Recipe (what I’m drinking instead of coffee now!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 13, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Looking for a non-caffeinated hot drink to replace your morning coffee? Try this Decaf Chai Tea Latte Recipe — one of my favorite drinks when I first stopped drinking coffee.

{For more tips on how to stop drinking coffee, check out this post. And you can also see my list of favorite decaf teas to drink here.}

I Decided to Quit Coffee!

As some of you know, I made some radical health changes at the end of August that have majorly impacted my life in really incredible ways — including allowing me to completely get off all of the meds and supplements I’ve been on for acne, eczema, and anxiety.

One of the big changes was going completely off of coffee. Yes, for real. For 16 weeks now, I’ve not had a cup of coffee.

I missed it really, really badly at first. Like, I wanted to cry I missed it so dreadfully.

And it didn’t help that I had raging headaches and felt lethargic for the first week after I went off of it cold turkey.

But 16 weeks later, I can tell you that the health changes I’ve experienced are every bit worth not drinking coffee. And my goal is to never drink it again.

I have so much more energy, I’m sleeping so much better, I have so much less anxiety, and I’m so much happier overall. So it’s worth it.

My Coffee Replacement

But I do love me a warm drink, so I’ve experimented with a few different healthier decaf options and have come up with one that I absolutely love.

I call it Decaf Chai Tea Latte — even though I’m pretty sure it’s not technically that. But calling it that makes me feel like it’s a little closer to coffee than it is, so just go with it, okay?!

It’s so simple to make and only takes 3 ingredients!

Ingredients for Decaf Chai Latte

2 chai tea bags (I love Decaf Hot Cinnamon, Stash Chai Spice, and Chai Rooibos.)
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk (or half & half, if you want yours to be creamier)
cinnamon

How to Make a Decaf Chai Latte

1. Steep 2 tea bags in a mug filled with 1/2 a cup of steaming hot water.

2. While the tea is steeping, froth milk. (Jesse surprised me by buying this amazing frother and I can’t say enough about how much I love it. It makes incredible froth like nobody’s business!)

3. Pour frothed milk over tea.

4. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.

5. Enjoy!

NOTES:

I like my tea strong, so I make it with two tea bags and only half a mug of hot water. You could definitely just use one tea bag if you don’t want it as strong.

Also, feel free to substitute half & half in place of the milk and it will be a lot thicker and creamier!

Want to see me make this live? Watch the video below. Oh and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to see fun videos from me every week!

Recipe