I've been finding myself sharing posts on my Facebook page about how big kids are sweethearts, too. About how we often attribute malice or disinterest to the gangly tweens and teens with the earbuds in and the cool scowl on their faces, and we don't look further to see the tender, thoughtful souls beneath.
Living with a sweetheart of a 12-year-old who's now wearing men's shoes and is about to outgrow his aunt by height, I know firsthand that appearances can be deceiving and that the warmest hearts can beat beneath the pulled-up hoodies of adolescence.
In the category of Things No One Asked Me For, I bring you a family Mad Lib to act out. Wondering what family activity to settle into on Christmas Eve? Trying to head off political arguments when relatives are over? Break out this little giggle starter.
I was inspired by Jimmy Fallon's Mad Lib Theater and thought: We definitely all need this in our very own living rooms. Because this is not just any Mad Libs. This is a DRAMA. Stand up! Emote! Bellow to the back of the theater!
Candles are traditional, and chocolate is fun, but snuggling and spending time together is the perfect way to count down the days till Christmas.
Consider wrapping a series of winter or holiday books and craft projects, then having your child open one a day until the big day arrives. You'll get to enjoy a cuddly reading time or an interactive project opportunity together.
You can adapt this for Hanukkah by wrapping eight themed books, or as a countdown to Solstice or another celebration your family keeps.
You don't have to buy anything if you don't want to, so it's a frugal option to keep the spending and clutter down as well. I store our Christmas-themed books with our holiday decorations so that I can find them each year and keep them off the shelves when they're less relevant.
I'd seen this idea before of doing a solely book-themed countdown, but with our small space, we don't actually own 24 Christmas books. This year, though, I got the idea to sprinkle in other items:
It's time for my annual roundup of coupons and deals sent to me by my affiliate partners. These are companies I support and recommend and whose savings I'd like to pass along to you for your holiday shopping! If you shop through my links, it costs you nothing extra and I get a little reward from the company to support my blogging. Thank you!
I need to come clean.
I have something of an addiction to Shutterfly.They just have so many cute gifts, made even cuter by the addition of my favorite little faces!
Shutterfly has the perfect assortment of holiday gifts for Christmas presents for loved ones. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other dear relatives will appreciate using high-quality items that just happen to feature their favorite people. Plus, Shutterfly is always offering amazing coupons and deals that make these gifts affordable.
Here are some of the items I myself have bought over the years and that I recommend to you. Yes, I purchased these with my own money, not sponsored. I told you I have an addiction — don't judge me!
This is a memory card game. With your own photos! Since we live far from most of our family, I filled the images with relatives' faces and gave this to my little ones to practice names and relations in a fun-filled manner. I included their own faces for the recognition enjoyment of it. You could also go scenic or nostalgic with your favorite vacation photos or similar.
Our sweet across-the-hall neighbors knocked and left the kids surprise buckets with Halloween treats within. As a thank-you, we came up with this pop-up card idea.
My preferred type of craft is the kind that absolutely anyone could do, and that probably many have done before. I'm sharing because these turned out super cute, and maybe you'd like a Halloween card idea. If my kids and I could handle this, so can you and yours.
Get out some colorful paper, and determine your pop-up items. My kids didn't fancy being too scary, so we went with pumpkins, and chose an orange construction paper as the base to save on coloring time. Other options could be a ghost or bat or such.
Remember to keep your pop-up items smaller than your card interior will be. We fit two big and one small on a single sheet.
For the jack-o'-lantern faces, have your kids draw or color in as their developmental stage suggests.
Keep your workspace absolutely clear of crafty chaos. I cannot stress this enough. Absolutely clear! Like so. Do not get out ALL the glitter glue and stickers and markers. Unless you have to.
Pick a card paper and fold it in half. Then we're going to use one of these thingy-dingies to secure our pop-up to the inside.
I realize that, in many parts of the world, July 4 is well over.
But don't tell that to my neighbors, who are still setting off illegal fireworks,
and don't tell that to me, because I am finally getting this video posted
after umpteen technological delays.
I think you will find the wait was worth it.
And if you need the extended version of the best part,
by popular demand from Alrik & Karsten,
here it is,
20 minutes of "Whoa! It's taken by wind!":
You're the one who knows the exact knee-bend bounce for soothing a crying baby.
You're the one who starts bouncing instinctively as soon as you hear a crying baby in earshot.
You've been taking prenatal horse pills for years, to be on the safe side.
You've been wearing nursing bras just as long.
You're the finder of lost shoes, lost toys, the jacket that never made its way into the closet, the remote in the couch cushions, the stuffie under the couch, the sippy cup under the sink.
You're the one who knows what condiments each kid likes with each food, and who gets them out without asking or being asked.
You could change a diaper with your eyes closed but know not to.
Up to Seattle Center to see the Christmas decorations at Winterfest,
hear the beautiful music from a high school orchestra,
and engineer the Santa train in the Armory:
Here are some simple ideas to jazz up your Christmas gifts this holiday season. They aren't professional-level wrapping techniques, which makes them doable for any of us mortals; they use materials that are easy to source; and they still add a snazzy touch to your presented presents.
The first and easiest way is to buy interesting ribbon.
Even a simple bow will look fancy if the ribbon is.
To tie a nice bow: Cross the ribbon strand you're using
right over left, then left over right.
Repeat as needed for knots or double knots,
always switching sides for what's on top.
I say this because I recently overheard some teen girls
who didn't know how to tie a bow that lies flat,
and I really, really wanted to help!
Another easy option is to use multiple colors of the same ribbon.
This works well if you have plain ribbon to make it look more interesting.
You can wrap all the colors around the entire gift,
or you can choose to tie the contrasting colors only around the knot at the end.
Curl the ends to make a nice poof of color.
I find you can get curly ribbon to stay put in a nice round shape
if you interweave the ringlets a bit, tucking any errant strands
under the ribbon crossing the package as needed.
If they aren't staying nicely, you can always affix parts in place.
Tiny bits of double-stick tape, glue dots, or other mini adhesives
would be easiest for such tasks.
Combine the two steps above by using multiple strands
of an interesting ribbon, such as this shimmering cloth variety.
Bonus: The recipient can reuse cloth ribbon if desired.
We bought a baby Christmas tree for Mikko's first Christmas, so we did the same for Alrik and Karsten. Here's how their measurements are keeping up over the years.
First, a look back: 6-month-old Mikko's baby tree.
2 and a half years old
3-and-a-half-year-old Mikko with his now bigger tree.
It's time for my annual roundup of coupons and deals sent to me by my affiliate partners. These are companies I support and recommend and whose savings I'd like to pass along to you for your holiday shopping! If you shop through my links, it costs you nothing extra and I get a little reward from the company to support my blogging. Thank you!
Wild Dill: Natural, fair-trade clothes & toys for babies & children
'Tis the season for Black Friday/Cyber Monday celebration! This year Wild Dill is going all out with a 40% off deal on some of our most popular toys and all clothing through this secret Black Friday sale link.
Wild Dill is an online boutique specializing in organic, fair-trade, natural and Made in USA gifts for babies & kids. Shop indie brands making beautiful heirloom items, perfect for holiday gift giving.
It's time for my annual roundup of coupons and deals sent to me by my affiliate partners. These are companies I support and recommend and whose savings I'd like to pass along to you for your holiday shopping! If you shop through my links, it costs you nothing extra and I get a little reward from the company to support my blogging. Thank you!
Truth in the Tinsel: Advent activity ebook for families
If your family practices the Christian faith and is looking for a kid-friendly guided Advent resource for December, try out Truth in the Tinsel!
This is "an Advent experience for little hands," because it offers a faith-based activity and Bible reading each day to reinforce the reason for the season and lead children into a celebration of Christmas and Jesus' birth.
It's time for my annual roundup of coupons and deals sent to me by my affiliate partners. These are companies I support and recommend and whose savings I'd like to pass along to you for your holiday shopping! If you shop through my links, it costs you nothing extra and I get a little reward from the company to support my blogging. Thank you!
I'm Lauren Wayne, writer and natural parent. I embrace attached parenting with an emphasis toward green living.
Riding the rails with my husband, Crackerdog Sam, and our hobo kids, Mikko Lint Picker (born June 2007), Alrik Irontrousers (born May 2011), and Karsten (born October 2014). Trying every day to parent intentionally and with grace.
I'm Lauren Wayne, writer and natural parent. I embrace attached parenting with an emphasis toward green living. 
