Author: jgalvinwhite

Posted in Holidays

The ABC’s of Winter

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy first day of winter!

So far this year, I’ve shared the ABC’s of summer and autumn, so of course I had to continue this series with…

I know I’m in the minority, but winter is one of my favorite seasons. I love when it gets dark early, I get a couple of months of the twinkle of Christmas tree lights, the start of the new year, my birthday, and even the chance of a snow day!

Here’s my ABC list for winter:

A- activities:

Hayden starts playing basketball and Hadley will continue with volleyball this winter.

B- boots:

I love my fuzzy boots, and we always have to make sure the kids have a pair of snow boots that fit!

C- Christmas (and cookies):

‘Tis the season for all things Christmas and cookie baking.

D- December:

December is a busy month, but it’s always filled with lots of fun. From Christmas parties, to traditions, to baking cookies, and more, it’s a great way to wrap up a year!

E- Eve: Christmas and NYE

Christmas Eve is one of my favorite days. If we are home, we go to the candlelight service at church. If we are in KC, we are with family. For NYE the past couple of years, we’ve been with friends which is a fun way to ring in a new year.

F-football, fireplace, and flannel pjs:

We’ve been spoiled with the Chiefs in the Super Bowl the past couple of years, and college football bowl games are fun to watch as we cheer for the CATS and the tigers.

Fireplace:

I love when it’s fireplace season!

Flannel pjs:

I don’t do flannel sheets, but I love flannel pjs in the winter.

G- gloves:

Of course, we need gloves for playing out in the snow.

H- hot chocolate:

Hadley loves hot chocolate; a couple of years ago, her friend hosted a hot chocolate bar!

I- ice skating/ice:

Ice skating is a fun winter activity. Hadley and her friends went yesterday.

Of course, ice is no fun to drive in and it can wreak havoc, but it’s pretty to look at on the trees.

J-January birthday:

January is one of my favorite months…maybe because it’s my birthday month?

K- Kids playing outside:

We are fortunate to live in a neighborhood with so many great kids who are all friends. On a snow day, they will definitely be out and about together.

L-lights:

Christmas tree lights….nothing better!

…and other festive lights!

M- (Christmas) music:

Hadley loves the “Holly channel” on XM radio.

N-New Year’s Eve and day:

Happy New Year!

O-ornaments:

One of my favorite traditions is putting ornaments on the tree.

P-Peppermint: ice cream and Bundt cake:

I still haven’t had a Chick-fil-A peppermint milkshake this season, but I did pick up some peppermint ice cream at the store this week.

I always make Shay’s peppermint mocha Bundt cake for Christmas Eve dessert.

Q- quiet:

I love the quiet that comes with a pretty snow…and a snow day! I also feel like January is a quiet month after the two busy months of November and December.

R- resolution:

While I don’t necessarily make a resolution for the new year, it’s a good time for a fresh start and getting back on track.

S- snowman pancakes:

A snow day tradition!

T- three day weekends: MLK and Presidents’ Day

Even after having a couple weeks off at Christmas, I still look forward to the three day weekends that come in January and February.

U- unwrapping gifts:

While I don’t love wrapping gifts, I do enjoy watching others open theirs. Giving is so much more fun than receiving.

V- Valentine’s Day:

While we don’t do a ton for Valentine’s Day, Travis and I exchange cards and go out to dinner at some point. We always give the kids a few things and send family members Valentine’s Day cards.

W- winter weather watch/warning:

I truly love watching our local weather guy when there’s the possibility for winter weather. Chris Bailey is a snow day hype guy for sure! In KC, I remember watching meteorologist Gary Lezak be so excited for snow!

X- eXtra days off, snow days:

Sorry for being redundant…but I love snow and snow days. The kids and Homer do too!

Y- yummy treats: hot chocolate, Christmas cookies

Calories don’t count in the winter and during Christmas. haha

Z- ZZZ (sleep): no alarm and sleeping in on break.

I’m on day two of break, and while I’m not sleeping in super late, it’s nice to wake up on my own and ease into the day.

This was a fun post, but admittedly a few letters were hard for me to immediately come up with an idea. Oh well!

Happy winter!

Posted in Health and Fitness

Bodi

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

It’s my first day of break, and I’m ready for a couple of weeks of no alarm waking me up or bells telling me which class period it is!

I know it’s not yet Christmas, but as the year wraps up, I always like to share a few blog posts looking back on the year. In the next couple of weeks, I will share a blog recap, books I read this year, and a look back at 2023.

Today, I’m starting with a look back on my fitness routine this year.

Before I begin, here are some relatable truths:

I’ve shared a Not Just a Mom post last year about “Workout Places,” and most of it was about how much I like the Beachbody workouts.

While I will be the first to admit that I’m not the most physically fit, I do know there are benefits (obviously) from working out. I also know that I don’t always have a ton of time, so Bodi (formerly Beachbody) has been the best answer for me. Even when I don’t want to workout, I know that I always feel better afterwards. Also, the fact that I can workout in my basement with minimal equipment while streaming workouts on my TV via the Bodi app makes working out pretty convenient most days. And…I’ve used the app on my phone to do cardio workouts while out of town (since I don’t always have access to weights when I’m not at home)

Also, I love that most workouts are 30-40 minutes.

These are the workouts I completed this year:

  • I started the year finishing Morning Meltdown 100. This program, with 100 days of workouts, felt like a big commitment, and towards the end, I did skip some of the core and yoga style workouts. I did like the workouts though.
  • Then I did LIIFT 4 which I enjoyed. This workout program definitely focused on lifting weights.
  • Job 1 is my favorite workout find of the year. The workouts are only 20 minutes long, and they are good workouts that will make you sweat. I still do some of them now when I am limited on time.
  • Fire and Flow was a fun mix of cardio and weights (Fire) and Pilates (Flow). I really didn’t think I would like the “flow” workouts, but I did!
  • Sweat and Sculpt was a surprise to me because I loved it. This felt like barre work (focus on small muscles) that included weights and some dance movements. I truly would never do this type of class in a studio…because I would feel self-conscious of my dance moves (or lack thereof!), but I really enjoyed this program.
  • Sure Thing was another great program. I’ve also completed Muscle Burns Fat (MBF) and MBF Advanced with Megan Davies, and she’s one of my favorite Bodi instructors.
  • I’ve also completed most of the Get Strong with Kelsey Heenan workouts, but those haven’t been my favorite.
  • When in between programs, I liked searching the workout library and picking and choosing different workouts to try.

Recently, I’ve turned back to 21 Day Fix which I think will always be my favorite workout program. Also, due to a hectic schedule recently, the Job 1 twenty minute workouts have come in handy.

With Bodi, you can search by instructor, but they also have categories such as:

  • Weight loss
  • Strength & muscle
  • Lean & sculpted
  • Kickboxing
  • Barre & Pilates
  • Mobility & recovery
  • Meditation
  • Dance
  • Low-impact
  • Pre & post-natal

You can also search for workouts by your favorite instructor(s).

I even earned this badge recently:

Hayden and Hadley like to go to the gym, and Travis will usually take them to lift weights and do agility training. I do like going to the gym when I can to use the elliptical.

Recently, I started doing a program called TRIM. It’s similar to Faster Way to Fat Loss and LEAN that I’ve done int he past.

Right after fall break, I decided to sign up for a seven week round. I just wanted to get back on track, and not put off making mindful food choices until January. I knew having a coach to hold me accountable would make a huge difference in getting through November and December.

I’m glad I joined when I did. After the first round, I didn’t lose much weight…which I’ve noticed being more difficult to do once I turned 40. That being said, I did lose quite a few inches, and I’m glad that they remind you to take before/after pics because the scale definitely doesn’t tell the full story.

After the seven week round, my coach wasn’t doing another round until the new year, but she did continue with her VIP rounds, so I signed up for that to get me through December. Like the other programs, we intermittent fast, track macros in an app and have two low carb days and two low calorie days, and have a workout plan. With the workouts, I used the TRIM ones but mixed in Bodi workouts too.

My coach did “12 days of December” with prizes just for submitting our nutrition for the day, and in those 12 days, I won two prizes: a milk frother and electrolyte powder packets. My coach even texted me the other day because I’d forgotten to post a couple days. I appreciated the accountability without the pressure.

I can definitely say I haven’t been 100% in December with my eating, but I’m still tracking, drinking water, getting workouts in when I can, and following the eating plan. I know I’m doing better just doing what I can with this program as opposed to just “winging it” through December.

Anyway, I can be critical of myself, but I like looking back on the year to see what all I’ve accomplished. Something is definitely better than nothing…and I feel like I’ve done a lot of “somethings” this year!

What’s your favorite workout routine?

Posted in Weekend Top 5

Weekend Top 5

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Monday!

How was your weekend? I’m linking up with Sarah and Holly for Hello Monday…

…to share my Weekend Top 5.

Here’s what we were up to this weekend:

On Friday night, Travis and I went to our friends’ Christmas party. It was so good to hang out and see so many of our friends. It was a fun and festive evening.

I was able to get organized this weekend and get some gift wrapping accomplished as well. Also, as of Friday, I think I’m finished Christmas shopping. Yay! Now, I just have to wait for the last few gifts to trickle in.

I had a few minutes here and there to read this weekend, and I’m really enjoying this book:

Hayden had a basketball tournament this weekend. He had two games on Saturday and three games on Sunday. Between games on Saturday, they boys and families hung out at a local restaurant. It was nice to let the kids relax, and the parents got to hang out and chat.

On Sunday, the team made it to the championship game of their bracket. They came up short, but they were still fun to watch play.

After a hectic Sunday, we were still able to make it to our church’s Christmas pageant. A couple of the kids’ friends were in it, so we wanted to support them. Then, there was a church Christmas dinner which was delish.

It was a great way to wrap up our busy and festive weekend.

What was the best part of your weekend?

Two more days of school…I think I can, I think I can…

Posted in Friday Favorites, Kids

Friday Favorites {#187}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

This was our last full week before break, but we still have a couple of days next week. It’s really been messing with me that break doesn’t start after school today!

As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week:

We tried a new pizza place last Friday night before heading to my school’s basketball game. The pizza was really good, and the kids had fun playing a couple of rounds of skee ball before we headed to the game.

Last Saturday, Hayden had his final cross country race of club season in Louisville. We were thankful the rain held off until right after the race, but I’ve never seen a race with so many runners. Hayden had a pretty good race considering there were over 450 runners.

Now, Hayden has a couple weeks of rest before basketball and indoor track start. Out of curiosity, I asked Hayden how many miles he ran in 2023, and he said 930! He’s on an app with other runners (kind of like social media for runners, I guess) where they track their mileage and encourage each other.

Anyway, we’re proud of all that he’s accomplished these past few months.

Then, I “raced” back to Lexington to help Hadley get ready for cotillion.

Hayden and Travis got home with about thirty minutes to spare as Hayden was going to cotillion too. While I don’t think cotillion was Hayden’s favorite activity of the week, I sure loved seeing the kids dressed up and looking nice.

(Also, Travis is the real MVP driving all over town finding clothes that fit Hayden last week! haha)

This dance was a more formal dance, and the theme was “Glitter and Gold Gala.”

We went to a friend’s house beforehand, so the girls could finish getting ready together. Then, most of the 8th graders from the kids’ school met up at a restaurant before the dance. The kids had a room to themselves, and they ate and hung out before the dance. The parents hung out for a bit too before heading home (and then back to pick the kids up at 10:30!) Saturday was a long day and a late night for all, but we enjoyed it.

On Sunday, Hadley and I baked some cookies.

Per tradition, we made Peanut Butter Blossoms, and we tried our hand at Cornflake Wreaths too. They were both delish. I think we might make the peanut butter cookies again because they didn’t last long at our house. This weekend, we might make them and the Chocolate Crinkle cookies we usually make.

Do you like my new mug? Landyn had a few seasonal things for sale, and I couldn’t resist.

Favorite Kid Quote:

Hadley was trying to persuade me about something, and I told her I would talk to Travis. She said, “Mom, everybody knows that moms are the man of the house” 😆 haha! #whereisthelie

Favorite Mom Meme:

LOL

Bonus Fave: Flashback Friday:

Oh my. Look at these cuties by the tree in 2010. I loved those little jammies…

…they had their names on their bottoms!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week, including a couple of fun linkups and a stroll down memory lane:

NJAM
LEt’s Look
Ornaments

What are your weekend plans? We have some holiday fun and basketball on tap. Thankfully, I don’t have to get up early tomorrow, and I’m so excited about that.

See you back here on Monday!

Posted in Holidays

Ornaments and Memories

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Thursday!

I always enjoy getting the mail this time of the year because of all of the festive holiday cards we receive and packages with gifts I’ve ordered (that I can check off my list!). This year, one of my packages that arrived is a gift I gave myself…

I think I shared in a previous post that last year, I decided to make a few ornaments with the kids’ pictures that we’d used for holiday cards or their pics with Santa through the years. I used Shutterfly which is my typical “go to” for holiday items, but the over $30 for shipping stopped me in my tracks!

This year, when I got on Shutterfly to click around for cards, I saw the ornaments still in my cart. I decided to go ahead and finish this project because the ornaments were half off again, and the total price meant free shipping! I did put a year on each side of some ornaments. Other years, the kids were too cute in their holiday outfits and Santa pics, that I had to add both.

Anyway, the ornaments arrived this week, and I decided to put them on the tree in our bedroom. They are so cute.

A look at the ornaments:

I’ve had the first ornament since 2009. That Christmas, with two one month olds, I really leaned in to online shopping, and we gave these ornaments to family members.

2010- The kids would barely sit still for a photo under the tree.

2011 – We contained them in a laundry basket while Hadley hugged Hayden. (awe!)

2012 – The kids sat by the tree before we headed to Trav’s work Christmas party.

2013– I think Pinterest became all the rage (for me?) in 2013. Christmas lights on the kids in their Christmas pjs by the “Merry and Bright” sign…why not?

2014-My brother snapped this pic of the kids with his fancy camera. Hayden is missing his bottom two teeth.

2015- Again, my brother took the pic of the kids on the left, and then this was the first year of visiting the really fun Santa at our favorite place.

2016- I took the kids’ pic (with my phone) this year…Hayden was out playing football with friends, and came in the house with a fat lip right before we left for these photos. The red blanket they are sitting on is still in our living room during the holiday season. We saw Santa again that year, and I remember him guessing which kid was the naughty one…and he guessed Hayden. haha

2017- Sweet moments with the same Santa and then our friend hosted a kids’ Christmas party, and the Santa who was there was so sweet. The kids looked at him with such innocence in their eyes. So precious.

2018- We went to “Cookies with Santa” at our club, and the kids had a great time. Ms. Claus was there too!

2019– I’m glad we got one last visit with our favorite Santa because, as we all know, the next couple of Christmases looked a bit different…and my kids “aged” out of some of the special traditions of Christmas.

2020- Our club hosted a visit with Santa…outside… in 2020. I remember that we almost didn’t go, but I’m so glad that we did. I think the kids were just obliging for me, but it was a fun visit, and they still got cookies out of seeing Santa.

2021- We went to KC for Thanksgiving in 2021, and we made a visit to Union Station. Santa was there! Even though the kids were older, it was still a fun surprise to see him.

For 2022, I used a family beach photo for our card…

…but I might add it to an ornament with a photo from this year because it’s fun looking back on the kids through the years.

I’m so glad I went ahead and had these ornaments made. I know I will look forward to putting them on the tree every year.

Moms of littles: learn from me…and go ahead and order the ornaments every year rather than play “catch up” when your kids are 14!

Posted in Let's look

Let’s Look

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Wednesday!

It’s the last Let’s Look of 2023, so of course I’m linking up with Shay and Erika.

This year, we’ve looked at:

  • Scheduling/organizing a busy family in January
  • What’s in your medicine cabinet in February
  • Favorite Amazon finds in March
  • I skipped April because we had pet peeves as a topic for May’s Not Just a Mom post, so I saved those ideas for this post.
  • Around May’s link up, I shared a “Day in the Life” post, so that ended up including most of my morning routine.
  • Best travel tips in June
  • No post for me in July
  • In August, I discussed worst habits in a blog challenge post.
  • Our evening routine in September
  • I skipped October because I’d already shared a post about fears for the blog challenge.
  • Stocking stuffers in November.

This month’s topic is our top comforts in life.

Well, this should be easy! I’m all about being comfy!

This time of the year, a cozy comfort is the glow of the Christmas tree.

I can’t start my day without coffee, and that first cup definitely starts the day off right.

I love a candle all year long.

Pjs and slippers are top comforts for me. What does it say about me that I care more about what pjs I buy than what I wear to school?! haha

I love a blanket while watching tv or reading…and I still can’t live without my weighted blanket on my bed.

Books and my Kindle also provide me with comfort. There’s nothing better than getting “lost” in a good book.

Sweatshirts and leggings are my most comfortable “go to” outfit.

My favorite part of my day is getting home from school, and putting on comfy clothes.

These things have me ready for another “comfort” in life…a snow day!

What about you? What are your top comforts?

Posted in Not Just a Mom

Not Just a Mom

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Monday!

I hope you had a great weekend. Ours was extra fun…we went to my school’s basketball game on Friday night, Hayden had a race on Saturday, the kids had cotillion dance on Saturday night, and Hadley and I baked cookies yesterday.

It’s time for the last Not Just a Mom link up of 2023!

This year we’ve discussed:

This month’s topic is…favorite books/series.

It’s no secret that I love to read. As a matter of fact, I’ve had less time to read over the past couple of months than I have in years…and I’ve kind of felt in a funk not having reading as part of my routine.

One of my favorite blog posts to write every year is when I share my top five books of the year. I’ve had lots of favorites through the years…

I don’t read a lot of series, but the first thing that popped in my mind given this time of the year is Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter Street series. It’s one of my faves!

2024:

Just a little FYI – for 2024, we’re continuing this link up, but we’re changing the name to Share Our Lives.

We hope you’ll continue to join us, either by linking up or reading, these posts on the second Monday of the month. Our first link up for 2024 will be January 8th, so mark your calendars!

So, what’s one of your favorite series? I do have a shelf on Goodreads for “series,” so I can those suggestions to my list.

Thanks so much for reading the Not Just a Mom posts throughthe years; they are some of my favorite to write.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef
Posted in Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites {#186}

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello and happy Friday!

TGIF! How was your week? We had a good one, and I feel like it went by pretty quickly.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are a few favorite from the week:

I mentioned in Monday’s post that Travis and Hayden were in Tallahassee over the weekend for an AAU race. Last week, Travis kept saying, “Looks like it’s going to be rainy in Florida.” Well, “rainy” was an understatement. It rained the entire time they were there, and Hayden ran his race in a monsoon.

Hadley and I tuned in via the computer…

He’s number 1197!

Travis did his best to send a few pics and videos…and the rain was just crazy.

Hayden was so happy because he earned his first “All American” medal by placing in the top 25. His team placed third.

When I picked them up from the airport on Sunday, he was all smiles…and as soon as he got in the car, he put his medal on. haha

While the guys were gone, Hadley and I had a slow Saturday morning. I watched the first episode of season 6 of The Crown.

Hadley worked on her science project, and we went to the mall.

Saturday night, we went to the Taylor Swift Eras tour movie. When I had checked the theaters earlier in the week, there weren’t any show times. We were so happy when we saw the movies times for Saturday.

Wow! I’m definitely not a “Swiftie,” but what a concert. We’ll definitely watch it again when it can be streamed.

On Tuesday, all of the freshmen went to a career expo put on by the district. I was one of the chaperones and had no clue we were riding nice buses to the expo. We were only gone a couple of hours, but it was a fun change of pace for the day.

Tis the season! My flat panel is festive this holiday season.

Sometimes when I’m shopping for others, I end up buying something for myself…but it’s usually because I stumble upon a good deal! I love this Pureology shampoo and conditioner, and they had this “Hydrate Holiday Gift Set” and it was a great deal.

Favorite Foods:

I tried two new recipes this week, and they were a hit!

We had Stuffed Bell Pepper casserole on Sunday with leftovers on Monday. It was a hit with the fam.

On Tuesday, I made Salsa Verde Chicken, and it was another favorite.

Favorite Mom Meme:

LOL….this!

Flashback Friday:

I probably share this every year, but Hadley was in the NICU for two weeks after the kids were born. The memory of her joining us at home and our first pic as a family of four always pops up in my Facebook memories.

I texted Hadley this pic on Monday (12/4), and she asked why she had to stay in the hospital…and then her reply was, “Well look at me now!”

Not Just a Mom:

We have our final Not Just a Mom link up of 2023 on Monday…and the topic is favorite books/series.

We’d love to have you join us!

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week in case you missed one:

Prime purchases
Currently
Holiday Home Tour

What are your weekend plans?

We have nothing tonight, so I hope to start wrapping presents! Saturday is action packed with a cross country race and cotillion.

See you back here on Monday!

Posted in Holidays, Home Decor

Holiday Home Tour 2023

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello!

It’s the time of the year when I really love my time at home enjoying the twinkle of Christmas lights. It’s always quite a bit of effort to get everything in the right spot, but I’m always so happy when we have our holiday decor out.

While it doesn’t change too much year to year, today I’m sharing how we decorate for Christmas.

Come on in!

I changed up the console in the front hall a bit compared to last year. I just moved some holiday items to different spots, and then added in a couple of my cute new houses from Kirklands.

This year, I did print out old pics of the kids with Santa to change up the frames that are out year round. They are sweet memories.

This year, I changed up the trunk in the living room. Last year, I made note that I wanted to get a couple of pre-lit trees for the trunk and then add in a mix and match of trees that I’ve collected through the years. I love these trees from Walmart, and it was fun adding in various trees I had in my Christmas storage bin.

I love my morning view of the coffee table tree and scented candle.

On the fireplace, I put out my favorite Santa and some nutcrackers.

On the built in, I switched out the picture in the frame to include my favorite Santa pic of the kids.

I added snow globes and another LED house from the Kirklands set to a couple of shelves too.

Just like when I shared my fall decor, I have to be honest and say my couch will never really look like this, but I love when it does. The couch is usually covered in order to Homer proof it! haha

I’m still loving our new tree, and it’s even better now that it’s decorated with ornaments and a few presents.

Nothing new in the office area…but a few of my favorite decorations and the sweet pic of the kids under the tree for their first Christmas.

I love my view from the kitchen when I’m cooking…and I love the little pic of Hadley being Hadley…and Hayden being embarrassed of Hadley. My brother took their Christmas pic many years ago. I also picked up a snowy fern from Trader Joe’s.

On the kitchen island built in, I added the bell and candle. The Santa plate isn’t really a spoon rest, but that’s what I’m using it for currently. The Merry and Bright sign is of KC’s Plaza lights which I love. I’ve had the monogrammed hand towel for years.

I’m still loving how I decorated the mantle this year with new garland and “Merry Christmas” sign from Smallwoods.

I decided not to hang the stockings yet…and Hadley is beside herself 😆

I added a few things to the tray on the kitchen table; I decided not to use a table runner this year.

Hadley’s favorite part is the village…She put it out the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

It looks even better at night.

A few other festive touches in the dining area:

A couple of years ago, my mom gave me this Santa cross-stitch that she made.

Much like the living room couch, the sun room doesn’t often look this neat and tidy, but I love when it does!

It’s similar but different every year too. I always change what I put in the tray and what I add to the side tables. The pillow slip covers are an easy way to decorate.

At the end of the hall, I added a few things. I put out some of the cards that I received last year from my mom, Gma, and aunt. They always make the best cards. The LED trees are also from Kirklands and provide the perfect glow for the nativity scene.

In our bedroom, I have our pencil tree and reindeer crock. When the crock has a candle in it, the stars shine on the wall. I love it.

Some years, I wish I had more neutral decorations, and this year, I wanted to “do less,” but Hadley wouldn’t let me! haha

Posted in Currently

Currently

Posted on by jgalvinwhite

Hello! I hope you are having a great week.

I haven’t written a Currently post in a while, so I’m linking up today with Jennifer to share what I’m currently loving, buying, preparing, excited for, and planning.

Loving:

I always love seasonal things at Trader Joe’s. My “tried and true” faves include the Step Up to the Bar mix, Jingle Jangle, and the Gingerbread People. A new find and fave is the Candy Cane Body Butter.

I always love a quiet morning, but I’m enjoying seasonal candles and the glow of my Christmas trees.

A new love is the iced Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks.

Buying:

I’ve been buying Christmas gifts…but I think I’m about finished. Travis is the one I really need to focus on, but I did come up with a few ideas for him.

I also had to buy science project boards. The kids’ projects are due on Friday. I’m secretly celebrating that these projects are the last ones they will do. Of course, science is important, and I hate that I dread navigating these projects with them, but the due dates are always awful right before break (and theirs are due even earlier this year!) Why can’t some of this be completed at school…and why not in January when life is a little less hectic?!

I returned a couple of things to Kirkands, but then couldn’t resist buying these little LED houses (#girlmath) They were on sale for only $8 for the pack of three. I got the trees too! Once you turn them on, they stay on for six hours and then turn back on 24 hours later. They’ve been the perfect little touch.

Preparing:

I’m preparing for a busy couple of weeks before school gets out. Then, I hope to have some down time/rest over break.

In the next couple of weeks, we still have cross country and volleyball, as well as cotillion, a couple of Christmas parties and two more weeks of school.

Excited for:

I’m excited for some holiday things like movies and baking cookies. We finished up Angel Tree shopping, and I signed us up to do Operation Secret Santa once school gets out.

I’m also excited for traditions like Southern Lights at the Horse Park.

Planning:

I’m just making note and planning for some of those holiday things including cookies baking.

This year I also made a note on my December calendar to remind myself that I wanted to try and make Christmas Cornflake Wreaths. I’ve never made them, but every year when I have one, I always love them.

(pic c/co therecipecritic.com)

I’m also planning Christmas breakfast which will definitely include our new favorite obsession…

This mix is sooo good. I’ve made it a few times now, and it never lasts longer than a few hours in our house.

So those are a few things that I’m loving, buying, preparing, excited for, and planning.

What about you?