I know what you're thinking.... There's literally no way in the world that it's possible to have a stress-free holiday season. Most people believe that when the Holidays come, they inevitably bring with them an unhealthy does of stressful and overwhelming days. It always makes me so sad to hear people say they can't wait til the Holidays are over and it makes me think that maybe we are doing this whole season a total disservice.Before we go any further, I just want you to know that this post is written just as much for me as it is for you. The whole idea has come from a place in me that is so tired of feeling like the weeks from Halloween to New Year's are a crazy cycle that I just can't get out of. After spending the past who knows how many Holiday seasons stressed out, I finally decided it was time to sit down and make an intentional plan to make this year different.Let's start out by defining what STRESS even means. We throw that word around a lot but I think if we are going to learn to avoid it, we need to first recognize what it is.STRESS (noun) a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.Sounds fun, huh? So the first thing we discover is that stress is the result of something else happening. So stress is a physical and emotional response to some outside circumstance. Now if your Holiday season is anything like mine, there are a lot of circumstances that can't be controlled. What we can control is how we respond to our circumstances.SO in a nutshell, here's our game plan:Step One: Decide what situations cause stress and see what can change in our circumstances.Step Two: Look at what circumstances we can't change and decide how we can respond more positively to them.This next part is going to take a little bit of time but I think it'll be worth it in the long run. More than likely, you find yourself stressing out over the same exact things every year but instead of changing anything, you feel helpless and end up on auto pilot. Well, Santa isn't the only one that needs to make a list and check it twice. It's time to sit down and make your own list. Identify the things that cause stress and then decide ahead of time how you can respond to each of those situations.In the spirit of full disclosure, all of these suggestions are coming from my own learned experiences. My hope is that maybe a few of these will jump out at you and help to change your season for the better.Make a BudgetToo many gifts, not enough money. I'm a big time gift giver. I get SO much joy out of finding just the right gift for the people I love. Heck, I'd probably even get joy out of giving the right gift to a perfect stranger! I just love to give gifts. Financial stress over the Holidays is a huge problem for a lot of us and the only way to really get it under control is to have a budget. Sit down with the brains of the family and decide what you'll spend on each person on your list. This way, you'll know exactly what you can afford to spend. The most important part here is that you are all on the same page. Having different expectations is normally what gets you in trouble.Get Rid Of ExpectationsLet me just start by saying that ALL expectations are unrealistic! We think of what we expect as totally reasonable but that's the problem. This is not a fun one but we have got to identify what our expectations are of family, friends, and ourselves so we can keep them under control, or just get rid of them all together! The Holidays have a way of throwing us all into a frenzy of perceived perfection. I say perceived because it never really is perfect. Let's remember that things don't have to be perfect in order to be good. If you're anything like me, you have to lose the claws buried deep into a need for perfection and just live in the moment. I'm not exactly a roll with it kinda girl but with a little bit of practice, I'm learning to be.Manage That ListWe do the same list of things every single year but it seems like it's always an overwhelming process, am I right? This year I'm starting my list early so it doesn't get away from me. My house is already decorated and my list of things to buy is already getting told who's boss. I know it's tempting to wait until black friday and beyond to see what deals you can get but I'd recommend going ahead and making your list and seeing what things you can go ahead and buy now since they probably won't go on sale. Once the item is bought, don't check it off your list until it's wrapped and under the tree. Speaking of wrapping... one thing that's helped me so much in years past is to have a basket where I keep all my wrapping materials so I'm not wasting time running around looking for things when it's time to wrap gifts. I keep scissors, tape, a pen, bows, tags, tissue paper, boxes, and paper all in the same spot. Assembling it all together in the beginning will save you lots of time in the long run.CommunicateWe all have our favorite things to do around the Holidays so we are planning to sit down as a family and each talk about what we look forward to most. Each family member gets to put their picks on the calendar to make sure it gets done. Put the big things in first and then everything else can happen it if happens. Communicating openly is an important family dynamic all year long but it's especially valuable around Holiday time. Communication with extended family is really important too. We have found in years past that we are almost always stressed about spending enough time with each side of our family. Matt and I both struggle with disappointing people, especially our parents. What we've learned from years past is that we can't assume that our families will remember our plans. We have to overly communicate what our plans are so everyone is on the same page. We also have to remind ourselves to be fully present wherever we are.Take Care Of YourselfThis may sound like a really selfish question, but you need to ask yourself what makes your soul feel fed around the Holidays. Is it spending time with certain family members, sitting by the fire watching a Christmas movie, shopping with friends? Whatever it is, if it's important to you, it needs to happen! The amazing thing is that if your soul feels taken care of, you're better equipped to be present and fun for your family. You know how on plane rides, the attendant always says to put your air mask on first before helping others? Well, it's because if you can't breathe, you can't help others to breathe. I know that the Holidays are the most tempting time to be the hero and do all things for all people but you've got to recognize your limitations and feed your soul. Take time to slow down and be quiet. Take time to reflect and enjoy. Put your mask on first, friend. You being the healthiest version of yourself will only benefit those around you.One of my very favorite classic Christmas songs is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. That's what we really all want, right? A merry little Christmas. So let your heart be light by focusing on what your blessings are and what you've got to be thankful for. Maybe your troubles won't be out of sight, but shifting perspective will at least help them to be out of focus. The very beauty of the Christmas season is that we are together as the Lord allows. So hang that shining star, sister! And have yourself a Merry Little Christmas now!
Winter Coats Under $100
The only thing better than sweater weather is C O A T weather and it's finally arrived in the south! When I was growing up in a family with five sisters, we each got one winter coat, We either got a new one (if we were lucky) or a hand me down. You wore that coat with every single thing you owned. Imagine my dismay wearing a black puffer coat over my Christmas Eve red lace dress. Talk about killing a vibe.Now a days, I prefer to have a coat closet full of options to wear. Maybe as a way to make up for lost time, maybe just because I love a coat.Either way, I love having a variety of winter weather wear (say that three times fast!) but that also means that "investment coats" are kind of out of the question. I've been amazed at the quality of the coats I've been able to find this year for under $100. A few of these I literally had to do a double take when I saw the price.If you see one you love, and I think you will, I'd suggest snagging it while you can. In my experience, most of the coats are sold out by end of November and it's slim pickings from there on out.Here are my picks of winter coats all under $100![showboutiquewidget id="654026"]
Santa Claus and The Purpose-filled Christmas
Hi, friends!Before we hop on the kids gift guide band wagon (which I'm PUMPED about btw!), I wanted to quickly touch on a few things that tend to be hot topics for parents this time of year. I feel like the best way to approach this is to start out by saying that what I'm going to share is what has worked for our family. I'm not saying that if you do it differently, you're doing it wrong. I definitely don't want to start any debates because I'm in full support of you doing what you feel best for your family! I hope this will be an encouragement to you and not a source of contention at all. So now that we've got the motive out in the open... let's start out talking about Santa!Growing up, we didn't do Santa. I can vividly remember a few people at church calling him Satan Claus. Maybe taking it a little far, ya think? My parents were influenced at the time by a very conservative christian teaching and Santa was a pretty big part of that.So then we had the group of believers and the group of non believers and I hear many a play date was ruined due to the reckless admission from children calling out others for being in one camp or another. It's become quite the issue.Here's what's ironic about the whole thing to me: I actually feel that putting a significant focus on not believing in Santa Claus and engaging in a debate on either side ends up actually putting more of a focus on Santa. Where wasn't the point from the beginning to take the focus off of the man in red?I feel no need to defend myself to anyone that we include Santa in our Christmas traditions. He's a symbol of the season in the same way that Christmas movies by the fire, baking cookies, and riding the Pink Pig are symbols of the season. We look forward to taking the girls to sit with Santa. It's the sweetest thing I've ever witnessed to see them run and jump in his lap and ask how his reindeer are doing.The way we have always approached Santa with the girls is kind of a need to know basis. The involvement is limited to sitting on his lap, leaving cookies and milk on christmas eve, and leaving big gifts on the porch that he couldn't fit down the chimney (a tradition my husband grew up with and loved!). Our conversations surrounding Santa are pretty limited and when He is brought up, we let the girls lead the conversation. When they ask us questions, we just ask them questions back. They are still so little and have no need for details. When they get older, we will just continue being open with them while also always trying to maintain the magic and wonder that surrounds the Christmas season.Our goal every day of the year with our girls is to help them be servant hearted, kind spirited, grateful little people. The Holiday Season has been proven to be a wonderful time to help them go even deeper into each of these character qualities. When they ask for a gift that's too expensive, we explain that we don't have it in our budget to get that gift. When they complain that others get better gifts than them (gosh this starts early!), we talk about the children who get nothing at all for Christmas and are sure to remind them (and ourselves!) that gratitude has a way of turning what we have into enough. Keeping things in perspective in the early years will set them up for the rest of their lives.I believe that it's possible to give gifts that are purposeful and that bring joy to our children, without falling into the trap of excessive spending and over indulgence just for the sake of the season.It's our job as parents to be intentional about facilitating conversations with our kids that are rich with the truth they need to hear. We can easily find ourselves leaning too far in one direction or another on many different topics, so it's important to have balance and look for opportunities to talk about what this time of year represents: Hope for a lost people and Light in a dark world.As far as gift giving is concerned, I love to keep in mind the "something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read" idea. We may do two of each of these categories depending on the price point, but having a guide helps to keep me grounded when I'm tempted to buy ALL THE THINGS for my girls. And believe me, I am!We also make it a point to do a major toy room clean out a few weeks before Christmas and take toys to donate. This makes room for whatever new stuff they'll be getting but it's also an opportunity to talk about giving to others in need. We have enjoyed doing "adopt a family" in the past and the girls love packing up Operation Christmas Child boxes.What it all comes down to for me is this: We love because He first loved us. We give gifts because He gave the best gift to us. We celebrate this joyful time of year with our family pulled in close because while we live and breathe, we are blessed to be doing it.I encourage you to pray that God would help you to have a purpose-filled Christmas this year. I pray that we would have enough time for all the silly and seemingly insignificant things that make this time of year FUN while still seizing the opportunities to turn hearts young and old to heaven to gain the perspective that we need to keep all year long, but especially at Christmas time.Thanks for reading, sweet friends!
The Loverly Grey Collection with Goodnight Macaroon
Y'all!I'm beaming with pride over here for one of my dear friends and blogger besties that just launched her very carefully curated collection with an international brand! Brittany is such a precious soul and her eye for fashion is top notch. I'm not surprised at all that she's accomplished so much in her career already and I'm so excited to have a front row seat to see what's next!The full collection can be found HERE be sure to use code LOVERLYGREY to recieve 25% off your order PLUS free shipping. Brittany recommends to choose UPS Express Shipping in order to ensure your order will arrive quickly! The collection is limited supply and there will be no restocks so grab what you want fast! Be sure to pay close attention to that cashmere dress because it's selling FAST!So proud of you, B!! [showboutiquewidget id="652159"]
Fall Booties + Cozy Sweaters
Hi, friends! I did a little poll last night to see whether y'all were more interested in booties or cardigans. Turns out, you're interested in both! Since the poll was split pretty even, let's just do a little of both.I have pretty strong opinions when it comes to what kind of boots and booties you need in your closet. For starters, a good pair of tan booties are a must. Second, a pair of brown riding boots are also equally as important. For a more dressed up look, I'm also loving the sock boot trend. I've seen a lot of these in velvet and y'all already know how I feel about velvet![showboutiquewidget id="650359"] Now let's talk about sweaters. I've rounded up quite a variety. We've got some pullovers, a few turtlenecks, and (my personal favorites) cardigans! All of these are soft (duh) and most are very affordable! Don't be afraid to layer sweater on sweater, too. If you have a light weight v neck sweater, it would pair perfectly with a cardigan over the top.[showboutiquewidget id="650361"] Thanks for stopping by today! Happy Friday to all of you!