Let’s talk school aged children and that dreaded time as a parent that school has ended, our kids are all hyped up on Christmas treats and our bank accounts are pretty low because we have done all our Christmas shopping. What can we do with our children that will keep them happy, engaged and for us not to hear the dreaded words “I’m bored”.

Each year I wish I had of spent more time getting organized with activities for my children. I’m a busy working mom and it always happens that I have to plans to search pinterest for wonderful ideas and activities to do with my children but the next thing you know Christmas has come and passed and I was not able to do all the things I had dreamed.

This year I decided that I wanted to put all my ideas into one area and make it a little easier for my fellow parents to find one (or several) activities to keep their children entertained this holiday season. Some of these activities your children can do on their own (giving you some time to do that last minute holiday prep) and some you will do together as a family, which in my opinion is really the true meaning of the holidays.

7 FUN, FESTIVE AND (ALMOST) FREE HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Christmas Scavenger Hunt

I don’t know about your children but mine love a good scavenger hunt and I really feel that this is a great activity for children of all ages. Even children who can not read yet will love hunting around to find the items on a list and it’s always the best when you are the first one to find all the items. For those young non-readers, hide pictures of items around the house and make sure to include images on the scavenger hunt list. No time to create one? No need to worry, I have done the work for you. I’ve included 2 versions of a Christmas Scavenger Hunt for you to use this holiday season. One with pictures (I’ve included the images to print, cut and hide around your home) and this one is perfect for your little ones. Then I also have one for school aged children who can read, this one is a mixture of items inside and outdoors. Both of these scavenger hunts are great ways to keep your children entertained so you can get a little holiday prep done. Just click this link to head over to print the one you would like to use.

Bake & Decorate Cookies

Who doesn’t love to get into the kitchen and bake some cookies? I don’t know too many children who wouldn’t jump at the chance to bake and decorate cookies. This could be a great time to teach your older school aged children how to read a recipe card and have them make, bake and decorate the cookies, from start to finish. Younger children? Grab an apron and get mixing. Cut cookies into fun Christmas shapes and once the cookies are complete and cooled, have a bunch of sprinkles, icing and fun holiday toppings and let your kids have fun. Don’t have the time to bake cookies? Pop by the store and buy some already made, then buy all the fun sprinkles and icing and have fun decorating. It’s all about spending time with our kids and creating the memories. They will not remember if you baked the cookies from stratch, they will remember the laughs, smiles and giggles from your time together in the kitchen.

DIY Gingerbread Playdoh

We love to play with play-doh and what a better time to make some fun, delicious smelling playdoh than during the holidays. I love all things gingerbread during Christmas, so it is a no brainer to me that we make this simple, easy playdoh that’ll leave your house smelling delicious. Just remember that this will have to be done together because it is made on the stove top.

Paper Snowflakes

I always enjoyed crafting with paper and making paper snowflakes as a child. One thing I really like about them is that no two are alike and really there is not wrong way to make them. Simply take a square piece of paper and fold it into a triangle. Fold the triangle in half and then into thirds. Cut the bottom off so it is a perfect triangle, then cut out little shapes and open it up to reveal your sweet little snowflake.

Create a Christmas Bucket List together

Your kids will love to sit down and tell you all the things they would like to do over the holidays and what better way then to create a Holiday Bucket List. You can write out your list one popscile sticks and then pick one every day, every few days or on the weekends, really how often you do it is up to you. You can also just have a list printed off on paper and you can check it off each time you do something together.

Have a Craft Afternoon

My daughter loves to craft, give her paper, glue and scizzors and she will create so many wonderful creative things. Why not set up a space in your home with supplies that you may already have or make a quick trip to the dollar store for a few things and let them use their imaginations. Kids want specific crafts to make? Here are a few that won’t break the bank with supplies and are fun for the kids to create.

1. Styrofoam Snowman
2. Reindeer Candy Canes
3. Popscile Stick Christmas Trees

Want to know how to make these, stay tuned and subscribe, I’ll be having a post soon with step by step instructions.

Family Movie Night

We love to cozy up on the sofa, wear matching jammies and watch some of our favorite Christmas movies. When December rolls around, we make it a point to watch at least one Christmas movie a week (although we try to watch more because there are so many amazing holiday movies to enjoy). I love that my daughter loves to watch Hallmark Christmas movies as much as I do but some of the movies we are like to watch I’ll list below.

1. Home Alone (Top choice by far and watched every year)
2. Jingle All the Way
3. Prancer
4. All I want for Christmas
5. Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas
6. The Muppet Christmas Carol
7. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964 Cartoon- Classic Version)
8. Frosty The Snowman (1969 Cartoon- Classic Version)

So that is it friends, 7 Fun, Festive and (almost) free activities to do with your children during that holiday break. I hope you are able to enjoy some of these ideas during your time together as a family. You can find all the free printables under the FREE PRINTABLES link at the top of my page and I have included a free, fun I SPY that you can print and take with you for that night that you may need to occupy the kids. Thanks so much for spending a small amount of your day with me and we will see you all really soon.

Take Care & Happy Holidays,

Jen

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So today marks the first ever (well at least for me) Fall September Scavenger Hunt! “What is this Fall September Scavenger Hunt” you ask? “Can you explain this to me?” you ask. Well, I’d be happy to!! So my dear friend, Kellie from Yard Sale Squad on YouTube has created a challenge for content creators on YouTube or Instagram, to take the month of September to thrift, yardsale, or go basically anywhere you can get something for second hand and check off as many categories on a Scavenger Hunt list she has created.

I can say that I had so much fun participating and I really hope she makes this an annual tradition for years to come. It’s a great way to kick off VLOGTOBER! Yes, you read that correctly, VLOGTOBER is back on my YouTube channel!! Make sure you head over and subscribe if not already! I will have a video everyday for October. Happily Organized Chaos YouTube Channel 

Thanks so much for stopping by and spending a little bit of your day with me.

Take Care,

xoxo

Jen

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Look at this beauty, have I mentioned how proud I am of myself that I was able to make this mantle by myself (with the help of my wonderful dad of course).

The fireplace started off as just a large, 8′ wide by 8′ high square stone box. It just did not have any character or style (in my own personal opinion). We used 2 8′ by 6″ pine boards, 1 8′ by 8″ pine board, 1 8′ pine chair rail and 2 8′ pieces of oak trim.

I kept it quite simple for fall decor and I love it. Simply by adding a bunch of thrifted pieces, candles, vases, books and my small little dish that I found for the $5 Goodwill Challenge, along side with some natural elements from nature (dried hydrangeas, my favorite) and some real mini pumpkins from the grocery store.

For now, I will share with you the video for the $5 Goodwill Challenge that showcases the mantle in all its beauty.

I appreciate you all so much and I thank you for being here.

Much love,

xoxo,

Jen

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I just want to start off by saying that this weather is really making me miss Disney. So many of my dear friends are now enjoying themselves at the Disney’s Creators Conference in sunny (and warm) Orlando, FL. How exciting is it for them and I am truly loving following them along on this journey. Maybe one day I will be joining them, but for today I will watch them on their Instagram and their stories.

There is a question I am sure you all would like answered, and I am pretty sure that question is “Where have you been?” In short, I’ve been here. I haven’t gone anywhere, but I have been teaching first grade full time since September. After the summer finished, I was positive I was still going to be substituting for the school year. I had grand plans for my YouTube channel and this blog. Rewind back to the beginning of September and the phone rings. It was my (now) principal asking if I wanted to work for the next 3 weeks in a grade one classroom. Of course I said yes and fast forward to today (mid February) and I am still in the same grade one classroom. I am loving every minute of teaching first grade. I have the sweetest class but it is exhausting. There is so much work that goes into setting up a classroom, all the materials that need to be made….print, laminate, cut & repeat (this was my mantra for September). My team teacher is wonderful, and we do everything together. I am so grateful to have her in my life. So this leaves me with the question of “What about YouTube? What about the blog?” They are still here. I have no plans on abandoning them at any time. I love filming and writing too much. I have just learned that I have to schedule it in and I have to make the time. Really, I should be cleaning the house right now on this free day, instead I am taking the hour to sit and write this post because I feel this is important and I need to get it up.

I hope that you all continue to support me on this journey as I learn to balance working full time outside the home and work on this blog and my YouTube channel. Thank you all and I love you for it.

Take Care and until the next one (which I promise will be soon…)

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How often do you look at Pinterest or Google and think “If I had the money I would…”, “Look at that beautiful space, maybe we could knock down and wall and….” or “If only my home looked like that”. Too often, I feel that we are always living for the next thing, the next big break, the next change. We are rarely looking at what we have and thinking of how the space is serving us in the now. How we can use the space that we are so blessed to have and make our house feel like a home. So often we are consumed by the stuff that encompasses our lives, we need to stop and remember that it is not the stuff that we have in our house that makes the space a home. While our decorations definitely help to define our space and help us to spark joy, these items are just things.

I will be honest with you friends, this is me 100%, I am often searching for ways to update my home, looking at those gorgeous kitchens, with high end finishes and expensive appliances that I am all too often forgetting what God has blessed me with. I have a home, a beautiful one at that and while it may not be the biggest or the best, it is serving our family just fine. Now I am not saying to never dream of renovating, what I am trying to say is that we need to stop focusing so much on what we don’t have and take the time to enjoy what we do.

My house is a cape cod style and while I often dream of a huge, open concept kitchen, dining and family room, it just will never happen (unless we want to sink thousands of dollars and add on an addition). This, my friends, could very well be possible, yet you need to ask that important question again “Is this where I want my money to go? Do we really need all that additional space?”.

We really need to think about what makes these other homes so appealing, why do I want my home to look like that? Why is this large kitchen so important? What are the characteristics or features that make the other places so appealing?

The point to this is we want to make our house feel like a home. We need to work with the “bones” of the house as it currently is. While it may very well be in the plans to move or do a major renovation in 5 or 10 years, we need to stop focusing on what our homes could look like and focus on how they can be now.

Do we really need to sink thousands of dollars into a renovation when we can simply add fresh paint to our walls or cabinets and simple decor pieces (that we may already have) to achieve the look we want.

Take a good look at the space you have and take note of what sparks joy and makes you happy and what doesn’t. I know that this seems like such a simple task, but really if the item doesn’t make you happy and it is there to just fill a space, then it is time to let it go. Clear your home of these items and then just take the time to enjoy your space and if needed you can then continue to add back to the space with items that spark joy.

I have been on this journey for a while now and I am honestly still struggling with it. It is really hard not to dream of “what can be” and to only focus on “what is”. You will still see me share renovation ideas and plans, but I am really trying to embrace what I currently have and love it.

Please share with me your ideas of learning to love the space that we have, I look forward to hearing from you.

Take care,

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GIFTS FOR THE DISNEY MOM

It’s hard to believe that it is that time again, the time to start thinking about Christmas and what to get that special mom that loves Disney in our lives. If you know me, you probably know that I am slightly obsessed with all things Disney, surprising (well maybe not so surprisingly) my whole family is. We love all things that revolve around the mouse. So this may not be a surprise to you, but I have created a Holiday Gift Guide for the mom that loves Disney. I shared a Disney Gift Guide for Adults last year but am excited to share with you mainly items for that special mom in your life that may just love Disney as much as I do. (and I may be secretly hoping that I find some of these under the tree this year).

As pictured: Alex and Ani Peter Pan Bangles | Minnie Mouse Robe by Barefoot Dreams | Mickey Mouse Black Pave Earrings by CRISLU – Rose Gold | Minnie Mouse Stemless Wine Glass | Minnie Mouse Bow Paper Clips | Mickey Mouse July Birthstone Necklace for Women – Ruby | Walt Disney World Wood Photo Album by Arribas – Personalizable | Peter Pan Canvas Glitter Tote by kate spade new york | Phone Case | Mickey Mouse Scarf for Adults by Barefoot Dreams – Cream

1. Alex and Ani Bangles -$79.99

An Alex & Ani bangle is a perfect gift for that mom that loves jewelry and loves Disney. There are so many different styles and charms to choose from. This adjustable metal bracelet is handcrafted by using recycled materials. You have your choice of either a gold or silver finish, each charm is 3/4″ in diameter.

2. Minnie Mouse Robe by Barefoot Dreams – $158.95

This beautiful robe by Barefoot Dreams would be any mother’s dream robe. Made of Polyester, the CozyChic feather yarns create a unique dimension and thickness.  It has an adjustable tie belt with double belt loops and features a silhouette of Minnie Mouse on the beack. It has two front pockets and on one of the pockets it is embroidered with the initials “MM”.

3. Mickey Mouse Black Pave Earrings by CRISLU – Rose Gold -$60

These black earrings will be the perfect bold addition to your jewelry collection.  there are .925 Sterling Silver and finished in  18 karat rose gold.

4. Minnie Mouse Stemless Wine Glass-$12.99

Celebrate in style with this fun Minnie Mouse stemless wine glass. Mom will love enjoying her favorite beverage from this fun glass, with an icon of Minnie Mouse and confetti graphics all around. It is 5” H x 3 1/2” Diameter (at widest point) and holds 16 oz of your beverage of choice.

5. Minnie Mouse Bow Paper Clips-$9.95

While these are a very small item and could potentially go into mom’s stocking, I felt I had to include them since I love all things stationary. These Minnie Mouse Bow paper clips would be a perfect addition to any moms desk space and would make work just a little more fun!

6. Mickey Mouse July Birthstone Necklace for Women – Ruby-$56.95

For this post I picked the Ruby, being a July baby but this beautiful necklace comes in every birthstone. Mom would love receiving this necklace for Christmas.

7. Walt Disney World Wood Photo Album by Arribas – Personalizable -$65

What mom wouldn’t love to receive this beautiful wooden photo album personalized with the family name. Use this album to fill with your many Disney family memories or just family memories for that extra special touch for mom.

8. Peter Pan Canvas Glitter Tote by Kate Spade New York- $218

This Kate Spade tote is one of the more expensive items on this list but I can guarantee that mom will love getting this under the tree this holiday season.  Made of cotton and metal, this bag is 13 1/2” H x 14 1/2” W x 6 1/4” D and is canvas with a multicolored glitter band. Carrying is made easy with the shoulder strap and the interior has 2 slip pockets and one zip pocket giving you all the space you will need.

9. OtterBox iPhone 7 Plus Case- $59

This is a phone case for an Iphone 7 Plus but whatever phone mom has she will love to get a Disney phose case to deck out her phone. This ultra slim one piece design features an easy on and off and allows access to all your phone buttons and ports.

10. Mickey Mouse Scarf for Adults by Barefoot Dreams – Cream- $48.95

Mom will be one stylist momma wrapped up in this super soft scarf by Barefoot Dreams. This scarf features Mickey Mouse’s silhouette and is cream in color.

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I love Christmas and what better way to spend some quality time together during the holidays then in the kitchen baking up some of our family favorites. My daughter, who is 6 years old, loves to help me bake in the kitchen. She is always wanting to help out and make her own things, so all year round I try to encourage this love of baking and during the holidays it is even more special.

I am excited to be participating in this holiday cookie hop and will be looking forward to trying some of these recipes that my blogger friends have created. It will be something that Madeline and I will be doing during her school vacation that is for sure.

For my recipe, Madeline and I decided to take one of our favorite drinks during the winter months and make it into cookie form. The first time I made these cookies was a few years ago and they were loved by everyone. So if you are looking for a tasty, chocolaty treat, then look no further and try these Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies I guarantee they will be a huge hit at all your holiday gatherings.

I was so excited to make these today and it was the perfect “snow day” activity. School was cancelled, so what better way to spend a snow day then to get cozy in the kitchen, baking up some sweet treats to enjoy.

We started first by gathering all the ingredients together. I find this very helpful whenever I am baking anything, just in case you ever started something and then mid way through the recipe find out you don’t have one of the ingredients.

The first step was to get the chocolate and cut it up into pieces to add to the bowl.

Then once it was all chopped, I added it to the bowl and added in the butter as well.

After I melted the chocolate (which took about 90 seconds) It was creamy and smooth, so I set it aside and continued to work.

Next, I started on the dry ingredients by sifting the flour and cocoa into a bowl and adding the baking powder and salt as well.

Then once that was aside, I blended together the wet ingredients by first adding the brown sugar into the bowl and then I had my little helper crack the 3 eggs into a separate bowl and then we added them and mixed until creamy.

Then once the brown sugar and eggs were blended, I added in the chocolate mixture that we started the recipe with.

After mixing all of the wet ingredients together well, I then added in the dry and mixed.

After all the wet and dry ingredients were combined, I then put the bowl into the refrigerator for 1 hour (this is why the recipe takes o long to prepare, you have to let the dough chill for at least an hour). What you are going to find is before you let the dough chill it will remind you more of a brownie batter then cookie dough. The hour in the fridge will help the dough firm up and you will be able to handle it and make little balls of dough to bake.

To make the balls you will take about a tablespoon of dough and roll them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Then place them into the oven for 9 minutes.

While the cookies are baking you are then going to cut the marshmallows in half.

Once you take the cookies out of the oven (after the 9 minutes) top them with the marshmallow half (make sure the cut part is down) and put them back into the oven for about 3 minutes.

Once you remove them from the oven, press down on the marshmallow and let cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Now you will have to start making the chocolate icing that goes on top. For this you will need to sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder together to create no lumps. Then in a pot you will melt the butter and whipping cream until the butter melts and then quickly add in the icing sugar/cocoa mixture and stir.

Quickly drizzle over the tops of the cookies and if you want you can add crushed peppermint chips.

There you have it, my Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies (inspired by our love of hot chocolate). I hope you have a chance to try these cookies this holiday season and don’t forget to check out all the other yummy cookie recipes in this Cookie Hop!! (I know I can’t wait to try some in the kitchen this holiday season)!!

Take Care & Happy Holidays,

Print

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies

If you love to enjoy a hot cup of cocoa during the cold winter months, then you will love these cookies with a peppermint twist. 

Course Dessert

Keyword cookies, hot cocoa, sweet treats

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 42 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 8 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate chopped
• 4 oz white baking chocolate chopped
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp peppermint
• 24 large marshmellows halved

Chocolate icing

• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

• Add both the semi-sweet and white chocolate to a microwave safe bowl and add in the butter cubes. Place into the microwave and heat on high for 30 seconds. Take out, stir and repeat until the chocolate is smooth and creamy. Set aside to cool.
• In a mixing bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
• Fit your electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Add in the bowl the brown sugar, eggs, peppermint and vanilla. Then mix in the chocolate mix from step 1.
• Mix together on low speed slowly adding the flour mixture.
• Cover bowl and chill 1 hour.
• Create balls of dough, about a tablespoon each and bake 9 minutes.
• Remove cookies from oven and add 1 marshmallow half to each cookie. Bake again for another 3 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool.

Chocolate Icing

• Sift icing sugar and unsweetened cocoa together in a mixing bowl.
• On a low heat, add butter and whipping cream and heat, stirring frequently until butter has melted. 
• Remove pot from heat and add in your icing sugar and cocoa mixture. 
• Spoon over cookies or drizzle. Then add crushed candy cane pieces while chocolate is still hot. 

Notes

Recipe Adapted from Glorious Treats

More Delicious Christmas Cookie Recipes:

For more Christmas cookie recipes, make sure you check out the delicious recipes below!

Swiss Mountain Shortbread by Kim of Kim Power Style

German Iced Spice Christmas Cookies by Christina of The DIY Mommy

Slice and Bake Shortbread Cookies by Jo-Anna of A Pretty Life in the Suburbs

Cathedral Window Cookies by Rita of Harbour Breeze Home

Chocolate Peppermint Biscotti by Kendra of Joy In Our Home

Cranberry Orange Shortbread by Jen of Kitchen Counter Chronicles

Holiday Crinkle Cookies by Lisa of Fabulous Habits

Maple Shortbread Snowflakes by Laura of one house 2 barns

Ritz Cracker Bark (aka Crookies) by Courtenay of Creek Line House

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Cookies by Jennifer of Happily Organized Chaos

Earl Grey Snowball Cookies by Tan of Squirrelly Minds

Gingerbread Cookies by Dannyelle of Life is a Party

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Every year after the holidays happen, I say to myself “Next year will be different” but sadly it never is. I am always stressed to the max, running around and I never feel that I am able to fully enjoy the holidays like everyone else around me. I am up late wrapping gifts, or cleaning and cooking for everyone while they enjoy play time with my kids. The living room is always a mess because of all the paper wrappings from the millions of gifts that the kids get and they “need” to open every last one of them, right away.

It’s a battle that I think a lot of moms deal with every year. We want our lives to be pinterest perfect, to have that ideal Christmas we feel our children will remember for their entire lives, well guess what, they don’t. I have a feeling that the ultimate gift you can give your child is your time. Time together as a family, mom sitting down with them Christmas morning and playing together. This is why this year I vow to do better.

I have been thinking a lot about how I can make the Christmas holiday season more simplistic, really trying to embrace being more intentional and mindful in all areas that surround the holidays. So I have come up with a list of 8 ways that I hope will help you embrace the simple and say no to the commercialization that Christmas has become.

8 Simple ways to Embrace a Simplistic Christmas

1. Set a budget/limit: Do not spend what you do not have. I know that sounds simple, but more than often so many people dig out their credit cards and charge during the holidays, often taking months to repay it all back.
2. Talk to your family about what gifts: You would be surprised at how many people actually want to be more mindful and intentional with the holidays, My sister in law and I decided a few years back that we would stop exchanging gifts between the kids and ourselves. We decided when they come to visit during the holidays that we would do something together. Last yer we ordered pizza and the kids went sledding in the yard. We all had so much fun and it only cost us a pizza.
3. Keep your decorations minimal: This will be hard for me but I am determined to do this. Last year it took me 2 days to decorate. We had 5….yes 5 Christmas trees (seriously, no one needs 5). Although, if 5 trees is your thing, then go for it. I think the thing with being minimal is completely up to you and what you feel is minimal. Maybe you have had 8 trees in the past and now 5 is minimal to you. Just do what makes you happy!
4. Make it homemade: If you are going to exchange gifts then have the kids help and make them homemade. I have some wonderful ideas for grandparents already lined up and I can’t wait to share them with you.
5. Step away from technology: Social media can be your best friend but it can also be your worst. Take a step back from seeing what everyone else is doing and remember the reason why you are doing this.
6. Keep cooking/baking simple: Don’t feel that you have to create a 5 course Christmas dinner with the perfect table scape. Guess what, your family came over to see you and your family, not to see how you decorated your table. Stick to recipes that are easy to make and that you know your entire family will love. Also, if you really do not enjoy baking, then buy something at the store. Believe me, no one will care if the pie is store brought.
7. Create a Vision: Decide what you want your ideal Christmas season to look like and create a vision board, this way you can look back at it if you start to get over whelmed.
8. Simplify traditions: As a family we love Elf on a shelf. I have been doing it since C was 2 and will continue because I love it (and we may be adding another Elf and friend into our traditions) but our elf doesn’t go crazy. We keep it simple because realistically it doesn’t matter what our “Max” does, the kids just like to find him in the morning. Make sure to do those traditions that you love to do, not the ones you feel you “need” to do. If you don’t like to send Christmas cards, then don’t. Do what you want to do because your children will remember it is the time spent together.

Everyone’s ideas of minimal and simplistic can be different and that is something I have learned through this time while on my journey of being more intentional. What I may feel is minimal can be different from what others feel is  minimal.

Embrace what makes you happy and you do you.

Happy Holidays,

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To start this wreath you will first have to gather up all the supplies that you will need, and by looking at the picture above you can see that you will not need too many things in order to create this beautiful wreath.

SUPPLIES

• grapevine wreath base (Michael’s Craft Store $5)
• scissors
• glue gun
• Faux Floral sprigs
• mini faux pumpkins

Step One

The first thing you will have to do is to gather your faux floral sprigs and spread the flowers, leaves and other pieces apart. Then you will use your scissors to snap the pieces off. You can probably use wire cutters for this but I don’t have any on hand and wanted to do this project on a budget.

STEP TWO

After you used the scissors then you may have to snap the wire apart, this is a pretty easy step (which like I mentioned, if you used wire cutters you would be able to skip this step).

Now once that is finished you will have a pile of floral and sprigs and you will then take those pieces and place them on the wreath in the spots you think you may want them to go. For this step I would suggest not gluing them yet because then it will be easier to move if you decide that you want to rearrange the wreath.

STEP THREE

Once you have your flower pieces on the wreath in the spots you are happy with, then you will glue them on with the hot glue gun. You will have a few moments to re arrange the pieces around before the glue hardens into place.

Once you do that, then you will go ahead and create the Mickey pumpkin head that will be the main piece to your wreath. I did this by simply hot gluing 2 smaller pumpkins as ears on the medium size one. You can also use tooth picks as supports (which I do not have pictured) and then it wouldn’t take as long.

Once your Mickey head is complete, you will place it where you want it on the wreath and voila, you are complete!

This Disney Mickey fall inspired wreath is the perfect addition to any front porch, door or even somewhere in your home for any Disney loving family.

I hope you create your own Mickey wreath and display it in your home, and let me know where you display it in the comments below. I hope you all have a wonderful day and a magical evening, and as always, take care.

The post DIY MICKEY INSPIRED FALL WREATH appeared first on .

The meals, overall, were a success with the entire family, children included. Although, I feel I need to embrace a few more meals that are a little simpler for the kids. They were not a fan of the sandwiches, although they ate the cheese and meat, the bread was too hard (according to them). So lesson learned to stick to normal white Italian loaf from now on. Surprisingly, Connor loved the vegetarian chili, while Maddie was not a fan and no surprise that tacos were a huge hit (I mean, who doesn’t love tacos?!).

We didn’t have as many leftovers as I anticipated so that is an area I need to improve. I also feel that I need to meal plan for every day of the week and not rely on having left overs because as I experienced, that did not happen and I found that we were struggling to figure out dinner during the weekend.

I am happy to report that there was much less food wastage this past week and we did rather well sticking to our plan. Now, I am really excited to share this weeks meal plan with you all and you will notice  I made sure to include a meal for every day during the week but plans can change and if we have leftovers we will eat those first in order to minimize wasting food.

Monday: Spaghetti and Marinara with Garlic Bread

Tuesday: Tacos (for the kids with cucumber slices as a side). I am having ground turkey taco Salad.

Wednesday: Sheppard’s Pie

Thursday: Shake and Bake chicken with baby  potatoes and corn

Friday: Fish Sticks, oven french fries and carrots

Saturday: Easy meal of sandwiches and soup

Sunday: Pizza (Connors birthday party) **This will be a take out meal because it is during Connors birthday party**

So there you have it friends, this is what this upcoming week should look like for meals in our house. I would love to hear what some of your family favorite meals are, so please leave me a comment down below. Until next time I hope you all have a wonderful day and we’ll chat with you soon.

Cheers,

Jen

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