5 Quick Ways to Simplify the Holidays

2018 blew me away with all the travel it involved! From starting the year in Palm Springs to ending it with our last trip of the year coming up in Nashville, I'm so thankful to be grounded with my kids at home for their December recess.  This is our 3rd Christmas as homeowners, but will only be our 2nd Christmas actually at home. To make it extra special, I've partnered with Wayfair to reflect on 5 quick ways I'm simplifying this holiday season. 

Easy Holiday Cards with Minted

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Minted and contains affiliate links; all opinions expressed are my own. 

 

I have a confession: if you send me a holiday card I save it forever! Moving 5 times across 4 states since we became a family has helped us make many friends over the years, so when the holiday season comes it's such a joy to see the updates come through the mail. Social media is great and all, but there's something to be said for getting a piece of mail and slowing down to relish in how old friends are doing, displaying the cards prominently as they arrive. 

This season will be our 4th partnering with Minted, and I love how stress-free they make it. I have something extra special planned for this year's card, and today I'm sharing my top 3 tips that have worked for me over the years:

My Top 5 Quotes from Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama

I don't know how I had the foresight, but before I knew we'd have 11 straight days of guests starting a week before Thanksgiving I booked a single ticket for myself to see Michelle Obama on the Boston stop of her book tour. A few month's prior I had set an alarm the day the tickets went on sale to try to snag two tickets to no avail; I could only purchase one. They sold out so fast!

Somehow it all worked out because after a long week of hosting I slipped out of the house to catch a train downtown for two hours with Michelle Obama. It was everything I needed. 

Join Me in Palm Springs: I'm Speaking at Alt Oasis!

As 2018 comes to a close I realize I've been invited more than any other year before to step from behind my screen and share my voice IRL, and I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be at Alt Oasis, Altitude Summit re-imagined. This will be my 3rd Alt experience (you can read my '14 recap here and my '18 experience is in my Instagram Highlights), and in 2019 I'll be continuing the conversation I started in 2018 with a new session, "Like to Action: Making an Impact with Your Influence."

Continuing to Raise Resilient Children

Saying that mothering through the current state of affairs is rough is a gross understatement. 

Literally, as a I type this the radio broadcaster is asking, "How are you coping with the avalanche of all this horrible news?"

Avalanche, yes.  

While it's tempting to put your head in the sand and continue to send "thoughts and prayers," going about sharing only tone-deaf posts of recipes, puppies and rainbows on social media, it's going to take more than that. 

My Top 3 Tips for Voting with Kids

Disclosure: I received a copy of Voting with a Porpoise for review purposes; all opinions expressed are my own. 

Tomorrow's a big day: Election Day 2018. 

I've taken my responsibility to raise civically engaged children very seriously and while my current state of activism was ignited by our time spent in New Hampshire leading up to the last presidential election, I wasn't always so civically minded. 

The first presidential election I had the opportunity to vote in was while I was in college. I could've voted absentee registered in Ohio, but I abstained as I didn't like any of the candidates. I wrestled with the thought and moved on. I now realize my mistake, steeped in privilege. 

Know better, do better.

How is it November? (& a Winner)

It's November 1, but why do I feel like I'll be saying, "Happy New Year" next week? Can you relate? 

I took my cuties back to our neighborhood church's annual Trunk or Treat last night and with the (thankfully) mild weather compared to last year, they really enjoyed themselves. I seriously *think* we'll have enough candy at least until Easter!