Mandi Ehman's Blog, page 72

A No-Gift Christmas with Kids

The following post is from Rachel of The Minimalist Mom:

photo credit: jimmiehomeschoolmom

Heather Greenwood Davis’s family is having their second no gift Christmas.

Heather and her husband took their two sons on an around the world adventure for a year and living out of backpacks changed their views on what they really need. Not only because they lived with so few possessions but also because they saw how little people in other countries have. Last Christmas they wanted to give the gift of time to each other and Heather knew that she would be able to do that if they nixed the gift giving. The experiment was so successful they’ve decided to do it again. This year Heather, her husband and their boys will go to Cuba for the holiday season and again abstain from gift giving and receiving.

We haven’t had a completely gift-free Christmas yet but our 2011 one was pretty close. We went away for the holidays and on Christmas morning our son opened just one gift. It was a very relaxing December, and I can see us doing something similar again. In the interim we’re trying to focus less on buying stuff and instead, just like Heather, use our time together for fun and making memories.

Heather wrote that her no-gift Christmas was more rewarding for her and her family than she expected, but also, it relieved a lot of holiday stress that many of us think is unavoidable.

I had expected it might be a weight off my shoulders, but I was still surprised when it happened. There’s a lot of pressure associated with gift-giving around the holidays that just doesn’t manifest when I give a gift on a Tuesday in May just because. – Heather Greenwood Davis on not giving Christmas gifts

The downside to the no-gift Christmas: it can upset others. I could relate to Heather’s comments that their choice to skip the gifts made some people really uncomfortable. When my husband and I made some big and small changes to reduce our stuff – and the debt, stress and clutter that they came with – a few people were upset with our choices. My guess was that they felt our choices reflected negatively on their own.

While I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my own choices, what I do and don’t bring into my home and life, I don’t spend much time thinking about my neighbors choices. Many people love giving and receiving lavish gifts, love the hustle and energy of holiday shopping and feel their house is only complete when there are three trees up and an abundance of twinkling lights outside.

Embrace what brings you joy. Gifts or no gifts. One Christmas tree or a half dozen of them.

While a no-gift Christmas isn’t for every family, I really admire Heather’s commitment to less waste and stress and more fun and connection through the holiday season. I particularly admire it because her sons are committed to the cause and they’re in those tween years, the ones I think will be very challenging for my family. If Heather can help her boys see the beauty, simplicity and benefits of a no-gift Christmas, there is a better chance I will be able to do the same.

You can see a short interview with Heather here and more about their no-gift Christmas on her blog, GlobeTrottingMama.

More inspiration for fewer gifts and more meaning this holiday season:

A How to Guide to Go Gift-Less this Christmas from Frugal Beautiful
Three Ways to Lower Children’s Christmas Present Expectations from Frugal Girl

Could you have a no-gift Christmas with your family? What would your stumbling blocks be?

Rachel Jonat is a former world medalist rower turned marketing professional turned SAHM/writer. At The Minimalist Mom, Rachel writes about living a rich life with less stuff. Currently living on a windswept island in the middle of the Irish Sea, Rachel owns two pairs of jeans, lives without a car and is attempting to become a tea drinker.

A No-Gift Christmas with Kids

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

101 Days of Christmas: Honey Roasted Almond Mix

source: Mandi Ehman

When my mom flew up here before Jackson’s birth, she picked up a bag of Sahale Snacks Fruit & Almond Mix. We both loved the flavor — with almonds, cranberries and sesame seeds — but at $5 a bag, it isn’t something either of us will be buying regularly!

So we did what any good blogger does and decided to see if we could recreate it for the Christmas series.

After a few tries, I think we’ve come pretty close. Notably missing is the pure ground Madagascar vanilla bean, since that’s just not something I regularly have on hand. But this is still tasty without it! While you might be tempted to eat it all yourself, this mix would be pretty packaged in a jar or treat bag as a snack or yogurt topper.

Ingredients:

2 cup whole almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon water
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Toast almonds and sesame seeds in oven for 7-10 minutes.

Heat butter in a small saucepan until mixture bubbles around the edges. Remove from heat and add extracts.

Add almonds, sesame seeds and dried cranberries to the honey mixture and stir to coat.

Spread out on parchment paper and let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt.

Let cool completely before transferring to a bowl or individual treat bags.

Click here to add this recipe to your Plan to Eat account.

Related Projects:

Rosemary Honey Roasted Nuts
Cranberry Crunch Bark
Spicy Candied Walnuts

Join us as we celebrate 101 Days of Christmas with new DIY projects, gift ideas, traditions and more every day from now through Christmas!

Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

101 Days of Christmas: Honey Roasted Almond Mix

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Jackson Jeremiah {Six Weeks Old}

Six weeks old. How is that even possible?

Actually, if we’re going to be technical about it, he’ll be 7 weeks old tomorrow. Seriously?

Although the world of Instagram assures me our little man is still a newborn, I think he’s definitely lost that newborn look and feel. A few fat rolls and healthy cheeks will do that to you, I suppose.

We spent the first four weeks of his life desperately trying to figure out how to help him burp. He would squirm and squiggle and be uncomfortable with gas every day, and none of the tricks we tried worked. And then, miraculously, he started burping easily right before Thanksgiving. Now it seems that all you have to do is look at him and he burps!

He’s been smiling at us for more than a month now — most often during his morning “happy time” — but it’s hard to capture his smiles on camera because he’s so wiggly and you never know when one is coming! This is as close as I’ve gotten, but it doesn’t nearly capture how big his smile is or how much his whole face lights up mid-smile!

Despite our hope that eliminating dairy would prevent him from having reflux, we cried uncle last week and took him to the doctor. Because we have a family history of babies with reflux and his symptoms — wet hiccups, projectile vomiting when laying down, arching his back — are consistent with a reflux diagnosis as well, the doctor gave us a Zantac prescription…and he slept for 6 hours in his bed that very night.

But his favorite place to nap is still on mama or in the sling.

Speaking of sleep: I’ve never had good sleepers, and I think the number one reason is because I’ve always defaulted to nursing them when they woke up in the middle of the night. This time, I’m working a little harder at holding him off unless he seems to be really hungry (and, boy, does he make it obvious that that’s what he wants!). That means I’m getting a little less sleep now as I rock his bassinet, pop his paci in or occasionally sleep with him on my chest, but I’m hoping it will pay off with more sleep in the long run.

Six weeks has also brought with it a bad case of baby acne and crusty ears and eyebrows from seborrhea (basically cradle cap), so he’s been taking a shower with me each morning so that I can clean his face and rub the crust away. The shower has pretty much become his favorite place to be, and he relaxes so completely when we’re in there, even when he’s feeling fussy.

And finally, as he gets older and more interactive, his sisters are enjoying him even more, and the requests to hold him are nonstop. But so far our 7-year-old is the only one who doesn’t hand him back the second he starts fussing, so they definitely have a special relationship!

I can’t believe how fast the time is passing, but we’re definitely cherishing every minute. I’m so thankful to have this time with Sean home full time and older girls to help out so that we can just enjoy the baby stage, something we haven’t really done since our oldest was a baby since our girls were all so close together.

Want more baby pictures? I’m happy to oblige (ha!). Follow me on Instagram!

Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

Jackson Jeremiah {Six Weeks Old}

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

101 Days of Christmas: Gluten-Free Pecan Shortbread Cookies

The following post is from Amy of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free:

source: Amy

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without cookies. My love of holiday cookies comes honest, straight from my mom and grandma. Every Christmas, my mom made batches upon batches of Christmas cookies – all beautifully decorated too. My grandma always had a plate of Christmas cookies to share when we gathered on the big day. She would tell you who she exchanged with and which ones were the best. She’d tasted them all, of course.

The best thing about Christmas cookies is that they’re those special treats that you only get once a year. You know, pecan sandies, angel shaped sugar-cookies, and if you’re from Ohio you get buckeyes. They make the plate of cookies complete.

I spent a lot of time reinventing my favorite holiday cookies before my kids were born. I wish I could say that I have lots of time to bake but my two boys occupy most of my time, and with both of them being under two, cookies aren’t high on their priority list.

Regardless, I love having cookies on hand for friends that stop by, to give to Nate’s teachers, and for Santa. I always leave the best cookies for him.

These pecan shortbread cookies are everything a Christmas cookie should be — decadent, beautiful, and memorable — and perfect for sharing with your gluten-free friends!

Ingredients:

1 cup toasted pecans, divided
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter
1/2 cup agave nectar
pinch of kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons Amy’s Basic Flour Blend
1 1/2 – 2 cups unsweetened carob chips
1 1/2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated shortening
sea salt for sprinkling

Directions:

Process 1/2 cup of toasted nuts in a food processor using the pulse button until finely chopped and set aside.

Cream the butter and the agave in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. (Please note that this is a different type of light and fluffy than when using white sugar – it’s a little darker in color and looks a little heavier.) Add salt, vanilla extract, and flour blend, and mix on the lowest setting just until blended. Add the processed nuts and mix again just until incorporated. Cover the dough and refrigerate it for 20 – 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Process the remaining 1/2 cup of toasted pecans using the pulse button until finely chopped. Put the chopped pecans on a plate. Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough evenly, spacing about 1 inch apart. Once the first sheet is full of cookies, roll each dough ball in the nut mixture to coat, roll into a ball and place back onto the tray. Use a flat bottomed glass to press the cookies 1/4 inch thick. Put the first tray in the oven. Repeat process with remaining dough.

Bake one tray at a time for 15 – 18 minutes until the edges start to turn lightly golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack lined with a paper towel to cool completely.

Once cool, bring one inch of water to boil in a 4 quart saucepan. Put the shortening in the bottom of a glass or stainless steel bowl that will fit snugly on top of the pan. Add 1 1/2 cups carob on top of the shortening. Once the water reaches a boil, turn the heat off and put the bowl on top of the saucepan. Let it sit for several minutes, stirring occasionally to help the carob melt.

Once melted, remove the bowl from the saucepan and dip the cookies halfway into the carob. Shake gently to remove any excess carob. Set coated cookies on waxed paper, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and allow it sit until carob is fully set.

Makes about 30 (2 1/2″ cookies).

Related Projects:

Gingerbread Caramels
Rice Krispie Treat Trees
Rosemary Honey Roasted Nuts

Join us as we celebrate 101 Days of Christmas with new DIY projects, gift ideas, traditions and more every day from now through Christmas!

A stay-at-home mom, wife, and passionate cook, Amy strives to make each meal healthy and delicious. When she’s not doing laundry, dishes, or caring for her son, she plays around with food in the kitchen developing new recipes, which she shares at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free. Amy also publishes The Balanced Platter and authored the book Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free: 180 Easy & Delicious Recipes You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less.

101 Days of Christmas: Gluten-Free Pecan Shortbread Cookies

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

101 Days of Christmas: Cinnamon Crumble Coffee Cake

The following post is from Shaina of Food for My Family and Olmanson Photography:

source: Shaina Olmanson | FoodforMyFamily.com

I am historically bad at Christmas morning breakfast. I love the idea of spice-filled aromas from the oven wafting through our gift-opening, but we spend Christmas Eve with my in-laws and arrive home well after midnight. This means anything that requires prep the night before or even me waking up before dawn to get it into the oven doesn’t fall under realistic. Most years I end up serving bowls of cereal or frying a few eggs quick before heading to the day’s family activities.

This year I’m planning ahead with a recipe that requires nothing but a few bowls and a hot oven. This coffee cake is easy to whip together, and it bakes in the time it takes for the kids to unwrap gifts and spend a few minutes enjoying them. Right when stomach growling starts to take precedence, you’ll be pulling the cake from the oven and setting the breakfast table. Add a few peel-your-own clementines or halved grapefruits to the table, make a pot of coffee, and enjoy your Christmas morning with your family.

source: Shaina Olmanson | FoodforMyFamily.com

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated or palm sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream or Greek-style yogurt
¼ cup whole milk
3/4 cup light brown sugar or palm sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Directions:


Heat oven to 350º F. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the butter, eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract until combined. Add in the flour mix and stir until evenly mixed.

Slowly pour in the milk, while stirring. Continue to stir until combined.

Pour the batter into the parchment-lined baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, remaining flour, and cinnamon. Add the butter and mix until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the batter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Related Projects:

Orange-Cranberry Scones
Cranberry-Apple French Toast Casserole
Apple Pie Coffee Cake

Join us as we celebrate 101 Days of Christmas with new DIY projects, gift ideas, traditions and more every day from now through Christmas!

Shaina Olmanson is the home cook and photographer behind Food for My Family and the author of Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine. She is a contributor to Babble.com’s Family Kitchen Blog and the food channel on Lifetime Moms. Shaina can usually be found cooking, at the computer or behind the camera.

101 Days of Christmas: Cinnamon Crumble Coffee Cake

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

How to Have a “Green” Christmas

The following post is from Katie of Kitchen Stewardship:

source: barretthall

Everyone knows Christmas is a green holiday, even the Grinch, so it should be easy to write something in December for “Green” Your Way, right?

I’m feeling a little grinchy about it, actually.

I’ve wracked my brain and thought and thought for a week about something to say to encourage you to have a green Christmas, because really, no one wants to read about anything BUT that topic this time of year, especially some scary reminder about the latest chemical something-or-other we need to avoid.

But I’ve already written about what to do with your Christmas cards after the big day (and is anyone even sending cards in the mail anymore?!):

source: Green Your Way

(You’ll find 5 crafty and practical ways to reuse any Christmas cards you do get by clicking on the picture.)

It’s probably too late to talk about having a “green” Christmas tree…and I’ve done that already too:

source: Green Your Way

If you’re taking food to a party and want to avoid plastic wrap:

source: Kitchen Stewardship

(even more tips on traveling with food without throwing anything away here)

And if you need tips for eco-friendly wrapping paper:

source: Green Your Way

or how to entertain “green,” decorate green or ship green:

source: Green Your Way

Yep, I’ve got you covered on all those topics too.

I’ve even written already on how to decrease disposables at the holidays, giving eco-friendly gifts, and ideas for reusing common household objects (for free!) to store all the new toys with tiny little pieces that are about to invade your home — twice.

Um…Merry Christmas?

I’m totally tapped out on red and green and…being green…in December.

If you’re feeling a little tired of reading about the green (and red) holiday too, here’s a little gift to you: a few of my most popular posts that will actually use your brain, and that you might find useful right after December 25th:

Growing some “green” in the midst of winter (and saving money while doing it)


How to freeze food in glass jars (so you can have lazy meals of leftover soup over Christmas break without breaking anything) — and my original freezing in glass tips


4 home remedies to knock out a cold (I hope you don’t need any of these this month though!)


How to get the flame retardant out of fuzzy pajamas (that well-meaning relatives are probably about to bless your children with at Christmas):

source: Green Your Way

For the rest of you, see you next year for something more substantial!

Do you do a “green” Christmas?

Katie Kimball is a mom of three who spends a ton of time in the kitchen making real food with whole ingredients and then blogs about her successes and failures at Kitchen Stewardship. She believes everything in life is a gift from God and should be taken care of wisely.

How to Have a “Green” Christmas

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

Get a 100% Free, No-Obligation Credit Report from Quizzle!

Money…it can be a stressful topic during the holidays, I know.

But here’s an aspect you may not be thinking about, especially if you’re shopping online: identity theft happens every day, and the sooner you catch it, the quicker you can reverse the damage and prevent long-term headaches.

Quizzle allows you to monitor your credit and watch for identity theft with their 100% free, no-obligation credit report.

Quite a few companies offer free credit reports…with all kinds of limitations: you must submit a credit card and then remember to cancel a free trial, or your “credit report” really only offers you short snippets of information rather than the report in its entirety.

But Quizzle’s different. Not only do they offer you a full Experian report — with tools to give you a complete understanding of your home, money and credit — but it’s absolutely free, no credit card required, and it only takes less than 15 minutes to get yours! {In fact, Sean and I pulled up both of our reports over the weekend in just about 20 minutes.)

Quizzle’s mission is simple – to provide everyone across America with a free credit report and credit score.

And if you, like us, believe in using credit cards wisely to build credit and earn rewards (but without sinking into debt!), then Quizzle will also offer you customized credit card recommendations based on your unique credit history and score.

What are you waiting for? Get your 100% free, no-obligation credit report today!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quizzle. The opinions and text are all mine.

Get a 100% Free, No-Obligation Credit Report from Quizzle!

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

101 Days of Christmas: Mini Christmas Coloring Book

The following post is from Jason & Jennifer Bruce of New Season Design :

source: New Season Design

If you’re looking for something fun to keep the kids occupied, try this printable Christmas activity book.

With coloring pages, a word find and a fun mad lib, it would make a fun stocking stuffer, holiday party favor, gift or busy bag activity!

source: Jennifer Bruce

I love the idea of putting the finished booklet and a few crayons into a zipper sandwich bag and keeping it tucked in my purse. It would be perfect for those times when you have to wait somewhere and need a little bit of entertainment.

Click here to download or print the mini Christmas coloring book.

Related Projects:

Holiday Sewing Cards
Popsicle Stick Nativity Puppets
Color-Me Christmas Cards

Join us as we celebrate 101 Days of Christmas with new DIY projects, gift ideas, traditions and more every day from now through Christmas!

Jason & Jennifer Bruce are the husband-and-wife design team behind New Season Design, where they work together to help clients put their best foot forward online. Jason is a pastor-turned-graphic designer, and Jennifer is a teacher-turned-blog designer who also blogs at The Simple Pen about life, learning and the things she loves.

101 Days of Christmas: Mini Christmas Coloring Book

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

101 Days of Christmas: DIY Ornaments for Kids {Roundup}

source: Mandi Ehman

As part of this year’s 101 Days of Christmas series, I’m sharing a roundup each Sunday with more ideas from around the blogosphere!

We first started making these when our oldest was a toddler, and we’ve been making them every few years since then so that each of our preschoolers gets a chance to make them! They’re simple and fun, and I love having a craft that everybody will have a chance to do rather than just a one-time-wonder.

But we do also pick a new ornament to try each year, and while I think this year’s ornament will be , I had a lot of trouble choosing because there are so many great Christmas crafts for kids to pick from!


Here are 10 more fun Christmas ornament crafts on my someday list:

Button & Pompom Ornaments

Do you make Christmas ornaments as part of your holiday celebration?

Join us as we celebrate 101 Days of Christmas with new DIY projects, gift ideas, traditions and more every day from now through Christmas!

Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved

101 Days of Christmas: Real Candy Cane Ornaments

source: Mandi Ehman

These whimsical ornaments are so much fun to make!

They don’t have to be ornaments, though. You could also make monograms and tie them to gifts or leave off the string and simply give them as Christmas treats to eat.

The candy canes will be pretty warm when they come out of the oven, so this is really a project for older kids or adults, but it’s not difficult at all, and you could easily put together a whole collection in under an hour.

source: Mandi Ehman

Supplies:

candy canes, unwrapped
parchment paper
cookie sheet or stone
knife
twine or ribbon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Lay out a few candy canes on the parchment paper. Depending on your designs, you may want to go ahead and break the candy canes into the lengths you’ll need, or you can cut them once they come out of the oven.

Heat for 10 minutes and test for pliability. You want to be able to bend them and stick them together, but you don’t want them melted in a pool of sugar! If they’re not quite ready, continue heating for 1-2 minutes at a time until they are.

Shape the ornaments, squeezing the pieces together firmly but gently where you want to attach them. Be careful not to press down too much as you shape them because that will flatten them and make them stick more to the parchment.

Let cool for 5 minutes, peel off the parchment, and then tie ribbon or twine to use as a hanger for each ormanent.

Related Projects:

Candy Cane Reindeer

Join us as we celebrate 101 Days of Christmas with new DIY projects, gift ideas, traditions and more every day from now through Christmas!

Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy on the way, and together, they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. She loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

© 2010-2013 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved