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Written by Christy from Fresh Mix Momma, Contributing Writer
December is a busy time of year for everyone!
Thanksgiving just ended, Christmas is coming up and New Years is just around the corner.
With everything going on, it’s very easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle and lose sight of the fun and meaning of the Holidays.
Sometimes it’s just nice to be more low key and simple with Christmas to really enjoy the Holidays.
If you are looking for a more simple Christmas, try out a few of these ideas:
Make some homemade decorations
- Homemade ornaments
- Popcorn Garland
- Christmas Paintings
- Christmas Wreath
Have family nights
- Christmas movie theme night (example: give your kids a “train ticket” to watch “Polar Express” while having hot chocolate)
- Read Christmas stories next to the tree
- Pile in the car and check out neighborhood Christmas lights
- Cook dinner as a family
Make Homemade gifts
- Hand scrubs
- Custom sign
- Jewelry
- Meal in a jar
Start making your own traditions
- Yearly Christmas family photo
- Christmas Letter
- Thankful Jar
- Family dinner with game (like white elephant gifts)
- Cookie and Hot Chocolate Party
Remember that the Holidays don’t have to be packed full of so much stuff that it quickly passes you by. Slow down, take time to make memories and enjoy keeping the Holidays simple!
Do you have any family tradition for Christmas?
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Do you remember your first days of school as a child?
I remember it being the like night before Christmas, I was so excited I could hardly sleep. Well, up until about 5th grade, after that, I lost all my excitement lol. Each year I remember shopping for the 1st day of school outfit, getting our school supplies ready, visiting the classroom and packing our backpacks. Then the first day came and the years flew by so quickly.
Now I am a mom of three and I’m having my own “mom” memories of my children’s first days (and weeks) of school. My two oldest are venturing into kindergarten and first grade this year and we’re already into our 3rd week of how we “do” school, which is a combo of school and homeschool.
I feel a lot more organized now than I was this time last year when I had terrible morning sickness. Whether you homeschool or your child goes to school M-F, I think it’s a lot of fun to create ways to remember these first days, because they don’t stay little forever.
Here are 5 First Days (and weeks) of School Traditions:
There are millions and zillions of ideas on pinterest but here are 5 traditions I enjoy doing with my kiddos. In the title of this post I added (and weeks) because it might take a few weeks to do all of these if you’re like me. 
1. Take a photograph
You don’t need a fancy camera to do this… nowadays everyone just uses their phone. Before your child goes into the classroom (or your school area at home), stand outside the school or even by the door and snag a couple smiles. Use a First Day of… sign if you have time to print one out. Then if you want to spruce things up, you can use that photo to create a magazine cover or “about me” picture using picmonkey.
I borrowed this idea from Between you & Me.
2. Apple for the teacher
Ok, you can never go wrong with this one. If your child has a teacher, let your child help make a card or small gift, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a REAL apple. Teachers work so hard behind the scenes and it’s a sweet gesture to let them know that you as the parent and your child are excited about the school year. I normally like to get crafty, but this year I went with the REAL apple and a small gift I picked up and just wrapped up with a bow.
If you are homeschooling and you are the teacher, well, then go get you a nice cup of coffee one day! 
I give you permission!!!!
3. Interview
If you’re going to create the photo keepsake from #1, you can use these answers from this interview. I found these a few weeks ago and really love the idea.
Sometime during the first weeks, sit your child down and have them answer the questions. I think it’s best when you just let them answer and to not worry about spelling. And if your child cannot read yet, you could write the answers and let them copy it onto the sheet. This will be so fun to look at when they are seniors.
4. Write a story
After the first day of school, sometime over the next week or so have your child write about their first day. I created a printable for you to use. Again, if your child needs help, write it out and let them copy.
Feel free to use the First Day of School Printable or just write a story on your own paper or even use this journal which great for early elementary-age throughout the school year.
5. Draw a Self Portrait
Use whichever medium your child likes best, whether crayons, paints or pencils and have then create a self portrait. I once learned in a college art class that when you’re able to capture yourself in art you are then able to capture other people or things around you with a greater understanding. While I do not know it that is true because I never liked self portraits myself, I want my children to know they are great works of art from Jesus
In Ephesians 2:10 it says “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them“. “His Workmanship” could be translated as “His work of art” which is what we ALL are! We still haven’t made out self portraits but hoping to this week.
I hope you enjoy all of these ideas!
What are your first days of school traditions?
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Written by Steph @ Living Surrendered, Contributing Writer
When was the last time you got some photos printed? Maybe it’s been a while and you’re realizing you need to back up your iPhone while you’re at it. You’re not alone. Smart phones make it easy to snap, post, and share about our lives in milliseconds. But, what about printing the photos you love to share?
I’m a photo collector. Not a collector of random framed art, but a person who captures photos everywhere I go. I like to think of it as collecting moments… mostly in my iPhone. But, I do carry my DSLR with me too.
It’s surprising that I’m this way, because my family isn’t the biggest on taking photos and most of them avoid being on camera like the plague. I guess this is what caused me to want to capture every moment I could. I literally have tens of thousands of photos from years of hitting the shutter button and exploring new places. But I didn’t want them to just stay locked up in my iphone, computer or cardboard boxes. I wanted them on display!
So, I started making my own photo books a few years ago when I discovered Shutterfly and other sites that let you design your own. I made a photo book for every trip and major event in my life. I also started making yearbooks that illustrated what was happening in our lives that past year, collage walls of artistic shots I took and hanging gallery wraps. I have many of the photo books in my living room book shelf and they are often pulled out and looked through during visits with family.
One of the reasons I love to digital scrapbook is that they are neatly designed and preserved in professionally printed book. No glue, glitter or ruined originals. They are stored online for reprints if something happened to them (like a fire) or if Grandma sees your book and wants a copy.
So, if you haven’t ordered any prints recently… here are 7 reasons why you should!
1. It’s the most personal way to decorate your home
Updating your picture frames even twice a year brings a fresh look to your home. It’s a great way to show off your photography, show of those adorable kids (or pets!) and give you a visual of the happy moments your family enjoys.
2. Having a hard copy is essential
Iphones, cameras and websites are great, but they are not fail-proof. I usually back my photos up to an external hard drive, a website, a DVD and get copies printed. If one fails, I have other options. I actually back my photos up from my cell phone to the Shutterfly app just in case. What if you lost your phone before backing it up?
3. Sharing with family
Some of my family know that when an important day is coming up, I will be there with my camera… and I will make a photo book or have them printed in some way. They know that I will be gifting some sort of photo creation. These gifts are awesome because they are personal and unique to each occasion.
4. You can get creative
Whether it is a photo book, canvas or gallery in your home, the options are endless. I love being able to tailor each project to my home. I love seeing unique wall art made from snapshots in people’s homes. It also gives me a reason to get crafty and try some of those Pinterest ideas I see every day!
5. Having only professional prints on the walls is expensive and boring
How often do you get family portraits done? Not often, if you’re like most families. That doesn’t mean the candid photos can’t be hung. And honestly, they will probably strike up more conversations than the brown-backdrop-studio shot you had done 4 years ago.
6. They are inspiration
Having photos hung in your home serve the purpose of reminding you of a memory or to inspire you for the future. I love to hang photos of my family, but also places I’ve been or would love to travel to. Use them to inspire you!
7. Evoking emotion with the real deal
There’s something awesome about holding the print and remembering the day it was taken. There’s nothing like a hard copy to hold, pass around and archive. It’s also the best way to scan a copy. You can’t scan a copy of a photo book and get good results.
Ready to print some memories? Here are a few of my favorite tried-and-true sites (not affiliated, just really love them!):
Photo books:
- Shutterfly – This site is the most user-friendly out there. It’s loaded with beautiful designs, pre-made templates and endless design options. If you create an account, they will send you coupons for discounted photo books or even free books often. I have ordered many, many books from them and have yet to be disappointed.
- Blurb – This site allows you to create photo books of your Instagram photos. It’s fantastic and fun!
- MyPublisher – This site is less user-friendly, but still offers quite a few options. Their prices tend to be a bit higher but they run special deals all the time, like buy 1 get 2 free.
- Snapfish – This is another budget friendly site with plenty of options. I don’t prefer the restrictions on design (I’m a designer at heart) so this is not my favorite site. But, most people aren’t looking to do the things I want to, making this a great site for people who want easy, pre-made options.
Print sites:
- Shutterfly – Again shutterfly is a fantastic site for prints because they offer storage of your albums, the ability to import from Facebook and the ability to share albums with your friends and family who are also on Shutterfly. And again, they send coupons often.
- CPQ – If you’re looking to have some professional quality prints done for very reasonable prices, this site is one of my go-to sites. It takes an initial set up, test print order and account confirmation, but after that it’s a gem. I shoot with my DSLR camera a lot and want high-res images that are high quality when printed. Using this site I get exactly that. They too run specials often (Like BOGO on gallery wraps)!
- Easy Canvas Prints – This site is the most budget friendly for gallery wrap prints. I recently ordered a 24×36 photo of our wedding photo and got it for $55 with shipping. That is ridiculously cheap… and yes, the quality was perfect for hanging. They run specials constantly and offer a variety of sizes, options and layouts.
- StickyGram – This site is pretty awesome. They sell a grid of 9 Instagram photo magnets for $15. This is a great way to pop your favorite Insta photos on your fridge.
Anyone else a camera fanatic like me? What are your favorite ways to display your memories?
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