We’re down to just one week before Christmas! One thing I like about doing an Advent calendar is that it gives Jona an idea of how long he has to wait until Christmas day; he can just count the numbers that he has left. I’m pretty sure last year I got “is tomorrow Christmas?” SO MANY TIMES.
Despite some sickness hitting our household over the weekend, we managed to still do some fun Advent Calendar and LYBHolidayL activities. Here’s this week’s recap and next week’s preview.
{What is #LYBHolidayL?}
Alexandra, of Simply Alexandra, and I created a challenge for the months of November and December to help us focus on self-care, contentment, and gratitude this holiday season. Each day we have a prompt to inspire creativity, organization, and a sense of peace during this often crazy time of year.
Every Monday we’ll each share the week’s prompts on our blogs, with ideas for ways to incorporate them into your life. We’d love for you to join in! You can find the full list of prompts on Instagram, and also at the bottom of this post. Be sure to tag your posts with #LYBHolidayL so we can see them.
{Highlights – Week 7}
– I treated myself to new stickers for my 2018 planner when I went to Hobby Lobby to return a puzzle.
– I listened to a lot of Christmas music! Either in the car or just while we’re hanging out at home, we usually have it on in the background.
– I took a break at work one afternoon and walked around outside. It was chilly, but it felt good to get moving for a little bit. I really need to do this more–it’s a much healthier energy boost than reaching for a snack or a cup of coffee.
– I planned a healthy breakfast for myself this week to try to balance all the unhealthy treats I’ve been indulging in lately. I’m not a big smoothie drinker, but for some reason I really like smoothie bowls. I found a strawberry one I really like (frozen strawberries, yogurt, milk, a little maple syrup and vanilla), especially topped with crunchy granola and almonds. I don’t like bananas (and I can taste them in anything!) and it’s hard to find smoothie recipes without them.
– We didn’t make a special trip to look at holiday lights, but we did make a point of trying to see as many as we could on our way home one evening.
– We made chocolate chip cookies to give to Jona’s teachers for Christmas. We also have plans to make frosted sugar cookies to take to a family Christmas (and to leave for Santa) later in the week, and we may try out a new recipe to take to another family Christmas. We’re spreading out the baking. š
– I had hoped to finally make a FaceTime date with my mom, but with two sick kiddos we just didn’t get the time. Yesterday Violet was either crying or being held, so we were in survival mode.
{LYBHolidayL – Week 8}
December 18 – Give yourself a mini pedicure. I can hear my feet saying “thank goodness, it’s about time you paid attention to us again!” Also, after a day of taking care of a sick baby, I’m pretty sure I’ll be craving some me time by evening.
December 19 – Pick up thank you notes and stamps. I actually have a pretty good stash of thank yous, but I may swing by (where else?) the dollar spot at Target to see what they have to offer. I always love to have a variety on hand.
December 20 – Make a double batch of a favorite meal and freeze half. We’ve been in a pretty good habit of doing this lately. This year we’ve been making a real effort to eat out less, but it gets exhausting to cook every single meal at home. It’s nice to just pull something out of the freezer to thaw and cook.
December 21 – Sneak in an extra workout today. I’m trying not to laugh as I type this. An extra workout you say? Maybe I can try to sneak in a workout. #progress
December 22 – Give yourself a 20 minute break. My favorite way to take a break is with a book, so hopefully I can find a little pocket of time to do some reading.
December 23 – Make treats to share. We are having a family Christmas on this day, so we will be making and bringing some treats for sure.
December 24 – Enjoy a seasonal drink. It’s not seasonal, but a rare treat I enjoy is coffee with Bailey’s. I don’t drink it often, because the time that I usually drink coffee is not a time I usually drink alcohol. But it’s Christmas Eve! It’s not like I’ll be working the next day. š
It’s not too late to join in! Also, feel free to skip around and try the ones that work for you. Be sure to tag your posts with #LYBHolidayL so we can see them. Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram too (@shealennon and @simplyalexandra12).
Have a great week!
