LYB(Holiday)L Week 6 + Linkup Reminder! // Seeking Holiday Calm

Hello everyone! I hope that you had a fun, festive, and peaceful weekend! :) We did ALL OF THE THINGS, but it managed to be a good one. :) Let's get straight into the first full week of #lybholidayl December, ok?!

New here? The What & Why

Shea from Shea Lennon and I are super psyched to be continuing LYB(Holiday)L this month! Starting December 1st we have one prompt per day to help us live a calmer, more organized, and peaceful holiday season! Each week we'll share the week's prompts, and our own ideas for how we'll do them. We'll give brief re-caps on the previous week as we go. The full list of daily prompts is on IG, and will be linked at the bottom of each of my posts. If you're a plan ahead type person, tape it into your planner or write it out to start thinking ahead. We hope that you'll join us! Use #LYBHolidayL to let us know when you tag along on social media! :) (see the full intro post and details, here).

Week 5 Recap:

This challenged helped me to get through a majorly stressful month mostly unscathed. ;) Following the challenge helped me to keep calm, take time for myself, and get organized here and there. It also gave me permission to spend time on myself and to get rid of things on my to-do list. :) 

• I wrote a note to a friend that I will send this week with a small bday present!
• KC and I discussed our holiday hopes and plans early in the month, so we are feeling good about it!
• I broke out the coloring book, it included getting up to play litter box duty with Scal, but I did it! :) 
• I will admit that I did not try a new coffee/tea/etc. with all the chaos with Scali... I really didn't have the energy to do new things. But that's ok! I think it is the only prompt I have skipped!
• We made some Bailey's hot chocolate at home in our new mugs from 1Canoe2. It was DELICIOUS!
• I shopped my closet for holiday outfits for me and my sister! :P I now have a few things put together for concerts, the nutcracker, and parties. :) 
• We are doing an Advent calendar this year for our new holiday tradition, and I am so excited about it! At first I was really stressed because I had little time, have I mentioned the vet?!, but once I got things together I am feeling great about it! :) I am also doing a December Daily album and LOVING it! :)

Week 6:

December 4 - Make a list of things that stress you out about the holidays, and then take one of those things off of your plate.

hmm.. unfortunately most of the things that stress us out about the holidays are not under our control... but we did decide on a few things we aren't planning on doing. I'm hoping to brainstorm how I can make the stressful things a bit easier this year!

December 5 - Set a budget for Christmas expenses and stick to it.

We set a gift budget, and have changed it a bit as the shopping has gone. I kept our Advent calendar expenses very low - which I feel good about. :) I'm planning to avoid shopping for clothes and other things that I want this month since we plan on doing lots of activities. Granted many of them are free or already paid for! Woohoo! :)

December 6 - Choose a new planner or get your bullet journal/digital calendar organized for the new year. (at least start it ;) )

I bought a new planner! It's not an ECLP! What?! I don't know but I just wanted to try something new!! I bought the planner from 1Canoe2, which was a lot cheaper, has a fun layout, and pretty brush lettering inside. I can't wait to show you guys! I need to get it set up though! Excited to get started on the 6th!

December 7 - Try a new crock pot recipe

I need to look through recipes I have saved from other bloggers, because crock pot recipes are hard for us. They make wayyy too much food for the two of us and we get so tired (usually) of them. Excited to give it a shot. We've been eating out a lot, so this is much needed. :) 

December 8 - Have a gift wrapping "party" with your significant other or friend

We are nearly done with our shopping, but have a good chunk of wrapping, tag making, etc. yet to go. We have a concert this night, so we may or may not get to this task after work. If we don't we'll likely roll it in to one of the next two days... which are also very busy! :P 

December 9 - Make a Gingerbread House

We have only made a gingerbread house once before together. I'm excited to try it again. I'd like to make some sort of interesting shape... but I don't know that there will be time for that! We shall see. :) 

December 10th - Make a blanket fort and watch a holiday movie

We have talked about watching The Holiday under a blanket fort - because the fort in the movie! - and may do that, or watch something else. We are watching The Holiday twice this year. I'd like to FINALLY get around to White Christmas. Can you believe I've never seen it?!

Linkup Reminder!

Shea and I both had the idea to FINALLY do Advent calendars in our homes this year, and we thought it would be fun to do a linkup where you all can share your calendars if you made them, but also any of your fun holiday traditions in your home! :) No matter what you celebrate this month, we'd love for you to share it with us! The linkup will be on December 13th! We hope that you will join us in sharing your family's winter holiday traditions!

Do you have a favorite crock pot recipe?! HELP!

Have you picked your 2018 planner yet?!

What stresses you out about the holidays? How can you make it better?

We'll be posting about the prompts using #LYBHolidayL on Instagram! Make sure to check in with Shea on her IG too! :) @simplyalexandra12 & @shealennon

XO,

Alexandra