Tag Archives: christmas

How to Make Grinch Pancakes for Christmas!

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I love the Grinch. How the Grinch Stole Christmas has always been one of my favorite Christmas movies. It is watched every year, sometimes multiple times, in our household. Since the release of the new The Grinch cartoon a few years ago, I love it even more! It’s just so fun. That’s why I took my favorite pancake recipe and Grinched it up! These pancakes are great for a fun Christmas breakfast! They’re also great to serve for a Grinch viewing or party as you celebrate the Christmas season. How to make Grinch pancakes! These pancakes are seriously so easy but look and taste so delicious. First, start with the basic recipe for my favorite pancakes. You’re just going to … More…

Grateful Living- December 2016

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So often we get stuck in the day-to-day hustle and forget to acknowledge what’s really important. If someone were to ask “What’s most important to you?” we would be quick to respond with things like family, friends, being a good person, and so on. Unfortunately, we allow ourselves to get sidetracked a lot and temporarily “forget” our priorities. Unanswered emails clamor for our attention, deadlines and “to-do” lists clutter up our minds and steal our attention. As a way to temporarily silence these outside distractions, I like to look back over the past month and remind myself what is beautiful in my life. I try to identify three things that have happened in the past few weeks that I am grateful for … More…

How to Change Our World with Lessons from The Grinch

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I love The Grinch. Every year while decorating the tree, I watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It puts me in a Christmas-y, happy mood. I even made Grinch pancakes this year! I can’t tell you one exact reason why. Could be the songs that drew me in as a child or the whimsical rhyming words and phrases. Whatever it is, I know I’m not alone. It’s funny to think that the love we all share for this furry, green creature would not exist were he real. He is, after all, mean, sneaky, conniving…an all around jerk. We all have real people like this in our lives and we want those people as far away from us as possible. So what is it about … More…

7 Inexpensive Toddler Christmas Gift Ideas

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Toddler’s are so easily entertained. Yet we buy them endless amounts of gifts that have buttons, buzzers, lights and music. They wind up, glow, and move on their own. Why? It’s completely unnecessary. Most of these gifts cost at least $30 and lots cost well above $50. There are so many things that little ones love that cost significantly less. So if you’re interested in stretching your Christmas budget and providing that baby of yours some exciting, engaging gifts, I’m here to help. Here are some inexpensive toddler Christmas gift ideas that will allow them to use their imaginations, teach them valuable life skills while they play, and keep them entertained. All while keeping you from breaking the bank. (This post contains … More…

How to Celebrate Christmas with Alternative Gifts

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Two years ago, we tried something new. It was back before I started budgeting for Christmas gifts after Christmas of 2013.  I had added up how much we spent on Christmas gifts that year and was depressed by the rather large number. Then I added that to the amount we spent on Birthday, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day gifts. I had just been telling Andy that I felt like the holiday’s had become too much about the gifts. It’s all about what you spend, how much you receive, and not the spirit of giving like it should be. Armed with this new financial data to back up my moral objection to all the gift buying, we decided came up with an idea. One of our goals for the … More…

How to Create a Christmas Budget

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  If you’re anything like me, you have a habit of overspending on holiday gifts. It’s both a terrible habit and wonderful habit. No matter which holiday you celebrate this coming season, you will be giving gifts. To want to give more and more is a marvelous thing, but it can be a curse when it eats its way into the rest of your finances. You may overspend on credit cards or eat into other categories. This causes you to have to rework your budget after all of the gifts have been purchased or worse, continue paying for those gifts well into the new year. No one wants to start the new year in debt because they over-gifted. That’s why … More…