Decorating after the holidays

It’s been a whirlwind hasn’t it? The crazy busy holiday season has finally come to an end and now your home looks BARE!

When the Christmas tree is put away and the guests have left you alone to a cold house, it’s easy to let the chill of winter settle into the soul. How do you decorate for a season that has no particular appeal? You can’t very well put a bowl of snow on the table. Well let me give you a word to focus on when you begin thinking about decorating your home for winter: cozy. Yes, try to think of everything cozy and infuse it into your home for the season. Here are 10 tips to help you have the warmest decorating at the coldest time of year.

When I look at my home after the holidays I am met with mixed emotions. On one hand, I am overjoyed with how crisp and clean everything looks. The rooms that were decorated for the season now feel so open and spacious! But then I look at those that were not touched over the holidays and I feel as if they are screaming for a refresh.

Is “wintery” decor still allowed?? I mean, winter just arrived but a large majority of winter decor can feel “Christmas-y.” The answer is YES, and we’re all in luck because there are a ton of chic and cozy ideas for decorating after the holidays.

I want to share 7 tips of how to decorate after the holidays 

1)     Bring out the white.. White dishes, white décor and you can add splashes of your favorite color

2)     Add some greenery, personally I love the look of fresh crisp greenery. It is so pretty and styled just right it really adds even a romantic touch.

3)     2 words- Cozy THROWS- keep them around, keep them out, let them add the warmth to your home on those cold Christmas evenings when you and your love cuddle while watching a movie or in my case your fav team playing hockey

4)     Add some fresh new pieces of furniture with Furniture box.. I recently came across this and already my shopping cart is overflowing because the pieces are gorgeous.

a.     Like this coffee table

b) or this dining room table and chairs: 

5)     Keep the counter clutter free, get some new organizational pieces and let the creativity flow.

6)      Get Creative and set up a  Hot Cocoa Bar... Set up this log cabin-inspired hot cocoa bar for a winter party or a cozy night indoors. 

7)  Decorate Your Front Door for Winter

Wreaths and door hangings are a great way to celebrate every season. You'll love this winter wreath basket tutorial by DIY Inspired. It's easy to customize this winter-bouquet-in-a-basket and use whatever decorative elements you have on hand. Once winter is over, switch up the contents with dried flowers and you have a new look for spring. 

When Old Man Winter is howling outside, it's a good idea to add a dose of cheer to your home. Luckily, it's easy to decorate for winter—the key is to use natural elements, touches of greenery, a bit of shine, and the soothing hue of winter white

Christmas for a Health-Conscious Family

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Christmas is usually the time for indulging in delicious food, watching Christmas movies, drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows, and making peace with that little voice telling you that you’ll have to go on a diet as soon as the 1st of January comes. However, there are ways to have a merry Christmas without stressing over your waistline and trying to ease the stomachache of your kids who had one too many candy canes. With that in mind, here’s how you can make your Christmas both fun and healthy for your whole family. 

Control your eating

Even though this season is all about celebrations, it doesn’t mean you have to indulge every day. Allow yourself some freedom during Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and for a day or two after the celebrations. However, when you’re not celebrating, stick to your usual healthy diet. Also, try to watch your potions – you can still try everything, but you don’t have to eat an entire plate of every dish. Opt for smaller portions, and eat slowly, so you can both enjoy your food and control your eating. As for your kids, keeping them away from all the sweets and unhealthy snacks might be a bit tricky, but you can always encourage them to spend more time outside playing in the snow to burn the extra calories. 

Make healthy treats

Photo by Aldyth Moyla on Unsplash

Speaking of sweets and snacks, nobody says that they have to be unhealthy and packed with sugar. You can easily make some treats that are healthy, delicious, and appealing to kids. For example, you can make peppermint meringues, which are just as festive as candy canes, but they contain much less sugar. Or, you can be creative and make strawberry and banana Santas that your kids will surely love. You can even make breakfast more fun by serving snowmen made of hard-boiled eggs, carrots, and peppercorns. In general, try to include as many fruits and veggies in your dishes, as your family will need vitamins to keep colds at bay. 

Socialize 

Staying mentally healthy is just as important as staying physically healthy. Preparing all the meals, making treats, decorating your home, and packing the gifts can glue you to your home for some time. This can make you feel a bit lonely, as you might not have the time to meet up with your friends and actually enjoy the season. However, you’d still have all the technology, and during busy times like these, it can help you feel less alone. For example, you can use apps that help build communities where moms meet and share experiences, learn from each other, exchange ideas about healthy treats, etc.

Stay hydrated

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All the social gatherings usually include a lot of drinking as well, which can put your liver under a lot of pressure. So, to help your body deal with alcohol, stay hydrated – by actually drinking more water, not more alcohol. Green tea is also a good choice, as it has antioxidant properties that can help your body flush out all the toxins found in alcohol. Moreover, berries and cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage and broccoli, can also help your body handle alcohol, so try to add them to your Christmas meals too.

Be active

Christmas often includes sitting in front of the TV and watching holiday specials, resting after meals, skipping your exercise, and not moving too much in general. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. It’s okay to give yourself a break and skip your workout, but you shouldn’t stop moving altogether. So, encourage your family to go for short walks after dinner, as it can help your digestion, and the fresh air can help clear your mind. If there is snow, play outside with your kids – have a snowball fight, make a snowman, and let your inner child out to play. 

‘Tis the season to be jolly, but you’re not going to be jolly for long if you ruin your health. So, choose to have a healthier Christmas by paying more attention to what your family eats and drinks, staying active, and socializing. This way, you’re more likely to start the new year feeling good about yourself, and the first thing on your New Year’s resolution list might not be losing weight.

Being Healthy does not mean giving up enjoyable things

If you are seeking to try and get a little healthier, perhaps for the new year, then you might be worrying about the possibility of how this might affect your life, and in particular the things that you enjoy. A lot of people worry about this, but when you look closely at it, it often appears to be no more than just a means of trying to avoid the issue of getting healthier. The truth is, you rarely have to give up many enjoyable things to become healthy, as long as you know what you are doing. In this article, we will look at how that might be the case.

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Learn To Cook

If you can’t already cook well, then you will find that this is one of the main things you want to do in order to be able to be healthy while still also enjoying what you eat. That’s because those who are skilled in cooking are able to produce meals which are healthy and yet delicious, or at the very least you can control the amount of sugar, fat and so on that goes into your food. So even if you bake these easy sweet baking recipes, you can make sure that you know exactly what is going into them.

Relax

A big part of trying to become healthier is allowing yourself the chance to relax regularly. The good news here is that this is something which is, in itself, incredibly restorative for you, and also something that is easy to enjoy. For most people, the relaxing part of the day is the more enjoyable part overall. So this is one way in which you can find that health and fun go hand-in-hand very neatly, and that is a wonderful thing to be able to take advantage of.

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Finding The Fun In Exercise

For many people, exercise is the least enjoyable thing that they can think of doing. But that is probably only because they are thinking of it as something that is a chore. In fact, there are plenty of ways of exercising which are actually going to be very enjoyable indeed, and you will need to make sure that you are focused on these and that you manage to find the fun in exercise that is there to be had. A good way to do this is to take up a sport, and that way you might not even be thinking about the exercise itself - you’ll just be playing a sport you love to play.

Socializing While Exercising

Again on the exercise front: if you can find a way to make it a social event, then you are bound to enjoy it that much more, and that is probably going to mean that you have a much better time of it on the whole. That could be as simple as spending time with a jogging partner, or as we have already seen, getting into a team sport. Either way, it’s a useful way to ensure that you exercise much more.

Why The Contacts You Choose To Buy Matters

Contact brands may seem like a silly thing to care about; after all, contacts don’t make a fashion statement and are usually just something we bring home from our eye doctor without a second thought. Luckily, there are brands that are making buying contacts a fun experience. Warby Parker, a brand that has done exciting things in the past, now offers contact lenses! True to their brand, they are sustainable, perfectly packaged, and affordable! Read ahead for some more information I’ve learned and wanted to share about Scout by Warby Parker… 

Scout sells their own brand of daily contact lenses, as well as other types by brands you may know, like Acuvue, Biofinity, and Air Optix. This way, if you prefer to wear bi-weekly or monthly contacts, you can still add your preferred lenses to your cart when shopping for other things with Warby Parker, like eyeglasses, sunglasses or cases for either. However, if you wear contacts every day or have sensitive eyes, daily contacts might be the best option for you – and just like their glasses, Warby Parker offers a home try-on with Scout too! You can get 5 days of your prescription contacts for only $5.

The other thing I love about Scout is their dedication to sustainability. Scout packaging looks so different than what we’re used to when it comes to contacts. They are sleek with vibrant colors, plus they use 80% less plastic than traditional contact packs and the box they come in is recyclable. I love that this brand is dedicated to making the earth a better place through changes such as this and their Buy A Pair, Give A Pair program for glasses. Warby Parker has made it clear that they care about their customers, people all over the world, and the planet! 

Warby Parker opened their first Canadian location back in 2016 and have added more throughout the country since then, allowing you to get eye exams, buy glasses, and contacts! Their stores don’t feel like your usual optometrist office as they strive to make a fun experience for the whole family that doesn’t feel like just another medical appointment. However, you don’t even have to go to one of their stores to buy contact lenses; it’s so convenient that you can now shop for them online. All you need is a copy of your contact lens prescription and your optometrist’s contact information to verify your need for lenses to get a 90 day supply right to your door.

I love that brands are making an effort to make shopping for otherwise boring, daily items a little bit more exciting for the consumer. There is no reason we can’t buy socks, deodorant, and even contact lenses while having an enjoyable experience with a cool brand that cares for you and your experience with them. In a time where everything is accessible with a few clicks, it’s important to know that we have the power to choose brands that share the same care for our planet and families that we do, as well as our customer experience! 

Christmas Tablescapes

Mixed Metal Tablescape for Christmas Dinner Christmas is about gathering with family and those close with us to express our gratefulness for their infinite love and care. Whether that be with gifts, cards, or dinner — your thoughtfulness will not go unseen. If you are hosting a Christmas gathering this holiday season, then kudos to you! You’ll have a grand time and won’t disappoint with this holiday trend. Dazzle your company with a gorgeous mixed metal tablescape. It’s the simple things in life that are most touching and mean the most. That is why this mixed metal tablescape strives for an effortless look. It’s about the people sitting at the table versus what’s on it. Take a look at the pointers below to achieve this stunning mixed metal tablescape for Christmas! Your family will surely be impressed. Embed code:

Or JPG: Hot Chocolate Stencil Don’t stop at the tablescape! Share your love with family and friends over a cup of delicious hot cocoa. Make it cocoa they won’t forget by using a hot chocolate stencil as seen in the mood board above. Here are the instructions: Simply follow this hot chocolate stencil link Find the download stencil button Print out the stencil Cut only on the dotted lines Place the stencil over the hot chocolate foam or whip cream Sprinkle cinnamon, chocolate dust, or nutmeg on to the milk foam or whip cream on top of the hot chocolate Remove the stencil and voila! We hope you have a wonderful and memorable Christmas this year. By following the simple tips above, you’ll create an intimate atmosphere your family and friends will be pleased to gather at. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

How to Plan the Holidays for the Entire Family

Photo by Chelsea Francis on Unsplash

The jolliest of times is finally here and we cannot be more excited about it. This is the right time
to reflect on the previous year, see what mistakes you have been making and trying to find a
way to change it. Apart from that, it is time to show your love and appreciation for the people
that you love the most. Family is also very important around this time of the year, and it could be
an amazing idea to gather around and celebrate the holidays together. But since this day and
age makes it very difficult to find time and actually do all the things that we want to do, this can
be a challenging task. Take a look at how to plan the holidays for the entire family without any
problems whatsoever:

Go big on the decor

In order to find yourself in the Xmas spirit, you will have to do a bit of decoration. And who
doesn’t like Xmas decorations? The first step is to go to your parents’ house (or the house of
your grandparents – basically the place where you created your earliest Christmas memories)
and go big on the decorations. Invite all your family and spend one weekend at the end of
November or the beginning of December giving this special time of the year the Christmassy
touch that it needs. Take the biggest Christmas tree, light the best lights and show the world
that you are in the festive mood.

Buy beautiful presents

Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Unsplash

Another way to create positivity during this time of the year is to buy presents for the people that
you love. These do not have to be big presents, a small sign of appreciation would be more than
enough. However, even though buying plenty of presents for all the members of the family might
be costly, you need to choose the most important person in your life and give them something
nice and pretty. Time is flying by and every Christmas is proof of that, so buying a nice watch for
your partner, mother or brother/sister is a great idea. In order to save some time, it would be a
good idea to find a great online watch store and see what they offer. They will deliver the
present to your doorstep and the only thing you will have left to do is wrap it nicely.

Organize a trip
If your family is big, then perhaps not everyone will be able to make it to your Christmas dinner
that you will organize. For this reason, and also for making it more interesting, it would be a
great idea to Organize a good road trip that everyone will go to. Once again, you do not have to
break the bank in order to make this happen. You can choose a location that is nearby and book
a nice cottage in the woods, for example, where you will spend the weekend. Traveling with
your whole family is not something that a lot of people do, yet it is a magnificent way to gather
around with your loved ones.

Cook together

Photo by Katherine Sousa on Unsplash

When it comes to the Christmas dinner, there are those families that really cook the whole day
in order to make the most festive buffet, and there are those who either let one person do all the
work or order something from a restaurant. An amazing way to bond and have fun would be to
cook together. Determine who is making what and have the whole day for cooking and having
fun. This might seem unimportant and unnecessary right now, but it will create so many great
memories that you will, one day in the future, be happy to remember. You can also organize this
by giving everyone the option of cooking one meal by themselves and bringing it to the party,
and then deciding who the best cook is. It is a very fun way to bond, talk, and have fun.
This might the time of the year when it is cold outside, but we should be very warm in our
hearts. In order to do this in the right way, bring your family around and have the best time.
Show them your love and your support. Not only will they be thankful, but you as well.