So, last year (when I was reading blogs) Carrots n Cake did 24 Days of Togetherness with her husband. I thought they were great ideas and would bring a lot more Christmas spirit than just floundering through the season – especially since it’s so short this year!

I decided to come up with my own list for the family and myself to work through this December. I’m still short a few activities, but I’m hoping that as I do the ones I have planned, I’ll come up with a few more! (And, if you’re looking for couples activities rather than family, Carrots n Cake is doing it again this year!)

1.  Make hot cocoa. And not the instant kind.
2.  Buy a Christmas tree topper for the mini tree that decorates our popup camper during the holidays.
3.  Watch a Christmas movie. (What’s your favorite? If we all go see Frozen, does that count? :))
4.  Take a drive and look at Christmas lights.
5.  Take a selfie
6.  Bake Christmas cookies (possibly gingerbread people)
7.  Sing and dance to Christmas songs (I’m thinking this will happen several times ;))
8.  Go for a nature walk. This won’t be nearly as pretty in central Florida as it would be in, oh, say, the Smoky Mountains, but we’re going anyway
9.  Have a fire in the fire pit.
10. Buy and wrap a present for Daddy
11. Enjoy delicious holiday beverages from Starbucks. Or Dunkin Donuts.  We love all things with a pound of sugar and caffeine.
12. Take an informal family photo
13. Make a foam wreath and stockings as interior decorations
14. Check out the tree and lights at Cranes Roost Park
15. Go to Disney and see the dancing lights at Hollywood Studios

What would you add to your list? I need 9 more ideas! :p

Follow our adventures on Instagram!

2 months have passed since I last posted here. I miss it, but I don’t want to recount every detail of our days. I want to post something that tells the story of us AND contains information that someone else may be looking for.

Let’s start with the general. Both my girls are in preschool this year. The youngest in a Mom’s Morning Out class two days per week, the oldest in a 4 day per week VPK program. (Let’s not talk about my baby getting ready to start kindergarten, mmmkay?)

While I do have more time to myself, I actually have LESS free time, do you follow? I’m doing more things for me and the members of my inner circle than I have in a long time. Also, my inner circle is the smallest it’s ever been. I’m not sure I like it, and am working on adding new members, but it’s so hard. Hard for any SAHM because you are most comfortable with other SAHMs but then you get sucked into the vortex of all kids all the time and it’s not healthy. So I’m trying to be a little (just a smidgeon) less introverted and homebody-ish. It’s hard.

But what really has brought me back to this space is two things.

1) We’re taking an awesome camping trip over the holidays. We’ll be taking the kids and the popup to Stone Mountain outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I’m ridiculously excited, though I usually am about any form of travel. I’m hoping to learn some things and share them with others who might want to take similar adventures.

2) Instead of a chocolate Advent calendar, I’m trying to come up with 24 simple activities for the girls and I to do. And this leads in to my BIG question of the moment:

What would be on your family’s list? I have only 14 ideas so far!