The 2016 WMAs: My Completely Biased Best of the Web List

This is the week that many of us set goals for the next year, make final charitable contributions, start planning for taxes, and maybe drink some champagne and kiss those we love as we welcome in the new year.

The last 525,600 minutes have been busy, crazy, hectic, hard, amazing, rewarding and so many other things all rolled into one crazy year and I’m so grateful that I got to spend some of it with you.

The Official Wellness Mama Awards (WMAs)

To celebrate, I’m creating a totally unofficial and mostly biased set of awards: the Wellness Mama Awards (WMAs) with the top posts, comments, videos and content I found from around the web this year. Unlike official award ceremonies, there are no fake gold statues to give out, no fancy dresses, and no performances. Just some of the best things I found around the web (and on WellnessMama.com) that I wanted to share with you.

Super exciting, right?

Read on for the list… (and scroll down to see the most popular content on Wellness Mama over the past year).

Product of the Year: Instant Pot

The Instant Pot would be in the running for the “best of everything” category if there was one. I use it weekly and apparently many of you do as well! It was the most-sold kitchen product on Amazon and one of the favorites with you guys too!

Runners Up:

• RTIC Stainless Steel Tumblers
• Dry Brushes for Skin
• Salt Lamps

Useful Tip of the Year: Natural Drain Cleaning

Not super exciting and you’d never see this on any real award show, but this beyond-simple natural drain cleaning method really works! It saved me when my hubby was out of town and the drain in our kitchen clogged thanks to the three-year-old’s attempt at dishes that resulted in her pouring a bowl of butter and melted olive oil down the drain.

Runner up: These smart uses for the camera on your phone

Course of the Year: Kids Cook Real Food

Kids Cook Real Food E-Course. I seriously wish I could give this course to every family and go to their houses to make sure they actually watch it. It is that good. Katie Kimball of Kitchen Stewardship teaches your kids how to cook (with your help). My kids love it, and it includes a free knife skills class without even purchasing it!

Favorite Healthy Hack of the  Year: Saunas

If you’re not a regular sauna user, I’d highly recommend it, as there are some inexpensive ways to try it at home. I’m a tad biased because she is one of my best friends, but I love this post from MommyPotamus about the amazing benefits of regular sauna use. I’m also excited to announce that Heather will be the new co-host of The Healthy Moms podcast this year and that she and I will occasionally do a “SaunaCast” episode from her sauna to answer reader questions. Stay tuned! 😉

Podcast of the Year: Ben Greenfield

I really enjoy Ben’s podcast (and he has some great articles on his website too!). Ben interviews experts in a variety of fields and isn’t afraid to tackle controversial topics like EMFs, GMOs and extreme hot and cold therapy.

Runner up: The Tim Ferriss Show. He has some great interviews with a very random assortment of guests.

Best Blog for Pregnant & New Moms: Mama Natural

If you are pregnant or a new mom, you have to check out Mama Natural. She has a great natural birth course, and a week-to-week pregnancy book coming in 2017. Check out her blog for hundreds of posts about all things pregnancy, birth and beyond.

Bundle of the Year: Ultimate Bundles

Everyone is doing bundles these days, but there is only one Ultimate Bundles and they are the only one I will promote or become an author for. I’ve become good friends with them over the past year and their commitment to quality and customer service is AMAZING! With them, you won’t be buying the same books that have been in every other bundle and you’ll learn a ton. They are running a flash sale (and the best deal of the year) right now. Check it out here.

Best Time-Saver In the Kitchen: Real Plans

Without a doubt, the tool that saves me the most time in the kitchen is Real Plans for meal planning. The Instant Pot (see above) saves me the most time in cooking, but Real Plans saves time planning and shopping (and it has many Instant Pot recipes too!). My favorite part? It is so easy to use that I can plan everything from my phone while nursing the baby!

Best Handmade Product: Kokomo Cream Deo

It is so exciting that you can now buy so many handmade products if you don’t want to make them yourself. I still make a lot of my own, but often use this Kokomo Cream Natural Deodorant from Crunchy Betty on Etsy.

Runners up:

• MadeOn Lotion Bars (and all of their products)

Kids Choice Award: Gorilla Gym

The kids have picked the Gorilla Gym as their favorite toy/product for the last three years since they got it as a Christmas gift. They use it daily and I love that they can get their energy out inside on rainy days.

Pet Choice Award:

I’ve been making DIY products for years, but just started making them for our pets too! They love this protective paw wax recipe from Frugally Sustainable.

Runner up:

• Our puppy (aka- the one who chews everything) is loving this Kong toy and I like to freeze yogurt in there to help his teething.

Drink of the Year (Besides Water)

This is totally a legitimate category, right? There were some tough contenders for the title this year, but the winner goes to… Dry Farm Wines for their natural and organic wines.

Runners up:

• Bone Broth (yes, we drink it)
• Camel Milk (our kids love it!)

Food/Snack of the Year

When it comes to pre-made food, there are a few that we use all the time. These Paleo Valley beef sticks win because they are healthy, portable, and great for camping and travel.

Runners up:

• Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo (it’s delicious!)
• Coconut Aminos (like soy sauce but better!)

Best Random Gadget I Love

Do random gadgets deserve their own category? I say yes… and this Wine Bottle Tiki Torch Kit is my favorite this year. We made a few from up-cycled wine bottles and now they serve as functional decorations.

Runners up:

• Grocery bag carrying handles
• Aromatherapy car diffuser

I’d Like to Thank…

YOU!

As I reflect on the last year and what it has brought for our family, for WellnessMama.com and for relationships, I’m overcome with love and gratitude. I am so grateful to have gotten to e-know many of you this year in the comments and on Facebook and for the amazing community that has developed that is so much more than I could ever have imagined.

This community, and all of you, give me true hope that we are going to make lasting changes in our communities and in our world for future generations. Your passion, dedication, and interest in creating a healthier future for your family is creating ripples that can truly change the world.

The Most Popular Posts on Wellness Mama…

This year was busy over here at Wellness Mama headquarters (aka my kitchen & laundry room). I wrote a book (this one) along with a bunch of new posts, had a baby, re-branded the Podcast (now the Healthy Moms podcast), and did a whole lot of dishes and laundry.

These are the top posts of 2016 on Wellness Mama as voted by you guys (by number of times they were visited).

101 Uses for Coconut Oil

This coconut oil post is actually the most visited post of all time on the blog. It may also get the award for my most copied blog post of all time, as I’m constantly finding it (or very slightly modified versions of it) on other blogs and websites. PSA: Originality is attractive… write your own original posts people!

How to Use Castor Oil for Hair (Grow Beautiful Hair Fast)

What’s old is new again. Castor oil is one of my secrets to keeping my long hair healthy (and to long eyelashes!) This is a remedy my grandmother probably used and now it is really popular again.

Chia Seed Pudding Recipe (+ 5 Delicious Variations)

The humble little chia seed packs a powerful nutritional punch and chia seed pudding is apparently the method of choice to consume it. This recipe for chia seed pudding was among the most visited and most commented posts this year.

How to Make Bone Broth

Bone broth has been gaining popularity over the last few years. Based on the number of visits to this tutorial about how to make it, I’d say its popularity continues. I also found a great grass-fed non-perishable bone broth that I order when I don’t want to make it.

5 Minute Turmeric Tea Recipe (How to Make Golden Milk)

My long-time favorite recipe for turmeric tea was very popular this year. I’m glad to see so many people trying this delicious healthy beverage!

Himalayan Salt Lamp Benefits For Your Home

Looks like there are a bunch of us coconut oil using, turmeric tea drinking, chia seed eaters with salt lamps in their home. Or at least the salt lamp part, since it just missed the top 5 this year by a couple of votes. Here’s why I love them!

7 Natural Remedies for Eczema

I’m sad that this post is popular, because it means there may be a lot of people struggling with eczema. I hope they all found relief this year!

Natural Bug Spray Recipes (That Actually Work)

Natural products for the win! This natural bug spray works really well. I love that so many people are choosing natural options over harsher ones that may leave harmful chemicals in our bodies and the environment.

How to Balance Hormones Naturally

An oldie but a goodie. This is one of my oldest posts but it still got a lot of love this year.

Luxurious Sugar Scrub Recipe

Put food on your face… just don’t put this particular food in your mouth! Sugar scrubs are great for skin and are a much better option than eating the sugar!

Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipe (From Fresh or Canned Tomatoes)

Who knew homemade pasta sauce was so popular? If you haven’t tried it, the flavor is so much better when you make your own! Here are the recipes.

The Benefits of Lemon Water (in the Morning)

One simple change… so many benefits. I love that so many people are drinking lemon water in the morning. Have you tried it?

How to Make Your Own Deodorant

Homemade deo is super-simple to make. It also works better for me and many of the 1000+ commenters on the post. Don’t want to make it? I also love this handmade coconut lime version made with the same ingredients.

Homemade Lotion Recipe

This 3-ingredient homemade lotion recipe was very popular this year. Ever tried making your own?

Coconut Milk Shampoo Recipe

This simple homemade shampoo doesn’t work for everyone, but many of you seemed to love its softening effects over the past year.

Natural Remedies for Allergy Relief

I live in a state known for being one of the worst in the country for allergies. That makes me totally unqualified to write this post, except that I’ve personally tried (and succeeded) with many of these remedies. Apparently, they work for many of you too!

How to Detox Your Armpits

Did you know that body odor may not be the worst thing in your armpits? Many of the products we use have harsh chemicals and unnatural junk that can build up in your pits and cause itchiness when you try to use a natural deodorant. I used an armpit detox to get that stuff out!

Why I Don’t Reduce a Fever (And What I Do Instead)

Without a doubt this post gets the award for most controversial (of this year and every year since I wrote it). Notice the title says “why I don’t” as I’m just sharing what I do. I’m not a doctor and am certainly not giving medical advice. All that said, these are the reasons I (typically) don’t reduce a fever.

Oil Pulling for Oral Health

I was swishing with coconut oil long before it was trendy, but I love that so many other people are now too! (You can also do it with sesame or other oils if you can’t tolerate coconut.)

Spirulina Benefits

This once-ridiculed algae is now sitting at the popular kids table! Spirulina is a nutrient dense food with a lot of uses.

Healthy Coffee Recipe

It may be old news now, but everyone is putting butter in their coffee. Here’s my take on bulletproof coffee.

Magnesium: How to Make Your Own Magnesium Oil & Signs of Deficiency

My favorite mineral got some attention this year with both of these posts getting a lot of visits:

• How to Make Magnesium Oil
• Signs of Magnesium Deficiency

How I Remineralized My Teeth

I love to talk about oral health. I’ve always found it fascinating and this was one of my first posts about how I stopped my cavities and avoided fillings.

Top Uses for Gelatin

Gelatin is a kitchen staple for me. I use gelatin and collagen in many recipes to make everything from marshmallows to fruit snacks.

How to Make Elderberry Syrup

A remedy I always keep on hand, especially in the winter. I hope you don’t ever need it for illness, but love it for avoiding getting sick!

Most Commented This Year

The two posts that were the most discussed this year are Why I Don’t Post About My Kids Online and Dear Parents, We Owe It to Our Kids to Stop This. Needless to say, you guys are VERY passionate about your children, and that’s a good thing!

My Favorite Thing From This Year…

From the beginning, the mission of Wellness Mama has been to help other families live healthier lives and empower families with practical ways to accomplish this.

I feel like the food mission to help parents provide healthy foods for their families doesn’t stop in my own community or even just in the blogging community as there is such a need for this internationally.

Did you know?

If you’ve ever purchased something through a link on my site, you’ve helped keep WellnessMama.com up and running, and a percentage of that is also donated to charities that provide sustainable food and water sources worldwide. Thank you so much if you’ve helped support my blog in this way and also helped support many others worldwide.

Reviewing the numbers today, the giving is the real thing that I’m most excited about and most proud of. Over the years, the Wellness Mama Community… YOU… have helped provide things to families in need all over the world.

These gifts not only provided food or clothing to those in need, but in many cases, also a  sustainable food or water source and a way for a family to earn income.

Over the years, you’ve helped give:

• 2000 pounds of non-perishable foods
• 840 chickens for eggs, meat and income for families
• 72 Pigs for food and income for families
• 12 goats for food and income for families
• 4 donkeys for transportation and tilling
• 3 water pumps that each provide water to a village
• 4 beehives for food and income for families
• 20 Fruit Trees so that families can grow the fruit and sell
• 10 pairs of work boots so farmers can work safely
• 5 sets of agricultural tools for small farmers
• 10 large Coolers for fishermen to store fish to sell
• 8 sewing machines and thread/material for women to open sewing businesses
• plus medical supplies and school supplies for children around the world

These things were donated through Food for the Poor in case you want to send some chickens to someone in need this year 🙂

I’ve always been a big believer in the “teach a man to fish” mentality, and giving in this way not only provides food or water for someone one time, but helps other families to start their own businesses and provide food for their children regularly. Because at the end of the day:

It is all About Relationships and Family…

Again, thank you so much for reading, for being a part of this community and for sharing in the mission of providing a healthier future for our kids.

This next year, I hope you’ll join me in one of my personal goals: to focus on my family and on relationships more. To prioritize not just making healthy food and creating a healthy environment for my husband and children, but being more present and spending more time together as a family.

Nourish not only your body, but the important relationships in your life. Tell people you love them, and show them. Because at the end of the day, that is what is going to make the biggest difference in your own life and in the lives of your family members and the next generation.

Happy New Year! I’m so thankful and honored that you took the time to be part of this crazy journey with me this year and I can’t wait to continue it in 2017.

What are your goals for the next year? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

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The New Wellness Mama Cookbook Is HERE…

Guess what? My brand-new updated cookbook with over 100 new recipes is available everywhere books are sold today! Despite all of the literary comparisons of writing a book to birthing a baby, it turns out that the books do in fact take longer!

The NEW Wellness Mama Cookbook…

If you’ve been a reader for a few years (many thanks to you!), you may remember my original Wellness Mama Cookbook that I self-published a couple of years ago. What you may not have known about that cookbook is that I saved up for months to be able to afford to print copies in big enough quantity to make them a reasonable price to sell.

I love Amazon for all things shopping, but almost had a nervous breakdown trying to put it all together, so I decided not to print additional copies when the original copies ran out.

Old Wellness Mama Cookbook – Just $248?!

I was happy with my decision to never print more cookbooks until I got a few angry emails from wonderful readers who found my cookbook on Amazon and wanted to buy it. Except it cost over $200!

Since I hadn’t printed more copies, Amazon only had used copies and they were getting expensive. I also got a lot of emails asking for me to re-release it.

A Win:Win:Win

I’m so excited to announce that I’m finally re-releasing the cookbook and this time I have the help of an incredible editor and publisher!

In fact, you can order it from any of these places (or anywhere books are sold!):

Amazon | Target | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | Indie Bound

If you’re more of a digital person, it is also available on:

Kindle | iBooks | Google Play | Kobo

I’ve added over 100 new recipes that aren’t on the blog or in the original cookbook and they’ve helped make the design and photos beautiful.

The Best Part?

The cookbook is SOOOO much better and it’s so much cheaper too! You can order right now at a heavily discounted price (as low as 30% off!)

(Also- The publishing team has people who specialize in dealing with the retailers to make everything happen… I’ll be sending them a gift basket and perhaps a hand-painted mural showing my gratitude!)

A Peek Inside…

The majority of the recipes in the new and improved cookbook are fast, easy and made with all-natural ingredients. Many are slow-cooker, Instant Pot or one-pot meals that come together quickly. From the more eloquent words in the official description:

With six kids, a popular blog, and no free time, Katie, creator of the incredibly popular Wellness Mama website, knows firsthand how difficult it is to cook a healthy, homemade dinner every night. Faced with her own health challenges, and also concerned about the frightening statistics on the future health of her children’s generation, Katie began to evaluate the foods she was eating and feeding to her family.

She became determined to find a way to create and serve meals that were wholesome, easy to prepare, budget-friendly, and family approved. The Wellness Mama Cookbook is a compilation of all that she has learned, with 200 simple, delicious recipes using all-natural ingredients; meal plans; time-saving tips; and advice that will take the guesswork out of dinner.

The recipes and practical advice Katie offers will help you eliminate processed foods and move toward more healthy, home-cooked meals that are easily prepared—most in thirty minutes or less. The recipes focus on whole foods that are free of grains and refined sugars and without harmful fats, but are still delicious and full of flavor. With a variety of slow-cooker and one-pot meals, light lunches, dinners, and desserts, you’ll be eating better in every way in no time at all.

Recipes include Sesame Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas, Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche Lorraine, Beef and Zucchini Stir Fry, and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, as well as recipes for bone broths, fermented foods, and super food drinks and smoothies. Katie also shares pantry-stocking advice, two weeks of meal plans for at home and on-the-go, shopping lists, and more. This is the ultimate cookbook that readers need to incorporate healthy eating knowledge into their daily practices.

As of today, the new Wellness Mama cookbook is already available at all of these places:

Amazon | Target | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | Indie Bound

If you’re more of a digital person, it is also available on:

Kindle | iBooks | Google Play | Kobo

Here’s a sneak peek into the cookbook to give you an idea of what kind of recipes you can expect…

Tons of great kid-tested and approved breakfasts and smoothies including my kids’ favorite Apple Cinnamon Muffins and Gorilla Green Smoothie:

Tons of awesome one-pan meals (because who likes doing dishes?), including many slow-cooker meals which save me all kinds of time in the kitchen.

All-time favorites like stuffed sweet potatoes, the easiest and best Slow-Cooker Fajita Chicken ever and so much more:

There are over 200 recipes total and in all seriousness, my family could eat just these recipes for the rest of our lives and be completely happy. Some of my personal favorites from the new book (not featured on the blog):

• Wedge Salad with Avocado Green Dressing
• Bacon Guacamole Bites on Sweet Potato Chips
• Swedish Meatballs
• No-Bake Meyer Lemon Bars
• Gorilla Green Smoothie

Find it at all of these places:

Amazon | Target | Barnes and Noble | Books A Million | Indie Bound

If you’re more of a digital person, it is also available on:

Kindle | iBooks | Google Play | Kobo

Have you checked it out yet!? Will you?

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Sicilian Feast of The Seven Fishes for Christmas Eve

I learned early on that when you get married, you also marry your husband’s sports teams (at least with my guy!). Go Reds! This extends to cultural traditions too, especially if he comes from a strong cultural background!

Here’s what I mean: My hubby came from a large family of Italian decent on one side. He and all of his siblings identify as Italian, even though it is just part of their cultural history. Of course, we want to pass on the best of the culture, traditions and heritage from each side of our family. For the Italian side, this often means passing on the food and recipes.

To this end, I’ve modified meatball recipes, pasta recipes, and even biscotti recipes to fit our allergies and dietary needs. We’ve kept many of his culinary traditions and modified them to fit our family’s current needs.

Feast of the Seven Fishes

This is one Sicilian-American tradition that was easy and fun to continue with our family. It is called “The Feast of the Seven Fishes” in the US but simply “La Vigilia,” (the vigil)  in southern Italy. As the name suggests, this tradition involves making seven (or more) types of fish on Christmas Eve.

Chef Mario Batali summed up this tradition perfectly when he said: “It’s what Italians do when they say they’re fasting.”

There is much debate as to the historical origin of this tradition, though we continue it simply because it was a tradition in our family. The tradition of eating fish on Christmas Eve traces back to the Roman Catholic tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays as well as specific Holy Days. Abstaining from meat on Christmas Eve would have signified waiting and anticipation of of the Christ child’s arrival on Christmas morning.

The number seven is also up for debate, as many families serve fewer types of fish (and some serve as many as 13 different fish varieties!). Seven is likely the most common number because of its strong historical and cultural significance in many parts of Europe, including Italy. In Biblical history, the number seven represents completeness and perfection.

Our Family’s Version of “La Vigilia”

It has taken me almost a decade to finally get into a good routine for this special Christmas Eve meal. As you can imagine, there is a lot of prep work and cooking involved! I’ve added a dish each year until I got to the full seven over the last few years. These are our favorite dishes and the ones I’ll be making this year for our Christmas Eve dinner:

Crab and Clam Arancini (Appetizer)

Arancini are a traditional Italian food, but I’ve added two types of seafood to make it fit with this meal. The name means “little orange” and they are small fried balls of rice that resemble an orange once cooked. They are traditionally filled with mozzarella cheese and meat, but I use seafood, herbs and peppers for a flavorful alternative.

Mussels in Wine Sauce

A dish that seems really fancy but couldn’t be simpler to make. Since this meal has so many courses, we only make 2-3 of these per person. The kids think they are fun and enjoy helping make them. I use this recipe and mix up the herbs and spices a little each year.

Shrimp Bisque

A family favorite recreated from a soup we had in a restaurant. This simple shrimp bisque is really easy to make and has amazing flavor. Feeling a little fancier? Try the Savory Seafood Bisque in my brand-new Wellness Mama Cookbook!

Baccalà- Salted Cod in Butter & Wine Reduction

Baccalà is a traditional main course for this Christmas Even meal. Traditionally, this is made with true Baccalà- cod that has been preserved in salt and dried. Since this can be hard to find in our area, I’ve made my own version using fresh cod and salt in a butter and wine sauce. I’ll share my recipe soon, but here is a classic Baccalà recipe if you are interested.

Scallops in Browned Butter

I love scallops and they are a perfect part of a holiday meal. Our favorite way to make them is with a little browned butter, olive oil and fresh herbs. Since there are so many other dishes at this meal, we only make one per person.  My recipe is very similar to this one (I leave out the capers) and I’ll share my version soon.

Skillet Bang Bang Shrimp With Sriracha Dipping Sauce

All the flavors of the famous bang-bang shrimp without the deep frying! I saute shrimp in butter until cooked and serve with a sweet chili and sriracha sauce. I’ll share my recipe soon, but this one also looks good.

Side Dishes

Pasta dishes often accompany this seafood spread, but we keep it simple! I make a fresh salad, roast some broccoli and serve fresh fruit with a little whipped cream for dessert. This year, I’m pairing the meal with some white wine from Dry Farm Wines.

What are your Christmas traditions? Share them below!

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Sicilian Crab Cake Arancini Recipe

Creative Ways to Be Generous This Year

Tis the season to think about charitable donations, at least if you plan to deduct them on taxes, but giving monetary gifts is definitely not the only way to be generous. We try to focus on giving our children experiences as gifts as much as possible (though they still do get physical gifts too).

I was especially looking for ways to give my children experiences of showing generosity and thinking of tangible ways they could be generous. Since children don’t have a lot of money to donate, I want to provide a more personal experience than just sending money to a charity can provide.

Why Experiencing Generosity Matters

I recently read this article about how we are much more likely to help an individual than we are to respond to a large group or more general need:

The paper angel in my daughter’s hand read, “Girl, age 6. Wants: Undershirts.” The angel in my son’s hand read, “Boy, age 7. Likes: Dinosaurs.” My lectures about faraway starving children had previously fallen on deaf ears, but on that December day, my kids, then age 5 and 8, eagerly dashed around the store to find just the right gifts. “I think she’ll like these! They have princesses on them!” “Can I get him a sweatshirt, too? I don’t want him to be cold!”

Of course, it wasn’t my fabulous parenting that finally got them thinking. It was what behavioral scientists call the “identifiable victim effect” — the human tendency to respond more empathetically to the plight of a single individual, rather than a large group.

The rest of that article goes on to give other tips on how to raise less entitled kids, but a key takeaway is that it is important to model generosity in a personal and relatable way so that our children see it at a young age.

Sadly, only about half of Americans donate to any charity or non-profit in a given year. Less than a quarter give over $500. Of course, giving money is not the only way to be generous (and I’d argue that it isn’t the most important), but the statistic is a little sobering. This is part of the reason our family is making a commitment (now and going forward) to finding regular ways to let our children be generous and to hopefully create this as a life-long habit.

Focus on The Joy of Giving

It is one thing to write a check at the end of the year to be able to deduct on taxes, and quite another to actually foster an internal attitude of joy at being able to help others. Certainly, giving money is very important too, but for many of us, there are people in our own community for whom a small act of kindness would make just as big of a difference.

Consider the person alone in a hospital or nursing home this time of year. Or think about the family struggling to get by whose kids won’t get any gifts this year. Or the thousands of victims of wild fires who have lost everything this year.

The great thing about kindness is that it has a snowball affect. The feeling we get from being kind or generous to someone else encourages us to want to do these things more often. At the same time, receiving kindness or generosity often makes the recipient more likely to pass it on as well.

Small Ways to be Generous

I’m trying to simplify this year, and in so doing have thought of some small ways to pass on kindness to others. Please share your ideas in the comments!

Leave A Note or Small Gift for Delivery People

This was entirely my children’s idea. We order a decent amount of our food online since a lot of ingredients (like cassava flour and grass fed pre-made bone broth) aren’t available in our area. I also order most of our gifts online so the Mailman, Fedex, and UPS driver have been getting quite a workout! We’ve noticed deliveries get later and later each night during the holiday season and many nights they look pretty hungry, cold and tired when the come to the door.

The kids decided to pick out some (mostly) healthy snacks and drinks to give them out as deliveries came to the door.

Send a Handwritten Note

In today’s email and text message world, a hand-written note of encouragement or appreciation can mean a lot! Spend a few minutes letting those you love and appreciate know just how much!

Anonymously Adopt a Family In Need

Find a local family who could use a little extra kindness this year and be their secret Santa! We ask local churches if they have members with a specific need and help them if we are able. It may be something as simple as paying an electric bill or sending gifts for their children.

Take A Digital Detox

Give the gift of uninterrupted time to your family. I’ve tried hard this year to take a weekly digital day off and just focus on my family, and the results have been wonderful. Especially over the Holidays when the whole family is home more often, I’m trying to make it a priority to really savor the time together (and not view it through the lens of my phone camera).

Encourage the whole family to take a digital day off and do activities together.

Visit or Make Cards for A Nursing Home

Do your kids love to draw or paint? Have them make artwork to take to local nursing homes. Many residents don’t get to go home for Christmas or don’t have anyone to come visit them and a small gift or piece of artwork can brighten their day!

I save up the weekly artwork my kids make in school and craft time and we take a big box to local nursing homes. This is a great thing to do any time of year!

Give a Small Gift to the Waste Disposal People

Leave a small gift on top of the trashcan or recycling bin for those who do a dirty job that makes all of our lives much easier!

Babysit for Friends

Many couples with small children would love an evening out alone to go to dinner. Offer to babysit a friend’s kids so they get the chance.

Take A Meal To Friends

As a mom who cooks three times a day (every single day), a home cooked meal that I don’t have to make is one of the best gifts ever! I’m always so grateful for friends who bring a meal by when I have a new baby and I’ve realized that most moms love this gift any time of year. Make 5 or 6 of the same meal and take to several families.

Another idea- make a bunch of slow cooker freezer meals so they can make the meal when they need it!

Review A Book, Blog or Podcast

Leave a rave review for the author of a favorite book, a blogger you like, or a podcast you listen to. Those who publish online often hear a lot of negatives, as those who disagree are more likely to leave a comment. A heartfelt review from a reader or listener is one of the greatest gifts for those who put their words out into the world.

Give Clothes You Don’t Use to a Local Dress for Success

Do you have business or dress clothes you don’t use anymore? Consider donating to an organization like Dress for Success, which provides work clothes and business development help to women in the community.

Think Bigger Too

Helping locally is a great way to teach kids to look for ways to help those around them, but there are people in need all over the world too. I like to find ways that we can more personally connect and directly help those in need around the world. The favorites for our kids this year have been:

• Getting a Lucky Iron Fish – Each one purchased sends one to another family somewhere in the world. That family can put this iron fish in any food they cook and it helps protect against iron deficiency. In fact, one fish can protect a whole family from iron deficiency for a whole year!
• Sending Micro-Enterprise Gifts to Families – You know the old saying about giving a man a fish vs. teaching a man to fish? Each year, we pick gifts to send to families in need around the world that will allow them to start a micro-enterprise to support their family. The kids love looking through the Food for the Poor gift catalog and sending water pumps, beehives, and baby chicks to other families around the world.

The Generosity Challenge

It’s easier to remember those in need around the holidays, but generosity is a habit to nurture all year long. Brainstorm ways to be generous and kind and keep doing them all year! Those who are lonely are still lonely in January. Those who are hungry are still hungry in the summer. Let’s spread the love all year long next year!

What ways does your family give to those around you? Share your ideas below!

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Dear Moms, Let’s Simplify Christmas (& Enjoy It)This Year!

Let’s face it, while the movies portray images of happy families laughing around the kitchen table or in front of the fireplace during the Christmas season, often moms end up more stressed out and busier than ever.

We want this time of year to be filled with warm memories for our families and friends, and it is so easy to get wrapped up (pun intended) in the business of the season. It’s easy to want to be present and enjoy the moment, but there is often so much to do that this is difficult to accomplish.

Can We Simplify Christmas?

Over the years, our family (like many) has searched for ways to simplify Christmas while still giving our kids the traditions and memories that bring joy and happy memories.

I’ve written about some of the things that have worked for us, like prioritizing experiences over material gifts, limiting the number of presents per person, and focusing on a spirit of giving instead of receiving.

All that aside, it’s tough to recognize all of the outside forces that act on us despite our best intentions…and we wonder why we are again in Target on Christmas Eve at 10 P.M., when we really were going to be so intentional and simple this year!

Rejecting the Christmas Crisis

The ads, Facebook posts, and store displays seem to begin earlier every year exclaiming (I saw a store with a Christmas display in early October this year!): “There’s X number of days left until Christmas!”

Translation: “Hurry up! Only a few shopping days left!”

We all know this isn’t what the Holidays should be about. It’s not what any of us wants for ourselves or our families. But somehow it just creeps in. The sense that we’re not giving enough…or doing the right things…

It’s time to take back Christmas! And yes, this may not be the year when you magically transform into the living embodiment of a Real Simple magazine article. (Wouldn’t we all love it if it was actually that easy?)

This may not be the year when you Konmari your house to perfection before placing carefully chosen (and of course eco-friendly) presents under the tree.

But this can be the year when you create enough space for you and your family to continue to shape and enjoy your traditions. The year when your picture of “the perfect Christmas” becomes a little clearer and a little more real.

And chances are it won’t take much!

Minimalism… Can It Go with Christmas?

Merriam Webster defines “minimalism” as “a style or technique that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity.” This buzzword has enjoyed a lot of popularity in recent years, especially since the bestselling book The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up came around.

I can buy simplicity, but “spareness”? Does this really go along with our idea of Christmas?

I have to believe there’s a way to be mindful and peaceful about Christmas without going to extremes. Maybe it’s more about a shift of mindset than going bare bones. About asking yourself–and your family–what is really important and crossing the rest off the list.

Our family tries to give only one material present per person. That may seem extreme to some. But over the years we’ve realized that experiences mean more to us (and our kids) than material presents, and we’ve moved toward a kind of Christmas that emphasizes quality over quantity.

That feels right for us…but what is right for you? Here are a few ideas to try if you feel like you need to hit the pause button this holiday season.

Finding Your Christmas Sweet Spot

These are the things I’ve found most helpful in simplifying this year and that I hope will help me focus on my family and not everything that needs to get done this year.

Evaluate Your Favorite Christmas Memories

Think back on Christmases past. What are your most cherished memories? What should Christmas really be about? These could be from when you were a child or from times with your own children.

Chances are your best memories aren’t about stuff, but about time spent with others.

Take note of everything that stands out to you as a tradition you want to recreate. Write it down. Talk to your family about it.

Schedule the Essentials

Make a list of “must-dos” using your list of favorite Christmas memories for inspiration. Keep this list short–three or maybe five items at most. Pare it down to what really matters the most (spareness and simplicity!).

These must-do traditions will of course change over the years as your family grows. That’s the beauty of it.

You may have a special circumstance to navigate (a new baby, travel plans, a sick relative, a tight budget). Reevaluate and adjust, limiting yourself to what will give the most joy this year.

Maybe cooking is really important to your family. Maybe the annual shopping trip with your sisters gives the most joy. Maybe it’s time to try a new tradition like a family Christmas movie marathon, or singing in the choir at Midnight Mass.

Give priority to traditions that help you connect with friends and family. Put them on the calendar now and schedule the downtime to do them.

Bottom line, Konmari-style, say “yes” to what brings you joy.

And that means saying “no” to what doesn’t!

Review Christmases Past for Pitfalls That Stress You Out

We all have our little habits that rob us of our joy.

It could be overspending, overeating, or overdoing. It could be online shopping in the dead of night when we can’t sleep. It could be that urge to rush out two days before Christmas and buy just a little bit more.

All this leads to additional stress. More to store, more to return, more to clean up, and more post-holiday bills to pay.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not against giving gifts. I love the feeling of giving and receiving a well-chosen gift Christmas. But if we can identify just one or two or three things that stress us out each year and eliminate it, that seems like a good kind of minimalism.

Decide what you will say “no” to this year (and tell someone to keep you accountable). Maybe ask your spouse to do this with you!

Which goes with the next step…

Set a Budget and Number of Gifts

This is pretty generic advice, I know. But I can think back to plenty of years when I didn’t do it, or at least never committed to more than a vague idea of how much was “too much.”

Gift-giving gives joy and is a worthy tradition. Just look at the Three Kings who traveled so far to give their gifts to the Christ Child. But they could only carry so much with them.

It’s a rather shocking statistic that in the U.S., only 1% of the goods we buy are still in use 6 months later. Yes…only 1%! (source) And it makes sense, doesn’t it? New things thrill us only for a little while.

“One of the enemies of happiness is adaptation,” says Dr. Thomas Gilovich, a psychology professor at Cornell University who has been studying the question of money and happiness for over two decades. “We buy things to make us happy, and we succeed. But only for a while. New things are exciting to us at first, but then we adapt to them.” (source)

In fact we are more likely to remember and cherish experiences rather than material things. These become the stories we tell and relive.

Setting a budget and being choosy about the kinds of gifts we give helps us learn when to say “just right.”

Designate a “Give Back” Day or Week

Making room for what we receive often pains kids especially. Mention you’re about to get rid of something, and suddenly that thing is their “favorite.”

Am I right?

Designating a “Give Back” day (or even a week if you need it) gives everyone a chance to get in the right mindset and know the expectations. Read a book or watch a movie about the generosity of St. Nicholas to set the mood. This article has some helpful tips too.

Although we can certainly give back any time of year, I find it’s best to do this before Christmas so it doesn’t get forgotten.

Take a Picture of Each Gift to Review (Before Buying Anything Else)

It’s so easy to simply lose track of what we intend to give and what we already bought when it’s hidden away in the back of the closet!

Keep a digital record by snapping a pic and keeping an album in a secure spot. You can use apps like Evernote, Remember the Milk, or a Dropbox or Google Keep folder. Keep track of even small items like stocking stuffers. You can even screenshot a website to keep track of experience gifts.

Before you buy, take a look at the album and give yourself a cooling-off period to decide if it’s the right choice.

You can even move images to a new album or folder to keep track of returns or presents that didn’t make the cut but you might consider for next year.

When Things Go Wrong, Make An Act of Gratitude

G.K. Chesterton wrote, “I would maintain that thanks is the highest form of thought.” When things don’t go according to plan, control what you can: your thoughts.

Christmas traditions develop little by little, year by year, and sometimes with no advance planning. By learning to let go and let the memories happen we make room for shared experiences with the ones we love the most.

Show gratitude for what you have and give your kids and yourself the greatest gift of all this Christmas–a contented and present parent.

How do you stay grounded during the holidays? What are the traditions you want to make room for?

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Hazelnut Hot Chocolate Recipe (with No Sugar Option)

I have the natural remedies ready since it appears that we may be in for a really cold winter where I live.

How do I know?

Well, the hunters are all saying it based on the extra fat on the animals, the animal experts are all saying it based on the way animals are behaving and the Farmer’s Almanac said something about wooly bear caterpillars and their stripes.

But the way I really know that it will be a cold winter? It already is and it isn’t even winter yet! It’s a balmy 18 degrees outside and even with the heat on, it is pretty cold inside too.

My kids are hoping for some serious snow so they’ll have a chance to use their sleds. I don’t quite share their enthusiasm, but I have a feeling they will get their wish. Which brings me to hot chocolate…

Hot Chocolate When it Snows

We don’t do sweet treats often, but have a universal rule in our house that when it snows, we make hot chocolate. Of course, that usually works out well because it doesn’t snow that often and the kids are so tired from their sledding and fort making that no amount of chocolate can keep them awake.

We love our go-to superfood hot chocolate recipe but I’ve recently discovered an even easier recipe that I wanted to share with you. It also has the added deliciousness of hazelnut!

Hazelnut Hot Chocolate

This hot chocolate has the rich flavor of hazelnut and can be dairy-free and sugar-free. Using a pre-made organic chocolate hazelnut spread makes this recipe faster and easier to make (and keep reading for a sugar-free option too!).

Hazelnut Hot Chocolate Recipe (with No Sugar Option)

 

Print

This hazelnut hot chocolate is warm and rich. It is the perfect treat for a cold winter night and you can drink it without guilt since it doesn't have the additives and extra sugar that hot chocolate powders contain.

Author: Katie Wells (Wellness Mama)

Recipe type: Drinks

Ingredients

• 4 cups of milk (non-dairy milks work great too- try coconut or pecan milk)
• ½ cup organic chocolate hazelnut spread
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract (here's how to make your own)
• ½ cup heavy cream (optional, for a creamier hot chocolate)

Instructions

1. Warm the milk to a simmer in a small saucepan (but do not boil).
2. Add the hazelnut spread and whisk until combined.
3. Add the vanilla and cream and stir until heated.
4. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Notes

Top with homemade marshmallows or a dash of cinnamon.

For an adult version, add a splash of Frangelico or another liqueur of choice to each glass before serving.

3.5.3226

Sugar-Free Hazelnut Hot Cocoa

The recipe above doesn’t contain much sugar, but if you are on a keto diet or just avoiding sugar, there’s a great way to make hazelnut hot cocoa without any sugar at all. It doesn’t use any nasty alternative sweeteners or additives and you can get all the taste without the junk.

Here’s what to do:

• Heat 4 cups of unsweetened almond or coconut milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to steam.
• Add 1/3 of a cup of pure organic cocoa powder and 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional but it improves the texture a lot) and whisk in until combined.  Stir constantly until it starts to simmer and remove from heat.
• Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 20 drops of hazelnut stevia extract or more to taste.
• Enjoy!

What is your favorite way to make hot chocolate?

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46 Ways to Give Experiences Instead of Stuff This Year

As we near the time of the year often dedicated to gift giving, I can’t help but think about the fact that often these well intentioned gifts eventually lead to more stress, for the giver and the receiver. In our family, we’ve chosen to give experiences instead of material gifts most of the time and the results have been amazing.

Don’t get me wrong… I love giving gifts and always enjoy finding, wrapping and giving the perfect gift to a family member or friend. As a mom, I also dread the aftermath of gifts… the paper all over the floor, the toys all over the floor, the lingering messes and the kids complaining about having to clean up their toys.

Also, as every parent has inevitably experienced at some point, the joy of material gifts fades quickly and even the most anticipated Christmas toys soon become a chore to clean up.

Are We Drowning in Too Much Stuff?

The dramatic success of the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up provides a hint that perhaps many of us feel that we simply have too much stuff (short summary of the book= throw most of it away).

Turns out, we probably do!

Think for a second about your grandparents home when you were growing up. If it was anything like mine, it was probably a small house with even smaller closets. And the closets were not that full. And they raised six kids in that house! They also didn’t need drastic storage and organizing solutions or extra storage rental units.

Fast forward to present day, when the LA Times reports that the average American home has over 300,000 items in it and there are over 50,000 storage facilities nationwide (and this is the fastest growing real estate segment!). In fact, at least 1 in 10 of us have a storage unit to store our excess stuff. Consider this:

The United States has upward of 50,000 storage facilities, more than five times the number of Starbucks. Currently, there is 7.3 square feet of self storage space for every man, woman and child in the nation. Thus, it is physically possible that every American could stand—all at the same time—under the total canopy of self storage roofing! (source)

Do we really have so much more stuff than people did just two generations ago?

Yes we do…

More Clothes

Our grandparents had an average of nine outfits, including dress clothes and work clothes.

Now, we have an average of 30, plus a lot of extra clothes that don’t qualify as an “outfit.”

The AVERAGE family spends $1,700 on clothes annually while giving or throwing away over 200 pounds of clothes per year.

More Toys

This is the part that really shocked me…

The average child in the developed world owns over 200 toys but only plays with 12 of them on average per day!

Even crazier? Only 3% of the world’s children live in the US, but they own 40+% of the world’s toys!

If it Makes You Happy…

Those staggering statistics about how much stuff we all own wouldn’t worry me if it seemed that the excess stuff improved our lives in some way or made us happier, healthier or closer to our children… but that isn’t the case. To quote Sheryl Crow:

If it makes you happy
It can’t be that bad
If it makes you happy
Then why the hell are you so sad

We have and consume twice as many material goods than we collectively did 50 years ago, but statistically we are much less happy.

54% of us report being overwhelmed with clutter and 78% of us have no idea how to overcome it!

This also leads to additional stress:

Over the course of our lifetime, we will spend a total of 3,680 hours or 153 days searching for misplaced items.The research found we lose up to nine items every day—or 198,743 in a lifetime. Phones, keys, sunglasses, and paperwork top the list. (source)

Certainly, there is much more to why we are less happy than we used to be than just the excess clutter, but statistically, it is a contributor, and an easy one to address.

Why Give Experiences Not Stuff?

Many studies have shown that material possessions do not equal happiness and that experiences are much more intrinsically fulfilling that things. (Additional bonus: you don’t have to find a place to store experiences except in your heart, memory, and maybe on some pictures!)

A researcher named Thomas Gilovich at Cornell University has spent more than a decade trying to understand why experiences have the ability to contribute to happiness so much more than material purchases. Along with another researcher, Matthew Killingsworth, he recently published his research in the Journal of Psychological Science showing that experiences provide more lasting happiness than material possessions. (source)

The basic conclusion was that people tend to get less happier with material purchases over time, and more happy with experiences. They speculate that this is because we adapt to physical things, so even the nicest car or  newest phone becomes commonplace after enough time, while memories tend to get fonder over time.

Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than our material goods,” says Gilovich. “You can really like your material stuff. You can even think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but nonetheless they remain separate from you. In contrast, your experiences really are part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences. (source)

Even negative experiences, they found, can often be remembered fondly as a funny story or bonding experience. Experiences are also a uniting factor. You are more likely to bond with someone who enjoys the same hobby/activity or has traveled to the same places that you have than with someone who has a similar possession.

The anticipation leading up to a trip, event, or experience even has the potential to provide happiness itself, making it the gift that truly keeps on giving! Happiness in the anticipation, happiness during the experience and happiness in the memories.

Beats the heck out of a pile of toys that you trip over while tucking the kids in at night!

It turns out that Aristotle had it right all those years ago: “men fancy that external goods are the cause of happiness (but) leisure of itself gives pleasure and happiness and enjoyment in life.”

Give Experiences: The Importance for Kids

As important as shared experiences are for adults, they are even more important for children and for healthy psychological development. In fact, shared family time (even in simple things like family dinner together) is drastically important for a child’s well being (much more important than the dozens of extra curricular activities we often neglect family time for).

Shared family time and experiences have been linked to:

• Bonding within the family
• Fewer behavioral problems in children
• A stronger sense of identity
• A sense of security for children
• Higher rates of academic success
• Lower rates of violence

Of course, these shared experiences can be as simple as time spent together during/preparing meals, while driving, or reading stories before bed, but prioritizing shared experiences as gifts helps reduce unwanted material items and fosters family bonding.

Our Rule for Gifts

You might have heard of the “4-Gift Rule” that some parents follow of:

Something they want, Something they need, Something to wear, Something to read

We follow a variation of this focused on shared experiences. Our kids typically get:

1. The “Want”: One Material Gift– despite my preference for experiences, we do get one gift for each child that is strictly something they want. Often these end up being experience gifts as well like craft supplies or a sewing machine or the gorilla gym that has been a favorite in our house for years. Sometimes they are also educational gifts like a Roominate set, a Perplexus puzzle or bulk legos.
2. The “Need”: Experience Gifts– Each child gets at least one experience gift per year, and often we get them several more experience based gifts as well (see my full list below). Since family experiences are so important for us, we consider these gifts a need so we prioritize and budget for them.
3. The “Wear”: Clothes– I’ve been working on creating capsule wardrobes for my kids (post on that coming soon) and for holidays they often get one clothing item they need like a new coat or hiking boots. This may also be something fun, like dress up clothes, if they don’t need any new clothing.
4. The “Read”: Memory Books– We try to take the kids to the library often since they get to choose so many new books without them taking up room on the shelves, so our kids get a different kind of book as a gift. Each year, I keep a folder on my desktop for each child and throughout the year add pictures from field trips, birthdays, daily hikes, camping trips and other fun memories. At the end of the year, I compile each child’s photos into a hardcover book that I print through a photo service (like Shutterfly). This is my favorite gift to give them each year since it helps them relive and remember everything we did as a family that year, and it is a gift that they can take and show their own families one day. These books end up being the favorite gift every year (and bonus, the photo service saves them so I can reprint if one ever gets ruined!).

What About Extended Family Gifts?

Even once we decided to make the switch to experiences with our kids, it took a while to figure out how to approach the topic with extended family. We approached it in two ways:

1. Switching to giving experiences to family members as well
2. Gently explaining our reason for choosing experiences and encouraging extended family to give experiences as well

It has taken a few years, but extended family is now on board and the kids cherish the time with other family members as well. This year, one family member is taking our daughter to see the Nutcracker, and grandparents often give memberships to museums or zoos or gift certificates to go to a movie or lunch.

At the end of the day, we can’t (and shouldn’t) control what extended family chooses to give our children. Personally, I’m very grateful that our family has decided to prioritize experience type gifts as well, but even if they didn’t and decided to still give material gifts, we would welcome these and teach our children to be grateful for these gifts (as the relationship with family is more important than arguing about the gifts).

Ideas for Ways to Give Experiences

The average parent spends over $250 per child on toys and gifts each year! While experience type gifts can be a litle more expensive up-front, they end up being much cheaper in the long run. Especially when we consider that with that average, we’d spend over $1200 on gifts for our children, we don’t mind spending even a couple hundred dollars on a worthwhile memberhsip or experience that will last all year.

The move away from material gifts was a slow one for us. If you’re considering focusing more on experiences this year, here are some of my favorite ideas that our family has enjoyed over the years.

Family Gifts

Bigger memberships or vacations are often family gifts:

• Museum Memberships– Check around for local museums that offer annual memberships. Many offer discounts for local residents or have programs for kids. We have found great deals on local art and history museums.
• Science Center Memberships– Many cities also have a children’s museum or science center with an annual pass option. We found that it was cheaper to purchase an annual membership to a nearby science center than for our family of 7 to go one time! This is a great place to go on a rainy day and is a common destination for our Friday field trips.
• Orchestra Season Tickets- Even though we don’t live in a large city, we have a local orchestra that preforms every couple of months. I called and found that season tickets for children were extremely affordable (less than $8 a show) and this is now a fun family activity that the kids look forward to.
• Community Theater Tickets– If you have a local theater, take children to these as well. This was our big family gift last year, and we got a few season tickets. My husband and I get to go to the more grown-up performances as date nights and we alternate taking the older kids to performances that they enjoy (like Annie, Rudolph, etc.).
• Tent for Camping– Sometimes a material gift can lead to an experience. This tent was a family gift a couple of years ago and we’ve used it quite a few times (I picked that one because it is really easy to set up!).
• Minor League Baseball Tickets (or college, or MLB)– We all love baseball (because it is the best sport 😉 ) and season tickets to our local minor league team have been a great family outing that lasts all summer long. Really, any sports ticket (college, pro, etc.) is a great family activity.
• Nature Center Tickets– Check for local nature areas or nature centers in your area and see if they offer an annual pass. We’ve found these for nature centers, a local cave and state parks.
• Local Attraction Season Passes– Any other local attraction with a season pass can be a great gift. Check for other types of museums, historical sites, or local attractions.
• New Family Hobbies– Take up hiking, camping, card games, a sport or other fun activity and get the necessary equipment or passes for your new hobby.
• Be Puzzled– Feeling brave? This 33,000 piece puzzle is the world’s largest. It might take you the whole year to put together and will foster a LOT of family time!
• Fun Family Outing– Plan in advance a trip to a local amusement park, a family vacation or other activity. Remember, looking forward to an experience makes the experience more fun and fosters happiness on its own!
• Volunteer– Truly a gift that keeps on giving. If possible with your kids ages, volunteer at a local food pantry or charity and give your kids (and yourself) the gift of helping others!
• Give to Charity– Another favorite in our family- we designate about $100 in end of year contributions per child to let them decide how to give. Most often, they love choosing gifts like farm animals, fruit trees or educational supplies for those in need around the world through programs like Food for the Poor.

Gifts for Kids

• Local Pottery Painting – An absolute favorite with our girls. Our local pottery place has dozens of options to paint and this has been a fun activity for the kids (and me!). Either pick out some un-painted places to paint or get a gift certificate.
• Pottery Making-For older kids, some places offer pottery making lessons or classes.
• Rock Climbing– Have a local rock-climbing gym? See if they offer annual passes or pick up gift certificates for a climbing outing with older kids. Bonus: it is a great way to get exercise too!
• Local Jump Gym– Another fun activity that helps kids stay active. See if you have a local jump gym or indoor trampoline center and get annual passes or gift cards.
• Batting Cage Membership– For a child who loves baseball, look for a local batting cage that offers year-long memberships or bulk discounts on packages. This is a great way to stay active and a fun outing with your child.
• Bowling or Skate Tickets– These are getting harder to find, but if you have a local bowling alley or skating rink, ask them about family passes or gift certificates.
• Every Kid in a Park– If you have a fourth grader, there is no excuse not to get this one: a free year-long pass to all the national parks with the “Every Kid In a Park” program. This pass provides access to national parks for everyone in your immediate family, not just the fourth grader, so it is a  great family gift and is available to homeschoolers as well! (Here’s how to get it)
• Treasure Hunt– If you are giving a material gift, make the giving itself a fun experience. Instead of wrapping up the final gift, wrap up a clue and let the child go on a treasure hunt to find the final gift (or figure out what it is and go with you to get it!) This is especially fun for a larger gift or experience!
• Geo Caching– Speaking of treasure hunts, geocaching is fun, free way to go on a treasure hunt with your kids almost anywhere in the world. You can learn more about it here.
• A New Skill– If your child wants to try horseback riding, sewing, painting, or other similar activity, give them classes or ways to experience and develop this new hobby or skill. To keep it low-cost, see if you can find a family member or an elderly member of your community who might enjoy passing on the skill at a lower cost.
• Lunch Dates– Give gift certificates to a favorite breakfast or lunch place to a child and plan a one-on-one date with that child.
• Movie Tickets– We don’t go to the movies often, but this year, our boys are getting tickets to go see Star Wars with their dad (and I’m guessing this will be a favorite gift!).
• Question Book– My kids all love this Question A Day Book and it gives us a fun conversation starter each day. The “question book” is a fun pre-bedtime activity at our house.
• Learning Magazine Subscription– Our kids love getting “real mail” in the mailbox and extended family members often get them subscriptions to learning magazines. They look forward to the magazine coming each month and to doing the activities (and bonus: you can recycle the magazine when they are done with it!)
• Craft Bucket– One of my favorite Chrismtas gifts as a child- a basket of craft activities that lasted me a year! My aunt filled a large basket with scissors, paper, glue, string, and every other craft supply imaginable. That basket led to dozens of hours of fun for me as a kid, and now my girls sometimes get activity baskets like this with crafts we can do together. My kids have loved getting books about how to draw, painting kits, sticker pads, construction paper, and other craft gits.
• Garden Kit– Just like crafts, gardening is a great activity to do with children. If you have a budding gardener (pun intended) on your hands, wrap up some seeds and gardening supplies and let your child help you garden all year!
• Musical Instrument– A favorite gift last Christmas was a steel drum that my husband has been teaching the kids how to play (though I admit, on a couple of especially loud days I have regretted the idea!). This is the one we got, and they have loved learning to play it. We’ve also ordered mini musical instrument kits for the kids to all create their own music.
• Movie Night Packages– Our children don’t watch much TV, but we do love family movie nights. To make the tradition even more fun, we wrap up a family movie DVD, and some healthy snacks in a box for each child to let them “host” the movie night.
• Game Night Packages– A game night is another great family activity, and giving each child one game was a fun way to expand our collection and they love playing “their game” when we have a game night. Some favorite games are Apples to Apples, Tsuro, Uno, Sequence, and basic card games. Or just get a bunch of soft bouncy balls and have an indoor “snowball” fight minus the snow. Really brave? Get enough nerf guns for your family and challenge everyone to a nerf war!
• DIY Gifts– My kids have enjoyed getting the supplies to make homemade soap, lip balm, lotion, or other DIY items that they can use or give as gifts (bonus: they are learning new skills too!). This paper making kit was an especially big hit with my older kids last year!

Gifts for Dad

Check out this post for ideas of usable practical gifts that Dads will enjoy (and that help them be healthier, sleep better, etc.). In my experience, guys are the toughest to find experience based gifts for, but here are a few ideas that my hubby has liked over the years:

• Home Brewing– My hubby likes beer and I prefer when he drinks organic (or at least non-GMO) beer. A few years ago, he got into home brewing beer and it has been a fun hobby for him. I’d recommend this book to learn more about brewing, and while there are pre-made brewing kits, I’d suggest talking to a local home brew store if possible to find out what supplies and ingredients he will need.
• Sports– Any sports related experiences have been a hit with my hubby. I think my biggest (and most expensive!) surprise for him ever has been to get to go to spring training for his favorite team and even get to play with some of the players, but tickets to see his favorite teams play have also been a big hit. These all tend to be more expensive, so I had to save for several years for one of these surprises, but I think it ended up being an amazing and memorable experience for him.
• Outdoor Activities– This will vary a lot depending on the guy, but finding ways to support outdoor experiences he already loves is a great gift idea. This might be finding time to camp as a family, or for him to go hunting, hiking or play sports.
• Scuba Certification– One year, my hubby and I gave each other scuba certifications as a gift. We got to go through the process together, and ended up with a great hobby we could enjoy (though not a great one for taking younger kids!)
• Skydiving– Is your guy adventurous? Skydiving is a ton of fun and many cities have a local place you can go.

Gifts for Mom

Memes abound online about mom enjoying going to the bathroom alone, or her hobbies including eating without a child in her lap or sleeping in. These are some practical experience gift ideas that every mom will enjoy!

• A Day Off– Moms work hard all year, and things seem to get even busier around the holidays. One of my favorite gifts ever was a series of “days off” that I didn’t have to cook, clean or have any household responsibilities (and it included a gift card to go out for coffee!). Even better (hint to dads)- get together and schedule a moms night out for several of your wives to go to dinner together!
• Pampering– With that whole “motherhood is pretty hard work” thing, any kind of pampering is an awesome gift, and one that mom may not do unless it is a gift. Massages are my personal favorite!
• Date Nights– Getting time along can be tough with kids, so some of my favorite gifts ever have been pre-planned date nights when my husband handled the arrangements, lined up a sitter and made the plans.
• A Nap or Getting to Sleep in- This may be one of the toughest gifts to pull off, but one of the most appreciated. If you can figure out how to let mom sleep in for a day or take a nap, she will be grateful!
• Any Family Gifts– Any of the family gifts listed above are also a great option to get for moms as they’ll enjoy the family time and the idea of an activity to do with the kids.

Gifts for Grandparents + Extended Family

• Day Out with Kids– This has been a favorite for grandparents to give to the kids, but also to receive. The kids pick a fun activity they want to do with grandparents or extended family and give it to them as a gift. It might be something like going out for smoothies or playing at the park, or even a trip to the grocery store to gather ingredients and cook a meal together.
• Amazon Prime– I know several extended family members who use Amazon all the time, but did not want to pay for the Prime membership. In the past, we’ve given these family members a Prime membership (click on “give the gift of prime” and enter their email address). This is partially a material gift as well, but tends to make purchases they are already making faster and easier.
• Memory Book– Either make a photo book with a company like Shutterfly that showcases some favorite memories with the recipient, or let your kids make a homemade book by printing and cutting out pictures and writing captions.
• Membership Add-Ons– For grandparents who live close by, you may be able to add them to any of the family memberships listed above. We added guests/grandparent options to our zoo and science center memberships as well as to many of the local attraction places. This allows them to come for free and spend time with our kids (and is a bonus for us as well, since we have extra eyes to watch and help with the kids.

Giving Experiences: The Bottom Line

Even if you’ve already purchased gifts for this year, consider adding some experiences as well or slowly transitioning to more experience based gifts over time. The family time and memories are worth so much more than gifts, and statistically, giving experiences may help reduce your stress levels and contribute to family bonding.

We still give our children at least one physical gift each year, these gifts just aren’t the focus of our giving (or our lifelong memories!). We also try to make these gifts usable, practical and educational if possible (this gift guide has some of my favorites).

Have you tried to give experiences instead of gifts in the past? What other suggestions would you add to this list?

Continue Reading...46 Ways to Give Experiences Instead of Stuff This Year

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