8 Tips for Handling Extended Family Stress During the Holidays

mothersdaughters

As the holidays are upon us, many of us will be spending time with extended family. Whether you’re traveling to visit parents or they’re coming to stay with you, time spent with family can be filled with blessings — and also lots of stress. My father-in-law aptly stated it this way: one of the best [...]

Big Trips with Little Kids: Yes, it can be done

travel high chair

The week of Thanksgiving, my family and I went to Paris.  It was the first time we’d ever taken a big vacation together, and it was so much fun.  It was cold, windy, and rainy, and the prices were exorbitant, but we had planned well enough and saved up enough cash to still enjoy our [...]

Winner of the Nativity Hurricane Trio from Dayspring

Congratulations to Susan of The Confident Mom — you’re the winner of the nativity hurricane trio from Dayspring!  Check your inbox for an email from me. For everyone else, Dayspring is passing along a coupon code just for Simple Mom readers.  Enter the code DSTENOFF, and you’ll get $10 off a hurricane trio.  The code [...]

2 Weeks Till Christmas: Make Your Food Gifts

shortbread

Can you believe that Christmas is almost here?  It seems like yesterday I was writing about 12 Weeks Till Christmas on a balmy September afternoon.  And now, here we are. The gift buying frenzy is hyping up, and hopefully you’ve made most of your purchases.  But there are still those people in your life that [...]

A Holiday Giveaway: Dayspring

yhst-93128105900816_2080_122664294

This giveaway is now closed. Today I’ve got another giveaway for Simple Mom readers, just in time for the holidays.  Dayspring, who runs (in)courage, where I’m a monthly columnist, wants to bless someone with one of their best sellers — this beautiful Nativity Hurricane Trio. This is a set of three frosted candle luminaries, each [...]

5 Simple Techniques for Enhancing Your Images With Children

angie 05

The following is a guest post from Angie of The Creative Mama and of Angie Warren Photography. Pictures are souvenirs. They are gifts to which we hold tight for years. Oftentimes, images of our childhood are the only tangible treasures we have to remind us of that fleeting time. To me, the photographs of my [...]

3 Weeks Till Christmas: Menu Plan & Batch Cook for December

grilled cheese sandwich

December is typically a very busy month for most families — holiday parties, school events, and shopping lists keep us hectic and busy.  Keeping up with typical household tasks feels a bit intrusive and even a bit of a seasonal damper.  Who wouldn’t rather bake Christmas cookies than tackle the laundry? Dinner easily falls to [...]