The holiday season is probably the most stressful time of the year for moms like myself. Today I am sharing A Mom’s Survival Guide For The Holidays that I swear will help cut at least half the stress out of the holiday mess.
A Mom’s Survival Guide For The Holidays
Everyone knows the holidays start weeks before the actual day of celebration. Every day leading up to that point can be either stressful or fun filled events that get you ready for the big event. As a mom of 4 I have been doing this for over 10 years, and can honestly say, “it’s always what you make it”. Here is my Mom Survival Guide For The Holidays.
A Mom’s Survival Guide Checklist
To survive the holiday’s I always make a checklist. I make my list and check it twice, trying to figure out have I already done that chore or not lol. I found that putting things in writing and reading the tasks daily helped me stay on track. I seem to be one of those people where I do better with assigned tasks versus winging them.
Or so I think that about myself since I feel less pressured and less stressed as the day’s countdown to Christmas Day. Since my kids are out of school a week before Christmas, I came up with fun ways to entertain the kids as I prepped the house and got things in order for my out-of-town family members.
Movies
One thing I know about my kids is, if you put on a good movie will keep them occupied and entertained long enough for me to complete 1 or 2 tasks a day. The weekend before the kids get out of school for winter break, I take them to pick out a selection of movies everyone can enjoy. This year we managed to agree on 6 movies woohoo! A step up from last year when we only managed to find 4.
Snacks
Snacks are a must and actually double as a fun way to keep the kids active and helpful. This is the time where the kids get to get their hands dirty and make some delicious recipes. My tip is to get them to make double whatever batch you are making, so when a few cookies or cupcakes disappear no one really notices.
Marshmallow Cupcakes
This cupcake is so simple to make yet so cute, all you want to do is share! I used a basic boxed cake and decorated it with whipped marshmallow frosting and a cute gingerbread marshmallow I picked up at Walmart. Sprinkled on some awesome sprinkles and Wahlaa! Grab my Christmas Marshmallow Cupcakes recipe right here on my blog.
Hot Chocolate Station
This is perfect for the kids during the winter break and do when your guests arrive. Creating a simple hot chocolate station where visitors can grab what they need and then head to the kitchen for hot water, is what every little kid loves! Throw in some cute stirring straws with Gingerbread man Marshmallows on top and you have a kid friendly drink!
Grinch Cookies
These cookies are so easy to make and oh so delicious, it’s just so wrong yet I don’t want to be right. Each batch yields 36 cookies and oh so many smiles! I split them up into groups of three and then tied a ribbon around them. These made them take-home friendly as well as fun to look at. Grab my Grinch Cookies recipe right here on my blog..
Edible Rudolf
Oh what fun it is to make, these red nose reindeer! The best part is they are edible! Oh yeah, that’s awesome! I stumbled upon this cute edible DIY by accident when my kids were almost dying. Mmmhmm that’s what they kept saying lol) of boredom and I happened to have a few candies on hand.
I decided to pull out what we had and see what we could do. Then Wahla! We have Rudolf! Just please remind your little ones to remove the candy’s from the wrappers BEFORE they begin to dig in. Learn how to make Edible Rudolf’s in my full tutorial on my blog.
Kids DIY Ornaments
How much fun are these?! I used to make them when I was little in daycare. It was so much fun interchanging the colors. Switching up how many popsicle sticks we used and even testing out new designs. I really like these for my kids to do since you can get a few bundles of yarn for less than $10, and then popsicle sticks for $.88!
This is also fun for your out-of-town little visitors to do and bring home to put on their own Christmas Trees. Full Tutorial Here.
Enough Toilet Paper
How horrible would it be to hear a little one scream from the bathroom “We’re out!”. Oh man, I dread those days and hope to never have one. When I look for toilet paper to fit my families needs, I offer two different choices for comfort. I personally like the plush toilet paper type, so when I shop I look for Ultra Plush Cottonelle Toilet Paper.
I also offer Scott 1000 Sheet Toilet Paper, for those who hate (you know who you are lol) my ultra plush choice. I load up a tray and set it in the bathroom for everyone to have access to. It offers that clean feeling with no mess and no stress. As the kids, grandmother stated, “I love it because it never clogs my toilet”.
I didn’t forget about your nose! Nose, you’re just as special as our bums and to cater to your needs, I provided these super cute Holiday Theme Kleenex Canisters. Oh, so cute and oh so much comfort for our noses.
Enough Paper Towels
During the holiday prep session, Viva Paper Towels are my go to Tissues for those holiday prep messes, and everything in between. Cause hey! Life happens and sometimes all if takes is a few paper towels to handle the job. To save myself some dish washing, I let the kids grab their snacks and place them on paper towels. It doubles as a plate and a towel for their faces and tiny hands.
Take Me Home Bag
At the end of the party/visit, I usually provide a few White Elephant Gifts for the little ones. This year it’s all about playdough for my little ones, so that’s what we gifted.
Along with the DIY Craft’s the kids made, the grinch cookies, as well as some, take me home hot chocolate yum! There were so many goodies to take home I wish we would have given bigger bags at the end.
To find my Survival Supplies I visited our local Walmart. The savings are amazing and the products are a must for my bid for survival this holiday season. It’s my go-to place when I am looking at the Kimberly Clark products I need. What do you use to help you survive the holidays? Do you have the Ibotta app yet? When’s the last time you visited Walmart?
I’m loving all your ideas and tips! I’d like to set up a Hot Chocolate Station next year.
Movies and snacks are almost an everyday thing for me and my family, its our family time after dinner and its great! We love relaxing before bed time.
I just picked up a bunch of movies for the holiday break. Kind of nervous about two weeks at home and it being so cold outside!
Omg yes to all of this!!!! Snacks and movies really are key this time of year regardless of how old you are 😉
Yes, movie and snacks are a must have! Especially here in our home. =) Great post.
Wow, the entire setup is perfect. I’m planning a movie day with my daughter next week and we so baking!
Edible Rudolf is just the cutest holiday snack that I’ve seen. Thanks for the idea. I can’t wait to create those for my son.
Wow this is awesome, I love the survival kit and thank you for sharing with us Ibotta app, this looks like an amazing app, i just download it, I cant wait to use this app 🙂 Thank you for sharing with us!! 🙂
These are awesome tips for surviving such a busy and hectic time of year! You can’t go wrong with snacks because the kiddos will always be hungry!
This is a great list!! I love hot chocolate, especially my grandma’s recipe!! YUM!
All of these holiday treats look so tasty and festive. I always enjoy hot cocoa during this time of the year.
Sounds like you’ve got everything organized and under control for Christmas break! The hot cocoa and snacks look especially yummy.
What a super fun guide for moms. I bet the kids wouldn’t complain with all those yummy treats.
Wow! Awesome ideas. So love them all! You gave me few things to try soon!
What a great guide.I notice that I get more stressed during the holidays if I’m not planning right.
It is so important to be prepared and not lose your mind during the holidays. This will help a lot and I have to stock up on some supplies before I run out of time!
I love your survival guide. The cookies and cupcake look amazing. I need to get my supplies, too.
Those reese’s rudolphs are just too cute! Love the idea! I love the seasonal Kleenex containers too. They look so much nicer than just a regular tissue box sitting around.
This is a great guide for every mommies out there! I will surely take note of this.
I’m new to using the Ibotta app and am loving it so far. I use so many of the same products you do that it’s really helping on saving. I’ve just got to have a hot chocolate station this year.
The holidays absolutely require an awesome paper towel like Viva. This time of year is so much fun, but it’s also so much mess!
I’m liking your ideas. Making a checklist should be my first step. I’ll have to pick up plenty of supplies like this week!
I like that survival guide! It will keep the kids entertained while I get to go take a nice long bath!
These are all such great ideas! I always have to make sure to have snacks and activities for my kids when they are on vacation.
Yes – snacks! We love to make them and we love to eat them….which just reminded me that we have to make santa’s cookies on Sunday.