Yours Truly, Eliza B.

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12 Great Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids

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Better Late Than Never: My November Intentions 2022

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MY SEPTEMBER INTENTIONS 2022

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My August Intentions 2022

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Random Thoughts on Reaching for Rhythm and Returning to the Page

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A Halfway Point Challenge – NEW July Intentions 2022

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A Course is Born

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New Year Intentions 2022

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10 Great Gift Ideas for Kids

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10 Great Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Moms

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About Me

I’m a lover of laughter, good books, snail mail, cozy socks, a well-intended pun, and kitchen dance parties with my family. Read More!

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  • 12 Great Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids
  • Better Late Than Never: My November Intentions 2022
  • MY SEPTEMBER INTENTIONS 2022
  • My August Intentions 2022

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yourstrulyelizab

Eliza B.
Yay for day 8 of my 12 days of Christmas Holiday b Yay for day 8 of my 12 days of Christmas Holiday book giveaway! To enter for a chance to win one of our favorite holiday books today, LIKE this post & tell me your favorite Christmas song below. 🎄🎶❄️🎅 >> Bonus entry if you tell me your LEAST favorite one too! My overall fav is Carol of the Bells (especially the Home Alone version!) & my favorite to sing is probably Rudolph! Most mornings in December you can find me drinking coffee with the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack playing in the background - I love that album! Can't wait to hear your favorites! If you win today, I’ll send you a dm by tomorrow morning. If you don’t win, check back in tomorrow for another chance. I’ll be choosing one winner each day for the next 4 days. // The Nutcracker in Harlem by T. E. Morrow. When I was little, every year at Christmastime my mama & I would watch the Nutcracker ballet at the local theater. It was always a magical occasion for me. Later this month we are taking our boys for the first time & hoping to make it a yearly tradition with them too. This book is a fabulous addition to our holiday book collection, one we will cherish re-reading from year to year. Set in Harlem in the 1920s, this spirited jazz-inspired reinvention of the Nutcracker brings the quintessential holiday tale to life with music, dancing, & dazzling watercolor illustrations that truly capture the vivid dreamlike wonder & magic of Christmas. “It was snowing in Harlem on Christmas Eve. The party at Marie's house swirled with colors, gold and red and green. Mama and Poppy were dancing. Miss Addie sang, and Uncle Cab played the piano. Marie loved the sound of Christmas.” Marie loves the energy at her family’s lively Christmas Eve party, but she hasn't found her confidence to sing, dance, or join in the vibrant life of her family & community yet. That evening her Uncle Cab gives her with a toy nutcracker & she finds herself dreaming of a fairy-tale world full of magic where she & her Nutcracker battle a menacing Mouse King. In her dream, Marie plays an important role, ultimately discovering a musical talent that will allow her to enter the real life world of music around her once she awakens.
Happy day 7 of my 12 days of my Christmas Holiday Happy day 7 of my 12 days of my Christmas Holiday book giveaway! To enter for a chance to win one of our favorite holiday books today + a special Bonus Book - tell me an unpopular opinion you have about the holidays in the comments below!! **Keep it KIND please! I believe we should all do what works best for our families & what feels right for us.⁠ ⁠ >> Bonus entry today, if you tag a friend to play along!⁠ ⁠ I’ve been hearing all kinds of unpopular/controversial opinions about the holidays lately, especially here on IG & they always seem to make for some great conversation! For instance, SO MANY families I know do “Elf on the Shelf” with their kids but loathe the process of moving it every night & deciding what to make the elf do! Then there are other people who LOVE the creativity of it!⁠ ⁠ I’ve also heard a lot of talk about how to approach Santa with your kids lately - like, is it considered lying if you tell them he’s real? Will they feel betrayed if they discover who is actually making the magic happen? Does he take away from the intended focus of Christmas? ⁠ ⁠ And OMG - the fuss about when you "should” (or shouldn't) put up your Christmas Tree has my head spinning this year! 🤪 Maybe you’re not a fan of a favorite Christmas movie everyone loves? Or maybe you don’t love peppermint mochas (I don’t!). Maybe you don't even like peppermint at all! I can’t wait to hear what you have to share (remember, keep it kind!).⁠ ⁠ If you win, I’ll send you a dm by tomorrow AM. And if you don’t win today, check back in tomorrow for another chance. I’ll be choosing one winner each day for the next 5 days.⁠ ⁠ // Stickman by Julia Donaldson - We love everything by this author and this one ranks high on our list. In this delightful story, Stickman goes out for a jog one morning only to get mistaken for a stick by a variety of different characters (think: a dog who wants to play fetch, a goose that is building a nest, a man making a sandcastle, etc.). This book is lyrically engaging and you’ll be rooting for Stickman to find his way back again by the end!⁠ ⁠ **BONUS book ❤️🎄 The Christmas Pine by Julia Donaldson (her newest book, just published this year!)
Still have Christmas shopping to finish up before Still have Christmas shopping to finish up before 12/25? I sure do! Although celebrating early with our Arkansas family over Thanksgiving break has definitely put me ahead of the curve for my usual elf-work during this time of year. I can’t believe we have just over 2 weeks left! 🎁🎄❤️✨ In our house we have some strategies for gift giving that work really well for us. The first is Santa-specific. When Santa visits each year he leaves stockings for everyone (even the pets 😂). He also leaves one gift for each child and one gift for them to share with each other. All other gifts under our tree are from family (or close family friends). For the kids and each other, Paul and I follow a simple philosophy: you get something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read. This has worked really well for our family through the years, even before we had kids! And we love getting creative with the categories too - that’s part of the fun! These past couple of weeks I’ve had several friends asking me for my best kid gift ideas. So I’ve pulled together a list of some of our favorites for this year and posted them on my blog! If you’ve still got some shopping to do (or if Santa needs a little help!) this list of 12 great gift ideas for kids might be just what you need to get it done! >> 12 Great Gift Ideas for Kids, gift guide on the blog today - link in bio 📷: @katimallory
We are halfway through my 12 days of Christmas Hol We are halfway through my 12 days of Christmas Holiday book giveaway! To enter for a chance to win one of our favorite holiday books today, like this post and comment below with your favorite holiday movie!! 🎥🍿🎄✨❤️ ⁠ For me, it depends on what vibe I’m going for! I love Elf and National Lampoon’s Xmas vacation because they make me laugh no matter how many times I watch them. Home Alone is one we always watch with the kids during the holidays. And if you haven’t watched Fred Claus yet, that’s another one I really like! ⁠ ⁠ One year Paul took me to a cool historical movie theater in Chicago for a date night and we watched It’s a Wonderful Life. It was his first time seeing it and the ending brought him to tears which made me fall in love with him all over again that night. Such a timeless and meaningful movie. ⁠ If you win, I’ll send you a dm by tomorrow morning. And if you don’t win today, check back in tomorrow for another chance. I’ll be choosing one winner each day for the next 6 days.⁠ ⁠ // The Christmas Truck by J. B. Blakenship. This wonderful little book is one of my favorite new additions to our collection. The first time I read it, it truly touched my heart with its simple message celebrating one of the greatest feelings of the holiday season: the joy of giving. When a disaster strikes the best of intentions - Papa, Dad, their amazing kid, and one fabulous grandmother work together and come up with a plan to save Christmas for a child they have never met. Thus reminding us of the spirit of the season - in giving to others and the magic that can happen when a family comes together. Blankenship's beautiful story, with its modern and fresh appeal and bright joyful illustrations, is sure to captivate your entire family.⁠
After a long week on the road traveling, our sweet After a long week on the road traveling, our sweet boys agreed to let me capture a photo of them from the final stop of our trip - the Christmas tree farm!!🌲🌲🌲 These hooligans sure know how to keep us laughing 😂❤️✨
Hooray! It’s day 5 of my 12 days of Christmas Ho Hooray! It’s day 5 of my 12 days of Christmas Holiday book giveaway! To enter for a chance to win one of our favorite holiday books today, tell me about a truly memorable gift you’ve given or received.⁠ ⁠ When I was around 12 or 13 years old, a very close family friend gave me an extremely thoughtful and generous $100 gift certificate to the local bookstore. She was an avid reader who always encouraged this trait in me. I remember being astonished and overjoyed (I loved books as much back then as I do now!). I spent hours perusing the shelves trying to decide what I would spend all that money on! Ultimately I ended up with a stack of Baby-Sitters Club books and I remember enjoying every second of them! It was a large sum of money to me at that age, but more special than that was her intention behind giving me such an amazing gift. I’ll never forget that feeling of stepping into that bookstore and knowing I could buy anything I wanted to read. It was pure limitless joy!⁠ ⁠ What about you? What’s a memorable gift you’ve given or received? ⁠ ⁠ If you win, I’ll send you a dm by tomorrow morning. And if you don’t win today, check back in tomorrow for another chance. I’ll be choosing one winner each day for the next 7 days.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ // Wintercake by Lynne Rae Perkins. This is a lovely new Christmas book we are adding to our collection this year! With themes of friendship, community, empathy, and generosity - this story is a joyful and meaningful read for the holiday season. When Thomas misplaces the basket of dried fruit he needs to make his seasonal Wintercake, friends old and new come together to help save the day. I just love the colorful and detailed illustrations of the winter forest and the animals who live there in this delightful tale full of surprises, holiday traditions, and how making mistakes can sometimes lead to wonderful things.
Happy day 4 of my 12 days of Christmas Holiday Boo Happy day 4 of my 12 days of Christmas Holiday Book Giveaway! To enter for a chance to win one of our favorite holiday books today, like this post and drop a comment below to tell me your favorite holiday tradition (past or present, or even one you’d like to start!).⁠ ⁠ I have dreamt about the traditions I wanted to create with my family since I was a young girl and I LOVE hearing about other people’s holiday traditions. Some of my favorite ideas have been inspired by others and I’ve also gotten a lot of reassurances of what is/isn’t within my “Christmas spirit” capacity!⁠ ⁠ Depending on the year and ultimately, the chaos of the season for us, our family tends to lean into traditions with a fairly flexible approach. Holidays can be such a mixed bag of emotions. For every joyous magical moment, there are stressful and overwhelming ones. I’ve found that the more easygoing I am with my expectations around this season, the more enjoyable we all seem to find this time of year. So that’s how I try to approach traditions. ⁠ ⁠ That being said, I LOVE our holiday traditions and they bring me so much joy and gratitude! Aside from our book advent, my next favorite one is probably decorating gingerbread houses on Christmas eve as a family. There is something magical about being around the table with everyone decorating together - creativity, candy, and LOTS of laughter! It’s the best!⁠ ⁠ I can’t wait to read more about your favorite traditions! ⁠ ⁠ If you win, I’ll send you a dm by tomorrow morning. And if you don’t win today, check back in tomorrow for another chance. I’ll be choosing one winner each day for the next 8 days.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ // Under the Christmas Tree by Nikki Grimes. In twenty-three moving poems, the author depicts universal sentiments – sights, sounds, and feelings that make the holiday season so special. This is a book of poetry, evocative and compelling, but the story of each poem also reads like narrative. It begins with taking out decorations for Christmas, and follows through Christmas Eve, the dinner, and days after. The breathtaking illustrations contribute deeply to the magical read-aloud experience of these poems.⁠
A few years ago someone made a time lapse video of A few years ago someone made a time lapse video of their family decorating the Christmas tree and I loved it so much I started making them each year after. 🎄❤️ ✨ So this is 2022. We stayed up way too late, the kids fought over who got to hang their favorite ornaments, we definitely have a clump of them all in one area where Niko discovered “a strong branch” and hung most of his, and we didn’t even get finished! We figured out after we started that most of our lights from last year have stopped working so I ended up using some red ones to fill the gaps but I’m surprised to say I don’t dislike it! Kids definitely teach us to be more flexible, look for the bright side, bask in the light and joy of being together, to laugh more often, and to pay closer attention to magic in the moments around us. Our house is finally beginning to feel like Christmas now and my spirit level is starting to spike. Now I’ve just got to try my best not to “fix” that oneeee clump of ornaments directly in front that could use some spacing 🤣 - I’m pretty sure it’s *perfect* just the way it is.
Welcome to Day 3 of my 12 days of Christmas Holida Welcome to Day 3 of my 12 days of Christmas Holiday book giveaway! To enter for a chance to win one of our favorite holiday books, like this post and tell me *something* about your tree in the comments below - when do you put it up? Do you prefer artificial or live? Colored or white lights? Mismatched ornaments or mostly ones with a similar look or theme?⁠ ⁠ >> For a BONUS entry today - Share a photo of YOUR Xmas tree in your stories today and make sure to tag me so I can see it (@yourstrulyelizab ) 🎄❤️📚⁠ ⁠ ⁠ I’ve always loved a live tree and every year we visit a tree farm to choose the perfect one (I usually have to be talked down from choosing ones that are way to big to fit inside!). This year we got TWO real trees, one for the front room that you can see from the street and our main tree for the living room which is much larger. I also added a few artificial trees to other rooms in our home because, in my opinion, you really can’t have too much holiday spirit. Our ornaments are a mismatched collection we’ve accumulated through the years and each one has a special meaning for us - telling a story of a time or place or favorite thing from our lives. We are planning to decorate our tree this evening and all of us are SO excited!! This year we're adding an airstream ornament (hooray for our Chill Pill!) and a crab ornament to remind us of how much we loved our summer trips to the beach and the boys’ crab-catching adventures.⁠ ⁠ I can’t wait to hear about your tree! 🎄❤️⁠ ⁠ If you win our chosen book for day 3, I’ll send you a dm by tomorrow morning. And if you don’t win today, check back in tomorrow for another chance. I’ll be choosing one winner each day for the next 9 days.⁠ ⁠ // Twenty Big Trucks in the Middle of Christmas by Mark Lee. Perfect for any truck-lover, this book is sure to add a dose of Christmas cheer with its brightly colored illustrations, a full array of trucks, and counting/rhyming fun. Twenty trucks roll into town full of sparkle and anticipation, ready to set up for the holiday festivities. When disaster occurs, two kids come up with a creative solution. This is a joyful read-aloud and a wonderfully unique Christmas story.
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