it's my girls' world

Yay for the holiday season that is creeping up on us. This weekend with all this snow we have, we intend to slowly start decorating and getting things ready for Christmas- we don't have Thanksgiving in Canada but for sure I'm going to prepare a little turkey feast with my family in solidarity with my American peeps. We love the Christmas Tree in the background though and it is often the start to our holiday season.

As well as Friday Favourites, I'm linking with Sierra and some other lovelies for Girl Chat on Tips on Juggling the Holiday Season. I changed the title here from juggling to enjoying. So much media I'm looking at these days are talking about how stressful the season is and  tips for reducing the mayhem or surviving the season. And I get stressed too at times so I'm hoping by changing the word, I'm changing my mindset, ha! Here are my tips...

1- Start early!

I know that lots of people groan when they see holiday decorations up in November. (I groan when they are up in October, LOL) but by doing my tree and my decor early, I have more time to enjoy all the decor that we take our time to put up. I also try to do some of my holiday shopping for presents, holiday baking and meals early too either when they are too good to pass up or on sale. 

2- Make a List and Check It Twice

Love my lists-- and my holiday lists are my favourite. I make several and get great satisfaction, checking them off!

3- Entertain easily

It doesn't have to be an extravagant event! My girls' nights in off past have been tons of fun as have my holiday parties. Finger food and a serve yourself party are my favourites. However, if I don't feel like it gets to be more work than fun, I will probably take a little break and reassess doing it in the future. 

At this party, everyone brought an app. 

4- Delegate

Don't be a martyr. Husbands, kids, grandparents and store staff can do things as well. Not everything has to be hand done and home made. 

5- Eat real food as well!

Tons of sugar, alcohol, white flour and other carbs at this time of year have us feeling bloated and those carbs creeping up. Let's face it, the 80-20 rule is non existent during the holidays. I sneak as much real food as possible in there.... but some of our favourite healthy  dishes so we don't feel it as much. Like this chicken tortilla soup or my white turkey chili. And I make a large batch as well so it lasts for a few meals. 

6- Keep Moving

Exercise or even a walk is good for boosting energy levels even when we do overindulge. 

7- Don't overspend

We all do it. Try to set a budget, or at least look for some sales!

8- Say no

Sometimes if an event doesn't spark joy, we decide to opt out. We've declined parties in the past because of snow storms or the stress of driving in the snow or the distance or opted out of events because of the weather. It's okay to say no! 

9-

Be generous. So many great causes and charities out there that need both physical or monetary help. All year round of course!

10- Enjoy the tiny calm moments of Christmas beauty

Those twinkling tree lights in the morning, those family movies, the christmas carols on the radio, the eggnog with my person... enjoy it as it only comes once a year. 

Have a wonderful weekend! And yay for the Holidays!

Ever stop to think of the beauty all around and within each of us?  It's a tough world we live in with so many tough situations. More than ever, we need to appreciate the beauty in this life. Here's a little Q&A I lifted from last month's O Magazine's beauty edition.

To me, beauty is....

So much more than meet the eye. If you aren't beautiful on the inside, you have nothing! I've drilled it into my girls and my six year now emphatically says, "It's not what's on the outside that matters, the only thing that matters is what's on the inside."

A person who can light up any room... 

My neighbour, Monica, with her grace, genuine empathy, warmth and goodness. We don't know each other very well at all but she makes everyone feel special. 

The prettiest sight I've ever seen...

I love my sleeping babies. I've taken so many pictures of them

The best way to get more beauty into your life...

Is to surround yourself with things that make you feel happy. To me, it's fresh flowers, a nice smelling candle (soy, no cotton, paraffin free), a twinkling Christmas tree, a clean, de-cluttered house or lunch/dinner with awesome people sometimes.. Just some little things.

 

I feel 100% beautiful when:

I just finished a sweaty workout and I do some weights. My teeny, tiny muscles and the endorphins thrill me. Oh and when I get made up for a wedding and get eyelashes put on. 

What's the most beautiful place you've ever been?

It probably would be overlooking the caldera in Santorini. The very beautiful, bright blue still overwhelms me just thinking about it. 

Life is so short. Appreciate the beauty.

What's beautiful to you today?

Brrrrr..... it was a cold one this weekend with the degrees dipping under the minus mark (in celcius). We made the most of it though and managed to sneak out for a little fun with my parents who came for a few days. Here are some highlights:

My parents picked up the kids from school for a treat and then to drop C to swimming. I took a glorious nap before heading out to volunteer at the late shift in the Bingo hall ( a commitment for C's swimming)

Laundry and errands during the day before the kids went to the mall and D and I headed to Toronto for dinner at my very favourite restaurant, Lee's. Their famous Singapore slaw for the win.

Headed to Friends- The Parody after. Good for a chuckle or two. 

ON Sunday, we lazed around, did more laundry and cleaning up and then headed to a lovely brunch at a local spot. 

Three cheers for Monday #reallynotreally LOL. Have a wonderful week, lovelies

Linking up with Biana for weekending!

Yay for Friday, friends! Here are just a few photos from Divali (the Festival of Lights) that we celebrated earlier this week. We took some time at home to do our family prayers and then headed to our family's place for dinner and more prayers. Unfortunately, I didn't get too many pics but here we go.

Preparing our deeyas for home. Traditionally, deeyas are clay pots filled with oil and lit with cotton wicks. All the twinkling flames are so beautiful.

 And dressing up!

 HA!

Linking up with