One turned out extra crispy! Oops! Will they eat it? Lol

Hey Fellow Jungle Sisters, 🍃🌿 I know the holiday season is upon us, and it can be very overwhelming so I thought I’d share one of the hacks I’ve done for years to make sure that my family gets to do all the activities they’re wanting to do. To give a little bit of backstory, I used to feel a lot of mom guilt around the holidays to make sure that the season felt magical and memorable. I would plan crafts, outings, gifts, meals, and more all while exhausting myself. (Does this sound familiar?) Then one year after having stressed myself out so much from all the doing, I decided to ask my kids what they actually wanted to do instead of trying to do ALL the things. What was surprising was what came next…most of the activities they wanted to do were not overly complicated and were pretty simple to do. My son wanted to drink hot chocolate. My daughter wanted to make those ready-to-bake cookies that have the Grinch or a Christmas tree on them. (Here I was trying to figure out how to make from scratch cookies and all she wanted was simple pre-made ones! 😆) All this to say, a lot of times the pressure we are putting on ourselves is just that pressure from ourselves that no one else is putting on us!!! The Solution I’ve found: I ask my family what 2-3 things they each really want to do for Christmas, and I make a Christmas Bucket List from that. 📋 🎅 Some Ideas to Get Your Creative Juices Flowing: 🏠Decorate a Pre-built Gingerbread House 💡Go look at Christmas Lights ☕️Drink Hot Chocolate 🍪Bake Cookies 🎥Watch a Christmas Movie 🍬Make Candy 🎄Make Ornaments 💬 What’s something simple your family would like to do?

Yesterday, I shared how we make a Christmas Bucket List as a family—each person picks 2–3 activities they really want to do during the season. Today, I want to share a few simple hacks to make those activities easier to actually follow through on. First, a quick reminder: You don’t have to do everything from scratch. What my kids remember most is that we did it together, not how Pinterest-perfect it was. 🎄 Holiday Activity Hacks: 🎨 Crafts: Buy a craft kit with everything included. (Dollar Tree & Hobby Lobby usually have great options.) 🍪 Cookies: Use pre-made cookie dough. Easy hack if you want cookie-cutter shapes: add ¼–½ cup flour to a roll of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough to make it easier to roll and cut. 🌟 Ornaments: If making them feels overwhelming, let each family member pick one special ornament from a store like Walmart, Target, or Hobby Lobby. 🏠 Gingerbread House: Buy one that’s pre-built, or hot glue the pieces together instead of fighting with icing. (Just don’t plan to eat it 😆) ☕️ Hot Chocolate: Use packets instead of homemade. For an extra fun touch, top with holiday Peeps—my kids love this! (I find them at Walmart or our local grocery store.) 🍬 Candy Making: Grab candy melts & pretzels to make chocolate-dipped pretzels. (Candy melts are usually near the party section at Walmart.) 💬 What’s one holiday hack you use to make the season a little easier?

I thought the worse part of parents was the teenage sass. But I was so wrong. The worse is watching your adult children learning hard life lessons. Lessons that you can't kiss away their tears.

Are you living your life like a planned operation, or are you just letting things happen by accident? What’s one area of your life you want to start taking full control of today?