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Elf on the Shelf : Everything you Need to Keep this Tradition Easy and Fun

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Elf on the Shelf: Everything you need to keep this tradition fun and meaninful for kids and easy on Mom! You’ll find a free Elf Planning Calendar, printable Elf note cards and an idea bank of over 40 Elf antics to get you started!

Who else participates in the Elf on the Shelf tradition during the month of December? We do and we love it so much. It’s a little bit of Christmas magic that my kids look forward to all year long. We’ve been doing this each December for 3 years now and the only way I can keep up with it is to keep it super simple.

Today I’ve teamed up with my good friends Crystal Wilkerson and Kristina Profitt to bring you an entire “kit” of printables, ideas and tools to help you plan ahead and make this your easiest year of Elf on the Shelf yet! You’ll find everything you need to keep this tradition fun for the kids and easy on Mom!

I’m sharing some darling printable Elf on the Shelf journaling and filler cards to help you document your Elf on the Shelf fun throughout the month. Keep scrolling to see everything that’s included in this helpful kit – you’ll find a printable Elf Planning Calendar, a printable Elf Card Collection, ideas for cultivating gratitude with your Elf and an idea bank of over 40 Easy Elf on the Shelf ideas! Links to everything are clearly marked below.

Printable Elf on the Shelf Planning Calendar

This printable Elf Planning Calendar is just what you need to plan ahead, map out where your elf will be and when. No more of those nights crawling into bed, with your head about to hit the pillow when you suddenly realize – you forgot to move the Elf!

This Elf planner is here to save the day! Not only is there a filled elf holiday planner for you to enjoy for FREE, but there’s also one that is empty that you can fill in yourself if you’d like to take some ideas you’ve found around the internet and incorporate them onto your own calendar.

More than 40 Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas

Here is a huge idea bank of Elf on the Shelf antics if you’re looking for inspiration for your Elf. This post includes image examples to more than 40 EASY ideas that our Elf has done though the years.

Holiday Elf Card Collection

This is the digital kit that Crystal & I created to document all of your Elf’s adventures this year! You can print out the cards & use them to create fun pocket style scrapbook pages or they’re perfect for using as notes from your Elf during the month of December.

This bright & happy holiday collection includes twelve 3×4 cards, six 4×6 cards. You will love the clean designs & bright colors! Perfect for scrapbooking, December Daily albums, cards, gift tags and more!

Here are all of the darling cards included in the collection and above you can see a layout example using them!

You will receive JPG and PDF versions of the cards when you purchase them so you can use them in your digital designs AND print them out.

Holiday Elf Gifts of Gratitude Kit

If you’re looking for a way to make our elf adventures more meaningful this year this gifts of gratitude kit is a wonderful idea. Give your children the gift of gratitude this holiday season! Every day, your elf will show up with a “Countdown to Christmas” tag & a gratitude journaling prompt on the back.

*Note: You’ll want to purchase a journal for your kids to write in every day. This can be one journal for the whole family to share…or you can get a journal for each of your kids…your choice! Wrap it up & put the letter from your elf on top so your kids can open it the first day your elf arrives!

We hope you enjoy all of these Elf on the Shelf resources that we’ve put together. We love this holiday tradition, but keeping it simple is key and we hope these ideas will help you do just that!

More than 40 Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas

Saturday, November 21, 2015

More than 40 Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas — a bank of more than 40 easy Elf antics to help you keep this tradition stress-free and fun!

Today I’m sharing 40+ simple Elf on the Shelf ideas to incorporate into your December activities without overextending yourself. I love this tradition and my kids do too, but the only reason I continue to love it is because I keep it EASY. Nothing too messy, nothing over the top… The Elf isn’t the center of our Christmas activities; he’s just a fun addition.

Our kids light up each morning as they go see what new place our elf, Harvey, is hiding. He repeats some of his same silliness year after year — and that’s ok. The kids look forward to seeing if or when he’ll do some of the things he did the year before. I’ve even noticed that throughout the year, they often reminisce about Elf’s antics that made them laugh. That’s how I know it’s a tradition that — for us — is worth keeping. It brings our kids joy that they remember all year long.

That said, the moment it becomes a stress or a burden for me, that’s when I take a step back and return to the basics on this tradition.

My Advice On Keeping Elf on the Shelf Easy and Fun

Plan ahead – this Elf Planning Calendar and resource list is great!
Don’t feel like you need to reinvent the wheel. It’s ok to repeat what your Elf has done – in fact, kids look forward to his usual tricks!
Incorporate Elf’s antics into holiday traditions you already do in December.

Here’s a big bank of EASY, stress-free Elf on the Shelf ideas that I’ve used over the past three years — to help us all get a jump start on this tradition and to keep it simple!

50+ of the Easiest Elf on the Shelf Ideas Out There

Elf sends the kids on a scavenger hunt for Christmas tree ornaments.

Elf draws silly faces on framed photos with dry erase marker.

He toilet papers the tree!

He reads the story of the first Christmas to the nativity people.

Elf…

Brings a new Christmas puzzle for the kids!

Hides in a child’s backpack for them to find on their way out the door to school.

Raids a child’s piggy bank!

Makes an Olaf Snowman out of toilet paper! You can download the free Olaf printables to make your own here.

Hides in a house plant.

Has a little too much fun drawing Rudolph noses on all the kids while they slept (using washable markers of course!)

Makes paper snowflakes.

Attempts doing a puzzle.

Hides in a pile of stuffed animals.

Delivers letters from Santa.

Swings by the tree.

Colors in a Christmas coloring book.

Has a little run-in with the army men.

Gets himself a sweet drink. Delicious!

He leaves special notes for each child.

He brings a special coloring book, coloring pages, or dot-to-dot activity pages. (You can print free ones online or find the Extreme Dot to Dot books here.)

He sends the kids on a candy-cane scavenger hunt!

He makes a mess while trying to wrap presents.

He delivers a special after-school snack — snowballs! (powdered donuts)

He plays a game of Minecraft.

He reads a book. Here are 50 of our Christmas favorites.

He has some fun with the copy machine.

He’s counting down the days until Santa arrives.

Oops! Another run-in with the army men.

Brrrr….we’re not sure what he’s doing in there!?

It’s a dinosaur parade.

He plays a piece on the piano.

He leaves a message using M & M’s.

Someone was snooping in the presents!

Snowball fight!

He brings a special delivery – a gingerbread house to make!

He can’t forget his daily workout.

He ziplines from the Christmas tree.

Does your family do this tradition? We’d love to hear about some of the easy and memorable mischief your Elf has gotten into!

Tips for Taking Photos Indoors this Holiday Season

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Tips for Taking Photos Indoors this Holiday Season – So many holiday photo opportunities take place indoors and we all know that photographing in low light can be a little tricky. To capture memorable indoor Christmas photos this year here are a few quick tips.

1. Find as much light as you can – you’d be surprised how much of a difference opening up the curtains, the blinds or a door (if the weather allows) can make on the amount of light available in the space where you’ll be taking photos. When possible shoot photos as close to one of these natural light sources as possible.

2. Change your camera settings – to compensate for less light try increasing your ISO. Read up in your camera manual (because every camera is different) and learn how to do this. When you change your ISO you are adjusting your camera’s sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO the more sensitive it’s going to be which is beneficial when you aren’t working with a lot of light. Just be careful you don’t set it too high because depending on your camera, higher ISO settings also mean an increased chance of grainy photos.

3. Switch to AV (or A) mode – you can also adjust the aperture on your camera to compensate in low light situations. Switch into AV (or A) mode where you can adjust the aperture and the camera will automatically take care of all the rest of the settings for you in order to achieve a properly exposed photo. Change the f-stop to a smaller number. The smaller number = a wider aperture (the size of the opening inside your camera lens) and in turn allows more of what light is available to enter your camera.

4. Let go of high expectations – I personally would rather trade a slightly soft image that is naturally lit for a sharp image using flash 9 times out of 10. I prefer the more natural light. I like the mood it creates and the softness of it compared to a harsh, shadowy photo that can be the result of using flash. If you’re working in low light just keep in mind sometimes it won’t be possible not to use your flash and still get a super sharp photo – and sometimes that’s just fine.

5. If you must use a flash – bouncing the flash off of a wall or other reflective surface. To ‘bounce’ the flash simply point the flash away from your subject towards a reflective object (could be a wall, the ceiling, a mirror, etc.)and the flash will bounce off of the reflective surface and light your subject. The result will be more ambient light created and a photo that doesn’t look quite so shadowy as it would by pointing the flash directly at your subject(s).

For more photo tips for the Holidays and all year long check out my eBooks

Real. Life. Photography.

70 pages of photo fabulousness, pro photographer Rebecca Cooper shares her best insider tricks for taking amazing photos in all kinds of real-life situations.

You’ll learn how to take the best possible photo in the first place as well as how to use a few simple editing tools to add an extra dose of magic to your everyday moments.

Illustrated by 127 real-life photos, this life-changing eBook is organized into six useful chapters, including: Photographing Real Life, Using Real Light, Capturing Real Relationships, Practicing Real Patience, Enhancing Real Photos, and Checklists for Real Life.

Don’t Say Cheese!

How to get Great, Natural Photos of your Kids

This 52-page downloadable eBook is packed with 247 tips, tricks, and ideas to help you capture your children’s real smiles and authentic expressions—images that show who they really are (and go far beyond asking a child to just “say cheese”).Drawing on Rebecca’s years of professional experience with little kids’ photography, this eBook is divided into sections specifically for children, toddlers, babies, and newborns. With all this, plus the bonus Photo Games and Checklists section, you’ll be capturing real smiles in no time at all—and having a great time with your kids along the way. Save the cheese for your pizza and try Rebecca’s tips for photographing children instead!

Simple Green Beans with Bacon

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Simple Green Beans with Bacon – this delicious side dish is quick, easy, so flavorful, and always a crowd pleaser.

Hello! It’s Tiffany from Feel Great in 8 & I’m excited to be back again with another simple healthy recipe! Thanksgiving is coming and this flavorful side dish is the perfect quick and easy addition to your feast.

I know, I know, Thanksgiving isn’t exactly a day where we all worry about eating healthy. But, I do like to make a few of the dishes lighter and healthier, while still making them delicious so that no one even notices.

These simple green beans with bacon are exactly that…lighter and healthier than the cream soup option, but so flavorful. Just a little bit of bacon adds such incredible flavor, they are always a hit.

And, as an added bonus, a side dish doesn’t get any easier! You can even make the bacon in advance and then toss the whole thing together in a few minutes on the day of.

Simple Green Beans with Bacon

Simple Green Beans with Bacon: This delicious side dish is quick, easy, so flavorful, and always a crowd pleaser.

Serves: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
4 strips bacon, chopped
1-2 teaspoons reserved bacon grease
kosher salt
black pepper

Instructions

Cook the green beans to crisp tender. I love my electric steamer, but you can also steam them in a steamer basket on the stove or you can toss them into a large pot of salted boiling water for 5 minutes.
Cook the bacon either in a skillet on the stovetop or in the oven. I switched to cooking bacon in the oven a few years ago and have never looked back. Reserve 1-2 teaspoons of bacon grease. Roughly chop the cooked bacon.
Toss together the green beans, bacon, bacon grease, and salt and pepper to taste.

I hope you’ll give this one a try, I know you’ll love it!

Looking for more healthy Thanksgiving recipes?

Clean Eating Pecan Pie

Sweet Potato Casserole

Roasted Carrots with Fresh Thyme

Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

20 Healthy Holiday Recipes

Easy Corn and Vegetable Chowder

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Easy Corn and Vegetable Chowder – this soup is one of my go-to dinner recipes when I need to throw something together in a hurry. I love how easy it is to prepare and that’s it’s packed with healthy vegetables!

My mom used to make this soup and it has become one of my children’s favorites, just like it was mine when I was growing up. I love the fact that this soup can easily be made with ingredients I have on hand and that it’s quick to prepare.

Corn Chowder

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 cup carrots
1 ½ cups diced potatoes
½ cup chopped celery
1 can creamed corn
¼ cup butter
2 cups milk
¼ cup flour

Instructions

Cook vegetables in water with salt for 10 minutes.
Bring last three ingredients to a boil or cook until thick.
Add vegetables and water to white sauce.
Add 1 can of creamed corn.
Serve topped with grated cheese.

This soup doesn’t take long to prepare. You simply chop your vegetables – we use celery, carrots and potatoes. Boil in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes or until tender. Do not drain.

Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a pot. Slow stir in 1/4 cup of flour. Mix well and slowly add milk. Cook until thickened then add vegetables and water. Mix well and it’s ready to serve.

Additional toppings

This soup is perfect topped with grated cheese and would also be tasty with a sprinkling of chopped bacon and/or chopped green onions.

More Simple Dinner Recipes

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

25 Simple and Delicious Slow Cooker Recipes

Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Quick and Easy Taco Soup

Trim the Christmas Tree with Instax Photos

Monday, November 16, 2015

This season of the year is all about the memories. Trim the Christmas tree with Instax photos to celebrate the moments that matter the most. Keep reading to see how we’re decorating with Instax this Holiday season and for an exciting Instax giveaway from Fujifilm!

We’re focusing on spending time, not money this holiday season and our Simple, Rustic Memory Tree reflects our intentions to collect moments, not things.

As I thought about how I wanted to decorate our tree I knew I wanted to include photos and lots of them! After adding a few framed photos I decided we needed more photos and a quick and easy way to do just that was to add some Instax prints!

We’ve been having all kinds of fun playing with our cute new Instax Mini 90 and the super cool Instax Share Smartphone Printer! I just love the look of these instant prints and they add the perfect touch to our simple Christmas tree decor.

Snap a few photos with your Instax Camera or print image directly from your phone using the Instax Share Printer. Attach them to the tree branches using mini clothespins. I converted my photos to black and white using my favorite photo editing app Afterlight.

You can turn any photo into an Instax print using the Easy Share printer. If you want to use an image taken with your “big” camera simply email it to yourself and save to your phone.

Using the printer is really easy. All you have to do is download the Instax Share app, choose the photos you want from your camera roll and hit print!

These darling little cameras and the super cool Instax share printer are sure to be at the top of any teen or photo enthusiasts gift list this year. They’re hot items – I know my 13 year old is loving hers! They’re SO fun and make the best gift.

Enter to Win an Instax Prize Package from FujiFilm

Today Fujifilm is giving away 2 incredible Instax prize packages to 2 Simple as that Readers.

Prize Package No. 1

One winner will receive an Instax Mini 8 Camera PLUS an Instax Share Printer

Prize Package No. 2

One winner will receive an Instax Mini 90 Camera

Follow the prompts in the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Giveaway will close at midnight 11/20 and a winner will be drawn and announced over the weekend!

** This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Ali C. (alinicole) and Bell (bellasarian). Shoot me an email at [email protected] to claim your prizes! **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MORE SIMPLE CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION

Simple Rustic Memory Tree

Simple Christmas Gift Tags from Children’s Art

50 Photos to Take this Christmas

Printable advent Calendar Countdown Tags

DIY Children’s Sharpie Art Ornaments

50 Fabulous Christmas Books for Kids

A Less-Is-More Christmas Season

Sunday, November 15, 2015

A Less-Is-More Christmas Season – It’s counterintuitive to do less, but doing less leaves more room for family, simple traditions, and the true spirit of Christmas.

Does your December look like this?

A calendar packed with holiday concerts and parties. Boxes of decorations that need dusted and displayed. A formidable to-do list of card making and cookie baking and merry making.

Somehow, every year, you wonder if all your efforts are adding to the season…or detracting from it.

Five years ago, our family’s perspective shifted forever when we decided to leave my husband’s chiropractic practice of seven years and go back to school. We sold the beautiful home we’d built and packed our remaining belongings into ten suitcases, moving our family of six to a tiny island in the Caribbean ocean.

It was during our first Christmas on the island that we learned a life changing lesson:

You don’t do more to invite the spirit of Christmas into your life—you do less.

We borrowed a small tree and decorated it with handmade ornaments. Our holiday decor consisted of nothing more than paper snowflakes and hand-drawn artwork from the kids.

There weren’t a lot of presents. We simply couldn’t bring a lot of things home with us, and shopping on the island was limited. As a mother, I worried that this Christmas would be disappointing for our kids; it just wasn’t what we were used to.

But Christmas morning was quiet and unhurried, and while the kids didn’t get a lot, they appreciated the small gifts they did receive. We were able to reminisce about our favorite Christmas memories and fit in a Skype call with our extended family.

We spent the rest of the day playing at the beach as a family.

It was simple and quiet and nothing fancy, but that Christmas will have a special place in my heart forever.

In the year prior to our move, I’d been dealing with some worrisome health concerns. I had been struggling to find more balance in my life. It was during that Christmas of fewer presents and fewer to-do’s that I found more room to breathe, more room to invite the Savior into our celebrations and feel of His love.

Since we moved back to the States, I’ve tried so hard to hang on to that special little Christmas and do LESS each year, but it can be so hard!

So often it feels like filling the season with festive activities and Pinterest-worthy projects will create the kind of memories we want our children to keep for a lifetime.

It’s counterintuitive to do less, but doing less leaves more room for family, simple traditions, and Christ.

A Simpler Holiday Season

Because I genuinely want you to find more awe and wonder (and less stress and overwhelm!) this December, I wrote a 12-day email course designed specifically for busy moms: 12 Days to a Simpler Holiday Season.

I would LOVE to have you join our community of women who are dedicated to re-making the holidays this year.

Let’s learn together, plan together, and support each other.

And let’s design a holiday season unlike any we’ve had since becoming moms.

As a family, we find Christ in Christmas as we snuggle on the couch reading our favorite Christmas books by the light of the Christmas tree. We find Christ in Christmas as we read the Christmas story or work on our favorite nativity puzzle throughout the month of December.

For us, Christ is in the simplest traditions and quiet moments we enjoy together.

MORE SIMPLE CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION

Thinking Beyond Toys: Alternative Gifts for the Holiday Season

Simple Rustic Memory Tree

Simple Christmas Gift Tags from Children’s Art

50 Photos to Take this Christmas

Printable advent Calendar Countdown Tags

DIY Children’s Sharpie Art Ornaments

50 Fabulous Christmas Books for Kids

Top 10 Favorite Family Games

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Top 10 Favorite Family Games – We love playing games together as a family. Card games, board games, dice games – you name it! This is our list of top ten favorites for the whole family to enjoy.

It’s a tradition in our house that Santa always brings one group gift for the kids and it’s a new family game each year. I’m always on the lookout for games that get rave reviews and that other family’s love so that I can pass the word along to Santa. Here is our top 10 list of family favorites, plus a list of games I have my eye on!

Sleeping Queens – My daughter had played this game at a friends house and insisted we get it! We did and we’ve loved it. It’s designed for 2-5 players. The Pancake Queen, the Ladybug Queen and 10 of their closest friends have fallen under a sleeping spell. It is the players’ job to wake them up using strategy, quick thinking and a little luck. The player who wakes the most queens wins.

Rack-O – I have fond memories of playing this game at my Grannie’s house when I was little. We own this game now and my kids love it. It’s great for kids who are learning number as they race to get the first 10 cards in sequence before their opponents. Great game for all ages.

Dutch Blitz – Our kids have a BLAST playing this card game. It’s a voderful goot game that’s definitely exciting, fast-paced and can get competitive! The game was created by a German immigrant and it’s still very popular with the Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish community even today.

Tip it – We recently got this game and the kids and I have been having so much fun with it. Tip It is the ultimate balancing game that requires concentration and skill. Each player spins the pointer to find out what color disk to remove without toppling the Tip It tower. The player that removes three discs of the same color wins.

Break the Ice – this game is most popular with my two youngest (ages 5 and 8) but it’s such a great game to play together. I love that they can play it on their own with little to no help from an adult. Tread carefully and win in this classic game. Tap out ice blocks one by one. Take your time and do some thinking to keep the polar bear from sinking. To win, the bear must stay on top!

Pass the Pigs – this game is so simple yet so much fun! If you’re familiar with Pass the Pigs, the classic push-your-luck ‘dice’ game, then you know all about rolling plastic pigs in pursuit of 100 points. Pass the Pigs: Pig Party takes that formula and stretches it to the max!

UNO card game – this one is a classic! Everyone loves UNO right? I can’t play UNO without remembering staying up late on camping trips playing it with my siblings. I’m loving this retro version of the game but there are so many spins on this classic like UNO Attack, UNO Dare, UNO Roboto and of course Frozen UNO.

Tenzi – This is a brand new game to us and we are LOVING it! It’s so simple and easy to understand; great for players of all ages. I especially love that there are so many different ways to play this versatile game. It’s a blast! I highly recommend it.

Fibber – My kids think this game is so silly! The hilarious noses you get to wear have a lot to do with that! The object of the game is to stretch the truth without getting caught. Noses keep growing as players keep fibbing!

Hedbandz – This is another one of those games that everybody loves! Kids use their heads in more ways than one while asking yes or no questions to figure out if the cartoon on their head. Be the first player to guess what you are and win. We haven’t tried these but this Hedbanz Disney Version and this Hedbanz Act Up version look fun too!

Delux Pit – if you haven’t played this game before oh my goodness – you’re in for a wild time! This game is loud, crazy and so much fun! Deal the cards, wait for the opening bell, scream and trade like crazy, be the first to corner a specific market (nine cards of the same suit), and ring the closing bell.

Twister – this game isn’t my favorite but my kids love to play it! We all know what Twister is I’m sure, but have you heard of Twister Dance? Sounds like a fun spin on this classic party game.

Spot It – we don’t go on a road trip without bringing Spot-it! along. I tend to like simple, straight forward games and this one is just that. My kids all love playing it together. There are all kinds of versions from Spot It Disney Frozen to Spot It Gone Camping.

More Games to add to your Gift List

If you liked this post you might want to check out

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Ultimate Stocking Stuffer Gift Guide for Kids of all Ages

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Ultimate Gift Guide for the Little Artist

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Chai Spice Smoothie

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Enjoy the delicious flavors of chai with this Chai Spice Smoothie recipe. This caffeine-free and grain-free smoothie is a tasty and healthy smoothie for fall and winter. A quick and easy breakfast recipe for mornings on the go!

Good morning! It’s Kate from The Casual Craftlete blog. With Halloween weekend being over and the holidays coming up, I have been eating way more candy than I should be. So, I could use a healthy smoothie recipe to get me back on track. This Chai Spice Smoothie recipe is made with a simple homemade chai spice mix and some of my favorite smoothie ingredients. Chai always reminds me of fall and cooler temps. The warm spices sure do kick up the flavors in this smoothie recipe!

Lately I have been on a chai kick. I love the flavor of chai so much, I wanted to make a smoothie recipe at home with the spices. I made my own chai spice mix that is super easy to make. It has a nice warm heat from all of the ground spices. You can use the chai spice mix in other types of smoothies and drinks and it’s great to have on hand.

Ingredients for Chai Spice Mix:

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground clove

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground all spice

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix together and store in an air tight container.

Here is how to make the Chai Spice Smoothie.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup milk (I used 1% milk)

1/4 cup lite coconut milk

1 frozen banana

1 – 5 oz container of vanilla Greek yogurt

1 – 2 teaspoons chai spice (I like chai, so I used 2 teaspoons)

1 Tablespoon chia seeds

Drizzle of honey

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a large blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Garnish with ground cinnamon.

This recipe makes 1 large smoothie or 2 small smoothies. You can substitute any of the ingredients to make this chai spice smoothie fit your dietary and lifestyle needs.