Got a calendar packed with reasons to celebrate but a brain that lacks ideas? Special people you want to love on but limited time to do it?
Yeah. Me too. So what’s a busy mom to do?
Relax. I’ve got you covered.
My children are now nearly grown. Our daughter is 22, and lives on her own. Our boys are still at home at ages 18 and 15. Raising these three has afforded many opportunities for all kinds of celebrations.
Birthdays. Graduations. Showers. Easter. Valentines. And of course, the big one right around the corner, Christmas.
But there are also everyday reasons to celebrate. Your child loses her first tooth. They learn to ride a two-wheeler without the training wheels on. They get their driver’s license or land the part in the school play. Or, perhaps you just want to tell them how special they are on a random Tuesday afternoon.
Over two decades of parenting has given me plenty of ideas for loving on the special people in my life. I kept the ideas in folders and binders or just tucked inside my heart and brain. But now, I want to share them with others!
Everyday Confetti
I wrote a book with my friend Glynnis Whitwer who also loves to celebrate with her five children. The book is called Everyday Confetti: Your Year-round Guide for Celebrating Holidays and Special Occasions.
It is all about one thing: Loved ones.
Pampering them. Loving them. Feeding them. Celebrating them. And most importantly making fond memories with them that you’ll both cherish for a long time to come.
It includes menu plans, recipes, party ideas, activities and more. We’ve really done the thinking for you so you can kick back and enjoy times with your family and friends.
Here is what one busy mom has to say about the book:
“As much as I want to be an imaginative and spontaneous person, I’m much better at tackling a task than creatively coming up with ideas myself. Everyday Confetti is going to make me look like Superwoman—if there ever were such a thing!” Candace Cameron Bure, Actress and New York Times Bestselling Author
I’m happy to give away a copy to one of you who comments and tells us the answer to this question: What most stresses you out about celebrations? Coming up with what to serve? Cooking? Cleaning the house before the guests arrive? Figuring out what gift to give? Leave a comment here on what stresses you out, and one person will win a copy of the book when it comes out.
FREE BONUS: Our book releases January 21st but we are offering a special free bonus to anyone who pre-orders the book before then from Proverbs 31 Ministries. If you order it from now until December 15 and forward a copy of your receipt to preordereverydayconfetti@gmail.com you will be sent a PDF called “Tips for a Simple, Sacred Christmas.”
This whimsical, idea-packed printable includes a family holiday re-evaluation survey {designed to save mom’s sanity!}, instructions for how to set up a Christmas binder to keep yourself organized, simple crowd-pleasing recipes and ideas for family fun and outreach activities at the holidays.
Simply pre-order the book from Proverbs 31 Ministries (sorry– not offered with orders from other online retailers) and then forward a copy of your email receipt to preordereverydayconfetti@gmail.com You will receive your bonus PDF shortly afterwards.
My prayer is that you will have a relaxed holiday season making memories with your kiddos and others you love. That way Christmas can be all about blessing rather than stressing!
Merry Christmas!
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Karen Ehman is the Director of Speaker Development for the Proverbs 31 Ministries’ national speaking team and a featured speaker for Hearts at Home conferences for moms. She is the author of five books including A Life That Says Welcome: Simple Ways to Open Your Heart and Home to Others, The Complete Guide to Getting Organized, Homespun Memories for the Heart, and LET. IT. GO: How to Stop Running the Show & Start Walking in Faith which includes a companion DVD Bible study and workbook.
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General busyness. I have two boys 12 and 9. We are not involved in tons of things, but the things we are involved in are intense. With the outside the home activities, I struggle to maintain order in the home, laundry put away, healthy foods fixed, and add in the extra things around holiday time and it just gets crazy. We actually take off from school (I homeschool) the week of Thanksgiving and don’t go back until after the first of the year. I’m teaching other things during this time (giving, celebrating, helping, the true meaning of Christmas), but I wish I were better at keeping a routine with an un-routine schedule. 🙂
Cooking, definitely! And the busyness. Making sure everything is completed by the time the guests arrive.
I think the thing that stresses me out most of all is the loss of what this season is all about. Sometimes I just want to slow down and dwell in the true meaning of the real meaning of Christmas. Not the get togethers, the presents, the food, the traveling… just be in the presence of God. And not have to worry about everything else.
Gifts, most definitely! The what to get and on a single mom budget…creative and heartfelt ideas 😉
Cleaning the house stresses me out the most. I have to wait to the last minute to do it otherwise the kids just destroy it.
Clubbing the house before, my husband and I work opposite shifts so while it is nice for our 2boys, it makes it hard to get things done without feeling like I am neglecting them. This weekend in my oldest’s 4th birthday, I have been cleaning at night but am exhausted. We are hosting Christmas at our house (I love hosting and we have a good house for it-we are blessed with out new house) but it will be stressful-help 🙂
I love to celebrate and have been known to offer ‘unbirthday’ parties. But any change in routine stresses hubby out. So, I must be ready to offer a statement of what is happening when, what I’m doing and how and I must be honest with myself that I’m not taking on too much! If I’m stressed out, he will certainly be stressed out!
What stresses me out is not doing it “right.” From cooking to decorating to cleaning to gifts etc.. Wanting to make someone feel special & just not sure you got it right.
My biggest source of stress is definitely the whole pre-party cleaning. With 3, 8, & 13 year old boys, my house tends to look a bit like a tornado went through recently, so getting that mess cleaned up isn’t always easy.
I think the most stressful thing for me is worrying that I am not making it about what it is supposed to be about – the birth of Jesus – in all the busyness of the season.
We are a family that loves to celebrate and have parties, but I think the thing that stresses me out the most is trying to get the house clean before an event. With four young kids running around, there never seems to be a time to get it done, and once done, it can be undone in an instant. 🙂 I usually find myself up late the night before, trying to get everything done while the kids sleep, and then frustrated in the morning with the first spilled cup of juice.
Being overly organized saves me from the traditional stressors. However, my stress stems from the idea of whether my receivers/guests will be pleased. Yet I try to remember that it’s the heart of the giver, not the faith of the receiver that matters.
Definitely the cleaning part with two little active boys running around! Oh – and a lab and cat. 🙂
What to cook and cleaning!
For me, the stress comes from not having enough time. It’s as if all of a sudden the event is tomorrow and I haven’t done anything to get ready (shop, clean, plan, etc.). Then I become this crazy woman who is unpleasant and the event isn’t so enjoyable anymore.
Making sure everything is perfect, whatever it may be. Food cooked perfectly, plates set perfectly, the house ready for a white glove inspection!
The stress of what to cook and making sure it’s edible is what stresses me out the most for sure!
Anything that involves hosting friends or extended family members! The planning, the cleaning, the cooking…it all becomes overwhelming when added to the usual daily duties of raising and homeschooling two busy boys. Add in MY expectations of what I SHOULD be accomplishing, and I end up one tired, frazzled mess!!
Cleaning the house stresses me out the most. I am not a person who enjoys cleaning – I will find a dozen other things to do first if I can. This is a great idea for a book – thanks for writing it, and thanks for the giveaway!
WE love the holidays and love love love having our family at home. I think the thing that stresses me, is not having enough time to just sit and visit. I am such a “Martha”, and am not sure that is what I want to be. I want to be “Mary” and just relax and enjoy the time we have together, because if the truth be told, all anyone really wants is to be together, it wouldn’t matter if everything, food, decorations etc were perfect, it would still be the holiday….
Figuring out who gets my son when with his dad stresses me out the most. I am seriously starting to hate the holidays.
keeping the house clean is the trouble I have, with 3 busy boys spreading the mess right behind me after I just cleaned it up. (it happened today – I thought they were innocently playing while I was working on cleaning up the kitchen, only to find out they were actually taking all the clothes out of their closests and throwing them about their room – Gaah ! LOL)
I get overwhelmed by trying to come up with special things to do so they feel appreciated on their special day. I worry about the ideas not coming across the way I had planned.
I’m overwhelmed with making sure it’s fun and not just a hectic time running from here to there “enjoying” too many things! Everyone wants us to do everything with each of them and that leaves very little time to just enjoy the holiday.
I usually get stressed about holidays but really if I just make sure everyone is doing their part to help, it goes fine. Packing to travel is the most stressful though.
What stresses me out the most I think is making sure the house is clean and everything is “perfect”.
Cleaning the house and getting everything done!
I worry about being ready on time. I always try to be ready 15 minutes early so I can relax before the guests arrive, but I never make it!
Keeping the house clean is definitely a big struggle, but I find the hardest thing is communicating the true meaning of the seasons to my kids. Getting them to see that Thanksgiving is about more than turkey and Christmas is about more than presents.
I stress about all of it.
I get stressed wondering if everyone one involved will enjoy themselves…be happy. Am I doing it right or is it enough…
I stress about trying to make everyone happy; no one feels left out or unimportant
I get stressed by all the things you mentioned! Maybe least is meal planning because it is pretty much the traditional meal. I hope my family enjoys these holidays because they are not so much fun for mom.
I worry that I am creating moments that my boys will cherish…the time goes so fast and I want my boys to look back on these years with smiles…and lots of them!
I stress a bit about the atmosphere I am creating. I want my boys to remember a sacred, calm, peaceful, fun holiday season. Not a time of rushing, fussing over last minute details, and crabby parents.
Definitely cleaning the house as we have two young boys who are constantly in flux! But it’s always a good thing to have people over so we get the house clean 😉
It would be definitely what to make and how much!!
I stress out a little about finding time to do anything extra. With 5 kiddos ages 6 and under my days are pretty full. I’d love some help to make more memories and meaningful family traditions.
Cleaning for sure! I love planning the food!
The hardest thing for me is menu related, choosing the “perfect” menu, cake and then making it happen without stressing over the details while caring for my boys.
The hardest thing for me is definitely the cleaning beforehand.
The stress for me is the money spent and gifts. We have had a tough few months and I finally had to break it to our extended family that we can’t give how we always have. I actually feel some relief for doing this. I pray that it will make for a more enjoyable and meaningful holiday season for all of us.
All the cleaning!
1.Feeling the house is never clean enough. 2.Already.existing family stress, especially in communication. Being a pleaser complicates it further, because if there’s no adequate communication, how do I know how to create something that can be enjoyable for everyone? Or what is the best strategy for holiday budgeting? Obviously first I need to give that need to please to Jesus! After that I pray God give grace and wisdom step.by.step!
I think cleaning the house and maybe picking a theme for the party is probably my two trouble areas. I hate to vacuum so I tend to put it off until the last minute and then im stressed because I have run out of time.
Buy A Celebrate The True Meaning
[…] their driver’s license or land the part in the school play. Or, perhaps you j […]
“When to say enough.” That’s is the hardest part. I love preparing for the holidays: the prepping, the planning, the hiding of gifts, the decorating, the cooking, even the cleaning, etc. I know it’s all done in love for my loved ones.
It is the point of saying to myself, “You have done enough- now enjoy and just be,” that is the hardest. Letting the rest go, allowing the black olives to be forgotten (with no quick trip to the store), wrapping the present and sayin it’s as nicely done as I could- be done with that step, choosing to make one less batch of cookies, etc.
It’s allowing myself to just be with everyone and enjoy the magic as it unfolds as a loved participant, too.
The hardest part about celebrating any event and hosting it, is my need for perfection! That’s what stresses me out the most!