Surviving the Holidays

Can you believe the year is almost over? We've all made it through the bulk of the holidays (though the Facebook discussion might offer a different opinion.) The main relief for me that was it was a lovely holiday, and we stayed on budget - because there's no fun in being stressed over the budget while trying to enjoy the happiest time of year. This year, I partnered with Bluebird to help me stay on track.

I started off my holiday by figuring finding lots of budget friendly gift wrap ideas. It was a lot of fun to gather the inspiration (although Lala did the bulk of our gift wrapping this year.)

The girls and I found time during the hectic holiday season to slow down for dinner and a movie - a tradition that I hope repeats itself next year!

The girls also hosted a holiday party this year. Most folks would think I was crazy for hosting a sleepover for 12 teenagers - but it was a blast!

It wasn't all about the kids this season, though! Bluebird encouraged me to splurge on something, which I happily did :)

So, it was a great holiday! And I'm so grateful to Bluebird for helping me make it a magical season.

*this post is sponsored by Bluebird*

Splurge on Something

There's a long standing morning date at my house: Me, the Mr. & some coffee. Every single day we talk about what's on the agenda for the day, hash out ideas for projects, and sometimes just gab about absolutely nothing. It's that time each morning we spend keeping everything flowing smoothly around our home. So when I signed on to do a series with Bluebird, they asked me to splurge on one thing we normally wouldn't buy... and I had no problems coming up with the perfect thing.

Since we love our coffee as much as the time we spend together, it made sense to finally upgrade our basic coffee maker to something a little more special, so we splurged on a fancy new, k-cup using, one cup at a time maker of awesomeness. Yeah.... I'm kind of in love. 

What's the point of this post? Well it's all about treating yourself as well as you treat others. When guest come into your home, you set the best China, pull out all the stops with your very best recipes, light candles and clean like HGTV is showing up next week. Even if you don't do all of that every day for your own family, you can do something a little more special that affects your every day life. That's why we chose coffee. Funny how something so small can actually mean so much. 

Now... if you'll excuse me, I hear the sweet sounds of another cup calling my name :) Well, that and the apple fritter bread from Tarjay - it's delish!

*I partnered with Bluebird Financial for this post*

Entertaining Teenagers

Every year we have a Christmas party here at the cottage. Sometimes it's an adult affair, but this year we decided to let the kids have a turn by inviting their friends over. Of course, when girls get together, a sleep over is always their idea of a good time. Although it might seem a bit old-fashioned, we went back to traditional fun when coming up with our agenda.

Between many, many Just Dance battles, we took time to decorate cookies. It was no-stress for me to set up, since I went to the grocery store, armed with my Bluebird card, and bought every day ingredients. I baked the cookies the day before, and they had a blast decorating and eating them.

 

 My Bre wasn't sure if her friends would like such a "boring" idea - but they loved it! 

Another old fashioned idea that was a huge hit: Christmas Charades. They had a blast acting silly and playing out things like "Catching a Snowflake on your Tongue." Wanna join in the fun? I provided a free printable :)

Lots of laughs, good food & a ton of fun times later, they were all exhausted and fell asleep long before midnight.... thank goodness for small miracles, huh?

*This post is sponsored by Bluebird*

A Night with the Girls

Every year it becomes more and more apparent that my days of spending nearly every day with my girls is rapidly nearing it's end. With one in college and one in junior high, I take every chance I can to just unwind and soak up their awesomeness, even during the busy holiday season.

We decided on dinner and a movie. Their choice? Chinese. Yum!

We even squeezed in a little Christmas shopping. I've been good with my budget this year, so it was easy to let them splurge a little on gifts for their friends. My Bluebird account has made it so simple to keep it all sorted this year!

With full bellies & tired toes, we laughed & cried at Rise of the Guardians. Have you seen it yet? We loveeeeeed it! {Of course, it kinda helps that Jude Law is "in" it... even if he is a bad guy!}

I'm so glad I could squeeze this trip out of my budget with my girls, it was the perfect mid-week get away.

Thanks to Bluebird for helping me budget a night out with my girls.

beautiful {budget friendly} wrapping ideas

Earlier this week, I shared that I've keeping my holiday shopping in check. By using my Bluebird account, I've learned to pull the reigns to keep my holiday finances within my budget. It's not just about the gifts, though. Sometimes it's the sneaky stuff like wrapping paper/supplies that get ya.

I've been keeping all those little things in check this season by finding budget friendly, yet beautiful options for wrapping all those pretty packages.

Stop by and see what inspires me this season.

*This post is sponsored by Bluebird*

Santa's best kept secret

I love giving surprises. I love the gasp a really, really good gift can bring. I also love shopping online, because when the nearest shopping mall is an hour away, it really puts a cramp in my shopping options {and let's face it - shopping in your PJs is so much more fun than fighting the mob.} But, in our everything is online world, it's kinda tough to keep Mr. SCC's gifts a secret, when every stinkin' store shows up on our checking account immediately. That is, until I found my ultimate secret weapon - my Bluebird account.

Have you heard of it? Bluebird is a checking/debit alternative by Walmart and American Express. You can either sign up online, or pick up a starter kit at Walmart. Since it's backed by American Express, you can use it for your every day financial needs or save it for special needs.

Since you can't go over your limit, there's no overdraft fees - yay! It's the perfect way to budget yourself for the holidays. {Ya'll know I'm all about staying on budget.} You can move money to the account super easy, right online or even through a handy dandy app.

And, since my account is marked for my eyes only, that sneaky Mr. SCC can't see what Santa is bringing him for Christmas.

Let the gasps begin! :)

*This post is sponsored by Bluebird Financial. All ideas and opinions are my own.*