I love crafty things, but I’m not a very creative gift wrapper. I always go for simple. And what can get simpler than presents wrapped with brown paper and painted on black string?!

I paint the crisscross portion on first, then top it off with the painted bow… voila!

If you any of you have ordered from my Cakies shop in the past, you know I used to send off packages decorated this way, but done with black marker. It’s cute and easy, and so that’s how our Christmas presents are decorated this year. To label, I have some shipping tags that I will write names on, and tape onto the top of each gift. The paper gets ripped off so fast (then put into the recycle bin), so I’m very practical about my gift wrapping. Plus, it’s what’s on the inside the counts right?! 😉 And don’t forget the thought counts most! 🙂

How do you decorate your gifts? Do you go all out or are you a simple gift wrapper like me?

Christmas break started on Friday and we have all been in crafty mode ever since. The girls and I have been so busy making gifts that our home has taken a hit and it’s really messy. Each girl has her own designated space for gift making, so the messes are spread all over the house. I want to try and get everything a little under control this afternoon, but I still have so much to make. Right now, our home is definitely a craft zone, so beware where you step because there are craft supplies strewn all over the place.

Some ideas for stocking stuffers based on what we’ve given the girls in the past (and some things they are requesting for this year).

1) Hello Shiso Clips. These are always loved in our house.
2) Start Creative Doodle Books. We’ve given them these in the past and they loved drawing in them.
3) Tin Top. Such a classic toy we’ve given to them in the past and we still have it.
4) Hello Kitty Glasses. These are fun play glasses and they each asked for a pair.
5) Turkish Delights. All of them asked for some in their stocking this year.
6) Instax Film. The oldest three each have their own cameras and are requesting more film
7) Toothbrush. It’s always a practical gift, and we love putting practical things in their stockings too.

I like to make stockings a mix of fun little gifts along with practical things. My request from Ben is more lip vaseline and my favorite cookies. What do you fill your stockings with?

The thrift fairies have been kind and I’ve scooped up a couple pretty, vintage blouses (from different places), and both happen to have a ruffle collar. This one is a nice linen, and the other is a soft, cotton gauze one. When I wear them, Ben jokes that I’m from colonial times, and I take that as a compliment.

Thrifting is so therapeutic for me, and I love that you never know what you’ll find. Also, I really love finding old discarded things to give them new life. I’ve had a couple hectic days these past few weeks, and I’ll take off when Ben comes home to go thrifting. The time alone helps clear my head and allows me to to press reset on all my emotions. And if I found something good, it definitely helps lift the mood even more. Anyone else feel similarly about thrifting? I’ll pick a thrift store over the mall any day.

what i’m wearing: blouse & vintage levi’s (similar jeans here), thrifted. mars boots, rachel comey. birkin basket (large), space rocket store. earrings, mango.

To keep us organized and our team working together, we have plenty of charts around the house for different things. We have school charts to keep us on task during our homeschool days, and we have chore charts to make sure everyone is pitching in around the house. This is all our home, so it’s up to all of us to care of it. It’s not just mom or dad’s job, but the kids are part of the team too. Sure, Ben and I might be the team co-captains, but the girls are all old enough to contribute. Of course, they each have different ways to help because the expectations we have are based on their ages and ability, but our 5 year old is certainly capable of helping out. The baby can’t escape learning how to contribute too.

Some of you have asked about our old chore and routine charts, so we’re sharing with you an updated version of our chore poster and our chore checklist. These chores are part of their responsibilities at home. They have other jobs they can do at home to earn money too, but we don’t pay them for doing their regular chores. The girls know the faster they get things done, the more time they have for playing. Typically, Saturdays are for finishing up all the weekly chores, so they know to be efficient with their time, and stay focused, so they can have the rest of the day for play (or watching movies).

Laundry can pile up rather quickly in our home, but we master the laundry, and we don’t let it master us. These last couple years, laundry hasn’t been as intimidating because we all chip in to get it done. The girls can sort the dirty clothes, I put the laundry in the machine and put in the detergent, and they’re the ones who sort, fold, and put things away (Ben and I put away our own clothes). It’s a great system and I love that we all work together!

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For Soul’s birthday outfit, I made her a dress with Star Wars fabric and a Luke-inspired jacket. She’s been wanting his jacket from Episode IV, which is pretty basic, so I added some fun pattern inside. Also, the extra layer will help it be more of a jacket. She was ecstatic when she opened up her gifts to see her specially made for her outfit. I think her little smile says it all. I think she’s worn this outfit a hand full of times already, and she only got it a little over a week ago.