I started the post with the 12 days of Christmas theme in mind, then realized there are only NINE days until Christmas. By then, my thought process was already cemented, so I had no choice but to roll with it. So if  you wouldn’t mind taking a big gulp of eggnog (does anyone really enjoy that stuff?), giving me the polite smile and nod and rolling with it, I’d sure appreciate it! 

12- Family Members I’ve Spent Time with in the Past Week: It will just be us for Christmas this year so I’ve really loved soaking up some family time over the past week. We took a quick 24 hour trip to Atlanta last weekend and my mom was up here for two days this week. I love being with my family above all else!

11- Million Thank Yous for Your Feedback on Yesterday’s Post: Your kind words, suggestions and post ideas did not fall on deaf ears. I’m really looking forward to a lot of the same (ha!) like meal planning, parenting trials, and healthy living basics. However, I’m also excited to dive into some of the topics that you have suggested like marriage after kids and finances. If you have feedback or topic suggestions, I’m scribbling them all down right now and would love your input in the comment section. I know a few people mentioned a house tour but you may be sorely disappointed in my lack of design ability. Maybe we can tackle a room at a time and you can help me out with the choices?? Hmm… wheels are turning.

10- Things I am Planning On Chowing Down on Through the Rest of the Year: more sugar cookies // pad thai (a random craving!) // kale salad with craisins and goat cheese // a quality bloody Mary with 5 stalks of celery // hot chocolate with marshmallows (maybe red wine hot chocolate for mama?!) // a seafood pasta with spicy marinara (anyone have a good recipe?!) // chili // beef tenderloin // shrimp and grits // New Year’s soup of course!

9- Items Santa is Putting in the Girls’ Stockings: new underwear // kids eating utensils (oddly enough Hailey is most excited about this possibility) // chapsticks // notebooks from the Dollar Spot // kinetic sand // toothbrush // little gliders // another of our favorite to-go cups // colorful pens

8- Food Trends Predicted to be HOT in 2017 According to Whole Foods’ Experts: wellness tonics // products made from byproducts (think juice pulp) // coconut everything (I thought we were already there but apparently more coconut is coming!) // Japanese food beyond sushi (miso, seaweed and more- oh my!) // creative condiments (purees, syrups, salsas, etc) // alternative pastas (kelp noodles, alternative grain, veggie noodles, etc) // purple foods (purple cauliflower, elderberries, purple potatoes) // flexitarian eating (instead of strict vegan or paleo, it will be more similar to vegan before 5:00 pm, etc)

(I’m still loving my turmeric and ginger tonic and hope the tonic trend continues!)

7- Workouts I Think Are Awesome But Won’t Necessarily Commit to Doing Over the Next Two Weeks: Burn Bootcamp (Daniel is going to kick my butt once I return and I know I’ll deserve it!) // this body weight tabata // yoga by Candace (which was my go-to at home yoga for a while) // a power yoga class at Y2 (I’ve taken only 2 classes from Jen there but my goodness if it were closer I’d go ALL the time!) // Orangetheory (I’ve never tried it before but they are opening one up soon by the new Publix in Mooresville!) // this 18 minute stair workout (because the stairs are RIGHT THERE so how can I make an excuse?) // Pure Barre (because it’s been so long since I’ve tried it!)

6- Things We Still Have Left to Do Before Christmas: Go see Christmas lights (local friends- we are deciding between Zootastic, the racetrack, and Tanglewood– thoughts?) // watch Love Actually // wrap gifts // visit Santa // plan out Christmas menu // go on a Christmas date night with David

(visits with St. Nick have much improved in recent years!)

5- Gifts I’ve Recently Purchased: for David // for teachers (plus Target gift cards after that being the overwhelming snapchat feedback} // for a hostess // for my niece // for the girls

4- Worthy Causes We’ve Been Fortunate to be a Part of This Year: Discovery Place // Girls on the Run // Children International // Isabella Santos Foundation

3- Most Popular Posts of 2016 (Written in 2016 and Based on Pageviews): Oatmeal Smoothie Recipe for Kids // Simple Zesty Greek Pasta Salad //10 Simple Meals for Toddlers & Preschoolers

2- Most Popular Posts of 2016 (Overall and Based on Pageviews): How to Naturally Cure a Sore Throat in One Day // Chocolate Dipped Almond Butter Banana Bites (these have been pinned over 714,000 times! What?!)

1- Small Announcement: I’m going to spend the next two weeks relaxing (is there such thing before Christmas?!) with my family! I’ll still be around via instagram, snapchat and facebook because I can’t let go completely(!). I did this last year and came back in the new year feeling energized and bubbling over with things to share! I hope you all have a wonderful remainder of 2016 and get to spend time with the ones you love most. Thank you, again, for being part of this space and my life. <3