The Polar Express is coming to Mt. Hood Railroad, will you be on it?

 

All Aboard! The Polar Express comes to life this holiday season as the Mount Hood Railroad rolls out of the station bound for the "North Pole!" Come early and climb aboard with your family to cozy-up and enjoy our festively-decorated vintage train cars. Dancing chefs deliver hot chocolate and a cookie to each guest to savor while music from the Polar Express movie plays en route to the North Pole. Make sure to have your tickets handy, because your conductor will be by shortly to punch each child's ticket. Before arriving at the North Pole, the iconic book, The Polar Express is read as your Chef turns the pages to share the beautiful illustrations in the original book. With the station far away, The Polar Express magically arrives at the outskirts of Santa's North Pole village, where Santa Claus himself and his elves joyously welcome the train! As you stay comfortably settled and warm in your seat, Santa and his helper elf board the train! During the return trip, Santa will greet each child with his signature holiday spirit and the first gift of Christmas: a bell cut from his sleigh. It is said that only children and those who still believe can actually hear the bell ring. Join in the singing as your Chef or Conductor lead Christmas caroling on the 30-minute return trip. For those wanting the magic to last or to do a little Christmas shopping, visit our gift shop in the station for special Polar Express gifts and merchandise. Oh, one last thing, children are encouraged to wear their PJ's; adults who still believe have been known to wear them, too! So, are you coming? All Aboard!

All Aboard the Polar Express is coming to the Mount Hood Railroad, visithttp://www.mthoodrr.com/ or call 1-800-872-4661 to climb aboard.

What's the trick to preparing for the holidays?

60 days until Christmas, 28 days until Thanksgiving, and only 8 days until my oldest turns 10 so I'm starting to feel the push.
That being said I thought I would share with you my top 10 tricks to preparing for the holiday season!
Recently I shared some wonderful Mom invented goodies with some of my Mom friends thanks to #MompactLNO.  I created goody bags to put some of the various things in for the Moms which brings me to tip.
#1, have your children help with some of the decorating!
I picked up a package of foam leaf stickers and colored paper bags. My oldest stuck 3 stickers on each bag and then helped me fill them.











#2 Take time to be grateful for even the little things in your life.  My group of Moms created Gratitude jars using stickers, ribbon, scraps of paper, and empty recycled canning jars.
Share with your family and friends as a way to be grateful this season. Ask each family member even the younger ones to share what they are thankful for, write it on a slip of paper and date it.

#3 Keep lots of warm drinks handy as there is nothing better to calm the stress then a cup of warm. Remember as we prepare for the holiday season, a stressed out Mom doesn't make for a fun holiday. If you need to cut back on some of the decorating or bake a little less then do it. I know I am planning on baking for gifts this year as well as crafting, but I am also cutting back on the decorating and trying to simplify things a little.

#4 Buffet style is awesome! Keep is simple, if you are having guests over consider a buffet style rather than a formal sit down event. Yes sitting down for a meal is good (we do it almost every night at home) but being with people and having conversation is good too. I have found over the years some of my favorite parties have been buffet style (also easier to clean up at least for me.




#5 Keep a basket on the counter in the bathroom filled with products that will help visiting Moms and little ones. We have grown out of the baby stage but I have friends and family with little ones.  Here are some of the wonderful Mompact Products to fill a basket with:
  

Boogie Wipes, Diaper Buds, and TidyTots potty chair liners

#6 Stay Consistent  I know during the holidays sometimes we want to relax the rules a bit, not a good idea. Stay consistent with rules and consequences, add some extra snuggle time and extra incentives to following the rules, but don't relax the rules recovering on the back side of the holidays will be too hard. Penalty Pal is a great way to simplify timeouts with a single spot on the wall, a floor , perhaps even the kitchen cabinet or pantry door.

#7 Drink extra water, I know that sounds silly, but with the change in the weather and the rush rush of the holidays remember to drink your 8+ glasses a day.

#8. Cuddle with your kids more. We live in a very materialistic society and sometimes I think we forget about the simple things like snuggling. Read a book, share the day's events, ask them what they think of things.
#9. Menu plan and freezer meals are a huge way to save time and stress. It can also be a money saver if you can pick up larger quantities of things to have on hand.
#10 Share your thoughts and ideas with friends and family. Coming together and sharing some of the responsibilities for the holidays can make it easier. Potluck is a wonderful option for large family dinners (even buffet style). Maybe change it up a little and only buy gifts for the children to save money. Think outside the box, what will help make someone else's life a little less stressful.

Join us tonight (10/25) for a twitter party where we can share tips and tricks for the holiday season.
You can also enter to win a prize pack filled with treats to make you life a little easier.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Preparing our home and hearts for the Holidays #DisneyCFK #cbias

As the Holidays get closer and the craziness sets in, the boys wanted to decorate the fence. We had been blessed with a gift of 12 artificial wreaths with red bows attached. As the boys worked on the fence, we talked about what we can do for others this holiday season. Money is tight but that doesn't mean we can't help in some way.  We came up with a couple ideas and Thanks to Champions for Kids we are going to donate 2 stuffed stockings to the local Woman and Children's Shelter.

This year we were blessed by a dear friend who has a small field of Douglas Fir trees who let us get 2 trees for the house. The boys picked out a small tree for their room and we found a larger tree with lots of character. Knowing that someone cares is always a good feeling and that is one of the things that led me to Champions for Kids  and their message. I want the children that receive these stockings know that they are more than just material gifts, they are gifts of love and joy.  I am trying to teach my boys that the season is more about giving and love then about receiving gifts, it is about the joy that comes from friends and family and not about all the pretty paper, and it is about caring for those around us weather we know them or not.

C and I headed out to Walmart to shop for stockings for the shelter.   We had a couple of ideas in mind as we headed out, but really didn't have a list. We couldn't decide if we were going to fill  stockings for just boys or what, so as we were driving we talked about it, deciding to do 1 boy stocking and 1 girl stocking. Being the Holiday Season the we didn't park in our usual spot, we ended up on the opposite side of the store..

Cameron went to work picking out some awesome Cars and Disney Princess themed things to fill the stockings with.

We found these adorable little bottles of soap in Disney characters along with Hot Wheels, a watch, and a Night light in Cars 2 theme, as well as a package of stickers. We included a toothbrush and toothpaste as well to promote a happy healthy child. We also filled a stocking with Disney Princess theme and included  a Disney Princess toy, lip gloss, soap,  a watch , a toothbrush , toothpaste,  Disney Princess flossers, and stickers.

 Cameron and I had a blast shopping for someone else and filling the stockings was a blessing as well. We thought about the child that would receive this gift and prayed that these gifts would be received and be a blessing to that child.

We will be delivering the stockings this week and will share the rest of the story with everyone just as soon as we delivery them. In the mean time, remember that every child is special and you can be a Champion in their life.



“This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.”

Healthy Living Doesn't have to be a Fight with Food, 5 hints

We all struggle with Healthy living especially as the holidays begin. Halloween and all the candy, Thanksgiving and all the wonderful savory dishes, and then December and the variety of holiday celebrations and baked goodies.  The good news is it doesn't have to be a fight.  Here are 5 hints to winning the holiday Food fight.

1. Moderation, moderation, moderation.  Yes I said it 3 times. moderation is the key. Don't deny yourself the fun treats but don't go crazy. Have a little. I have read so many articles over the years talking about giving something up completely and then soon after going crazy on the something.

2. Keep lots of healthy alternatives around. Veggies pre-cut and placed in a small bowl of cold water are a wonderful way to snack. Celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, even sweet potatoes and turnips make a easy crunchy healthy snack.. Use a little lemon juice in the water to give you an extra bit of flavor.

3. Reduce the salt! so many health issues are aggravated by sodium.. Try using a low / no sodium seasoning on veggies, salads, sandwiches, even eggs.

4. Lots of water! replace half your sodas, coffee, and other beverages with water.  We attended a wedding this weekend and the carafes of water all had lemons, limes, cucumbers, or raspberries in them. It added a hint of flavor without the extra sugar or salt. With the berries it even added a hint of color.

5. Find light , lean protein if you need an evening snack. Things like cottage cheese, chicken, turkey, even yogurt if it isn't too full of sugar. The protein will last longer in you system and can satisfy a craving for something in the evening.

These are things I try and do during the holidays to win the fight with food.  I am not a health care professional, just a person who struggles with the food and holiday food fight.

 


This post was sponsored by   Aetna Healthy Food Fight andSheSpeaks all opinions within the post are my own including any recipes I share.