DECORATING A KID'S ROOM FOR THE HOLIDAYS

This post is sponsored by The Land of Nod.

It's the day after Thanksgiving, so let the Christmas decorating begin! Before I finished decorating our mantel or hung up the Christmas lights outside, I decorated Levi's and Elle's rooms. Christmas through my kids' eyes is the best gift of all, and so I wanted to bring it into their rooms (check out Levi's nursery here). I designed Elle's big girl room with The Land of Nod, and I wanted to her modern decor style for Christmas. There's no other retailer that creates and sells modern decor for baby's and kid's like The Land of Nod.

I first added a little cheer to her art wall with this "Santa Said So" print and felt garland. Nod also has the cutest stockings for kids. Since she already has quite a lot of pink in her room, I thought this kitten stocking would go purrrrrfectly.

I replaced her woven hanging for this "holidays greetings" banner too.

Having your own personal Christmas tree is pretty cool, and this one from Nod is adorable. It comes with its own Christmas tree skirt and felt ornaments.

But my favorite item of all (and Elle's too) is this sweet Clara doll and her Nutcracker companion. Watching The Nutcracker Ballet and listening Tchaikovsky's music brings back so many memories for me as a dance and musician.

Elle got the coolest unicorn from Nod, and I thought it would be fun if Chilly (the unicorn) had a bit of Christmas cheer too. So, I put a wreath her as if she was a prize winning unicorn.

To get Elle's whole room, be sure to shop the look below. Photos by Rennai Hoefer.

Striped sheets Duvet Santa Said So print Unicorn Holiday Greetings banner Kitty stocking Felt garland Clara Doll Nutcracker Mini tree and ornaments

ADDING HOLIDAY CHEER TO YOUR NURSERY

This post is sponsored by World Market. 

Experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a child is magical. The excitement they have for their stockings, the twinkle lights and all of the ornaments doesn't even compare to mine. So, it makes complete sense to me to sprinkle some of the holiday magic in their bedrooms. I've partnered with World Market to show you how I've added some holiday cheer to Levi's nursery.

His nursery is already rich in color with navy blue, gray, maroon, and gold making up the majority of the color palette (see his original makeover here). Bright red would obviously clash, so I went with more of a woodland theme for his room with a touch of muted reds. World Market had everything I needed even down to the little critters of the forest like glittery porcupines and foxes.

Since the mirror is the focal point of his room I added a wooden star in the center and some greenery on top. I also picked up the coziest gray and white throw. I really want to steal it and put it in my living room now.

I also added a gold garland to his crib that says "happy holidays" (note: I do not recommend placing a garland on your crib if your child is older than a newborn. They could potentially pull it off and strangle themselves. I just wanted to place it here for an additional idea if you're bring home a newborn for the holidays).

I put a 7ft tree in his room with strands of popcorn and fruit loops (placed out of his reach), and I placed all sorts of little critters around his room. 

I think my favorite is this little fox with a plaid scarf. I also found the cutest advent calendar made out of wood (in store only). Counting down to Christmas makes everything more exciting don't you think?

Reading Christmas stories at bedtime is one of my favorite childhood memories. I found the old book my mom used to read to me during Christmas time and pulled it out for Levi. I also found a cozy, fuzzy pillow for his chair and changed out his brass cacti planters for brass stars. It really is the coziest reading nook!

Of course, I've added some cheer to his minimalist, modern bookshelf. This lumberjack nutcracker is the perfect touch for a little boy's room. A little reindeer too for good measure.

Stay tuned for Elle's room, and shop Levi's nursery below. World Market is going to have an amazing black Friday sale too. Be sure to be on the look out Wednesday night!

GET THE LOOK:

All photos by Rennai Hoefer; this post contains affiliate links.

FALL GIRL STYLE

It's not secret that the Arizona winters are mild. You can usually expect the lows to be in the 50's or 60's and the highs to be in the 70's or 80's. Dressing your kids comfortably for the weather is important, but it also takes some planning when it comes to 20 degree changes throughout the day. The key is layering. 

Elle's outfit usually goes something like this: Jeggings or leggings paired with a long sleeve t-shirt, sweatshirt over it (sometimes) and then a jacket or puffer vest on top. She also loves to wear tunics or dresses over leggings. Buying a heavy winter jacket isn't necessary in Arizona unless you are going to travel up North and hit the slopes.

That said, having coordinating layers can be a challenge. So, when you find a piece of outerwear like this reversible puffer vest by Appaman you snatch it up as fast as you can. It's fuzzy white one side and a lovely fall merlot on the other. It's not devoid of color, and yet it's neutral.

Denim, of course, is the most neutral fabric and color we can own too. So, in addition to those jeggings or jeans you buy for your kiddo, think about a denim dress like this or shirt too. Any color of leggings or pattern of leggings can go under them.

Pink is Elle's favorite color, and I love this dusty pink long-sleeve shirt for her because she is happy to wear it and the neutral hue goes with a lot of the clothes she already has. Elle has become more vocal about what colors and styles she wants to wear. Pink and purple are her favorites right now, so when I find a pretty top that we both like it's like I've scored a goal.

Bringing them all together I can create multiple outfits.

1. Dress over leggings with the puffer vest
2. Long-sleeve shirt underneath the dress with leggings
3. Long-sleeve shirt over dress with leggings (that way it looks like a top and a skirt
4. Jeggings with shirt and vest

You can find more stylish fall and winter wear on Appaman.com. All of the clothes in these photos except for the black leggings are from Appaman.

Photos by Rennai Hoefer; product provided by Appaman

REAL TALK REAL MOM | HOLIDAYS

The Real Mom Series is back again, and we're all sharing about holiday traditions that we are either beginning or have already started with our families. I definitely encourage you to read everyone's stories because they are all SO different. Getting diverse perspectives is one of my favorite things about this series. The Effortless Chic, Freutcake, A Daily Something, Parker, Etc., Sacramento Street, Apartment 34, The Refined Woman. 
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What if sometimes you had a tree on Christmas and sometimes you didn't. Would it "feel" like Christmas without the tree for you? What if you ate ham on Thanksgiving instead of turkey? Is it still Thanksgiving? What makes it Thanksgiving afterall? 

When I sat down to write about this topic I thought I didn't have much to say because I didn't grow up with any traditions that we consistently did for the holidays other than the basic things such as opening gifts on Christmas, eating turkey on Thanksgiving and trick-or-treating on Halloween. That's all I have currently established for my kids too with the exception of also attending church on Christmas Eve. 

At first I felt sad thinking about the fact that there was no baking tradition, special book I read, or football game I played, and that I haven't implemented that for my kids. But then I was realized I was feeling sad over expectations of having and doing certain things that come from things and people I don't even know. They come from Pinterest, they come from other families, they come from movies and magazines...I realized that being fairly "tradition-less" was a gift that my parents have given me because it has really freed me to not have major expectations for the holidays. 

Sadly, the word "tradition" is often met with the word "expectation" in this day in age, and specifically in the United States where we have so much. Whether it be a child expecting to always bake cookies every Christmas or an adult making their kids bake cookies, I don't want to pass down the expectation of always doing that just so a holiday can feel like a holiday. 

Instead, the "tradition" I would like to pass down to my children for the holidays is to simply contemplate the holiday they are about to celebrate and then celebrate how they want. Maybe it's throwing an insane birthday party for Jesus's birthday that's decked out with glitter and neon colors and maybe the next is to pick a family to give gifts to. All I know is that this year we plan to trick-or-treat as a family, host a yummy dinner for our extended family for Thanksgiving and this Christmas we may try the polar express. I just hope my kids experience the holidays for which they were intended and that is to have a blast on Halloween by being creative and eating candy, taking a moment to think about all they are thankful for and on Christmas celebrate the birth of their Savior Jesus Christ. If we bake cookies, watch a holiday movie, sing song and happen to ice skating that's so great. I'm all for it, and I think that's awesome that other families do those fun activities. I just hope that isn't the sum of traditions that make the holiday, but, rather, the holiday that brings about the acts of celebration. 

Photo by Rennai Hoefer

BAKING WITH KIDS

This post is sponsored by World Market. All opinions are my own.

Truth be told, I didn't bake anything from scratch until I was married at 22. I had used a lot of box recipes or store bought cookie dough to bake, and my parents, of course, showed me how to use an oven. However, I don't really have memories of baking with my parents, and part of me feels like I missed out on some special memories.

As parents, we always want to give our kids the things and experiences we didn't have, so I've been trying to do more cooking and baking with Elle. She has showed a lot of interest in baking partly because she is a sugar fiend that loves licking the bowl and partly because she really enjoys working with her hands. Her favorite activity is playing with play-dough, so why not give her the real thing, right? 

Levi is still too young to help us, but he sure loves to eat. We recently found out that he as an intolerance to gluten, dairy and soy that has limited a lot of the cookie recipes I know. So, last week Elle and I tried our hands and gluten-free baking by creating pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and roll-our sugar cookies.

I usually just have Elle wear grubby clothes when we bake, but I found a kid's apron at World Market just for her. She was SO excited to wear it, and look just like mommy. I also found her own set of measuring spoons. Her face was priceless when she saw them.

The pumpkin cookie dough was easy for her to scoop up with a spoon and drop on the pan, especially using holiday parchment paper from World Market. (P.S. Did you know that delicious dairy free chocolate chips exist?! Recipe and tasty ingredients below).

We popped them in the oven for 15 minutes and she just sat on the floor and waited. She loved watching them grow in the oven, but I think the anticipation just about killed her. haha. Of course, after the first batch came out of the oven she wasn't too keen on baking the rest as much as she was on eating them. I bought her a little cookie stamp for her to press the cookies down after they came out - an easy and fun task for a four year old.

After that we switched to rolling out our gluten-free sugar cookie recipe that I had made and refrigerated the night before. I bought an extra rolling pin just for her, and I found the BEST cookie cutter shape out there - the ugly sweater cookie cutter.

Here's why it's so awesome for kids. First, she can be her own fashion designer. Second, it's unique compared to the typical snowflakes. And third, considering how messy frosting is and our lack of perfect cookie decorating skills, every cookie will look like a perfect ugly sweater. Lord knows I'm not a skilled baker and can't make a cookie look pretty to save my life let alone my four year old. Bahaha! So, it's a win, win! 

Sadly, the cookie dough didn't turn out as I had hoped. I have learned gluten-free baking can be challenging, and that this recipe would have been better if I had simply chilled it for an hour verses overnight refrigeration. I'm going to try it again, and share that one with you soon. But not all was lost because making a mess together was just as fun, and that's what matters. 

Here are Elle's finished gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free amazing pumpkin cookies set on a pedestal for all to see. Please try them at home. They are so good and allergen free, which is nice when you're hosting a party. With so many gluten intolerances on the rise it's good to have on hand.

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE SPICE COOKIES
by Nicole Lee (licensed to AVE Styles)

Ingredients: 
2 sticks room temp vegan (soy free butter, earth balance the red one)
2 eggs
3 cupsGF All purpose baking flour ( I used Bob’s Redmill )
1 tablespoon molasses
12 -16 ounces vegan chocolate chips
2 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla paste 

Directions : 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

In a medium bowl , with a wooden spoon cream the butter and sugar, add in the eggs (one at a time) and vanilla paste. Make sure everything is well mixed. Add in the baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, flour, pumpkin pie spice. Mix well, then add in the molasses mix, and finally the chocolate. 

Line a baking pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper or rubber liner. Take a large spoonful of dough and place 6 heaps on the pan, bake for 15 min. Once finished, flatten with a spatula and transfer to cooling rack. 

To create the same experience for your kids, be sure to shop the World Market products below. 

Photos by Rennai Hoefer; product gifted by World Market; this post contains affiliate links.