12 December 2010


christmas time is nothing short of a whirlwind experience.  
places to go, people to see, presents to buy, charities to support, neighbors to greet, halls to deck, children to decorate....  errrr, i mean cookies to decorate with children, school parties, office parties, family get togethers, gift exchanges, secret santa's, santa pictures, and so on.  while i seem to be able to budget some extra money so my kids have something cute to wear to all the christmas happenings, i tend to be in some sort of a spending coma by the time it occurs to me that,
"i have no.thing to wear!"  sound familiar?

so, this year, instead of heading out to target to see if i can pull together an outfit for $20, i thought it might be fun to experiment with some wardrobe staples.  you game!?  hehe.

anywho, with the help of kendra {my friend, neighbor and the model in these pictures} who also happens to be a stylist, we concocted these blissful digs.

ENJOY....  and let us know what you think!






xoxo . rae . vp + mom

ps - kendra, thank you doll face.  as always, this was fun! 


09 December 2010

christmas mini - day 2

welcome to:


of our mini-magazine.

come back later this week for...
{friday some fashion.  saturday some fun.  sunday some yum.}

...................................................................................................

My sister (and Rae’s aunt) Meg always says that Christmas day comes whether you are ready or not.  I admit that I have burned the midnight oil many times in order to be ready for the big day.  And the years when I was more on ready side were definitely better.  So I started putting a written schedule together so fewer things slipped through the cracks.  Much to my surprise, it worked!  What follows is a calendar adapted from my schedule.  Keep what works for you and ignore what does not.  Add your own ideas and needs and see if this helps you, too.


Dec 1
Finish decorating/put away regular décor.
Vacuum/dust living room

Dec 2
Set gift budget + list
Clean frig, empty garbage cans
Sweep/mop kitchen

Dec 3
Decide on Christmas cards + newsletter
Clean master + guest bathrooms
Shop for weekend groceries

Dec 4
Assemble wrap/ribbons/tags/tape/scissors
Dust/vacuum master + change sheets

Dec 5
Shop for teacher gift with child(ren)
Make batch of cookies or fudge

Dec 6
weekly menu plan + shop
Sweep and tidy front porch
Wipe down front door

Dec 7
Buy/wrap gifts to be mailed
Pick up/vacuum/dust dining area

Dec 8
Mail packages/buy stamps + wrapping supplies
Begin addressing cards
Pick up/vacuum/dust living room

Dec 9
Baking + hors d'oeuvres list
Clean out frig, empty garbage cans
Sweep + mop kitchen

Dec 10
30 min toy clean out
Of unused/broken toys
Clean kids + guest baths
Shop for weekend groceries

Dec 11
Kids design their wrapping paper
Dust/vacuum master + change sheets

Dec 12
Kids wrap gifts for others
Wrap

Dec 13
Weekly menu plan + shop
Buy stocking stuffers
30 min toy clean out
Of unused/broken toys

Dec 14
Final day to mail Christmas cards
Dust/vacuum dining room
Dust/vacuum kids room

Dec 15
Review gift list/last minute shopping
Dust/vacuum living room
Throw out paper clutter including mags and catalogs

Dec 16
Water poinsettias and refresh greenery
Plan Christmas dinner + make list
Clean out frig/empty all garbage cans
wipe down kitchen cabinets

Dec 17
Inventory serving dishes/utensils/centerpiece
Shop for weekend groceries
Master + guest + kids bath

Dec 18
Visit Santa
Sweep front porch
Dust/vacuum master

Dec 19
Kids make place cards
Make centerpiece
Gather friends for caroling

Dec 20
Weekly menu plan + shop
15 minutes kids room
15 minutes kids bath
Last minute wrapping

Dec 21
Set dining table with linens + place settings
Make ahead foods
Dust/vacuum dining room

Dec 22
Dust/vacuum living room
Arrange packages under tree
Put away wrapping supplies
Clothes picked out for Christmas Day

Dec 23
Shop for produce
Clean frig/empty all garbage cans
Sweep/mop kitchen

Dec 24
Food prep
Clean master + guest bath
Read Christmas story with kids
Church

Dec 25
Merry Christmas!


Optional ideas:
Help your children get involved with a charity (see letter from the editors)
Send your kids to the movies one day with an approved adult (dad, uncle, neighbor)
Do your best to keep your workout schedule during the holidays.  Put it in the calendar

want your own calendar to fill in?

happy scheduling!

..................................................................................

remember to come back tomorrow for a dose of ARMOMMY fashion.

loves.

08 December 2010

christmas mini - day 1

W E ' V E   B E E N   A W A Y   
experimenting with a new venture,
blazing ourselves a trail,
& getting our feet wet.

the end result?

a "mini-mag", or maybe "magamini", or howbout "minazine"?!

well, the name will be changing and so will the format, but without further adieu i would like to introduce you to our first addition:


{today a letter.  tomorrow a calendar.  friday some fashion.  saturday some fun.  sunday some yum.}

E N J O Y  M Y  P E E P S !



D E A R {lovely} R E A D E R S ,

            When Rae and I sat down to create ARMOMMY’S first ever magazine, our minds were swimming with ideas.  When we decided to have it ready for December 1st {obviously didn't happen}, we had some serious editing to do and we knew we would have to be briefer than we originally planned.  What follows is a sneak peak at what we will be doing in the future.

            We decided to introduce our vision in a Christmas version, because it is a jam-packed time of year for families, and not surprisingly, we have much to say about it.  The children are home from school for a fair share of December and here in the Pacific Northwest the weather doesn’t always lend itself to going outside to play.  On top of that is all the baking, shopping, wrapping, decorating…..  I know I am singing to the choir here. 

             Christmas is also the time of year when we want to share our love and joy with those close to us and a time to think of others who may not be as fortunate as we are.  It can be a great time to get your kids involved in doing thing for others.  Here are a few ideas to get the imagination going:

1.     World Vision Catalogue 2010 – This catalog has items from $16 to thousand of dollars.  You can buy rabbits, chickens, soccer balls, school supplies, and so much more for people in need from all around the world.  Just go to www.worldvision.org to shop.

2.     Have your kids pick out t toy they want to Target or somewhere and take it to the Toys for Tots drop off location.  You can local drop off locations at www.toysfortots.com.

3.     The Salvation Army has an angel tree program where you pick a child and provide gifts from a list of requests.  You can get and angel card at any JC Penney store or go to www.angeltree.com to find out where other trees can be found.

4.     Nothing says loving like a little time.  If you have an elderly couple or person in your neighborhood, think of things you can do with your children to help them.  If there is snow, maybe a little shoveling is called for, or in warmer climates maybe some leaf raking or weeding.  Or maybe your family could put together a basket of goodies including fresh fruit, crackers and cheese, some paper decorations you can make with your children – or even the cute twig decorations featured in this magazine. 

5.     Write a letter to a soldier serving overseas.  Christmas is an especially difficult time for those who serve in our military.  You can find a multitude of organizations on line who forward things to our men and women in the military.  Pick one you like and spend an afternoon writing a thank you letter and sharing your concern for them.

6.     Have your children help you clean out and organize your pantry or cupboards and take extra supplies and duplicate food items to your local Hopelink or Food Bank.  This is a win, win, win activity.  If you are unsure of where these services are, look on line or call a local church and ask if they have drop off bins for your donations.  Many do.  And churches are great places to find out about any needy families in your area you can serve.

So there are 6 quick ideas for giving during the Christmas Holidays.  I imagine you could add 6 ideas of your own and your children can add their own ideas.  No one can think out of the box like a youngster.

As a closing note, in our homes Christmas is a religious holiday and we want to close this note from the editor by wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a prayer that you will know how loved you truly are.

Jane Kelly and Rae Friis
{but mostly gamma jane!}