Achieving Holiday Balance
Tis the season to be jolly, and to spend too much, eat too much and do too much. There’s something about the holiday season that causes people to over-do…I’m as guilty as the next, but we’ve been focusing on not doing too much, not overspending, not over-eating and just appreciating the simple, beautiful gifts that our life grants us: family and friends, a roof over our heads, the ability to pay our bills and most importantly – love.
I love decorating and baking and cooking and giving, but as I’ve gotten older and am trying to teach my children about moderation in everything – sweets and dessert are fine to have, in moderation. Exercise is awesome – in moderation. Toys and books and robots and building blocks are great to have and want, in moderation. This is not only a key message for my family, but one that Together CountsTM firmly believes in.
(see also Teaching Kids Life Balance)
We aren’t experts, we’re still trying and often failing, but I thought I’d share a few tips for how we’re teaching our children moderation this holiday season, and beyond.
Gifting: When it comes to their gift list, I follow the method of: one thing they want, one thing they need, one thing they will wear, one thing they will read and one thing they want to donate to charity.
Food: We have foregone the beautiful large plates, and we serve ourselves on smaller salad plates – which helps with serving sizes. And we try to set our forks/spoons down after every bite, so that we have time to chew and talk and appreciate.
Activity: It seems like most New Year resolutions revolve around exercise – which is fantastic, except most people overdo it and then don’t do it again because they hurt. Start slowly, work your way into an exercise routine. Moderation, people.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the excitement and the frenzy of the holidays, but once it’s all said and done… you don’t want to be left over-tired, over-spent, and over-stuffed.
What are your secrets to living in moderation this holiday season?
Rachel Matthews is a southern belle and author of the blog A Southern Fairytale. Rachel was featured as one of Babble’s Top 100 mom blogs in 2011 and she was recently named one of the Top 50 parents on Pinterest. Rachel is a mom to two children, who she aspires to raise with good morals, good manners, open hearts and bright futures. She currently resides in Corpus Christi with her family.
For more moderation tips, check out these great Together Counts Resources: