Holiday Mom Hacks
Holidays are filled with all kinds of excuses to get fancied up (like holiday parties!), but there are also tons of time-sensitive things that need to get done. I love to feel spiffy, but, as a mom of young kiddos, sometimes it’s tough to find all of the minutes needed to doll myself up for a special occasion.
In my world, the act of preparing to be beautiful is interrupted, rushed, and sometimes stressful. Luckily, I have a few fast hairstyling tricks to create compliment-worthy styles, and I have some holiday time-savers that give me enough time to prepare for fanciness.
Quick and Party-ready Hair
I love styling hair. I even tried to be a beautician, but my dad made me go to college first, and, well, now I run a marketing agency. So I’m not a pro, but I am a hobbyist.
This style is one of my favorites — the double bun.
As any mom knows, the holidays hardly give us enough time to breathe, let alone worry about our hair. That’s why I’ve developed a few other holiday life hacks to add a few available minutes to your holiday schedule.
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Say “no” more often.
It’s a super busy time of year. Other moms (or compassionate human beings) will not judge you for saying no to their request. Skip that birthday party and go to bed early!
Order groceries for pick-up.
Make your meal plan in advance and create your shopping lists with Hy-Vee Aisles online when you have time. Then you can add the groceries you need and order for pick-up. And you can send your husband to pick them up from the store.
Hire a sitter so you can clean.
When I’m trying to get my house together before guests arrive, my kids make messes faster than I can mitigate them. So I often hire a sitter to keep my kids safe and entertained while I clean with the franticness of the Tasmanian Devil.
Track Christmas lists in Google Docs.
Share your Google Doc Christmas lists with family and have them mark off the items they purchase for your kiddos. I usually include links to the products to clarify the list items.
Use Amazon to think up gift ideas.
Consider using Amazon as a gift idea generator. Search “gifts for 2-year-old girl” or “gifts for mom” and you’ll have more ideas than you can handle!
Consider online shopping.
Crowded shopping on a time crunch is not my idea of a good time. I often shop online, even from local stores, for holiday gifts. I think of shipping costs as a trade-off for not spending hours running from store to store, wading through crowds or waiting in lines.
Give the gift of experiences instead of possessions.
If you don’t have time to buy gifts for everyone, or if you have people on your list who have everything, gift an experience for Christmas. Take them to dinner in February, to the zoo or a show in the spring, when things have died down a bit. Experiences make memories instead of collecting dust.