T'is the Season to Spread the Love

Y'all!! Who else cannot believe that we've made it through the first whole week of December? Yeah... that happened. I've barely started Christmas shopping. Thanks to Amazon I've been able to get a few things for the kids and my nieces and nephews in Jersey. I'm no where near being close to done though. I still have the secret Santa for my dad's side of the family to shop for. My dad, my mom, Josh's mom. The list is just too long.

our tree this year. Minus ornaments. because I'm lazy

Can we talk for a moment about the Secret Santa for my dad's side of the family though? Good cause we're going to anyways.

I have a big family. My dad is the 4th of six. My paternal grandparents had ALL BOYS. Six boys. That's madness. Each of my uncles has at LEAST 2 kids. So yeah... big family, y'all. So for Christmas to try and save everyone some money we do secret Santas. Great idea, right? Well.... it would be if you didn't have Grandma Linda running this three ring circus.

Normally... well, on my mom's side of the family... the name drawing process is only for the adults 18 or older who WANT to participate. Don't have the dough this year? No problem. You can sit on the sidelines and ooh & ahh over everyone else's gifts. All the kids get something though. That's just how it's done. My dad's side of the family though? Everyone draws a name. EVERYONE. My little cousin that's not even in prek yet? Yep, he has to pick a name. And the kids don't pick kids names. Zander this year has picked one of my aunt's names. AKA his great aunt. I'm sorry but it bugs me. It doesn't make sense. I don't understand how we're going to say "yeah, Zander really thought you'd love this bottle of lotion for Christmas!" This is the one tradition that I'm kind of a scrooge about. I feel like if the kids are going to be in there, at least make it to where they pick for the other kids. And make it to where they're old enough to understand what "choosing a toy for someone" really means. If Ainsley were to be let loose in the toy aisle at Wal-Mart to pick something for my baby cousin, she would go to the baby dolls and pick something for her. I think four is a good minimum age to start having kids be in the secret Santa / name draw. Once you hit middle school, you should be allowed into the adult name draw. Not because you're an adult but you can pick out something your aunt / uncle might like. #justSayin.

#SorryNotSorry. (Thanks for reminding me, Amanda < <honorary blog love shout out!>> that we don't have to apologize for every little thing we say / do!) That was on my mind and needed to be said. I feel like the title of this post should have been calling me out for being a scrooge. I'm done being a scrooge now, I promise. Tomorrow I'll be getting my first REAL haircut since May. Because apparently drunken Thanksgiving haircuts don't count? Anyway. Stay tuned on Instagram for new selfies tomorrow. #sorrynotsorry

Linking up with Meagan for Blogger Love Fridays!
(on time this week! whaaaat?!)

Here are just a few of my faves from this week.

+ Elizabeth // Simply Complex Mom. Y'all firstly, I'm SO happy to have Liz on my sidebar this month. Her blog is absolutely amazing. If you're not following along already, WHY not?! Do it! This week, "The Meanest Mommy" (in the WHOLE WORLD) really hit home with me. As moms we hate to hear this. However, hearing it makes us realize, "hey, we're doing something right here". Ahh-Mazing!

+ Lindsay // Bourbon, Lipstick, & Stilettos. How many of us out here online shop for Christmas? *Raising my hand*. How many of us either worry about someone stealing your info or have actually had info stolen? *Raising my hand some more* I'm terrified of this. Daily. Online shopping is so easy (and I don't always like braving the crowded malls). I give to y'all: How to protect yourself during Holiday Shopping! Ta-Da! Lindsay is so great.

+ Jenn // Hello Rigby. All around blog land you've probably been seeing TONS of posts for what to get the man or woman in your life. But what about your cute little furbabies? Jenn has you covered! Gift ideas for your pets! If my cat wasn't such a snob (and actually played with toys. lazy bum) I'd totally get her that little track thing. Your pets are covered, y'all!

+ Faith // Life w/ Mrs G & the Artist. I don't know about y'all, but I'm not crafty. I rarely have pinterest worthy posts. I'm not creative. So when I see stuff like THIS Christmas craft with minimal paint and supplies, I remember there's hope for people like me. We will definitely be trying these!

+ Kerri // Hey Kerri. Thinking of offering sponsorship's on your blog? Not sure where to start? Well, thankfully Kerri has you covered! A few things to be mindful of before you start announcing your sponsorship opportunities! A+ post with some great advice!

What were some of your favorite posts for the week? Be sure to link up with Meagan and share! Have a great weekend, y'all.