December 2017

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<h3 class="post-sub-title">Merry [belated] Christmas and Feliz Navidad!</h3>

<p>Holidays can be a funny thing when you get married. Not only are you having to blend each others’ way of doing things, but also adapting to each other’s families. The more different you are from your spouse, the bigger the gap you need to close as you find what works for your new little family. Since Whit and I grew up in different countries (US / Honduras respectively), we not only had to adapt to each other and our families, but also to our cultures. Some holidays are very similar, some not so much, and some don’t even exist on each other’s home countries!</p>

<p>As far as celebrating Christmas goes, it’s changed through the years. Now that we have kiddos, suddenly we both started to get more passionate about passing down traditions from when we were kiddos ourselves. We have had to compromise a bit more (even argue sometimes!) as we come up with what we want for our own little family. We have been able to blend some of it very well, and some areas still need work!</p>

<h3 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Current Christmas Blend</h3>
 
<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">1. Travel</h4>

<p>Before we had kids, I would take two weeks of vacation at the end of the year and we tried to adapt to each other’s families and travel schedules as much as possible. With a multicultural (and international!) family, there’s always some sort of traveling involved since my immediate family is spread out in three different countries (US, Honduras, and Canada); Whit’s family is closer but still a few hours away. For a couple of years it was simpler to do an early Christmas with Whit’s family and then meet up with my family in Canada. Those Christmases in Canada were even more multicultural as my brother in law’s family added Greek French-Canadian to the mix. That meant lots of people, food (tons!), and languages (English, Spanish, Greek, and French!) all under the same roof!
Once we had kids, however, it’s become a little bit more complex. Not only is traveling with two kiddos a hassle, but now lodging is also more difficult as our families have grown in numbers. My parents usually come here or to my sister’s, and we try to rotate hosting as much as possible. Since we all have to make extended trips to see each other, and it’s also how we were raised, we all go in for costs of groceries, gas, and so on to share the load with whoever is hosting!</p>
 
<p>This year we did a quick trip to Whit’s hometown (few hours from us), yet stayed home for actual Christmas. My sister couldn’t make it down this year (they came last Christmas), but my parents were able to fly in from Honduras (late, but they made it! - see "<a href="http://www.natinlove.com/2017/12/monday-blues.html" target="_blank">Monday Blues</a>"); Whit’s mom and stepdad also came for several days over the Christmas weekend. Talk about a full house!</p>

<p>Since we are all still in different countries for the near future, we’re still figuring out the magic formula for travel and lodging for next Christmas and on. Maybe that means that we have to do hotels or rentals in the future, or even do destination Christmases as the kiddos get older! We’ll see!</p>
 
<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">2. Christmas Eve vs Christmas Day</h4>

<p>While both cultures celebrate Christmas, the actual date of Christmas is not the same! I grew up celebrating Christmas on December 24th, and Whit on December 25th. Since neither of us wanted to give up our own date, our kiddos have a two-day Christmas! On Christmas Eve, we did a version of what I grew up with - had a family dinner, we opened presents, and also read the Jesus’ birth story from the Bible. Then Christmas Day morning, we did more of what Whit grew up with - we opened the stockings (full of good chocolate and other little items), finished opening the rest of the presents, and then had a yummy breakfast together. Neither of these days were exactly what we grew up with, but at least they resembled some of our treasured traditions that we can now share with our kiddos!</p>
  
<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">3. Food</h4>
<p>Anytime my parents visit, but especially at Christmas, our house is full of Honduran food (and coffee!). My parents always bring us lots of goodies from back home, so me and the kiddos are constantly eating Honduran food! As far as Christmas meals go, however, we try to balance Honduran American so we can all enjoy it!</p>
 
<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">4. Languages</h4>
<p>While I speak Spanish to my kiddos pretty much all day long, Christmas has even more Spanish than normal. My parents know some English and continue to learn it, but I have asked them to please speak to the kiddos in Spanish to help them develop their vocabulary even more. Having them visit has also helped Whit learn more Spanish through the years, which I just love! They also get to practice their English with Whit, so it’s a win-win.</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">5. Santa Claus</h4>
<p>Another thing that may be cultural and/or my personal preference, is Santa Claus. I didn't grew up with Santa or any other fairytale things, so I have a really hard time faking it for my kiddos. I really want to teach our kiddos about the true meaning of Christmas and how everything else, including Santa, is just part of the celebration but not the main event. Of course we’re dreading the day that they’ll break some kiddo’s bubble about Santa though!</p>

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<h3 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Improvements for Upcoming Christmases</h3>
<p>Those are some of the things we have blended so far for our family, but, as you can imagine, we’re still figuring a few things out. Here are a few other things I would like to work on for next year:</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">1. Planning and Communication</h4>
<p>Many of the things that didn’t go as I had hoped or that caused me frustration, we probably could have avoided or improved if we had taken the time to talk and plan. I’m sure some of it is from the cultural differences/expectations and not knowing what everyone else was thinking!</p>

<p>For example, Christmas Eve dinner wasn’t really smooth; the rolls were not in the oven in time (and we actually didn’t even have enough!), we started our dishwasher too late so we had to hand wash dishes at the last minute, and a few other things. While there were a few of us preparing the overall meal, we didn’t sit down to plan the whole thing together.</p>

<p>There were several other instances where we didn’t have a concrete plan and maybe everyone just thought someone else was taking care of it. So for next Christmas, whatever it looks like, I want to make sure we plan the details ahead of time, and, most importantly, we communicate a little bit better!</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">2. More Family Traditions</h4>
<p>Whit and I are very low key at holidays. Now that our kiddos are getting older and are more aware of it all, I want to start creating more traditions for Whit, the kiddos, and I. Sometimes it’s hard to make time for just the four of us when family comes to town or when we travel, but I really want us to find ways that we can start some traditions that we do every year. Maybe it’s going out for a special meal or baking treats together; whatever it is, I want to create more memories with just us and the kiddos!</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">3. Less Toys for the Kiddos</h4>
<p>After the kiddos’ finished opening all of their gifts and I was organizing their stuff, it really hit me just how much junk they have accumulated. Adi is too young to care, but Coen is always after the next new toy and that feeling is insatiable and unsustainable. Maybe we do a trip or attend more events as a family, or even bigger but less items. Whatever it is, I hope we can find something that still makes the kiddos happy yet teaches them about gratitude!</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">4. Cultivate Generosity</h4>
<p>Something we started this year, and I want us to get better at, is being more generous. While we don’t have it all, especially since giving up my paycheck (see "<a href="http://www.natinlove.com/2017/09/from-work-to-home.html" target="_blank">From Work to Home</a>"), sometimes I forget how blessed we are. It’s easier to focus on all the things we want and can’t have, instead of focusing on all the ways we can help and bless others that may have it tougher than us. This Christmas we participated in a program at Coen’s school where we gave a family a gift for their son (you may have seen it on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/natinloveblog/" target="_blank">Insta</a> story). It wasn’t something huge, but it was a start!</p>

<p>Whatever we choose to do next year, I want to make it more of an emphasis so our kiddos grow up with a sense of generosity in their heart, and not just thinking about themselves.</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">5. True Meaning of Christmas</h4>
<p>The last, but actually the most important one, I want us to make sure we teach our kiddos more about the true reason for Christmas. If you were to ask Coen why we celebrated Christmas, I’m sure he would say "Jesus’ birthday", but he doesn’t quite get it. Sure, we read the Christmas story on Christmas Eve, but if I was completely honest, we didn’t do enough to actually "celebrate his birthday". The older the kiddos get, the more we can do as they can understand it better, but I still don’t want to postpone it and miss opportunities until whenever that time comes!</p>
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<p><b>As you can see, we’re still figuring out what works for our multicultural family! What are some of your family Christmas traditions? Were there any "flops" this Christmas that you wish to improve for next year’s?</b></p>
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Multicultural Christmas

Merry [belated] Christmas and Feliz Navidad! Holidays can be a funny thing when you get married. Not only ar...

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<p>Last Friday, we got some snow. For those of you living up North, I’m sure that snow is no big deal. For us in the South, however, ANY amount of snow is not only exciting but potentially disastrous. If you want a good laugh, google “Snowpocalypse” and see what a couple of inches of snow did to Georgia back in 2014. Since we don’t get snow consistently, it means people don’t invest enough in proper snow equipment for the roads, houses, cars, etc. So when we get any amount of snow or ice, schools and even businesses close since the roads become dangerous.</p>

<p>So back to last Friday. I had no idea snow was even in the forecast until that Friday morning. And since we never really know if we’ll get anything more than just rain, I figured it was a false alarm. Coen went to school like normal, but sometime mid-morning, much to my surprise, snow started to fall. Knowing how much people freak out once snow hits the ground, Whit went ahead and checked Coen out from school to make sure they got back home before the roads got bad. The snow kept falling the entire day and even throughout the night, and we got at least 9 inches of snow at our house. That’s the most snow we’ve seen since we moved to Georgia. It was the first time that Adi got to play in the snow; well, she mostly grabbed chunks/snowballs and ate as much as she could when we weren’t looking! Coen had seen snow in Canada, but this was the first time that he got to play with it at home. To say that they both loved the snow is an understatement. We were outside most of Friday-Sunday, only coming in to eat or nap! If you know me, you know that I don’t “do” outdoors, but I really enjoyed the snow just as much as the kiddos!</p>

<p>The trickiest part about our fun in the snow was our wardrobe situation. The same way that we don’t really invest in snow equipment, we don’t do it either in the wardrobe department! When you get snow once a year (if that!), it doesn’t quite make sense to invest in a full snow-proof wardrobe; especially if you have children that need new items every year as they move up in sizes! So here’s what we did: We used some of our “Canada weather” items that we had from past trips to visit family, some new purchases we made during black friday sales, and the rest we improvised with lots of layers!</p>

<p>If you occasionally get snow where you live and you don’t want to buy a full snow/winter wardrobe yet you want to enjoy it when it does snow (like us!), here are my tips on what to buy and what to sort of piece together.
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<h3 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Stock Up on Essential Items</h3>
<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Jackets</h4>
<p>Get at least one good water-resistant jacket that will keep you warm and dry in the snow. The kiddos and I have puff jackets with hoodies, and they were great, even during our snowball fights! I just got Coen some frost-free jackets from Old Navy (<a href="http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1020581&pcid=53862&vid=1&pid=775110002" target="_blank">navy</a>, <a href="http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1020581&pcid=53862&vid=1&pid=775111012" target="_blank">color-blocked</a>) when they were on sale for only like $10 earlier this week!</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Snow pants</h4>
<p>This was the first year Coen had snow pants (thanks to a friend!) and they were a game changer. He was able to play and not worry about getting his legs cold or wet. Adi, on the other hand, had fleece pants (with a pj underneath) and they would get wet when she fell or tried to sit. Similar to the jackets, I found some snow pants on sale at Old Navy (<a href="http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1020581&pcid=53862&vid=1&pid=827387012" target="_blank">navy</a>) so I couldn’t resist!</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Boots</h4>
<p>Have a pair of water-resistant boots that can keep your feet warm and dry, whether that’s snow boots or even rain boots! Whit and Coen had snow boots from Canada trips, so they were good. I wore rain boots I bought at Gap a few years ago, with leg warmers, and they worked great. My feet were cold, so next time I’ll need thicker socks! Adi had neither snow nor rain boots; I had recently gotten her some tall boots, not really meant for snow, but they kept her feet dry!</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Gloves</h4>
<p>Gloves are definitely necessary, especially for the kiddos who want to touch and play with the snow nonstop. If you don’t plan on touching the snow too much, you can always get knit or fleece gloves to keep you warm. We all had knit/fleece gloves and mittens, and they worked for a while but I think I’ll need to get the kids some water-resistant gloves for next time!</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Hat</h4>
<p>Whether it’s a simple beanie or something meant for snow, keep your head warm with your fave hat or jacket’s hoodie.</p>

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<h3 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Improvise</h3>
<p>Now that you have your essential items covered, for the rest you can either get items meant for snow weather or improvise like this:</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Layer up</h4>
<p>To keep warm, layer up on pants and tops. If you don’t have thermal clothes to wear under your pants, you can always wear leggings, tights, or even pj pants. That’s what we did and it worked well!</p>

<h4 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Toys</h4>
<p>If you can, go ahead and buy a sled and/or snow toys since you can use them year after year. If you don’t happen to have any toys specifically for snow, see what other toys your kiddos have that could work well in the snow. We used beach toys, and they loved playing with the beach shovels and buckets in the snow! If you don’t have a sled, try using some inflatables tubes/floats or large tub lids, and they may work just fine.</p>

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<h3 class="post-sub-title txt-left">Shopping Tips</h3>
<p>Now that you know what to stock up on, here are my tips on when and where to shop for them:</p>

<p>1. Take advantage of holiday sales and when stores want to get rid of winter inventory to make room for Spring items. I just stocked up for next year during some amazing sales this week!</p>

<p>2. Shop at consignment and thrift stores for good deals.</p>

<p>3. Check if family or friends have outgrown any items, or if they live up North they may find better deals and purchase items for you.</p>

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<p><b>So that wraps up my tips for prepping for the sporadic snow day! What about you - do you buy a snow-proof wardrobe or improvise as needed?</b></p>
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Snow in the South

nat December 15, 2017 fashion how to shopping snow winter style

Last Friday, we got some snow. For those of you living up North, I’m sure that snow is no big deal. For us in the South, however, AN...

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