ON THE BLOG:
- Protein-Packed Yogurt Parfaits with Fruit Compote
- Streamline Your Home and Life with the 80/20 Rule
- Save Time + Boost Your Productivity With a Top 5 List
We keep many of our old Christmas cards posted on a magnet board in our mudroom year-round. How many of them do you recognize? I'll share our 2025 card next week!
The 20% That Could Change Everything!
When life feels overwhelming, the problem is often not a lack of effort, but a lack of focus. We try to do everything, and in doing so, we exhaust ourselves. A simpler, more effective approach is rooted in a well-known principle that I've shared many times before -- the 80/20 rule. Or, the idea that roughly 20% of what we do creates 80% of our results.
💡→ When you intentionally focus on that 20%, life begins to feel lighter, clearer, and more manageable.
Take your home, for example. You likely spend the majority of your time in a small portion of it -- the kitchen, living room, and a couple of bathrooms. Cleaning and organizing those high-traffic areas delivers the greatest sense of calm and order for the least amount of effort. When those spaces function well, your whole home feels better, even if it means you need to shut the bedroom and closet doors for a week.
This 20% approach can also be freeing during the holidays.
Families often feel pressure to do it all -- every tradition, every event, every expectation, every fun thing (because there are SO many fun things. But chances are, only a few things actually matter most to your people. Maybe it's putting up the tree, baking that one favorite recipe, or watching your favorite Christmas movie. Giving your energy and attention to the meaningful 20% (and consciously skipping the rest for now) creates more joy with far less stress.
As we enter the holiday home stretch and anticipate another new year, I challenge you to consider what your 20% is (for your home, your life, your holidays) and have your family weigh in too.
Focusing on the 20% is not about neglect or laziness. It's about working smarter. By temporarily setting aside the nonessential, you reduce decision fatigue, avoid overwhelm, and create space to be fully present where it counts. Remember, simplifying your life doesn't mean doing less of what matters -- it means letting go of what doesn't.
Keep reading for motivation to help you hone in on your 20%... I hope you feel just a bit lighter this week!
simple food. The 80/20 rule applies to holiday foods too! 😂 If you'd like a more nutritious addition to your 80% sweets Christmas diet, try these easy yogurt parfaits. Make everything from scratch OR buy it all from the store. They look super festive if you use red fruits and serve them in cute parfait cups! | | |
organized home. The 80/20 rule might be the game-changer you need as you consider all the stuff in your home (spoiler alert: you're likely using only 20% of your stuff 80% of the time). If you want a simple mindset shift to help streamline your home and life, just apply the 80/20 rule and start decluttering! | | |
intentional living. Fewer priorities mean clearer focus, less overwhelm, and a calmer, more purposeful day. By highlighting your most important 20% (your Top 5), you can cut through mental clutter, move forward with intention, and make progress on the tasks that create the biggest impact for you each day. | | |
In other news...
Fun Christmas Wrapping Ideas: I'm a big fan of "presentation" for gifts. Nothing fancy or expensive, but I do give some thought as to how the gift looks when I'm giving it. A simple gift can feel significantly more personal if it's presented in a fun and creative way.
We've done several fun gift-wrap ideas for our kids, but the ones below are most memorable (they talk about them every year!) Feel free to "steal" my ideas if you're looking for something new/different this year!
1. Snowmen Stacks -- 3 boxes wrapped with white craft paper, topped with Santa hats and a few snowman embellishments. You could do one gift per box, or put a bunch of smaller gifts in each box. And you can replicate the same idea with red paper for Santa Claus or brown paper for Reindeer. There are lots of ideas online!
2. Christmas Tree of Boxes: Wrap every gift individually in smaller boxes with green craft paper. Cut "light bulbs" out of colored construction paper and put one on each gift box. Number the light bulbs and keep a master list of which number goes to each person. It's a mystery to all until the big day!
3. Present Scavenger Hunt: Another idea is to not have any gifts under the tree, but to hide them throughout the house and give clues for each child as to where they might find their gifts. This takes some planning and creativity, but it prolongs the gift-opening process and is fun for the kids.
Clutter-Free Christmas Gifts: One final reminder -- I have a giant list of Clutter-Free Gifts for all ages on my website. Skip the mug and silly socks and go for a clutter-free option (in thoughful wrapping) instead.
Our Meal Plan
- Grilled cheese, tomato soup, salad, fruit
- Chicken Parmesan, spaghetti, green beans, fruit
- Dinner at church
- Baked sandwiches, oven-roasted potatoes, broccoli-cauliflower salad, fruit
- Tacos or Quesadillas with guacamole and all the toppings
- Boursin Chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, bacon, and spinach
- Charcuterie board for movie night
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...for I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances. (Phil. 4:11)
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