There are few thing more stress-inducing for a parent than the holiday season. It's a magical, spectacular season, but somewhere in the background, there is likely a mom on the verge of a panic attack. Over the last few years, I've managed to maintain some semblance of sanity during the holiday season by doing a couple things.

The first is to simplify as much as possible. Say "no" to events that you think will be overwhelming for you or your family. Build in downtime. The holidays can be invigorating and fill our hearts, but they can also be over-stimulating and draining. Make sure you are accounting for all the personality traits in your family unit when you make commitments during the next few months, and realize your own limitations, too! 

The second is to be as organized as possible! As a photographer and a blogger, the holidays are busy busy busy. I've usually got mini sessions and regular photo sessions, plus collaborations for the blog and social media. I also host Thanksgiving and do most of the gift shopping/decorating/packing for holiday trips in our house. This means that being organized is top priority.

So this holiday season, I'm going to help you by giving you some of the tools I use to stay organized! I'm talking Thanksgiving and Christmas, mostly - and hopefully this will help you feel like you have a grip on everything that's going on! 

• Decide whether you will be hosting and set your budget.
• If you are hosting, make your guest list. 
• Take stock of what you have and what you need (tables, chairs, tableware, decor).
• Do you need to rent anything? Do it now. 
• Start a preliminary menu. Think about how much you will cook, what items you will order or ask people to bring. 
• Reserve your turkey if you need to order one. 

• Set a gifting budget.
• Make a gifting list. 
• Brainstorm gift ideas for each person on your list. 
• Start ordering/buying the gifts you can. I love to give personalized things so I try to start as early as possible. 
• Decide whether you will send out Christmas/Holiday cards. 
• Have your photos taken or choose photos. 
• Start browsing holiday card options - one of my favorites is Artifact Uprising. You can use the code Jenise15 for 15% off your order with them, too. 
• Put together the list of addresses you will send cards to. I have a spreadsheet I use year after year. 

Did I forget anything? How are you starting to prepare for the holidays? 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

Like this post? You might like these as well: 
Classic Bread Stuffing Recipe
Thanksgiving Tablescape
Holiday Gift Guide 2020
Super Last Minute Gift Ideas

Elle is a fifty year old wife and mother of three. Every summer, she and her family stay at "The Paper Palace" - their family home she has visited every summer of her life. This summer, she and her best friend Jonas have sex in the bushes behind their house while their spouses are inside chatting away. 

Over the next 24 hours, Elle will decide whether to stay with her husband Peter and the life she has made with him, or Jonas, her childhood love who knows all of her secrets. 

The book follows Elle and fills in all these gaps in her story, helping you see why she makes some of the choices she does. Some parts of the book are hard to swallow - there is rape, incest, and plenty of abandonment. It wasn't my favorite read but I didn't hate it. I enjoyed the writing and I enjoyed seeing how Elle came to her decisions. 

xoxo, 
Jenise
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Get the book on Amazon. 

For years, I've wanted to take a trip with Eddie to go see the fall foliage. We kept putting it off - money was tight, I was pregnant, there was a global pandemic. Finally, this year I told Eddie, "Let's just go. The timing will never be perfect." But you know what, it was! We booked this trip fairly last minute, because I wanted to go at JUST the right time. I used this handy predictor to help pick the best weekend to go. The colors were just perfect, and I'm so glad we decided to go. 

We flew into Boston on Friday and we stayed there one night. We stayed at The Langham Hotel, which is absolutely gorgeous. We mostly walked around Boston and enjoyed the weather, but we ate Lobster Rolls at Bell in Hand Tavern, had beers at the Sam Adams Brewery, took a stroll through Boston Common, and had dinner at the beautiful Contessa. 

On Saturday morning we picked up our rental car - we rented it from a Hertz location in the city and it was MUCH less expensive than getting it at the airport. From there we started our drive. Our drive took us from Boston through New Hampshire, where we started to get a peek at the foliage. The drive to Woodstock in Vermont was just about 2.5 hours from Boston. We arrived in Woodstock, a perfectly picturesque town. I had booked us for two nights at The Shire, an Inn located within walking distance of the Main Street in Woodstock. The inn was very clean, check in process was seamless, and we had a huge corner room with a fireplace. 

In Woodstock: 
Walk Central Street and pop into the shops there. We loved GH Gillingham General Store! And make sure you have a Maple Creemee (pronounced creamy) at Woodstock Scoops. 

Take a drive to Quechee, and park at the bridge to see the River and Quechee Gorge. We did the hiking path down to the bottom and it was very much worthwhile. Afterwards, stop in at Simon Pearce Glass Blowing Factory - they have incredible things here. There is also a restaurant, but you need reservations. We took a break at the Whistle Pig Bourbon Tasting Room (You know we love our bourbon!) and then we headed back to Woodstock and had a late lunch/early dinner at Worthy Kitchen - get reservations, but it was delicious. It's farm-to-table, American food. We had burgers, fries, Mac & cheese, and a fried chicken sandwich. 

We finished off our evening with some drinks at the bar at The Woodstock Inn. I will say that most of the restaurants, especially during busy season, are absolutely reservation only, and even then, reservations are limited because they are having a big issue with hiring!

On Sunday morning we picked up some breakfast bright and early at Mon Vert Cafe. I had a latte that had maple syrup in it and it was delicious! We headed up to Sleepy Hollow Farm (a 5-minute drive) and got some beautiful views early in the morning. There were already 5 or 6 people there at 8 am so I would definitely recommend getting an early start! From there, we headed to Stowe! 

The drive to Stowe gave us all the colors were were looking for. I barely looked down because every turn was more beautiful than the next. We stopped at Cold Hollow Cider Mill for some cider donuts and we tried a flight of season hard ciders, which were yummy. 

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Sound of Music, and I honestly had NO IDEA that it was based on a real family! When the Trapp family fled Austria before the Second World War, they settled in Vermont and created this beautiful lodge and cabins. 

Our next stop was a quick hike/walk to Moss Glen. The views were gorgeous here, too.

We went to Downtown Stowe and walked around there for a little bit. Then we headed back in the direction of Woodstock. We stopped and drove through Montpelier, the capital of Vermont, and then kept going. We stopped at the Sugarbush Maple farm and sampled some maple syrup and Vermont cheeses before heading to The Woodstock Inn again. There we had dinner at the bar and hung out for a little while. 

Everything closes early in Woodstock, so be prepared for that! We fit a lot into this trip, but it was also a very relaxed trip for us. Activities were not super long, and many things are close to each other. I absolutely loved it - and we can't wait to come back and bring the kids next time! 

Here's a map with all the places we got to. 
Did we forget anything? Let me know in the comments below, and we'll add it to the itinerary for the next trip! 

xoxo, 

Jenise

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a mystery about a woman named Hannah, whose husband Owen disappears after getting caught up in some bad business. Before he disappears, he leaves a note for Hannah, telling her to protect his daughter, Bailey. Bailey in return wants nothing to do with her stepmother. 

The longer Owen takes to surface, the more Hannah realizes that her husband isn't at all the person she thought he was. When the FBI and US Marshals show up at Hannah's home, she realizes that there is a lot more to this story, and she thinks Bailey might have some of the answers. She sets off with her stepdaughter to uncover the truth about Owen, and together they make some startling discoveries. 

I was actually pretty enthralled by this book, even though some of it seemed a little far-fetched. I liked the writing, too. I was a little frustrated by Hannah's and Bailey's actions a few times and kept wanting to yell at them, "WHY ARE YOU DOING LITERALLY THE MOST DANGEROUS THING YOU COULD DO?" But I liked how the ending turned out and I can say I enjoyed this one! 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

I'm currently on book 26 of this year (my goal for the year was 21 books, so I'm proud of myself for surpassing that goal!). It's hard to get a review in every time I finish a book, but here are some of the ones I haven't gotten around to reviewing. The titles of each book are the links to their Amazon page. That's an affiliate link for me, which means I'll make a teeny tiny commission if you purchase using my links, but you don't pay anything more. 

xoxo, 

​Jenise