Disclosure: I am a Serta brand ambassador and am compensated for my time and participation in the program. My husband and I adore our iComfort Prodigy mattress and Motion Custom Adjustable Foundation. All opinions are my 100% genuine ones. 

I’m all about this base! Serta pulled out all the stops with their Motion Custom Adjustable Foundation.  It is like a spa experience in your bedroom. For real.

You can elevate your head, feet, get a massage, charge your device, and even play music via Bluetooth through two high quality speakers. Can you imagine? An adjustable foundation can also have health benefits – did you know?

As if you needed another reason to consider this little slice of heaven. This video is a demonstration of the Serta adjustable base features. Please also enjoy me doing a dance with the Serta sheep at the end. You’re welcome.

Team OC Winter Camp 2014 is coming up over holiday break offering four days of Winter Camp for kids ages 4+ and I have one day of Team OC Winter Camp 2014 to giveaway to TWO lucky winners today! Make sure to enter below!

[Sponsor]

Team OC is a 45,000 square foot gymnastics, cheer, dance and trampoline facility located in Costa Mesa.At Team OC Winter Camp 2014, the kiddos get to participate in a wide variety of activities to keep them moving and having fun! Their experienced camp staff provides instruction for gymnastics, cheer, dance and trampoline.

Campers will be guided through an exciting array of fun-filled activities which include an inflatable obstacle course, zip-line, rock wall, games and arts and crafts.

The kids are grouped according to age and skill ability with specifically designed curriculum for each age group. Their professionally trained (and delightful) staff enforces safety in every aspect of each activity to ensure each camper’s well-being.

My family adores Team OC. We have gone there for years.  My oldest is on the competitive gymnastics team and my youngest takes classes there as well. They both have done the Team OC camps throughout the years and it really is an AMAZING time for kids!

Pre-registration is required in advance. You can sign up online, in person or call 714. 444.1144. Team OC Winter Camp does fill up, so sign up early if you want to take advantage of this fun opportunity for your kids (and YOU!)

Hooray! It’s a Tiny Giveaway!

Team OC is giving away one day of Team OC Winter Camp 2014 to two lucky winners! Campers must be aged 4+ and reservations are subject to availability, and must be made in advance. Good luck!

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I love Christmastime…absolutely love it!  And I love sharing my fun Christmas traditions for families, because Christmas is a particularly wonderful season to celebrate and spend time with my little ones.

Jennifer and I are excited to share 20 super fun, super cute Christmas  traditions from each of our families.  And we would love if you comment below and share some of your favorite family Christmas traditions.

Christy’s 10 Favorite Christmas Traditions

1. New Christmas Jammies and Holiday Movie

Every year, I make it a special point to get the kids new Christmas jammies – and let them open them on December 1st.  A way to kick off the holiday season…and enjoy them all month long.  Our family also gets one new Christmas movie each year…and we make it a point to have a family movie night, complete with snacks and snuggles.

2. Decorating as a Family

I love, love, love decorating for Christmas, and it typically take splice the day after Thanksgiving.  I think because for a lot of my decorations and ornaments, it’s like opening a time capsule.  We make decorating the tree a family affair.  We talk about the ornaments, stories about where they came from, and family heirlooms.  Each kid gets to hang their “own” ornaments from year’s past.  They get such a kick out of the baby ones!

I look forward to this each year, especially now that my kiddos are a little bit older and really understand the history and stories we tell.  My favorite ornament of all time is still a little pink angel my grandma gave me when I was a little girl.  It’s priceless.

3. Hot Cocoa by the Fire

Yes, it has been unseasonably hot this year. Yes, I know we live in sunny California.  But, we still love this family tradition.  We build a fire in our fireplace (even though we’re already roasting), let the kids put on their Christmas jammies, we make homemade hot cocoa with marshmallows, and we turn on Christmas songs (all while pretending it’s “snowing” outside).

Then, we sit by the fire as a family, drinking our hot chocolate, humming along to the songs, and talking about Christmas.  It’s so fun, and we try to do this at least a few times during the month of December.

4. Letters to Santa

We do the traditional letters to Santa…but with a little twist.  In addition to asking for that one special gift, first I ask each child to list three things they have done to serve others this past year (I try to emphasize “the reason for the season” every chance I get!).  As soon as they are old enough to write, each child writes their own letter.  They also draw a picture for Santa.  It’s so cute to see what they come up with!

5. Adopt-a-Family

Every year, in some capacity, we either participate in an Adopt-a-Family or child’s angel ornament, as a family.  And the kids get involved!  We shop, read about their wish lists, and pick things out.  We talk about the importance of giving, how giving is more important that receiving, and how wonderful we hope this family will feel when opening their new gifts.  It’s a great way for the kids to participate in giving, and thinking about more than what they want on their list.

6. Baking Christmas Cookies for our Neighbors

We bake up a storm for our neighbors!  The kids and I shop for the ingredients together, mix/stir/bake together (or at least as long as I have their attention), and then have a frosting and decorating party.  And, shhhhhh…sometimes to cut down on the hours of baking, I cheat and get pre-made sugar cookie cutouts, and we go straight to the frosting and decorating (the best part!).

We wrap up the cookies, put them in cute Christmas tupperware, top them with a bow, and deliver them (with Christmas cards!) to our neighbors.  So fun!

7. Homemade Cards and Art as Gifts

My 7-year-old is really into arts and crafts.  So each year she makes Christmas gifts for friends and families.  I help her arrange her markers, glitter glue, stickers, paint, sparkle confetti, etc., and she goes to town.  Cards, cut-outs, 3-D art…you name it, she’ll try it.

It’s such a sweet sight to see, and I know how much her homemade cards and creations mean to her recipients.  It’s a great way to emphasize giving from the heart.  Love it.

8. Sibling Love – Picking Out Gifts

Speaking of gifts, I let each of my kids pick out a gift for the other one.  On their own.  I give them a budget – most of the time it’s $5 or $10 – and I take them shopping separately, so they can each pick out what they think their sibling would love the most.  They love this.  I reserve judgment…as long as they are within their “budget,” they can pick what they want.  We’ve gotten some pretty cute/funny/bizarre gifts over the years, but here’s the thing.  They each love getting to pick something on their own.  And the receiving kid is absolutely delighted.  Oh, and I let them “wrap” it on their own.

9. Elf on the Shelf

If you read my Elf on the Shelf blog last week, you know that I am pro-elf – lol!  We love our Elf on the Shelf traditions, and look forward to our family elf, Jingles, returning each year!  The kids are in love with this little elf, and the Christmas season would not be the same in our house without Jingles!

10. Homemade Cookies for Santa, Carrots for Reindeer

Yep, Santa gets homemade cookies on a platter and fresh milk, his reindeer get carrots (of course!) and a water dish, and we set out a thank you note for him. When the kiddos wake up, only cookie crumbs, milk drops and half eaten carrots are left, and the thank you note is gone – magic!

Jen’s 10 Favorite Christmas Traditions

1. Advent Calendar

Growing up, we always had an advent calendar counting down the days, and I loved being able to see the countdown.  Our family has one of these felt Advent Calendars, where my girls get to pick out the little figure from the date and move it to the scene, until it is finally complete on 12/24!

2. Gingerbread Houses

My in-laws started this tradition with my girls, and they absolutely adore it.  Early December they will come to visit for a Gingerbread House day.  I love seeing my pictures of them with their houses year after year.

3. Special Ornament

Each year my girls get to pick one new special ornament and I keep a list by year.  Then when they move out and get their own tree one day, I plan to give them their box of ornaments throughout the years.  My mom did this for me, and I still treasure my ornaments to this day.

4. The Nutcracker

This is a new tradition for us – we all went to see The Nutcracker this past weekend and it was such a special experience. I vowed to take my girls every year!

5. Macy’s Believe Santa Mail

Every year I take my girlies to mail their letters to Santa at a Macy’s Santa Mail as part of their Believe campaign, for which Macy’s donate’s $1 for every letter to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, up to $1,000,000.

6. Display All Our Christmas Cards

I have Scotch mounting squares and mount all of our holiday photo cards from friends and family in our great room on the wall to enjoy the whole month through.

7. Display Santa Photos from Each Year

I frame a photo of my girls walking out together on Christmas morning and their annual photo with Santa in inexpensive white frames and display them during the month of December.

8. Family Wish Ornaments

Years ago, I bought these Wishing Ornaments, where there is one for each member of the family and all of us write a wish to put in the ornament for the upcoming year.  Each year when we decorate the tree it’s so cute to read last year’s wish (and see if it came true!) Looks like Red Envelope doesn’t sell them anymore, but you could make your own using those cute clear ornaments you can open.  Might be fun to have each family member decorate their own.

9. Collect an Ornament on Trips

For each place we visit on vacation, we pick out an ornament as a souvenir if available, and it is so fun to remember our fun travels when we decorate the tree.

10. Ice Skating on Christmas Eve

In SoCal, we don’t have a lot of “wintery” opportunities, but one thing we do have are pop up holiday ice skating rinks.  Each year when we visit my in-laws in San Diego, we go to the Hotel Del Coronado and go Skating by the Sea.  The most amazing setting to be ice skating on the beach!

I did this holiday card project for my daughter’s 2nd grade teacher last year when I was room mom and it turned out pretty darn cute so I wanted to share this holiday card idea from class to teacher with you. If you happen to like the poem you can download the free printable snowflake holiday poem for teachers here. I changed the design a bit – think this one is cuter. Hope you do too!

The process was easy. I bought a set of plain white paper snowflakes like these and sent one snowflake home with each child along with a note to have them decorate it any way they wanted and return to me.

When I got all the decorated snowflakes back, I arranged them on a poster board around the snowflake poem.

The teacher loved it and I thought it was a personal way for young kids to make something sweet for their teacher for the holidays.

I also loved the fact that they were all different, just like the children! Please share with your room moms if you like this idea… thank you!

[Disclosure: I am a Serta brand ambassador and am compensated for my participation in the program and have received complimentary products for review. Links in this post to Amazon and Land of Nod are affiliate links that help support my blog. Thank you!]

‘Tis the season for holiday travels and for some that means house guests so today’s post is about how to make a cozy guest bedroom.

Let’s face it, comfortable accommodations can really make a difference in the quality of your trip. A cozy guest bedroom will be greatly appreciated by your guests and score you big points.

So whether you embrace your house guests or count the hours until your home is back to yourself, I hope these tips help make preparing for house guests just a tad more fun.

10 Tips on How to Make a Cozy Guest Bedroom

1. A Comfortable Mattress

A comfortable bed is the absolute most important part of a cozy guest bedroom, because who cares if there is a fresh flower on the night stand if your guests toss and turn on a saggy, old mattress all night?

A bad night’s sleep can ruin your whole day, so I suggest investing in a quality mattress for your guest bedroom so your guests can get a good night’s sleep.  You can find good mattresses for surprisingly affordable prices. Serta’s Perfect Sleeper mattresses are a great choice for guest room – the perfect mix of affordable and comfortable.

I would recommend putting in the biggest size mattress that makes sense in the space, ideally a queen or larger, for the most comfortable sleeping conditions for couples. A larger size mattress in guest rooms can also come in handy for sleepovers with kids.

2. Cozy Bedding

To go along with a comfortable mattress, you also need comfortable bedding to go with.  I suggest placing two sleeping pillows per side, one soft and one firmer, as many people have a preference on the firmness of their pillow.

Then use really lovely, soft sheets. These sheets are my fave, have used them for years. So soft. Also add an extra Plush Blanket to the foot of the bed or store in the closet in case your guests get chilly.

3. Put Out Fresh Towels and Washcloths

I think it’s lovely to provide a set of two bath towels, a hand towel and one washcloth per guest. I like to lay the towels out on the bed so that the guest knows those specific towels are meant for them.

4. Welcome Guests With a Note [Free Printable]

People often feel like they are intruding when they come to stay in your home, and no one likes to feel like they are a burden.  Make your house guests feel comfortable by putting a little note on their towels, bed or night stand to let them know you are happy they are there.

You can click here to download and print some cute welcome notes for house guests.

5. A Place for Luggage

It is a pet peeve of mine to have to ruffle through a duffel bag or suitcase on the floor to find things, so give your guests a place for their bags, at a comfortable height.  An empty chair can work, and if you don’t have the space, consider purchasing an affordable folding luggage rack.

I like a Folding Luggage Rack with Shelf <- like this so guests can store two bags, or even shoes down below. A folding one is great so you can fold and keep against a wall or in a closet when not in use.

6. Dark Shades and Privacy

When I travel, I love how dark it can get in a hotel room, so in our guest room, my husband installed a Blackout Roller Shade in made-to-measure sizes so the room stays super dark. Now, the kids waking up at 7am in the next room is another issue, but at least they won’t be awakened by the morning light.

You also want to make sure your room offers privacy for changing, so blinds of some sort are a must!

7. Extra Toiletries

You know that feeling when you go to a hotel and realize you forgot your floss or toothpaste? I collect little travel size toiletries and other items for display when guests visit so they will not have to go without a moisturized hands or God forbid, brushed teeth!

8. Reading Material 

Sometimes it’s nice to read a new magazine before you go to bed, so I installed a cute book rack to hold magazines next to our guest bed. It’s actually a children’s book rack – but works great for magazines too!

The reading material can be switched out depending on who is coming to visit.

9. Nightstand Goodies

No, not those kind of nightstand goodies, I am talking about a fresh flower and bottle of water people. Hee hee…

I love cutting a fresh flower from the yard and placing a single stem in a vase by the bed.  It is also nice to leave a bottle of water as well as a little container or place for women to put their jewelry.

 10. Personal Photos 

If you have guests or family that come often to stay in your guest bedroom, I think it’s nice to put framed pictures of those guests in the guest bedroom.

I blew up two prints and made them black and white and framed to put on top of these glass bookcases of two favorite memories we have with my in-laws and sister-in-law, the people who stay in our guest bedroom the most often.

And those are my top 10 tips on how to make a cozy guest bedroom.

I would love to hear your ideas on things you do to make your house guests feel comfortable? Please comment and tell us!