blogs

We've all heard the message before: Slow down this holiday season. That can be tough when it comes to children, though. So we gathered a team of parents who blog for www.MomsCharlotte.com and asked them to share tips that have worked for them. Read on if you want to keep the parties, the presents and the pressure at bay. — Jennifer Rothacker

Enjoy the moments

During my days, working as a pediatrician, I have come to appreciate how quickly our children grow up. Turn off the television, cuddle with your family in front of the fireplace, feel your baby’s soft skin against your face, take in the scent of his or her skin, skip a night of checking e-mail to play on the floor with your kids. — Rhonda Patt, pediatrician with Charlotte Pediatric Clinic

Rest up

A well-rested holiday is a happy holiday. I’ve been known to tape black yard-waste bags to the windows of the room my daughter sleeps in when we visit family. This blocks a majority of the light coming into her room. So if she wakes up earlier than I’d like, say 8:30 in the morning, I simply go in and say, “Hey, it’s still night! Go back to sleep!” Keep in mind, this ruse can only work on younger children that can’t yet tell time. — Jon McPherson, dad of one

Practice forgiveness

Forgive. Yourself. Others. Repeat as needed. Over the last 17 months, forgiveness has been essential to our family’s survival. There have been many times when one or more of us haven’t been easy to like, much less love. We have had to continually work at letting go of hurt feelings, old grudges, failed expectations, whatever ... By choosing to forgive, you give yourself the gift of peace and show love in the purest form possible. — Tammy Garlock, mom of three, including deceased son Brian

Take a day off

Set aside one day a week to do nothing but participate in holiday fun. That means no chores, no shopping. Just playing and enjoying one another. — Michelle Lloyd, mom of one, calendar czar and eco-blogger

Read together

Before my first daughter was born, I received a children’s Christmas book. And every year since, I have picked up another book to add to the collection. As the countdown begins and we are inundated with holiday-related everything, my kids (I now have three) love to pull out their Christmas books. — Kiran Dodeja Smith, publisher of Little Ones Magazine

Get out of the kitchen

This is not the season to shackle yourself to your kitchen. Throw down your aprons and shout “Enough is enough!” And I just learned that no one ever won an award for making all the food over the holidays themselves ... who knew? — Heather McLeod, mom who blogs about gracious entertaining

Keep eating well

Don’t give in to takeout during the busy holidays.

1. Plan ahead for meals by keeping ingredients for quick meals on hand.
2. Double your recipe and put one in the freezer. You will always have a meal on hand.
3. Fill in with convenience foods like grocery store rotisserie chicken. Add your own side dishes. — Jennifer Joles, mom of two, food blogger

Let it slide

Forget about the laundry, the dishes and the floors. Your kids won’t remember how clean your house was during the holidays, but they will remember the time you spent with them well into their adulthood. —Ivanna Campbell, mom to three, 3 years old or younger

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