Saturdays are for Family Adventures.

Unless we need a House Day.

Let me back up.

joey turns one soon.

can you believe it?

I thought I’d share what we’re doing to celebrate his big day, in case you’re like me and love peeking into people’s gifts, traditions, and celebrations. ;)

(and since he’s the second child, we already have all his favorite toys, thanks to his sister. so I thought I’d also share a list of the toys he loves, in case you’re looking for gift ideas.)

a round-up of our absolute favorite splurge toys that we play with every single week for multiple ages.

• here’s a round-up of favorite toys under $20!

a round-up of our favorite things that we use all the time in our home! stocking stuffers, birthday gifts, Easter baskets - this list would be great for so many things and so many ages!

for these types of sales, I only buy things I needed to buy anyway - things we already budgeted for.

so I made our Christmas lists early.

and I took inventory of some things I needed for both our home and our Airstream.

here’s what I bought.

I finish all my shopping by December 1st.

But also? I figure out by November 1st all our Christmas gifts, if not sooner. (This year I did way sooner so that I could shop the Amazon/Target/Walmart sales in mid-October.) I figure out what we’re giving KK, what we’re asking from my parents, what we’re giving teachers, what we’re giving each other, what we’re giving friends, everything.

I’ve learned these two self-imposed deadlines help me savor this time of year so much more. I’m also more likely to really enjoy gift giving, pick really intentional gifts, and stay under budget. win, win!

A few other things that really help me:

• We have a line in our budget just for Christmas that we add to all year long.

• Brett and I have a holiday planning date sometime in September or October where we figure out this year’s priorities. A roughhhh draft of our plans and priorities for the upcoming months, if you will. Like, we love to block off Christmas Eve evening and Christmas morning as time spent under our roof, just the four of us. And what about hosting a cozy pajama Christmas brunch for the cousins at the beginning of the December to kick-off the season, and maybe a hot cocoa bar Polar Express playdate with our friends? and do we want to go to that holiday parade - is it even worth going to? do we maybe want to see my family on this day? hey, any ideas about what we should eat Christmas morning? Taking time to dream about what we’d like the next few months to look like is so much fun (and makes saying no to the things not meant for us so much easier.) I love our holiday-planning date.

• I keep wishlists for me, for Brett, for KK, and for Joey all year long. and anytime I think of something we want/need, I add it to the list. so not only is this a great reference for Christmas, it’s also a great reference for gifts from loved ones, for birthdays, for stockings, for Easter baskets, etc. And around this time of year, I use these lists for Christmas gift ideas, but I also think: what are things we need, or would get a lot of use of in the next year? And from there I decide Christmas gift ideas.

• I also keep a list of our Decide Once gifts - many of which are our Christmas gift formulas. More on this in a second.

a few of my favorite things that are on sale!

as always, thank y’all so much for shopping through my links, especially in light of this year's bout of unemployment. being able to help provide a little bit for my family - while staying home with two littles - is something I will never take for granted. please know that anytime you comment on a post, share one of my reels, read a blogpost, open my weekly menu plan, or shop through my links, I appreciate your support and kindness so, so much. xo, h