The season is here, let's spread some cheer,
With Elf on the Shelf, bringing joy near!
From festive setups to sweet little sights,
He’ll brighten your days and cozy nights.
With endless ideas to spark delight,
Making holiday magic feel just right!

It’s that time of the year again where Santa’s elf is coming to visit! In our house we don’t have a naughty elf, but one that is here to spread Christmas cheer! I created a guide last year and decided to do it again this year!

When wandering around the Christmas aisles I found this 24 Day Ultimate Elf Kit. So if you are looking for something easy with preplanned ideas this may be the way to go for you. I snagged it because it has 3 different backdrops and different props that I will be able to use with my elf for the different activities I have planned.  It also includes your letter from your elf and idea cards for each day.

This year we will be going up to The Polar Express Experience, so I tried to plan some of my days easier than others. I also have a baby this year too so I didn’t want to stress myself out too much. When I was at Hobby Lobby I snagged some cute craft ideas (all under $5) because they were all 50% off!  I will link some of those (non affiliate) and others that are similar as well that I suggest.  This is a fun way to spread Christmas cheer and these are our activities for the month, so I don’t mind spending some money.  We also only do the 5 gifts (want, need, wear, read, do) so this is another way for our kiddo to get some extra fun during December. 

Mother's day is this weekend (Mex - May 10th, US - May 12th) and if you aren't prepared I've got you covered!  There are so many good options that have same day, one day, and day day shipping that will get here on time for you!  Check out these suggestions below and hopefully you find something that will work for the moms in your life. 

Blue tooth frames aren't as old school as they used to be!  These new ones are pretty cool where they connect to an app and everyone that has the log in can add photos. This is perfect for grandparents, so that they can have their grandchildren upload photos straight to the device for them!.  

I love a good pair of house slippers and these ones are on major sale with one day shipping.  I have about 3 different pairs because my kid is always trying them on and leaving them in random places around the house!.

A record player is such a fun gift idea for anyone, I personally need a new one and these ones are on sale and are much smaller and more portable.

Capri blue is one of my favorite scents for the diffuser, I currently have one in my bedroom and think this would be an easy gift idea! 

I love being able to buy my mom something she wouldn't want to spend money on herself so these are a few that are functional and cute!  Rubber oven mitts are perfect for any household.  I love these vintage style glasses, so cute for coffee, tea, night caps, parfaits and more!  These planter is so cute and would be great for the kitchen!  This is my favorite travel mug, I have it in 3 colors, so much better than others that I have tried!

I don't know about you, but my mom doesn't always buy herself beauty products so I enjoy doing that for her! My mom has curly hair so these brushes are perfect along with my favorite go to hair oil (local arizona company, I actually went to school with the owner!.  Ilia is a clean brand and cream makeup is much better for more mature skin.  I love a good bath salt or bath bomb and I've tried this company before and enjoyed the scents.  If you haven't tried a facial massage stone I highly suggest it! 

I love to get into the spirit during the holiday season and over the last few years it has changed so much with having a kid.  My daughter loves Christmas time, Santa, and all the family activities that we do.  With this being her last Christmas as an only child, I decided that I wanted to make it as special as I can!  I have done Elf on the Shelf the last two years but I never really planned anything and just winged it.  I am not a fan of the "naughty elf" because the whole point is making sure that we are being kind to others.  I tend to have our elf bring activities or little treats that we can enjoy together.  This year I decided to also use our advent wall hanger that I snagged a few years back, it comes with the blank cards that you can write on.  There are others I found on Amazon too, this one is customizable or you can go more simple with just numbers

I decided to map out the activities we would do for our advent wall hanger and match them up with our elf.  I thought was a fun idea to hit both at the same time, and making it more about spending time with family rather than just silly things our elf was doing.  If you are interested you can download both of these as PDF files below if you want to use them yourself!  If you post on Instagram I would love if you tagged my account @mrsmathfashion so I can share how you used or modified! I also have them shared in this google drive folder as well if you want the images along with the pdf! I will be working on updating and creating little cards too for specific days that have notes about our activities and will be adding these to the folder as well! 

I will be updating this post as I go with the photos of our elf and our activity each day!  That way if you want to pick and choose you can see the examples of what we did first.  Anything that I purchased I will try to link for you as well so you can see where I got it from! Again, I try to spend as little money as possible and use what I already have in my closet. I am also planning on us taking a photo of our activity each day as well with our instant camera and then adding those into the days too! 

I tried to make the Advent days accessible so that you don't have to purchase much, most of these things I already have at home, found on sale at the craft store, or found in the dollar spot at Target/Walmart.
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1 - She found her elf waiting in the tree this morning with her special note. She was SO excited and I told her the elf also wrote me a special letter to help arrange all the activities in her advent calendar so he can bring her special activities throughout the month. Day one activity is to make a Christmas countdown with a paper chain. This is so easy to do, just cut out colored paper and then have your little one write the number, if they're too small you don't need to do it, it's just great practice for them with handwriting and counting. Then, just staple them and hang them up so each day they can take one off for their countdown!

I love finding a good deal, and with Black Friday coming up it's always a good time to find what you're looking for!  I used to go a little  crazy for the deals, but over time I have learned to make a list of what I actually need/am looking for and not spend too much on things that are unnecessary.  One thing I started doing when shopping for gifts is limiting gifts to a "want" "need" "wear" "read" and "do", that way I don't overspend and I make sure I am being thoughtful about my gifts.

*Thank you so much if you shop through my links.  I will get a small commission if you make a a purchase at no extra cost to you!*

As you may have been able to tell from my lack of posts, school has started and being back in the classroom means I have less free time.  Thankfully we have a three day weekend for labor day and I decided to search around for some of the best deals that I can find!  I will never push anyone to buy something they don't need but if you are looking for anything in particular take a look at my list and see if I hit the target!  Personally for me I am in need of some bigger home appliances, but I've also been looking for other smaller household items as well along with some fun stuff and of course things for the new baby!

Target is having a big sale for their outdoor summer furniture right now.
Home Depot is having plenty of sales right now and since I need a new dishwasher and fridge their appliance sale right now has big discounts along with a buy more save more event. 
Lowes is also having plenty of sales right now for patio items and grills for their Labor Day savings. 
If you're a Stanley fan right now they are up to 30% off on Amazon right now too! 
Wayfair is having major discounts up to 70% off

Happy summer friends! School is out over here for us and I love prepping for the summer by shopping the memorial day sales.  There are so many different sales going on but as a reminder I am not pushing for you to shop for more than you need!  I like to budget for fun stuff but I have stopped trying to go overboard and buy things I don't need even if I want them. 

I love Baublebar and there are so many goodies on sale right now.  The Pisa bracelets are my every day accessory and I have slowly stated collecting more of their rings and bracelets. 

If you are looking for anything for the home Wayfair is having a huge sale!  We want to redo our guest bathroom so I will be looking for all the new things for the bathroom along with for my room too! I saw some great deals on bedding and even kitchen items too! 

Hey friends, I don't know about you but I tend to not ask for a lot during the holidays because I prefer to go shopping myself when all the sales are happening!  I have a few specific things in mind but also sharing some of the other great deals going on in case you're looking during these end of the year sales!
*Some links are affiliate, if you purchase through them I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you!*

Bath and Bodyworks Semi Annual Sale - up to 75% off, + Candles and Wallflowers have also been on sale
Loft Semi Annual Sale - extra 50% off sale styles and if you're shopping online Rakuten has 1% cash back. 
Target - tons of deals like 30% off clothing, BOGO 50% off games and puzzles, and up to 40% off floor care.
Abercrombie- Up to 50% off select styles + 20% off almost everything else
​Lush - Starting on boxing day 50% off select seasonal items
Tula - 40% off supersized items - ends 12/25
Pottery Barn - Up to 70% off end of season sale
Costco - so many deals Christmas Day and more. We are planning on snagging another TV + wall mount, unless I can find another place that can beat their price! 
Ulta - Jumbo Love sale active now + the Love your skin event starting January 1! 
​Walmart - Up to 50% off end of year clearance, basically all categories, including seasonal decor! 

If you're looking for a gift for a little one this holiday season, look no further!

FAO Schwarz has been around since 1862 creating one of a kid toys that are synonymous with quality and innovation.  FAO Schwarz has been known for the “theater of it all,” where toys meet deep nostalgia.  This holiday season, exclusive FAO Schwarz toys will be available only at Target stores, Target.com and FAO store locations. All Target store toy departments andTarget.com will feature dedicated space for FAO Schwarz, with toy demonstrations planned throughout the holiday season. We absolutely love this brand because of the quality and the variety, their products are great for recommended ages 3-8 which all the kiddos in my life fall under, and the Target selection is so broad you can find the perfect gift this holiday season. 
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As an Arizona girl I love traveling within my own state when I get the chance. Recently we headed north to Sedona for a weekend away.  This time I decided that although we can't help going to some touristy places, that the goal was to try to visit some more local places if we could as well along with going on a new hike.  It was a fantastic trip and I'm excited to share where we stayed and what we did.

We stayed at The Ridge on Sedona Golf course in Oak Creek and the views were so beautiful.  This resort was great especially if you have a family and plan on staying longer because they have kitchenettes and you can also get adjoining suites. There are two pools and two hot tubs and of course the golf course.  The rooms are a little outdated - you may want to bring an iPad or something because they don't have smart TVs, but we didn't go to Sedona to just hang out in our room.  We spent the whole time out and about, and because this is a short drive to Sedona (Oak creek is right outside) it was nice being away from the big crowds full of tourists. Plus, the views over the golf course were amazing! 

It's the end of summer over here and closer to starting school already. Over here in Arizona we start school the first week of August which means us teachers are back the last week of July.  My sweet summer always feels so short but this is also my favorite time of year because there are sales galore that get me ready for going back to school, and now of course with a little in preschool I get to do the same for her!  Now if I'm being honest of course a lot of these items aren't necessarily for "back to school" but it is the time of year where I like to refresh and buy new things that we are looking for.  I have stopped with buying it just because it is on sale, and now do the whole hold out for what you want until it goes on sale ​lifestyle now.

​*Thank you for shopping my links, if you purchase through my links will get a small commission at no extra cost to you*

I'm sure you're aware by now butPrime Day is July 12-13th this year and if you didn't know many other stores have started competed with them and offering similar sales and price matching.  I love this especially when Target does it because I also have a red card and get 5% off.  Also if you haven't already installed Rakuten, it will also help price match for you to find you a lower price if it's available! 

Now speaking of Prime Day, after a little research I saw that Amazon will not only be doing Prime day this year but also they will be doing a Q4 sale in the fall (article here) so I am thinking we will see even more mark downs then.  My biggest suggestion for Prime day is to create a watchlist and see if anything goes on the lightning deals.  Often times I have quickly searched and found the sale or deal isn't as great as it looks so I just keep it in my watchlist to see if it goes down even more. Click below to read more about the upcoming sales!