We all know that sometimes it’s the little things in life that can keep us going and make us smile even in the midst of our crazy days. I thought it would be fun to share some of the random things I’m loving at the moment in case you need a little inspiration to find a new something little to make life easier or make you smile. I’ve got links included so you can find everything. (Some links are affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.) Happy smiling!

Every year my extended family has a Christmas cookie exchange party a few weeks before Christmas. Everyone brings a couple batches of cookies, we spend a few hours decorating sugar cookies, doing crafts, putting the finishing touches on our cookies, and spending some quality time together. At the end of the party we pull out our empty containers and fill them with all of the delicious varieties of cookies that have been prepared. My contribution this year included these amazingly popular Peanut Butter Buckeye Pretzel Bites and pretty Cherry Chocolate Kiss cookies.

Speaking of Christmas, as a working mom, I love spending my nights and weekends playing and relaxing with my kids, not leaving them at home while I go Christmas shopping, which I why I love online shopping. I’ve snuck a few gifts in my cart while grocery shopping, but most of my Christmas gifts are purchased online and delivered to my doorstep. My favorite place to shop is online is Amazon so I can take advantage of FREE 2 day shipping with Amazon Prime – Shop Amazon Prime (you can also gift a Prime membership for that busy mom on your Christmas shopping list).

I used to get my (acrylic) nails done at the salon every two weeks, but then I had kids and realized that I just didn’t have the time (or money) to continue this practice. I’ve recently discovered Jamberry nails and I love them! I can easily do my nails while the kids are busy playing or watching TV or after they’ve gone to sleep. I love having pretty nails again that don’t chip off my fingers in two days like regular nail polish does.

I have dozens of books on my Kindle waiting for me to read, but I keep forgetting about them. I recently discovered The Noticer Returns
by Andy Andrews hiding on my Kindle. This is a sequel to his earlier book, The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective. Both are fantastic books, sort of Fiction, sort of non-Fiction, sort of self-help, but very interesting and thought-provoking.

Every few weeks or so I drive five hours round trip to spend some time with my coworkers. It’s a lot of time alone in my quiet car, so I’ve become a bit of a Podcast addict to give myself something entertaining (and educational) to listen to. My absolute favorite podcast right now is The Life Coach School with Brooke Castillo.

Did you ever play with Perler Beads when you were younger? Little beads you put on a pegboard and then iron them to melt them together into fun little shapes. I loved making coasters and other Perler Bead creations when I was little. I stumbled on them while hunting for Christmas gifts for my kids and I can’t wait for Christmas day to introduce my daughter to the awesome-ness that is Perler Beads.

Budgeting has never been my favorite thing. I’ve always tried to keep a budget spreadsheet and track all of our spending like a responsible adult, but generally I’ve hated it and tried to push the responsibility to my husband more times than I can count. We have recently started using YNAB (You Need a Budget) software for our budget and I am in love. There is an app that we both have on our iPhones to track our spending and watch the budget at all times. I’m still doing the initial work of allocating our money to the various budget categories, but now we are both easily able to take responsibility for making sure that we stick to our budget. So convenient and easy.

I love holiday traditions like going to visit Santa, picking out a Christmas tree, baking cookies, making crafts, and of course making wish lists, and opening presents, but I also want to instill in my kids the real reason that we celebrate Christmas. My mom recently gave us this new book, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas, that helps us settle down each day during the traditional advent season and read about the true meaning of Christmas. My only memory of “celebrating advent” as a kid was a calendar full of chocolates, I love that this idea is a bit more meaningful.

Developing the spirit of giving and generosity in my kids is also important so I love all of the ideas listed in this post, Help Your Child Develop Her Inner Angel.

Because Christmas is a busy time and filled with lots of sweets and junk food, my husband and I are both fighting over the snacks that come in our weekly Graze box. Every week we get four prepacked, delicious, and healthy snacks deliver to our mailbox. My husband is a huge snacker and since I sit at home alone all day, I often find myself grazing on whatever I find in the pantry. I love that our Graze boxes are guaranteed nutritious to give us some better options than the candy bowl or the cookie jar. (You can use my friend code TRACYK5ZP to get your 1st and 5th boxes for free.)

Well, that wraps things up for this month. What are some of the little things that you are loving right now? Share in the comments and spread a smile today.