Do any of these scenarios fit you?

• You've got a holiday party (one of several) coming up and you need to come with a potluck dish. You are having enough trouble as it is getting your Christmas cards out in the mail, completely your holiday shopping (you still have yet to figure out what to get for persnickety Aunt Janice), and you feel as if you are missing out on enjoying your baby during the holidays.
• Your days have been busy and instead of having homecooked meals you find yourself getting take out Chinese or nuking a frozen family dinner in the microwave. Both options leave you hungry afterwards.
• You just don't know what to cook for dinner these days. You are out of ideas and bored with cooking.

Well, my Christmas present to anyone in any of those situations is right here in this blog post. Here are some great homemade soup recipes that are sure to be a hit - whether it is for a holiday party or home-cooked meals.

Italian Meatball Soup I make mine with ground turkey to trim off some calories and fat grams. No one ever knows!

Tuscan Bean Soup One of my all-time favorite soup recipes. Great flavor and very filling!

Colby Corn Chowder I just made this one last night for supper. It is a quick meal that is great when served with a crusty warm bread and fresh salad.

Photo credit: lusi, "noodle soup 1," http://sxc.hu

Follow Me on Twitter | Follow Me on Facebook

I think it is fairly safe to say that if you celebrate Christmas and if you have a baby, you're likely looking for a collectible gift to commerate your baby's first Christmas. Before you spend hours of time (which you most likely don't have during the holiday season) looking for the perfect gift, check out this list of commerative baby's first Christmas gifts put together by About Baby Products Guide Heather Corley.

My personal favorite - Hallmark's B is for Babies and Booties ornament. It's classic design is sure to become a precious family heirloom.

What about you? Have you found the perfect gift to remember your baby's first Christmas?

Follow Me on Twitter | Follow Me on Facebook

As bah-humbug as the song parody, "The Twelve Pains of Christmas," is - I have to admit I love that song. I think it had to do with the fact that anyone who celebrates a traditional Christmas can relate to some of the lyrics on some level.

The frustrations of hanging up Christmas lights (though the modern marvels of artificial pre-lit trees have eased that some, don't you think?), finding parking spaces, dealing with those somewhat annoying in-laws. Any of those things occuring at the wrong time/wrong place, can turn even the most patient of saints into a raving lunatic. Though the holidays are a wonderful time, it's important to keep a level head in order to come out enjoying the holidays.

That's where I've taken one of the "Pains of Christmas" and made it into a joy. Since the birth of our first baby, we switched to doing special photo cards to send out. It seemed fitting - everyone was always asking for updated photos. Two birds, one stone.

The quest for finding just the right picture of the children to express the year, setting up the perfect background, and writing our annual Christmas letter dubbed "A White Christmas" (check out my last name and admire my cleverness *wink* - I know, I know, I am so hokey!). But my point is, it is very possible to turn one of those routine chores of the holidays, personalize it with your own family's expression, and come out enjoying it.

What about you? What Christmas or holiday task have you taken from mundane job to delightful task?

Photo © gracey, http://www.morguefile.com

Follow Me on Twitter | Follow Me on Facebook

Over the past week my family has been blessed to move. Though our small, but lovable condo, had been a sanctuary of happy memories, our family of four has long outgrown the tiny space. We are currently living in a delightfully bigger home on a much quieter street. However, I write this while surrounded by towers of brown cardboard boxes and large plastic bins.

So what does my personal life have to do with Baby's First Year? Let me tell you.

A good many of those plastic bins contain neatly folded, sweet baby clothing that has been carefully organized by size, season, and color. Yep, I told you I tend to be a bit on the compulsive side. When it comes to storing baby clothes, I have found that investing in plastic bins is the way to go.

I've tried garbage bags, cardboard boxes, and sealable zipper storage bags. They don't all stack well, don't all protect as well against mold, and can become a nice little house for some unwanted four-legged critters.

So although they aren't as cheap as your household trash bags or re-used cardboard boxes, plastic bins can protect your baby items far better. If you are planning to save your baby clothing for a future baby, they may just be a worthwhile investment.