5 Minutes for Mom Joins #BingIt with Holiday Survival Tips

 

Whether it’s planning the family feast, finding the perfect gift or grabbing a parking spot at the mall, holiday decisions can be overwhelming. With that in mind, we have invited Susan Carraretto, one half of the identical twin blogger team behind 5 Minutes for Mom to join the #BingIt crew this Wednesday, November 9th at 12 p.m. PT.

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Susan is an internet loving, passionately driven, crazy busy mom who changed her life online and is committed to helping other people do the same. In March 2006, she created 5MinutesForMom.com with her sister as a go-to site for moms to find the best in blogging, shopping, parenting and entertainment. Susan and Janice and their team of writers share their personal parenting stories and opinions as well as photographs and videos.

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As a busy work at home mom, Susan has had to learn to minimize holiday chaos. To ask her questions and participate in the discussion, follow @Bing and @5MinutesForMom and tweet out your questions and commentary with the hashtag #BingIt.

In the meantime, here are Susan’s top 3 tips for the holidays:

  • Downsize. The bigger your holiday plans are, the more stress you’re likely to have. Pick out the most important events that you want to attend, and politely decline other invitations. Arrange with adult family members to do a “draw a name” gift exchange instead of everyone buying for everyone.
  • Take mini mental vacations. You are going to be busy and there will be chaos. Accept those facts, but give yourself permission to take a few short breaks in the midst of the madness. Slip into an empty bedroom or even a bathroom and browse mindlessly through a magazine for five minutes. Load a couple old Enya favorites on your smartphone and subtly slip in an earbud and listen to your worries fade away. It can take only a few minutes to clear your mind, so give yourself those small breaks.
  • Don’t make everything from scratch. If you love making pie crust and it’s your favorite Christmas tradition to make pumpkin pie from scratch, then do it. Otherwise, buy the pie or at least buy the pie crust and the pumpkin from a can. Look for ways to save yourself time if you’re the one responsible for making the big family meal. The stuffing mix from a box is fluffy and full of flavor, cranberry from a can tastes sweeter than homemade and egg nog from a carton is just as creamy. Think of each step you save as a gift to yourself.

– The #BingIt Team:

· Kari Dilloo – @karidilloo

· Ted Roduner – @roduner

· Brad Barker – @bradcbarker