Save 25% off all Household Labels throughout the month of January!

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Welcome to 2015!
How are those resolutions coming?
I played it safe this year and didn't make too many resolutions other than to get back on my feet and get a home for my daughters, which will happen within the next couple months! YAY!

When it comes down to it, we all have the best intentions of keeping our New Year's resolutions. Even though many of them can be quite difficult to keep. You agree?
If one of your resolutions just happens to be getting organized then I have the perfect solution for you... Mabel's Labels! They can not only help you get organized but also help you stay on the organization bandwagon all year long by offering 25% off all Household Labels throughout the month of January!

From the kitchen to bedrooms to storage room and more.... It's time to get labeling so you're not wasting precious time searching for your needed items! No more losing your stuff and having to repurchase it and wind up finding it all months later (more than likely while your searching for something else!), which burns up your hard earned money faster then realized!

At checkout, Enter the coupon code: TIDYHOME
to save 25% on Household labels ONLY!

Disclaimer: This blog accepts compensation in the form of products and/or monetary for selected posts which will be labeled as sponsored. No matter the compensation, I only write about items and/or services that I have personal experience with and believe my readers will enjoy and/or benefit from. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of others.
View Full Disclosure for further details.
This post may contain affiliate links.

Happy Chinese New Year, Little Passports!

Stella Ma, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Little Passports shares her family's annual Chinese New Year traditions!

"Happy Chinese New Year
And
Year of the Horse!

I grew up in a fairly traditional Cantonese-speaking family, and Chinese New Year has always been a very special holiday for me. As a young child, I knew Chinese New Year took place around the beginning of the year, but I didn’t fully grasp that the date was tied to the lunar calendar. I recall my mom pulling out a large Chinese calendar book and flipping through the pages to find the exact date.

Our excitement built as the day approached and preparations were made. We cleaned the house before the holiday because we didn’t want to risk “sweeping” out good luck after the New Year. By the same logic, we observed not washing our hair on New Year’s Day for fear that we might wash away good fortune.

Lots of planning went into getting ready for the traditional New Year's Eve family reunion dinner. I particularly enjoyed the shopping trips my mom and I took to Chinatown to purchase the special ingredients. The food we served was auspicious and symbolic, with the names of many of the dishes sounding like the Chinese pronunciations for “good fortune," "happiness" or "longevity.” Dishes and ingredients included chicken, roast pork, Chinese “hair” fungus, lettuce, dried oysters and fish. My favorite dish, which involved a labor-intensive mincing of many ingredients, was the dried oyster lettuce cups (with the Chinese name of the dish sounding like “good business”). I would stand next to my mom and watch her take great care as she prepared all the ingredients. When we got a food processor, I thought it would finally bring my mom some relief, but she still insisted on hand-chopping everything.

We always started New Year’s Day with a special vegetarian meal. Because my dad left early in the morning for work, I would go to bed excited, knowing that my mom would wake us all up around 5 am so we could share the meal as a family. In the morning, we would wish my parents a happy new year and good health for the coming year in Cantonese and then we would eat a piece of candy to ensure sweetness for the new year. My mom would give us lycee (red envelopes) filled with lucky money. After breakfast, we would dress in something red to symbolize good luck and head off to school.

The weeks following involved visits to my relatives where we would bring and exchange bags filled oranges, sweets and other treats. It was a multi-week rotating house party! When I moved out and got married, I appreciated the annual tradition of coming together as a family to celebrate even more. Every year, I call my parents on the morning of the new year to wish them a happy new year. It’s tradition that only married couples give out red envelopes, so I find myself always scrambling to get them prepared and feeling extra lucky if I managed to get brand new bills from the bank. (I no longer observe the “no washing hair” tradition, and my mom looks the other way.)

As a mom myself now to two young boys, I cherish sharing and passing along the traditions. On New Year’s morning, I give my sons each a piece of candy with their red envelopes. Being given candy for breakfast makes them feel like they have the best mom ever! They also love going to Chinatown and watching the lion dancing, and we’ve had many ad hoc lion dance performances at home using makeshift drums and lion costumes fashioned out of blankets.

Gung Hay Fat Choy (as we would say in Cantonese, or in Mandarin, Xin Nian Kuai Le) to the Little Passports community!"

--Stella

Sam and Sofia are ready to learn more about these new traditions! Which one would you like to try?

Bring Little Passports into your home in 2014 andteach your kids about all of the fascinating cultures around the world!

Learn more at Little Passports!

Vist the End Of Year Sale at The Gooseberry Patch and SAVE up to 80% Off + a FREE Cookbook!!

*The Gooseberry Patch is having a wonderful*
*End-Of-Year-Sale*

Visit GooseberryPatch.com and SAVE up to 80% Off of their amazing Cookbooks!!

Enjoy tons of delicious recipes that'll not only fill your home with yummy scents during the New Year but will insure that your friends are calling you for tips when they're planning their next get together!

Visit GooseberryPatch.com today and SAVE!!!

This offer expires on January 2, 2013. You may also want to take in to consideration that due to the expected popularity of the Gooseberry Patch End of Year Sale, please allow up to 15 business days for your order to arrive.

Disclaimer: This blog accepts compensation in the form of products and/or monetary for selected posts which will be labeled accordingly. No matter the compensation, I only write about items and/or services that I have personal experience with and believe my readers will enjoy and/or benefit from. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of others.

View Full Disclosure for further details.

This post may contain affiliate links.