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Reverse Advent Calendars just might be my new favorite holiday tradition this year!

I love traditional advent calendars – my family has a felt Christmas tree with little plush ornaments for each day that we’ve had hanging on the wall every year for as long as I can remember, and my husband’s family does a new daily treat calendar each year.

Those are all good and fun, but this year, as my son is getting older and more aware of the world around him, I wanted to start teaching him and his sister what’s really important at the holidays – and I don’t mean the overload of gifts.

Read More about How to Make a Reverse Advent Calendar

Gifts for 3-year-olds can be particularly tough to choose – they’re still very much “toddlers,” but they’re growing more and more into “preschoolers” every day.

At this age, they start to be more into activities than just toys, so STEM / learning toys can be great gifts, whether it’s for the holidays or a birthday.

Read More about Best Learning Gifts for 3 Year Old Toddlers

It’s officially October, and that means only one thing: the holidays are coming.

Did that send chills down anyone else’s spine?

Because along with the joys of the holiday season comes the inevitable Christmas gift overload for my toddlers.

I’d love to say that our house is always overflowing with joy and sparkles and snowflakes and cheer during the holidays, but in reality, we’re overflowing with stress, commitments, pressure, and well, still sparkles (per usual, for us toddler moms).

Read More about How I Avoid the Holiday Gift Overload

When making dinner for toddlers, there’s really only ONE factor that matters:

What the food looks like.

You could be serving them a culinary masterpiece of chocolate-covered mac ‘n cheese, but if they spot a speck of something green or ~spicy~, they won’t touch it with a 10-foot pole.

These Mini BBQ Bacon Turkey Meatloaves totally fit the “kid-friendly” bill, because they. are. ADORABLE.

Read More about Mini BBQ Bacon Turkey Meatloaf {Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free Options!}