Kids Ain't Cheap

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Archives for December 2010

Some Last Minute Gifts Before the New Year

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Last minute gift ideas
Image from Christmasstockimages.com

If you are anything like me, you will surely have forgotten one or two close friends over the holidays.  Or you might have forgotten that you promised to bring something to the New Year’s potluck celebration at your brother’s house.  If this is so, then here are some ideas that I’ve used this year and over the past few years, when this happens to me.

Last Minute Gift Ideas:

First you have to look at the recipient of this gift.  Is this person a close friend, a recently-made friend, or a colleague?  This matters as this will dictate the theme of the gift you will be giving.

If this is for a close friend- this is the easiest person to give a gift to. The best last minute gift is something they can use, something that is still unique, and something that is easy to make or find.  I’ve discovered that men and women alike really appreciate something for the home.  Here is a short list of home gifts:

  1. A really nice, big serving dish- good for parties and the like
  2. A charming oil burner- wonderful for the room or the living room
  3. A basket with potpourri- a rustic air freshener
  4. A set of organic soap

If your friend is a colleague- this is the person that is not so easy to gift because there is that professional barrier that can hold you back.  Here are some presents that my colleagues liked.

  1. A compact desktop- to hold pens, clips, pins, post its and the like
  2. A personalized pen- this is great to have when signing those checks, papers, contracts. It’s very professional-looking
  3. A bottle of good wine in a beautiful pouch- after the wine is consumed, the bottle and the pouch can be reused
  4. A stylish and compact laptop bag- this is a must have for the workers of this day and, thankfully, you can find really nice ones for a bargain price.

What are some of your gift ideas?  I’ll bet I can use these next year.

Now, if you forgot that you committed a dish to this year’s potluck, try something sweet and simple like a Leche Flan.  This is milk custard in English, and before you knock it, try it first.  It is delicious, sweet, and very easy to make.

You will need:

  • a double boiler
  • aluminum foil
  • a dozen eggs
  • a can of evaporated milk
  • a teaspoon of lemon essence
  • a cup of sugar, brown or white
  • a cup of water
  • a Llanera (flan mould)- one big one or a few smaller ones

How to Make This Dish:

  1. In a saucepan, mix the sugar and the water in equal amounts over medium heat.  You have to use medium heat or you will burn the syrup. Mix this until it gets drippy, not thick.
  2. Transfer equal amounts of this syrup to the Llanera(s) and leave it to sit for a while to cool.
  3. Separate the yolks from the whites. You need only the yolks.
  4. In a mixing bowl, combine the yolks and evaporated milk slowly, mixing in the lemon essence at the end.  It should be light yellow and liquid at the end.
  5. Pour this mixture into the Llaneras in equal amounts.
  6. Cover the Llaneras with the foil and steam in the dopuble boiler for an hour or until cooked. You will know this is cooked when a knife comes out clean after insertion. make sure this is a smooth and not a serrated knife.
  7. Run a smooth knife along the edges of the pan and then turn over slowly into your serving dish.

Viola!  You have Leche Flan. Trust me, this is a simple and delicious dish that everyone will surely love. Let me know if you’ve tried this and how you liked it.

What are your favorite last minute gift ideas?

A Homemade Gift to Light the Way

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ParolFor last minute gifts, some people choose to go the DIY way.  I am one those people and I choose this route for two reasons.  One, I do not want to go out and brave the Christmas shopping chaos of last-minute panic buyers; Two, I want the gift to be special even if it is simple, which a lot of my homemade items are.  The personal touch makes the gift special.

I’ve mentioned before that one staple in my country is the Christmas star or the ‘Parol’.  This is a lantern made traditionally of bamboo sticks and colorful cellophane, white rice paper or Japanese paper.  There are strips of paper coming from the two bottom points that represent the stars rays. The religious symbolism in this lantern comes from the star of Bethlehem that guided the Three Wise Men on their search for the baby Jesus.  No home is complete without some variation of the Christmas star.

How to make a Parol

One gift that is special, can be used again, symbolizes the season, and is just plain pretty is this Parol. And because of traditional simple roots, it is also easy to make at home.

You will Need:

  • Bamboo sticks
  • Very durable thin string
  • Strong glue
  • Colored cellophane- for a glossy look OR
  • White rice paper- for a classic look OR
  • Colored Japanese Paper- for a modern but muted look

Steps:

  1. Make some thin sticks from a medium sized bamboo pole (fresher is better) that you might be able to find at wholesale flower markets or craft shops.  If you can’t or don’t want to make these on your own, go and look for ready-made ones. They are just as good.
  2. Tie five sticks into the shape of a star and make two of these forms.
  3. Connect the ends of the stars and insert braces inside the star to make it three-dimensional.
  4. Once secure, cover this frame with your choice of paper using the strong glue. You can get fancy and add frills, cut-out paper doilies, fringes, tails, etc. and attach them to the two bottom ends.
  5. Optional: you can purchase a ready-made socket with wiring then it will be easy to put a light bulb inside your parol. Just make sure it doesn’t get too hot or the lantern could burst into flames.

And, viola!  You have your Parol.

You can make this any size and any color you want.  You can make this lit or not. You can make this to be attached directly to the wall or as a hanging piece or even as the décor at the end of the stick for your lawn.  The point is, you can be flexible.  If you are especially artistic, you can create a design on the body of the star as well.  Here are some sample pictures:

I think these are the perfect, whimsical, special Christmas gift to give to your friends.  Even here in the Philippines, where the Parol is a staple, these simple homemade stars are still much appreciated.  There is that added bonus that it is re-usable, cost-effective, and environment friendly.  With a little effort, some materials, and a little bit of imagination, you can give that special gift.

Do you make homemade gifts? What is your favorite to make?

How to Deal with “Mommy, I want…..”

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How to react to "mommy, I want"
Image from DeviantArt

There are two times in the whole year when my kids go on a litany of “I want’s”.  These are their birthdays and Christmas.  They tap into the age-old tradition of gift-giving and suddenly they have reams and reams worth of gift suggestions you never knew they even had a clue about until now.  Of course, it doesn’t help that the television flashes ad after ad of all these innovative, new, varied, and expensive toys.  Even my kids, whom I try my very best to raise simply, succumb to the desire to own these toys.   And this is a tough thing to fulfill being a single mom.  But besides that, I really do not believe that they should have everything they want, any time they want it. I think it builds character to wait for a toy, to earn a toy, and to know that sometimes you can’t get the toy.  And I have clinical support for this belief, apparently.

“ Kids who get whatever they want don’t develop the critical life skills of self-discipline” David Walsh, Ph.D.  Author of No: Why Kids- of All Ages- Need to Hear It and Ways Parent Can Say It.

So here are some tips I’ve taken to doing to help my kids learn some self-control, and to save me from the needless and endless expense of too much toy shopping.

1.  Earn your Toy

My 5-year old son really wants a Wii.  Now, where we live, the kids don’t normally have Wii’s or PSP’s.  But my nephew, who is younger incidentally, has a Wii and so my son knows exactly what this is and all the virtual fun it can bring. This is a very expensive toy though and not something I think a 5-year old should have yet.  In fact, I am trying to limit their computer game exposure for the simple reasons that I want them to love reading and playing outside. I believe these activities enrich their minds and bodies.  Reading allows them to stretch their imagination and creativity as well as communication skills because they learn a lot of different vocabulary words from these books. Playing outside will keep them agile, fit, strong, and will build their immune system as well.  It is said  that one of the ways to fight a cold is to get exercise because it is through physical activity that blood circulates and disease fighting cells are made.

So I told him:

That a Wii is an expensive toy that requires some prerequisite behavior.  First, he has to show me he can take care of the toys he currently has meaning putting them away properly after  he plays with them and making sure he doesn’t intentionally break them.  Second, he has to show me that he can stop playing and eat or do his homework when he needs to. Finally, he has to earn the toy through a combination of good behavior and his allowance.  Granted, he has a tiny, tiny allowance, being only 5 years old, but still, it teaches him how to save.

2.  Look at the root of the desire

My daughter likes toys in general but nothing really in particular.  Thankfully, she is growing up fairly satisfied with having one of one kind of toy. This does not include her true favorite which are bags and shoes but that is an entirely different post.  Anyway, because of this, I am surprised when she accosts me with a barrage of toy requests.

This is what I do:

I sit down and listen to her and see if she really wants the toy for the toy itself. She can articulate why she wants the toy if it is really something she wants.  Often it is usually parroting her brother or just the act of collecting things.  If it is the former, then I have to sit down and look at the request.  I have to see that it is age-appropriate and not too expensive.  If it is, then I explain why she can’t have it.  This usually works.  If it is the latter, then I have to redirect her need to collect.  So far, I’ve redirected her efforts towards creating cards from art paper. These she can collect all she wants and all year-round at that!

3. ‘No’ means No.

Sometimes, even the best efforts just fall by the wayside.  These are the times when you have to look for your inner Hercules and stand your ground.  My son keeps going on and on about getting this very expensive train track set that he doesn’t need because he already has 4 others.  So finally I’ve told him that we won’t be getting it because he already has enough train track sets and that our budget would be better spent on something he doesn’t have or in saving for a rainy day. Naturally, he was upset when I told him this.

“Kids this age aren’t developmentally ready to understand that parents make and enforce rules to protect, not punish, them”. Dr. Walsh.

The thing that matters is that the kids see that you have values and that these are important and that you stand by them. These will be the values they will emulate themselves when they grow older.

More Helpful Tips:

1.  Limit TV time.

Like it or not, kids get 80% of their ideas from what they watch on TV. Just as the take in and copy expressions and behavior, so do they take in what consumerism tells them they should want and have.  Limiting TV time or popping in appropriate shows on your DVD will expose them to the good values in these shows and limit all the spending and collecting desires.

2. Explain things Clearly

When my son or daughter wants something, I talk to them about it. I asks them why they want it and I explain why I think it is not a good idea just yet.  My son had adjusted well to this form of communication, so much so that I often hear him telling his play mates why he doesn’t have a certain toy, when he can get it, and all with ease and no acrimony.

3. If you must take them to the mall with you, reserve toy shopping for when they are at the play area or in the library.

Choose your battles. Remember that these are kids and that sometimes, no amount of explanation will calm a child who literally sees the toy of their dreams an arm’s reach away.

These tips have really helped me keep my kids tantrums in check when considering the presents they want this Christmas.  I really think that these also apply to other aspects of life.  It teaches them discipline, control, how to save and budget, and how to handle different, difficult emotions.  If you get around to trying any of the tips, let me know how it goes.

How do you teach “no” to your children?

What I Got for Christmas!

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My christmas presents
Photo from DeviantArt

Christmas is over and the chaos is behind us.  It seems so passe to say it because almost everyone says that Christmas is their favorite time of year but count me among the masses, I love it!  It’s a crazy month for me, I am part owner of a popular Ecommerce company and we do an insane amount of business during the month of December so it keeps me really busy.  It’s really tough to stay in the spirit and do all the family stuff, all the work stuff, the blogging and still remain happy and festive, but somehow, I do manage it.  I think I would be crushed if any Christmas passed me by without taking the time to be with family and enjoy our traditions so no matter how hectic it becomes, it is one of those things I will always make time for.

Now that Christmas is passed and we are approaching the New Year, I thought it would be fun to list the wonderful things I got this year.

Under the Tree!

Kodak Zx3 Digital Video Camera

I Love this digital video camera! It’s an economical choice for families, it’s only $149 and takes really great video at up to 1080p.  There are a few choices in the $100 – $150 range for small digital video cameras but my wife picked this one because it’s waterproof.  We spend a lot of time at my mother-in-laws pool during the summer and I can’t wait to get some underwater footage of the kids.  I am excited to start using this to both capture family moments and to add a new dimension to KidsAintCheap!  I will be doing a review on it in a future post

Craft Beer!

That’s right, my wife knows what I like and really enjoy craft beer.  It’s my parental aid of choice 🙂  When unwinding after a stressful day, there is nothing like a quality beer.  My wife has gotten pretty good at picking out what I would like.  She travels a lot for work and a few of the places she travels to have some great beer stores that carry nothing but craft beer.  She got me an excellent selection this year.

Homebrew Equipment and Books

In addition to enjoying craft beer, I also enjoy making my own beer.  My family got some excellent suggestions from my wife and got me a few new books and some equipment that will hopefully improve the quality of my brew.

Restaurant Gift Certificates

As I mention on the about us page of this site, we are in signficant debt and live on a very strict and limited budget.  We do without most luxuries which includes going out to dinner.  We love to eat good food but in the last two years, we could very rarely afford it.  This year we were grateful and happy to get gift certificates (enough to cover the entire meal) to one of our favorite local restaurants.

With Our Powers Combined, we are Platypus!

I am a big fan of Snorgtees.com, they have some really hilarious t-shirts and I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy.  I have only ever used the site to buy gifts for other people because as I mentioned, we are broke and do without things we don’t need.  However, one of my favorite tees is this one and my wife bought it for me.  She spent more than we budgeted but I can’t complain too much!

I also got a bunch of smaller items and some much needed clothing but that is a good synopsis of the physical gifts I was most excited about from my wife, my parents and the rest of my family.  As much as I loved all of those things, they don’t come close to the best gift I got this year.

Not under the Tree

The greatest gift I got this year was not physical and many people wouldn’t even define it as a gift but those people are wrong.  The greatest gift I got this year was seeing the unbridled joy, happiness and excitement on my children’s faces all weekend long.  This was the greatest Christmas morning I have ever had, to see them so enthusiastically embrace the idea of Santa Claus and the excitement in their eyes when they saw the pile of treasure they received was just priceless.  I hope to have many more Christmas’s like this with my family but I know this unbridled youthful joy won’t last forever so I intend to savor every minute of it.

Brian

P.S. For those interested, here is a video I shot the day after Christmas in the freezing cold at a local park.  It’s my two boys riding their brand new bikes.  I shot the video with my new Kodak Zx3!

What did you get for Christmas this year?

Health Tips that Cost Nothing

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Low cost Health Tips
Found on Pixabay

Every Christmas season, there is nothing like seeing family and friends share in the fun, food, and presents. This year though, more and more people have been tightening their belts with everything from Christmas Eve and Christmas day menus to presents.  So it is especially important to take note of all the things we can do to save a buck or two.

Funnily enough, this is not relegated to food and gifts only. There are so many things we can do to avoid unnecessary expenses that are not really related only to the Christmas season. I don’t know how it is in other countries, but in the Philippines, the couple of months leading to Christmas are usually the coldest in the year. And because of this, people tend to stay indoors more and up getting sick more often because of the increased time in close quarters.  We can save a lot from medicines and doctors visits if we just pay attention and plan ahead.  Here are some tips to help avoid health-related expenses during the Christmas season.

Get your kids’ vaccines updated

If you have an infant, this tip might be an unnecessary one for you. This is because infants have a regular list of vaccines they need to be given in the first 12 months of life.  But if you have a toddler or preschooler, you might want to rethink some traditional plans.  Before, it would be enough to have one or two chicken pox vaccines between the infant year to the eighteenth.  These days, a lot of pediatricians recommend another shot in between due to the mutation of the chicken pox strain.  Sounds scary, true. But a shot will allay fears.  Thankfully, my son and daughter are really good about shots.  A simple distraction and a promise of a lollipop is enough to ensure a cry-free session at the doctor.

Make sure you get your kids checked while you’re at the doctors

Since you’re at your doctor’s anyway, it would be a good idea to do an overall check-up.  Get their eyes, ears, throat, tummy, weight, and height checked.  Not only is this one way to make sure they are in tip-top shape before the Holidays, but it also keeps YOU updated as to how your kids are growing.  Since I don’t need to visit the doctor ever three months anymore and really only see her bi-annually or if the kids are really sick (which, thankfully, has been very rare), I use these visits to keep track of their growth in general. It is also a great time to do it since I have the info every end of the year –for the start of the next year- and every mid-year- for comparison.

Teach the kids the value of cleanliness and being organic

I live in a tropical country so we have wet and humid weather all the time.  For kids, this means a lot of rainwater and mud.  While I am all for the kids building a natural immunity to dirt, I also am very mindful of the millions of diseases you can get from being carelessly dirty.  I try to avoid such serious illnesses like Typhoid fever and Hepatitis from teaching my kids to always wash their hands after using the bathroom and before every meal.  They bathe three times a day, especially before they go to bed as they need to wash away all the dirt and grime collected over the day.  Some people don’t think this is necessary, but I believe otherwise, especially in a tropical country.

I try to avoid other less serious illnesses like skin rashes or diarrhea by monitoring closely what they eat.  This is a tough one since Christmas time is all about caroling and parties for kids and both activities naturally come with food.  I just stick to my one rule and it has served me well, so far.  As much as possible, the kids can eat food prepared with as little additives as possible.  So if we are eating at someone else’s house, I stay away from food from the can or cooked with MSG, and any and all sodas.  Of course, there is no keeping the kids away from chips and candy so I allow this within reason. A deal with the kids usually works.  They can have a handful of 1 kind of chip (choices screened by moi) and 2 pieces of candy per house, and as much juice as they want as long as they drink the same amount of water (which I bring from home). This has gotten me through this season, food-allergy free.

On the whole I try to keep them to drinking fresh fruit juices but I do also take the bottled ones if the fruits just can’t be had here- like grape or strawberry or peach juice all of which are very tough or expensive to come by.

In my country, good healthy care is not free so you really have to pay attention to what the kids are exposed to and to their vaccine records not only to keep them consistently healthy but also to keep yourself from drowning in medical expenses otherwise.  I hope these simple tips are helpful, even a bit.

How do you keep your kids healthy?

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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I know, it’s not Christmas yet but I don’t plan on being online over the next two days so I wanted to take a minute and extend a very Merry Christmas to everyone that has subscribed to our feed or visits our web site.  We only just launched in October and already our readership and recognition in our own space is growing.  Thanks Everyone!

Merry Christmas
Found on Flickr

The Magic and Meaning of Christmas

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The spirit of Christmas
Image on DeviantArt

I can still remember the anticipation I felt – as a child – waiting for Santa. My brother would usually wake up first – several times actually; 10pm, 12am, 2am, then finally at 5am — I would get up with him. I don’t think that kid even slept a wink; he was just so excited.

We had to wait until 6am to wake our Mom up though. It seemed like that hour took forever. Thank goodness our stockings were always right outside our bedroom doors, so we would go through those while we waited.

When I think back to some of my favorite Christmases; I can still feel the butterflies of excitement, the thrill of discovering I had received my most wished for gift and how happy I was to read the letter that Santa had left for me – ME!

Even though I can still tap into those feelings and the excitement of that time – part of me – wasn’t sure I really wanted to do the whole Santa thing with the boys. I really never expressed this to anyone (they would surely think I had lost my mind), and it’s hard to explain how someone – who loves everything about Christmas – could even consider, not allowing her children the same magical experience that she had, growing up.

Of course, Santa does visit our house, and this year the boys are over the moon with excitement. It’s amazing to see how everything is really clicking for them this year but — it again got me thinking, “Is Santa really a good thing to do? Does it take away from the true meaning of Christmas? Is it confusing them?  How can I tell them lying is wrong, when here I am doing it?”

It’s been hard for me to really explain how we go from; “Santa visits you and brings you toys” to “We are celebrating Jesus’ birthday.” If it’s hard for me to figure out how to explain it, you can imagine how hard it would be for a preschool age child to understand it. Clearly — I needed to learn more.

The story of the first Santa

So, I decided to go in search of the first Santa – St. Nicholas.

I was very happy to discover a web site devoted to St. Nicholas. The St. Nicolas Center was able to really connect the dots for me. It showed me how I could incorporate Santa (which represents the spirit of giving) without feeling like I was taking away from the true meaning of Christmas; which if course is to celebrate God’s greatest gift — the birth of Jesus Christ.

To gain a better appreciation – and more understanding – of this wonderful man; I encourage you to visit the site yourself. There is a lot of great information to be gleaned from this web site and many activities geared toward children as well.

I can now explain to the boys that St. Nicholas was a man who loved Jesus very, very much! He loved Jesus so much that he decided to follow His teachings, and rid himself of all his worldly possessions. St. Nick was a kind and generous man who lived to make people happy, to protect children, and to provide for those in need.

St. Nicholas represents the spirit of giving — and there is the magic. When we give gifts out of love instead of obligation — that is when we can be joyful and experience the thrill and delight that the season brings.

Connecting Jesus to gift giving

Jesus is the meaning and the true reason for the Christmas season.

Deuteronomy 16:17
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.

Teaching children to give and give with love, is link that connects Santa and our Savior.

What does Christmas mean to you?

Review of Groupon and Tips for Using It

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Groupon is a popular deal siteI have known of Groupon for awhile now but until recently, it wasn’t available in my local area.  I used to check out the site and see what deals were available in Philadelphia, which is about an hour and a half from us, but with two kids, work and a very tight budget, we don’t get the opportunity to go into the city as often as we used to.  I was pretty excited when Groupon starting offering deals right in our town and it looks like it plans on launching sites for many of the surrounding areas very soon.  The company seems to be growing at an amazing pace, hopefully the people behind it are able to manage that growth so they don’t become the next dot com fatality but only time will tell.

Groupon Deal of the Day

For those of you that don’t know, Groupon is a “deal of the day” web site that provides huge savings in your local area.  I have seen the savings range from 25% to 75% off with most being close to the 50% off range.   Each deal has a tipping point that activates the offer.  In other words, if enough people don’t buy it, then the deal is null and void.  Most of the time, more than enough people jump at the deal.   The deals can be for almost anything.  In the short time it’s been available in my local area I have seen discounts for restaurants, local stores, flying lessons, spa treatments, and more.  It’s part of the attraction of the site, every day brings something new and you feel compelled to read the emails, check the Twitter feed or view the site to see what the days deal is.  It’s the perfect execution of a viral marketing plan.

It’s hard to see how some of the companies that use Groupon actually make money.  To keep the math easy, let’s say a local restaurant offers a $100 meal for $50 (a pretty common deal on Groupon) the restaurant doesn’t get $50.  They split that money with Groupon so Groupon get’s $25 and the restaurant get’s $25.  After selling that particular deal, they still have to offer the $100 meal that was advertised.  It’s not unusual for hundreds of people to jump on a deal like that so if you do the math, it’s quite a lot for a small business to absorb.  Talk about eating into your margins!

Despite all that, there seems to be no limit to the number of companies interested in offering a huge discount on sites like Groupon.  So, how do they make money or at least hope to make money, offering such huge discounts?  I have a few thoughts this:

  • It’s a service or product that has huge margins and they can afford to offer big discounts in the hopes of gaining a new customer
  • The company knows it will lose money on the deal but hopes it will make up for it by the increased exposure and the chance to capture new and repeat customers
  • As with most coupons/gift certificates, a certain percentage of people will buy the deal but will never actually use it.  When that happens, it’s pure profit for the business offering the deal.

The only negative press I have been able to find online is from companies that have used it and failed to turn a profit on their particular deal but is that really Groupon’s fault?   They seem to be pretty up-front about what they have to offer companies but I have no first hand experience.  I am sure I am missing some strategies that businessmen smarter than me have been able to take advantage of and I would think that a good portion of the companies that use it must make out alright for the company to be growing as fast they are.

How to use Groupon

Okay, so enough about how Groupon works for the businesses that use it, let’s take a look at the customer, the end user for the service.  Can you really save that much using Groupon?  Absolutely!  That I know for certain.  The deals they offer are legitimate and easy to cash in on.  Before you give them your credit card number and start buying up discounts and special offers, we do have a few tips on how to best use the Groupon site:

  • As with any coupon, don’t get sucked in by the deal and spend money on something you didn’t need or never intended to buy in the first place.
  • You can get $10 just for referring other people to Groupon who make a purchase.  I signed up and referred my wife, my sister and my parents.  If they opt into any of the deals that come along, I will get $10 to spend on any deal I want.
  • The site can be fun and addictive, don’t let that overrule your own common sense.  If you can’t really use it, it doesn’t matter how good of a deal it is, don’t spend your money on it
  • If you do buy it, make sure you pay careful attention to the expiration date.  They are counting on a certain percentage of people buying into the deal but never getting around to actually using it.  If you aren’t sure you will be able to use it before the expiration date, don’t buy it.
  • Take a look at what other customers have to say about a particular deal before you purchase it by clicking on the “Jon the Discussion” link.
  • I never buy into the deal the first time I look at it.  I typically check out the Groupon site first thing in the morning before work.  If I am not interested, I don’t go back until the next day.  If I am interested, I wait a few hours and go back to the site on my lunch break.  It gives me time to think about whether I will really use or need the offer and helps to remove some of the emotional excitement from the transaction.
  • Make sure you read the fine print so you know exactly what you are getting and what the restrictions are.
  • If you are interested in the service, make sure you register and create a profile, it will make it a lot easier to purchase deals and keep track of what offers you have available to you.

I highly recommend Groupon, if you can exercise a little self control, it’s a great way to save a LOT of money.  You can check out their web site and sign up by going to Sign Up with Groupon


Do you use Groupon? How do you make it work for you?

Guess The Money in the Jar!

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RetailMeNot, is an online coupon directory. They are similar to our own coupon directory but have been around a lot longer and have a much broader audience.   They are running a pretty fun Twitter contest right now.  They have a picture on their web site of a jar full of money.  If you guess the right amount of money and tweet about it on your Twitter account, you win the money!  Pretty easy and they let you make a new guess every day.  You can check out all of the details at RetailMeNot’s Money Jar page.

RetailMeNot contest

So, what was your guess? That looks like a lot of moolah to me!

Have you ever entered a contest like this? How well did you do?

Super Simple Christmas Crafts for Kids

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Simple christmas crafts for kidsOkay – before we go any further – I just have something I need tell you all; I am not a super-duper, craft-tastic, Mom. You might be saying, “Come on Christie, you can do crafts! Anyone can be crafty if they really set their mind to it.” Ha! Not true — and here is a quick example to illustrate my point.

When I was pregnant with our boys, I was on bed rest for 3 months. So, I thought maybe I would try to learn how to crochet. My Mom is great and it, and so was my Grandma — so naturally I had to be great at it too, right? Wrong!

My Mom brought me lots of yarn, a few books on crocheting, and spent some time tutoring me on how to make a baby blanket. You would think that someone with 3 months to spare; someone whose day consisted of watching “Little House on the Prairie,” court room dramas, and eating peanut butter toast, would be able to carve out a few hours each day to really perfect the art of crocheting.

Nope! Not me. I made two blanket-ish looking things, but even the dog was too embarrassed to use them. I can’t say that I blame her.

I’ve tried scrap booking, needle point, and sewing; none of which turned out well.

I’m fine with that. I have other talents. I don’t need to be crafty to be complete; but kids love crafts — so I’ve had to bite the bullet and figure out how to do some of these things.

My point is this, if I tell you I have crafts to share, crafts which are simple and easy; you’d better believe they are. I really dislike doing a search for simple crafts; only to  discover I need 20 items, oodles of time (and patience), and there is about a 99% chance our dog will end up with glitter and paint all over her.

So here are 4 crafts for you, which are simple and not too terribly messy. I promise!

Christmas Tree Ornament:

What you need:

  • Craft Sticks
  • Glue gun
  • Green felt or construction paper
  • Markers
  • pipe cleaner/ribbon/yarn
  • foam stickers

Now — you can make this as simple or elaborate as you would like. I have two 3yr olds so we go the simple route.

Directions:

  1. I let the boys color the crafts sticks with green markers.
  2. Then I hot glued the sticks together to make a triangle and attached green felt to the back.
  3. I had some wonderful winter themed foam stickers that a friend gave me and just let the boys put them on as they would like.
  4. Finally, I glued a pipe cleaner on the back so we could hang the ornament up.

See? Simple! If you have older kids, they can use craft glue and they might like to decorate the tree with buttons, glitter glue, puff paint, uncooked pasta, paints, or whatever else you can think of.

We also did some Snowflake Ornaments which consist of the same materials. These are just craft sticks, hot glue, paint, glitter puff paint, and a pipe cleaner. Here’s a photo:

Salt Dough Ornaments

I loved making these because I love to cook. The boys enjoyed cutting out the shapes and decorating them.

What you need:

  • 1 Cup Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Salt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Cookie cutters
  • Paint
  • Glitter Spray (optional — but totally cool)
  • Black Marker
  • Ribbon/yarn/string

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
  2. Combine flour, salt and water. Knead and flour dough until it isn’t sticky anymore
  3. Roll out dough until about 1/4 inch thick
  4. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters (if you don’t have cookie cutters handy you can cut into squares or triangles and things like that)
  5. Cook for 2 hours
  6. Let cool
  7. Let the kids paint and decorate. We painted one day and the next they decorated with markers
  8. Give ornaments a little spritz with glitter spray and you are good to go!

Hang them on the tree, tie them on packages, or let the kids wrap them up to give to grandparents.

Foam Sticker Collage

This one is so simple; I’m almost embarrassed to include it — but my kids were quiet for a long time doing this project and they were really proud of their work.

What you need:

  • Construction Paper
  • Foam Stickers

Directions:

  1. Get out the paper
  2. Get out the stickers
  3. Let the kids go crazy creating!

These are simple and the biggest mess you’ll have to clean up, are the backings from the stickers and whatever stickers fall on the floor. That’s it!

The kids get to have fun and I don’t have to stress about the mess. It’s a win, win for all!

If you have a simple craft idea you’d like to share — please do! I’d love to hear about it.

Are you crafty? What crafts do you enjoy making?

A Tale of Three Stretchy Monkeys

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Stretch Zoo MonkeysOne hot July day, my then four-and-a-half-year-old son and I went to a neighborhood yard sale, where he found the new love of his life-a scraggly-looking, brown monkey with stretchy, rubbery arms. But there was something in monkey’s sweet, wise face that struck a cord with my son and a new friendship was born. With a soft, cuddly body and stretchy arms that could be pulled back and then let go for a sling shot effect, what’s not to love? “Stretch-o,” as he would come to be named, accompanied my son everywhere. To preschool, on car rides, to the store, and of course, to bed with him every night. You know where I’m going with this, right? You guessed it. One night at bedtime, my son asked, “Where’s Stretch-o?” Stretch-o was nowhere to be found. Darn it. After a perfunctory search of the house-still nothing. “He must be at school,” I told him.

Stretch-o Lost & Found

After a few days, it became clear that we were not going to find him. My son cried every time he thought about it, telling me many times during the day, “I still feel sad about Stretch-o.” I thought my heart might break. After we realized that Stretch-o may be lost good this time, the search began for his replacement. Before the invention of the Internet, if a child lost a beloved toy, parents would have to call or visit multiple stores, hoping to find an exact replica, sometimes coming back empty-handed. I have a friend whom, before the Internet was what it is today, called every Hallmark store on the East Coast to find a particular stuffed dinosaur for her son, finally locating one in Florida. But in my case, I googled “stretchy monkey arms” and was immediately rewarded with search results showing a number of online stores with Stretch Zoo Monkeys. Hooray for Amazon.com. Gotta love them. So with Stretch-o #2 on his way, things were definitely looking up.

Fast forward a couple of days when my neighbor’s son was over playing video games with my son in the basement. “We found Stretch-o!” My neighbor’s son yelled from downstairs. My son then came running up the stairs with his monkey in his arms. Stretch-o had been hiding between the television and the video game console, visible only from certain angles. “I’m so happy for you,” I said. “Now you’ll have two!” In two more days, Stretch-o #2 arrived, who was later named “Elastic.” Well, Elastic and Stretch-o made a good pair for about a week before Elastic also went missing. “I don’t care,” my son said. “I still have Stretch-o.”

Elastic gets replaced

That was about one year ago. Elastic never turned up, but Stretch-o is still with us, although he is a little worse for the wear after multiple surgeries with needle and thread. With his birthday approaching, my son has asked for a “brother” for Stretch-o. No longer available on Amazon, my heart skipped a beat. But thanks to the wonders of the Internet, another was found and is on its way. What did we do before we had this instant gratification known as the World Wide Web? What did our kids do? I am sure we made it through somehow, although it is hard to remember a time when we had to do research the old fashioned way and we had to deal with disappointment when we simply could not replace something valuable and rare. I am sure there is a lesson to be learned here, including that kids have to learn the value of money and possessions and to not take things for granted and yada, yada, yada. That being said… in the astute words of the credit card commercial….Stretchy Monkey from the online toy store…ten dollars, including shipping… a birthday wish coming true for my little boy….priceless.

Has your child ever lost a favorite toy? What did you do?

The Greatest Christmas Movies of All Time!

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They may not be the greatest Christmas movies of all time but they area most certainly my favorites. As soon as Thanksgiving is behind me and we get into Christmas mode, I break out my Christmas DVD’s and we start watching. I don’t let a Christmas season pass without without watching every movie on this list. It’s a fun and important part of our families tradition.

If you don’t own any of these and want to pick them up, we recommend Amazon. They have a huge selection of used merchandise available. Most aren’t being sold directly by Amazon, they are sold by other merchants in the Amazon marketplace but I personally prefer it to buying through ebay, it seems better controlled. Many of the movies in the below list are available used for $5 – $10.

1. Scrooge

ScroogeThis version of the Christmas Carol story is by no means the most popular. Most people I know have never seen it and it was not a favorite of the critics but what do they know. This version happens to be my favorite and is also my top pick for our Christmas movie list. It stars Albert Finney as both young and old Scrooge and he does a phenomenal job. It was made in 1970 and what sets it apart from the rest is the music. That’s right, it’s a good old-fashioned musical and it’s one of the things I love about it. I grew up watching this movie. Every year for as long as I can remember, I have watched this movie with my family; first with my parents and sister and now with my wife and boys. I still look forward to it every year. If you don’t own it, it’s a good one to grab and is available from Amazon at Scrooge DVD

2. It’s a Wonderful Life

wonderful-life
It was a very tough decision between this movie and Scrooge for my #1 pick but in the end, Scrooge won out by a very small margin. It’s a Wonderful Life came out in 1946 and stars James Stewart and Donna Reed. I love this movie more than I can describe. I have been watching it for years but it still tugs at my emotional heartstrings and brings tears to my eyes when everyone comes together to help George Bailey in his time of need. If you don’t own it, it’s a must see and it is available from Amazon at It’s a Wonderful Life DVD

3. Miracle on 34th Street

Miracle on 34th StreetAnother Christmas classic! There have been a few versions of this movie over the years but none of the remakes can hold a candle to the original. Miracle on 34th Street came out in 1947 and stars Edmund Gwenn as Santa Clause, John Payne as Fred Gailey, the beautiful Maureen O’Hara as Doris Walker and a young Natalie Wood as her daughter, Susan Walker. It’s about a sweet and kind old man who believes he is Santa Claus. He is surrounded by skeptics but in the end, everyone comes to believe and understand that some things are always worth believing in, even after you become an adult and think you know better. It is available from Amazon at Miracle on 34th Street DVD

4. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerI don’t care how good the latest computer animation technology becomes, there will always be a place for these classic stop-motion animated movies. The animation is just beautiful, and not that “beautiful for it’s time” nonsense, these movies are beautiful for any time! I am a big fan of all the Rankin/Bass Christmas classics but I decided to just put my favorite one in the top 10. It’s a great story and is typically the first movie we watch to kick off the Christmas season. It is available from Amazon at Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer DVD. They also have a box set that includes Rudolph and a bunch of the others called Original Christmas Classics

5. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

National Lampoon's Christmas VacationIt’s time to bring on the funny! This is the third installment in the Griswold vacation series and it is my favorite. Once again Clark Griswold bites off more than he can chew as he pursues the perfect family Christmas. Despite his best intentions, the Griswold luck takes over and everything goes downhill in a very hysterical way. The movie came out in 1989 and stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo and Randy Quaid before he completely fell off his rocker. The movie is packed full of funny moments and we all have our favorites but really, how can you get through the Christmas season without hearing Randy Quaid utter those immortal words…”Shitters full”. It is available from Amazon at Christmas Vacation DVD.

6. Elf

Elf
I am not a huge Will Ferrel fan, I can usually take him or leave but there are three movies he has done that I love and Elf is one of them. It’s the perfect vehicle for his brand of humor. The first time I saw this movie was in the theater when it first came out with a few friends. I wasn’t actually that impressed. I thought it was okay but didn’t plan on watching it again. The next year I was channel surfing and I came across Elf. I ended up watching it again and LOVED it. Not sure why it did click the first time but I have watched it every year since then. It is available from Amazon at Elf DVD.

7. Die Hard

Die HardThat’s Right! Before you start complaining, Die Hard is definitely a Christmas movie and there is nothing I want to see more after being dragged out into the cold to go Christmas shopping with my wife. There are actually a few great action movies that we love to watch at Christmas time, the first Die Hard is my favorite but Lethal Weapon and LA Confidential aren’t far behind! What makes it a Christmas movie? The whole thing takes place at a Christmas party and if that’s not enough, he beats the bad guy by hiding his gun with Christmas Ho Ho Ho tape! C’mon, it’s jolly and awesome all at the same time! It is available from Amazon at Die Hard DVD.

8. Christmas Story

A Christmas Story
Yes, I am in the “I Love Christmas Story” camp. It seems to me that people either love this movie or can’t stand it and don’t understand why people like it. I am in the love camp. I enjoy the movie from beginning to end. The movie came out in 1983 and my family has been watching it every since. I watch this movie once a year and it cracks me up every year. We are the proud owners of a leg lamp desk lamp, leg lamp night light and a set of Christmas lights. After all, they are major awards! It is available from Amazon at Christmas Story DVD.

9. Love Actually

Love ActuallyI hesitated to put this movie on this list because after all, this is a chick flick and I am sure my wife is going to read this. I try not to admit when I like these kinds of movies, otherwise, I will be flooded with them. But I would be remiss if I left this movie off the list because I really enjoy it. Few things express the spirit of Christmas more then Love and that is what this movie is all about. It came out in 2003 and has a lot of stars. It’s a movie about a different couples and how their love lives interact during the Christmas season. It’s heartwarming and full of the Christmas spirit. It is available from Amazon at Love Actually DVD.

 

10. Polar Express

Polar ExpressIf I had watched this movie alone, I am not sure it would have made it into my top 10. It’s a great movie, don’t get me wrong, but I on it’s own, it’s not a top 10 for me. The tipping point was watching it with my oldest boy last year. He was 3 at the time and was obsessed with trains. When we showed him this movie at Christmas time it was such a special and memorable experience that I couldn’t wait to show it to him again. He was at the edge of his seat with unbridled joy and excitement last year. It was all the things that mattered to him at that moment, Trains and Santa Claus. It is available from Amazon at Polar Express DVD.

Other Movies that I Love but Didn’t Make it to the Top 10

It was really tough narrowing it down to my favorite 10 because I have more than 10 that I really love. I did my best to select the best of the best but it is by no means complete. Here are the rest of the movies in my Christmas collection that I enjoy watching each and every year.

Well there you have it, those are my top 10 Christmas movies. Christmas movies are something I have a real passion for so please, take a few minutes and post your comments below.

What are your favorite Christmas Movies?

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