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Personal and Financial Christmas Safety

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holiday safetyThough the holidays are supposed to be a wonderful, celebration-filled time of year, there are often an increase reported incidents related to personal and financial security.

You need to protect yourself, your family and your belongings even more during the holiday season it seems. By taking a few necessary steps you can ensure you have an incident-free holiday!

 

Take Care of Yourself!

Now is not the time to skimp on a healthy lifestyle. You need to be in top shape for the holiday insanity rush! Not only for that perfect New Years Eve outfit you may have, but a good diet and exercise will be the stamina you need to make it through the six plus weeks of celebrations.  It is to be expected that there will be some indulgences with the season, living well the rest of the day(s) will ensure you don’t see the side effects of your enjoyments! Get out there and move.

It also goes without saying, that if you’re at a holiday event and there is alcohol involved do not drink and drive. Nothing is more precious than a life. Ensure those around you practice the same safety precautions as well.

 

Protect Your Belongings

Crime is at an all-time high in December. More cars and homes are broken into and there is an increase in credit card theft. Be aware of this and keep yourself and your family safe from these tragedies. Make sure you home is locked (and armed if you have a security system) when no one is home. Keep your car locked especially when there are gifts present. If you’re shopping, store your purchases in the trunk. Thieves are more likely to attempt a break-in if they can see something they want. They won’t necessarily waste their time if they’re unsure. Having a safe at home for valuables is always a good idea, regardless of the time of year.

When making purchases, paying with credit card for bigger ticket items may give you insurance should the item be lost or stolen as well. Make sure you keep all receipts in case something happens to anything you buy as well. It may only be a $20 toy but if it doesn’t work or you need to return or exchange it for any reason without a receipt, it is a waste of money. The holidays are not a time of year one wants to be wasting money unnecessarily.

When shopping online, make sure the checkout it secure. All legit websites should be secure and there won’t be anything to worry about but if you’re uncomfortable with a checkout process, do your homework, especially with smaller websites. Same goes for charities, never donate to an unregistered charity. All legit charities will have documentation and issue a receipt for your donation.

For additional financial security, make sure you keep track of any and all warranties  for gifts received and purchased should you ever need to make a claim.

After the gifts have been open, dispose of your garbage carefully. If a thief sees that giant 72” TV box at your curbside you better believe you’ll be a prime target. Cut all obvious boxes up and don’t ”display” obvious packaging.

The holidays are a good reminder to be overall more aware of our surroundings. If we take proper steps we can all have a safe and fun season!

What other ways do you protect yourself during the holidays?

Give the Gift of Experience This Holiday Season

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snowboardingWhen you’re a child, you can’t wait for Christmas.  You count the days until Christmas, and the night before, you might have trouble falling asleep because you’re so excited.  Christmas morning you likely got up bright and early ready to tear through your presents.  Christmas was so much fun!

As you age, the joy can go out of the holidays.  You know you’ll need to spend both time and money to find the perfect gift for someone.  Others buy you gifts, but often, the items are things you really don’t want or need.  If you have the means, you might return the items for something you do want, but often, the gifts just join a pile of clutter somewhere in your house.  Sound familiar?

Let’s be honest.  By the time we’re early middle aged, we can buy most of what we need.  Getting presents isn’t nearly as exciting as it was when we were younger.

But what if we could change that?

How, you ask?

Simple.  Instead of giving “stuff”, give the gift of experience.

Do you know someone who loves to snowmobile?  Why not book a night or two at a cabin where he can spend the day snowmobiling with friends?  If he doesn’t have a snowmobile, make the arrangements to rent him one.  If you still want to give a traditional gift, why not buy a top rated snowmobile helmet to wear while enjoying his experience gift?

You can also give the gift of your own presence with your experience gift.  Kids usually receive way too many toys during the holidays.  Instead, give your child  a gift that expands on her interests and talents.  If you have a child who loves to cook, why not sign her up for a kids’ cooking class?  You could take the class with her and give the gift of your presence, too.  A nice accompanying gift might be her own cookbook or apron for cooking at home.

The gift of experience also works nicely for parents in their sixties.  Parents this age are often retired and have more time to pursue their own interests.  To pick the perfect experience gift for them, focus on their interests.  You could buy them tickets to a musical or theater performance.  If your parents are very adventurous, you could buy them a skydiving package.  You know best what they would like.

When buying a gift of experience, you can search the web and find businesses that offer already prepared gifts of experience.  Or, you could make the arrangements yourself, contacting the business and purchasing the items needed for the experience.  The one advantage to buying an already prepared experience through a business is that you may be able to return it if it is an experience the person would rather not have.

If you’re looking to spice up your holiday gift giving, try giving the gift of experience.  It’s a gift your recipient will likely never forget.

Saving Money on Halloween

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saving money on HalloweenI recently read that Halloween was the holiday that people spend the second most amount of money on, with Christmas coming in first. Between the candy, treats, parties, costumes and decorations it’s easy to get carried away with money. It’s still possible to have fun with Halloween while not breaking the bank though.

 

Make Your Own Costume

I feel like this is a way of the past. In the past few years, kids who come to my door are all wearing pre-made, store-bought costumes. Where is the imagination!? I used to love planning my costume out months in advance and having my mom pick up supplies as our ideas came together. With dollar stores and thrift stores it’s quite easy to put together a great costume for cheap if you’re willing to put in the effort and imagination.

Websites like Pinterest and Google are great sites to gain ideas and direct you to helpful resources. The kid with the homemade costume, no matter how bad, always gets extra treats at my house!

 

Save the Decorations

Last year after my friend hosted her daughters Halloween party I helped clean up. She got out large black garbage bags and threw everything in it. Other than some streamers that had been ripped, there is no reason why 90% of the stuff needed to be thrown out. She said she only paid ”like $20” for then at the local dollar store and Halloween shop,  so wasn’t worth keeping and storing. My mom also used to buy what she called ”disposable” decorations. Ones she would use once,not take care of and throw away. Take care of decorations you do buy, and stretch your dollar!

 

Shop Around…and Wait

My sister-in-law, a self-confessed Halloween addict, knows how to shop for the holiday. Recently she found a gruesome garland of bloody scissors and knives at a Halloween specialty shop that she had to have, but at $10 for a three-foot length of glorified paper cut-outs, she couldn’t justify it. It wasn’t two weeks later that a local discount store had the exact same garland for $2.99. Especially with holidays like Halloween and Christmas, where stores put the merchandise out super early, it can pay off to wait and shop around.

 

Buy in Bulk

Depending on where you live, you may have a bulk purchasing store. The chain around here sells spices, dry goods, and candy. They bring in seasonal candy as well so buying in bulk from one of these stores can often be a much cheaper option than buying from a retail store.

 

Shop the Sales

This sort of goes without saying but if you have the option of buying something on sale, do so! So many people I know walk into the closest or first store they see and buy everything I need when, with a little planning, could save substantial money going to a different, or a few different, stores. Recently two competing retail stores around here were advertising Halloween stuff on sale. One store had a pretty ad that was intriguing and actually made me want to go into their store to see what they had but in all honesty they weren’t advertising a ”sale” just that they had Halloween merchandise in the store. The other flyer was much less pretty to look at but actually advertised a 40% off sale over a two-day weekend. Read the fine print and don’t get sucked in by a fancy ad alone!

Halloween is meant to draw out fun and creativity, make your own costumes and have fun with it! Shop the sales and don’t get sucked in by too many ”must have’s”.

Do you have a costume picked out? Will you be making it to save money on Halloween?

Planning a Frugal Family Feast

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frugal family feastThis weekend I will be celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving by spending time with my family and stuffing my face with turkey and pumpkin pie. There’s something about Thanksgiving that I love. I think it’s the family gathering that isn’t already around another busy holiday such as Christmas or Easter, or maybe it’s just the fact that we get pumpkin pie, regardless, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year.

Depending on where you live putting together a family feast can get very expensive. By the time you factor in meat prices, dessert and all the fixings, costs add up quickly! Today we will talk about how you can have a family feast without breaking the bank!

 

Skip the Meat

No where does it say your family feast has to include a turkey, ham or ”turduckin”. During Christmas, we would traditionally have a large family turkey dinner on Christmas eve after mass. Over the years though the family began to grow, a lot. Through marriages, new relationships, births and friends what started at three people blossomed into many, many people. Asking my mom to cook a turkey dinner large enough for everyone would have got very expensive, during an already expensive time of year.

Instead, she decided to skip the meat all together. A few years ago she decided to take a poll of everyone’s favorite pasta dish. A big winner was fettucine alfredo, so that year instead of turkey, she made a huge batch of pasta. Even buying all fresh ingredients from a specialty store, it was substantially cheaper to make pasta than it was to make a large traditional meal involving meat and everyone enjoyed it.

 

Pot Luck Style

If you’re hosting a family feast, divvy up the cooking responsibilities. Especially if you provide the meat, there is nothing wrong with asking each of your guests to bring a dish that accompanies the main course. To make sure you don’t get repeats, you tell them what to bring or you may end up with five versions of potatoes and six pies.

For Thanksgiving dinner, where will we have approximately 20 people to feed. Hubby and I are on ”dinner roll duty”. His granddad will be making a turkey and every family member has an item to bring to the meal from dinner rolls to pumpkin pie, we all know our dish.

 

Sometimes It’s Cheaper to Buy Pre-Made

I was going to bake a pie to bring in addition to the dinner rolls we were required to bring. My baking supplies are dangerously low so I knew there would be quite a few ingredients to buy. I went and priced out the ingredients to make my pie given what I had and it was going to cost me almost $20 to make from scratch, about $10 less if I bought a pre-made crust or $4.50 total if I just bought a pre-made pie. While people would have appreciated the effort and taste of my delicious pumpkin-apple pie, I simply don’t have the extra room in our budget this month for $20 in baking supplies. The store-made pie will be delicious, I’m sure, especially with a $4.50 pricetag.

So much about large family meals are more about spending time together rather than the food itself. While traditional meals around meat may be the norm, don’t be afraid to try something new. At the very least, new memories will be created.

How do you cut costs with family gatherings?

Halloween Safety Tips

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jackolantern bucketHalloween should be spooky; but certainly not dangerous. It is our responsibility as parents to always keep our kids safe; so it is very important that we don’t let our guard down on Halloween, if anything — we need to amp it up. To avoid the many risks children face while trick-or-treating, it is imperative to use common sense. Here are some Halloween safety tips that will keep your kids safe and happy during this exciting holiday.

 

Before You Head Out

Here are some simple tips that you can check before you head out trick or treating:

Check Out Your Child’s Costume

Be sure that there is nothing dragging on the ground that they could trip on. If your child is wearing a mask, like the Monsters University Sulley Monster Mask, make sure they can see. If the holes are too small, you can make them larger by cutting them. This is very important; kids need to be able to see where they are going and when it’s dark out, it’s just that much more difficult. Make-up is an even better alternative to a mask; especially for little ones. Be sure to select make-up that is non-toxic and hypoallergenic.

Get Your Glow On

Put reflective tape on your child’s costume, have them carry glow sticks and/or wear glow bracelets or glow necklaces. This will help them to be more visible to motorists. You’ll also want to carry a flashlight to stay safe and visible; it also helps everyone to see where they are going, so hopefully no one will trip and fall.

Talk To Your Kids

Make sure you let your kids know what is expected of them while they are out trick-or-treating. They need to be aware that they should never enter a home, there should be no running, no playing in the street, they should only go to houses where the lights are on, and they should not eat any treats before you get home and inspect everything. Also, be sure they know to say “Trick-or-Treat” — and that “Thank you” is always appreciated.

Layer Up

If it’s a little chilly be sure to put layers under your kids’ costumes. This will keep them comfortable and warm during their fun night of trick-or-treating.

Plan to Accompany Your Children

If your kids are young enough to go trick-or-treating; then they are young enough to require adult supervision. I know it might not be very “cool” for a twelve year old to have Mom and Dad hanging out, but you can be with them without being right next to them. You can just hang back a bit but still keep a watchful eye (this should only be done with older children).

 

Trick-or-Treating Safety

Here’s what you need to know when you’re out and about:

Let the Light be your Guide

As I mentioned before, you’ll want to carry a flashlight to help light the way, but another important thing you should do is to only walk down well lit streets. Other lights that will guide you, are house lights. Only go to homes that have their porch lights on. People have their lights off for a reason so be respectful of that.

The More the Merrier

Trick-or-treat as a group. This keeps you safer for many reasons, but the main one is, its makes you all more visible. Visibility really is the main element to having a safe Halloween. When crossing the street be sure to cross at corners and use crosswalks.

Beware of Dog

Anytime you come in contact with an animal you don’t know, you must always use caution. It is especially important to keep this mind during Halloween. Costumes can be confusing and scary to animals – dogs especially – so it is essential that you and your children are aware of this so there aren’t any unfortunate encounters.

Here are a Few More Quick Tips:

  • Do not go inside anyone’s house
  • Carry a cell phone for emergencies
  • Watch where you step
  • Don’t stand to close to Jack-o-Lanterns, since they usually contain a lit candle

 

Halloween Safety Tips at Home

Once you get home be sure to inspect all of the items your children have received. This means looking for any candy that may have been tampered with. Remove all choking hazards for little ones. This is especially important for parents with children under age 6. You’ll also want to monitor the candy intake; you don’t want to have to deal with an upset tummy later on. You might let the kids select a few pieces and then put the rest up. Some parents like to let their children trade in their candy for something else, like a special toy, gift card, or money. Some dentist offices offer this as well.

If you’ll be handing out candy, be sure that your pathways are clear that there isn’t anything trick-or-treaters might hurt themselves on. It’s also a good idea to lock up your pets so they don’t run out the door. Even the best behaved animals can get a little spooked, so just play it safe for everyone’s sake.

Do you have any additional Halloween safety tips?

Road Trips With a Young Child

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Road Trip with Young ChildThis week we will be embarking on our first real family vacation. We’ve been out on small trips to the cottage with our little one but this week we’re heading out on an 1,100 km road trip with her. Though my husband and I are both experienced travelers (everything from road-trips to international trips) having a baby with us will make traveling much different, I’m sure.

Knowing we would be trapped in the car for upwards of six hours in a day, I needed to get a plan in place or our lives may become miserable very quickly. These are things to consider when road-tripping with a little one.

 

Distractions are Crucial

Though she does well in a car for a short time, unless she falls asleep (and I’d rather not mess with her nap schedule too much) after about 15 mins we will be scrambling to entertain her. In our case, she is still rear facing in the back seat so I will be sitting back there with her which alone will be much better than her sitting alone. What to distract her with is where things can get interesting. She has little to no interest in traditional toys while in the car. The best way to distract her is to give her something she doesn’t normally get or has never seen before. Boring old toys won’t cut the trick. Here are a few things our little one like to play with and entertains her for quite some time:

  • Keys. I gathered three old keys we had, washed them (predicting them to go in her mouth) and placed them on a key ring.
  • Wallet. She loves to take my wallet apart so I found an old wallet and filled it with old cards and meaningless papers so in the event she loses them we’re fine.
  • New book. She usually enjoys looking at pictures in books, I specify new book since I know if it’s one she’s never seen before we will have more luck. I’ve purchased a book and won’t give it to her until the car ride starts.
  • Something with buttons. Kids love to push buttons. Remotes, cell phones, I don’t know what it is but she loves to push them. I have both an old remote and old (circa 1995) cell phone that she can do whatever she wants with.
  • DVD player. She doesn’t get to watch much, TV so the hope is that a little music or TV will keep her entertained for a bit.

 

Keep Routines the Best You Can

While driving, or any travel, this is a difficult task but we’re going to try our best to keep her eating and sleeping routines as close to normal. Thankfully we only have one time zone to cross and are breaking our long trip up by stopping overnight. Our plan is to stop every 2-2.5 hours to get out of the car, change her diaper and get a little fresh air. If my distractions work I should be able to keep her awake as well coax her into sleep when nap time comes.

 

Accept You Need Additional Time

Traveling with a little one is going to be much different from when it was just us. Though I feel like I have everything planned out, I full-well know she will be dictating this show and I’m ok with that. Our family knows and respects that we have a little one and she’s the star of the show, stuff comes up and we may take longer than expected to get there.

As long as she’s happy, we’re happy. Happy kid=Happy life.

Any tips for travelling with a little one?

Five Father’s Day Gift Ideas

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fathers day gift ideasWith Father’s Day approaching this weekend, kids all over the world will be preparing to celebrate their dads in their own special ways. Growing up I remember decorating neck ties and coloring pictures in school. Though any dad would appreciate the effort behind a hand-made gift, sometimes dad also want a little pampering and gifts.

 

Car Detailing

I included this on my Mother’s Day gift idea as well, but think dad would love it too. Everyone loves getting into a new car but after a while of living in it, the new car luxury is taken over by dirt and crumbs. Dirt has a way of finding its way into tiny nooks and crannies within your car. A professional car detailing from somewhere like https://autocolorwi.com/auto-detailing/ will restore your car to new-car condition for a fraction of a new car cost! Some professional detailing will just do the interior while others will do interior, exterior and engine. Book one you think dad will love and always check online coupon sites to see if you can score a deal.

 

Electronics

Some dads like computers, some are into iDevices and other like gaming systems. Whatever your dad is into, check local sales and see if you can score a deal. Remember to check refurbished products as well since they are usually available at a fraction of the price and often still with a warranty.

 

A Good Steak or Lobster Dinner

Sometimes a dad just wants a good feast and a good steak and/or lobster would do just that. For a dad who loves to grill, heading to a local butcher for your dad’s favorite cut is a nice gesture and won’t break the bank. Lobster may be pricier depending on where you live but another nice meal option.

 

Alcohol

If you’re dad likes to enjoy a drink, buying him a bottle of something special is always a nice idea. If he enjoys beer, maybe buying a few cans of a specialty beer would be a treat. For the hard-liquor drinker, a small bottle of something unique, or a tested favorite, would be well received. There are many options when it comes to wine, asking for a recommendation at the liquor store will point you in the right direction.

 

Needs

Sometimes dad would love to get something he genuinely needs. It doesn’t have to be anything extra special but would be much appreciated. If you’re stumped for what to get him asking him what he needs wouldn’t be inappropriate. If he doesn’t give you much direction, look around and see if anything needs replacing. Is his 10-year-old wallet being held together with duck tape? He may not need a new wallet, but would likely appreciate one.

Taking time out of your day to tell you dad you appreciate him, and all that he does, is the most important thing you can do for dad on Father’s day. If you can’t be with dad on Father’s day, make sure you send a card or call, I’m sure it will be appreciated.

What are you getting your dad for father’s day?

Mothers Day Gift Ideas: Traditional or Non-Traditional?

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mothers day gift ideasIn a few short weeks children around the world will be celebrating all that their moms do for them. This will be my first Mother’s day and I’m quite excited to see what my husband has in store for me! While I have no experience on the receiving end yet, I have many years behind me in the gift-giving side of things. I have made many crafts and purchased many flowers in my years. It didn’t matter if I gave my mom a handmade card with scribbles or a $50 bouquet, she appreciated it all.

 

Traditional Ideas

I don’t know a mom out there that wouldn’t love to get a hand-made gift of any kind from their child. The fact that a child put thought and effort into making something from their hearts will always be well received. If the child is still too young to make something unassisted, Dad or another caregiver could help make something simple like a hand or foot print artwork.

Another gift that is always well received by moms is flowers. Mom or not I’ve never given or received flowers that weren’t appreciated. Though you can get beautiful pre-made bouquets at a florist, a picked wildflower bouquet is just as beautiful.

My personal favorite traditional gift idea (and I hope my husband is reading this) is a cooked meal, followed by full cleanup! I think I can speak for all moms world-wide when I say all we really want is a short break. Take on some of our normal duties for just one day, I dare you 🙂 Without asking, take care of everything that needs to be done. Help with cleaning, cooking and childcare. Gifts are always nice but a little family time without worrying about keeping house is probably the best gift of all.

 

Non-Traditional Ideas

Speaking of cleaning, how about a full car detailing? Cars get down right grimy. It seems no matter how well one cleans their car, children especially, have a way of making a car dirty on a whole new level. Why not take moms car to a professional for a full car detailing? They can remove dirt you thought would be there forever.

Though a little more expensive, plan a Mothers day weekend away for the family. Go somewhere special to the family or somewhere new you know mom would like to visit. As long as it’s relaxing for mom consider it a success.

With new blooms and weather on the upturn, spring is a great time for outdoor pictures. Book a photographer and have a family picture done. If hiring a professional photographer isn’t in the budget, ask a family member or friend to help out. The importance is in capturing the memory, not the type of camera lens or quality of picture frame.

Mothers day isn’t about how much money you spend. Whatever you choose, just take time out of your day to tell mom how much you appreciate her, even in the simple form of words.

What are your Mother’s Day plans?

The Family Easter Tree

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Make Your Own Easter TreeI finally dug out my Easter decorations this week in preparation for the holiday. This will be our first Easter with the kiddo so everything will be new and exciting for us again. Other than the obvious decoration-clad holiday of Christmas, I don’t normally decorate the house. One of the decorations that my husband’s family introduced me to many years ago though was the Easter tree.

 

Easter Tree History

I had never seen or even heard of an Easter tree prior to my husband’s family introducing it to me. They started decorating their Easter tree when my mother-in-law was a young girl and her father had established some temporary German roots from the Canadian Air Force.  According to Wikipedia, the Easter tree is a centuries old German tradition but the original origins have been lost.

Our family will traditionally cut the branch of a tree in our back yard, bring it inside and hang small handmade wooden Easter decorations on it. If Easter is late enough in the year we may be lucky to bring in a flowering branch such as forsythia but it is usually bare branches from our birch or maple tree.

 

Easter Tree Variation

Since my first introduction to the Easter tree, I have come across many variations. I’m thinking my eyes just weren’t open before, acknowledging what I have come to know as an Easter tree.

There is a local neighborhood garden that decorates a very large maple tree on their property every year for people to observe. I wish I had a picture to show you since it’s pretty spectacular to see a 30+ foot tree with hundreds of plastic eggs hanging from it.It is similar to this family in Germany who elaborately decorate an apple tree on their property with upwards of 10,000 decorated eggs every year. You can see a short video of the beautiful tree here:

I’ve seen many decoration and craft magazines such as Martha Stewart offering their play on Easter tree decorations as well. Maybe I was just living in a hole my entire childhood missing this beautiful decoration.

 

Make Your Own Easter Tree

Making your own Easter tree is too easy. You can now buy pre-made trees at craft stores or, like us, you can simply cut a branch (or a few small branches) from a tree in your yard and secure it in a flower pot or vase.

Decorating the tree is up to your imagination! You can also buy pre-made decorations at craft or dollar stores or you may choose to make your own. Decorations can be made out of anything you want. Cutting Easter shapes out of scrapbook paper, decorate real or plastic eggs, or for a yummy tree, decorate with Easter candy. There is no wrong way to decorate your Easter tree!

The Easter tree is a fun and easy craft your family can do together today a establish a tradition for the tomorrows. Change it up every year. Make themes; bunnies one year, eggs the next. Just have fun with it and enjoy!

How do you celebrate Easter? Do you make an Easter tree?  

Keeping Santa Alive

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Santa Key
Source: <a href="http://athriftymom.com">A Thrifty Mom</a>

With Christmas fast approaching, choosing to introduce Santa is a choice parents will have to make soon! While my husband and I will be partaking in the traditions involving the jolly old man, I have friends who have chosen to forego the Santa tradition entirely. My opinion is that in today’s world of violence and technological advancements, the innocence of things like Santa are needed to keep our children grounded; almost forcing a sense of enchantment and mystery, things that have seemingly been lost entirely.

How a family introduces Santa will vary between families, cultures and across continents. Here are a  few ideas on how to help keep the magic alive in your house:

Santa’s Key

Santa’s Key is something you can make yourself or chose to buy. The story goes that leaving the key will help answer questions about how the big fat man makes it into your house if you don’t have a chimney or just a skeptical kid.

Santa’s Footprints

A large pair of boots, some flour and a little glitter (for magic) is all you need. Leave the flour footprints by the front door or fireplace for kids to find when they wake in the morning to see if he actually came!

A Letter

Writing a letter early on in your child’s life about how you want the memories of Santa to be remembered might be a good idea. You can choose how you want Santa to be perceived in your house; is he a physical man or more of a giving characteristic found in all of us? Does he bring many gifts or just one? Does he have any rules-like being good all year? Write a letter to your child, when they reach an age of understanding, and explain what or who Santa really is.

Cotton Ball Beard?

I’ve heard of friends parents using pulled cotton balls and putting a few ‘Santa beard whisps’ in the tree, where his beard gets caught when bending down to put the gifts under the tree.

NORAD Santa Tracker

In today’s world of computers and i-everything, kids have great fun following Santa second-by-second on NORAD’s Santa Tracker. NORAD goes into great detail about exactly how the Santa tracking works, it’s a lot of fun.

Whatever your chose to do, make sure your kids are excited about it. Let them enjoy the mysteries behind it and indulge in their questions, be creative and do your best to keep Santa alive as long as you can!

Do you have any special tips or tricks you like to use to keep the spirit of Santa alive in your house?

Things to Consider When Traveling with Children

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Disney CruiseIf you’re planning some holiday travels, or even thinking about a trip for next summer, there are some things that you should consider about traveling with children. It can be very expensive…you have to get extra plane tickets, pay for more meals, and spend more to have fun.  However, that doesn’t need to hold you back from your dream vacation.   Here are some things to consider when traveling with children.

Do The Road Trip

One of the first things you should consider is doing the road trip.  This can be a great trip for children because you just take your regular car, and you can set your own agenda.  This means traveling as much or as little as you want each day.  You can also have the kids pick out which sites they want to see on the trip, which will make it a fun experience for them.  Take a look at some of these other tips for traveling with kids.

Ditch the Hotel

One of the worst parts of traveling to a new place can be cramming into a hotel room with the whole family – dealing with roller beds or sleeping on hotel couches is not fun.  Neither is sleeping 2-3 per bed.  Instead of staying in a hotel, consider renting a timeshare in your favorite destination.  Timeshares typically have 1-2 bedrooms and family room, which can be used to sleep the whole family.  Also, timeshares usually have kitchens, which can be used to cut back on costs by preparing small meals and snacks at the room, instead of buying everything.

Go on a Family Friendly Vacation

Finally, you could consider going on a vacation specifically for children.  For example, you could take a Disney cruise, or go to a family resort, that has a lot of activities specifically designed for children and families.  The perks of these types of trips is that they have plenty of activities for kids and adults alike, and that makes the whole experience enjoyable.

What tips do you have for traveling with children?

Entertaining Kids During Christmas Break

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Entertaining Children Chirstmas BreakWith kids being out of school for a few weeks during the Christmas break, it’s easy to run out of ideas on how to entertain them. Growing up, my mom would send me to the mall with friends, handing me $40.00 to basically entertain myself for the day. While a nice treat once in a while, for most families, especially during the holiday season, this would quickly add up to be a big budget buster.

Here are a few ideas to entertain the kids (young and old) while on their Christmas break:

Host a Gingerbread House Building Party

This is loads of fun for kids of all ages. Have your child invite their friends over, either with a gingerbread house kit in hand, or you can provide the house for them (using an easy recipe and template). Have candy provided in dishes (on your well wrapped table, it will be messy!) and let them have fun creating. Don’t want to do a whole house? Try decorating gingerbread or sugar cookies instead.

Have them Volunteer

While volunteering with your children year round is encouraged, Christmas is usually a time when extra help is needed. Soup kitchens and food banks in particular are often looking for extra help during the season. If your child is under the age of 16, you may either need to grant permission or be present. Check to see if your local mall needs gift wrappers. Many malls offer gift wrapping services, often provided by volunteers, with funds raised going to local charities. Although this should never be the only reason why one does it, volunteer work looks great on university and college applications too.

Host a Christmas Themed Pajama Movie Party/Sleepover

Have a few of your kids friends over for a fun night of watching Christmas movies in their PJ’s (sleepover or not, you have to be comfy!). Provide a few snacks or have them help you make a homemade pizza and you’ve got yourself a budget-friendly party. You could even make use of one of the best vpns for torrenting and download the movies the kids want to watch in advance so that you don’t have to worry about the dreaded buffering sign appearing during the movie and derailing things when everyone is quiet and engaged in the magic of Christmas movies.

Go Outside and Play

Especially in today’s technology driven world, we forget about the simplicity of encouraging outdoor play without an abundance of toys. Encourage them to explore; pick up a stick and use their imagination! Make sure they’re well bundled if you’re fortunate enough to live in a cold winter environment and let them enjoy the fresh air.

Have them Help You Prep Meals for the Holidays.

Most kids like to explore in the kitchen. It’s a great opportunity to have the learn some kitchen skills from you and your family. Yes, it will take longer than if you did it yourself and yes, your kitchen will likely be much messier but the skills that you’ll be able to teach are much more important than some spilled flour.

Check to See if Your Local Theater Offers Christmas Break Discounts

Most movie theater chains will offer discounted tickets during the local school break as a way of encouraging the movie-going experience so check it out!

Crafts

Have your kids make everything from Christmas cards or gift tags to tree ornaments. The possibilities are endless and most require very few supplies. Who wouldn’t love a homemade card from your young one?

Encourage the Inner Entrepreneur

If you have older kids, encourage them to use their time off to make some money during their break. Ideas include: shoveling driveways, offering to get groceries (or run errands) for people who need extra help, or dog walking for people who may be away or just too busy to do it themselves.

Christmas can be stressful enough, you shouldn’t have to worry about what your kids are going to be doing while off from school. With a little creative planning, you can quickly fill their time without breaking the bank!

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