Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

Be Fabulous and Frugal as you Ring in the New Year

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Happy New YearDo you want to throw a rockin’ New Years Eve Party but don’t have a lot to spend? No worries! You don’t have to sit on the couch in your PJs and fuzzy slippers and count down to New Year with Ryan Seacrest — unless of course you want to! If you want to have people over are ready to celebrate, then I have some good news for you. I have searched the web to find some fabulous and frugal ideas that can help you throw a memorable New Years Eve Party!

Frugal Invitations

You can get much more frugal than free, am I right? I have found a few free invitation options that you can use to let your guests know that they are invited to the party of the year — or at least in for a fun night with friends.

New Year Invitation
(photo via Evite)

One of my favorite invitation websites in Evite. There several attractive choices for New Years Eve invitations and the best part is they are free! No need to buy invitations, pay postage or hunt down your guests for RSVPs. It can all be done on the Evite website. Easy peasy!!!

New Years Eve Invitations

I also found several free printable cards at the Holiday Crafts and Creations website. These can be printed on fancy or festive paper for a fraction of the price it might cost to buy invites.

But here is my FAVORITE…

I wasn’t able to put the photo up – probably because of copyright restrictions – but you simply MUST trust me when I say these invitations are fabulous!!! Head on over to the Perpetual Party Planner Blog and check out the post on DIY New Year’s Eve Invites.

DIY New Year’s Eve Favors

You can put those empty wrapping paper tubes from Christmas to good use with this craft I found on Holiday Crafts and Creations.

Homemade Party Poppers

Just click on the photo above to visit their site and see the simple step-by-step instructions. Use your imagination and creativity to really have fun with these poppers.

Need Confetti? Have left over wrapping paper from Christmas? PERFECT! Just stick the paper into your shredder for instant streamers or confetti (depending on the type of shredder you have). Or, if you want to keep the kids busy during their Christmas break, have them cut it all by hand. It up to you 🙂

Frugal Food

You can always ask guest to bring their favorite finger food, dessert and/or their own drinks. If you have been couponing then you have probably built up quite a stockpile of goodies. If so, now is the time to tap into that treasure and put on a grand spread for your guests — all for a fraction of the price. Even if you don’t have a well stocked pantry you can still find a lot of great deals and use coupons to save money. Frugal and fabulous!!!

hot spinach dip
(via Allrecipes.com)

One of my very favorite recipe websites is Allrecipes.com. You are sure to find a lot of delicious recipes. They have all kinds of recipes for appetizers, dinners, desserts, and even drinks. Check it out and get creative!!!

Whatever you decide to do, be sure to have fun, be fabulous, stay safe and please do NOT drink and drive!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

 

Do you have any frugal tips for celebrating New Year’s Eve?

5 Holiday Tummy Resolutions

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Keep healthy this holidayIf you are anything like me then you would be something like a Schizophrenic when Christmas time comes around. What do I mean?  Well, I love Christmas. I love the lights, décor, smells, songs, weather, fashion, everything.  But I despise the weight gain that seems to be automatically attached to the season.  So I spend quite a bit of time enjoying myself immensely and then bemoaning my waistline soon after.  What makes it worse is that there are also tummy issues to deal with after!

Well, I want to get out of this rut.  I want to enjoy everything I love about the season and not have to suffer during the first few weeks of the New Year.  So here are some things I have started to do this month.

Drink More Water

I’ve gotten into the habit of drinking more water than I usually do.  Since I am not a soda fan at all and I don’t really drink alcohol that much, my beverages are limited to water, juices and wellness drinks.  I only drink freshly squeezed or made juices (no powder or concentrates) and lots of water.  Water helps naturally flush out toxins, it helps with constipation, it keeps the skin young as well, and it helps you eat less.

Eat Less

On the note of eating less, well, just eat less. Period.  So I have started training to cut my portions in half. For example, if I see these special Christmas cookies that I love, instead of having four like I usually do, I take 2.  I know, it’s still some calories and sugar but I said that I wanted to lessen the terrible after effects and still enjoy the season. Now is not the time to start a brand new diet. It just will not work given all the parties and the celebrations and, as mentioned before, all the seasonal dishes.  But you can enjoy and do this in moderation as well.

Moderation

How do you do this? Moderation and Christmas are not words often seen in the same sentence.  Well, it helps if you track your food.  Not the overly detailed tracking with corresponding grams and calorie count that a lot of diet plans require. That would honestly be just too much work for me for the season.  But taking down just what you ate for your basic meals so you can look back and see if you are eating too much already is good enough. I have started to do this and I must say it is working.

Be Mindful of What You Eat

Then, there is the food you choose to eat. I gravitate towards more fibrous dishes for many reasons, one being these really help my digestion.  Two, I love crunch, color, and texture – and finally, I am not a sweets fan at all so the occasional cookie doesn’t send me into depression.  Choosing more fiber-rich food will help anyone in the long run. There are a lot of delicious Christmas dishes that are high in fiber so thinking that you will have nothing to eat or serve is a myth. Starting your day off right is also important, which is why I have looked into dietary supplements such as Activated You Morning Complete. Getting that energy boost in the morning is so crucial, and getting all those nutrients in will definitely combat the sluggish feeling you can get over the holidays.

Relax

Stress is major party pooper.  I can recall so many parties I hosted, not only Christmas parties, where I ended with a headache and not really remembering enjoying myself much.  In fact, I stopped hosting parties for a couple of years because of this. I am not hosting anything this year and I am not saying become a hermit or stop party planning.  Just organize, do manageable meals, do things ahead of time, and remember that it is a party so smile, laugh, and have fun.

How do you plan to manage your festivities this year?

 

Christmas Bliss – Eliminate Stress and Experience Great Joy

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Remember what Christmas is about to eliminate stress and feel blissI titled my post Christmas bliss because one of the definitions of bliss is — great joy! That is what we all should feel on Christmas. For those of us who honor the true meaning of Christmas, we are celebrating God’s greatest gift to us — the birth of his son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Because of this, there is so much to celebrate and be thankful for on Christmas Day.

Unfortunately, for many people it can also be a really stressful time and why wouldn’t it be? We are bombarded with commercials of people giving cars with big red bows on them, a zillion different toy commercials that have our children repeating over and over, I want I want I want and if he didn’t go to Jared well, then maybe he’s just not that into you. Others of us measure our Christmas success by how many different kinds of Christmas cookies, candies or other goodies we can mass produce in a month. What it boils down to, is many of us simply try to do too much and want everything to be as perfect as possible. Then, when we fall short — well, we feel like we have failed.

Please believe me when I say that there have been many Christmases where I mailed presents late, got caught up in the stress or wished I had just done more — but you know what? Christmas still came and I still felt great joy when the day finally arrived.

My Favorite Christmas Story

How The Grinch Stole ChristmasOne of my favorite Christmas stories – How the Grinch Stole Christmas – illustrates this point beautifully. It has such a great message and one of my very favorite parts of the story is when the Grinch is listening for the Who’s to be sobbing and sad because all of their Chirstmas decorations and presents have been stolen by him but when they wake up they aren’t sad. They feel great joy and instead of crying, the Grinch hears singing and you know what…

“Christmas came just the same…It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.” Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! “Maybe Christmas he thought doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas …perhaps…means a little bit more.” ~ How the Grinch Stole Christmas • by Dr. Seuss

Making It So Everyone Can Enjoy

So how can we enjoy all that this blessed season has to offer and still keep things in perspective. I touched on this a bit in the post I wrote last year The Magic and Meaning of Christmas and I’ll provide a few simple tips on how you can feel the true joy of Christmas through and through.

gingerbread cookiesScale it Down a Bit

Don’t overdue by trying to be perfect. Don’t overspend, don’t over plan just don’t over extend yourself to the point where you and your family are stressed and miserable. See those gingerbread cookies pictured above. I made them. They aren’t perfect (gingerbread heads were rolling) and even though I had wanted to make about 3 different kinds of cookies, I got so stressed out making those that I decided not too. This year St. Nick is going to have to be happy with the cut and bake cookies from the store. Whew! What a weight off my shoulders.

Give Generously

This can be of your time, talent, heart and/or your treasure. Whenever you give, give with love and not out of a sense of obligation. I just read a wonderful story about an anonymous person who paid off a bunch of layaways for some people at Kmart. It honestly brought a tear to my eye. While the season can sometimes bring out the worst in people, it also certainly brings out the BEST in people too. You don’t have to spend money to be generous, you can volunteer to help with a toy drive, ring the bell for the Salvation Army, work in a soup kitchen or winter shelter, there are so many things you can do and it will really help you to feel the true spirit of the season.

Simplify Gift Giving

If you have a big family you can draw names or choose just to buy for kids. There are lots of fantastic DIY Christmas present ideas and photo gifts are fun, special and usually economical.

Stay Home

Traveling to see family is something that many people do but sometimes it just can’t happen. Traveling (especially with children) is stressful on a normal day but during the holidays you multiply that by about a thousand! I’m not just talking about traveling out of state either. I know many families have several places they need to be. Consider hosting your own celebration, trading off every other year or visiting one family on Christmas Eve and one Christmas Day. If you have a lot of invites it is a huge blessing to know so many people love you and want to spend the holidays with you, but it can be tough too.

Celebrate the True Meaning of Christmas

If you are feeling stressed or getting caught up in the holiday craziness instead of appreciating all the beauty, wonder and magic think back to that first Christmas. When a young mother gave birth to her sweet baby boy in a barn. She and her husband didn’t have much but they wrapped him in some blankets and laid him on soft clean hay in a manger. Simple yet miraculous.

Nativity Clipart

John 1:14 — The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!!!

What are you doing this year to eliminate holiday stress?

Santa Claus and Children

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santa claus and kidsWhat is it about Christmas that just brings out such glee in kids?  Is it the wonderful, beautiful lights that festoon every lamppost or anything upright for that matter?  Is it the entry of seasonal, very delicious meals?   For kids, Christmas time is Santa time! The moment my tree comes out of hiding at home, my kids automatically do their own short versions of Balki Bartokomous’s ‘Dance of Joy’ (age hint here).  It is such a funny thing to see and truly the excitement from them is fantastic.  Then the pressure sets in and I start to feel all the responsibility attached with Santa Claus and making sure they have a memorable Christmas.

Where Did Santa Claus Come From?

This year, I started to think about this tradition.  What is it really?  Where did it come from?  And how do I divert the seemingly mindless consumerism of the idea of Santa Claus to what Christmas should truly mean?  I did some research first (naturally) and this is what I found.

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, and simply “Santa”, is a figure with legendary, historical and folkloric aspects who, in many western cultures, is said to bring gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24.[1] The modern figure was derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, which, in turn, may have part of its basis in hagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of gift giver Saint Nicholas…Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots (images of him rarely have a beard with no mustache)… According to a tradition which can be traced to the 1820s, Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, with a large number of magical elves, and nine (originally eight) flying reindeer. Since the 20th century, in an idea popularized by the 1934 song “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”, Santa Claus has been believed to make a list of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior (“naughty” or “nice”) and to deliver presents, including toys, and candy to all of the good boys and girls in the world, and sometimes coal to the naughty children, on the single night of Christmas Eve. He accomplishes this feat with the aid of the elves who make the toys in the workshop and the reindeer who pull his sleigh. (Wikipedia)

Basically, it appears that the current tradition of Santa Claus and gift-giving is in fact a mix of ancient Greek folklore, Germanic Paganism, and Dutch folklore.  The figure of Santa Claus can be derived from a combination of the Greek Saint Nicholas of Myra, a Christian saint known for giving generously to the poor, who is also the basis of the Dutch Sinterklaas, and the Germanic god Odin who was known to ride his eight-legged horse Sleipnir over great distances and giving gifts to children who would leave carrots and treats for his horse to nibble on as he passed their chimneys.  Sinterklass is a stately old man who gives gifts to well-behaved children, and Odin is known as an old man with a long white beard.  Over the centuries, all these figures appear to have merged together to become the Santa Claus of today.  Of course, thanks to Coca Cola, we have the ubiquitous jolly, round, old man with a long white beard, in a bright red suit.

Where To Focus This Year

All in all, the main theme of what are the supposed origins of the current tradition is giving and this is what I want to focus on this year.  I am trying to teach my kids that this is the season for giving- giving to the people you love as an expression of love, to your friends as an expression of friendship, and not so much in expectation of something in return.  I have started asking them what they want to give their friends and cousins and aunts and have tried to tell them that it does not matter what they get if they get gifts and that the important thing is that they are able to show friends and family their love and friendship. Now, I don’t want them to be too materialistic so I tell them that they don’t need to buy anything expensive to show how they feel and that they can make their gifts too.  Of course, I don’t want to be a complete Scrooge and take away the joy of wishing for favorite toys so I have also asked them to make their list to Santa but I have told them that he won’t be able to give everything on the list because he has to give other children gifts too and that it is still great if he gives them one or two from their list, to which they expressed satisfaction.

What do you guys think?  Too Scrooge-y or over-thought? What are some of your thoughts about the meaning of Christmas, beyond the lights and the commercialism of it all?

Christmas Crafts for Kids

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Children love to create gifts that they can give to loved ones. This is their heartfelt way of showing those who love them most that they love them back. We must keep in mind that not all crafts our kids create will look perfect but that is what makes them so beautiful!

Here are some fun and creative crafts that will be simple to make and your friends and family will be delighted to receive. I also believe that these crafts are so simple that even an uncrafty mom such as myself, can happily join in the fun.

Handprint Wreath

Let your kids make a Handprint Wreath this ChristmasThis is a craft that each of the boys made as at preschool last year and I absolutely cherish it! It can be a little messy but if you are organized about it this (like their fabulous teachers are) it shouldn’t be too difficult to do with preschool age children or older. Of course, you can do this with toddlers if they will cooperate but my experience in getting the boys to make hand prints when they were that age was not great.

What you need:

  • Fabric — A light colored one like the one pictured above will work best.
  • Thin dowel
  • Green and red paint
  • Sponge paint brush and disposable container
  • Large bow Stamp
  • Ribbon
  1. You can make these as small or as large as you would like. It’s totally up to you. So cut the fabric if you need to then either sew – or my favorite is to use fabric tape – to make an opening that the small dowel can slide through.
  2. Put some green paint into a container then take the sponge brush and paint your child’s hand with it.
  3. Instruct your child to spread out their fingers then push their hand gently onto the cloth. Have them lift their hand straight up. You may have to help them with one hand while holding the cloth with the other.
  4. Paint their cute little hand again and repeat Step #3 several times. You’ll want to turn the cloth so you can make a circle of green hand prints. You can overlap a little and remember — it doesn’t have to be perfect!
  5. Let that dry. Then either you or your child can dip your finger in red paint and make round red berries.
  6. Take the bow stamp and dip it into the paint and stamp the top of the wreath with the bow.
  7. After it dries slide the cloth onto the dowel.
  8. Cut a long piece of ribbon and tie it to each end ot the dowel, so this beautiful piece of art can be display each year!

Painted Ornaments

Painted ornaments are an easy Christmas craft for your kidsThis is a SUPER simple craft. The only thing you’ll have to do it clean up a little. The kiddos do all the hard work and they love every minute of it!

What you’ll need:

  • Paintable ornaments that can be found at any craft store. (They are very reasonably priced especially if you catch them on sale and don’t forget to check your Sunday paper for good coupons!)
  • Paint and paint brush– watercolors wouldn’t be great to use but the thicker paints work.
  • Newspaper
  1. Spread out newspaper all over your child’s work space.
  2. Open the paints, get a small cup of water, a paper towel and let the kids have at it. You may of offer instruction if you wish or you can have a sample painted so they have an idea of that colors they can use.
  3. Not crazy about letting your kids have paint? Markers will work really well too and are less messy. I chose paints though because my boys just get so excited when they can use them.

 Bead Wreath

Bead wreath is an easy craft your kids can make for ChristmasDo you remember making these as a kid? You might even have some of your old ones on your tree or at your parent’s house. This is very simple and not messy at all — unless of course someone spills beads all over the floor 🙂

What you’ll need:

  • Beads (or buttons if you prefer)– any color you like will work just fine.
  • floral wire 16-20mm
  • Ribbon
  • Wire cutters
  1. Bend the end of the wire.
  2. String the beads onto the floral wire.
  3. After the wreath is the desired size bend the end of the wire into the other end — cut if needed.
  4. Tie a bow on top of wreath to cover wire and attach string or yarn to the top so it can hang on a tree.

The boys and I also shaped these to look like candy canes and hung them on the tree. So cute!!!

For more Christmas crafts check out my post from last year Super Simple Christmas Crafts for Kids.

 Do you make holiday crafts with your kids? Any other craft ideas to share?

Is Black Friday Worth the Hype?

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Black Friday humor
(via Falling Fifth)

I have ventured out on Black Friday a time or two. The first time I ever did this was during the Furby craze! These annoying little robotic toys were all the rage during Christmas season 1998 or 1999. I didn’t have children at the time but one of my BFFs did. These chatty creatures were in such high demand that each customer was only allowed to purchase one at a time — and my friend had two kids. I thought it would be fun adventure to get out there with all the other bargain hunters — plus, I wanted to help my friend. So we met at a department store at 3:30am the day after Thanksgiving.

For those of you who are avid Black Friday shoppers you are probably thinking, “What? 3:30am? You must have been at the back of the line!” The rest of you are probably wondering, “What the heck were you thinking?”

Well, we got our Furbies but it was pretty wild out there. My friend and I made our Black Friday outing an annual tradition for about 4 years. I think the only other super great deal we got was a Barbie Dream House for her daughter, which was normally $100 and I think it was on sale for $40. Even though we were far from the front of the line we got it and it was worth it — her daughter was thrilled on Christmas morning.

Is Black Friday really worth the hype?

For many people the answer is yes. For me? The answer is yes and no. Sure there are great deals to be had but you have to to get up ridiculously early to even have a chance at some of the hottest items. I’m not saying you won’t save money because you will, as long as the items you go out for are still in stock by the time you get there. Retailers leure you into their stores with promises of crazy low prices on specific items but they usually only have a few of these items in stock. So let’s say that you see a 32″ HD TV advertised for only $99.  If you are one of the very first people at the front of the line you have a good chance at getting this item. The bad news is, you may have to skip the pumpkin pie to start standing in line before the sun even sets on your Thanksgiving Day.

Online retailers take notice of Black Friday sales and the folks at Amazon.com are constantly dropping their prices to one up other retailers. So if you don’t want to wait out in the freezing cold or throw elbows with the big boys and girls, you might just want to start shopping early and do some research so you can find the best deals on and offline. Another great thing is that a lot of stores today will price match competitors if you have the ad with you. This can help save you time and money.

Now for the record I’m not saying shopping on Black Friday is a bust. I do like to hit the stores after I have slept off the tryptophan from the day before and had a few cups of coffee. I usually get out around 10-11am. By this time the crazy has settled and there are still a few Early Bird Specials to be had.

If you do want to venture out:

Have a plan

Look at the ads and decide which stores and what deals you want to take advantage of. Write it down!

Got coupons?

Bring those too. There are often retail coupons, which you can find online that can be used in addition to sale prices but read the fine print just to be sure.

Don’t take it too seriously

Have fun! Make a plan to shop till you drop, then meet friends for breakfast or lunch. This can help you de-stress. Plus, it’s fun to compare deals.

What do you think about Black Friday? Are you a die hard shopper or do you stay away from the stores as much as possible on that day?

Easy Halloween Recognition Where Halloween Isn’t a Big Deal

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Halloween
(via Dimland Radio)

In the Philippines, Halloween is not such a big deal.  It is considered a more Western tradition and is thus not really given all that much attention.  Sure, it answers our inner need for dramatics and our seemingly inherent sweet tooth but, on the whole, the day and the event go by with not too much fanfare.

That doesn’t mean nothing happens at all.

In some villages in the suburbs, the association organizes a village trick or treat event which give the kids (and the parents!) the opportunity to dress up in their most creative costume.  This is one part of what a lot of those involved find fun.  Here, not every costume needs to be scary.  In fact, dressing up like your favorite super hero or your favorite childhood character is more than enough.  You will see the simplest Casper costume, to the elaborate Jesse of Toy Story, to any of the Disney Princess, to Ben 10, Justice League, even Thomas the Tank Engine!  It really is that time to let the imagination run free.

But it isn’t just about getting all dressed up.  This is just a part of the fun as was mentioned earlier.  Another big part of the fun is dressing up your home’s entrance for the visiting ghosts, witches, princes and princesses.  Since the kids and accompanying guardians don’t really go beyond your front door, all care is taken to dress up this block of wood, any front-facing window, or even the smallest patch of garden or front lawn.

For single moms like me, the cost of dressing the front portion of my home is just an expense that falls far below the list of essential expenses.  But I also would like for my kids to experience the trick or treat and dress up fun that really only comes once a year.  So it is a challenge for me to allot money towards this event.

Halloween decorating on a budget

Here was what I did this year.  I decided to decorate my front door and two front windows with spiders, rats, and clay pots.  Sounds interesting doesn’t it?  Well, I thought it was and really, really easy and inexpensive too!

First, I bought 4 packs of these realistic looking rubber spiders (6 to a pack), about ping pong ball size each, for php60 ( 1 USD= 43 PHP by the way), and used super glue to glue white yarn to parts of their body.  I then thumb tacked the other end of the yarn to the tops of my door and window frames to make them look like they were hanging down from the top of the door and windows, in the act of perhaps making a spider web.

I then bought 2 packs of again-realistic looking rubber rats, black with the red eyes, each about the size of a small empanada and 8 to a pack, for php70, and lined the rodents up on the edges of the windowsills.

Finally, I took 2 medium sized clay pots, filled them with some Christmas lights (handy to get these tested for the coming Holidays, too!) and them lightly covered them with orange reflective paper.  I didn’t enclose them nor did I place the paper anywhere need the bulbs to avoid creating a fire hazard and I made sure that the lights I used were the outdoor, all-surface ones.  This gave off an orange glow.  Then I placed the remaining rodents around each pot.

These were super cheap, super easy things to prepare and to fix up for Halloween. They are also really easy to put away after. The best part is that I can use these props again next year, for another Halloween design.  All in all I spent around less than $15 on everything.

Although Halloween is not a major activity in my country, it is still a day that brings joy to a lot of kids playing dress up, running from house to house, asking for sweets and treats. It feels great to join in on the fun without breaking my wallet.

How do you save money on decorating for Halloween?

A Brief Look at Some Pre-Christmas, Post-Halloween Traditions

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All Saint's Day
(via Photodocks)

We are nearing the end of the month of October, known in a lot of parts of the world as the “spooky month”, and we have been reveling in horror movies, ghostly and ghoulish costumes, and sugar overload.  It has been a lot of fun for those that take the time out to celebrate this kind of holiday, this kind of tradition.  Little is known though about the two days immediately following October 31, and the fact that, again for some groups of people, these days hold some significance.

The Meaning of All Saint’s Day & All Souls Day

To be specific, November 1 and 2 signify something in particular mostly for Roman Catholics or for followers of Western or Eastern Christianity.  I took the time to look up the simplest description of the two days (other than my own words) and here is what I found in Wikipedia:

All Saints’ Day (in the Roman Catholic Church officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas[1]), often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.

In Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries. In the Roman Catholic Church and many Anglican churches, the next day, All Souls’ Day, specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Catholics celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven (the ‘church penitent‘ and the ‘church triumphant‘, respectively), and the ‘church militant‘ who are the living. Other Christian traditions define, remember and respond to the saints in different ways.

Does it sound like a lot to take it?  I can understand that it would.  Especially for those who choose not to look at days or traditions that are religious in nature, these two days and what they appear to mean is a lot to adjust to.

All Saint’s Day & All Souls Day in the Philippines

In my country, which is known to be very Roman Catholic, these days are observed and are also often declared holidays so that families have time to make arrangements in the other provinces within the country.  But this tradition has also changed in practice and in meaning to a lot of people.

Before, these two days really did mean that families all went to cemeteries, in the Metro and in other provinces, where close relatives are buried, spend time around gravestones, light candles, pray and reflect on the dearly departed.  Today, this holiday is also used as just general time to get some rest and to spend time with the family.  Yes, people do still go to cemeteries to pray for their dead.  They still light candles or bring flowers.  But some families also bring food and drink as a form of celebration for the life or lives of loved ones who have passed.  It sounds morbid, true, but a lot of people find more comfort in remembering their dead during the good times, retelling stories of past achievements, funny moments, memorable events.

Others choose to remember and pray in a different way.  They go to church, light candles there, and pray specific prayers for their dearly departed.  Then they retreat to family homes and have dinners or lunches, not parties with revelry, but more of gatherings with food where family can spend time together, maybe catch up with relatives and friends who live far and who are only seen at this time of the year, and just remember good times and good people; To remember, to reflect, to be with family.

So, I bet you are wondering why I chose to blog about this.  Well, aside from the fact that these days a few days away, being a single mom has made me more aware of the traditions I would like my kids to be exposed to and the meaning of family, death, the importance of life, memories, and making sure you live to the fullest, strive to be happy and good.  So close after Halloween, the days of witches and ghosts, and a month away from Christmas, it seems to me a good time to pause the partying and to think about the people that matter the most and the meaning of death and life.

I don’t know if you all have similar traditions but it would be interesting to find out the ways in which you celebrate life, reflect on death, and emphasize family.

Do you observe All Saint’s Day?

Best Halloween Movies for Kids

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Halloween is such a great time to be a kid.  It’s a great time to be an adult for that matter but a certain part of the magic is lost as we get older.  As Halloween approaches, I always try to get into the mood by watching some scary movies but most are way too scary and graphic for my children.  So, to get my kids in the spirit of things, I started looking for scary movies for them that they could watch leading up to Halloween without scaring them half to death.  I am sure many of you reading this article could come up with a list of your own Halloween Movies for your kids.  They would probably consist of some great movies you saw as a child and watched as you grew up, but I thought it would help some parents if we came up with a comprehensive list.

This is where the caveat comes in!  When it comes to holiday movies, most families have their favorites.  If your movie didn’t make the list, don’t be offended.  I probably just didn’t know about it.  Please help us make the best list possible by posting your favorite Halloween movie in the comments section below the article.  We will do our best to add it to the list.

Best Halloween Movies for Kids

It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $14.99

This one is such a time honored classic, how could we not start the list off with it. I was a big fan of the Peanuts when I was a kid and mourned the loss of Charles Shultz when he died. It is one of the best Halloween movies around as Charlie Brown gets rocks in his trick or treat bag, snoopy falls asleep and Linus waits patiently (kind of) for the great Pumpkin to arrive in the pumpkin patch. Like all of the Peanuts movies, it sends a great message to kids and is a great kids Halloween movie. You can buy it by clicking The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Casper the Friendly Ghost

Casper The Friednly Ghost

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $9.99

I grew up watching the Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoon and it was always one of my favorites. I was ecstatic when they created a live action movie. The actual movie is just called Casper, I always add “The Friendly Ghost” because that is how I always think of him. It’s a perfect movie for Halloween and your kids are sure to love it. You can buy it by clicking Casper

The Monster Squad

The Monster Squad

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD and Blu Ray
  • Price (at time of article): $8.99 – $14.99

I couldn’t possibly make a list of the best Halloween movies for kids without including the Monster Squad. This was my all time favorite monster movie when I was a kid. I first watched it on a Boy Scout camp out and just fell in love with it. It’s a movie with Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Wolfman, The Mummy and The Gillman all seeking out a powerful amulet. Only the Monster Squad, a group of determined kids, can stop them. You can buy it by clicking The Monster Squad on DVD or The Monster Squad on Blu Ray

Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $11.99

This movie is actually a fairly new addition to my families collection of Halloween movies for the kids. The movie makes up two shorts, The Wind in the Willows and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It was originally released on the big screen in 1949 but until recently, was not available on VHS or DVD. It was the 11th animated feature that Disney released and we love it. You can buy it by clicking Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Monster House

Monster House

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD and Blu ray
  • Price (at time of article): $12.99 to $19.99

The 5th movie in our Best Halloween Movies for Kids list is Monster House. It’s about a group of kids who believe a haunted house that is planning on eating all the little kids that come to trick or treat at it’s door. They do an amazing job making the house one of the actual characters in the movie. It can be a little intense and scary at times so I don’t recommend this for younger kids. You can buy it by clicking Monster House on DVD or Monster House on Blu Ray

Escape to Witch Mountain

Escape to Witch Mountain

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $7.99

Here is another movie that I loved as a kid. By today’s standards, the effects are nothing special but back then they were amazing. It’s another classic from the brilliance that is Disney. It features two little kids, a brother and sister, with mysterious powers, who are on the run from someone trying to exploit them as they make there way to witch mountain. All sorts of adventures happen along the way as the movie builds to a great sci-fi ending. You can buy it by clicking Escape to Witch Mountain

Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD and Blu ray
  • Price (at time of article): $14.99

While not strictly a Halloween movie, I LOVED Wizard of Oz as a kid and it has Witches in it so C’mon! This move absolutely belongs on the list of the best halloween movies for children. Not much explanation is needed for this classic, it’s a musical that just about everyone loves no matter what there take on the musical genre is. It’s a must watch for Halloween and is typically the one we use to start off our Halloween season. What better way to get into the Halloween season then watching a witch get crushed by a house! You can buy it by clicking Wizard of Oz on DVD or Wizard of Oz on Blu Ray

Simpsons Treehouse of Horror

The SImposons Treehouse of Horror

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $7.99

Okay, so we all know this isn’t for younger kids. Heck, it’s not something I would let my own kids watch but I have sat down with my nephews (much older than my kids) and watched it with them and it was great. I love the Simpsons. More accurately, I love the older Simpsons which is what this is. It’s a collection of some of the best Treehouse of Horrors episodes. You can buy it by clicking Simpson Treehouse of Horror

Nicktoons Halloween Tales of Fright

Nicktoons Halloween: Tales of Fright

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $11.99

In this day and age, there is just no getting away from Spongebob and some of the uber popular Nicktoons cartoons that our kids just can’t get enough of. We bought this DVD for our kids last year and they love it. It’s packed full of Halloween themed episodes from my kids favorite cartoons. You can buy it by clicking Nicktoons Halloween Tales of Fright

The Little Vampire

The Little Vampire

  • Available From: Amazon
  • Format: DVD
  • Price (at time of article): $7.99

This is a surprisingly good movie for kids and parents alike. It’s a movie we picked up for the kids thinking they would love it around this time of year but it’s not one we expected to enjoy ourselves. It’s not a movie we would watch without the kids but isn’t it always a great bonus when you can enjoy the move alongside your kids? I made this selection the last pick in our best Halloween movies for kids because it was such a surprise. You can buy it by clicking The Little Vampire

Spend Less on Your Memorial Day BBQ

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Family BBQ
Curtesy of Pixabay

Before I begin talking about barbecuing – I feel it is important to note – that Memorial Day– which was once known as Decoration Day – is a time to honor all those brave men and women who have lost their lives serving our great country. The first Memorial Day was observed on May 30th 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers — at Arlington National Cemetery.

For many people, Memorial Day is also when they spend some good quality time — with friends and family. The holiday is viewed as the official kick-off of grilling season. Since Memorial Day provides a good number of us with a long weekend, this seems like the perfect time to get friends and family together — to eat, play and enjoy each other’s company. Like many Americans — you may be thinking of planning a Memorial Day BBQ. However, sometimes budget restrictions can make you feel like you can’t have people over — because you simply can not afford it.

Fear not! I have some great ideas (if I do say so myself) on how you can plan a fun and festive Memorial Day BBQ — and spend less.

Tip #1: Save on Invites

It’s always nice to send invites but you don’t have to go to all the trouble – and expense – of buying invitations and mailing them out. In today’s world, there are so many ways – of letting people know – about the get-togethers we are planning! Evite is one of my favorites! They have great invitations, for just about any occasion. Using Evite is not only frugal — but eco-friendly as well. You probably wouldn’t send wedding invites out this way, but for birthday parties – and other informal get-togethers – it is just perfect! 🙂

If most of your friends are on Facebook— there is a great event application there as well. With Evite and Facebook events — it also makes it super simple for your guests to RSVP and for you to send out reminders. This will help to ensure that you get an accurate head count, so you can plan accordingly.

  • In the invite, remind people to wear their sunscreen and to bring their bug repellent. These are two very important things to have for any BBQ!

Tip #2: Save on Food

Hosting a BBQ potluck is another great way to save money on your Memorial Day celebration. If your friends and family are anything like mine, they are very thoughtful and always ask – or insist – on bringing something to the party. This is not only a kind gesture and money saver — it also helps take some of the stress of planning, off of your shoulders. The less food you have to prepare — the more time you’ll have to spend on other things, so you can enjoy the BBQ along with everyone else.

Keep it simple. Your guests don’t expect you to do anything elaborate. Grilling up burgers, hot dogs, and sausages — are just perfect for an event like this. If you can find a good deal on ribs, fish or other cuts of meat go for it — but you certainly don’t have to.

Tip #3: Save on Decorations

Do decorations from parties past — linger in your garage, attic, or some other storage place? Awesome! Get them out, dust them off and put them to good use. There is no law – that I am aware of anyway – which states that you can not re-use decorations. While it might not be appropriate to use your child’s 1st birthday banner, there are other decorations that might work beautifully — even last year’s 4th of July decor will work quite nicely.

If you don’t have any old decorations to use, head you your local dollar store as see what they have on hand. If you don’t want to do that, you can just buy a fun table cloth and put some fresh flowers out — and you’ll be all set!

Tip #4: Save on Entertainment

You don’t have to spend a lot to keep your guests entertained. Most people like to just sit around and chat — but if you want to add some other activities for your guests to do, there are a few ways to do this.

  • Get out the board games or even a deck of cards and have some fun.
  • Potato sack races? Why sure — that sounds like a fine idea!
  • Host a scavenger hunt. This is great for kids of all ages!
  • Do a good ol’ fashion egg toss. Hard boil the eggs if you like — or don’t hard boil them, this adds a little more drama to the competition 🙂
  • Flag football! Just cut up some old t-shirts – or towels – for the flags and away you go!
  • You can play croquet, volleyball, Frisbee or badminton depending on how much space you have. If don’t have these games, a friend or family member might.

What are you planning this Memorial Day weekend? Do you have some other suggestions on how people can save on these types of parties? I’d love to hear them!!!

Mothers Day is Coming; Amazon Gift Cards

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Amazon gift cardMothers Day is almost here and although it may not be romantic, Gift Cards are something my wife always asks me for.  I don’t make it the only gift but I do try to make it part of the gift.  If you have read any of my articles in the past you know that we fell on pretty hard times and had no money to buy anything other than absolute necessities for a very long time.  Nothing made her happier when family members clued into how bad we were and got her gift cards so she could shop for things she needed but that we couldn’t afford since it wasn’t an absolute necessity to get by.

I just got an email from Amazon, they advertise on our site and they have some Mothers Day themed gift cards that are easy to purchase and will arrive in plenty of time for the big day.  If you want to make Gift Cards part of your Mothers Day, you can check them out at Amazon Mothers Day Gift Cards.

From the husbands/sons/father perspective, gift cards are great because of how easy they are to get and to give.  Just don’t make it the only thing you give her.  Being a Mom is a hard and incredibly wonderful job, show her she is worth more than the 5 minutes it takes to pick up a gift card.

What are you getting the moms in your life for Mother’s Day?

Happy Easter!

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I thought I would take a quick break from Easter and wish you all a very Happy Easter.  Hopefully the Easter Bunny visited your house and you had a day full of reflection and watching little kids hunt eggs, eat more candy than they should and just have fun.

Hand Made Easter Card with Tulip Die Cuts

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