Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

How I Spent My Thanksgiving Weekend

| Leave a Comment

turkey dinnerI love Thanksgiving weekend because it is a nice break from work, and it’s a nice time to spend some time with family.  However, 4 days does tend to drag on, and I don’t know about you, but here is how I spent my Thanksgiving weekend.

Eating

I did a lot of eating!  Starting on Thursday, I spent a lot of time eating.  In the morning I helped get the turkey ready with my wife, and then we headed over to my aunt’s house for dinner.  It was great to see all of the family, and even better to enjoy the food.  I love getting together with family because everyone brings such different dishes.  I got to have a little bit of everything, and I promise you I filled my plate more than once. 

Shopping

I’m not going to lie, but I was one of the millions of shoppers who shopped on Grey Thursday this year.  I actually don’t mind going shopping on Thanksgiving night, and I don’t know what all the fuss was about on the news.

Instead of waking up early, I got to eat dinner, and then do some shopping before I went to bed.  I found it to be incredibly convenient, and based on what others in line were saying, I think they found it convenient too.  My wife wanted to do Black Friday shopping last year, and staying up until like 4am was terrible.  This year I was back home and in bed at midnight.

That’s not to say we didn’t go out again on Friday, because we did go shopping that day too! 

Bored

But you know what, I did spend a lot of time being bored over the holiday break.  It wasn’t a bad thing – it was nice to have a break from work.  The trouble is that I found myself wasting time playing on sites like JackpotCity Online Casino, which cost me a few pennies.  That’s okay though, because in the end it was worth it!

How did you spend your Thanksgiving?

Is Black Friday Worth the Hype?

| Leave a Comment

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?

Thanksgiving is Over; Bring on Christmas!

| Leave a Comment

Out goes Thanksgiving and in comes Christmas

Image on Fotopedia

What a great time of year.  Despite the fact that I hate the cold and in turn, hate most of the Winter, I really love November and December.  They are the two most family focused months of the year and where our family’s traditions really come to life.   Thanksgiving and Christmas are without a doubt, my two favorite holidays.

I had a fantastic Thanksgiving with my family and am preparing for a month of Christmas celebration.  We started decorating this past weekend and we are going to finish it up this coming weekend.  Shopping has started and we have begun to rotate Christmas movies and shows into our rotation.  I am excited for a fun month and we hope to bring you tips, reviews and posts centered around the holiday spirit over the next couple of weeks so if you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to our feed and follow along with us.

It’s funny because the reality is, everything possible is fighting against my enjoyment of this holiday season.   I am an owner and main operations manager in a popular niche Ecommerce web site.  We do an INSANE amount of business in the last week of November through the month of December.  That means a lot of prep work before hand, and a lot of long hours during the season .  I really have to make an effort to find the time and energy to actually enjoy myself.  Additionally, as I have previously mentioned, my last business was a miserable failure and got me and my family into really poor financial shape.  We are climbing out of it but it’s always stressful trying to find the money to enjoy the holidays and find creative ways to give gifts without breaking the bank.  But in the end,, if I let either of these two things ruin my favorite holidays, holidays that are focused on family, then I lose a lot more than just the enjoyment of the season.  What is the point of any of it if you can’t enjoy family time?

Are you ready for the Christmas season yet? How was your Thanksgiving?

Happy Thanksgiving

| Leave a Comment

Just a real quick post to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Hopefully had a great time with family and loved ones and got to spend real quality time together.  The older I get the busier I seem to become and the less opportunity I have to spend quality time with family so I cherish it whenever the opportunity presents itself and today was one of those days.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving

What are you thankful about this Thanksgiving?

Raising an Appreciative Child

| Leave a Comment

Teaching appreciation to kidsThanksgiving Day is almost here and it’s one of my favorite holidays. I guess that’s probably because it revolves around; family, food, and gratitude — three of my favorite things! It is really important to my husband and I, that our boys grow up to be grateful for all of the blessings that they have throughout their lives. I know that being thankful for everything they have – no matter how much or how little – will make them happier, more compassionate, well-rounded, people. In addition, having gratitude will help them through the rough patches of life.

So how does a parent go about instilling a sense of gratitude in their child? One thing you must keep in mind is children generally don’t gain a true sense of gratitude, until they are between the ages of 7-10 years old. If you haven’t noticed, little tikes tend to believe that the world revolves around them and that’s ok — it’s how they are wired. You just need to keep teaching and encouraging them and eventually it will click. Most kids learn to say “please” and “thank you” at very young ages; this is where they first start learning to express their gratitude to people.

Here are a few tips that help teach your children about gratitude:

Express it

Each and everyday set aside time where you come together as a family and say what you are thankful for. In our family, we usually do this at dinner time and it has worked very well. Our boys really look forward to this time of day. Of course we always note how thankful we are for the food we are about to enjoy, but we also like to include; our family and friends, our pets, everyone’s jobs, our home, etc.

Another thing you should – and probably already – do, is to express your thanks to your children. If your child does something without asking, be sure you let them know just how much you appreciate their help. I have been pleasantly surprised by my children when they have thanked me for things like; making dinner, finding a lost toy, or getting them a snack. Of course it doesn’t happen all the time but when it does – it warms my heart.

Also, when your children receive gifts, have them make handmade thank you notes. This really shows the gift giver just how much your child appreciates them and of course – who doesn’t love getting a handmade craft from a child? It also teaches your child the importance of acknowledging a gift.

Model it

Showing your gratitude for things other people do for you, is a great way to teach your children to be appreciative. If someone holds the door open for you, helps you with something or gives you a gift, of course you’ll want to let that person know that you are thankful, but use this as a teaching moment for your child as well. You could say “Wasn’t that nice of that lady to hold the door open for us?” or, “It was so thoughtful of Mrs. Wilkes to bring those cookies by! We should make her a thank-you card.”

Live it

Another way to express gratitude is to give to others. Be sure to include your children as much as you can when you volunteer or give to charities. Explain what you are doing and why it is important to always show you appreciate what you have, by sharing some of it with others. A few ways you can do this are:

  • Donate food to a food drive, homeless shelter, or food bank. Explain to your children that some adults and children don’t have enough food to eat and need help from other people. Take them to the store with you, and let them pick out foods they would like to donate.
  • When you clear out closets and toys boxes, let you kids know where you are taking the items they have out grown. Be sure they know that these items are going to other kids who need and appreciate them.
  • Think about what cause is closest to your heart; then get involved in some way. Donating your time can be just as important as a monetary donation. You can donate a little time or a lot of time but whatever you do, include your children whenever possible.
  • During the holidays there are a lot of “giving trees” with gift wishes for needy kids and families. If you can, have your child select a gift recipient and allow them pick out a gift. This teaches your child the importance of giving to others and makes them feel proud that they were able to help someone in need.

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”  -Margaret Cousins

Thank you for reading and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

What have you done to teach appreciation to your children?

Great Weekend and a Start to the Holiday Season

| 1 Comment

Christmas starts for us with picking out our Christmas tree

Found on Christmasstockimages.com

I love this time of year, my two favorite holidays one right after the other.  For my family, the start of our Thanksgiving and Christmas starts with tagging our tree.   I love Thanksgiving and wish people would decorate and celebrate the coming of Thanksgiving more than they do.  It annoys me that the celebration and marketing of Christmas starts well before Thanksgiving.  With that said, it’s funny that for me, the start of the Thanksgiving holiday is getting together with my family to go and tag our Christmas tree.  It may be hypocritical but meh, I love it just the same.  Trust me, we are all in Thanksgiving mode until December hits.

Our beginning of Christmas Tradition

The four of us (me, my wife and my kids) met up with my sister and her family as well as my parents and drove out to the same Christmas tree farm we have been going to for the last couple of years.  It’s a great little family owned farm with many charms of it’s own.  The tagging is self service, you grab a tag, find a tree that you like and tag it as yours.  You don’t have to pay for the tree until you come back and pick it up.  When you do decide to go back and claim your tree, they cut it fresh, shake the loose needles off of it, wrap it up and help you load it into your car.  All for about $35 – $50 depending on the tree you pick and the size.  It’s a little more than we would pay if we went down to one of local pre-cut parking lot stands but the tradition of going and picking out our tree means much more to me than the extra $5 we spend.

After we tag our tree, we had over to a restaurant called Snuzzles.  It’s in the middle of nowhere, doesn’t even have a sign on the outside but the food, atmosphere and price is great.  At first it seems a little out of place as the whole thing looks like something you would find at a ski resort but the people are friendly and the food can’t be beat for the price.

It’s a day I look forward to every year and this year it did not disappoint.  I am part owner of an Ecommerce company and the next 4 – 6 weeks are going to be insane.  As our business grows, it’s tougher and tougher for me to enjoy the holidays.  I think that is why I cherish days like today more than I ever had before.

How do you kick off the christmas season? Where do you get your tree?