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5 DAYS TO GO FOR HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3

October 19, 2008 By Leave a Comment
High School Musical

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Abigail is all set and counting. It is like the biggest thing that is happening this fall. I know that you are thinking I must be referring to Halloween but there is something better this October. High School Musical 3 hits the theaters in only 5 more days! It is like the Grease of this generation only slightly more G rated.

I want to make this a special thing for Abigail. She often feels like we do nothing together anymore so on Sunday, I can not do opening night, we will be off to the movies. I am so curious to see how it will be. I have watched the first two people more times then I can remember. I am curious to know what will happen with Gabriella and Troy and where they will all be going for college? Will the they be going to college at all? What will the message that kids walk away from this movie be? I can not wait!

Take a peek at the trailer that Disney has released if you haven’t already. I will let you know how it was. Of course you can also visit http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/highschoolmusical3/ for an up to the minute countdown, buy tickets and anything else.

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68 Days Until Christmas

October 19, 2008 By 4 Comments
SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER 24: People shop for ...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Black Friday is a vital way to save money. If you plan it out right you can save a ton of money and be just about done with your shopping. Every year the female in-laws and I hit the the pavement at about 4am coffee in hand to get all of the best deals! Here is a step by step guide of how to make Black Friday the best one ever.

1. The first thing that I like to do to prepare for Black Friday Shopping is to check out the ads. Before I was an experienced Black Friday shopper I would wait until Thanksgiving night to look at the ads and then decide from there. Now that I am a little more experienced I know that there are many ads available before the holidays! Here is a small list of the best!

http://www.blackfriday.info/

http://www.black-friday.net/

http://bfads.net/

2. Compare the ads to your list that you had the kids make! I find that this is important because I can make smart money choices. If something is even $2 less somewhere else I would rather go there first.

3. Plan out your route. This is a very important step. I find that the mall is not the best place to start. While it is the place that the most stores are the deals are often not the best.

4. Look at how many hours the deals are good for. If one store only has early bird specials until noon but another is having them only until 10am go to the one who ends at 10am first.

Tips To Remember:

  • Electronics are limited in numbers in each store. Find the second or third best price and go there first. This will help to assure that you receive the deal you are looking for.
  • Deals and many others are offered at midnight online. Shop for some items online. Remember that you may have to pay shipping for these items.
  • Wake up EARLY and arrive at your first store about one hour before they open. I know in NY it can be cold to wait but it is worth it if you are there for something specific.
  • Many stores offer early bird specials on Saturday also. Make sure it is going to be worth the stop on Black Friday.

The most important thing to remember is to get into the mood. Have fun on Black Friday. Do not get nasty and ruin the spirit. Sing along with the music. Make it a special tradition for you and your family and friends.

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69 Days of Christmas

October 18, 2008 By 2 Comments
Father Christmas // Santa Claus // Père Noël

Image by Stéfan via Flickr

So here we are with only 69 days left until Christmas. At this point I want to get an idea of what the kids want this year. I think that accessing what they want and what are priorities is an important thing to do! Abigail has said that she is going to ask Santa for a Wii. Because I know that they will be getting harder and harder to find as we get closer to the season I think this should be near the top of my list.

Emma has not asked for anything. She is a challenge at Christmas. Her birthday is at the end of November so it is had to choose what she wants for what! I think that for her birthday she will like the new Barbie movie. Perhaps the doll for Christmas. She also may want some American Girl Doll stuff. I know this would be a fine hit for either of them.

The crime of it is that none of my Children NEED anything. Year after year we get more and more toys in this house. We live in a VERY small house! We can not handle one more doll, Barbie, play food, dress-up or anything. I am sure that we are not alone. This year because I have some time to plan we are going to have a Thanksgiving Give Away.

Rules of the Thanksgiving Give Away:

1. Each child must choose at least 10 toys that are in good shape that they do not play with anymore.

2. These toys have to be in good shape. If I find one that is not I will throw it out and they will have to try again.

3. The kids will come with me to bring their chosen toys to the GoodWill. This will show them that we should give back!

All of this will then make room for new toys and treasures. I think that cleaning out the old and making room for the new is not only a good lesson but it will teach them that it is ok to let things go. I think that this is an important lesson. So many people have trouble getting rid of this. I am included in that which is why I want to teach my children that it is ok. It is reusing as part of reduce, recycle and reuse. I think all in all we will leave with a great lesson and give another child a toy which they may not be able to afford otherwise.

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70 days Until Christmas

October 17, 2008 By 1 Comment

Shopping For Christmas Dresses

SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER 24: People ride down...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

OK so here we are 5 days into my 75 days of Christmas plan. So far it has been 5 days and it time to shop. I have saved about $100 between ebay and saving. It is time to get holiday dresses for the girls. I had forgotten to budget for this expense. This will certainly mean that I have to make up this money with more ebay sales.

The challenge is to be able to go out and find dresses for Abigail, Emma and Analiese that all match. I am not sure how Abigail will feel about matching this year. I think that since she turned eight her opinions have become stronger then ever before. I think that we may just have to find one that coordinates for Abby rather then matches.

I have looked online so that I know where I want to shop. My foot is still quite bad so it is important to know where I am heading to limit the amount of time on my feet. I did like some of the dresses at www.Gymboree.com. The black and white dresses are worth stopping by and taking a look. I also liked a few dresses for Emma and Analiese at The Children’s Place. I will also go to take a look at the Gap also. I really think that Abigail would like their little pleated party dress.

I will also take a look at Macy’s, but I think that it will be a little harder in a department store then it is in a smaller specialty store. I know that many people think that it is early to get holiday dresses but they have already been out for weeks. Since I have three kids that I am trying to match I think that it is important to get it now. This will also allow me to get their photos done before the holiday rush begins.

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Apple Picking in New York

October 15, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I love fall. It is the best time of year. The leaves are changing here in New York and the air is crisp. It is not cold and it is not hot. It is just right. In this perfect time of year there are so many family fun things to do. Apple picking is usually on the top of our list for the fall. It is so much fun to go to the farm with the kids. They love getting on the hay ride and riding out to the apple orchards. It is the best part in their eyes. In my eyes the best part is that we are all together.

Reflections of Fall
Image by JustABigGeek via Flickr

With all of the hustle and bustle of ballet, girl scouts, 4H, and drama classes it is nice to get away for a day of fun all together. The girls love picking their apples and I think that there is a certain pride that comes with doing it yourself. They go to school and tell their friends that they picked the apples all by themselves. To top it all of apples are quite healthy for all of us! We love to go to Soons orchard in New Hampton New York. It is just an hour ride from New York City and well worth the trip.

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72 Days Until Christmas

October 15, 2008 By 1 Comment

Christmas Music

White Christmas album cover

Image via Wikip

So I went shopping yesterday and found some great deals at Joann fabrics. The holiday fabrics were all on sale. This was quite helpful for my holiday . I was also able to get the kids some cheap crafts to do as presents for their grandparents. I am excited that I have accomplished a few things.

Today I would like to gather all of my Christmas CD’s together and download my favorites onto my ipod. I know that it is a little early to be thinking about Christmas Music. I have wanted to do this for the last two years and have not had the time. I figure if I accomplish this now it can be done and enjoyed by Thanksgiving. Christmas iTunes account for these holiday downloads. Although this is money that I did not budget for I am doing better then expected on my ebay ventures.

I am quite excited to be getting this done now. I promise not to listen to it until Black Friday. It is the right thing to do. It will be so nice though to have it done before Thanksgiving this year!

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73 Days Until Christmas

October 14, 2008 By 3 Comments

Save money on Christmas, make your own gifts.

A bauble on a Christmas tree.

Image via Wikipedia

Ok so we are two days into our 75 day plan. I have chosen some items to list on ebay. One of my goals will be to list some of the items. The next thing that I would like to think about is making a few gifts to save some money. When looking at crafts to make you have to be quite careful. They can end up spending more money then if you were to just go out and buy the item new. A few years ago I had made Christmas Tree skirts for my mother, my mother in-law and my sister-in-laws. They loved them but my mother-in-laws was ruined last year. I am thinking that I will make her a new one this year.

Today I am off to AC Moore and JoAnn Fabrics to buy some fabric and check out some new craft ideas for others on my list. I think that I will see what types of things the kids can make for their grandparents as well. Grandma and Grandpa always love some homemade treasures. The kids also love to make new treasures. This will be a great thing that we can do together closer to Christmas. I figure if I buy it all now I will have a chance to make it when I am ready. I will not have to rush out and shop on the day that I want to make something.

I would also like to look for some Christmas tree ornament crafts that the kids and I could make together. This will create some special memories and help to fix out Christmas tree tragedy from last year. Again the kids and I will have a great time together making some special memories.

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Webkinz New Pets

October 13, 2008 By 3 Comments
Webkinz

Image via Wikipedia

Webkinz is at it again! They have a few new pets for your little one to adopt. Abigail already brought home the new dolphin. It travels in a little bubble when it is not in a water room. She has been quite impressed with it. It was hard for her to pick though. She thought about the clown fish and the blue tiger fish but the dolphin won! There are other new Webkinz to be brought home. I personally like the dainty hummingbird but there are still others to pick from. Emma keeps begging for the new pink dog but I am sure that she would settle for the white one if we brought one home. The porcupine and buffalo would also be a welcomed friend. It will be hard for Emma to pick which one to bring home next.

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75 Days of Christmas

October 12, 2008 By 5 Comments
Christmas cards with angels, scandinavian “nis...

Image via Wikipedia

How to Get Through Christmas

Christmas Day is in 75 days…

I know that I sound like a huge retailer trying to make up for the missing back to school specials! If you are like I am you want the holidays to be PERFECT! So far it never has been and I am starting to think that it never will be. Last year we did not have the money to go out shopping until December 23rd and it made the entire season VERY stressful. So here we are with 75 days left to make it perfect. I know, I know, it will never be PERFECT but perhaps I can come a little closer if I start planning it all out now. There are so many things to think about. Forget about Halloween this year, forget about Thanksgiving! This year I am setting my sights on Christmas!

OK, so here I am sitting all motivated to do something to make the season better than ever. Where should we start though. I think that the most important thing to do this year is to establish an early budget. This will make the entire season more enjoyable. I think that in order to examine a budget I have to look at who I need to buy for and how much money I plan on spending. This will help me determine how much money I will need. So here it goes…

Nieces and Nephews: There are 6 of them now and I estimate that I will spend $15 each. I know that I sound cheap but I am a bargin shopper. I am going to round this up to an even $100. This way I can go over and under and stay within my budget. The truth is that kids do not know nor do they care how much you spend on them. All they care about is that you buy something fun!

Parents: I tend to spend about $40 for each of my parents and about $100 for Rob’s mother if not more. Any presents that she gets come from all of her kids so I think that it is important for her to have a Christmas that is magical too! I will round this up to $200 to be on the safe side. It never hurts to have extra money.

Siblings: This year Rob’s family has decided to do a grab bag. We need to pick two $20 gifts for the grab bag. I also have one brother who has no children. I try to get him something cool since he gets the girls things. I figure about $40 is what I will spend. Again I am going to round up to be on the safe side. This makes this section $100.

Our Girls: While Santa does do some of the work, Christmas is still an expencive venture. I figure that we will spend aboiut $300 on Abigail and Emma and about $150 on the baby. As kids get older they want things that cost more and more. By aiming high we will assure that we have enough money to make their dreams come true. This brings this section up to $750.

Pictures: It is important to me that we have pictures taken this year. The last few years we have not had the money so I plan on doing this early. Although there are deals, I figure we will spend about $100 on pictures this year.

Cookies: While baking cookies is a day or two of fun for the kids it can be quite expencive. This year I would like to put about $100 aside for baking. I figure this will cover any cakes, candy, and cookies.

Wrapping and shipping: Wrapping paper can add up. For family gifts this year I plan on making wrapping paper. This will help us to save money and it will be a great activity to do with the kids. We will have to buy and ship Christmas cards and a few gifts to family who lives far away. We will also need to donate some paper to Santa. This will all total about $80 this year.

New decorations: Well, last year our tree fell and about half of our tree ornaments broke. I was quite upset. I have had almost a year to recover though. Now I am excited about being able to get some new treasures and memories for out tree. I am putting about $50 aside for this.

Teachers, bus drivers, mail person and others: If you are not careful this can really add up. I think that it is ok if you do not have a lot of money to give these people cookies and treats that you are baking. Last year I gave the bus driver a Dunkin’ Donuts gift certificate for $10. This way he could stop and have some coffee. Classes in our school do teacher presents all together so this should only be abbout $10 this year. It will be cookies for the rest. This will add up to about $20 this year.

So all in all I think that I will need about $1400 for this Christmas. It sounds like so much for one day but I am determined to make it special. They key is to spend cash! With the economy in a state of “crisis” I would rather not have to rely on anything other then the money that I have.

I would like to do a lot of my shopping on Black Friday. I find great deals and love getting up early with my female in-laws and hitting the pavement. So I would like to have at least half of the money for Black Friday. Thanksgiving is about 6 weeks away. This means that I will have to put about $130 away a week to assure that I do not have to spend on credit on Black Friday. This is going to be a huge challenge. Things are tight right now to begin with, but I have a plan!

I think that we should all avoid spending money on our credit cards this year. Work out your personal budget and see what you have to save a week to reach your goal. I will post new posts everyday with craft ideas, fun activities, money making tips, and recipies to use for the next 75 days. It is going to be a great Christmas this year!

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