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Archive for Holidays

Early Holiday Gift Ideas

Posted by html404 on September 4, 2013
in Gift Ideas, Holidays, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping

This is a featured post.

It’s never too early to think about Christmas shopping, right? There has been many a year that I started my holiday shopping right after Christmas during all the end of season sales. Then I’d continue throughout the year to buy gifts so we would never have a huge Christmas bill to pay for after the holidays. It would all be paid for up front. Free and clear. Makes for a stress-free holiday season.

Holiday Gift Ideas

I just wanted to share a few little holiday gift ideas to get you started on your Christmas gift list.

There are always Christmas gatherings and holiday celebrations to attend. What better way to say thank you than a nice little festive hostess gift. These little holiday gift towel sets are so cute!

Holiday Gift Towel Sets

We have always made Christmas ornaments and decorations a part of our gift giving, especially for our children. When we got married we barely had any Christmas decorations or tree ornaments. We had to buy it all. Good thing I worked at a craft store and had a discount, plus I’d use coupons to reduce what we spent even more.

I’ve always purchased my husband ornaments of his favorite sports teams. He is such a goofball that he made it a family tradition that besides our little manager ornament that lights up, his Chicago Bulls ornaments go on the tree first! You should see him get after the children if they dare put one of their ornaments on first! All in fun though. We have been given a couple holiday houses – a lighthouse to remember my native land of Nova Scotia and a church – but we do not have any like these NFL collectible holiday houses.

NFL Collectible Holiday Houses

My husband and I have carried over some of the traditions we had growing up to but we have also made it a point to create new ones just for our family. The Legend of the Christmas Nest made me think of how we have implemented new holiday traditions.

Legend Of The Christmas Nest

So what are your holiday gift ideas this year? Feel free to share them with us as we might need a little inspiration this early on in the “holiday” season!

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Polly Pocket Lea Fashion Collection and Wall Party Tree House

Posted by html404 on June 26, 2013
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Girl Stuff, Holidays, Kids Stuff

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Polly Pocket. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

I have to admit we do not buy a lot of toys. Easy to understand when you realize and understand we’ve been buying real, live animals instead. Nevertheless, one thing our children have always, always enjoyed is people figures of any kind, which is why the Polly Pocket Lea Fashion Collection and Wall Party Tree House appealed to me for our youngest daughter.

Ever since we got the packages, Blondie and her brothers have been pretty much playing with them non-stop, except when chores have to be done and they are called away from them. Blondie has been quite generous in sharing her new toys. However, the youngest has been teasing her quite a bit and taking things on her- aggravating to say the least.

The Polly Pocket Lea Fashion Collection and Wall Party Tree House have been a huge success here at our house and I have a funny feeling more will be added in the future if Blondie has anything to say about it – especially when it comes to using her own money!

What My Daughter Likes About Polly Pocket Playsets

They are fun!

They are fun to play with!

They are easy to carry around.

I like to change Lea’s clothes.

I like that I can put Polly Pocket’s tree house on the wall.

I like to play me and Polly Pocket’s friends are playing around.

Mommy note: The pieces are very small so be aware if you have little ones younger than four.

We would highly recommend a Polly Pocket Playset for the little girl in your life. They are very inexpensive, at least for our children’s birthday or Christmas budgets. If you have birthdays or need a late end of school year gift, we would like to share that purchasing either of these Polly Pocket products is easy if you click on the Amazon Social Store below.

Enjoy! We are!

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Longhorn Steakhouse – Take Dad on a “Steakcation”

Posted by Brande on June 6, 2013
in Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Gift Ideas, Guest Post, Holidays, Houseware, Products for Dad, Restaurants, Reviews, Shopping

Written By Guest Dad Blogger – Scott

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Dad Central Consulting for LongHorn Steakhouse. I received a gift card to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.”

Father’s Day is coming! Is your Dad a “cut above the rest”? Forget the tie! Your favorite Dad really wants a “Steakcation” at Longhorn Steakhouse!

Come on down, grab a cold one and let Longhorn Steakhouse grill experts take care of Dad this Father’s Day. With a choice of 7 different cuts of steak at any temperature, it will be hard to decide which to cut choose.

After you decide which cut to choose (18 inch bone-in Outlaw Ribeye, Flo’s Filet, sirloin, strip, flat-iron, T-Bone or porterhouse). You need to choose a side; you can even upgrade your side to roasted corn on the cob (available for a limited time off the “Peak Season Menu”).

Hungry yet?

This was my family’s first visit to a Longhorn Steakhouse and we were very impressed. Here’s what we ordered.

When the waitress took our drink order she dropped off honey wheat bread that was still warm. Very tasty, my daughter ate most of it before her dinner came out.

Appetizer – Parmesan Crusted Asparagus (New off the Peak Season Menu)

The asparagus had a great favor, was crunchy, and the batter was light. It had a few parmesan shavings on top and was served with a delicious red chili ranch sauce.

Lunch –

I had the Prime Rib – My dinner also came with a choice of salad and side. I chose a garden salad and a side of vegetables. I prefer my steaks to be rare and it was cooked perfect! Served with au jus and horseradish sauce. The broccoli was nice and green and the carrots still a small crunch.

My wife had the Bold Balsamic BBQ Sirloin, She also got the garden salad, but upgraded her side to the roasted corn on the cob. She ordered and received her sirloin medium to well done. Her sirloin was topped with roasted garlic cloves and a smooth balsamic bbq sauce.

My daughter had a grilled cheese sandwich and fries off the kids menu. There was a great variety on the children’s menu which was great. We have a picky eater and that can be a concern when going out.

We really enjoyed our afternoon out. The food is very good and cooked to your expectations.

We ate so much that we did not have room for dessert. I took a look at the dessert menu and the offerings were very intriguing. The Chocolate Stampede which has 6 different chocolates in a piece of cake and is served with vanilla ice cream. Another dessert that caught my eye was off the Peak Seasons Menu, The Very Berry Grilled Pound Cake (I’m going back just to get this dessert), it’s a piece of lemon pound cake grilled and served with strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream!

Stomach Growling? Mine is!

So, your favorite Dad is not into going out for Father’s Day. He prefers to say at home and do his own grilling? Here is Longhorn Steakhouse’s Tips on “How to Grill a Great Steak”.

You still need to get Dad a present too! My suggestion is the Longhorn Steakhouse Knives – Available at your local Longhorn Steakhouse for $29.99. The Knives are made with high carbon steel and serrated blade. Stop tearing your steak and cut it with these fabulous knives.

Click Here to find your nearest Longhorn Steakhouse to purchase your knives or a great Father’s Day Meal!

Happy Father’s Day!

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Mother’s Day 2013 Charity Gifts

Posted by html404 on May 17, 2013
in Family Stuff, Giving Back/Charity, Holidays, Parenting, Uncategorized

This is a paid post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Our family enjoys giving when we can, which isn’t as often as we use to give. We feel it is an important aspect of our parenting and beliefs to give back. That is why giving charity gifts during the holidays has appealed to us. It helps us take the focus off ourselves and what we get onto others and what we can give. Usually the season of giving is Christmas for us. We never really thought about too many other holidays to be honest. Have you?

I know I wrote a little Mother’s Day 2013 Wordless Wednesday post the other day, but motherhood is a wonderful enough blessing (and challenge, I might add) that’s worth mentioning again. Most of us in North America are not as challenged as mothers in third world countries. We haven’t had to see our child struggle to survive because there isn’t enough food. Nor have we had to see our child battle health issues because there is no doctor available to help diagnose what is wrong with our child. We have access to health care, food, clean water and educational resources. Does that mean other mothers don’t care? No. It’s because these things are not readily available to them for their families. That’s why I wanted to share an idea I never even thought about – giving charity gifts in celebration of Mother’s Day 2013 to help other mothers provide these things to their families.

Unicef offers a variety of charity gifts to give back. Perhaps you have yet to send your mom a gift – you could send her your gift and tell her you also gave a gift in her honor for Mother’s Day. Or maybe you would like to send a gift of your own in celebration of your own motherhood to help other mothers in need.

For a glimpse of the charity gifts offered, here’s a list:

– Mother’s Day Measles Vaccine to protect 100 or 200 kids
– Mother’s Day Family Water Pack
– Maternal Health Kit
– School-in-a-box
– Therapeutic Food
– Pencils
– Story Books
– First Aid Kits
– Footballs
– Bicycle
and more…

You can check out all the Mothers Day 2013 giving opportunities at this link provided.

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Mother’s Day 2013 – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on May 15, 2013
in Family Stuff, Food and Treats, Gift Ideas, Holidays, Home, Seasonal Stuff, Uncategorized, Wordless Wednesday

Mother’s Day 2013 saw me served with a delicious homemade breakfast in bed. (I was also served with a yummy meatloaf dinner the night before and a strawberry dessert Yahoo featured!)

The whipped cream is homemade from our own cream – yummylicious!

And I bought these for the purpose of having a Mother’s Day flowers photo….we ended up giving them to Grandma on her special day too….

How was your Mother’s Day? Were you given the royal treatment too?

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The Christmas Web – A Christmas Tradition

Posted by html404 on April 9, 2013
in Books, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Holidays, Home, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, SALES

This is a compensated post.

We’ve all probably participated in “Christmas in July” events or sales, I know I have multiple times over. It’s fun! Christmas is one of our family’s favorite holidays. Each of us has our own Christmas family tradition passed down from one generation to the next, but have you ever started a new holiday tradition? We have started a couple and our children have really enjoyed them.

If you are looking to start a new family tradition, consider www.ChristmasWeb.com The Chirstmas Web comes in a gift set – a hard covered, unique story book titled, “The Christmas Web” and three magic wands in nice packaging that can be used as a display as well. It’s a very cute idea to have children (or adults too!) find their special Christmas gift by following a literal web.

The Christmas Web retails for $39.99, however, right now there’s a “Spring Sale” going on and they are just $29.99. A 25% discount with the code SALE. Just enter the word SALE in the promotional code box to get the 25% discount at www.ChristmasWeb.com. One these are gone the price will go back to $39.99

Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjAXh74jYZA

We received The Christmas Web and our younger children liked it and said it was a nice idea and a sweet story. A couple of them even asked when we could use the wands and I told them at Christmas. The next question was, “When is Christmas?” Then the children were trying to figure out how long they had to wait! We look forward to creating a new tradition this Christmas. Then again maybe we could try it for one of our children’s upcoming birthdays. Whether it’s Christmas or in celebration of some other event, I know our children will enjoy having fun following the Christmas web to discover a special treat or gift at the end of the line.

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My Very First Easter Story Sticker Book

Posted by html404 on March 18, 2013
in Books, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Holidays, Kids Stuff, Reviews

Easter is less than two weeks away and this is my first post about anything pertaining to Easter. We don’t even have any plans yet either, which is how it has been for the past few years. Our children, however, have been enjoying My Very First Easter Story Sticker Book by Lois Rock; illustrated by Alex Ayliffe.

This is a traditional Easter story book about Jesus dying on the cross, however, it leaves out why He died. Yes, He died to make the world a better place, but He died for our sins. That little piece of truth was missing, which was disappointing and seemed dumbed down, in my opinion.

My Very First Easter Story Sticker Book has a twist on the traditional books, as it has an activity at the bottom of each page and children can put stickers in the appropriate pages.

My almost 7 year old and 5 year old loved this book. They really enjoyed putting the stickers on the pages and were eager to finish putting them on – I made them do it in stages so to make it last longer. They just finished it up tonight.

This book may be purchased through Kregel Publications for $5.99 and is paperback.

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Posted by html404 on March 17, 2013
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Holidays, Seasonal Stuff

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Or as some say, Happy St. Paddy’s Day! Especially to all of you who are Irish!

Today is usually a day when you can witness the Chicago River being green. Yesterday they dyed it that color in celebration of today’s Irish holiday. The St. Patrick’s Day parade was also yesterday, plus there are other special celebrations of this day going on around the city. Visit the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day 2013 website.

To be honest we have never really done much other than maybe wear green for St. Patrick’s Day. I have witnessed the Chicago River being green, but have not attended the parade or any other of the St. Paddy’s Day festivities.

Here are some fun facts about St. Patrick’s Day (source: Chicago Tribune):

– There are some 36 million people in the USA who boast of an Irish heritage. 9x that of the population of Ireland itself!

– St. Patrick’s Day was originally a religious Christian holiday. The holiday honored St. Patrick who shared his Christ with Ireland in the fifth century.

– Today the holiday is a celebration of everything related to the Irish.

– March 17, 1762 marked the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world. It was held in New York City.

So do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Are you wearing something green, cooking something green or attending any St. Patrick’s Day festivities?

Another inspired post from Mama Kat’s writing prompts: Write a blog post inspired by the word green.

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Melissa & Doug Easter Shop and Giveaway

Posted by Brande on March 8, 2013
in Blog Stuff, Contests, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Girl Stuff, Giveaways, Holidays, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping, Uncategorized

Click the picture above to be entered into Melissa & Doug’s Easter Basket Giveaway!! What child or children wouldn’t love $20.00 worth of Melissa & Doug products for Easter! How cute is Brambles Bunny you can find him and lots of other fantastic Easter toys at Melissa & Doug’s Easter Shop!

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Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids

Posted by html404 on February 8, 2013
in Crafts, Fun Stuff, Holidays

If you are looking for ideas for Valentine’s Day crafts for kids, Pinterest had tons of ideas. Just search “Kid’s Valentine’s Day Crafts” or “Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids” and you will glean more than you’ll ever know what to do with!

Here are some of my personal favorites:

1. Paper is something we have plenty of and our children would love to make pretty things as shown below.

Source: lifeologia.com via Crystal on Pinterest

2. I love butterflies and so do my children. This craft looks super easy and I love the heart-shaped wings!

Source: mommywholovesgiveaways.net via Ashley on Pinterest

3. This heart shaped figure sure is cute.

Source: mamasmiles.com via Nicole on Pinterest

4. Homemade Valentine’s Day cards. I love how they used the hands of a child to make this homemade card.

Source: rosinahuber.blogspot.com via Kathy on Pinterest

5. Chocolate Play Dough. My son has been asking to make homemade play dough and I have been avoiding it because you know what happens when the play dough is taken out. It gets embedded into everything from hands, nails and hair to the carpeting. Ugh. But maybe I could surprise him with this chocolate play dough.

Source: ptskjohnson.blogspot.com via Connie Sue on Pinterest

It’s hard just to stop at five. There were so many to choose from. I chose ones that are easy and we had the materials for as it saves on an extra trip to the store.

What are your favorite Valentine’s Day crafts for kids? Leave a link to it in your comment.

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