FREE 30-Day Trial to Amazon Prime or Amazon Mom Available
You may hear me talk about Amazon Prime frequently. And, there’s a method to my madness. I find that Amazon is one of the best online retailers to shop from with the free 2-day shipping options and the ridiculously competitive prices that they offer. And, if you haven’t already, you can experience a FREE 30-Day Trial to Amazon by signing up here. You’ll receive:
- FREE Two-Day Shipping with no minimum order size on millions of items.
- Unlimited, ad-free access to over a million songs and hundreds of playlists.
- Instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Instant Video.
- Over 500,000 books to borrow for free, as frequently as once a month, with no due dates through the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access.
- Exclusive 30-minute early access to select Lightning Deals and events on MyHabit.com.
After your free trial:
- Your membership will automatically upgrade to an annual plan for $99/year.
- If you do not wish to upgrade, you may cancel anytime by visiting Your Account and adjusting your membership settings.
If you’re a caretaker, you can sign up for a FREE 30-day Amazon Mom trial here, too. Amazon Mom is the Amazon membership program that offers special benefits for parents and caregivers including:
- • 20% off diapers with Subscribe & Save (Exclusive to Amazon Mom).
- • FREE two-day shipping on millions of items with Amazon Prime.
- • 15% baby registry completion discount (Exclusive to Amazon Mom).
- • Unlimited movies and TV shows with Prime Instant Video.
- • Unlimited music streaming with Prime Music.
Still looking for that perfect gift for the hard-to-buy-for person in your life? If so, you may consider purchasing an Amazon Prime membership for them. You can do that here.
ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas Programs (December 1st-25th)
We are all HUGE fans of Christmas shows ’round these parts, so I am thrilled that there’s a schedule to go to. Head over here where ABC has released the ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas Programs airing from December 1st through December 25th.
I am so excited! Which ones are you most excited for?
Walmart Game Center: Trade In Old Video Games for Gift Cards
Woohoo! If you have old video games lying around, Walmart has a pretty sweet offer to take them off your hands… and, give you some cash, to boot! You see, Starting March 26th, 2014 Walmart is going to be accepting new and used but still usable video games in exchange for a Walmart/Sam’s Club gift card.
Walmart will be cleaning them up and re-selling them in a new certified “pre-owned” video game section of the store coming soon.
How sweet is that?
Find out more here.
Dinner Time Tips for Working Moms
Picture the ugliest, meanest, loudest monster you know. Yes, that one. That was me around 6 p.m. every night before I took control of my dinner time fate. Once it was finished, of course looking like a sweaty crazed lunatic, I’d have dinner ready. It was usually a very over-processed unhealthy meal packed with sodium and carbs, with not a real fruit or veggie in sight. So, not only did I flip out trying to get dinner on the table, but it was awful. And I felt even more awful.
And then, I’d sulk into Pinterest later that night and look at all of the beautiful pictures of healthy meals and beautiful dining room decorations with smiling kids and all of their dramatic play ideas. And I’d feel pretty cruddy about my life, to be frank.
If this sounds familiar, I have some tips I’d like to share with you that made my life a little easier. Here goes:
1. Make a meal plan. You can see more on how to make a meal plan in my post here but this is absolutely essential in helping you keep your sanity. You know, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail (please don’t stop reading because of that cheesy comment … ;-))
2. Make meals ahead. When you can, make meals ahead for the next nights dinner. I have done this a lot of time the night before after the kids went to bed. This way, when you arrive home, your dinner is ready to be placed in the oven and you can play with the kids or atleast get changed out of your work clothes.
3. Prepare double and freeze one. Most meals, including lasagna, soups, certain sides and more can be prepared ahead to bake at a later time. When you plan to make one of these meals, make double or cut the recipe in half and freeze the portion that you won’t be eating right away. This way you have a ready made meal ready to thaw and pop in the oven on an especially busy week.
4. Prep ingredients beforehand. Where it makes sense prep ingredients beforehand. If you know you’ll be using chopped celery for three meals that week, go ahead and chop it all at one time. Store it in a baggie or container, so it’s ready to go.
5. Use the Time Delay function on your oven. This is especially important in the winter time when you are making a lot of meals in the oven. This saves 15 minutes of pre-heating time. When I leave the house I set the time delay oven for when I want the oven to start preheating. This way, when I arrive home, the oven is ready. My baking time just went from 45 minutes to 30 minutes. Kabam! (Check your oven’s manual to see if it has this functionality).
Oh, and the Pinterest comment? Pinterest is not real life, atleast not mine. 😉
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Children’s Movie Review Resource for Parents (Get Ratings Plus Content Information)
There are so many times where I ask myself “are my kids old enough for this movie, show (fill in the blank)” and I wanted to share with my readers a great free Children’s Movie Review Resource and Site that I have found to help out when I ponder this myself called Dove.org.
Dove.org offers real insight into what is in the movie, books or DVD’s that your kids want to see so you can gain some real insight as to if you want your child(ren) to see that movie, read that book, etc. or not.
For example, the newest big movie release as I am writing this post is Disney’s Frozen. So, prior to taking my two and a half year old, I simply headed over to Dove.org and typed in the left-hand search bar “Frozen” as you can see below.
Not only did it give me information on the run time, rating and review out of five “doves” but it also gave me a little snippet of what to expect as you can see below.
Needless to say, we saw the movie Frozen, and loved it. And I felt better, as I was able to be a little more prepared. Us Moms and Dads love being prepared. 😀
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Five Tips for Successful Meal Planning
Getting back to school is hard and getting back into the swing of things after any break away from school, work or a maternity leave can leave you feeling like a big hot mess.
And, when you have a family to cook for it’s even worse (speaking from experience).
Here are simple tips that you can use to make meal planning a breeze.
1. Scan your grocer’s ad. Find out what’s on sale for the week. If chicken is on sale, but beef is not, you may want to plan a couple more meals containing chicken rather than beef or pork for example. This is also a great time to check out Coupons.com to see if there are coupons that correspond with any of the meals you’re craving.
2. Write your meals on the calendar before making your grocery list. Sure, things are bound to change, but this way you know your week ahead (or two weeks depending on how often you shop) in advance. This makes thawing meat easier as well as gauging your preparation time.
3. Plan staples that can multitask. If you’re making hardshell tacos one night, plan taco salads for the next night and that way you can make double the meat at one time. A quick reheat in the microwave and you’re almost ready for your next meal. **Tip: I follow the four day rule, meaning meals I have prepared are good for four days. After that, they’re in the garbage, or in a perfect world there are no leftovers 🙂 .
4. Stick to your list. Once you’ve arrived at the store, stick to your list. If you did a thorough job of your meal planning and writing down necessary ingredients, everything you need should be on the list.
5. Plan for leftovers and dining out. It’s perfectly alright to write “pizza night” on the calendar. In fact, it feels flat out great. And with all the work that you’ve put into making your meal plan, well… you deserve it. 😉
Enjoy your extra time not running to the store every other night for spur of the moment ingredients!
Visit Coupon Cravings’s profile on Pinterest.
FREE Online Santa Activities (Watch the Reindeer, Track Santa and More!)
Hanging out with the family today? Us, too! If you’re looking for something fun to do, here are some ideas!
Head over to the Portable North Pole site here where you can create a Free Personalized Santa Video for your child! You can personalize the video with their name, age, likes and even where they live and a photo! And, it’s free! You can also head over and watch Santa feed real reindeer at their feeding times! Santa feeds the reindeer at 11am, 6pm & 9pm EST! How cool is that!?
And, last but not least, you can head over and check out the Official Norad Tracks Santa site! to see exactly where the big man himself is right now!
What a fun time of year!
(Thanks, ISavea2z!)
Holiday TV Guide 2013
One of our favorite things to do during the Holidays is watch all of the Christmas shows that hit the TV! And, below you can see when they are, please note this is Eastern Time Zone.
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer CBS 11/26, 8PM
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A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving ABC 11/28, 8PM
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Lady Gaga & The Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular ABC 11/28, 9:30PM
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How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 cartoon) ABC 11/29, 8PM
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Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas ABCFAM 12/1, 7AM
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Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas ABCFAM 12/1, 8:30AM
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Santa Buddies ABCFAM 12/1, 10AM
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The Family Man ABCFAM 12/1, 12PM
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Disney’s A Christmas Carol ABCFAM 12/1, 3PM
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The Polar Express ABCFAM 12/1, 5PM & ABCFAM 12/5, 7PM
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Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas ABCFAM 12/1, 7PM, 9:30PM, 12/6, 8:30PM, 12/7, 4:30PM, 12/9, 8PM, 12/10, 6:30PM, 12/19, 8:30PM, 12/20, 6:30PM, 12/22, 7PM
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Winnie The Pooh And Christmas Too ABCFAM 12/2, 6PM
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Mickey’s Christmas Carol ABCFAM 12/2, 6:30PM
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Jack Frost (1979 animated version) ABCFAM 12/2, 7PM
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The Santa Clause ABCFAM 12/2, 8PM
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CMA Country Christmas Hosted by Jennifer Nettles ABC 12/2, 9PM
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The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause ABCFAM 12/2, 10PM
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The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause ABCFAM 12/2, 12AM
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The Santa Clause ABCFAM 12/3, 6PM
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Scrooged ABCFAM 12/3, 8PM
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National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation ABCFAM 12/3, 10PM, 12/4, 8PM, 12/11, 9PM, 12/12, 7PM, 12/15, 8PM, 12/20, 9PM, 12/24, 12AM, 12/25, 1PM, 12/25, 9PM
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Three Days ABCFAM 12/3, 12AM
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Scrooged ABCFAM 12/4, 6PM
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Christmas In Rockefeller Center 2013 NBC 12/4, 7PM
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Rudolph’s Shiny New Year ABCFAM 12/5, 6PM
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The Sound of Music Live Special Starring Carrie Underwood NBC 12/5, 8PM
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The Muppet Christmas Carol ABCFAM 12/5, 9PM, 12/25, 12AM, 12/6, 6:30PM, 12/14, 11:30PM, 12/15, 6PM, 12/23, 8PM, 12/24, 3PM, 12/25, 11AM
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Frosty’s Winter Wonderland ABCFAM 12/6, 6PM, 12/20, 5:30PM, 12/25, 7AM
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Frosty the Snowman CBS 12/6, 8PM
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Yes, Virginia CBS 12/6, 8:30PM
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Prancer ABCFAM 12/6, 12AM
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Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer And The Island Of Misfit Toys ABCFAM 12/7, 7AM
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Home Alone: The Holiday Heist ABCFAM 12/7, 8:30AM
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Prancer ABCFAM 12/7, 10:30AM
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All I Want For Christmas ABCFAM 12/7, 12:30PM
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Disney’s A Christmas Carol ABCFAM 12/7, 2:30PM
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The Santa Clause ABCFAM 12/7, 7PM
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The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause ABCFAM 12/7, 9PM
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Deck The Halls ABCFAM 12/7, 11PM
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Jack Frost (1979 version) ABCFAM 12/8, 7AM
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Christmas Cupid ABCFAM 12/8, 8AM
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Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Grinches The Cat In The Hat ABCFAM 12/9, 10:30PM
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A Chipmunk Christmas ABCFAM 12/10, 6PM
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Scrooged ABCFAM 12/12, 9PM
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All I Want For Christmas ABCFAM 12/12, 12AM
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Winnie The Pooh And Christmas Too ABCFAM 12/13, 4PM
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Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story ABCFAM 12/13, 4:30PM
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Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 2 ABCFAM 12/13, 6:20PM
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Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 cartoon) TBS 12/13, 8PM
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Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 ABCFAM 12/13, 8:20PM
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Winnie The Pooh And The Bluster Day ABCFAM 12/14, 7AM
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Winnie The Pooh And Tigger Too ABCFAM 12/14, 7:30AM
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Winnie The Pooh ABCFAM 12/14, 8AM
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Winnie The Pooh And Christmas Too ABCFAM 12/14, 9:30AM
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Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas ABCFAM 12/14, 10AM
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Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas ABCFAM 12/14, 11:30AM
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Mickey’s Christmas Carol ABCFAM 12/14, 1PM
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Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story ABCFAM 12/14, 2PM
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Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 2 ABCFAM 12/14, 3:50PM
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Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 ABCFAM 12/14, 5:50PM
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It’s a Wonderful Life NBC 12/14, 8PM
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Disney’s The Little Mermaid ABCFAM 12/14, 8PM
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Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas ABCFAM 12/15, 7:30AM
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Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas ABCFAM 12/15, 9AM
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A Christmas Carol TCM 12/15, 10AM
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Disney’s Prep & Landing ABCFAM 12/15, 10:30AM
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Disney’s Prep’s & Landing: Naughty Vs. Nice ABCFAM 12/15, 11AM
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Mickey’s Christmas Carol ABCFAM 12/15, 11:30AM
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I’ll Be Home For Christmas ABCFAM 12/15, 12PM
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All I Want For Christmas ABCFAM 12/15, 2PM
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Deck The Halls ABCFAM 12/15, 4PM
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The Santa Clause ABCFAM 12/16, 7PM
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The Santa Clause 2 ABCFAM 12/16, 9PM
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The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause ABCFAM 12/16, 11PM
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Disney’s Prep & Landing ABCFAM 12/16, 1AM
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Three Days ABCFAM 12/17, 7AM
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Unlikely Angel ABCFAM 12/17, 11AM
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Prancer ABCFAM 12/17, 1PM
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I’ll Be Home For Christmas ABCFAM 12/17, 3PM
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The Santa Clause ABCFAM 12/17, 5PM
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The Santa Clause 2 ABCFAM 12/17, 7PM
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Secret Santa ABCFAM 12/18, 9AM
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The Polar Express ABCFAM 12/18, 5PM
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Winnie The Pooh And Christmas Too ABCFAM 12/18, 7PM
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Mickey’s Christmas Carol ABCFAM 12/18, 7:30PM
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CBS’ Home for the Holidays hosted by Celine Dion CBS 12/18, 8PM
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Mary Poppins ABCFAM 12/18, 8PM
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Mary Poppins ABCFAM 12/19, 9AM
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12 Dates Of Christmas ABCFAM 12/19, 12PM
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Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer And The Island Of Misfit Toys ABCFAM 12/19, 7PM
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Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer And The Island Of Misfit Toys ABCFAM 12/20, 4PM
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A Chipmunk Christmas ABCFAM 12/20, 6PM
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Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey ABCFAM 12/21, 7AM
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The Little Drummer Boy ABCFAM 12/21, 7:30AM
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Pinocchio’s Christmas ABCFAM 12/21, 8AM
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The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus ABCFAM 12/21, 9AM
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‘Twas The Night Before Christmas ABCFAM 12/21, 10AM
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Rudolph’s Shiny New Year ABCFAM 12/21, 10:30AM
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Rudolph And Frosty’s Christmas In July ABCFAM 12/21, 11:30AM
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The Year Without A Santa Claus ABCFAM 12/21, 1:30PM
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Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town ABCFAM 12/21, 2:30PM
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A Chipmunk Christmas ABCFAM 12/21, 3:30PM
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National Lampon’s Christmas Vacation ABCFAM 12/21, 4PM
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The Santa Clause ABCFAM 12/21, 6PM
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The Santa Clause 2 ABCFAM 12/21, 8PM
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The Year Without A Santa Claus ABCFAM 12/22, 7AM
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Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town ABCFAM 12/22, 8AM
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I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus ABCFAM 12/22, 9AM
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Unaccompanied Minors ABCFAM 12/22, 11AM
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The Santa Clause ABCFAM 12/22, 1PM
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The Santa Clause 2 ABCFAM 12/22, 3PM
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The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause ABCFAM 12/22, 5PM
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Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Encore) ABCFAM 12/22, 9:30PM
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I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus ABCFAM 12/23, 7AM
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A Dennis The Menace Christmas ABCFAM 12/23, 9AM
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Home Alone: The Holiday Heist ABCFAM 12/23, 11AM
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Deck The Halls ABCFAM 12/23, 1PM
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Disney’s A Christmas Carol ABCFAM 12/23, 3PM
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Jack Frost ABCFAM 12/23, 5PM
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Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town ABCFAM 12/23, 6PM
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The Year Without A Santa Claus ABCFAM 12/23, 7PM
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Shrek the Halls ABC 12/23, 8PM
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A Chimpunk Christmas ABC 12/23, 8:30PM
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CHRISTMAS EVE
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A Very Brady Christmas ABCFAM 12/24, 7AM
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‘Twas The Night Before Christmas ABCFAM 12/24, 9AM
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Scrooged ABCFAM 12/24, 11AM
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The Polar Express ABCFAM 12/24, 1PM
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A Christmas Carol TCM 12/24, 1:15PM
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The Santa Clause ABCFAM 12/24, 5PM
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The Santa Clause 2 ABCFAM 12/24, 7PM
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Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 cartoon) ABC 12/24, 8PM
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It’s a Wonderful Life NBC 12/24, 8PM
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A Christmas Story TBS 12/24, 8PM
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Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) ABC 12/24, 8:30PM
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The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause ABCFAM 12/24, 9PM
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CHRISTMAS DAY
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A Christmas Story all-day marathon TBS 12/25
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The Year Without A Santa Claus ABCFAM 12/25, 7:30AM
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Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town ABCFAM 12/25, 8:30AM
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Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade ABC 12/25, 10AM
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The Santa Clause ABCFAM 12/25, 3PM
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The Santa Clause 2 ABCFAM 12/25, 5PM
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The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause ABCFAM 12/25, 7PM
(Thank you, WASH FM!)
What to Spend on Your Kids at Christmas?
In a conversation with my husband earlier this week we got to talking about Christmas shopping for our two kids, ages 6 and 2-1/2. He asked if there were still some items left that I needed to grab for them, if he and I needed to find some time to go shopping for them (which we try to do every year) or lastly, if I had already met my budget. “Are you spending like $200 or something?” he says.
My husband steps foot in a retail store maybe twice a year. And it’s because I am sick, or something tragic has happened where it is absolutely necessary. What I am getting at is this. He has little to no idea how much kids’ toys cost nowadays. And that’s not his fault, it’s mine. I do 99.9% shopping (albeit generally online at stores like Amazon, Target, Toys ‘R’Us, Kohl’s and the like). While I can find stellar deals on most items, I am certainly not included in this study that says that the average parent spends $224 on their kids at Christmas (I am above) and I am enormously farther from the fact the study returned with results that spouses spend an average of $221 on each other at Christmas. Gees, by the time you pick up the $129 Electric Scooter that our son has earned all year long, you’d be half done. (You’ll be happy to know though that I scored mine for $89 with no tax and free delivery by shopping online.) And, with deals like an $80 toy selling for $27 at Walmart when you catch a sale and use a coupon, you can really stretch your dollars. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge saver and very, almost hurtfully, frugal for 364 days out of the year.
But, it would still be a fair statement to say that the money that others are spending on spouses (atleast in this study) I am spending on our kids. There, I said it, my husband might get a $50 gift and I spoil my kids rotten once a year at Christmas. Whew! That felt good! 😉
How about you – what do you spend?
Dentist Offices Offer to “Buy” Back Halloween Candy to Send to Troops Overseas
Halloween always brings so much candy that it sits around in our house until Valentines day comes around. And, if your home is anything like ours, you’ll be interested to know that Dentist offices around the country are offering to “buy” back Halloween candy from neighborhood kids, then send it to the troops overseas! You see, when your kids bring in their Halloween candy to a local registered Dentist’s office (find locations here) the Dentist’s office will “buy” the candy with cash, coupons, toothbrushes and/or other creative exchanges.
What a great way to brighten the day of an American Hero and teach your children to give to others! Oh, and avoid a hefty Dentist’s bill, Mom and Dad. 😉
Head here for more information.
Amazon.com Offers Price Adjustments Within 7 Days of Delivery (Don’t Leave FREE Money on the Table!)
If you shop online at Amazon often, it is important that you keep an eye on prices within 7 days of delivery to your home.
Here’s why. Amazon.com always offers a price adjustment within 7 days of delivery of any item sold by Amazon and fulfilled by Amazon to your home. I have received 3 price adjustments totally $26.58 just from recent purchases in the last 7 days, and all were from special one day offers or just low prices that I found while shopping online.
How it works is this. Price adjustments (the difference between the current price and the price you paid within 7 days of delivery) will either be credited to your method of payment or you’ll receive a promotional credit in your Amazon.com account.
To see if you have any money coming your way, simply follow these directions:
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Head to your recent orders here
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Click on each of the products individually to check their current price
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IF the current price is less AND you are within 7 days of delivery, you’ll get the difference by contacting customer service here
Let me give you my most recent example that happened just this morning. I purchased this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ninja Combat Gear Michelangelo set for our son on 11/30/13. It was delivered 12/3/13 and I paid $11.04.
In checking my recent order prices, I saw that this toy is currently selling for $9.99 today, 12/7/13.
And, when I started a chat by clicking the help button here, the customer service rep offered to give me a $2 promotional credit in my account that I can apply towards my next offer. This credit can be used in conjunction with gift cards or promotional credits, too! You can also call or email but in my opinion, chat is by far the easiest.
Don’t leave FREE money on the table and happy saving!
Please note that in order to get a price adjustment your item needs to be sold by Amazon and fulfilled by Amazon (see blue circle above).