Great Deal on one of my favorite family movies!

I was so excited to score one of my favorite movies on dvd for just $6.49. I had difficulty finding this movie on DVD then finally found it on Amazon around Christmas. This is the best price I have seen them list it for yet so made sure to grab it! Hurry I'm sure this price won't last. Click and order yours today.

10 Tips for a Fun Distraction Free Travel

Careful planning can prevent traveling/vacation disasters.  As a member of Twitter Moms I was prompted to write about my 10 tips for Fun Distration Free Travel.  Check out the challenge here: Twitter Moms

1. Research- I know it doesn't sound like fun but if you do this beforehand you can save yourself a ton of trouble.  Search online for information about your destination: hotels, attractions, restaurants.  Ask family and friends who have traveled to your destination before.  Don't forget your online community.  Reach out to others online to get information from their experiences.

2.Make hotel reservations and purchase attraction tickets ahead of time to avoid any disappointments.

3. Make a List.  A few weeks before your trip make a list of things that you need to do in preparation including: taking care of pets, mail, plants while you are gone, things to purchase for your trip, and things to pack.

4. When shopping for items to take on your vacation you may be able to avoid a lot of stress by using travel and sample items that your helpful frugal bloggers have provided you information about.  ;)  Travel is expensive so saving even in little areas reduces financial stress.

5. Husband's please read-  Get a map!  Seriously, if you are driving to your destination or within your destination make sure that you have a current map.  Even if you have been to the area before things may have changed.  You can utilize several different resources for maps with helpful information such as construction and detour information.

6. When packing clothes try to pack versatile items that you can mix and match to extend your wardrobe and save on space.  Plan for all types of weather.

7.  If traveling by car make a Travel Kit.  My travel kit usually includes drinks, snacks, movies, cd's, books and activities for the kids.

8. Have a back up plan.  If the weather doesn't cooperate have a backup plan as to what you might spend your day doing.  This may be as simple as packing swimsuits for an indoor pool during winter travel or knowing where the local mall, movie theater's etc are located.

9. If traveling by car make sure that you have it serviced before your trip.  Even if your car is up to date on all it's services it is best to have it checked over than to be sorry and stranded wasting precious vacation time.

10.  Have fun.  Is that a tip?  Yes, I for one am such a perfectionist that I can forget this sometimes.  Be flexible.  If things don't go just as planned just go with the flow and use your backup plan.  Sometimes the most fun can be had as a result of a mix up.  Make the most of it!

Strange Daze Indeed's First Blog Giveaway

Head over to Strange Daze Indeed for her first blog giveaway!  You won't want to miss this one.  She has 5 great prizes to giveaway including a Logitech Webcam!  Hurry and enter to win the webcam or one of the other 4 prizes.  The giveaway ends 12/23!  Good Luck!

1-800Flowers Toys for Tots

Do you remember Warm Fuzzies when you were in a kid?  I do.  1-800Flowers is bringing them back for a great cause.  1-800Flowers has a goal of 10,000 warm fuzzies to be sent this Christmas Season.  If their goal is reached they will donate $5,000 to Toys for Tots.  Visit their facebook page and start sending warm fuzzies to all of your friends to help 1-800Flowers meet their goal.  http://www.facebook.com/1800flowers

To add to the fun your warm fuzzy will be sent secretly and your name will not be revealed until December 21st!  You will also receive a bonus discount from 1-800Flowers!  I hope everyone participates in this fun and very worthy cause!

*This post is my honest opinion.  I participated in this promotion as a member of Global Influence Network and will be eligible for a drawing for 1-800Flowers.

Holiday Hit List- Green Toys

Check out Kristi's Review of Green Toys Recycling Truck.  I already have someone on my list in mind for this toy.  What a great idea and I love that it is made from all recycled materials!
http://www.morethancents.info/rng/review-green-toys-recycling-truck.html


Update Amazon.com has this truck currently on sale making it an even better value.

Holiday Hit List

Kristi at MorethanCents so graciously invited me to take part in a Holiday Hit List.  As a new blogger I am very appreciative.  We will be posting about some great items to consider for your Holiday Gift Giving.

Half Past Dead by Zoe Archer Release December 29,2009

Be sure to check out the newest release from award winning author Zoe Archer.  Half  Past Dead releases December 29, 2009 and is available for prebuy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Border's and Book-A-Million.  Half Past Dead will also be available for Sony and Kindle.

*Disclosure:  I was offered a copy of the book from the author in exchange for posting the book release date

Dove Self-Esteem Campaign, Thank You for Making a Difference!

As the parent of a tween daughter, I cannot say how much I appreciate Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty.  We have always been Dove users thanks to my husband's sensitive skin and I can say that I am proud to be a part of what they are doing to increase self esteem in our youth. 
As Moms we were all young once and know the pressures that girls face in regards to beauty.  Fast-forward to motherhood and you will see that your daughters have all the pressures we faced coupled with multiple media outlets spreading it further than ever before.  We have always told my daughter and that she is perfect since God created her the way he wanted her to be.  I am so thankful that she will come home and openly talk to me about self-esteem issues.  She is tiny by nature and we both had a good healthy laugh when she came home one day and asked me if she was anorexic because a  friend  had a book with pictures of girls who were and they could see their ribcage and she said she could see her ribcage too.  We had a good discussion on the difference between being small and having an eating disorder.  It wasn't much later that she hit a growth spurt and noticed her clothes getting a little snug and said "am I getting fat?"  It is sad that it was the first thing she would ask.  We had to laugh again because I told her at 60lbs she is far from fat!  I also talked to her about growing and that there was no need for her to worry about her weight or size as long as she was eating right and staying active.

ABOUT THE DOVE® SELF-ESTEEEM FUND

(Copied directly from Dove's Press Release)

Too many girls and young women develop low self-esteem from hang-ups about looks and consequently fail to reach their full potential in later life. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund (DSEF) was established as an agent of change to inspire and educate girls and young women about a wider definition of beauty. The DSEF is committed to help girls build positive self-esteem and a healthy body image, with a goal of reaching 5 million girls globally by 2010. It has already reached 2 million young women.

The Dove Self-Esteem Fund is part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, a global effort designed to widen today’s stereotypical view of beauty. In the U.S., the DSEF supports the Boys and Girls Club of America and the Girls Scouts of the USA to help build confidence in girls 8-17 with after-school programs, self-esteem building events and educational resources. In the United Kingdom and other countries, the Fund supports Body Talk, an educational program about body image and self-esteem in schools. Since 2006, the Dove brand has conducted nearly 2,700 self-esteem educational workshops around the world.

Please watch this short video to find out more about Dove's efforts and next time you go shopping for Soap, Shampoo, Deodorant  or Beauty products reach for Dove and assist them in their efforts to build confidence in our children.



Please feel free to leave your comments sharing your self-esteem stories.

*No monetary compensation was provided for this post.  As a participant in the Dove Campaign I was given Dove products and True You workbooks.  This post was my own opinion and was not impacted by the products I received.

What are your five tips & tricks for getting your kids to bed on time and getting them to stay in bed?

As a participant of Twittermoms.com I was asked to blog about five tips and tricks to get your kids to bed on time. 1. Stick to a Schedule. I'm a believer that Consistency is the key to sanity in parenting. 2.  An hour before bedtime have your child participate in an activity that is calming such as reading, watching a movie or listening to music. 3. Have your child bathe before bed. There are several lavender and other soothing fragranced bath products for kids that are helpful. 4. Have a calming environment in their room for them to sleep. 5. Be clear on rules for getting out of bed and stick to it.  Take care of bathroom breaks etc before bedtime.

You have a chance to win a year of St Eve's kids sleepwear by visiting http://www.dramau.net/ and submitting a story. See website for full details and rules.

Hurry Great deal on Amazon.com

This deal is sure to go quickly.  Amazon currently has a Great Deal on the McAfee Total Protection 3User 2010 but even better they also have a Free After Rebate promotion for this item.  See the details here:





*Thanks to Kristi at http://morethancents.info for the heads up on this great deal!