twinmom

DD8 barely put down her ipod touch the entire day. SHe also put on her new UGGS from MomMom as soon as she opened them. She also likes her fuzzy socks. DS8 oddly enough played with the Clone Wars yo yo for quite a while that I got from the dollar spot at Target for 50% off! We set up the xbox 360 and kinect for him today but we can't get the kinect to recognize him Will try again later after he comes in from the snow. DD2 loves just about everything except her clothes. She keeps blowing raspberries at them! I love my laptop desk and DH can't wait til it warms up to play his new washers game.

The Santa Clause

Great deal but seriously I clicked on this because I had NO idea what Chacos were. All I could think of were Chaco Tacos from when I was a kid!!!

1- Christmas Vacation 2- The Santa Clause

dealluvr - small world!!!

WhoooHooo - my mother-in-law is ordering it now! Thanks!

dealluvr - I am in Williamstown. Maryfyeager - love the story - so cute!! I have heard of a Domestic Violence Shelter nearby - I'll have to look into it to donate some necessities. I know they won't disclose location, you have to meet the director in a parking lot or something. These are great ideas guys! We told the kids last night that we wanted them to choose one of their Christmas presents to give to a child less fortunate. We'll see how that goes over.

I do love the angel tree idea, as well as toys for tots so maybe we will do that anyway. At Easter, we stopped by a nursing home to visit a friend of my grandmother's so maybe we will make that a tradition at both holidays. But I really love dealluvr's idea!!!! I got my free turkey from Shoprite and cooked it on Friday after Thanksgiving since we never get any leftovers. I ended throwing half of it away since we just couldn't finish it and was so disgusted by doing that. I think I will plan something like this for the week between Christmas & New Years since my husband is off too. And we will go to Philly too since I live in South Jersey. I really think that will make an impact and then maybe after seeing people freezing on the street my son won't complain about his "puffy" coat.

I am looking for some ideas on how to teach my 8 year olds to be more compassionate and to understand that they are very fortunate in that they always have great Christmas memories. They ususally get most of what they ask for between Santa, us, grandparents, aunts, etc. I feel like I tell them over and over how lucky they are and there are many families that do not have what we have and it does not seem to sink in. For example, my son is complaining that his winter coat is "too puffy" and only wants to wear a hoodie on a 29 degree morning. I said he is lucky to have not one but 2 winter coats as some kids go cold. I get things like this all the time and I understand that they are only 8 but it drives me crazy. I need some ideas on how to make this really hit home. We don't belong to a church and I don't want to just get a toy and drop it in a toys for tots bin because I don't think that would make any impact. Should I take them to a soup kitchen for an afternoon? What can I do that would really help them to understand how tough some people have it?

Obviously this only works with teachers that celebrate Christmas but I usually do ornaments. I started with a beaded apple ornament from Pottery Barn a number of years ago and then switched to the twig reindeer. Since my kids are still in elementary school, they have 1 main teacher and then a student or co-teacher for math or language arts. Each one also has an advisor for the club they belong to. For the classroom teachers I add a gift card - not more than $10.00 and for the others, the ornament is sufficient. I found cute apple ornaments at crate & barrel for $2.49 each.

Rose - I see your point, but I hope that they eventually allow you to use online bank accounts. I have been out of work for too long and can not apply for a credit card - plus I am not confident that I would pay it off every month so better not to have it at all! On a side note, I noticed that you can't even use the debit card online so I guess I jumped the gun on this - whoops!

It is more the principle of the whole thing to be quite honest. I do have a checking account but am looking into changing banks and I am out of checks. I don't want to order any since I will be changing. However, the account that my husband's paycheck goes into, and the one I use all the time is ING because you earn interest - not much but hey, every little bit helps. So when I change banks and actually do have physical checks, I would have to transfer $$ into that account every time I wanted to shop at Target - too much of a hassle. We only write checks when absolutely necessary, ie for school photos, sports sign ups, etc. I can't understand why Target can't devise a way link your account online using your account & routing numbers.

I just sent this email to Target - so angry that I can not get the 5%. It may not seem like much, but with the amount I spend there, it would really add up! "I had to write about my negative experience with Target. I wanted to get a Target Debit Card. I was told at the store that since I have an online bank (ING) that does not supply physical checks, that I would be unable to link my checking account to a Target debit card. I then called and spoke to someone in the Redcard department and was told that they were unable to do so at this time. I think that is unfair to anyone using an online banking institution that we can not take advantage of the 5% discount. I spend more money than I should at Target and in this economy, I am very disappointed in this policy. I wanted to place an order for an item that is only available online. I asked a customer service representative as well as their supervisor if I could have the 5% discount extended to me since I do have a checking account but Target does not have the capability to link my type of account. I was told no. Unfortunately, I feel I had a poor customer service experience and will be making my purchase elsewhere. I do enjoy shopping at my local Targets and usually have a pleasant experience. However, until my online banking account can be linked and the 5% discount is offered to everyone with a checking account, regardless of having a physical check, my visits will be very limited."

1- Christmas Vacation 2- Christmas Story 3- The Santa Clause 4- It's a Wonderful Life 5- The Grinch 6- Elf 7- Die Hard 8- Deck The Halls

It just worked for me. Subtotal of Items: $27.98 Shipping & Handling: $9.20 Super Saver Discount: -$9.20 Promotion Applied: -$8.99 ------ Total for this Order: $18.99 Delivery estimate: December 10, 2010 - December 14, 2010 1 "The Cat in the Hat" Dr. Seuss; Hardcover; $8.99 Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC 1 "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" Dr. Seuss; Hardcover; $8.99 Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC 1 "Melissa & Doug Cutting Food Box" Melissa & Doug; Toy; $10.00 Sold by: Amazon.com, LLC BTW - I am 40 and I have a My Book About Me from when I was about 5 or 6. Don't know why I haven't gottem them for my kids yet!