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!

1. Christmas Vacation 2. Scrooge w/ Alastar Sim 3. The Santa Clause 4. Mickey’s Christmas Carol 5. Polar Express 6. 1994 Miracle on 34th Street 7. Die Hard 8. Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas 9. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas 10. Deck The Halls 11. Elf 12. The Grinch 13. It’s a Wonderful Life 14. The Nightmare Before Christmas 15. Muppet Christmas Carol 16. White Christmas

Jen8112 - It is on sale online for the "same" price in store - in store you get a $30 gc instead of the sale price. So you lay out more up front but if you're like me, you'll have no trouble using the gc! However, don't forget about tax. I ordered the 8gb from amazon the other day and thought about returing it and getting this one, but after tax, and shipping & return shipping, it just isn't worth it.

1. Christmas Vacation 2. A Christmas Story 3. The Santa Clause 4. Mickey’s A Christmas Carol 5. The Polar Express 6. Miracle on 34th Street- 1994 version 7. Bad Santa 8. Christmas with The Kranks 9. Jingle All The Way 10. Deck The Halls 11. Elf 12. The Grinch 13. Home Alone 14. Home Alone 2 15. Muppet Christmas Carol 16. Santa Clause 3- The Escape Clause 17. White Christmas 18. Scrooged 19. Santa Claus- The Movie 20. Nitemare Before Christmas 21. Gremlins 22. Prancer 23. One Magical Christmas 24. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas 25. Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas 26. Die Hard 27. The Holiday 28. Holiday Inn 29. Santa Buddies 30. Love Actually 31. Scrooge- 1951 w/ Alistar Sim 32. A Christmas Carol 1984 w/ George C. Scott You forgot Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas!!!!

So fortunately I checked my email at 12:15 last night and had a message that I left my purse at my aunt's house - AAARRGGGHHH! So I had to wake up my cousin to put it out front for me otherwise my shopping night would have been a bust!!! Hit the mall at about 1 AM and was shocked - I have never seen it this busy and way too many teens hanging out. Anyway, got dd Hallmark ornament for $6 after using the $10 coupon. Headed to the Disney Store and line was too long so went to MAcy's it was crazy there because Sears, Boscov's & Penneys were still closed. Got 5 pairs of Carter's pj's, a Tommy Hilfiger sheet set & a Calvin Klein pillow for $58.00. Headed back to Disney Store & line was much better - got T shirts, Cinderella doll and large pack of Toy Story figures. Headed out about 3:30 to hit Target by the mall. Saw the line & headed to Target closer to home. That wasn't as bad but figured I would be so far back in line I would never get what I wanted so headed on over to Walmart. Walked in to Walmart at 4:00 and browsed for a bit - looked for the Power Wheels but none to be found. Got in line about 4:20 for the xbox - was 17 out of 50 - wahoo!!! Saw the Gottadeal email that Walmart was live online so I ordered the Power Wheels while waiting for the xbox - Thanks Gottadeal!!!! Met my cousin at the checkout line, hit the restroom and was out by 5:15. Headed to Target, breezed in, got the video rocker, jewelry armoire, playdoh, Phillips earbuds & flannel sheets but no Just Dance 2 Stopped at Starbucks on the way out and they dug out some Cranberry Bliss bars for me - heaven!!! Home Depot for the $1.98 LED lights and home to bed by 6:30. Everything was great save for Macy's and that was just long lines. Awesome experience for my 1st hard core BF.

Got it for only $8.00 more than Target and no lines or worry that they will run out!

Sabra hummus is great too, especially with greek olives. We make the sausage dip with the cream cheese but use 2 cans of Rotel - 1 drained and 1 undrained. I brown the ground beef on the stove but I do the cream cheese and tomatoes in the microwave. Add 2 bricks of cream cheese and the tomatoes and heat on high in 2 minute increments. Stir and keep doing it until melted. Add the ground beef and voila! We use Tostitos scoops or a sliced baguette. This cream cheese olive spread is really good too: 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup finely chopped pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives Preparation 1. Stir together cream cheese, Spanish olives, and 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise. Shape cream cheese mixture into 2 (6-inch) logs; wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 30 minutes, or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 2 days. 2. Place pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan. 3. Bake pecans at 350° for 8 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally. Let cool 30 minutes or until completely cool. 4. Roll cream cheese log in chopped chives and toasted pecans just before serving. Also - I don't usually bother rolling it into logs, just spread in a nice container and top with the chives and pecans. Yummy on all kinds of crackers!

Thanks! It let me print 2. We do Hallmark ornaments every year and they have gotten so expensive!

Thank you! Great ideas and keep them coming, please!!! Unfortunately for me, she gets regular mani/pedi, hair, microderabrasion, etc, etc so spa stuff is kind of redundant for her. She has digital photo frames and a netflix membership that she doesn't use because she buys all the new releases the day they come out. They also have so much wine that we take from them occasionally. I'm not kidding, they want for nothing!!!!! I will definitely think about doing something with photos of the kids and I did find a great martini glass at Pottery Barn today.

My mother-in-law has a great paying job and buys whatever she wants as soon as she wants it. She really wants for nothing. We have not done too many gifts lately due to our finances - she would rather have us buy for the kids. Anyway, I'd like to get her something, especially since her birthday is Christmas Eve. I need ideas for something special but not too expensive. Pretty much same situation for my father-in-law - they are divorced and both have remarried.

dd2 said she is asking Santa for french fries. I also found her pining over the $90 Rapunzel castle in the Target Toy Book. Funny thing is she is only 26 months but she was seriously looking at the thing and sighing! ds8 has been asking for an xbox for 3 years now. So I just came across his list and he has added kinect! Didn't even know he was aware that existed.