Tip of the Week: A Great Find!

It can't possibly be time to start holiday shopping. I feel like we just finished summer, and already the stores are bombarding us with holiday fare!
In this year's slow economy, you may be able to pick up some nice gifts for your family at more reasonable prices and in unlikely places.

At CVS this week, I found a playhouse tent and tunnel for $19.99. I remember spending close to $100 for the set we gave our daughter. Lucky
for us, at age 7 she still plays with it. And for $19.99, who can resist a gift that's guaranteed to make your child happy?

Tip of the Week: A smile for Dad!

Save money and help the environment this Father's Day by sending Dad an
e-mail card from your child! If e-cards aren't your style, but you like the
idea of saving money and paper, try this simple and creative solution that
will make Dad's day:

Using a piece of scrap paper, help your child make a sign that says, "I love
you, Daddy! Happy Father's Day!" Take a quick shot on your digital camera of
your child holding the sign and send it to his e-mail. Your child's smile
will make Dad smile, too!

Tip of the Week: Favors with Flair

As a mother, I have spent hours trying to come up with creative goodie bag
favors for my daughter's themed birthday parties. Yet like most mothers, I
know that we wind up throwing out these same toys from friends' parties the
minute our children have forgotten about them. So how can we find favors
that are fun, memorable and useful?

Problem solved! For my daughter's next party, I'm going to turn to
www.Frecklebox.com, <http://www.frecklebox.com/> which offers personalized
stickers in a variety of party themes, such as Pirate or Princess! Each
party attendee will go home with three sheets of personalized party
stickers. The first dozen of the same design is $3.95, and each dozen after
that is $2. I'm also a huge fan of their personalized place mats and
coloring books! Now that's what I call creative, and I'm confident my mom
friends will appreciate the effort!

Tip of the Week: Hand-me-downs!

When the going gets tough, the moms get going! You can clean out your closet
-- and make a little money, too -- by posting items on handmedowns.com.
Children's clothing, maternity wear, bedding, cribs, strollers and toys are
just some of the items that can be bought, sold, given away or donated to a
charity on these classified ads just for mommies!

After cleaning out the closet, you might need a break -- so check out
handmedowns.com's list of available caregivers! Enjoy!

A Thought for the New Year

There are often gifts that we receive that mean more to the person giving them than to the receiver. There was the fiber optic mechanical angel that we received from our elderly neighbor one Christmas that, despite my husband's repeated requests, I just can’t seem to get it from the basement closet out to the garbage can. God forbid she might see it in there! More importantly, I know that when she picked it out, it was done with a thoughtful heart. For that reason alone, we have a closet full of gifts that I just can’t justify parting with.

This fall, my husband’s grandmother passed away, and when my mother-in-law said that she had left a Christmas gift for us, I admit that I had high hopes. I could tell by her enthusiasm that it had meant something to her. Unsure of what this might be, I tentatively opened up a small, red, sequined box shaped like a Christmas light. I feigned enthusiasm as my mother-in-law explained that she had left this especially for us. Turning it over, I realized that it once contained chocolates. Clearly, this was something that the average person would have thrown out (after all, if we kept every pretty box and ribbon, our home would be a disaster area!). However, this box obviously had meant something to my husband’s grandmother. Perhaps it had been given to her by her husband on their first Christmas or by a dear friend. Or maybe this small box reminded her of a special Christmas that her family had spent together. I probably will never know what made her keep this box. Maybe she just thought it was too pretty to throw away. I knew right away that I had to keep this, and that it deserved a special place in our home.

In the end, I decided that we would keep the box on the coffee table in our living room every year during the holidays, and we would make it our family suggestion box. Each family member would be allowed to make one request each week and the rest of our family would have to honor it. My husband’s request was that we pick up after ourselves, my request of course was that he be a little more laid back about the typical messes that families make, and my daughter requested that we all stop bickering (oh, the knowledge of six year olds these days).

So, that little red box with the sequins peeling off turned out to be a very special gift to our family this Christmas and always. I am certain that Grandma Arlene would happy to know that it has a special place within our family and that we are honoring her and her gift to us.

This holiday season, take a moment to look beyond the gifts you receive and remember the people behind the ribbon and paper. Happy New Year to you and your families, and may 2009 bring you lots of red, shiny boxes with hidden surprises.

Tip of the Week

 Hello Triple Members, 

 If you are like me, you are deluged by your pint size Picasso with  
 artwork on a daily basis.  Of course, you don't want to harm their  
 egos, but let's face it, if we kept everything we would have a mini  
 museum in our house!  Here are some fun ideas, on how to show off  
 your child's artwork while not taking over the house with it.

 1) Take pictures of the pieces that you really like, and put them  
 in a scrap book.
 2) Buy some beautiful vintage frames without glass and hang them in  
 your kitchen.  Then you can display your child's pictures in the  
 frames and rotate the artwork in and out.
 3) Use your child's artwork as wrapping paper for the holidays!   
 This is also a great way to look after the environment by recycling.
 4) Send them to relatives. Who needs store bought cards when you  
 can simply fold them or write a message on them and then send them  
 off to grandparents and other family members!
 5) Most importantly, organize the artwork.  There are many  
 different portfolios that you can purchase to house your child's  
 artwork if they are pieces that you would like to save.
 6) Take your child's artwork and turn  it into an invitation for  
 their next birthday party or even as your holiday greeting card.

 And above all, never throw out a child's work when they are there  
 to witness it, as you would  not want to hurt their pride and sense  
 off accomplishment.  Of course, you can't save everything, so if  
 you must, here is a little  tip from me: Throw them in the garbage  
 when they are sleeping and make sure to wrap it in a bag or paper  
 towel, as you don't want them to discover that you have thrown out  
 that "special picture that was made just for you"!