“Okay, the $10 bill probably hasn’t been called a “sawbuck” for a long time, but that’s what my grandfather always used to call them when he’d slip me one. Seemed like a fortune at the time.
When it comes to buying toys, $10 still goes a long way. In fact, the average toy in the U.S. is only about $10 still. When you factor in all the $0.99 Hot Wheels Cars, boxes of crayons and more, you’ll see that ten bucks can go a long way.”
You can read the entire post with a list of some great toys for $10 and less by visiting MamaCheaps.com or by clicking here!
“Green is one of the traditional Christmas colors, but“green” in the eco-sense is not something always instantly associated with the holiday. Parents and gift givers who have committed themselves to living green often approach the holiday with frustration. From plastic to packaging, they look at the amount of stuff that comes along with the holidays, and shudder.”
You can read the entire post with some great “green” toy suggestions at Seattle Mom On The Go by clicking here.
When a child makes out their holiday wish list, there are often one or two toys at the top that are the ones they “gotta get”. Often a parent hopes to wait for this item to go on sale, unaware that it’s hot, and then gets shocked when it’s unavailable anywhere. What’s a parent to do? Years ago, a friend of mine went into a store and asked for the Furby aisle and was laughed at thinking she’d just walk down the aisle and pick one out. Don’t let this be you!
If you have a toy your child really wants, buy it early. It’s probably not going to be discounted later, and if it sells out, you are out of luck. Take Zhu Zhu pets as an example. People are camping out in stores to find this hard to find toy. I’m already getting frantic phone calls from friends and e-mails from our readers.
Here’s what you do. BUY IT NOW! If you can’t find it in the stores, become friendly with the salespeople on the floor as they often know when new shipments will arrive. Look online at reliable sites that sell toys. Even if they are out of stock, you can still order and will get your toys in a couple of weeks.
The holidays only come once a year for your children. Plan out your shopping strategy early. While there are bargains every year in December on toys, many of the hot toys become difficult to find and could leave you on the frantic last minute search.
Great news for gamers or anyone who knows a gamer who might be celebrating his birthday in late May (hint, hint). Best Buy is currently holding a huge video game sale, with more than 100 game titles on sale for $9.99 a piece.
These aren’t the usual grab-bin duds but games that we really want to play including Rock Band, Guitar Hero 3, Soul Calibur 4, Disney Sing It, NFL Head Coach, and TNA Impact. You will find something for all game systems, except the PSP, and from all ratings (Everyone through Mature).
I used to think I was creative and resourceful…and then my daughter started preschool. I’ve since learned that a last-minute approach to class gifts will never do. (These are the gifts that your child gives to every member of his or her class or homeroom.) Being successful at this task in our hectic times is not about competing with moms who may have more time and creativity than I do; it’s about me not looking ridiculous and embarrassing my kid in the process. It’s the adult version of peer pressure – and we moms willingly inflict it on each other.
Following are some tips for keeping these gift-giving occasions from getting the best of you in more ways than one.
Time is off the essence. Sure those homemade lollipops tied to hand-painted doily tags seemed like a great idea…that is until you timed the assembly at a whopping 5 minutes each. Five minutes each times 20 gifts to assemble equals bad news…every time. Unless you’re a glutton for punishment, pick a gift or craft that you’ll be able to undertake without an overwhelming sense of dread and that can be realistically accomplished within your time and budget parameters. And while it’s easier said than done, try not to leave the shopping and assembly until the very last minute. The only thing worse than an all-night college study session is pulling an all night glue gun session on a work night.
Get their hands dirty. Don’t forget that the gift is meant to be from your child, so try to include him or her in coming up with the idea and creating it. It gives him or her a sense of ownership and pride, but you’ll also be glad for the extra set of hands. Once kids know how much work goes into the gifts they make – they’ll be more appreciative of the gifts they receive.
Thinking outside the candy box. I am that mom who tosses out many of the candy trinkets my daughter brings home from school. In my defense, I kept the notes for her yearbook which will last a lot longer than the unbearable sugar high we would have endured. There are lots of great time- and cost-saving ideas that can bring a smile to a child’s face. Bubbles never cease to amaze any child under the age 5. Crazy Straws make any drink a whole lot “funner,” and don’t underestimate the power of fresh fruit. Yep, I said it – fresh fruit, like one of the awe-inspiring baskets from Edible Arrangements (www.ediblearrangements.com). These can be a little bit expensive, but if you divide the cost by 20 kids and realize what you pay per kid, it might be worth it, especially since you only have to buy one gift for the entire class.
My go-to resource. Did you know that there are experts whose job it is to come up with some of the most entertaining craft projects for you and your kids? These magical people work at Family Fun magazine and generously bestow their creativity and wisdom on us every season. Click the link to see some of their great Valentine’s ideas – and be sure to bookmark the Special Features page for great year-round gifting ideas for the class:
I’ve been thinking a lot about the song, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” this week. Partially because, well, it’s the season, but also because I heard Liza sing it in her fantastic show at The Palace last week.
But mostly, I’ve been thinking about it as I’ve been talking to people who are in the final throes of holiday stress—one event away from a total yuletide meltdown. I think the, often forgotten, verse of the song is a guideline for all of us at the holidays.
“Christmas future is far away.
Christmas past is passed.
Christmas present is here today,
Bringing joy that will last.”
As I talk to people all over the country in these last days, I’m hearing a lot of stress. A lot.
But when I ask about what’s causing that stress, it comes down to one thing: Trying to fulfill expectations of what the holiday is supposed to be.
Players of the popular video game, Rock Band 2, can now create real world merchandise based on their in-game characters. The Rock Band website allows you to turn your own personal band and individual character photos into t-shirts ($29), posters ($14), stickers ($5), bumper stickers ($4), buttons ($2) and keychains ($3). If money is no option (yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds), you can even get a 6″ custom figure (pictured) of your favorite character for $69.
To get in on the action, you will first need to own the game and create your characters. Then create a profile on the Rock Band website and go to the “Merch Booth,” which will import all your characters from your game and insert them into your profile allowing you to select and create the real world items.
Times are tough for a lot of us this year but if you can, please donate a new toy to the Marine’s Toys For Tots foundation. If you live in the US and would like to help, head on over to Toys For Tots to find out where you can drop off your toy donations.
Nintendo has created two unique Websites to make sure everyone gets the Nintendo gear they really want this year. You can have Mario leave a voice mail or send a playable message in an E-mail to someone who might be shopping for you. Just visit the site here and set up your wish list by answering a short questionnaire about which Nintendo games and accessories you want. You will also enter the name of the person you want to send the message to and your relationship to that person. There aren’t too many game choices but that’s ok because this goofy gimmick is more fun than useful.
The second site contains a more comprehensive game list, where you can check off the games you want and send the list to someone in a special holiday E-card. This could also be a great option for parents to get there kids to let them know what games they would like to receive.
