Sunday, November 29, 2009

Great gift ideas on a budget!


Through Dec 1st, Amazon is offering $5 subscriptions on some great magazines, including Real Simple, Food & Wine, Southern Living, etc.
Click here to check it out!

Monday only - Pottery Barn is offering free monogramming and shipping on 100+ items, such as the locket keychain shown here for $15.

Know of any other great deals? Leave a comment!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Question of the week: Holiday travel w/ kids

How do you keep your kids occupied on long car or plane rides?

Any suggestions (logistical or otherwise) for moms flying w/ kids for the first time?

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

(last minute) Thanksgiving craft idea :)

My daughter came home from preschool today with a "My Thankfulness bag" - I assume meant for me & my hubby? and I thought it would be a cute & easy craft to put together for your kids to give to grandparents, etc.

There was a poem and 4 items included:

"Thank You"
Thank you for your loving care,
And the kindness that you share,
For helping me to learn & grow,
And showing me all that you know.
That is why I want to say,
"Thank You" in the biggest way!

Thankful bag ingredients:
1. a candy kiss - to say thank you for all your love
2. a warm fuzzy - to make you feel good when you are sad, like you always do for me.
3. an adhesive bandage - to say thank you for all the times you make my hurts feel better.
4. a facial tissue - to say thank you for all the times you dry my tears.

Happy Thanksgiving :)

Winter Donations from November Meeting

Thanks to everyone who donated hats/mittens/gloves/scarves at our November meeting. I turned half of them into a local clothing bank today and gave the other half to the Goodfellows campaign at East Middle School. We'll be putting them in with the packages our kids put together at school for needy kids in the area. Good work NMF :)

Stork Craft Crib Recall

Nov. 24, 2009 -- After four U.S. infants died while trapped in the cribs, 2.2 million drop-side cribs made by Stork Craft -- including 147,000 with the Fisher-Price logo -- have been recalled.


It's far from the first time that child entrapment has led the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall drop-side cribs.


CPSC chair Inez Tenenbaum is now considering banning this type of product, says CPSC spokeswoman Nychelle Fleming.


"We have had other drop-side crib recalls, and the chairman is proposing to write regulations in the next few months to address the bigger issue of drop-side cribs," Fleming tells WebMD.


The current recall is the largest crib recall in CPSC history. It includes only cribs with plastic hardware made by Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. of British Columbia, Canada. Stork Craft drop-side cribs made with metal rods are not part of the recall.


The recall includes more than 1.2 million cribs sold in the U.S. and nearly 1 million sold in Canada.


CPSC, Health Canada, and Stork Craft have learned of 110 incidents in which the drop-side of the cribs became detached: 67 incidents in the U.S. and 43 in Canada.


All four of the deaths involved infants who smothered while trapped when the crib hardware detached and the child slipped between the side of the crib and the mattress. They included:

  • A 6-month-old in Summersville, W.Va.
  • A 7-month-old in Gouveneur, N.Y.
  • A 7-month-old in New Iberia, La.
  • A 9-month-old in Bronx, N.Y.


Other injuries include 20 falls from cribs, with injuries ranging from bruises to concussion.


more info:
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20091124/2point2-million-cribs-recalled

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09093.html

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Another Question of the Week

What are your Thanksgiving traditions? Anything you do special with or for your kids?

Friday, November 20, 2009

Question of the week!

Do you shop on Black Friday? If so, how early do you leave? What big sales are on your itinerary this year?

Monday, November 16, 2009

How does Santa really know who is naughty or nice?


The answer is finally revealed in...The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition. The Elf on the Shelf is an activity the entire family will enjoy. Based on the tradition Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s, this cleverly rhymed childrens book explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. During the holiday season, the elf watches children by day and reports to Santa each night. When children awake, the elf has returned from the North Pole and can be found hiding in a different location. This activity allows The Elf on the Shelf to become a delightful hide-and-seek game. The Elf on the Shelf gift set INCLUDES A SCOUT ELF from the North Pole, a hardbound CHILDRENS BOOK and a KEEPSAKE BOX for easy storage.


(I found this at Nordstrom this weekend and thought it was too cute not to share! The saleslady said it sells out every year. It's also available at Amazon.com and elfontheshelf.com. I think this was mentioned by an NMF blogger last year, but I can't remember who?)

A word about meeting fees ~

If you did not pay the yearly fee of $60 over the summer, you have the option to pay $40 for the 7 remaining meetings of the NMF "year": Nov 09 (this Friday!), and Jan - June 2010. Alternately, you can continue to pay $10/meeting as you attend, but we've found that many forget to pay (and then have to pay double the next month) and/or we forget to announce the collection envelope. We set up the yearly fee option to make it easier on everyone...and as a cost save for our regulars! That said, we are considering eliminating dues next year. This would also mean that we would have to eliminate raffles, prizes, speakers that cost money, beverages, websites, etc. We would have to keep it really simple. We will keep you posted on our plan for next year. :)

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Question of the week (yes, another one :)

In honor of finally breaking down this morning and listening to 100.3!...What are your favorite Holiday songs and movies? Both traditional and modern-day?

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Help!

How do new moms find time to work out?? Trying to loose the baby weight is sooo hard when you are sleep deprived and busy with the kids all day. I would love to hear your tips!!!
Danielle

Question of the week!

What are some of your holiday traditions? Foods? Activities? Crafts?

Do you participate in any charity events around the holidays? Could you recommend a charity idea that would be suitable for a three year old?

A sampling from our October meeting on Holiday crafts & party foods...






We had a great time! There were many other yummies & fun crafts other than what's pictured - thanks to everyone for contributing. And a special thanks to Amy for opening up her beautiful home to us :) If anyone would like the recipes/instructions for any of the items shown, leave a comment and we'll get back to you.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Question of the week!

What do you find to be the most effective discipline method(s)? i.e. time outs, counting to x, spanking (gasp!), etc. Please include the age of your children and also let us know if you have any book recommendations on the subject.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Question of the week!

Now that Halloween's over, let's talk Holiday shopping! What were some of your kids' favorite Holiday (or birthday) gifts from years past? We'd especially love suggestions for toys with staying power or ones that have "grown" with them.