fun stuff to do for kids for Christmas

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****** this site is running extremely slow and will take a LONG time to get through the checkout process.*****
Today only (11/28), go here to create a personalized letter from Santa for only a penny!
Printed on decorative letterhead and presented in a North Pole stamped envelope addressed directly to your child, this letter is sure to be a special surprise for all kids young and old.
To create the letter, you’ll need to click here, enter your child's name, gender, address, 3 of their friends, a present that they are wanting, and a special message that you would like Santa to deliver (like “Keep being good and go to bed early on Christmas Eve”).
At checkout enter the promo code 41878 to get free shipping. Your final cost will be just 1¢ to have this personalized letter shipped right to your door! And you will have the option to pay through Paypal.

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Disney’s Family.com is offering a free personalized Santa video here. Just upload a picture of your kid and they can find out if they made Santa’s naughty or nice list.


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You can also make a personalized video ecard from Santa on MagicSanta.ca.

Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast

Today was the Thanksgiving Feast at school. Every year the Kindergarten classes celebrate the first Thanksgiving. They (well, all but Sam, he was sick this week) learned all week about the first Thanksgiving. They created their own place mats, necklaces, and head wear (Indian feathers and pilgrim hats) I was able to help volunteer this year so we were able to serve the food and drink and clean up. It was the cutest little sight to see 130-140 little Thanksgiving feasters marching in to enjoy their "meal" I wish I could post some of the pictures of the whole group but I did not want to show their faces without permission...

Top 10 Products You Don't Need to Buy

By Whitson Gordon

Top 10 Products You Don't Need to Buy (Because You Already Have Them In Your Home)

We spend loads on all sorts of cleaning, health, and other household products at the store every week, but quite often you can get the same jobs done with less obvious products already in your house. Here are ten of our favorite household stand-ins.

In a lot of cases, it might not necessarily be cheaper to use something you already have in the house, but if you're in a bind, any of these will work well—no trip to the store required. Plus, a lot of them get the job done without harsh chemicals or other annoyances, which is a big plus.

10. Surface Cleaners

Whether you're cleaning the bathroom, the windows, or the kitchen, you probably have everything you need in your pantry. You can clean your toilet with pretty much any acidic beverage, like a can of Coke or a packet of Kool-Aid, and while you're in the bathroom you can take a grapefruit and some salt to your grimy bathtub. When it comes to the countertops in the kitchen, a bit of wine or some laundry detergent will get things squeaky clean, while some rubbing alcohol and ammonia will make the windows sparkle.

9. Itch Relief

There's no need to go grab a Benadryl stick when you get bitten by mosquitoes; you probably have a ton of different itch remedies right under your nose. Vick's VapoRub does wonders, but you could even get by with some Scotch tape, nail polish, or Alka Seltzer. If you have some meat tenderizer around, that can actually get the job done too.

8. Metal Polish

If the chrome on your car or the steel in your sink is looking a little dull or scratched, you can use one of any number of things to polish it up. Baby oil and Cola both work well on Chrome, while flour's a good choice for stainless steel. Flour plus salt and vinegar makes a good brass polish, and you can shine up that silver with baking soda or a banana peel. Incidentally, banana peels also work great for polishing shoes.

7. Bug Traps

If your house is infested with bugs, why buy traps to kill them? They're obviously visiting because you have food they want: use it to your advantage. Trap fruit flies with apple cider vinegar, or sprinkle some baby powder, chalk, or borax around those ants' favorite hangout to deter them. Alternatively, putting vegetables on your counter makes them realize you're no longer a source of the good stuff, and they'll go away.

6. Drain Uncloggers

Skip the harmful Drano, and just grab some baking soda for stubborn drain clogs. If your toilets a little backed up, some laundry detergent can do wonders. If the above products need a little help, you can get in there yourself with a cable tie or duct tape to get the pipes flowing freely again.

5. LCD Cleaner

We all know you aren't supposed to use things like Windex on an LCD screen, but that doesn't mean you need to buy a fancy screen cleaner. All you really need is a cloth and a bit of water, although a coffee filter will do the trick too if dust is the only problem. When it comes to full-on scratches, though, the best you can do is take a pencil eraser to it and hope for the best.

4. Dryer Sheets

Dryer sheets are popular, but a bottle of fabric softener will get you much further. Combined with an old towel, you can easily replace those dryer sheets with one big, reusable one, or turn it into an after-the-dryer wrinkle releaser. Alternatively, you can get the anti-static goodness from some aluminum foil, or fluff those clothes in the dryer with a tennis ball. None of this is to say dryer sheets are completely bad—after all, they do have a lot of clever household uses themselves.

3. Sticker Removers

Products like Goo Gone are pretty useful, but you can easily get by with a number of things in your kitchen. From hair dryers to vodka, vinegar, and even lighter fluid, you've got more than one way to wash away sticky residue from a surface.

2. Deodorizers

We all have to deal with funky smells every once in a while, but you can remove odors with just about anything, from the usual baking soda and charcoal to vinegar or even newspaper. And if you've got to de-stink an entire room, why make it smell like Febreeze-y chemicals when you could just throw some vanilla in the oven and make it smell like fresh baked cookies?

1. Stain Removers

Stains always seem like the end of the world, but with the right household fix, you can clean just about any stain. Vinegar works well for many stains, while shaving cream does a good job on greasier stains (as does rubbing them with chalk). Dish detergent will get rid of that occasional gasoline stain, and asprin will remove those stubborn sweat stains on your clothes. Grab some corn starch for furniture-related stains, and whatever you do for any of these, make sure you act quickly. If you've got a stain we didn't list, you can bet the database over at Stain Solutions has a recommendation, so head there for more info.

Fall Harvest meal-- kids sing with M&M's

ok, so, I guess it was up to my children to add the comic relief for the night.
Molly decided that the step she was on was the perfect place to attempt some new tap dancing moves that she has created.
You can here her share with everyone "I just really like this song" during the first little pause of the first song.
In true Sam form, he decided he needed to sing just a word or 2 behind. (I am starting to think he might be doing it on purpose now just to make sure everyone knows when he is singing ha).
Apparently the mother of these children hyped them up with sugar or something prior to going on stage as neither seem to be able to just stand and sing. (or is it because Sam knew that I was unable to see him at the spot I was sitting so if he danced a little jig I was sure to have him in the video)
I did have to interrupt the taping of the 2nd song due to the fact that my daughter decided it would be a good idea to stick her cute little fingers in the electrical outlet on stage. You can also hear me telling her that she needs to keep her dress down.
I am not sure who the little boy is that is next to her, I know I am the director, but I still do not know him. BUT apparently Molly grew a strong attachment to him, as she grabs his hand and holds it throughout, then decides she needs to rub his head. Kirk told me that she also caressed his ear ever so lovingly as they were leaving (I was helping littles off the stage at that time)
It is too bad that my children are so shy and introverted! HA





1st part of second song




2nd part of 2nd song

Happy Halloween!!!