Pear Tree Greetings Pearista Challenge-November

As a Pearista, I am proud to be a brand ambassador for Pear Tree Greetings. Pear Tree has helped tens of thousands of customers celebrate life’s shareable moments with a collection of uniquely personal, high-quality greetings and stationery. Pear Tree Greetings offers a full line of photo Christmas cards, recycled Christmas cards, invitations, announcements, address labels, save-the-date cards and dozens of other high-quality paper products, so you can seize every opportunity to connect with others.

November seems to be the month of giving thanks, and I for one cannot find enough ways to say thank you to the amazing people in my life! One way Pear Tree Greetings has helped me is by the lost art of note giving. I love getting a hand written card or note in the mail, it means that person took the extra few minutes out of their day to choose a beautiful card, sit down, and write a thoughtful note.

Pear Tree Greetings has come out with these gorgeous Notelettes. They are mini note cards that will fit in your purse or pocket and they are stunning! I received Thanksgiving Notelettes with the idea I'd take the time to share with my loved ones a note. One of my amazing friends had a birthday gathering this month, and in leue of any cards or gifts, she asked that we make a donation to a local fundraiser held in honor of a sweet girl who passed away from cancer. I'm so honored to be among an amazing group of women who find way after way to give back to others. There just isn't enough ways to say thank you to them!

I have so much to be thankful for this year, and I love that Pear Tree Greetings has a fun way of sharing that with my friends and family!

You'll find so many fantastic and unique products at Pear Tree Greetings! Find them on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on their latest deals!

Disclaimer: I rec'd product as part of my job as a Pearista, no other compensation was given. Please see my disclosure policy for more information!

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

Look what we got this morning!

Winners galore!!

Boy oh boy, I guess even though I was on vacation, the work never stops, right :D But I wouldn't change a thing!

I have some winners to announce, so without further adeu:
$35 Target Gift Card: Melissa H
$50 MyPublisher GC:Nina
Cheerios Prize Pack:Kelly



Thanks to all who entered!! I hope you'll stick around for some more great giveaways!
As always, the winners have 48 hours to respond or a new winner is chosen!

Last Minutes Cyber Monday coupons and deals!!

Check out CouponSherpa's Cyber Monday page to expedite your savings!

1. Dockers
Get 30% off when you spend $100 using coupon code GOBBLE.

2. Gap Stores
Take 30% off any order at Gap, Athleta, Old Navy and Banana Republic with coupon code HUGECYBER.

3. Chico's
Receive 30% off any order.

4. Macy's
Enjoy free shipping on orders of $75 or more using Macy's promo code CYBER.

5. SnapFish
Get free shipping on orders of $25 or more using coupon code FSNOV25.

6. Footlocker
Take 15% off all orders with coupon code LKS13VN6.

7. Avon
Enjoy free shipping on all orders using promo code CYBER2011.

8. New York & Company
Get 50% off all orders plus free shipping with code 2129.

9. Kohl's
Receive 20% off any order using Kohl's coupon code CYBER20.

10. American Eagle
Get free shipping plus 25% off your order using promo code 49827101. 

Disclaimer: This is a guest post: CouponSherpa.com is dedicated to helping consumers save money and live more frugally. 

Black Friday Deals and Opening Hours for Major Merchants

Forget Black Friday. Major merchants are racing to see who can open earliest on Black Thursday.

Kmart has taken the lead this year, opening at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving Day. Toys R Us pulls into second place with a start time of 9 p.m., one hour earlier than 2010. Walmart takes third, opening at 10 p.m. on Turkey Day.

Doesn't anybody "Respect the Bird" anymore?

For those willing to brave crowds on a turkey-filled stomach or rise well before dawn, here is a list of opening hours for 15 major merchants, along with a special deal each is offering. Keep in mind that hours are subject to change and some states don't allow stores to open on Thanksgiving Day. For a comprehensive guide to Black Friday store openings and hours, check out CouponSherpa.com.

Ace Hardware - Midnight Friday
Enter to win a Craftsman 5-drawer Tool Center.

A.C. Moore - 5 a.m. Friday
Free $10 gift card to the first 50 customers.

Bealls - Midnight Friday
First 100 customers per store have a chance to win an iPad2, $250 gift card or $5 Bealls Bucks.

Best Buy - Midnight Friday
Best Buy will distribute entry tickets up to two hours before midnight.

Half Price Books - 7 a.m. Friday
First 100 people per store receive a tote bag and $5 gift card.

JCPenney - 4 a.m. Friday
Free collectible Disney snow globe, while supplies last.

Kmart - 6 a.m. Thanksgiving
Earn 20 bonus points for every $1 spent (twice the normal amount).

Macy's - 4 a.m. Friday
Shop online all day Thanksgiving.

Office Max - 6 a.m. Friday
Save $15 on a $100 VISA or MasterCard gift card.

Kohl's - Midnight Friday
Receive $15 Kohl's cash for every $50 you spend, through Nov. 27, with coupon from Black Friday flier.

Old Navy - 9 a.m. Thanksgiving and midnight Friday
Free Kodak Easyshare Sport waterproof digital camera bundle with $40 purchase (while supplies last).

Rite Aid - 7 a.m. Thanksgiving (at select stores) through 11:59 p.m. Friday
$10 reward when you buy a $50 Home Improvement gift card.

Sears - 4 a.m. Friday
Pick up a Real Deal Coupon Book with over $3,000 in savings that start Nov. 27 (while quantities last).

Sports Authority - 5 a.m. Friday
First 80 people in line at each Sports Authority receive Bonus Bucks valued between $10 and $500.

Target - Midnight to 11 p.m. Friday
Learn about unadvertised deals by texting "MORE TVs" to "Target."

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CouponSherpa.com is one of four websites operating under the brand name The Frugals and is dedicated to helping consumers save money and live more frugally.
Disclaimer: This is a guest post.

Need help with gift giving? Look no further than Gourmet Gift Baskets!

I've many people in my family that are hard to buy for. The brother who literally has everything, the husband who says he wants nothing but you know he doesn't mean it, the grandparents that don't like talking on the phone let alone writing to get a wish list from...We all know those people, and they are all on our "To Buy For" lists this year. 

One place I turn to during the holidays is GourmetGiftBaskets.com! Their Award-Winning Christmas Gift Baskets are some of my favorite baskets they offer!

There is literally a gift basket for all tastes! Some of my favorites that I know would be a big hit in my family:

The Christmas Morning BreakfastBasket
 is one of my favorite
baskets! Such a great idea!

The Around The World Beer Bucket would be great
for my world traveling brother!

There is so much to choose from! Gourmet Gift Baskets makes gift giving easier this holiday season! Forget the stress of finding that perfect gift for the person who has everything, GourmetGiftBaskets.com has got your back!
And speaking of back, are you a blogger looking for a way to Give BACK? Leave me a comment with your email or blog and I'll get in touch with you with how you too can give back with Gourmet Gift Baskets!

Disclaimer: In exchange for this post, Gourmet Gift Baskets is donating two care packages to injured soldiers at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on my behalf. No compensation was given.
Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Commit A Minute: Muppet PSA {Giveaway!}

Family safety is so important, and with the upcoming festivities, we need to be even more aware of our surroundings as many of us will be having guests in our homes for the holidays!

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) have teamed up with The Muppets this holiday season to promote the importance of keeping your family safe. All you have to do is "Commit a Minute"

It only takes a minute to pick up some toys off the floor to avoid tripping on them or to turn that pot handle away from the edge while it's on the stove. According to the UL, there are 9.2 unintentional accidents involving children every year, and really-all it takes is a minute to fix it!

The Muppets are lending their hand in this cute but informative Commit A Minute PSA-

Kermit, Beaker and Bunsen discovered that the main cause of holiday fires involve decorations (56%) and the first item ignited because of this are Christmas trees (21%).

That’s why Dr. Dr. Honeydew Bunsen, his assistant Beaker and Kermit the Frog created a short video at the UL Labs encouraging families to “Commit A Minute” to safety.  You can find the video here.

Here are some additional statistics and top safety tips you should know to ensure a safe and happy holiday season:

·        Consider LEDS - A candle can reach 1,000 degrees so always stay “three feet from the heat” 

·        Never leave candles unattended- Keep a fire extinguisher nearby in case of unexpected candle/oven flames

·        *Water Your Tree - Trees that have dried out over several weeks burn faster than fresher, well-watered. *Here’s a video of a side-by-side tree burn.

·        Ensure lights bare the UL Mark - Lights intended for indoor-only use bear green holographic UL Marks, whereas lights intended for indoor and outdoor use bear red holographic UL Marks

The Muppets opens THIS Thanksgiving, and I know that the Stevens house is excited to see it!
How about a chance to win something fun?
Enter to win a pair of Fandango Muppets movie ticket and The Muppets movie poster!
(find a Fandango theater near you! I didn't know my local theater was one!)
Find the Rafflecopter form after the  jump!

Ebates and Disney and FREE, OH MY!

I like Free. I like Money! 

Right now, The Disney Store is having an online only sale of their PJs and night shirts-Buy 1 Get 1 FREE! Use the code: SWEETDREAMS at checkout.

But wait, STOP!, before you do that-I HIGHLY recommend signing up for EBATES. It's free, it's easy, and it allows you to get money back for every online purchase. Right now, you can get 8% cash back from the Disney Store!

Sign up for Ebates here: 

They send you a check or paypal (or you can even choose to donate your savings to a charity of your choice!) quarterly, I'll get my paypal payment this week! There are hundreds of stores if not more to shop at, all your favorites of course :D So sign up and save TODAY!! Reward yourself for all that Christmas/Holiday shopping this season!

Tips for Spreading Holiday Cheer #HasbroKREOsets

I'm beyond excited for the impending holidays, this is my absolute favorite time of year! There is so much to do, so many people to see, and not enough time! 

Hasbro wants to make gift giving a little easier on you this year by introducing Kre-O! Let me give you some insider tips on Kre-O, and how Hasbro can give you a hand with your loved ones (6 & up and for the whole family!) wish lists!

*Kre-O Transformer sets are a must have toy for those construction loving kids! It's an adventure, it's fun, and it gives your kids a feeling of accomplishment when they've finished their creation! And really, they are not just for kids! Kre-O is fun for the whole family, what better excuse for a family fun night?

*It's affordable and available at major retailers near you! There is a set for every budget, sets as low as $7.99! Hasbro has an easy to access website to help you shop, or check out where you can find it locally!

*Kre-O blocks are universal! You can use them with other block sets! I love that, this definitely  promotes budget friendly spending this year, no need to buy special kits when Kre-O makes it even easier to enjoy building because you can add on with other brands!

Aside from budget friendly spending, there are many other things I like to do to spread holiday cheer!

*Spend time with friends by doing kid friendly crafts! Something new amongst my circle of friends is a monthly craft session that incorporates the holidays-this month we're making cornucopies, next month is Christmas Cards for a retirement community. It's fun for both kids and parents!

*Turn on the holiday tunes a little early-Nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit better than MUSIC!! If I'm feeling bummed, or better yet, a little "bah humbug!" I plug in my iPod or radio and I can't help but to be in a good mood listening to Christmas carols!

*Take the time to give back-there are so many organizations out there that allow you to give back locally. Whether it's donating to a food pantry, adopting a family, or giving away last winters jacket...There is always someone in need, and something small can make a huge impact during the  holidays!

Take the time to spread a little cheer this holiday season! Of course it's
fun to shop and save when it comes to your families gifts, but there is so much more to this special time of year than that. It's never to early (or too
late) to put a smile on someones face, including your own!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hasbro blogging program, for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points and a KRE-O gift. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of SocialMoms or Hasbro. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

MyPublisher Holiday Card Review and Giveaway!!

MyPublisher is a jack of all trades publishing company! They are at the top of their game with their paper and printing, and offer one of a kind options for many projects-photo books, calenders, scrapbooking, and more!

MyPublisher also offers an amazing selection of Holiday Cards! To help launch their new line of cards, MyPublisher has offered bloggers like myself the opportunity to review their Holiday Cards! I of course am giddy, I love making our cards every year, it's a fun way to share a bit about what our family has been up to the past year!

I browsed their selection and settled on the Jungle Chic Christmas Card in Blue! I like that you can customize the colors of the card, because a lot of places might have a card that is "the one" but it's neon orange and your family is wearing green and gold and it just looks off. 

It's a little blurry, but I think you get the idea! It was fun to make this card my own, and the process was really easy! It took seconds to download my picture, and thanks to children who think they needed to eat ;) I was able to utilize the "save" option and go back later to finish my card!

Check out MyPublisher for your Holiday card needs this year, the options are endless so you are bound to find that perfect card to share with your loved ones!

Ready for a giveaway? Win a $50 Gift Code towards your own Holiday Cards!

Find the Rafflecopter form after the jump!

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

I'm so fashionable.
Someone help me ;)

Bring Cheer to our troops with Cheerios and MyBlogSpark! {Giveaway}

Many of us think about the troops and thank them when we are among friends, but not as many (myself included I'm afraid) go right out and thank a vet or an active military member. Cheerios is giving us the chance to change that! 

In stores now you'll find specially marked boxes of Cheerios featuring a "Cheer" postcard right on the box! All you have to do is purchase said box, cut out the postcard, and right a positive message to a troop! Each postcard is pre addressed to the USO, just add a stamp and put it in the mailbox! The USO will be sure to deliver each card to military families all over the country.

For each card that is sent, Cheerios is donating $1 to the USO and all money will go towards funding programs that benefit military families. Cheerios is doing this now until November 2012! They have jump started the campaign with a $150000 donation to the USO, and they hope to donate another $100000 based on the number of postcards sent out.

This is a great way to say thank you to military families, and Cheerios is making it super easy to do so! My boys and I sent our message out today! With the holidays quickly approaching, what better time to spread cheer than NOW?!?!

Win it!! MyBlogSpark is offering one lucky reader a Cheerios prize pack that includes:
1 Cheerios bowl
1 Cheerios spoon
1 Box of Cheerios
1 Cereal Dispenser

to enter, follow the jump to the rafflecopter entry form!

12 Jobs for Kids in the Kitchen

Ask stay-at-home caregivers what the toughest time of the day is and you'll hear a universal response: dinnertime. This is the hardest segment of the day when moods turn to the dark side and tummies begin to growl. Not only is the food-prepping parent responsible for getting dinner on the table, but must concurrently keep the kiddies relatively calm. And hum a joyous song while doing it, a la Snow White.

Expect that, especially during cooking-heavy holidays, you will orbit the kitchen much of the day with tiny tots and testy teens trailing close behind. Embrace this obvious reality now or prepare to pull out every hair in your swiftly graying head. Get cookin' with the kids--even the youngest ones! This does not mean you hand the torch to Junior to put the finishing touches on your holiday crème brulee. Is does mean, however, that you plan ahead to integrate the whole family into mealtime preparation.

Toddler Time
Developmentally, toddlers pose the toughest challenge for a cooking parent. Carol Williams, a registered dietician at Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, tells parents that, "Touch is a sense used to help get unfamiliar foods closer to a child's mouth," which means that your picky toddler may be more willing to eat your slaved-over meal by cooking with you. Don't expect to keep a tidy workspace, she explains inan article for Baby Zone, but take advantage of her enthusiasm to help.

• Sanitary Specialist: Wash hands, put on an apron and discuss how to correctly measure ingredients. Continue to remind Junior not to eat the ingredients as you prepare them.
• Super Scooper: For ingredients that don't need to be measured perfectly, let him scoop the measuring cup and dump the goods into the proper place. A simple green bean casserole is tough to mess up. Avoid doing this with baked goods, which need to be precisely measured.
• Can Opener: Electric, safe-edge can openers make life so much easier, plus you can help your little one learn how to safely open cans with it. Let Junior open the condensed milk and pour into the pumpkin pie puree himself.
• Relish Tray Artist: Letting your little one put carrots, celery and olives onto the relish tray gives him great sorting practice. It's helpful to have a segmented tray for the task. Try out this Good Housekeeping Relish Tray recipe for some inspiration.
• Utensil Utilizer: It's just more fun to stir the squash casserole with a colorful Head Chefs spoon than with a boring stainless steel one! Since it's a hefty splurge, grab a coupon code before ordering.

Elementary Kids
Older kids have more muscle control and ability in the kitchen--and are still enthusiastic to help! Not only can they learn simple cooking tips, but also reinforce key concepts they're learning in school. From adding fractions and experimenting with properties of liquids to reading and following directions, cooking is academics in action.

• Meat Monitor: Help your child learn about the meat thermometer--stick it in several foods and liquids of varying temperatures. Then explain how hot it should be inside the turkey so that it's completely cooked (180° deep in the thigh). Have her check on the turkey as it cooks to watch the temperature rise.
• Cookie Decorator: Elementary-aged kids have a blast icing sugar cookies (plus it takes them a long time so you can make good progress on other dishes). Bake, cut and cook the cookies ahead of time, then help your child learn how to hold the icing bag so it doesn't squirt out of the end. Pick up detailed tips on decorating with kids at Real Simple.
• Mix Master: For simple foods like stuffing or mashed sweet potatoes, let your child dig in with their hands to mix the food. Help him use the rubber scraper to incorporate all the ingredients as well.
• Recipe Reader: Give your child free access to gather goods--especially larger items in the pantry. Sharpen their literacy skills with new food terminology and turn ingredient gathering into a scavenger hunt.

Teens
Award-winning Chef and author of father-daughter cookbook Rick & Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventures, Rick Bayless advocates total transfer of control to older kids in the kitchen (within good reason, of course). Give the responsibility of preparing an entire dish to your teen and watch him step up to the plate. "Kids will do just about anything, if they're in charge, " he says. If your child isn't interested in food prep, here are some other ways to make him feel included.

• Home Decor Hostess: For the kiddo who doesn't care to be in the kitchen, recruit his or her decorating and cleaning sensibilities elsewhere. Let her arrange the place settings with fancy napkin folding and put her on post-cooking clean-up duty.
• Coupon Clipper: Get your older child on board with saving money! Challenge him to use that smart phone for something other than excessive texting, and have him use a mobile coupon app from sites like CouponSherpa.com to save on items in your Thanksgiving shopping list. Incentivize savings by giving him the difference on the retail cost of the food items and the amount he actually spends. The more he saves, the more he gets back in cash!
• Cake Kings and Queens: For the uptight cook who just can't let go, give your teen a dessert recipe (or let him pick his own). If it bombs, it's just one of many desserts.

###

Ashley Grimaldo comes from a long line of penny pinchers and enjoys blogging on money-saving tips and advice for frugal-minded parents. She lives with her husband and three children in Bryan, Texas. Ashley has been featured among such media outlets as Redbook, The Chicago Tribune, Time.com, and CBS News-Houston.

For all media inquiries, please contact Ashley Grimaldo at ashley@kinoliinc.com.

Feel free to share "12 Jobs for Kids in the Kitchen" with your audience, giving proper attribution to the source.

Disclaimer: This is a guest post.

Thomas & Friends Mega Bloks Party!!

Christmas came a little early today thanks to Mega Bloks and MommyParties!

My friends and I don't need an excuse to have a play date, but with an incentive like this, who would say no?

MommyParties gave Life With The Stevens the hook up with some AMAZING Thomas & Friends Mega Bloks goodies with the hopes that I'd have a party and we'd all have fun-man, my life is hard sometimes ;)

I received:

• Dieselworks (Host Gift) 

• 5 of each set

  - Thomas at the Races 

  - Diesel at the Dieselworks

• Thomas & Friends DVD- Day of the Diesels

• Thomas Coupons

• Raffle Item: Whiffs Messy Day set

So snacks were made, a house was cleaned, and the troops gathered-and the passing out of the toys commenced!!
We had kids ages newborn :D to 5, and aside from the little baby who slept through the play group (it's tough being a newbie!) every single child had fun! The moms could not open the packages fast enough! They were easy to assemble, and so much fun!!

The raffle was a fun part of the day too!
The adorable winners:

I have to mail in the info for his prize, he was confused on why he won  paper :D

I was having *too* much fun I think :D 

aaaannd he was done!

After the excitement of the party, I got brave and decided to piece together our lovely host gift, I'm usually not so good with directions but I think I did okay!
The kids have been playing with this set for HOURS. That never happens with toys.
I know what will be going under the tree this Christmas-
Thank you to Mega Bloks and MomSelect  and MommyParties for another great day!
Be sure to sign up for the Mega Bloks Family Club to receive exclusive coupons and to stay up to date on all the latest and greatest!

Disclaimer: I rec'd product for review, this is my honest opinion. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Tiny Prints Giveaway!!

So I know I just posted my review for Tiny Prints yesterday but I woke up to an email that they were so thankful of my review that they wanted to offer my readers a giveaway!!

How about the chance to win 50 Photo cards of your choice??
Yeah, you heard me :D

Tiny Prints is so excited to share their brand new line of Holiday and Christmas Photo Cards, and I'm honored to be a part of that launch! Check out what they have to offer, take a stroll around the page if you will, I think you'll like what you see!
Tiny Prints makes it easy to find the perfect card for your family and with their easy to follow customization tools, you'll have your one of a kind card ready to go in no time at all!

Before we get to the giveaway, I want to tell you about a fun promotion that is taking place TOMORROW 11/9, a ONE TIME only deal! Visit the Tiny Prints Facebook page to find out how to personalize and receive a FREE custom card from Santa to your kids (giveaway won't go live until tomorrow!)
You can pick from Santa's scroll or Checking it Twice!

So without further ado...continue reading for the Rafflecopter entry form!

Tiny Prints Review!

The holidays are coming at us fast and furious!! I love to be prepared ahead of time for all of my Christmas decorations and activities, and one of my favorite things about Christmas is the cards!!
Since having my children, sending a photo card at Christmas gives our out of state friends and family a chance to see how much our family has grown and changed over the past year-so we want to a quality card that showcases our family in the best way possible!
TinyPrints is a company that is well known and for good reason too-they have top notch quality cards and stationary that are beautiful and unique!
TinyPrints.com is easy to navigate and they make holiday card printing so simple that even I can do it :D
Tiny Prints card selection is amazing! There are so many options available, you can do cards with or without photos, and customize every aspect of your card!
I browsed and finally picked a card called Sweet Watercolor that I would love to send out to my friends and family! I think it's simple yet elegant and highlights our picture perfectly!
What do you think?

Not only do I love sending cards, but I LOVE receiving cards!! Growing up my mom always displayed the cards we got in the mail in our living room and I've carried on that tradition by hanging them in the arch of our doorway so we can enjoy them and see them every day!

Now I'm one of those people that send a photo card every year. I know some people think it's silly to send pictures and family letters with their cards, but if you are like me where you live in a different state than your family, then what better way to share the holiday spirit? There are people that only see us once a year, and that time of year is Christmas via photo card, and I want to keep my loved ones up to date all the fun things my kids this year! So my advice to those of you that haven't yet decided on your holiday cards-go for the photo card! It doesn't have to be a professional pic, but just something that when someone looks at it they will get a sense of the love that went into making the card! And a card from Tiny Prints will do just that!
While your ordering your holiday cards from Tiny Prints, don't forget to add some Address Labels to go with them! Check out their Holiday Party Invitations too while your at it, get your party started with one of their fabulous selections!

Disclaimer: This post was made in exchange for holiday cards from Tiny Prints. No other compensation was given. Please see my disclosure policy for more information on my blogging practices.

Real Simple: Holiday Spending Survival Guide!

YOUR HOLIDAY-SPENDING SURVIVAL GUIDE

184 STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU BUY SMARTER

AND STAY ON BUDGET FROM NOW UNTIL NEW YEAR’S

New York, NY (October 14, 2011) – Real Simple’s November issue, on newsstands now, includes a special section with all the tips you need to get ahead for the holidays this year. 

FEATURING COMPLETE GUIDES TO:

GETTING YOUR SHOPPING DONE IN ONE DAY

Instead of aimlessly buying gifts throughout the season (a major wallet drain), use this one-day-only game plan, chock-full of surprising strategies, to cross everything off your list now. Real Simple’s tips for Christmas shopping include: Download an upbeat playlist; Buy less expensive stuff first; Multitask at dinner; Buy toys online; and more.

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/planning/christmas-shopping-00100000069005/

THE BEST TIMES TO SHOP ONLINE

Take the click-and-drag out of buying gifts on the Internet. Simply consult Real Simple’s handy calendar of what to purchase, when.  This guide includes the four best dates for Christmas shopping online when electronics, outerwear, and other items are significantly marked down.

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/saving/christmas-shopping-online-00100000069004/

HOLIDAY DINING ON A DIME

Don’t let sky-high food-and-drink bills crash your party. Real Simple’s smart party food ideas let you scrimp without looking like Scrooge, with tips for choosing the most affordable cheeses and making your own crostini to save on fancy flatbreads.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/recipe-upgrades/party-food-ideas-00100000068520/index.html

SECRET HOLIDAY SAVINGS

Don’t let money worries ruin your reindeer games. Real Simple shares insiders’ best-kept secrets for affordable holidays, helping you find savings on shipping gifts, sending flowers, picking a tree, and more.

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/money/saving/affordable-holidays-00100000069319/index.html

STICKY GIFT-GIVING SCENARIOS

Are you going to be naughty or nice? Michelle Slatalla, Real Simple’s modern etiquette expert, explains how to solve your biggest holiday gift etiquette quandaries, like the office gift swap, regifting, charitable donations, and more.

http://www.realsimple.com/magazine-more/inside-magazine/life-lessons/holiday-gift-etiquette-00000000038281/index.html

Contacts: Kristen McElhone, 212-522-4305, Kristen_McElhone@timeinc.com

Better late than never, right?

Man, life has been moving at a rapid speed the past few weeks, and it's not going to stop any time soon!

But I wanted to share our Halloween pictures (almost a week later, but who is counting :D)

Both boys had two costumes-not on purpose, but I bought two costumes on clearance last year, and then this year I bought my oldest a costume for next year that he insisted on wearing now, and I bought my youngest something warmer since it was supposed to be chilly...

And I may or may not have dressed up too...Cooper was Mr. Incredible and Optimus Prime and

Bennett was a dragon/dinosaur (or in his words, a Bennysaurus Rex) and Superman!

We went to a Halloween party, but really, I don't need an excuse to dress up :D