Amazon and some great Christmas last minute deals

Amazon has some good deals going on right now...

TOYS FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS:

Fisher Price Disney’s Winnie the Pooh – Pooh’s Musical Pop Up Choo Choo - $16.19 (regularly $32.99) – 52% off

Fisher Price Disney’s Winnie the Pooh – Honey Pot stackers - $12.14 (regularly $22.99) – 47% off

Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Storybook Rhymes - $12.99 (regularly $18.99) – 32% off
Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Dance & Play Puppy – $29.99 (regularly $39.99) – 25% off

Fisher Price Little People Builders Classic Shape Blocks – 12.14 (regularly $29.99) – 47% off

Leap Frog Learn & Groove Musical Table - $32.99 (regularly $44.99) – 27% off

Playskool Lullaby Gloworm – $6.29 (regularly $12.99) - 50% off

Playskool Poppin’ Pound Park Carnival – $8.99 (reguarly $22.99) – 61% off

Playskool Weebles Playset – $16.19 (regularly $34.99) – 54% off

Sesame Street Elmo’s Find & Learn Alphabet Blocks - $20.69 (regularly $35.99) – 43% off

Sesame Street Rockin’ Shapes and Colors Elmo – $16.19 (regularly $22.99) – 30% off

Tolo Toys Rolling Shape Sorter - $14.99 (regularly $24.99) – 40% off
TOYS FOR PRESCHOOLERS:

Educational Insights AlphaMagnets Letters & Numbers Combo Set (multicolored) – $10.79 (regularly $19.99) – 46% off
Fisher Price Disney/Pixar Cars 2 doodle Pro – $12.05 (regularly $21.99) – 45% off

Fisher Price GeoTrax Disney/Pixar Cars 2 RC Spy Mater – $15.99 (regularly $25.99) – 38% off

Fisher Price Geo Trax Disney/Pixar Cars 2 RC Grem - $12.94 (regularly $25.99) – 50% off

Fisher Price Geo Trax Disney/Pixar Cars 2 World Grand Prix RC Set - $35.31 (regularly $64.99) – 46% off

Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway – Rocky - $19.99 (regularly $32.99) – 39% off

Thomas the Train: Take-n-Play Thomas and the Lion - $12.54 (regularly $21.99) – 43% off

Tonka Chuck Get Ready to Race - $10.52 (regularly $22.99) – 54% off

Vtech Disney’s Cars – Lightning McQueen Digital Camera – $19.99 (regularly $59.99) – 67% off

Vtech Tote & Go Laptop & Web Connect - $13.49 (regularly $29.99) - 55% off
BOYS:

Campfire Kids Wildnerness Tent – $20 (regularly $39.99) – 50% off


Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker – $13.49 (regularly $29.99) – 55% off

Erector Build & Play Mechanical Construction Bucket – 120+ pieces – $19.99 (regularly $29.99) – 33% off

Hot Wheels RC Stealth Rides Racing Car – Black with Red Flames - $14.99 (regularly $24.99) – 40% off

KRE-O Transformers Sideswipe – $11.99 (regularly $21.99) – 45% off

Marvel Captain America Ultimate Vehicle - $11.99 (regularly $34.99) – 66% off

Nerf NStrike Barricade RV-10 - $12.99 (regularly $21.99) – 41% off

Spy Net Video Watch 2.0 with Night Vision - $19.99 (regularly $59.99) – 67% off

Tonka Ricochet R/C Rampage Flip with Roll Cage - $13.99 (regularly $27.99) - 50% off
GIRLS:

Baby Alive Dolls - as low as $5.99

Cinderella Disney Princess 2-in-1 Ballgown Surprise Doll - $12.99 (regularly $20.99) – 38% off

Crayola Tabletop Easel - $13.49 (regularly $24.99) – 46% off

Lalaloopsy Dolls – prices start at $16.99 (32% off)

Strawberry Shortcake Berry Sparkling Charms – $13.99 (regularly $24.99) – 44% off

Unicorn Pillow Pet & Book – $13.99 (58% off)

Whipple Party Deluxe pastry set – $14.57 (regularly $34.99) – 58% off

Thanksgiving Organized!!

1st Week of November:

Issue Invites: If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to make those phone calls. People feel more welcomed and comfortable if plans are made ahead. No one wants to feel like a last minute guest.

Make your menu: Pull out your cookbooks and recipe files. Create your menu. If you are having guests bring a dish, you might want to do this before you call them. That way, when they ask what to bring, you will be prepared.

Think ahead: Note on your menu which dishes can be prepared ahead and frozen. These often include casseroles, the stuffing, and cakes without the frosting or other desserts. Pull out your calendar and divide those make-ahead dishes up among the next three weeks.

Go Gobble: If you traditionally call ahead to order a turkey, pie or other food item, pick up the phone and do it now.

2nd Week of November:

Count heads and seats: You should now have a head count. Figure out where everyone will sit. Decide if you need to arrange to borrow or rent chairs or tables.

Check Linens: Do you need to wash or press tablecloths or napkins? Once pressed, fold the table cloth horizontally to fit on a hanger and store it hanging until you set the table.

Shine Silver: You might not have had out that silver all summer. Check now to see what items need polishing. If you have dishes stored away, like that turkey platter, take the time to get them out now and make sure they are clean.

Plan the Centerpiece: Decide now what you will put on the middle of the table(s). If you intend to order from a florist, do so. If you plan to pick up flowers, fruit, pumpkins or gourds and make your own, choose your containers. Add a note to your menu so that you will remember to shop for those items.

3rd Week of November:

Grocery List: Take your menu and create a grocery list. Don’t forget to add beverages to your list. If you are having company at your house for the holiday, take time to make a menu for those other meals and add those items to the list.

Cooking List: Take your menu and create a food-time cooking list. On your paper, list each dish, the temperature it needs to bake, and the length of time it needs to cook. Decide what time you want to serve dinner. Based on that, you can now list on the paper what time of day each dish should go into the oven or on to the stove.

Thanksgiving Week:

Saturday through Monday:

Grocery Shop

Pick up turkey or ordered items that are ready.

Pick up tables and chairs

Clean house

If the turkey is frozen, look at the weight and label instructions so that you can note when it needs to begin to thaw.

Tuesday:

Set tables, if possible. If not gather together everything you do need.

Get out food serving or buffet dishes. Use a sticky-note to label each dish. This will make it easier to get the food out and to make sure you have everything you need.

Do any food preparation that can be done ahead, such as chopping celery or onions.

Wednesday:

Work on dishes or prep work that you can do ahead.

Pick up last minute food items, such as that ordered pie.

This is a great day for dinner to be a big pot of soup in the Crock-Pot!

Finish setting tables for tomorrow. Add centerpieces.

Tidy up and do last minute chores.

Review your food-time list for tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Day

Give Thanks.

I've got big plans for this  weekend; I plan on cleaning out my office and reorganizing all bins, sample,  files, etc. Here are some tips that help me make the most with my small home office:



•Use bins and stylish storage containers to keep like items together.


•Create floor-to-ceiling storage by adding vertical shelving.


•Chose furniture on rollers or add casters to existing furnishings; this helps furniture become multifunctional and you can roll furniture around to fit your needs.


•Go wireless and as cordless as possible.
•Find furniture that multitasks. If you use the dining room table for a desk, see if you can add space in a nearby buffet for files and a small supply of office supplies.


•Find pretty accessories, filling cabinets, post its, pencils, etc. Your office is still your home so try to decorate it as you would the rest of your house, if you do you'll want to spend more time and be more productive in your work space.

Hugh Jackman sizzles in Real Steel releasing on October 7th



Fans of celeb Dad, Hugh Jackman, will be thrilled to see him tackle a new role in Real Steel which opens in theaters everywhere on October 7th. Here’s the official movie poster below. My sources working on this movie, tell me this film will appeal to the entire family so I’ll be excited to see what Parents & their tweens or teens think of it once it releases.

The combination of steamy Hugh on screen for the ladies and the fighting & robot action for the guys sounds like a hit to me.

Here’s the official scoop from DreamWorks Pictures:

A action ride set in the near-future where the sport of boxing has gone high-tech, “Real Steel” stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.

“Real Steel” is directed by Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum” franchise and “Date Night”).

“Real Steel” is about a former boxer (Hugh Jackman) who, against all odds, gets one last shot at a comeback when he teams up with his estranged son (Dakota Goyo) to build and train the perfect contender for the new high-tech sport of robot boxing.

Halloween Crafts

While looking for some easy Halloween crafts for kids, I realized that Zack and Coles attention span may be just a little too short for anything beyond a coloring sheet right now! That said, I did find quite a few fun Halloween crafts for kids on Pinterest, and I might give a few of them a go.

 

 

 

I particularly love the first image, that features a glowstick Halloween lantern project. Apparently the fluid in the glowstick is nontoxic! What kid wouldn’t love a spooky glowing lantern? I am also really curious to know how long the glowstick fluid stays, well, glowy!

Hope you enjoy these easy Halloween crafts for kids!