And You Will Have Kids

Do you remember how magical the Christmas season was when you were a kid?  Now it seems, at least to me, that it’s all about consumerism.  As parents, we need to decide how we want our children to experience this holiday season.  Will the emphasis be on getting? Or will we teach them about giving as well?

Here are some ideas about “giving back” this holiday season. More →

Christmas will soon be here and perhaps you’re wondering exactly how you’re going to find the money to buy all the gifts you need to buy before Christmas.  As a parent, I know that it can be difficult to stretch the budget at this time of year.

It is possible to save money if you decide to create your gifts by hand and creating crafts together with your children can be a very rewarding experience.  It’s can also be very time consuming!  Before you decide to have a crafty Christmas, it’s best to honestly evaluate the amount of time and your crafting abilities.  Also be aware that there are people who honestly don’t care for handmade gifts.  Yes, for some people, nothing says “love” like an expensive professionally wrapped gift from a high end department store.  In order to avoid disappointment for yourself and for your relative or friend, it’s best to not gift this person with a handmade item. There are other people, however, who would absolutely be thrilled to receive a handmade gift! 

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And we’re off!

September is almost over and soon Halloween will be here! In a few short months, Christmas will be arriving.  Don’t panic, but do get started with holiday plans now.

Things to do this week:

*  Start purchasing candy for Halloween.  The selection is best now and you can find some wonderful sales! I try to purchase at least one bag of candy weekly starting now until Halloween.  You may need more or less candy depending upon many things.  For example, how many school parties will your children be attending?  Will you need to contribute to these events?  On average, how many visitors can you expect on Halloween?  Is Halloween one or two nights in your community?  Will you be donating any goodies to your church for any community events that they may be having?  That’s a LOT of candy!

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