November 30, 2006
Every year at this time, my mom takes my kids to see The Nutcracker Ballet. She started doing this when I was smaller - we’d make a big night of it - dressing up, going to dinner, and then, going to Ruth Eckerd Hall to see the ballet. I actually took ballet, and even en pointe, so seeing REAL ballet dancers dance to some of my favorite music was a treat.
Anne-Marie at A Readable Feast is thinking about taking her kids to see The Nutcracker on stage, but I agree with her that they may still be a bit young. It helps to be an inspiring prima ballerina, also! If going to see the ballet is too much, you can read the book instead. If your kids are too young for that, check out Anne-Marie’s list of perfect books for baby’s first Christmas!
Christmas and The Nutcracker…they just go hand in hand for me. I may need to pull out my CD tomorrow and dream about Sugar Plum Fairies…
11:32 pm
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My oldest is turning 11 two days after Christmas. We always have a little party for her that night, and our family and good friends join us for pizza and cake. I just got done sending out the evites for the party, and this year, we’re having Sindy and her family here for it! It felt pretty cool sending out that evite to someone in Michigan, knowing she’s going to be able to join us for it. Sindy and her family are going on a cruise for Christmas and then coming to our house to visit for a few days…I can’t wait! I normally have that post-holiday let down once all of the shopping and gift giving is done, but having company over right after Christmas should keep my spirits bright 
6:22 pm
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I love to shop. It makes me happy. Blogging makes me happy too. I’ve decided to combine those two things into a blog all about shopping, called the BuyMeBlog.com. I’m going to talk about things I’ve bought, things NOT to buy, and the best and worst products and stores on the web. I’ll also be posting coupon codes and deals I’ve found.
If you’re interested in plugging my new blog on your site, let me know - I’ll be more than happy to exchange links or blog entries with anyone out there.
To recap: Shopping = happy. Blogging = happy. You reading my new BuyMeBlog = me happy
2:18 pm
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Slowly but surely, I’m wrapping up my Christmas shopping. I’ve found a few things I’ve needed online too, and that’s been a big timesaver. After spending Black Friday and the day after at the mall, I’m a little burned out right now on regular shopping. In fact, I couldn’t even bring myself to go to the store last night to buy ink for my printer. I’m going to just save myself the gas and the hassle and buy it online - I found a ton of coupon codes online, including several 123Inkjets coupon codes and 4Inkjets coupon codes - now to do a little comparision shopping. I need the ink to print out our Christmas newsletter, so I’d better get my rear in gear and order it already!
1:14 pm
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Jim wanted me to DVR a new show on TBS called 10 Items Or Less. He’s usually not one to sit down and watch a sitcom, but this show is right up his alley - it’s about a perpetual loser who returns him to run the family grocery store after his dad dies. Ok, the perpetual loser part isn’t right up his alley, but the grocery store part is.
I watched it last night while he was at work, and BOO! A complete and total suckfest. I didn’t laugh once. I know he’s going to be disappointed, but I’ll let him decide for himself. I’ll probably DVR a few more episodes also, just to make sure it doesn’t get better.
7:51 am
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Do you ever wonder what it would be like if the things that happened in the movies really happened in real life? You know, you’re just hanging out at home one night, and boom - there’s Darth Vader with a light saber. Here’s a little video showing how I think it would all go down - and we picked Ted from PayPerPost to be our victim. He’s the same age I am, so I KNOW he’s down with Star Wars. You can get paid for blogging and making videos like this when you join PayPerPost. C’mon, don’t you want to be one of the cool kids?
(I must add my thanks to my husband - I woke him up to make this - that’s love, baby!)
12:01 am
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November 29, 2006
On the Christmas tree, that is. Jim had to work late on Tuesday night, so before he left I got the tree in just the right spot and had him help me find the lights for it in the garage. After he left, I had the boy help me put up the stockings, and then I put the lights on the tree. In our house, I’m in charge of the lights on the tree, and I always do them the same way. First, a strand of white - non blinking. Then a strand of fancy colored lights on top of those - we’ve got the kind that blink 8 different ways, but my favorite is the slow fade. Very soothing. Ornaments will be tonight or tomorrow night. I have to do it in stages or I get sick of doing the tree real quick!
I didn’t use the stocking hangers I bought last year - instead I hung from them from our bannister, under the garland. And our doggie stockings are right next to our stockings on the grandmother clock.
I’d really like to go through the rest of our decorations and such this year and purge some more of it - there’s just so much stuff we don’t use. I do need to buy some new garland for our tree though. I had a really cool string of fake candy that looked like old fashioned candy…and it broke tonight. It had to be at least 20 years old…so I doubt I’ll find anything like it, but the tree needs something other than lights and ornaments. One year I had the kids make a construction paper chain, and that looked really neat…but I don’t think I want to do that this year. Maybe some wooden beads or something else that would be old fashioned looking. And no tinsel - I don’t do tinsel.
5:58 pm
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One of my favorite bloggers that I’ve discovered in recent months is Dennis over at Mean Old World. I can always find something on his blog to laugh about or comment on, from a suit made of meat, to accidental video game porn, to locking babies in cages. Not to mention Dennis is brimming with charm and good looks. I know, because he told me so.
Anyway, Dennis is wondering if he should get a Wii? His sister snagged one, but Dennis doesn’t want to end up like this guy. Remember Dennis, don’t play the Wii with sweaty hands.
12:59 pm
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The first of the month is rolling around, time to pay for my car insurance! Every 12 months or so, I get new insurance quotes to make sure that our car insurance company is the cheapest possible rate. So far, they always have been, but I like the peace of mind of knowing that I did my due diligence. I wish there was a way to do the same to see how the company would perform with customer service and claims! For you lucky blokes in the U.K. - there is such an option. Choose Insurance is a new site offering unbiased reviews of car insurance companies, as well as home insurance, travel insurance, life insurance, and other insurance types. How nice to have the option to compare reviews on insurance companies before signing up with one - I’d love to be able to see the customer satisfaction rate on my insurance, or how about how timely they are with claim payouts? How quickly do they come to assess damage to your car after a vehicle? If you’re trying to decide between 2 companies with similar rates, a site like Choose Insurance is invaluable. They also offer free legal advice to people who have had insurance claims denied, or can’t get their claims paid.
11:00 am
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Once again, we’re off to Disney this weekend! Gotta love living close enough to enjoy it once a month - we’re definitely getting our moneys worth out of those annual passes. My friend Deb just got back from a trip to Disney, and she’s been posting fabulous hotel reviews this week on her blog. She reviewed the hotel we’re staying at this weekend, the All Star Music, and also my most favorite hotel, Animal Kingdom Lodge. She’s got a whole catagory just for tips on visiting Disney - now that’s my kinda blog! She also made me a little homesick for my home away from home, New Jersey. Yes, I’m not a native, but spending every summer there visiting your grandparents can even make you nostalgic for New Jersey. She’s got a list of her New Jersey favorite places and things - from Long Beach Island to sweet Jersey corn….sigh. I need to go back!
10:59 am
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