Why Should I Set a Budget for Vacation Travel?

February 26, 2012 by 6 Comments

For some people, vacation is the one time of the year that they really cut loose. Pulled away from the
concerns and schedule restrictions of daily life, it is a vacationer’s one job to have the best time they
possibly can. So the idea of putting together a detailed budget for your vacation travel may seem like
booking a romantic weekend with your tax accountant. What happened to letting it all hang out, to
celebrating irresponsibility, to focusing on unforgettable experiences and lasting memories, not dollars
and cents? Well, at some point you’re going to have to face reality. Unless you’re Bill Gates, money will
always be a concern, and you can’t simply ignore it because you’re going on vacation. So how can you set a
travel budget that not only helps you come home with your bottom line intact, but even adds to the fun of
your vacation?

A budget will help you define your priorities. Do you want to experience a five star hotel, or would you
rather have money left over for that Jeep tour of the outback? Expensive spa day, or surf lessons? First
class airfare, or an extra two days in paradise? Locking in a budget for your trip will help you get to
know what elements of a vacation are the most important to you. It may help you narrow down vacation
destinations, decide whether to plan yourself or go with a travel agent, or even help uncover new travel
ideas you’d never even considered. Think about the above examples. If your destination is far away and
the flight is lengthy, traveling in first or business class may be very important. You wouldn’t want to show
up in paradise with an achy neck and devastating jet lag. But if the flight is short, perhaps you’re better
off spending your dollars elsewhere. As far as the hotel is concerned, think about how much time you’re
actually going to spend there. If lounging around the hotel with lunch served on a private [Read more…]

Filed Under: travel

Saving Money with Coupons

February 26, 2012 by 11 Comments

The following is a guest post by Outside the Box Mom:

questions about using coupons

Thanks to your comments on this series, we have some great questions to address…
Question:

How can I stop leaving my coupons at home or putting the coupons in the car but then they expire before I use them?

Answer:

Organizing Coupons

Are your coupons all over the place? Here are some ways you can organize your coupon stash.

Set aside time each week to clip, organize and match coupons with sales. This time can also be used to go through your old coupons and weed out any that have expired.

Making Your Grocery List

The key to remembering to bring your coupons is to clip coupons to your grocery list. As you check your cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer for things you are out of, place the coupons you have clipped with your list. Since I don’t clip coupons until I am ready to use them, this makes planning a breeze. Then, immediately put them in your purse (or wallet, for the guys 🙂 ). If you plan when you will use the coupons and clip them to your list, you won’t forget them at home or in the car. Routine makes it automatic.

Remembering [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Toy Fair Fun- I’m Guessing You’ll Want These

February 25, 2012 by 17 Comments
This past week, the Jacob Javits Center in New York City has been host to the worlds largest gathering of toys and games, organized by the Toy Industry Association. Hundreds of toy manufacturers and game publishers gather to show off their recent and upcoming products to retailers, buyers, and the press. The New York Toy Fair is filled with nearly every toy, game, form of electronic entertainment, and outdoor play thing you can imagine.

With roughly 100,000 products and 7,000 new toy debuts, NY Toy Fair is a wonderland for your inner child. Here are five toys who made their premiers at the Javits Center that will soon be on everyone’s “Hot List”.

FURREAL FRIENDS BABY BUTTERSCOTCH, MY MAGICAL SHOW PONY

This new addition to the Furreal Friends line from Hasbro is the most animated and responsive yet, responding to the touch, eating her “food”, whinnying and batting her eyes. She has soft, poseable legs, and will respond to cuddles and nuzzles in kind. Baby Butterscotch will give children the experience of owning a virtually real, animated pony.

CrayolaDigital Light Designer

This fun and adaptable new drawing medium is designed to allow children to draw and create with lights.
The Digital Light Designer uses colored LED lights to let kids draw, imagine, and be creative- with no mess. Using a special attached stylus on a spinning 360 degree domed drawing surface, kids can easily switch between eight [Read more…]

Filed Under: kids Tagged With: , , ,

Fun Family Activities for the Weekend

February 24, 2012 by 3 Comments

When it comes to raising a family, life is already pretty full. There’s work and school. There’s
extracurricular activities and shopping. And somehow, you still have to fit in time to sleep, shower and
eat. So when the weekend rolls around, sometimes rest is all that you want to have on your to-do list.

Oh, but youth tends to have other things in mind. Kids are not thinking about all that they did on
yesterday or all that they’ll have to do tomorrow. They are just focused on what can be done today—
things that will keep them happy, active and entertained. Sure, fun to you may be doing a little gardening
or checking out the best that Bakersfield garage sales have to offer, but you’re probably going to be out
voted. The good news is that when it comes to finding fun family activities, there are many that don’t have
to feel like excruciating work for you to do. There are things that can be amusing for the children and,
surprisingly enough, inspiring for you as well.

Bake Something

What child doesn’t like desert? Take your kids into the kitchen to learn how to bake cookies, homemade
ice cream or even candy. If they are older, maybe expand that list to baking bread, homemade jams or
cooking entrees. You can even have a cooking contest where everyone in the family makes something from
scratch and whomever the family votes made the best-tasting dish, they win a prize. The extra plus for
you? Your children are learning their way around the kitchen.

Host Your Own Field Day

Remember when you were in elementary school and there was Field Day? A day when there was nothing
but outdoor activities and first, second and third place ribbons? Consider planning one with your child
with things that they like to do. It could be the traditional running races and obstacle courses or it could
be applying traditional outside games like kick ball and four square. Award ribbons can be found at stores
like Wal-Mart and Target and to heighten the excitement, invite some of their classmates or neighborhood
friends. Let them take turns being judges or referees for different events. This will give you a few minutes
to enjoy a glass of lemonade while cheering them on from the back porch.

Teach and Learn a New Thing

One [Read more…]

Filed Under: family

Making New Friends! Come H0P With Us!

February 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Welcome back to week 47 of Finding New Friends Weekend Blog Hop hosted by Shelly from My Saving Game, Sam from Have Sippy Will Travel and Jeannette from The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug! Thank you all for helping make this hop so successful! We love you tons! Now what are you waiting for? Let’s get to hopping! We are finding some fabulous blogs through this hop and having a great time getting to know so many of you! So thank you for linking up again this week to those of you who are hop veterans and welcome to those who are new! Let’s continue to make new bloggy friends and increase our traffic! We do have a few simple rules for you – nothing too tough though. So here we go!
1. Please follow your hostesses My Saving Game, Have Sippy Will Travel and The Advetures of J-Man and MillerBug on one of our social media platforms.Leave us a comment [Read more…]
Filed Under: Uncategorized

How to Build a Good Parent Teacher Relationship

February 23, 2012 by 8 Comments

Sure you love your kids and you enjoy spending as much time with them as possible, but the reality is that
if they’re school-aged, the one who shares most of their (weekly) waking hours with them is their teacher.
That reason alone should be a strong enough motivator to want to do all that you can to cultivate a healthy
parent-teacher relationship. Not only will it put you more at ease when it comes to your child’s well-being,
but it can also help the teacher to be a more effective educator. Being that each child is different, it can
never hurt for their teacher to have as much relevant information from you that will assist in your son or
daughter’s academic development.

It’s rare that a child has the same teacher (or set of teachers) for more than one school year and so this
means that it’s a good idea to be proactive in introducing yourself. If there’s not some kind of formal open
house at your child’s school (or you’re not able to make it), most administrative offices provide a list of
each teacher’s name, phone numbers and email address. Don’t hesitate to contact them to request a time
for the both of you to get better acquainted.

Once the two of you have met, be sure to state some of your desires for your child for that school year. If
they’re older children, ask the teacher if there’s a weekly lesson plan available that gives you an idea of
what your son or daughter will be studying and when tests are scheduled. Also be sure to ask the teacher if
there is anything that you can do to help your child excel in their class. Most educators are quite relieved
to know that they have a parent’s support when it comes to classwork assignments.

While it shows great initiative and responsibility to attend every prescheduled parent-teacher conference,
should problems arise, either [Read more…]

Filed Under: education, family, kids

Minute to Pin It- Weekly Pinterest Party! Find New Followers

February 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorized

Book Bloggers and Publisher’s Online Conference 2012

February 23, 2012 by 4 Comments

Book Bloggers and Publisher’s Online Conference 2012

March 7-11, 2012

Welcome!
For our third year we are very excited to be offering another Online Conference to help us advance communication between Book Bloggers, Publishers, and Authors!

Scheduled Events – Click for the Full Days lineup Panel Details
All Panels are Subject to Change

Wednesday – March 7th –
Full Schedule

Panels – Opening Day
Where do Books Come From: Review Copy Distribution – Netgalley – Goodreads – Publisher Blogs: Tor.com, Romance at Random, USA Today Book Blog – Review Guidelines: Don’t be Overwhelmed

Thursday – March 8th – Full Schedule

Panels – Working with Authors
Approaching Authors – The Creative Process for Authors and Bloggers – What Authors look for in Reviews – Publishing: The Options Authors Have Now – Should Authors Review?
Genre Discussions: Category [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized