November 2008 – Page 2 – Toni Anderson

by admin - November 10, 2008

Having Fun in Williamsburg

We are having a great time in Williamsburg. Unfortunately my camera cord is at home so you will have to wait for pictures.

I went to CVS last night, ( I am addicted again, I can’t believe I went while on vacation) and got a few good deals. I forgot my coupons so I had to work from what was in the paper. Still not too bad, I earned $9 in ECB’s.

I am pleasantly surprised with our hotel. We decided to go the cheap route and I was worried it might be really, really gross. It is clean, though dated, and seems very safe. The breakfast was good too. The kids stuffed themselves silly! For $39 a night, I can’t complain!

by admin - November 7, 2008

Military Shipping Deadlines

Christmas is coming… here are the shipping deadlines for shipping mail to overseas military bases.

Military Mail Addressed To	Express Mail® Military Service (EMMS)¹	First-Class Mail® Letters and Cards	Priority Mail®	Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL)²	Space Available Mail (SAM)³	Parcel Post®
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 090-092	Dec-18	Dec-11	Dec-11	Dec-4	Nov-28	Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 093	N/A	Dec-4	Dec-4	Dec-1	Nov-21	Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 094-098	Dec-18	Dec-11	Dec-11	Dec-4	Nov-28	Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 340	Dec-18	Dec-11	Dec-11	Dec-4	Nov-28	Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 962-966	Dec-18	Dec-11	Dec-11	Dec-4	Nov-28	Nov-13

by admin - November 4, 2008

Christmas Toy List

Shannon is hosting a fun themed WFMW this week. She has asked for readers to recommend their favorite, time tested toys. With six kids we have had a lot of toys come and go through the years, and we have found some tried and true, loved by everyone favorites.

Plastic Army Men Military Playset

I bought a box of army men on clearance for $2.50 after Christmas one year. We take them when we travel and the kids always have something to play with. If we lose a few or they break I don’t care because they were so cheap.
Playing with the Army men during our recent camping trip.

Playmobil

My only regret with Playmobil is that I didn’t find out about it sooner. My kids love this stuff and there are so many products in different price ranges it is a perfect gift for anyone to give to the kids.

Fractiles

My kids love pattern blocks of all kinds. I particularly like this kind because it is magnetic, and I like all things magnetic. You can take them anywhere and kids of all ages (except those that still put things in their mouths) love them.

Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100

If you can only afford to buy one toy this year, buy snap circuits. We purchased this for my son when he was 9 years old. He loved it, his younger brothers loved it, his sisters loved it and three years later he still plays with it. It is also educational, which is a big plus!

Sculpey

Sculpey clay hardens so kids can make items to keep. My girls like to make dolls and beads (which can be used for necklaces), while the boys make boy stuff, snakes, dragons, and guns.

Melissa & Doug Magnetic Dress-Up

I have several versions of this toy and they are all well loved in our house. My 2 and 4 year old girl will play with this for 30 to 45 minutes without getting up. I like this one because, once again it is a great toy to take on a trip as well as play with at the table.

Toy Food

We still have toy food from when my 14 year old was a toddler. These toys (even the cheap ones) last forever and are enjoyed by my children starting with the time they can walk.

Knifty Knitter

I bought this for my 13 year old daughter last Christmas. She has learned how to knit using the knifty knitter and has made several hats, scarves and other items. It is a great beginner step into the world of crafting.

We don’t give a lot of toys for Christmas. I feel like we have too many already and with all the moving we do, it is hard to find space for everything in each house. I like to give consumable gifts to my kids such as paper, markers, crayons, paints, and other craft items that they can use up and eventually throw away.

Several months ago I wrote a few posts recommending toys and books for specific age groups. You can click on the links to get more ideas.

Toys and Books for Preschoolers

Terrific Book Series for Kids

Favorite Books for Little Girls

Favorite Books for Little Boys

by admin - November 4, 2008

Veterans Day Discount at Home Depot and Lowes

The Home Depot and Lowe’s, the world’s largest home improvement retailers, once again are offering a 10 percent Veterans Day discount to active-duty service members, reservists, retirees, veterans and their immediate family members.

The Lowe’s discount is available Nov. 6 through Nov. 11 on purchases of up to $5,000 in U.S. stores from merchandise in stock and special order. The maximum discount would be $500.

The Home Depot discount is available Nov. 6 through Nov. 12 on purchases up to $2,000, for a maximum discount of $200. The discount is offered at The Home Depot stores, The Home Depot Design Center locations, Yardbirds and EXPO Design Center locations. To get the discount, you must provide proof of military service when checking out, and the discount will be applied at the register.

I know that some Lowe’s offer military discounts year round, but not all of them do. I am sure there are many other Veterans Day discounts so if you know of any email me and I will spread the word.

Thanks!

by admin - November 3, 2008

Provisions

Don’t you just love it when God provides an unexpected blessing? Last Thursday at church I was chatting with friends about our camping trip and a friend offered to loan us Therm-a-rest camping mats as well as warmer sleeping bags. I followed her home from church and picked up the supplies. Those camping mats made a huge difference in our trip. We were very warm inside our tent even though it dropped below freezing the first night. The extra sleeping bags allowed the kids to double up and they stayed warm as well.

After our camping trip we had planned to stop on the way home to pick apples at a farm. We were all so dirty and tired we decided to skip the picking. The kids were disappointed but they all understood. Then on the way home we came across a pear tree. There were lots of pears just laying all over the ground in perfect condition. We took them home, but I am not sure about eating them. Can you help me identify these pears? Also do you have any good pear recipes?

I came home from the weekend and had an email in my inbox regarding free Colonial Williamsburg tickets for veterans. I am so excited that we will be able go again and we will all get in free.

After our perfect camping weekend I couldn’t have dreamed that it could get better and yet now we have a trip to Williamsburg planned for next week. The kids are already counting down the days until we leave!

For more Gratituesday visit Laura.

by admin - November 3, 2008

Our Camping Trip

This weekend while everyone else was trick or treating we went camping. The packing started last Wednesday, even though we weren’t leaving until Friday. I used my dining room as a staging area for all of our camping items. Everything was going great until Thursday afternoon when I decided to put up our tent in the living room.

I realize as I type this how ridiculous it sounds, but at the time I thought it was a good idea. I was very worried about the temperature and wanted to see if we could all fit into our big tent. Usually we camp with two tents, but I thought we could stay warmer if we crammed into our big one.

I am sure it will come as no surprise to anyone that the tent did not fit in our living room. So Thursday evening I had this mess in my dining room.

I couldn’t really get the tent back into the bag because there wasn’t enough room, and the kids kept getting in the way….

I didn’t have time to deal with the tent anyway because I had another job calling me from the upstairs.

I am not sure how many loads of clean laundry that is, but it is a king sized bed.

I finally got all the laundry folded and either packed or put away and went to church. The next morning we packed the suburban.

Oh for the person who asked about mountain pies… basically it is two pieces of bread cooked in the pie iron with stuff in the middle. My kids like cheese, pepperoni, and pizza sauce. Here is a picture of the pie irons.

Okay, back to packing, we packed the back…

We put stuff on the roof…

And we even bought a hitch haul to carry more stuff, but don’t worry we didn’t drive with her on the back.

When we were finally packed we headed to the campground. The campground was absolutely beautiful and we had a wonderful time. The jobs at the campground were much more fun than the jobs at the house.

Cooking hot dogs…

Taking walks…

Exploring…

Skipping stones…

I took your advice and didn’t make anyone take a shower while we were gone. It was way too cold in the morning and evening, and who is going to make a kid take a shower in the middle of the day? I think some of the kids wore the same clothes the entire trip, which at first grossed me out, but I now realize it saved me a ton of laundry.

The stuff they did wear was filthy so it is now soaking in oxy clean on my back porch.

At least it was only one cooler full of dirty clothes, not two.

For more Talk about Tuesday visit Lara and for more Tackles visit 5MFM.

by admin - November 3, 2008

Free Admission to Colonial Williamsburg

As part of the tribute, Colonial Williamsburg offers special complimentary admission passes to active duty military, reservists, retirees, veterans and their families from Nov. 7-11, 2008. The Honoring Service to America pass includes admission to Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area and museums, including the Capitol, Governor’s Palace and Bassett Hall, the Williamsburg home of Foundation benefactor John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. The pass also includes an Orientation Walk, a walking tour that provides an overview of Colonial Williamsburg and its Restoration, free shuttle bus service to and from the Visitor Center, a viewing of the movie, “Williamsburg, The Story of a Patriot,” and free parking at the Visitor Center.

If you live anywhere near Colonial Williamsburg and you are eligible for free admission I urge you to go. I just spoke with a representative and confirmed that you will receive free admission for all 5 days! Our family loves visiting Williamsburg and there is something for every age (well except babies!).

Along with free admission there are discounts available on hotels. You can read all about it at their website. Tickets are over $40 for adults so this is a fabulous deal! I have been several times and always enjoyed it immensely. If you go wear your walking shoes because the area is huge. I would recommend a stroller for little ones as even my bigger kids were tired at the end of the day.

Hats off to Williamsburg for supporting our troops!