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5 Simple Ways to Make Someone’s Christmas a Little Merrier

It’s Christmas time, which means long lines, more traffic, crazy parking lots, and emotions running high. Here are a few things you can do to make someone else’s Christmas a little merrier.

Let someone go ahead of you in line

We’ve all been there. We have a cart full of toys and the person behind us has a pack of batteries. Offer to let them check out ahead of you.

Give up the parking spot.

Two cars coming from opposite ends of the row, one parking spot. Pass it up and let the other person have it.

Give a bigger tip.

If you can afford to eat out, you can afford to leave a little bit bigger tip this week. Especially if you are eating out on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Buy the person’s meal who is behind you in the drive thru, or pay their toll, etc….

When you get to the window tell the cashier you want to pay for the order of the person who is behind you in line.

Smile

You would be surprised at how a little smile can go a long way. Smile at strangers, say Merry Christmas, and hum a little festive tune as you go about your day. Joyful attitudes are contagious this time of year… so make sure you are spreading one.

by admin -

New and Improved BlogFrog Community

I am very excited about the new and improved BlogFrog site. There are several new features that make interacting in your favorite communities even easier. My favorite feature is the improved search function. I just searched for communities talking about homeschooling and found discussions as well as homeschool friendly communities. From special needs to scrap booking, you can find people talking about what you want to talk about.

If you have never visited The BlogFrog, this tutorial can help you get started. The community might look a bit familiar to you. 🙂

How to Participate in a BlogFrog Community from Holly Hamann on Vimeo.

I love interacting with my readers in my community, so hop on over if you get a chance and join the discussion.

by admin -

Single Best Town: $125 Amex Gift Card Giveaway

single best town

Remember last month when I told you how much I loved my hometown of Orlando, Florida? Well ten finalists have been chosen and it is time to vote for the Single Best Town in America. I have to admit, when I visited the contest website I got sucked in reading about these towns. It seems I am not the only one who has a love for my hometown.

Even if you didn’t make it into the finals, you can still win a $125 Amex gift card on The Happy Housewife. To enter the giveaway, go vote for your Single favorite town of the ten semifinalists then leave a comment and tell me what your single best afternoon looks like in your own hometown.  I will randomly pick two winners on March 23, 2010.

I have partnered with KRAFT Foods to help promote the “Single Best Town” in America program.  I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes writing about my own hometown experiences and hosting a giveaway where the prize has been provided by KRAFT Singles.  However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.

by admin -

Weight Watchers Stocking Stuffer Giveaway

Weight Watchers didn’t want to be left out of the fabulous giveaways I hosted this week so they are stuffing one of my reader’s stockings with some treats.

The stocking is filled with Weight Watchers by Whitman’s chocolate candies (yum!), vouchers for Weight Watchers sweet baked goods, and two different cookbooks to help you make delicious and healthy meals that are Weight Watchers plan friendly. Of course even if you aren’t on the Weight Watchers plan, healthy meal ideas are always a good thing!

Weight Watcher has also created this cool widget that allows you to find healthier substitutes for your snack cravings. You can also find coupons for Weight Watchers products.

You can also get a FREE subscription to Weight Watchers magazine. Visit Money Saving Mom for all the details.

To enter to win the stocking leave a comment. Giveaway ends Monday December 21st!

by admin -

REAL Family Christmas Photos

I am sure I am not the only one who gets the “Christmas letter.” You know the letter from the perfect family, with the beautiful family picture, which tells of all their accomplishments each year. I remember growing up, my mom received a letter from a family who I think discovered a planet or won the Nobel Prize every single year!

Don’t you ever wish that you could get a “real” Christmas letter. One that talks about dirty floors, flat tires, and the swine flu? If nothing else just to make you feel a little better, that no one is really perfect.

I feel this way every year when we attempt to take our family Christmas picture. It starts in January, I begin to stress about what the kids will wear, haircuts, lost teeth, and fingers up noses. From February to November I take 100’s if not 1000’s of family photos, hoping to find the one. Usually around Thanksgiving I panic, realizing I have not taken the perfect picture and I take 200 pictures Thanksgiving weekend and use the least worst one out of the bunch.

So this year I am tired of pretending that my kids can all smile at the exact same time, with no crying, fingers up noses or in a sibling’s ear. Please tell me you have this problem too? I thought it would be fun to share our favorite REAL family photos. It might not make it on your Christmas card, but it can make it on your blog. Next Monday, December 21st, I’ll put up a linky and you can link up with your REAL family photo. I have a great one to share too, and I am looking forward to seeing all your REAL family moments captured forever on film, or at least on your memory card.


If you don’t have a blog, you can email me your photo and I will include it in my post.

by admin -

Frito Lay Gift Basket Giveaway

Frito Lay wants to help you be prepared for whoever drops in this Christmas. Below are a few tips for party planning in a pinch.

  • Ambiance is everything – Keep a playlist of festive music easily accessible or stock the stereo with CDs so it’s ready at the push of a button…literally. Add a few scented candles and presto…instant ambiance!
  • Let guests add their touch – Keep a box of ornaments on hand and ask your guests to add one to the tree.
  • No clean-up necessary – Stock-up on a supply of holiday-colored paper plates, napkins and utensils to lessen post-party clean-up. And if the house is tidy before you head out for the day, there’s no scrambling once they arrive! A frugal tip from me would be to shop after Christmas for plates, table clothes and napkins you can use next year!
  • Stock the pantry – Have some “better for you” Frito-Lay products on hand to lessen the stress of “what to fix?” and allow for more time to visit with your guests. Frito-Lay’s Tostitos Scoops or Baked! Scoops — with a delicious dip — are true crowd-pleasers. Serve on a festive platter or dish and presto… festive snacks ready to share!
  • Entertain with ease – Always have several fun board games accessible to keep guests entertained. And a few kid-friendly movies or simple crafts will keep the little ones busy while the adults socialize.

Frito Lay wants to give you this Holiday Snack Basket to help with your party planning. To enter leave a comment. I will chose a random winner Friday, December 18th.

by admin -

Lines

This week’s You Capture theme is lines. I was pretty excited because it seemed like lines are everywhere in London. The architecture in London is absolutely phenomenal, especially when you contrast the new with the old buildings that coexist on every street. I took over 700 pictures during my visit to London and I don’t feel like I even came close to capturing everything I saw during those few days.

Here are a few of my favorite “line” photos.

There were so many lights it was amazing. I’m sure it had much to do with the Christmas season, but I can’t help but think that London is probably lit up most of the year.

Streets of London – love the red buses.

Westminster Cathedral

Part of the floor in the Westminster Cathedral.

London Eye


Globe Theatre

Tate Modern – lots of lines inside too….

Tower Bridge

Buckingham Palace

Harrods

by admin -

Shop at Home $100 Gift Card Giveaway

The winner is:

Here are your random numbers:

4

Timestamp: 2009-12-09 03:53:55 UTC

Nancy!

Since my server crashed at some point last night, I have extended the giveaway until 9 pm tonight, 12/8/09.

banner-200x246-GiftCardGuide

Christmas just got a little merrier for one of my readers. Shop at Home is giving away a $100 gift card to one of my readers. If you haven’t visited Shop at Home I encourage you to check out the site. Shop at Home provides coupon codes and cash back when you shop at your favorite stores.

What I like about Shop at Home is that it is so easy to click through their site and start your shopping. It doesn’t cost you anything to sign up, and it can actually save you money with coupon codes and cash back. And I love the fact that I can get cash back without using a credit card!

The winner will be able to select a $100 Gift Card from any retailer listed in the ShopAtHome.com Gift Card Guide.

To enter the giveaway:

  • You must be a registered member of ShopAtHome.com. Click here to join.
  • You must leave a comment telling me which gift card you would chose if you are the winner.
  • For additional entries you can tweet about the giveaway, blog about it, or add it to Facebook. Please leave a comment for each additional entry.

This giveaway ends on December 7th. Winner has 48 hours to provide contact information or another winner will be chosen.

by admin -

Colonial Williamsburg ~ Real Life

I love You Capture. I love to take photos and I love looking at other people’s photos. I would encourage anyone who loves to take pictures to participate. Each week there is a theme, and this week’s theme is Real Life. I love it because I feel like all my photos are “real.”

Here are a few real life shots from our visit to Colonial Williamsburg. Trip details coming soon.

They were trying to strike a serious pose…

Cora slept a lot… I think she might be getting sick again. 🙁

Pretending to be a horse.

Colonial games.