Holidays Archives - Page 20 of 40

Great gifts for Dads and Grads from AT&T

When it comes to gifts for dad, you really can’t beat awesome tech accessories, and you can find all sorts of great tech gifts at AT&T. This June AT&T retail stores are offering a variety of gadgets under $100 that make great gift ideas for Father’s Day and Graduation that we adore, and I’m sure your dad or grad would as well.

One of our favorite items on the gift guide is the Braven BRV-1 speaker. We got one of these awesome Braven speakers from AT&T earlier this year and we absolutely adore it. It can go anywhere, do anything, and it sounds amazing. It’s rugged enough for camping and can even handle damp conditions. You can check out our full review here.

Kid tough dress up gear from Aeromax {Junior Fire Fighter Suit review}

In our house, dress up day is any day that ends in a "y". We don’t merely have dress up time – pretty much all play time these days is done in costume. And, for us, dress up isn't limited to just inside play. My kids wear their costumes to stores, to parks, walking to and from school, and so much more.

This is just a small snapshot into the last year with my little man.Obviously, we can't get by with cheapy costumes designed for one day use; we need Get Real Gear from Aeromax. My son has become so famous for his amazing Aeromax costumes that I swear I could sell their dress up clothes right out of my car and retire for life.

Non-candy Easter treats from Corolle dolls

My kids really aren't big on candy, which makes me really happy. Sure, they get the occasional treat at school or during holidays, but I never load up on holiday candy because it just takes up space in my pantry after the kids forget all about it. Since I already know what happens when they get bags and baskets of treats, I'm always thinking of creative things I can give them in their Easter baskets, and I always think Corolle first.

If anyone thought that having a real live baby of our own would diminish the kids' love of all things Corolle, they were wrong. Baby dolls are a very big deal around here and show no signs of going anywhere anytime soon, so I love the idea of getting them each a little surprise in their Easter baskets that can add to all the doll play and make it even more fun.

No-stress Easter dinner with HoneyBaked Ham

Some people are natural born hostesses with buffet tables stocked with everything they could need for gatherings of all kinds, recipes at the ready to wow, and the organization to pull it all together. For me, even the thought of entertaining used to really stress me out. I worried about whether I would have everything perfect for guests, I worried over how clean my house was, and most of all, I worried what I would serve to eat that would work well for a crowd.

But, this year I've been entertaining more and more now that it's just easier to stay home with a newborn and have everyone come to us. And, while I wish I could say I've gotten better about tidying up before house guests, the truth is that now I just blame it on the baby. But, there's one thing I've gotten really good about doing as a mom of three: delegating.

That means when someone says, "Can I do something?", the answer is, "Yes." Sometimes that something is just playing with the kids while I get stuff done, sometimes it's bringing a dish or two, and sometimes that means handing off my baby to the first one in the door so I can enjoy some much needed time using both of my hands. But, my best delegating has got to be the addition of HoneyBaked Ham to our entertaining routine. My #1 tip for surviving entertaining during the holidays is letting HoneyBaked Ham handle the food for me.

Plan ahead for play time with Rayovac

Remember a few weeks ago when I was reminding you to run out and purchase batteries for all the new treasures your children were going to find under the tree this holiday season? Well friends, I'm here to tell you I failed. Yes, I stocked up on batteries. I even got more batteries than I knew I needed.

But, you know what I forgot? The fact that other people would also be buying for my kids and they were going to come home from Christmas with friends and family with new toys that took batteries in sizes we almost never carry. Can you say "planning fail"?

Luckily these gatherings were a few days before Christmas and we had time to run to stores to pick up the odd sized battery pack or two, but I still felt really bad telling the kids that they couldn't play with their new toys. If this had been Christmas morning or even the days following when we had gathering after gathering, it could have ended much, much worse!

Happy Holidays from the Lundby family

This year, as we decorated the house for the holidays we noticed that there was a bit more magic than normal. At first we thought it was the Magic Elf duo that has been having all sorts of Elf Capades in our home and with our holiday decorations. But then things started to go missing. It started with a spool of Christmas ribbon, and then a pack of stocking-shaped buttons, and I lost count of how many times I went to go get some tools or arts and crafts items from the junk drawer and couldn't find them.

It was clear we had a Christmas crafting thief.

Relax, Hammacher Schlemmer has you covered this holiday season

Every year I look forward to the Hammacher Schlemmer holiday gift guide. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Hammacher Schlemmer is America's longest running catalog, and their aim is to offer the Best, the Only, and the Unexpected since 1848. Each year their gift guide is filled with all sorts of new items that range from ultra-practical (The Only Automatic Cordless Tire Inflator) to novelty (The Talking and Dancing Disco Robot) and everything in between.

Are you looking for unique gifts that your recipient won’t ever forget? How about the Personalized Bobblehead, or maybe the 3D Writing Pen? You can shop by recipient or just browse their full guide for unique gifts for everyone on your list. Whether your recipient is incredibly hard to shop for or someone who gives you a specific wish list, you are sure to find the perfect present to wrap up for the holidays.

Holiday shopping made easy at Northgate Mall in Seattle

Every year I swear that the holidays sneak up on me, but this year it definitely is true. With vacations, a crazy amount of doctors appointments, and all the hooplah that having children in two different schools can bring, it seems like fall just flew by. I know I'm not the only one because my Facebook feed is filled with friends lamenting the fact that they have but one or two presents purchased and no idea what to get everyone else on their list.

Hey friend, why don't you head to Northgate Mall and cross off everyone all at once? With three major department stores, a food court, a play area, and over 130 stores to choose from, it's easy to find something for everyone on your list. I envy those people who can seemingly shop for everyone they know in one afternoon, but I can totally see doing just that if I was left kidless and husbandless at Northgate Mall for a few hours so I could sneak presents for them while shopping for extended family and friends.

HoneyBaked Ham is the Christmas gift you give yourself

Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday. It has nothing to do with presents, or even the tree or decorations, it has to do with how festive and fun everything is. Our family tradition is to fit in as many holiday-themed activities as we possibly can, including tree lightings, holidays in downtown Seattle and Portland, and almost a dozen holiday gatherings, which doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for being in the kitchen cooking.

Of course, we can’t not eat for all of our many {many} Christmas gatherings, which leaves my secret tradition: running to the grocery store last minute to pick up overpriced and subpar platters to serve. Or, at least that was my tradition. Now, I have HoneyBaked Ham to make my holidays truly merry, and a whole lot less stressful when we’re running from event to event and needing to bring and serve food. As well as the most delicious ham anywhere, they also carry turkey {smoked or roasted}, all the sides you could possibly want, and even pies, rolls, and other add-ons to make your meal amazing.

Sealed By Santa brings the magic of the season right to your mailbox

From really young ages my kids have been obsessed with Santa. From the first day they see him at local stores, they start asking when they will get to talk with him.

And, it’s not about getting their wishlists in, because they seemed rather confused about Santa in connection with presents until this year when it finally clicked. For years they would come up with random Santa lists or reply that they didn’t know what Santa would want for Christmas and we just thought it was cute. For my daughter, her love of Santa is about the tradition of it, but for my son, it’s about having one on one attention so he can study Santa and ask any questions.