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The other day, I told Lucas about how Santa Claus will sometimes send little boys and girls one of his magical elves to visit for the holidays. Immediately, his eyes lit up and he wanted to know what he needed to do to get his own elf friend to visit us. I explained that all he needed to do was write Santa a letter and ask him for one so that's exactly what we did...



We waited and waited. Every day, we checked everywhere for the elf's arrival. The morning after Thanksgiving, Lucas finally found him. Lucas ran into our room, shook us awake, and exclaimed, "Mommy, come LOOK. The elf is here!" Meet Sherman. He's the elf that Santa sent Lucas.


The elf magically appeared in Lucas' room complete with his suitcase, clothes, magical snowflakes, passport, and even a book explaining why he was here.


Lucas sprinkled him with the included magical snowflakes to make him come alive.


According to the letter Santa sent, Sherman will stick around throughout the holidays until Christmas Eve when Santa will pick up all of his elves to help out with delivering the toys. Until then, all of the elves share their love, kindness, and the true meaning of Christmas with the families they are visiting. At night, they like to have crackers and water--the crackers remind them of the crunch of the snow back home at the North Pole and the water reminds them of melted snowflakes. The elves are known to be quite mischievous too and go on nightly adventures called, Elfcapades. They do all sorts of fun stuff while we sleep. For instance, Sherman managed to put himself inside the cereal box and gave Lucas quite the surprise one morning.


He's been spotted hanging from the chandelier. Inside the refrigerator. In the bathtub. Sitting in Lucas' carseat. Who knows where we'll find him next LOL. Lucas has really bonded with Sherman.


He plays monster trucks with him and brings him everywhere with him. Sherman has already become a part of the family and we will miss him when he leaves on Christmas Eve. Of course, we'll just write Santa again next year and ask that he please send us Sherman to visit again. Maybe Santa will even send Sherman to visit for special occasions like Lucas' birthday or other holidays!

If you and your family would like to participate in the Elf Magic tradition, make sure to visit Elf-Magic.com. You can find travel ticket information and also read about all of the fun Elfcapades submitted by families hosting an elf themselves.

If you're shopping for a young girl or teen this holiday season, I urge you to check out Heart On Your Sleeve Jewelry. They make the most precious jewelry using beautiful Millefiori beads and fresh water pearls. The term millefiori is a combination of the Italian words "mille" (thousand) and "fiori" (flowers). Millefiori is a glasswork technique which produces distinctive decorative patterns on glassware. What's really cool is that the jewelry is meant to show the person's love for something...girls can show their love of Christ or their favorite sport, resort, activity, etc. in a fun, stylish way. There are several collections available:

BLESSED
OUTDOORS
GIRLY GURLZ SPORTS-
FAN FARE
VACATION
CHRISTMAS

I received the Love bracelet and necklace.


Both are beautiful and very well made. Each features a simple heart charm and they are very stylish. I love the packaging, which features the beloved Corinthians verse, "Love never fails." At just $9.99, the jewelry is also very affordable and perfect to give as gifts this holiday season!





The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

If you know or have a little scientist at home, then I know just the thing. If you want to encourage your kids to love science, then I know just the thing. If you homeschool and are looking for activities and tools that will help you teach your children science, then I know just the thing. Let me introduce you to The Young Scientists Club. They make award-winning, fun science kits for kids.

About The Young Scientists Club: Esther Novis, a mother of five and a former Harvard-trained biologist, started The Young Scientists Club as a summer science camp for her then 5-year-old son. Friends from other parts of the country told Novis they wanted to duplicate her concept and the idea for a science subscription service was born! The subscription kits are now mailed monthly to thousands of children around the world and the company’s retail kits are sold in hundreds of specialty stores. In addition to developing new products for The Young Scientists Club, this wise mom has many years of experience teaching at Phillips Academy, Andover and has written the science column for Parents Magazine plus wrote science experiments for the new science curriculum by McGraw-Hill Publishing.

We were sent Science on a Tracking Expedition from the Nature Series to review and it is an incredible set. It pretty much includes everything your kids will need to learn about and make their own animal tracks. It is fully loaded with supplies and several activities including plaster paris and molds for casting animal tracks and paints and stamps for stamping animal tracks. It comes with a huge, interactive poster for kids to stamp the matching animal tracks onto. There's even a bonus animal tracks game included. This is a fun set that will keep kids engaged and learning for hours--if not days!


About the Kit {from the website}: Young Scientists will learn about animal tracking through exciting hands-on science experiments and activities. Identify animal tracks, learn about the animals that make the tracks, cast animal tracks, play the tracking game, create animal track prints, design an animal track poster, and explore real animal tracks in nature. The eight realistic animal footprint molds, large colorful poster, and eighty animal game cards are some of the unique enclosed items that will aspire all Young Scientists to become animal track explorers! (Ages 4 and up)


Priced at only $29.99, the Science on a Tracking Expedition is also a great value!

Other new kits you should check out:

Magic School Bus Solar Energy to the Rescue • $19.99 • Ages 5+
Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride with solar energy to the rescue. Young Scientists explore the greenhouse effect, collect real carbon dioxide, recreate global warming in a bottle, use a solar panel to spin a fan, make a solar secret code, design solar spinners, watch solar energy inflate balloons, and much, much more!

Animal Tracks • $14.99 • Ages 5+
Here is not one but three traditional games with a science twist! Match the animals to their tracks while playing concentration, bingo, and guess the tracks games. This unique game is exciting, fun, and educational as players match cards of photographed animals to their tracks. Animal Tracks comes with 80 high quality and colorful cards, a plastic storage tray, and detailed instructions for three games. Best of all, it’s a fun series of games for everyone in the home.

Magic School Bus Back in Time with the Dinosaurs • $19.99 • Ages 5+
On this school bus ride, Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists back in time with the dinosaurs through these marvelous experiments. Young Scientists create a timeline, design a diorama, build a wooden dinosaur replica, make cast and mold fossils, mold clay dinosaur teeth, simulate a dino dig, fold 3D dinosaurs, and much, much more!




The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

Get into the spirit of the season, Atlanta! December 16th through the 24th, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre will transform into an icy wonderland for the Holiday Ice Spectacular!

About the Show: Henry, a charming, yet mischievous elf has decided (against orders) to let the audience experience the wonder of the North Pole. He and his wife will keep you roaring in your seats with their adult-friendly comic relief peppered throughout the show. You’ll see everything from a Hannukah celebration to an intricate line dance performed on skates. Humorous vignettes, a 12-minute bite of The Nutcracker and flawless skating filled with awe-inspiring catches and gravity-defying leaps will keep you entranced throughout the entire production.

Developed by Rand Family Entertainment, The Holiday Ice Spectacular is produced and directed by Cobb County native Jeb K. Rand, whose entertainment career began when he was just a small child with a passion for skating. A former nationally-ranked U.S. pairs figure skater, Jeb’s professional skating career spanned over a decade and included principal roles with Ice Capades, Disney on Ice, and Stars on Ice – Italian Tour. He and his wife and skating partner, Jen, were also featured in Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular from 1998 through 2005. His love for creating magical stories and shows that transform the stage provides the perfect segue into his current creative role as the President and Executive Producer of Rand Enterprises & Productions Inc, where he now serves as the creative force behind productions taking place around the world.

What: The Holiday Ice Spectacular
When: December 16-24, 2010
Where: Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Tickets range in price from $25 to $89 and are available via Ticketmaster, www.ticketmaster.com. Special VIP and group packages are also offered at select prices and discount levels.


For more information or a detailed list of show times, please visit www.holidayicespectacular.com. Or win them here!






The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

Photo Books are truly one of the most perfect gifts to give loved ones--especially parents and grandparents. If you use Windows Live Photo Gallery to organize your pictures on your computer then you will be thrilled to hear about the new partnership between Microsoft and Inkubook, an easy-to-use online personal photo book publishing service. In minutes, users can download the Inkubook Photo Book Uploader from within Windows Live Photo Gallery, import photos, and lay out a beautiful photo book. The Inkubook and Windows Live Essentials software is free; users pay nothing until they decide to purchase a book (prices start at $9.95).


Making your photo book is easy. Simply install the plug-in for Inkubook’s Photo Book Uploader. Once installed, select the photos you want to create a book from and click on the Inkubook logo in the Share window. From here, you’ll be able to preview what your book may look like. Select a book size and cover type (hardcover or softcover), pick a theme, choose your photo layout, then upload to Inkubook to customize your layout and design. You can even invite friends to contribute photos, making the bookmaking process more collaborative, and more fun. To download the Inkubook Photo Book Uploader and get started today, visit http://inkubook.com/WindowsLivePhotoBooks.


Of course, you don't have to be a Windows Live Essentials user to make a photo book with Inkubook...anyone can make one! I actually do not use Windows Live Essentials, but thanks to Inkubook, I am in the process of making a complimentary photo book for my mom to give to her for Christmas. I am titling the book, "Generations" and it will include pictures of her own mother, aunts, my mom growing up, her and my dad, my brothers and I growing up, and all of her grandchildren. It should be epic. She is going to love it! Unfortunately, I am not done with it yet--hoping to finish this week, but it's been a long process since I have to scan in old pictures. As soon as it is done, I will post pictures and update you guys though!

Here's what you can expect from Inkubook:

* Simple and easy-to-use: No more sorting through photo hard copies to weed out the bad ones and put the good ones in proper order. Just select the files you want to use then drag and drop them onto the pages of your book.
* Professional quality: An Inkubook is a vast improvement over traditional photo albums; the photos will never fall out. Also, the colors will stay true forever because our books are printed on 100 lb. archival-quality silk paper. Your customized hardcover book will be encased in a durable laminate cover. Customized softcovers are printed on 100 lb. silk cover stock.
* Affordably priced: Prices start at just $9.95 for a 20-page softcover book and $19.95 for a hardcover. Read more about our Styles & Pricing.
* Friends & family submissions: Make your family album a group activity. Invite family or friends who have shared your good times, travels, and major celebrations to contribute photos and stories for your album. Sending invitations is super easy.
* Fast printing and quick delivery.


For more information or to make your own photo book, please visit Inkubook.com. Make sure to get the Inkubook Photo Book Uploader if you're a Windows Live Essentials user.





The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

So, I know no one wants to talk about their bathroom routines. It's not something I especially like talking about either, but a few years ago I discovered Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes and I never went back to using toilet paper. I even carry travel Flushable Wipes in my purse. Probably way more than anyone wants to know about me LOL. Cottonelle Flushable Wipes are wonderful though. They make you feel fresh and clean. Why didn't anyone think of them sooner?!


Cottonelle is aware that this isn't exactly a natural conversation for people so they've taken a funny approach instead and they've inspired over half a million people to "get fresh" too! To help break the ice on "toilet talk," Cottonelle launched GetFreshWithaFriend.com, which features a special "Funny or Die" video as well as coupons!



For a limited time, Cottonelle Flushable Moist Wipes come with an EasyReach hanger. The hanger features 3M Command adhesive strips for easy installation right next to your toilet, to make adding moist wipes to your routine that much easier.



"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the Cottonelle brand and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

Next week, I'll be starting my holiday baking to give as gifts. I pretty much always turn to NESTLÉ for my holiday baking. Chocolate chips, evaporated and condensed milk...all products I almost exclusively buy NESTLÉ. The NESTLÉ Family wants to help you and your family with your holiday preparations by providing you with all the products to help with your holiday needs. That's why they are giving away a copy of the newly released cookbook, Southern Plate: Classic Comfort Food That Makes Everyone Feel Like Family, from Christy Jordan, blogger at southernplate.com. Plus, they are also giving away a mix of free coupons from CARNATION® Evaporated Milk, TOLL HOUSE® Morsels, TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Cookie Dough, JUICY JUICE® and STOUFFER’S® for those nights when you don’t feel like cooking.


Also, NESTLÉ is having a sweepstakes of their own as well! Enter to win a Luxury Included® Family Vacation to Beaches Resort and also enter each week for your chance to win weekly prizes. Click HERE to enter.







NESTLE sent me a complimentary prize pack. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

If you haven’t checked out the online Discovery Store, you should head on over there right now. It is an incredible online store, brought to you by one of our favorite channels--The Discovery Channel. They sell some of the greatest toys, games, and activities for kids of all ages. What I love about this site is that all the toys are really designed to teach your child about science and help you their imagination grow. Science is a subject that kids of all ages are natrually attracted to so finding the right toy is very easy.


I recently had the opportunity to review the Fun Explorer’s Rocket Ship by Kid Kraft. This is such a cool toy. It’s a rocket ship that’s over 2-3 feet tall and made out of wood, which I love. I really like having toys for Lucas that don’t take batteries. Don’t get me wrong, he has plenty of electronic toys, but I feel like the wooden toys promote more creativity and imagination.


The rocket ship features several levels, a working elevator, working knobs, button, and levers, and an experiment station. The ship also comes with a couple of space vehicles, several figures, and numerous other items for space exploration. This ship is just one of hundreds of different items you can find at discoverystore.com. I really recommend visiting the site--especially if you're looking for the perfect holiday gift!


Buy the Rocket Ship at Discovery Store for $99.95



The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

James Cameron has done it again. If you haven’t seen Avatar, then you are missing one of the great cinematic achievements in recent years. Cameron created an entire universe to make this movie. Planet, language, people, creatures, plant-life…you name it he came up with it. This movie is incredible, and there really isn’t a better way to watch it then on blu-ray. The intricate sound details and amazing scenes are made that much better with the high definition picture and sound. The original blu-ray release has had a complete makeover and it has been re-released on a new blu-ray 3 disc collector’s edition.


Included in this jam packed release is 3 versions of the film, included the extended edition with an alternate beginning and 16 minutes of additional footage added in. The blu-ray is also packed with special features including documentaries, featurettes, and a BD-Live portal. I only one complaint about this release--the packaging leaves some to be desired, which might be a little disappointing for avid movie collectors {like my husband LOL}. Regardless, if you loved the movie, this edition is worth having and would make a wonderful holiday gift.

Buy it at Amazon for $24.99


The Trial is a courtroom drama about an emotionally destroyed lawyer who has also lost faith in himself and in God.


Mac, played exceptionally well by Matthew Modine, suffering from the loss of his wife and two sons, decides to take one last case. He is tasked with defending a young man facing the death penalty for first-degree murder. Mac faces numerous twists, turns, and surprises that help him seek justice and rediscover what he had lost. This film has some great acting in it, especially by the supporting cast, and the mystery surrounding the trial is well written. The movie is faith based, is very clean, and has a strong message. This movie is definitely worth checking out.

Buy it at Amazon.com for $18.99.







The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

If you're looking for unique, high quality toys to give to your kids or others this holiday season, then you must visit Maukilo.com. They are an online ecommerce store specializing in European and American toys. Not just any toys though--battery-free toys that actually stimulate children's imaginations. Maukilo.com is even owned by a company that most of us already know and love--HABA--a 70 year old, highly acclaimed German toy company so shop with confidence! At Maukilo.com you'll find more than 1,500 HABA items, the widest selection of HABA products in the United States AND many other wonderful brands like Blabla, Holztiger, Plan Toys, and many more.


Maukilo.com sent us the HABA Technics Wooden blocks  to review and now I know why everyone who has tried HABA raves about them. These blocks are fantastic! They are really beefy and durable. It's a 26-piece set, which comes with clamp on wheels. These allow kids to turn their blocks into vehicles. The wheels themselves are also very high quality. We played around with the set and made several vehicles and what surprised me is that the vehicles we made were sturdier and better quality than many of the toys we've bought at the store LOL. That's saying something! This is really a fun set for kids who love to build or love things that go vroom. Also available in a large, 49-piece set.


Benefits:
- Fosters spatial thinking, perseverance and motor skills
- Introduces the principle of cause and effect
- For discovering and designing abstract shapes on ones own
- Fosters cognitive development, in a playful manner
- Can be combined with all HABA building blocks of the basic 4 x 4 size


The HABA Technics Wooden blocks is just one of MANY amazing toys you will find at Maukilo.com. They also have toys to fit every budget, but you can always count on their quality, safety, and a high fun factor!





The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

Disney brings you another heartwarming tale for the holiday season--The Search for Santa Paws, a prequel to the 2009 movie Santa Buddies. The Search for Santa Paws is about Santa Claus and his new best friend Paws, as they travel to New York to try and discover why the boys and girls of the world have lost the spirit of the season. When Santa loses his memory it’s up to Paws, and orphan named Quinn, and their friend Will, along with a host of talking dogs to save Santa and Christmas.

Lucas loves movies with talking animals, and Disney always does a great job of doing a movie that is fun, entertaining, and good for the whole family. And at the same time they always make sure that the film conveys a good message. We absolutely love Christmas movies, and this is perfect for our collection!



Buy The Search For Santa Paws (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) for $23.99 at Amazon.com. Also, find it wherever DVDs are sold. Make sure to print your $10 OFF coupon HERE.




The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

One of our Christmas traditions is to buy a new ornament every year. Something special to commemorate the year. This year, our 2010 ornament is the Camp Charley ornament from Kirkland's.


Kirkland’s has partnered with the Charley Foundation to host families of children with critical medical needs, and sometimes terminal illnesses for a once in a lifetime adventure. With the purchase of a Camp Charley ornament, you can help Kirkland’s and the Charley Foundation give these incredible children the times of their lives. $1 from the sale of this "Hope" ornament will help Kirkland’s provide a once-in-a-lifetime camp experience. Not only is the ornament beautiful, but it will help make a difference in the lives of these children. At only $5.99, it is also a very affordable way to give back this holiday season. Buy one for yourself and give it as gifts!


* Ornament measures 4" in diameter
* Crafted of glass
* Black damask print on a winter white background with a scrolling message of "Hope



Kirkland's is a leading specialty retailer of home décor in the United States, operating approximately over 278 stores in 28 states. Kirkland's was co-founded in 1966 by their current Chairman Emeritus, Carl Kirkland. They opened our first store in Jackson, Tennessee and have grown steadily thereafter.

Their stores present a broad selection of distinctive merchandise, including framed art, mirrors, candles, lamps, picture frames, accent rugs, garden accessories and artificial floral products. Their stores also offer an extensive assortment of holiday merchandise, as well as items carried throughout the year suitable for giving as gifts. They provide their customers an engaging shopping experience characterized by a diverse, ever-changing merchandise selection at surprisingly attractive prices. Their stores offer a unique combination of style and value that has led to our emergence as a leader in home décor and has enabled them to develop a strong customer loyalty.

Make sure to check them out at Kirklands.com or at MyKirklands.com.


How to Enter:
1. Visit Kirklands.com and leave me a comment telling me another product that you would like to own.
Extra Entries:
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9. Enter the $50 Personal Creations Here Comes Santa Claus giveaway at Go Graham Go. Leave me a comment saying, "I entered the $50 Personal Creations giveaway at GGG." Personalized Free
10. Enter the Personalized Free Here Comes Santa Claus giveaway at Go Graham Go. Leave me a comment saying, "I entered the Personalized Free giveaway at GGG." 





The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.

If your child loves trucks, then they will love the Tread Shifters by Tonka. These super cool trucks have different tire treads that you can change out to turn your truck (or other vehicle) into an off-road monster. Lucas loves cars, trucks, and pretty much any vehicle. He also loves any toy with different parts that you can take apart and change out. He has actually started taking off the rubber tires from his Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars and putting them back on, so naturally he loves the Tonka Tread Shifters. Not only can you change out the tires, but you can add roll cages to give the vehicle a tough look. The tires & axels actually move into 20 different positions to give the vehicle all kinds of cool looks.


There are several different vehicles available and Tonka even makes another version in a larger size called the Tonka Garage Mod Machines DX9. The Mod Machines are bigger, beefier, and allow kids to make even more customizations.


Tonka Tread Shifters will provide hours of fun and is the perfect holiday gift for any little cars and trucks lover. Prices start at $3.99. Buy them at toy retailers across the country.



The featured product{s} in this post were provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or pr company representing the company. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by anyone. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.