Helpful Hints If You Are Shopping This Weekend

            My husband and I are going Christmas shopping today.   This also happens to be his birthday so we're throwing the next Hobbit movie in there as well to make it a little less painful for him.  If you are like me, you knew Christmas was the 25^th of December (same as last year) but let it sneak up on you anyway.  It happens to the best of us.  So, here are a few things I found which have already taken a bite out of my gift shopping.  There are deals to be had!

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            My son wants the Hungry Hungry Hippos game for Christmas.  So, my husband and I have been searching for a good deal.  I feel safe in talking about my son's Christmas gifts because he is four and cannot read yet, and even if he could, I don't think his Mom's blog would be high on his reading list.  I love to compare prices online.  Sometimes, a store's website has sales, while other times you can get the item cheaper if you drive to the store.  But it is a quick way to decide which store has the best price for the product you want.  In this case, it was plastic, marble-eating hippo heads.  I looked first at Walmart.com.  Their price: $14.25. Meijer had it for $19.87 online.  Amazon's price: $19.95.  I also decided to try Kohl's.  Why Kohl's?  In the mail, I had just received the anticipated Kohl's ad, and better yet, the $10 discount card on the back of the ad booklet.  Oh, how I love those cards! 

            A few years ago, when I received my first $10 discount card in the mail, I was skeptical.  For example, typical discount cards will give you $10 off when you purchase $50 or more (regularly-priced items only, blah, blah, blah.)  But this little card is different.  If you have received one in the mail and taken time to look it over, you too know the excitement.  For a budget girl like me, this was a great deal -  $10 off $10 or more (including marked down items)!  I get these cards in the mail three or four times a year.  I'm not sure if they're sent only to people who live close to a Kohl's, or people on their mailing list.  If you don't receive them, try to go online and sign up to receive their ads in the mail.  This may work for you.  Now the $10 card has some exclusions but for the most part it is straight forward.  Spend $10+ and get $10 off. 

            Now, the trick to saving money is to spend as little over $10 as you can, or else buy an item that you really need or want, so that you save $10.  My husband and I usually get two cards in the mail at the same time.  You are allowed the use of one card person. This means even more savings when my husband and I shop together because we each use our cards.  Be sure to follow the terms and conditions.  We have purchased pajamas and clothes for our sons, toys (for birthdays and Christmas) and kitchen items using these cards – all for almost no money! 

            So, back to my hippo story.  I found the game in their store for $28.99.  However, their toys are usually marked down in stores.  This was no exception.  Kohl's had the game at 50% off.   That, along with my $10 off card brought my son's gift to only $4.50 before tax!  This is much lower than any other price around.  Also, I found a Disney game for my niece's birthday.  With the discount and $10 card (as I stated, my husband uses one and I use one), the total came to only $2.50!  Not bad for a birthday present.

            Check out Kohl's.  I hear you can save even more using their Kohl's card (my husband and I don't use charge cards so I don't have any experience with that),  but they also have other sales and promotions from time to time.  At first glance, Kohl's wouldn't have been my first, second, or even third choice for this item (judging by online prices).  But with a little research, I was able to save a lot of money! 

            Until next time, keep your eyes open, because savings abound!

            -Stephanie

Day 12 Giveaway - A Sackful of Toys

Welcome to THE LAST DAY of our “12 Days of Giving” here on the “More from Lexington Family” blog.

You know how it works. Every day from now until December 13 we have featured a different giveaway here on the blog and we’ll also give your family a great idea for giving back in our community.

All you have to do is use the Rafflecopter widget to enter the giveaway. You can earn more than one entry for each giveaway. Just scroll down to enter.

Today's giveaway will run through Monday monring, Dec.16 about 10 a.m.. Prizes will be available at the Lexington Family office at 138 E. Reynolds Rd., Ste 201. Gift card prizes can be mailed, but larger prizes must be picked up.

One winner will get ALL OF THESE PRIZES!!!

GIVEAWAY

I got my best Christmas present yesterday when my oldest daughter came home from college. WooHoo! So I’m in a super good mood and I’m going to giveaway all the good stuff left in my office in one big giveaway. Bonus for me? I can finally walk through my office again.

Lazer Pegs

Let’s start with the coolest new building toy I’ve found. It’s the Lazer Peg Sci-Fi Kit. These are even cooler than Legos, because they light up and this one kit makes 16 different sci-fi vehicles. You can build the light up Transatmospheric Fighter and 15 more light up models like the All Terrain Racer, Alien Rover Droid, and the Automaton. These kits are amazing. They include LED pegs and construction pieces that you can see in the dark. Now I won’t guarantee that this will keep you from stepping on little pieces in the dark on your way to the bathroom, but maybe it will help!

Available from Laser Pegs Retails for $39.99. There are lots of other building sets. I love the Mythology one.

Sweet Art Edible

We’ve got another Edible Sweet Art from Diamont/AMAV

Tell me, have your kids ever tried to eat Play Do? You know they have (or maybe you did as a child). Now you can give your kids a modeling dough that they are SUPPOSED to eat. AND, guess what? It’s good for developing sensory and motor skills – essentials for preschoolers who are developing pre-writing skills.

Today I have the Ice Cream Maker Kit: Allows kids to create their very own Sweet Art ice cream shop complete with serving station

Available at: Toys R Us, Amazon.com, Bed Bath + Beyond, Kmart and Hobby Lobby

Retaills for: $19.99.

Master Sculpz          

I’ve got two kits from Master Sculpz that allow your kid to become master artists with easy to use cardboard pieces that fit together. Kids can explore Cubism and Surrealism with these two kits from Kidzaw.

Kidzaw is a children's art company dedicated to educating and inspiring young artists. Our Master Kitz® product line is a fun and engaging way to expose children to the great master painters and art history.

 Kits retail for $15.99.

Boo ABC

This is unarguably the cutest dog in the whole wide world and now Boo has his own board book.

A is for Adorable, B is for Boo! The world's cutest dog takes on the ABCs, and his adventures are more precious than ever. Boo and his best friend Buddy are featured in their favorite situations and places alongside the letters of the alphabet. The ABCs have never been so furry—and fun!

The book is from Chronicle Books and retails for $132.99. Amazon has them $11.16. LINK

 

Little Shark: Finger Puppet Book

We’ve all be playing with this book in the office. May have trouble parting with it!

Tiny tots can enjoy swimming among the fish with Little Shark in this simple, comforting story. The book features a permanently attached plush finger puppet and peek-a-boo holes in every page, giving parents and children a fun, interactive way to play and read together.

Retails for $6.99. Here’s the Amazon link for more info:LINK

SpongeBob SquarePants: It’s a SpongeBob Christmas

It's Christmas and Bikini Bottom as you've never experienced them before! Created entirely in Stop Motion animation, It's a SpongeBob Christmas! is destined to be a holiday classic. This special double-length episode finds all of Bikini Bottom in a festive mood as they prepare for Santa's arrival. But not Plankton, who's once again expecting a lump of coal. So he comes up with his most diabolic new scheme yet, one that practically guarantees he'll finally get the gift he's always wanted - the Krabby Patty secret formula!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rise of the Turtles

Is it TeenAGED Mutant Ninja Turtles or TeenAGE Mutant Ninja Turtles? I never know!

Emerging from their hidden lair in the sewers for the very first time, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are ready to explore the bustling streets of New York City. Join these four ninja brothers – Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo – as they learn to work as a team and do battles against enemies including Kraang-droids, a mad scientist, a robot turtle, and more!

This holiday version includes a few special surprises.

GIVING BACK

Today I’d like to remind you that there are many, many agencies out there that struggle around the holidays because folks budgets are tight due to the cost of the holidays. So if you find you have a bit of change (or time) left after your Christmas shopping please remember them.

The Salvation Army Red Bucket Brigade

The Lexington Humane Society (or the animal shelter in your community)

The Blood Center

Hospice of the Bluegrass

The Nest

 The United Way

Dress for Success

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Day 11 Giveaway - Yummy and Healthy from Green B.E.A.N. Delivery

Can you believe its Day 11 of our “12 Days of Giving” here on the “More from Lexington Family” blog?

By now you know how it works, but just in case you are new here are the details: Every day from now until December 13 we will feature a different giveaway here on the blog and we’ll also give your family a great idea for giving back in our community.

All you have to do is use the Rafflecopter widget to enter the giveaway. You can earn more than one entry for each giveaway. Just scroll down to enter.

We’ll start the giveaways around 9 a.m. every day, and announce the winner at 9 a.m. the next day. Prizes will be available at the Lexington Family office at 138 E. Reynolds Rd., Ste 201. Gift card prizes can be mailed, but larger prizes must be picked up.

GIVEAWAY

Today I have a really unique giveaway. It’s a $100 gift certificate from Green BEAN Delivery.

We are all trying to eat healthier these days, but it can be touch. Imagine if you could have fresh, organic fruits, vegetables and other groceries delivered to your door every week? And imagine you could customize those deliveries so that they contained the foods you family needs and loves.

Green B.E.A.N. Delivery is an online home delivery service that provides organic produce and natural groceries to Lexington members. The company makes it easier than ever for parents to keep healthy foods on their family’s plates all year long. Membership is easy, flexible and risk-free. Customize your orders online to get exactly what you want. It's an affordable, convenient and fun way for the whole family to eat healthy.

 

Green B.E.A.N. delivers all through the winter and subscriptions make good gifts especially for the friend who "has everything."

Today's giveaway is limited to folks who are not current members of Green B.E.A.N Delivery.

You can learn more at: Green B.E.A.N. Delivery

GIVING BACK

Hunger is a disease that diminishes the lives of many Kentuckians. Hunger drains the resources of the elderly and plagues the family, forcing mothers to sacrifice meals so that their children do not have to. Hunger strikes the unfortunate, overwhelming those who are experiencing other unforeseen needs.
Yet hunger is a disease that has a cure. For 56 years, God’s Pantry has been collecting and distributing donated food to agencies across central and eastern Ky. Today, God’s Pantry works with more than 275 partner agencies to fight hunger and alleviate the symptoms that accompany it.
Right now God’s Pantry needs your help. A donation of just $40 will feed 191 hungry children. A $70 donation will provide meals for 335 struggling seniors. A donation of $150 will provide 717 meals at abuse shelters.

General Food Donations

Food donations from individuals or families are always accepted and welcomed. Donations can be made at the warehouse during normal operating hours. In addition, residents of Fayette County can make their donation at any Kroger location by placing the food in the donation barrel near the customer service desk or exit. If you cannot find the barrel, please ask at the customer service desk.

Other Ways to Give Food

Kroger Bags – all Fayette Kroger Stores stock pre-made bags of food (vegetables, fruit, meat and pasta products) valued at $2.50, $5 and $10 located near the checkout lanes. Simply pickup a bag, have it scanned and drop it in the blue barrels on your way out of the store. Your charitable donation is registered on the receipt. It's easy!

Checkout Hunger – Kroger Stores also have coupons valued at $1, $2, and $5 located at the checkout lanes. To make a donation, simply rip off a coupon and have it scanned. Your charitable donation is registered on your receipt.

Check out their website: God's Pantry

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Start a New Holiday Tradition

We've got a guest post from our wonderful UK Intern Samantha Rogers

It’s December and we all know what that means… “Tis the season to be jolly!” Below are Lexington Family Magazine’s Top 10 new traditions to try with your family this Christmas. Try one or all of them to make sure your family’s holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year.

Santa’s Little Helpers: The Elf on the Shelf is the newest craze hitting Pinterest pages and Facebook walls this holiday season. It’s a special scout elf sent from the North Pole to help Santa Claus manage his naughty and nice lists.

When a family adopts the doll and gives it a name, the elf receives its Christmas magic and can fly to the North Pole every night to tell Santa Claus about all of the day’s adventures. Each morning, the elf returns to its family and hides in a different place to watch the fun.

Kids love to wake up and race around the house looking for their elf each morning. Elves typically appear in their families’ homes at the beginning of the holiday season and return to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Elves can be bought at department stores this Christmas, or if you’re feeling crafty, head to Pinterest for ideas.

Annual Ornaments: This is one of my personal favorites. Starting when your kids are little, give them an ornament every year to put on the tree.

My family opens them every year after Thanksgiving dinner. I have about 20 in my collection today, from my “First Baby” ornament to my glass ballerina.

Not only will family members want to help decorate the tree with their ornaments, you can pass them down when your kids grow up and start families of their own. Always make sure to write their name and year on the bottom of the ornament.

Better Than Thanksgiving Dinner: Be anything but boring this Christmas Eve. Start a special Christmas Eve dinner tradition. Order a couple pizzas from your favorite pizzeria or whip up that top-secret family recipe that’s always a crowd-pleaser. My family, originally from Florida, cooks a seafood feast every year, with shrimp, clams and oysters. It’s one of my favorite meals of the year, maybe more so than turkey and stuffing. It’s a fun way to celebrate Christmas Eve and to spend quality time with family.

Christmas Eve Fashion Show: We’ve all heard the age-old idea of choosing one present to open on Christmas Eve, right? This year, instead, have the kids open a pair of brand-new pajamas.

We even have a fashion show at our house every year to display our new threads.

While your kids’ pajamas can match, they don’t have to. When I was little, my brother always got the superhero pj’s, my sister, the animal print and I wore anything that sparkled. Two years ago, everyone got UK-themed gear when I decided that’s where I wanted to go to college.

Not only will they get excited for bedtime, talk about a great photo op on Christmas morning.

Not Your Average Milk and Cookies: When I was little, my parents told us how tired Santa Claus was by the time he reached our house. “He’s only halfway around the world when he gets here,” my mom used to say.

Because we were afraid he would fall asleep at the sleigh, we chose the cookies with the most sprinkles to give Santa, setting a dozen high on a plate by the tree.

We also brewed coffee and tea to give Santa an extra jolt of caffeine to finish his route. This is a great way to make Santa come alive for your kids.

Bon Apetit, Rudolph! You can’t forget Dancer, Prancer or Vixen, not to mention Rudolph. Right before the kids go to sleep, make reindeer food to spread over the lawn. Mix together oatmeal and glitter and place in bags.

After the kids put on their new pajamas, let them loose to sprinkle the reindeer food on the grass. Even though it’s freezing outside, it’s one of my favorite holiday traditions. Make sure to have hot chocolate and your video camera ready.

Don’t Forget the Pets: Making stockings for the family pets is a fun craft for kids of all ages. My family decorated one for our dog. It hangs on our staircase with the rest of the family’s stockings.

We also make a family trip to a pet store the Saturday before Christmas to pick out treats and toys to put in our dog’s stocking. Then on Christmas, Jade has presents to open and play with, too! This is an easy present the kids can help pick out and wrap. Visit the Pampered Paws Boutique at the Lex. Humane Society to find pet gifts and help support homeless animals at the same time.

Let the Kids Play Santa: This year, have the family draw names and give a gift to the person whose name you pick. It can be as easy as a photo book of the family’s greatest memories or a board game to play on Christmas Eve.

My family loves to watch movies, so we pick out a movie for our Secret Santa. We set a dollar limit, but we also have a competition to see whose DVD was the cheapest. It’s a great way to spend time together in the days leading up to the Christmas holidays.

The Best Christmas Cookies Ever: From Santa Claus to Grandma, everyone wants homemade Christmas cookies. But this year try a new theme.

Shake up your annual cookie-baking tradition by letting your kids pick a cookie cutter they love and take it from there. If your 3-year-old picks a duck, do a barnyard theme for the Christmas cookies.

If he picks a fish? Go with a cool, blue under-the-sea theme. Who cares if the cookies don’t immediately scream “holiday?” It’s a fun and creative way to get the whole family baking.

The True Meaning of Christmas: This year, make sure your kids know that Christmas doesn’t come from a store but means a little bit more. Start a new tradition by adopting a child from the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree. You can purchase cards at Kroger and provide dinner for a family on Christmas Day. Our family hangs the card on our Christmas tree as a reminder.

Or play Surprise Santa and prepare care packages for your local public servants. Deliver Christmas cookies and other treats to the local fire or police station, whose officers may not have time off for the holidays. But make sure your visit stays a secret – the element of stealth adds a little extra oomph to your act of holiday charity.

Check out the December issue of Lexington Family for ways your family can volunteer as a family.

Samantha Rogers, 20, is a sophomore at UK and is serving an internship at LFM. She is the oldest of three children and celebrates Christmas in Louisville.