Win it Wednesday ~ $50 Gift Card to Hartstrings.com… Think Holiday Outfit!!!

Hartstring clothing is timeless children’s apparel for boys, girls and infants! Hartstrings is traditionally inspired with a modern look of casual playwear and special occasion outfits.
Until recently, this fabulous line of children’s apparel, footwear, rainwear and accessories was not readily available directly to consumer and only available in specialty and high-end department stores. BUT.. NOW, you can purchase online at Hartstrings.com

Many styles are specifically designed to coordinate among siblings of different ages and genders for special occasions….think HOLIDAYS! Hartstrings clothing is available in sizes newborn – 16 for girls and sizes newborn – 14 for boys. Receive 10% OFF your purchase at Hartstrings.com with coupon code CJ10OFF

In 2009, Hartstrings partnered with actress Tori Spelling to create little maven by Tori Spelling. The line, which is defined by the modern Hollywood lifestyle, is fun, young and incredibly versatile. little maven’s combination of Hollywood chic and seaside casual has created a style unique to the line, mixing elements of resort, such as vibrant colors and bold prints, with more distinct expressions of vintage and glamour. little maven by Tori Spelling retails for $24 – $88 and is available in sizes for girls 6/9 months to 6x and boys 6/9 months to 7.

To give you a jump start on the Holidays we are offering one lucky Philly Burb Moms reader a $50 gift card to use at Hartstrings.com.

FREE Labels from Vistaprint!!!

FREE Holiday Labels! Convenient self-sticking labels are useful for letters and packages, or to label books and other items. Add a unique touch to all your gifts by creating custom gift tags. Choose an elegant, whimsical or caricature design from hundreds of full color options and customize. Add your very own cartoon family with caricatures—even include your pets! The labels are FREE—just pay shipping and processing (starts at $2.95).

The Magic Lives On with Portable North Pole – FREE Personalized Video Messages from Santa

Santa Claus and his amazing PNP (Portable North Pole) console will be online during the entire holiday season. With just a few clicks, this technological marvel will let your loved ones receive a personal message from Santa Claus, sent directly from his village in the North Pole. Rediscover Christmas with this immersive and unique experience that brings the holiday magic back to life.

Click here to create your personalized video message.

Valentine’s Day Craft Scavenger Hunt

We found this SUPER cute Valentine’s Day craft on Playcrafts.com a website that offers original monthly kids craft kits delivered right to your mailbox. For more information on Playcrafts.com click here.

Craft Scavenger Hunt Instructions:

1. Start the scavenger hunt with the Large Foam Heart with a note saying:

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY
Please help make me complete,
so that we both can enjoy a Valentine treat.

The first thing I need is my face,
let’s go look in your favorite place.

Hide the eyes & mouth materials somewhere in your child’s “favorite” spot. Have them attach the face using craft foam stickers or glue stick.

2. Note included with face materials:

Wow, this really is fun,
but there’s still more to come.

The top of my head feels so bare,
can you find me some hair, maybe from a chair?

Have the materials for the “hair” hidden on a chair. I made the hair out of short pipe cleaners with hearts attached at the top. Your child can attach the hair by holding the hair on the back of the large heart and using the foam oval sticker to secure.

3. Note included with hair materials:

Now my head feels complete,
but aren’t I missing some feet?

It couldn’t be clearer,
I can see my legs in the mirror.

Tape the legs (2 white pipe cleaners twisted together with foam hearts attached to each end) to a mirror in your house. Legs can be attached to the heart person by bending the pipe cleaners into an upside down “v” shape and attaching to the back with oval foam sticker.

4. Note with legs:

Please use your charms,
to find me some arms.

I need them to give you a hug.
Maybe their hiding on a rug?

Hide the arms (2 white pipe cleaners twisted together with smaller hearts on each end) on a rug in your home. Attach the arms to the back with an oval foam sticker.

5. Note with arm materials:

So quickly you’ve reached your goal
in making me whole.

Are you ready for that Valentine treat?
I think it’s snuggled in someone’s sheets.

Hide your Valentine treat (box of candy, stuffed animal, etc.) in your child’s bed with a big “I LOVE YOU” banner on the treat.

Fabulously Yummy Tip from DIY Frugal…

How do you manage your holiday candy stash? Some people cut up chocolate to make cookies and brownies, some freeze their candy, and others sneak as much as possible to the trashcan before kids start crying foul. I’ve even see one recipe for a Kit Kat candy bar smoothie.

When my kids were really little, we participated in the annual Halloween trek around the neighborhood and ended up with more candy than any of us needed; all under the guise of seeing our friends on a warm Fall night when everyone is out and the mood is festive. We would go early and I would actually put half of the collected candy back into our bowl to give out to older teens who arrived later to clean us out. I didn’t want to be left with the temptation to eat it all myself since my kids could barely chew. In later years, we would take whatever was left to Thanksgiving where a much larger group could help us finish it up.

Now, my kids are the older Trick-or-Treaters themselves and they hide their stash in their rooms and only share sparingly with mom, if the dog doesn’t find it first. I bring this up because picking out the best candy to add to brownies and cookies is impossible if I have to get it from my kids. However, with a little planning, if you are going to participate in giving out Halloween or Christmas candy, it is worth thinking through your purchases and only buying items which can be reinvented and repurposed if any leftovers exist. You can also take advantage of after-holiday sales to supplement your baking needs.

Read the rest of this article (which includes how to make peppermint bark) over at DIY Frugal where Sarah is gathering lots of money saving tips just for you!

Frugal Friday Finds: DIY…Holiday Gift Idea

Do you enjoy making your own gifts to share at Christmas? Ever try woodworking? With a little patience, skill and the right tools, you can make keepsake gifts to share with the whole family. Get the kids in on the fun by letting them sand and paint and pound a nail or two.

In recent years, we enjoyed giving the fruits of my husband’s growing woodworking hobby as his skills (and collection of tools) increased with each holiday season. Inspiration for wood projects have come from a variety of sources. One year, my sister needed a new piano bench for a piano they found for free in the classified ads. For that project, Brian went to a piano store and measured professionally made piano benches before making one himself. Another year, Brian created his own measurements for a dollhouse shelf just like the one in the Pottery Barn catalog. Other years, Brian combined leftover wood with new purchases to create smaller projects like a chess board, various cutting boards, keepsake boxes and even toy helicopters.

For more of this article on DIY Woodworking for holiday gifts, click over to DIY Frugal where Sarah is gathering lots of money saving tips just for you!

Keeping Christmas Magic Alive…

When I was 10, I started to think that the whole Santa thing might be sort of untrue. It started to occur to me that perhaps, just perhaps, there wasn’t a big guy in a red suit sliding down the chimney each year.

But then on Christmas morning there was a boot print (a BOOT PRINT!) of ashes just outside of the fireplace!! And I ran around and told all of my (strangely skeptical) friends that it was TRUE and Santa was, in fact, REAL!!

I may have been a tad bit gullible. And my parents were very clever.

I think my little brother (who is 5 years younger) may have broken the news to me when I was about 15. I am still not sure he knew what he was talking about. I mean – there was a BOOT PRINT!!

This Christmas, my daughter is 10. And a tad bit gullible. And I have many many resources at my disposal to make sure she and her brother stay firmly convinced in the magic of it all. And, in the spirit of holiday giving, I am going to share those resources with you. You should use them too. We all could use a little more magic, even if it is technology-assisted!

Resource #1 The Santa Book –

We purchased this book at Target a couple of years ago (there is a link to Amazon if you click on the picture) and my kids read it like it is the encyclopedia of Santa. It is really well written and gives the scoop on everything from why no one can see Santa’s workshop at the North Pole, to How he delivers everything in one night. Great for slightly older, but still believing kids.

If I wasn’t doing all of the shopping and wrapping I would totally believe that this was non-fiction!

Resource #2 The Santa Video – This one is new, but very cool in a sort-of-creepy way. You go to this website Portablenorthpole.tv and put in information about your kid (nothing scary), your zip code, and maybe a picture of your kid (I didn’t do that part and it was still cool). The site generates a FREE video of Santa talking directly to your child. Very fun.

Resource #3 The Santa Picture – I just found out about this one today, but I am immediately going to go do it. You take a picture of your living room, or the outside of your house. Then go to this site: Capture the Magic where you can paste a picture of Santa right into the picture of your house. Two pictures are $9.95 and then any more are $0.99 each. But that is photographic proof of Santa at your house!! And unless kids know about Photoshop…and many probably do at this point…this is the ultimate proof of realness!

Resource #4 The Official Santa Tracker – My Dad does this every year and the kids love to know where Santa is as we go about our Christmas Eve festivities. The Norad site tracks Santa’s progress around the world, encouraging the kids to get into bed before he hits the East Coast!

Put all of this together and you can created a pretty convincing case for the existence of a real Santa. Even more convincing than a boot print!

Now if I can just keep them from finding the pile of presents in the basement, I am golden for another year!

Kristen is a new contributor at Chester County Moms. She lives in Chester Springs with her husband, daughter, Sprout (10); son, Tater (7); and two dogs. Be sure to read more about Kristen’s exploits as she attempts to keep her kids busy and entertained at http://www.thefunmommies.com/

Weekend Winterland Fun at DW!

Dutch Winter Wonderland offers themed rides, games, and holiday entertainment under thousands of twinkling lights! Indoor activities include cookie decorating, voting for your favorite gingerbread house, and sharing holiday wishes with Santa.

Admission:

Ages 3 and up – Only $10.95

Ages 2 and under – FREE

Always FREE Parking!

Click here for hours of operation

Koziar’s Christmas Village, Bernville (Berks County)

Last year I discovered Koziar’s Christmas Village in Bernville, PA and decided that it needed to become part of our Christmas traditions.

My husband cringes a bit about the whole tradition thing. He doesn’t get the glow of joy as the kids and I discuss the story of every ornament on the Christmas Tree. He doesn’t get all teary at the thought of reading all of the Christmas books. He couldn’t care less if we made gingerbread houses.

But he did like the Christmas Village. Or else he is humoring me. Either way, we are going back!

My “discovery” of Koziar’s was apparently a little late in the game. Many people from Chester County have been there and enjoyed it. Bernville is outside of Reading, near the airport, and on our inaugural trip last year it took about an hour to get there from our place in Chester Springs.

They are open from 6-9 Monday – Friday and 5-9:30 on the weekends. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for kids under 12.

The vast majority of the displays are outdoors, so last year, when the temps were around freezing, it was pretty nippy out there. Luckily there are a few places to duck into, get some hot chocolate or hot apple cider, and warm up before you go back for more. Hopefully this year it will be a little less frostbite inducing.

It is difficult to fully convey what there is to see. Lots and lots of lights. Lots and lots of characters – from the Peanuts, to the Flintstones, to Sesame Street – the whole gang is there on what look to be hand-painted displays. There is a path to follow that meanders through all of the displays. Music is playing.

It’s kind of like walking through the Christmas light display of the tackiest neighbors EVER. But in a completely awesome sort of way.

There are little tableaus (I think that is the appropriate word) of toy shops and candy shops and other Christmas Scenes. Some were mildly disturbing, but most were cute. Sprout proclaimed a number of things – especially those with moving dolls – to be “creeeeepy”. Luckily she also ooohhhed and aaaahhhed and WOWed about many more things!

Rudolf and Frosty were hanging around for pictures, resulting in a perfect Christmas Card worthy photo op.

There are also two impressive train set-ups, one outdoors and one indoors. The indoor one was huge and, you know, indoors – which was a plus at the point last year where I could no longer feel my toes.

Named one of the top ten attractions in PA as well as the Best Outdoor Christmas Display in the World (!), the kids proclaimed it to be “Awesome” – even Sprout, who I was told might be too old to appreciate the kitchy nature of the whole scene.

Last year Tater said we should go back next year and the next year and the next year.
So we will. And you should too!

Kristen is a new contributor at Chester County Moms. She lives in Chester Springs with her husband, daughter, Sprout (10); son, Tater (7); and two dogs. Be sure to read more about Kristen’s exploits as she attempts to keep her kids busy and entertained at http://www.thefunmommies.com/

Holiday "Survival" Tips…

The holidays are supposed to be a time for relaxing and enjoying the magic of the season.

Ri-ight!?! The expense of buying gifts, the pressure of last minute shopping and the heightened expectations of family togetherness can all combine to create hectic, stressful situations.
And, if you’re like most people, just the thought of this will probably make you cringe in fear. If you’re not looking forward to frantic holiday shopping, relax!

Below are a few practical Holiday “Survial” tips to help you avoid common Holiday hassles.

Make a Christmas Shopping List
Just like Santa, it’s important to make a list (and check it twice). Write down everyone who you’ll likely buy a gift this year, and have a few ideas listed beside their names for suitable presents. Family and friends should top the list, but don’t forget to include smaller gifts for people like the children’s teachers, babysitters – perhaps your super hairdresser who always squeezes you in. It’s also a good idea to have a few generic gifts tucked aside, just in case someone unexpected pops by, or you are accidentally missing someone from the list. Wrapped boxes of chocolates are terrific generic gifts, or in a pinch, gift cards to a popular retail store.

Shop Early for Christmas Presents
Shopping is a lot more relaxing if you don’t wait for the eleventh hour. With all of the pre-Christmas sales taking place as early as November, there’s no reason not to dedicate some time and closet space for storing gifts. A bonus: you’ll likely find your preferences such as colour, sizes and styles in stock, which will prevent “last minute overcompensation” (you know how it works – when you can’t find that Spiderman puzzle he wanted, you end up purchasing the Iron Man puzzle, PLUS Spiderman trading cards and comic books as a token of guilt/goodwill). Just make sure to confirm the store’s return/exchange policy, and always ask for a gift receipt. Most stores will honour purchases made after November 1st for after-Christmas returns.

Do A Little Christmas Shopping at a Time
A nice thing about shopping early is that not all the presents have to be bought in a few days. Purchasing gifts can be done at leisurely pace, allowing both your feet and bank account a chance to rejuvenate. Keep your list in a purse or wallet and keep an eye out for wanted gifts when out doing regular shopping. Check the person off the list as each gift gets bought.

Buy Christmas Gifts Online
Enjoy shopping with a hot cup of coffee from the comfort of your own home. And here’s the kicker – you’ll probably score a much better deal. Stores often offer “online only” sales and promotions – and why not? They don’t have to pay sales staff, property rental, and other expenses which prevent them from passing the savings on to you. And do make sure to take advantage of free shipping promotions – they’re regularly offered as added incentive. Most online retailers will also ship to an alternate address at no extra charge (and include a gift enclosure/receipt), so it’s the perfect way to send a special little something to your favourite aunt in Timbuktu.

Stick to a Budget (most of the time)
Let’s face it – you’re going to spend more than you set out to. It’s a simple fact of holiday shopping! So here’s a way to reign in your spending – set a budget for all of your smaller gifts. For example, cap generic gifts at $10 each. Budget at most $25 for friends. And for family, spend only what is reasonable and affordable to you. This way, you don’t have to feel bad if you (marginally) break the bank, and at the same time, allow yourself some room for indulgence. One way to help keep on track – consider homemade gifts. Not only are they thoughtful and unique, but you can bring a smile to someone’s face for a fraction of the cost. I love giving tins of baked Christmas cookies, or filling mason jars with crunchy, flavourful homemade granola. Yum!
So there you have it – five simple ways to reduce stress at the holidays. This year, when you’ve finished wrapping all your gifts well in advance, you can treat yourself to an extra tall glass of eggnog!

Happy Holidays!