We’re really trying to keep the holiday spending to a minimum this year. The budget has really forced me to get creative in regards to gift giving.

I decided to give the kids some coupons in their stockings for ‘on-demand’ fun outings and of course ‘free passes’ to get out of chores. I searched the internet high-and-low for printable coupons and couldn’t find anything. I decided to create my own.

Although we’d most likely do most of these things anyway. I think they’ll enjoy the ‘redemption’ process. It’s always fun to be in charge.

It is my intention to hole-punch and tie them together with ribbon, BUT … guess what? I can’t find either {ERR}. Imagine them cut out a little more neatly and tied with holiday ribbon.

Please feel free to DOWNLOAD the coupons and create some holiday fun of your own.

Supplies needed:

DOWNLOAD Free Printable Holiday Coupons
Color printer
Heavy card stock paper for best results
Scissors
Hole-punch and ribbon (optional – for stringing together into booklets)
Sharpie for labelling.

Directions for use: Simply print out your file onto the paper of your choice. Cut around coupons. Fill out the coupons and you’re done!

If you have any fun and inexpensive gift ideas, please share!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

MK xo
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NOTE: I’ve been having trouble with the comments. If you can’t comment PLEASE let me know at kim (at) mommyknows (dot) com. Thank you!

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Winners are: Jenn_B and Cayese Hollis – I’ll email you :)

***

A few weeks ago CardStore.com sent me a whole pile of great sample cards to review.

They sent me all kinds of samples –> thank you cards, personal stationary, play-date cards, birthday party invites, AND of course Christmas and holiday cards.

They’re great … you can upload your own images, add your own messages.

I love this one …

Look at this cutie patootie …

For people like me who never get cards out on time … Happy New Year!

CardStore.com has generously offered to provide 2 winners with 1 box of their new boxed stationary sets with the holiday design of your choice personalized: http://www.cardstore.com/boxed-stationery-cards-holiday.html

Hey! No fair … I want some. Oops … pretend you didn’t hear that.

So you have until Monday, December 7th @ noon to leave a comment to be eligible to win.

Question: Do you send out cards faithfully every year? If you send one out and don’t get one back, is that person off your list? Give me the all the holiday card dirt.

MK xo
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Disclosure: I received no product or payment in return for this review. Two card sets will be provided to two randomly chosen women.

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The kids had friends over Friday evening to do some Halloween crafts. I decided to get into the Halloween spirit and decorate the dining room (just a little bit). They were very excited. It takes so very little … I should do it more!

We covered most ALL of our kitchen jars and canned goods with these free printable labels from Love Manor.

How cool are these?

Sam and his buddies loved them. Unfortunately, all our dry goods are back on the counters with creepy labels still intact and it looks like the only thing cooking in my kitchen is witch’s broth (DON’T even go there!)

This jar of my Grandma’s spicy peppers, labelled ‘Human Flesh’ gives me the heebie-jeebies (BLeCk!)

There is a HUGE selection that can be downloaded from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lovemanor/sets/72157602788222231/

Truthfully, I don’t like Halloween, so any effort made on my part is welcomed by the kids. This year, I am trying NOT to say, that I dislike Halloween out loud. No point in everyone having a horrible time. So far so good! The power of pretend goes a LONG way!

The good news is, Sam and Liz are finally past wanting to be cute Disney characters! Lizzy’s costume has been under construction for days. I have high hopes.

Halloween ideas and goodies will be showing up here all week. I’d love it if you’d come on by :)

Are you dressing up for Halloween? Are your kids? What as? I want to know.

MK xo
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NOTE: I’ve been having trouble with the comments. If you can’t comment PLEASE let me know at kim (at) mommyknows (dot) com. Thank you!

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And the winner is:

Christine L. - – Looks great! So many yummy things! My kids would think we won the lottery!

Please email me (kim (at) mommyknows (dot) com with your address and I’ll get this out to you ASAP.

***

Hey Readers … it’s your Birthday!

Will the Kraft Foods goodness ever stop? I hope not!

As a thank you for attending the Kraft Kitchens Blogger event in Chicago last month, Kraft Foods sent me a HUGE basket of grocery goodness. { psst! DO NOT tell them that it’s ‘I’ who should be thanking them … DON’T … I mean it!}

The best part, Kraft Foods sent TWO, exactly the same … one for me and one for one of you.

There are a couple pounds of Nabob Traditions coffee, two jars of Kraft Peanut Butter, some Kraft PURE Strawberry Jam, a box of Peek Freans LifeStyle Coconut Lime cookies, several packages of the fabulous Back to Nature Nuts (if you can keep from eating the Back to Nature – Cranberries, Chocolate Covered Almonds and Vanilla Almonds mix in one sitting, I’ll give you a prize (not really)), a bottle of Kraft Olive Oil salad dressing, and …

there is also a package of Oreo Sippers (I’ll try to keep Georgia from ripping your box open (like the one above) before the contest ends), several packages of Christie’s Snak Paks, a box of Ritz Premier Collection Buttercrisp crackers and last (I think … maybe there’s more), but of course never the least … Toblerone Chocolates.

*NEWS FLASH –> Georgia is at this very moment, sitting beside me, crying and begging for one of the Christies Snak Paks in the Giveaway (she’s eaten all of ours).**

Really … she is:

Told yah!

Due to the absolute desirability of this prize (and the hunger level of my children), this contest can not last for long! I will randomly pick a winner from all of the entries the evening of Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009. I’ll ship your prize directly to you.

Several ways to enter:

1. leave a comment (worth 1 entry)

2. blog about it (worth 2 entries)

3. twitter about it and use hashtag #kraftkitchens (worth 2 entries)

4. stumble it (worth 2 entries)

5. follow me on twitter (do it … you’ll like it) (worth 2 entries)

MK xo
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We’ve got a winner peeps –> Mel / Reese — please email me Mel with your mailing address. I want to make sure Reese gets this for his birthday. (email is –> kim (@) mommyknows (dot) com).

Calling all wee Power Ranger loving boys kids — BE the Red Ranger! Hey guys, get your moms to comment and let me know why you’d like to Be the Red Ranger. I’ll randomly choose one entry (comment) to win this very cool helmet on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 after 8 p.m. (‘ish).

Thanks to the ‘power of blog’ the nice people at Bandai sent me two Power Rangers Jungle Fury Mega Mission Helmets. One for my wee man and another for one of you.

As you can see it’s a hit! It’s already been on vacation.

According to Sam, it’s cool because:

It has cool sound effects.
It has Lights.
It has missions.
You can hook it up to your computer and get extra missions.
You can see out of it, but no one can see in.

He’s also begged me NOT to give the second one away, but I must. One boy can’t keep all of the fun.

The folks at Bandai say this:

Power Rangers Mega Mission Helmet: With this role-play toy, kids can truly become a real Red Ranger hero while they get active and use their imagination to play out each two-minute long audio mission. Connecting the helmet to the home computer via USB gives kids the ability to download 50+ additional role-play missions.

Comment now to be eligible to win.

MK xo
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Winner is Nikkapotamus –> email me with your address and I’ll pop this in the mail.

Welcome to week 7 of —> Happy Book Day to You ~ the Series

Can you believe it is week 7? Time flies … it surely does!

Do you remember way back in December, I held a Happy Book Day Giveaway on my birthday? Well I enjoyed it so much (because books are my favorite thing), I thought I’d make it a weekly occurrence. For the next several weeks you can count on a ‘Happy Book Day to You ~ the Series’ giveaway every Tuesday.

THE QUEEN’S FOOL (by Philippa Gregory)

I like Philippa Gregory, and I enjoyed THE QUEEN’S FOOL, but I have to say I am tired of 16th century women and SICK to DEATH of 16th Century MEN. Bleck! Good riddance. I would have been beaten to a pulp and then burned at the stake if I’d been born in any century prior to the 20th. The hygiene gets to me too. I need some good 21st century smut. Good ‘clean’ (no lice, no leeches), feminist smut.

Here’s the author synopsis of ‘THE QUEEN’S FOOL’:

At a time when an innocent woman could be burned for heresy or strangled for witchcraft, to spy on the queen for the love of a traitor was the most dangerous choice of all.

Into a Tudor court on the brink of treason comes Hannah, a young Jewish girl on the run from the Inquisition. Sworn into the service of a handsome Robert Dudley, he sends her as a Holy Fool to spy on Princess Mary Tudor, the forgotten heir to King Edward’s throne. Instead of the tyrant of popular legend, Hannah finds a woman waiting for her chance and only wanting the best for the kingdom – while her sister Elizabeth waits to take advantage of any mistakes, and longs for her death.

Caught in the lifelong enmity between the rival daughters of Henry VIII, torn between her infatuation with Dudley and duty to her family, thrilled by her own rare gifts, but scared of the unknown, Hannah must find a safe way through dangerous times. Times in which she is both key witness and key player, when the wrong religion is a death sentence, science and magic are one, and true love can mean death.

Some simple rules and things to remember:

1. This book is second hand. I’ve read it, I liked it and I am giving it to you. It may possibly have coffee rings or warped pages from sitting on my night stand. Call me cheap, or call me environmentally friendly, I’m not bothered either way.

2. Consider passing it forward when you are done, you could even have a giveaway! Remember, what goes around comes around.

3. You must come back here to see if you are the winner. I won’t track you down, if you wait to long … I might lend it to a friend or a neighbor and then YOU are out of luck. You need to email me with your address, once I receive it I will pop it in the mail to you at my convenience.

4. To be eligible to win, you need to leave a comment on this post. I’ll pick a winner sometime on Friday, March 13th, 2009.

5. Tell a friend—> this isn’t really a rule, but it would be really nice. wink

MK xo
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**NOTE: this is not a paid advertisement — they’re my books and I am giving one of them away — because I am nice like that — just saying!**

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Introducing –> Happy Book Day to You ~ the Series

Do you remember in December I held a Happy Book Day Giveaway on my birthday? Well I enjoyed it so much (because books are my favorite thing), I thought I’d make it a weekly occurrence. For the next several weeks you can count on a ‘Happy Book Day to You ~ the Series’ giveaway every Tuesday.

Photography 3/365

This weeks selection is: the story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski –> it’s good. So, so good. Really, really good. Great even! Don’t fuss if your anti-Oprah, just read the book and pretend she didn’t suggest it to you! Okay? Kay!

Some simple rules and things to remember:

1. This book is second hand. I’ve read it, I liked it and I am giving it to you. Call me cheap, or call me environmentally friendly, I’m not bothered either way. Your choice.

2. Consider passing it forward when you are done, you could even have a giveaway! Remember what goes around comes around.

3. You must come back here to see if you are the winner. I won’t track you down, if you wait to long … I might lend it to a friend or a neighbor and then YOU are out of luck. You need to email me with your address, once I receive it I will pop it in the mail to you at my convenience.

4. To be eligible to win, you need to leave a comment on this post. I’ll pick a winner sometime on Wednesday, January 29th, 2009.

5. Tell a friend –> this isn’t really a rule, but it would be really nice. *wink*

What do you think? Good idea?

What are you reading right now? What would you recommend for me?

* * *
Time’s up / Comments closed – Winner will be announced soon!

MK xo
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It’s my birthday! Feel free to send $ via paypal to kim (@) mommyknows (dot) com. I promise to spend it frivolously.

Kidding … sheesh!

Kinda …

Anyway, even though I’m one of those bloggers who shamelessly asks for $, I am also one of those bloggers who likes to give you the books laying around her house.

Happy Birthday to me and Happy Book Day to YOU!

Remember a while back, I went Christmas shopping, and came home with a b’zillion gifts for me? Remember the book that I hid from my lovely husband and could hardly wait to read? This is it –> ‘little earthquakes’ by Jennifer Weiner.

The good news is, it’s a fun read! The bad news is, I hopped into to bed early, all excited to read it, flipped it over to read the back cover (I like to know what’s going to happen) and realized that I had ALREADY read it! FRICK, I hate it when they publish the same darn book with different covers! Don’t you? Is it a ploy to make lazy book buyers like me who don’t bother reading the back until they’re all tucked up at home; buy the same book twice? Is it? Probably not, but I’m still not impressed. Pick a cover and stick with it Washington Square Press.

I was going to take it back, but my extreme lazy streak (and MS fatigue) keeps me from looking for receipts and making my way in -30c weather to stores filled with bitchy shoppers to get a refund for a book, I know ONE of you might like.

Here is what the first paragraph on the back of the book says:

Jennifer Weiner’s richest, wittiest, most true-to-life novel yet tells the story of three very different women as they navigate one of life’s most wonderful and perilous transitions: the journey of new motherhood.

If you think you might like to have this, leave me a comment. I’d also like to point out that I don’t think this her wittiest book … I loved, loved, loved ‘Good in Bed’ (I was positive it was about me, when I saw the title!!). I’ll pick just one of you (randomly) to win. Just like all of my other book giveaways, you have to promise to pass it forward.

Happy Book Day to YOU!

AND

***
All comments and back-links for this post will be entered to win a $25 iTunes Card (includes shipping and handling) in my $25 iTunes Giveaway. If you comment and blog about the Giveaway you’ll receive two entries (too easy). I’ll randomly choose the winner on December 22nd, 2008 @ 9 p.m. –> make sure to come by and enter often.

MK xo
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Winner is: (Random Integer Generator — Here are your random numbers: 14) – Organic Baby Clothes – Email me to claim your prize @ kim (@) mommyknows (dot) com

I’m borrowing this from an Outside Voice and copying the next sentence and 4 points below word for word. It’s not really a game…but the results can be interesting!
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 11.
* Find the eleventh sentence.
* Post that sentence in a comment here; include the title of book and author.

Here is the quote, title and author that I used over at the Outside Voice.

Another mounted the steps, put his thumbs to his throat and slumped, twisting his face into a grisly parody of strangulation: the others whooped in admiration, and two dogs came running into the marketplace, barking.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

I LOVE this book a lot. I also love my readers a lot, therefore, I am going to give one of you my used copy (read by me only, includes shipping). I will randomly choose one of the ‘quote comments’ tomorrow night (25 Nov’ 08 @ 9 pm PT). Promise you’ll pass if forward? Books are so much better if you share them with friends.

Good luck!

AND …

All comments and back-links for this post will be entered to win one of two Power Ranger action figures (includes shipping and handling) in my ‘Power Ranger Giveaway’. If you comment and blog about the Giveaway you’ll receive two entries (too easy). I’ll randomly choose two winners on December 1st, 2008 @ 9 p.m. –> make sure to come by and enter often.

MK xo
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Winner is: outside voice —> email me @ kim (@) mommyknows (dot) com.

We spent Wednesday at Universal Studios and Thursday at Legoland. Georgia did quite well at both, she even squealed with delight at Universal, when one of the dogs in the Animal show was an ‘animal actor’ from Beverly Hills Chihuahua (remember she only loves small dogs). After a two day break, we thought we’d give her one more try at getting excited about Disneyland …

Conversation earlier today –>

Me: Georgia, do you like Disneyland?
Georgia: Yes, when I am at home, I like it.
I guess she just wants to ‘like it’ from afar –> She’s just not that into you Mickey.

I’ll be doing my NaBloPoMo thingy all during the holiday. I’ll also be twittering the road trip away –> follow me on twitter @ http://twitter.com/mommyknows.

All comments and back-links for this post will be entered to win a $10 Starbucks Gift Card (includes shipping and handling) in my ‘Have a Coffee on Me’ Contest. If you comment and blog about the contest you’ll receive two entries (too easy). I have a whole ‘schwack’ of Gift Cards to give away, so make sure and come back often for a chance to ‘have a coffee on me’.

MK Exhausted in Anaheim xo
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