Christmas is just days away and if you are STILL looking for a few gift ideas for Grandma and Grandpa, look no more. It's hard to shop for my parents.  I mean what do you get for the people who really have EVERY thing.  Have no fear.  Here are 5 great gift ideas for Grandma and Grandpa. 1.  Family Photo Parents love receiving pics of the grands and great grandkids.  No time to gather the entire family together?  No worries.  You and your siblings can snap photos of the kids on your phones and create a collage of all the grandbabies.  Once you design the perfect collage, make it really special by creating a canvas of the pic. Click here to snag a FREE 12x8 Canvas Print from CanvasOnSale.com.  The code does not include shipping . 2.  Frame Your Child's Artwork My kids love drawing and grandparents love to show off their little Picassos.  Let the kids create a special drawing for grandma and grandparent and grab a...

I love when Swagbucks has Swag Code Extravaganzas, they are one of the easiest ways to earn SB!  What are SB you ask? SB are points you earn on Swagbucks, a website where you can get gift cards for the things you do online - I've gotten tons of gifts cards to my favorite stores  with Swagbucks!  I use my gift cards to shop online and buy gifts for my family, friends and myself.  Love Swagbucks!  What are you waiting for?  The holiday cheer begins on   Wednesday, December 21st from 7am PDT/10am EDT to 6pm PDT/9pm EDT . All you have to do is look out for the Swag Code notifications, enter the code, and you earn SB (which can be redeemed for gift cards)! There will be 6 Swag Codes throughout the day worth a total of 30 SB.    Look out for the Swag Codes all over Swagbucks! Sign up here  to grab as many Swag Codes as you can and get your first gift card even faster!  

  One of my favorite things about using Swagbucks is that I can get rewards for searching the web through their search engine. Every now and then they have "Collector's Bills" worth SB points that you can collect by simply searching the web. Collect them all, and you get an SB Bonus! Once you've collected enough SB, you can redeem them for gift cards to stores like Walmart, Target, and many more! Here's all the information for this week's Christmas Quenchers Collector's Bills: Search the web through the Swagbucks search starting Monday, December 19th at 12:01am PT/3:01am ET through Saturday, December 24th at 11:59pm PT/Sunday, December 25th 2:59am ET , and when you get a search win, you may get a special Collector’s Bill valued at either: 5 SB 7 SB 9 SB 15 SB 24 SB When you get a Collector’s Bill you’ll receive the value of the bill and the bill will be added to your “Collector’s Bills” ledger. Collect all 5 Collector’s Bills and you’ll in...

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Nickelodeon DVDs. I received the DVDs highlighted above in exchange for this post. No monetary compensation was received. The views expressed below are mine. Many thanks to Nickelodeon DVD and the PR firm for this opportunity. The kids will be out of school for Winter break soon and I am already trying to find ways to ward off the inevitable cries of "I'm bored". I know it's coming.  I can't avoid it.  It may Day 2, it may be Day 8, it could even be the day before they return to school but  sometime within the next two weeks one of my kids is going to utter those dreaded words. I'm prepared though. The pantry is stocked with hot chocolate and plenty of snacks.  Pencils are sharpened.  Crayon box is filled with crayons and markers.  Printer is full of paper.  Weekly trips to library planned.  I'm ready!  I'm ready!  *in my Spo...

Recently I came across the story of an 11 year old girl named Marley who, like my kids, is an avid reader.  Marley noticed there weren't many books featuring girls much less girls her, girls of color. 11-year old Marley launched a campaign called #1000BlackGirlBooks with a mission to collect 1000 books about Black girls.  To date, Marley has collected 7,000 books since November 2015. I love our local library and their commitment to showcase books representative of our city.  Our library has a children's library and a Teen Center and shelves full of books for every child.  However, the challenge, as Marley noted, isn't so much at our local libraries, but school libraries.  School libraries are often full of dated books and it can be difficult for children to find books featuring characters of color.    Nosey me checked and I was surprised to find so few books featuring girls like my daughter.  Again, because we check out books f...

Swagbucks is hosting another round of Shopping Swago just in time for the Holidays! What is SWAGO you ask? It's a bingo-inspired promotion run by Swagbucks, a website that rewards you with points (called SB) for completing everyday online activities. You can redeem those SB for free gift cards. If you've never used Swagbucks , participating in SWAGO is a great introduction to the site and an easy way to earn a good amount of points quickly. Plus, if you have to buy holiday gifts, might as well get an extra SB bonus for yourself, right? Here’s what you need to know to get your 3 00 SB ($3) Bonus (and don’t worry, you don’t have to make a purchase to complete a pattern): Shop Swago will begin on Monday, December 12th at 9am PDT/12pm EDT , make sure you hit “Join” otherwise you won’t get credit for completing the action items. Each square on your Swago Board will contain an action item to complete. Once you complete the action item in a particular square the sq...

Disclosure:  This is a Sponsored Post Keeping up with the latest fashion trends can put a strain on your wallet but what if there was a way to score the latest fashions without breaking the bank.   Imagine instant savings at some of your favorite clothing retailers in one click. Couponistas like me know Groupon offers coupons to some of your favorite retailers but did you know Groupon has coupons? Groupon Coupons are a great way to save INSTANTLY!  Just click and shop at Rue 21 , Kenneth Cole, Banana Republic, Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom, Lane Bryant, and more. No membership fees and Groupon Coupons features 1,000s of instant savings, promo codes and printable coupons. I found huge savings on fashions for the entire family including jackets, jeans, dresses and boots.  When I say the entire family, I mean the ENTIRE family.  Fashions for the littlest one to moi, the plus size diva.   Groupon Coupons offers instant savings and pro...

We have had so much fun giving away fab prizes during the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways and I'm sure you're probably wondering what happened to days 11 and 12.   The giveaways didn't stop.  In fact, these giveaways were special but their joy won't be known until Christmas morn.  We're charging this special Santa with this special delivery. Last week, the youngest and I were shopping and picked the names of 2 angels from the Salvation Army Angel Tree.  The Salvation Army Angel Tree Project is one of our favorite service projects.  The kids enjoy picking a tag or two from the tree containing the name, age, size and wishlist for a child in need.   The REAL fun begins after you've picked your angel's name from the tree.  I armed the kids with a shopping cart and off they went.  I could hear them asking each other "Do you think so and so would like this" while testing what seemed like every toy in the toy aisle to find the p...

We've reached the Holiday season, and if you haven't begun already, now's the time to start shopping for the Holidays! Since this time of year in particular is a good one for having some extra money, Swagbucks is offering a $5 bonus to people who sign up through me this month!     Swagbucks is a rewards site where you earn points (called SB) for all sorts of things you're probably already doing online, like shopping, discovering deals, taking surveys, watching videos, and more! Then you can turn your gift cards in to PayPal cash or gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, and more! Here's how you get your bonus: 1. Sign up using this link 2. Earn 300 SB total before 11/1. You'll get a $3 (300 SB) bonus for it! 3. When you do your holiday shopping, spend at least $25 through Swagbucks Shop* and you'll get another $2 (200 SB) bonus on top of the cashback you'll get from shopping. That's it. It's super easy, and Swagbucks ...

Here's a recap of our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways thus far.  Click on pic to be taken to giveaway. Be patient as page may load a little slow On the 1st day of Christmas one lucky blog reader will receive  an Amy Grant Christmas CD On the 2nd day of Christmas, one lucky blog reader will receive  a $50 Restuarant.com Gift Certificate On the 3rd day of Christmas, one lucky blog reader will  receive   a Nickelodeon Paw Patrol Christmas DVD On the 4th day of Christmas, one lucky blog reader will  receive   a Britt Nicole Deluxe Edition CD On the 5th day of Christmas, one lucky blog reader will  receive  a  Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment Product On the 6th day of Christmas, one lucky blog reader will receive  a My Audio Pet Bluetooth Speaker  On the 7th day of Christmas, one lucky blog reader will  receive  their  choice of  Jason Bourn...

I remember the first time Hubby and I went to the ballet.  It was several years ago and he hadn't been in years, but it was the Moscow Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker in Oakland, California.  He whined about going at first but the moment the performance began, he was like a kid.  That single performance was all it took and we've pretty much taken the kids every year since they were little.  The Nutcracker was especially a fave of the little old lady when she took dance - albeit briefly - and of Los Tres Amigos when they learned to perform some of the pieces for a Winter concert. The Nutcracker is performed by ballet troupe's all over the world during the holiday season and the Moscow Ballet's performance is one of my favorites.  In 1993, Moscow Ballet toured the Great Russian Nutcracker to Washington DC, Baltimore, Syracuse, Orlando, Ft Lauderdale, New Haven, Reading and Charleston WV for the first time to critic...

Have you gotten gifts for everyone on your holiday list yet?  Everyone?  You haven't forgotten anyone?  Are you sure?  Really, really sure? If not don't worry, here are some fab last minute gift ideas from the store Walmart.   Gift Sets Gift sets make perfect last minute gift ideas.  Just think of something the person likes and you'll probably find a gift set they're sure to appreciate.  For example, if the person likes Minions this Minion-themed gift set is sure to please and it's less than $10... even less than the posted $9.98, it's on sale for $7.98. Looking for something a little ooh la la, check out this Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares Gift Set and it's only $9. In a Jar Gifts If a gift set isn't your style or it seems too impersonal, why not create some in a jar soup, cookie or brownie mixes.  Start with some mason jars. Fill with the makings of your favorite soup, cookie mix or homemade brownie mix, print...

A couple of months ago, I received my first DailyGoodieBox.  I was surprised to receive so many full size products that were environmentally conscious, healthy, free and all this in exchange for my opinion. Moi, never being one to shy away from giving my opinion was glad to share my thoughts on the bounty of healthy goodies in my DailyGoodieBox.  I have reviewed two boxes to date and I'm looking forward to my next DailyGoodieBox. Check out the goodies in my October DailyGoodieBox : Beanitos - Black Bean Chips Gutsy Products - Chewy Citrus Flavor Hampton Creek - Just Mayo Justin’s - Honey Peanut Butter + Banana Chips JJ’s Sweets - Cocomels Coconut Milk Caramels Natralia - Anti-itch Soothing Cream Navitas Naturals - Cacao Cranberry Bar Navitas Naturals - Hemp Peanut Bar Nootrobox - Chewable Coffee Cubes Q Drinks - Q Ginger Beer Van Holten's - Pickle-Ice In November I received a DailyGoodieBox full of the following: Älsa – Energy Drink Mix Among Fr...