Christmas Tree - What now?

Decorating for the holidays can be so much fun. However, putting the decorations away usually isn't so fun, especially a Christmas tree. If you bought a live tree, you can simply leave your tree out on trash day for pick up. However, if you are like me and have an artificial tree, then you have to figure out some way to get it back in the box. After three years with the same tree, my husband and I finally figured out a strategy...bungee cords. (Note: This works best as a two-person job.) We start and the top of the tree, lift one layer at a time and bungee each layer. This helps prevent branches from falling back down on you as you work on the next layer and saves precious space. This technique has saved my husband and I alot of time and frustration. You can find bungee cords at Home Depot or Lowes.

By the way, if you are interested in buying an artificial tree, this time of year is a great time to get an amazing deal. Balsam Hill Christmas Tree Co. has slashed their prices from 20-60%.

How to Remember It's 2007

It never fails...even though January 1st comes and goes with a bang, I can never remember what year it is. By March I finally have it down. And from what I have heard, I am not alone.

A great way to speed up this 2007 learning curve is by making a calendar featuring your family and friends. Kodak Easy Share Gallery and Shutterfly have great calendars you can customize. I have used both in past years and been very happy with the final product.

A new calendar source I found this year is the Costco Photo Center. Costco has simliar calendar layouts to Kodak and Shutterfly but also offers a cool feature of adding pictures to dates throughout the calendar. (Kodak and Shutterfly only allow you to add text to a date.) This is a great way to always be prepared for upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, etc. In addition, Costco charges half the price of Kodak and Shutterfly (only $9.95). Of Course, photo calendars are always a great gift idea, too!

The Holidays are over...Now what?

After the holidays, it can feel like you are bursting at the seams with stuff. Whether it's clothes, furniture, or toys, you may find that this stuff is cluttering up your home. Here are some simple solutions to help...

1. If you have storage space in your home, Ziploc Big Bags are a great option for storing toys, clothes, and holiday decorations, just to name a few. You can find these bags at your local drug store, supermarket or at Drugstore.com.

2. Have a garage sale. It's a great way to make extra money to help pay for the holiday gifts you bought. (Tip: Talk with you neighbors, they may want to join in on the fun! This can help distribute the work leading up to the sale, including sign posting and ad placement in your local paper.)

3. Donate, donate, donate. The Salvation Army would be more than happy to pick up anything you don't want. Yes, that is right, they pick it up for you. Check out the Salvation Army Help website to see how you can donate. Not only will you feel good that you are giving your things to someone who truly needs them, but your donation is also a tax write-off.

Toot Tootin' Fun for the Holidays

Want a treat for the kids that is not only tasty but fun to look at? Williams Sonoma has many different cake pans to choose from including the Railway Cake Pan. Make a train the kids (and kids at heart) will love!

Let the kids help out in making this fun holiday treat with their own personalized train aprons.

Hip Hostess Help

Are you hosting a holiday/New Year's party and want to find the hippest, most festive decorations around? Have no fear, Hostess With The Mostess is here! From yummy treats to fabulous tableware, your senses will be amazed. And most importantly, this hostess tells you were you can get all of these great items! Happy hostessing!

Attending a party? This Hostess has great gift-giving ideas, too! Happy partying!

12 Days of Christmas...Elmo style!

If you or your child likes Elmo (or perhaps as in the case of my son, Elmo was his third word spoken), then you are going to love the 12 Days of Christmas Elmo from Fisher-Price. Elmo is dressed up as an adorable elf and has his own silly version of the holiday classic. Not only is it a fun toy and a great gift, but a cute holiday decoration for your child's room - or anywhere else in the house you want the furry red monster to sit!


Another fun option is the Very Merry Trio available at Hallmark. The smile these singing penguins and snowman bring to my son's face made it a worthwhile purchase, but the dance moves he displays with this trio makes it priceless. I will be honest, I thought this singing trio might get annoying very quickly, but watching the little penguin tail ring a bell makes it even comical for the hardest to please. And besides, in their TV commercial, this trio lifts everyone's spirits who are delayed at the airport...now if this trio could really do that...we should all be buying singing penguins and snowmen by the truckload. For now, I recommend just starting with one. (The Very Merry Trio is only $14.95 if you purchase 3 Hallmark cards.)

Welcome!

When I first started dating my now-husband back in '99, he always made fun of me because I got stuck in conversations about houses, couches and babies with all of his friends' wives. (Seriously, they were all married!) All I wanted to think about was what fun event we were going to on Saturday night. Fast forward to 2006 and I find myself married, a homeowner, a couch owner and a mommy. Now all I do is talk about houses, couches and babies!

Child-Friendly Furniture

So, let's combine all three, shall we...I have a great product that I have turned several of my mommy friends on to...the Sullivan Ottoman from Pottery Barn. It has been around for a while, but I still have girlfriends buying them now. (In my mind, it is an oldy, but a goody!) I will admit I actually bought the ottoman prior to having my son because my calves were always in pain from resting my feet on our coffee table. But after my son became mobile, the corners, the edges, and just the plain hard surface of a wood or glass coffee table were no longer a concern of mine. Plus, it breaks from the norm of traditional coffee tables. If you want to serve food or beverages on it (when the kiddies aren't around), a great tray or flat basket will do the trick!

If you are concerned about taking care of leather, don't be. I have found these amazing wipes that have cleaned up spilled milk and sticky fingers. They are simply called Leather Wipes and are made by Weiman. I picked mine up at Bed, Bath and Beyond, and I am sure other similar stores sell them as well. More importantly, you won't have to buy those hideous corner protectors that never seem to work anyway.

Oh, and if leather is not your cup of tea, you can find similar ottoman/coffee tables that are upholstered. An elegant example of this is the Alexandria Ottoman, which can also be found at Pottery Barn.