Puddles Collection

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Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category

Shopping Online For The Holidays

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

Shopping online is the easiest way to prepare for the holidays. The internet makes it possible to shop from the comfort of your house. You can research gifts and comparison shop saving time and effort. As you prepare to start shopping online, here are some tips to keep in mind:

Start early to avoid rush shipping fees, especially with personalized or custom items
Make a list of everything you need to buy and try to combine orders to avoid increased shipping costs
Comparison shop on several websites before making a decision
Check the company’s return/exchange policy
Check the shipping and handling time frame
Ship gifts directly to the recipient if time or distance is an issue
If you have never ordered from a site before, look for customer testimonials, reviews, and privacy policy
Sign up for a website’s newsletter and facebook group to receive coupons and sale notifications
Choose a site that has a payment option you are comfortable with
Double check the order before confirming
Save all e-mail receipts until after you know the item does not need to be returned or exchanged
Keep track of how much you have spent on your original list

Shopping can be overwhelming, but being organized and starting early can make it much easier!

Tags: holiday shopping, online shopping, shopping, shopping tips
Posted in Holidays, Puddles Colection, Special Events | No Comments »

Boys Easter Clothing

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

The smaller your children are, the easier it is to convince them to dress up. As they get older, particularly the boys may start to give you a hard time about getting in a suit so it’s good to make it a tradition. Easter is one of those great holidays where many people still put on their dress clothes. There are tons of girls Easter dresses to choose from, but boys have fewer options. A classic look that has come back into style is this four piece boys suit that includes the pants, shirt, vest, and tie.

Colorful shirts are very fashionable right now with turquoise, fuchsia, and purple being the most popular. For Easter and spring you will find lavender, pink, yellow, sage, and periwinkle also top the list. Clip on ties are a life saver for young boys. They don’t feel tight around the neck and you don’t have to worrying about tying them. Elastic in the back of the waist makes the pants flexible.

If you want a more casual look you can pair a dress shirt and tie combination with a nice pair of dress pants. These two will make a handsome outfit.

And don’t forget the feet! A nice pair of dress socks and shoes will complete the outfit. Choose 100% nylon socks for the dressiest look. You want to make sure the socks are thin and will fit well inside dress shoes. Never try to shove athletic socks into a dress shoe! A new pair is best so there are no holes when he inevitably kicks off his shoes.

It always a good idea to have your child help you pick the outfit. Narrow it down to a few selections that you like and then let the child make the final decision. Or choose one outfit and let him pick the color. You want it to be a happy day for everyone!

Tags: boys dress pants, boys dress shirts, boys shoes, boys socks, boys suits, children's clothing, Easter
Posted in Fashion, Holidays, Puddles Colection | 1 Comment »

St Patrick’s Day Activities

Friday, March 4th, 2011

St Patrick’s Day is almost here. This is a holiday kids really get into. It’s fun to be green! Children celebrate this holiday in a very different way than adults do. Many schools have leprechauns that come into the classroom leaving treats and causing a little mischief. You can even try this at home for some fun. Treats can be anything from stickers to gold coins to a piece of candy. This is a great opportunity for you and your child to have some fun together

Have green eggs and ham for dinner
Get free printables on line and do some coloring
Make and decorate a leprechaun hat
Play find the lucky clover (the adult can hide, children can find)
Write a poem about St. Patrick’s Day
Check out and read a book from the library about St Patrick’s Day
Bake clover shaped green cookies
Hide gold coins around the house and collect in a pot of gold
Make a rainbow mobile
Play Irish hot potato
Make homemade shamrock shakes
Listen to some traditional Celtic music

Most of all this is an opportunity to have some fun!

Tags: activities, holiday, kids activities, parenting, St. Patrick's Day
Posted in Family/Parenting, Holidays | No Comments »

Easter Is Coming, Time To Dress Up

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Little girls love playing dress up and there is no better time for fancy outfits than Easter! You can help make your daughter feel like a princess with so many Easter dresses to choose from. You can complete the outfit with fancy socks or tights, a cute sweater, nice shoes, and even a hat. Dress styles range from casual to formal. Having your little girl help you pick out the dress will be a fun experience for both of you and make her feel special for the holiday.

Some appropriate traits for Easter dresses:

Sleeve length: Sleeveless, cap sleeve, short sleeve, long sleeve
Dress length: Above the knee, knee length, tea length
Color: Pattern, solid color, pastels, bright colors
Features: Sashes, bows, flowers, ribbon

Dressing up for Easter can be such a fun experience for a little girl and will make the day even more special. Consider some nice age appropriate jewelry for the occasion. A necklace or bracelet will complete the outfit. And don’t forget about he hair. You can style it up with a bow, a cute headband, or flower clips.

Make sure your little girl will be comfortable in the dress and that it fits properly. If your child is between sizes, choose the larger size. You can use a cute hair clip to cinch the dress in the back if it is a little baggy. Also be sure the length is long enough so it still covers when she is bending over to pick up Easter eggs. And don’t forget to take lots of pictures!

Tags: Easter, girls dresses
Posted in Holidays | No Comments »

Holiday Shopping Deadlines

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

I’ll admit that usually I am a last minute shopper. Most years I am just starting my shopping at this time, but this year I am already done! This is mostly due to on line shopping. It has been great getting most of it done from the comfort of my home and watching as the packages arrive. The last of the shopping was some photo ornaments I finished up today.

If you still have some gifts to buy on your list, here are a few deadlines for getting those online gifts in time using standard shipping (most have later dates which you can order by and pay for expedited shipping).

Shutterfly: December 10-19
Snapfish: December 14-17
Amazon: Free super saver shipping – December 16; Standard shipping – December 20
Apple Store: December 18
Barnes & Noble: Decemeber 17
Borders: Decemeber 16
Cafe Press: Decemeber 15
Disney Store: Decemeber 17
Gamestop: December 21
Red Envelope: December 16
Target: Decemeber 20
ToysRUs: December 20
VistaPrint: December 10
PuddlesCollection: December 10

Happy Shopping!

Tags: holiday shopping, shopping
Posted in Holidays | 1 Comment »

Safe Trick Or Treating for Halloween

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

Celebrating Halloween is so much fun, especially for the little ones in our lives. Consumer Reports has published the following advice for having a safe Trick or Treat.

For trick-or-treaters:

Make sure a parent or responsible adult accompanies children under 12. Direct older children to always stay in a group.
Check out costumes to make sure they are not so long that children will trip over them. Make sure any accessory — a sword, cane, or stick, for example — is not sharp or too long. Better still, leave these objects at home; they can easily cause injuries, especially eye injuries which are common on Halloween.
Pin a piece of paper with the child’s name, address, and phone number inside a pocket in case the trick-or-treater gets lost or separated from the group.
Give children a cell phone — and show them how to use it — in case of emergency. (Some newer cell phones are designed specifically for kids).
Visit houses or apartments that are well-lit; and, of course, never enter a stranger’s home.

For homeowners:

Clear porches and front yards of garden hoses, lawn decorations or anything a child could trip over.
Sweep wet leaves from sidewalks and steps.
Check outdoor lights and replace any burned-out bulbs.
Monitor your outlets; don’t overload them with holiday lights or special effects and make sure exit doors are not be blocked with decorations.
Place jack-o-lanterns away from doorways and landings.

Happy Halloween!

Tags: halloween, safety, trick or treat
Posted in Holidays | No Comments »

Planning For Holiday Shopping

Friday, October 8th, 2010

In a very unlike me fashion I have already started planning for the holiday shopping and have even purchased a few items already! I used to only be able to take life one holiday at a time, but that made Christmas shopping both expensive and stressful. So this year I am getting a jump on things.

I started by updating my recipients in the Google Docs spreadsheet list and removing all the gifts from last year. This way I have a good number of what I need to get. I decided to start with the kids on the list (because let’s face it, they are the easiest to buy for). A few years ago we made a deal with both my brother and my husband’s sister: instead of getting each other gifts, we go out for a dinner together after the holidays and we just buy for each others kids. Works great. I also started a tradition with my aunt and uncle where we each make a donation to charity in lieu of giving each other gifts. I highly recommend doing whatever you can to reduce the number of gifts you need to purchase.

Here is my strategy for my kids and the other kids on the list:

Check Woot, Mamabargains, and KidSteals every day to see what the deals are. Yesterday I stocked up on science kits that I can use for both Christmas and Birthday gifts
Read my Amazon e-mails. I was able to order two Blue-Ray/DVD combo packs with a $10 off coupon and free shipping
Check the sales anytime I am in Target and buy (no waiting)
Order my Pillow Pets now! Ok, I still need to do this, but my kids both really want them and I don’t want to risk stores running out.
If I see it at Costco, get it! They had a good price on the Leapster Explorer the other day so I grabbed it.
The Scholastic Book Fair at our school next week will be a great place to stock up on books for gifts. I find books to be a great way to round out smaller gifts.

At the end of the day, we go to enough birthday parties that if I have gifts left over it will not be a big deal. It is much better to take advantage of the sales and free shipping offers now.

Then comes the hard part, shopping for the adults. The grandma’s love the photo gifts, especially the calendars. That is another one that needs to be done early if you want avoid expedited shipping fees so I will be checking Shutterfly and Snapfish for their current deals and get started next week.

Tags: gifts, Holidays, shopping
Posted in Holidays | 1 Comment »

4th Of July Food

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Many of us will be going to parties this holiday weekend and most likely bringing a dish along. I personally have been looking for some fun themed treats for our family potluck. I have found that most are desserts or involve strawberries and blueberries! Here are a few red, white, and blue recipes. I am going to try making the pretzel sparklers this year!

Rice Krispy 4th of July Cut Outs – cute star shaped desserts
Summer Berry Trifle – with strawberries, blueberries, pudding, and ladyfingers
Red, White, and Blue Ice Cream Pie – ice cream and sorbet in a graham cracker crust
Wave Your Flag Cake – jello, cool whip and fruit (personal favorite!)
Red, White, and Blue Potato Salad – red, white, and blue skinned potatoes
Red, White, and Blueberry Skewers – strawberries, blueberries, and marshmallows
Pretzel Sparklers – pretzels dipped in chocolate and rolled in red, white, and blue sprinklers
Fruited Cheesecake Flag – individual squares combine to make a flag
Red, White, and Blue Strawberry Appetizer Recipe - with blueberries and yogurt or cream
Chocolate Covered Strawberries – use white chocolate and add blue and red food coloring

Have a happy holiday!

Tags: 4th of july, Holidays, Recipes
Posted in Entertaining, Holidays, Recipes | No Comments »

Last Minute Mother’s Day Gifts

Friday, May 7th, 2010

May always seems to be a busy month. Mother’s Day weekend already started for me yesterday when I attended the mother’s day breakfast at my son’s school. He made a fabulously decorated bulletin board for me (it was very bedazzled) which already had a picture of him pinned to it. Very sweet. Now it’s time to turn to the two moms in my life! My favorite first mother’s day gift after my daughter was born was a bracelet set for mom and daughter. I hope to find more matching sets in bigger sizes since we both like to wear jewelry!

I have spent some time thinking and researching gifts for the moms. They do love photo gifts, but let’s face it, you have to plan ahead for those! So I have come up with a few last minute gift ideas for us busy moms who didn’t quite get to ordering anything ahead of time.

Digital Photo Frame – And if you are confident she will like it, upload a bunch of pictures to it so it is ready to go.
Netflix Subscription – If she loves movies or tv, this is an awesome gift.
Bath & Beauty Products – My personal favorite is Bath & Body Works. Tons of fun lotions, bath salts, candles, body wash. They even had pre-made baskets.
Flip Video Camera – You don’t need to be high tech for these easy to use small flip video cameras . I bought one at Best Buy for my husband last year for Father’s Day.
CDs – yes, they still sell these! Or better yet, make your own mix and burn a CD for mom of her favorite songs.
Magazine Subscription – Find a topic she likes and get her a magazine subscription. Amazon.com makes it really easy to sign up and they usually have good prices. Pick up the current issue so you have something to hand her and tell her she will be getting them for a full year!
Book – If mom reads, consider strolling over to a bookstore and picking out something new from her favorite author or topic. Or if she likes to cook, get her a cookbook.
Plants – For the greenthumb mom, get a plant for the garden. Get creative and try a fruit plant!
Purse or Jewelry – This can get spendy and hard to pick out so be careful here!
Gift Certificates – Tricky business. Some moms like this, some actually want something to open. My recommendation would be for a spa treatment, favorite restaurant, or anything mom would consider a treat and not too practical.
Candy – Sees candy is always a big hit with the grandma’s.