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Category: Organization

Christmas Cards: It’s Not Too Late!!

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Christmas cards

Shop Custom Christmas Cards

I’ve been meaning to write a post about this and a friend beat me to it, asking where I found our Christmas cards this year.  Are you even planning on sending Christmas cards this year?  I love to look back through the years at how much kids grow and change- they are so worth it to me! She was surprised to hear me say Wal-mart.  I actually did get them at Wal-mart because they were such a better price with free shipping and rounded corners, on a heavy 5×7 cardstock with matte picture.  Just to make it easier for you, if you are planning on sending out Christmas cards, here are the best deals:

Walmart – Starting at $.48 for 5×7 cardstock, rounded corners, and free shipping!  Lots of styles to choose from.

Zazzle – Custom cards designed by artists, or create your own and have it professionally printed and sent to you!  75% off some really cute cards!

Shutterfly – Save 40% on cards with code FAVES40 through December 10.  Great selection and quality!

 

 

Countdown to Christmas

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The Christmas season continues to evolve over the years, away from its origin of a baby in a manger!  Christmas is such a special time, and I know, for me at least, it’s tempting to get all wrapped up, literally, in the presents and celebrations and decorations, and forget the reason we celebrate at all!  Hopefully this can help you by making all that “stuff” easier, so you have more time to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas!

Mom's Priority Christmas gift-giving inspiration and tips for a stress-less season

Countdown to Christmas: Gift-giving Inspiration and Tips for a stress-less Season

One thing we’ve done in our family is limit presents to 3 each for our children, like the 3 wise men giving 3 gifts to Jesus.  It’s a teachable moment, and it also makes it easier to keep our focus where it needs to be, on loving people and celebrating our Savior’s birth.  I will admit, though, that they receive plenty, after all of the celebrations with family and friends, at school and at church.  We start celebrating literally at Thanksgiving, and spread out all of the celebrations throughout the month of December.  How do you celebrate?  I would love to hear!

 

We want to enjoy the season and not get all wrapped up in stress, but still enjoy giving thoughtful gifts.  Here are some gift ideas to help keep things simpler for you:

Top 10 Gifts for Elementary-Aged Boys

Top 10 Gifts for Elementary-Aged Girls

 

Shopping online is such a great way to buy meaningful gifts, and there are SO many good deals online right now!!  Mom’s Priority’s SALES ROUNDUP page is a great way to find promo codes and sales all in one place for top retailers!

Top Ten Gift List for Girls

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In case you are looking for gift ideas for your elementary-aged girl, we have a Top Ten List for Elementary Aged Girls with sale coupon codes included!

1. Books! You cannot go wrong with books. At this age, kids love to read and are fascinated by the stories in books. There are so many to choose from, but good series include American Girl, Ramona Collection, Horses and Friends, Babysitter’s Club, and Magic Tree House.

        

 

2.    Learning Toys

3.    Anything Arts and Crafts

4.    Lego building blocks, especially the Friends Collection. Visit the Official LEGO Online Shop!

5.    Clothes, accessories like scarves and earrings, and boots/shoes

Kohl’s Friends & Family: Take an extra 20% off with code FFTIME. In stores and online. Valid 11/20-11/22.

Gymboree has great deals and clothes for girls!  Don’t Miss Gymboree’s Jingle Deals: $15 Sweaters & Sweater Dresses, $10 Sleepwear, $6 Cozy Leggings!

6.    Classic dolls and accessories like Barbie and American Girl

7.    Creative toys, playroom décor, and stocking stuffers- anything unique!

The Land of Nod, design for kids and people that used to be kids

8.    Sports and outdoor gear, like bike, helmet, trampoline, and anything else that keeps your girl outside and active!

9.    Electronics- have to list it because kids need these for school, like ipad mini or kindle.

10.   Family night games!  Girls love to play games, like charades, yahtzee, scattergories, and so many others!

Transparency Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase, but we also include links that are not incentivized. We only promote businesses and services that we believe truly add value, and hope to earn your trust in that regard. If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

 

Preparing for Christmas

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We are currently preparing for and celebrating Thanksgiving, and I refuse to decorate for Christmas or really get into the Christmas mode until after Thanksgiving. BUT, knowing from experience how busy things can get and not wanting to become stressed or miss out on the true GOOD in the Christmas season, I like to plan and be prepared. Christmas shopping is well underway at our house, and I’ve not set foot in a store for Christmas gifts. The best deals can oftentimes be found online, and who needs the stress of traffic and stores? If you are like me and enjoy shopping online and having things delivered to your door (free shipping oftentimes also!), take a look below at the Top Ten List for Elementary-Aged Boys! When you click on any of the links I have included, I receive a commission back. I would be honored if you choose to shop through Mom’s Priority this Christmas season.

  1.   Books- Great series include Magic Tree House, Flat Stanley, Nate the Great, Hardy Boys, Boxcar Children, Captain Underpants, Goosebumps

                              

2.   Toys related to Science and Technology

3.   Toys that Move

4.  Toys that Get Kids Moving

5.    LEGO Building sets, like the new Star Wars sets, Super hero sets, Minecraft sets, and others.   Visit the Official LEGO Online Shop!  Free shipping on orders over $75.

6.    Outdoor gear for camping, hiking, hunting from Gander Mountain.
Free Shipping no minimum! Valid: 11/5 – 12/25
Pre Black Friday Deals Valid: 11/22 – 11/25
$20 off $100, $50 off $250 Use Code: EARLY20 Valid: 11/22 – 11/24

7.   Boys’ clothing, shoes, or PJs

Don’t Miss Gymboree’s Jingle Deals: $15 Sweaters & Sweater Dresses, $10 Sleepwear, $6 Cozy Leggings!

8.    His favorite team apparel

ONE DAY ONLY: $34.99 Team Sherpa Throws. Originally $50. Valid 11/25 only.

9.    Fun playroom toys that encourage boys to use their creativity!

The Land of Nod, design for kids and people that used to be kids

10.   Sports gear, like balls, basketball goal, baseball helmet or bat, and whatever else for the next sports season!

Christmas Jammies for Christmas Morning

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Christmas jammies on Christmas morning has long been a tradition in my house growing up and now with our kids.  One of my favorite stores over the years as a mom has been Gymboree because you can find great prices on well-made clothes that can usually be resold via consignment after your kids outgrow them (which is why I promote them!).  Their deals are so timely, like these “Jingle Deals” that I happened on this morning to get my family ready for Christmas and all of the events that go with that.  $10 for cute PJs for Christmas morning, special event dresses for around $16, stocking stuffers, and fall clearance clothes!  Free shipping over $75 also, and a variety of sizes available!  I love a good shopping day, especially when I am successful at preparing our family for special days ahead at a good price!  Thank you, Gymboree!  Don’t Miss Gymboree’s Jingle Deals: $15 Sweaters & Sweater Dresses, $10 Sleepwear, $6 Cozy Leggings!

Gymboree Sale On Now!

Advertising Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase.  If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

 

Halloween Costumes for Kids

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If you still haven’t decided or even thought about how your little one will dress up for Halloween, you still have time!!  Last minute Halloween costumes for kids are still available at many stores, and the good news is they are marking them down to clear our the inventory!  You may have read my post in late September about my son’s Halloween costume from Walmart.com, where I was expressing the thrill of buying an easy Halloween costume for $15.  Well, now we are seeing costumes like Thor, Olaf, and My Little Pony for $5 at Walmart.com and we have heard of great deals inside Target stores.  You can also go through online consignment store ThredUP for an inexpensive DIY costume or Amazon has loads of choices for Halloween costumes for kids.  Halloween is still 12 days away so you have time to get the Halloween costume you are looking for AND have it delivered to your door!

Transparency Disclosure: Some tips include links where Mom’s Priority receives an incentive per click or per purchase, but we also include links that are not incentivized. We only promote businesses and services that we believe truly add value, and hope to earn your trust in that regard. If you ever have any questions regarding this, please contact [email protected]. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy and Disclosure.

 

Let Zazzle Get You Ready for Christmas

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Shop Personalized Holiday Cards Are you getting ready to prepare Christmas cards or Christmas gifts?  It’s early but it will be here before we know it!  Zazzle is an online marketplace for adorable and custom invitations, Christmas cards, gifts, T-shirts, iPhone cases, and more!  We’re loving Zazzle because creative people can sell their own goods through Zazzle, or you can buy things already made!  It’ s a great online marketplace for lots of fun things.  So, if there is anyone in your life that is hard to buy for or has everything already, check out Zazzle, because they have great on-trend gifts!

Gifts by Christmas Sale

Use this code to get 10% off all orders or 30% off all Halloween Essentials: ZSPOOKYSCARY

This deal ends on 10/8!!

Just in Time Delivery!

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I have to say, I love having packages delivered to my door- just in time- with no shipping cost to me!!  I ordered from Walmart.com on Monday, and the items we need for our household to run efficiently arrived just in time today via UPS and FedEx.  When you place an order over $35, you do not pay shipping, and the prices online match in-store prices.  I have several “lists” saved on my account, so whenever it’s time to reorder, I just click “add to cart” from my list.  It really has made our lives easier!

Wal-Mart.com USA, LLC


Similarly, you can go to Amazon.com, and usually if you order $35, you qualify for Free Shipping.  Amazon has a special feature called Amazon Prime Pantry, where you can sign up to have items sent to you on a set schedule based on your needs.

Such a time saver!  I highly recommend you utilizing this free delivery service.  I believe the way we are buying is going to shift in the upcoming years and home delivery is part of the future.

just in time delivery of household items

just in time delivery of household items

Freezer Meals for Busy Back to School Nights

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Freezer meals

It’s important to know that we’re feeding our families healthy meals, but with busy schedules, we just can’t afford to spend hours in the kitchen!  The Freezer and the Slow Cooker are the best inventions for busy parents, aren’t they?!

About once per quarter, I buy chicken breasts and ground beef in bulk (when they’re on sale), and make up meals to store in our freezer for busy weeknights.  Recently, I made 2 Baked Zitis and 1 Lasagna.  Sometimes, I make up chicken enchiladas, tex-mex chicken, and poppyseed chicken.  I use disposable pans from the dollar store to minimize clean-up and so I’m not using all of my dishes in the freezer.  I label them with the name and date, so I know what’s in there.  It makes life SOO much easier during busy times of the year.  Knowing that I have a real meal waiting in the freezer keeps us from eating out all the time, helps us stay on budget, and is just comforting!

If I have leftover ground beef, I might also make up chili or go ahead and season and cook the ground beef and then freeze in a Ziploc freezer bag (with the date and title) to mix with spaghetti sauce for a quick spaghetti night later on.

For the chicken, the easiest thing to do is to put chicken breasts in the crock pot with a jar of salsa emptied on top.  Let that slow cook all day, and then you have great pull-apart meat for your chicken enchiladas and also for any other Mexican dish you might have.  You can freeze the chicken meat in a Ziploc bag in good portion sizes for your family with the name and date on the bag.

A few of my favorite freezer-friendly recipes:

Mom's Priority Baked Ziti

 

 Find your new favorite freezer recipes on our Pinterest page!

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