Christmas Comes to Netflix #streamteam

I am a Netflix Stream Team member and have been given a Netflix membership to help facilitate my posts. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Our family loves to chill out and watch movies together, and during the holidays it is no different. We just adore Christmas movies. This Christmas Eve and Christmas, after you've stuffed your face full of your favorite goodies, Netflix has plenty of family Christmas movies you can sit down and relax to together. For a full list of holiday selections, check out the Holiday Favorites category.

Here are some of our favorite Christmas shows to watch on Netflix.

Our entire family always gets a kick out of Tim Allen in The Santa Clause. The first one is by far the best of the trilogy, but all of them make for a nice family day cozied up on the couches together.

When you wake up Christmas morning, turn on one of the multiple fireplace options on Netflix to open presents by the fire. Fireplace 4K: Classic Cracking Fireplace offers a gorgeous fire in stunning 4k while Fireplace and Melodies for the Holidays gives you a nice fire to the tune of your favorite holidays songs.


Looking for something a little more adult? Netflix has both Bad Santa and Bad Santa 2 for you to watch once the kiddies are in bed tonight and your putting the final touches on Santa's visit.

No matter what type of Christmas mood you're in, Netflix has something for everyone to watch, from preschool age and up.

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Shopping for Kids at Target #MyKindOfHoliday #Giveaway

This post has been brought to you by Target. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

I have four young boys, which makes my holiday shopping absolutely insane. Between the amount of gifts I have to buy and all of my trips to the store, I am exhausted by the time Christmas finally rolls around. Target is one of my favorite stores to shop at year round but even more so at the holidays because they always have what I am looking for.

Earlier this Fall we got the Skylanders Swap Force game, but we are still in dire need of the swappable characters. Most of the other stores I looked at locally are sold out, so Target was my last hope. Luckily when I turned into the Skylanders/Infinity aisle, I saw it was still pretty packed.

Armed with my list of characters that Grammy already purchased I was able to find 4 of the new Swap Force swappable figures that we still needed. All 4 wound up in my cart.

Santa just happens to be bringing the boys the Disney Infinity for Xbox game this Christmas, so we are going to need a few of those characters too. Ya know, because the 50 Skylanders we already have isn't enough.  I'm not sure what Santa was thinking here. Target had a bunch of figures to choose from and thnakfully they had the only one I was looking for: Davy Jones.

Now as if the holidays alone weren't enough, 8 days before Christmas is also my youngest sons birthday. Which means even more shopping. I always find this a struggle because I start to run out of ideas for him. Since he is obsessed with Batman lately (he will be 4), I headed over to the DC Comics toys to see if I could find anything for him that didn't have 50 million little pieces.  And right there on the bottom shelf was a talking Batman doll - perfect! I can totally see him lying in bed with this while wearing his Batman pajamas, he's going to love it.

With that, I headed over to checkout with what was hopefully the last of my Christmas shopping. I felt rather satisfied after this shopping trip because I got everything I walked in the doors for. And luckily I had my husband with me to distract said youngest child so he didn't notice everything I was buying. In the end I purchased the 4 Swap Force figures, 1 Disney Infinity figure, talking Batman doll, 2 Minecraft dolls, DC themed Hotwheels cars, kid's toothpaste and a snack of Goldfish for my little monkey.

The second best part of this trip was being able to pay with my eGiftCard using the Target app on my iPhone. While I love shopping online, especially during the holidays when the stores are crowded, there are times I just prefer to shop in person. So it is pretty cool that now if I get an eGiftCard for Target, I can use it to shop in either place.And if you are struggling with those last few people on your holiday shopping list, you can't go wrong with a gift card.

Have you done any shopping for your children at Target this holiday season?

Check out the great deals on Kid's toys only @Target!

Giveaway
One (1) winner will receive a $25 Target eGiftCard. Giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on December 18, 2013 at 12:00 AM EST. Please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

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Tasty Holiday Treats Inspired by Classic Christmas Movies & Blu-ray #Giveaway

My family loves to watch Christmas movies, and once we pass Thanksgiving every year, we tend to watch them quite often. My favorite Christmas movie of all time is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer while my husband's is Santa Claus is Coming to Town. I honestly think my kids love them all equally and as I type this they are enjoying Frosty the Snowman. For any family that loves classic holiday flicks, The Original Christmas Classics set on Blu-ray is an absolute must have. In this two disc set, you get Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Frosty Returns and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

The only thing better than cuddling up on the couch and watching these classics with your family is enjoying delicious treats inspired by these very movies at the same time. Holiday baking is another great way for families to spend quality time together and kids will love helping out in the kitchen with these simple recipes that will remind them of the movies they love so much.

The Kringle Elves Candy Crispies are a festive twist on traditional rice cereal treats and my favorite of these recipes because I don't have to turn on the oven. Plus, who doesn't love those crunchy, marshmallowy treats? You can really customize these too and let the kids decide which types of candy they want to add and then help mix it all together. When its all cooled off, sit down and enjoy your sweets with the movies. This could make for a fun new family tradition.

Download recipe cards for all five of The Original Christmas Classics inspired treats:

• Egg Nog Panna Cotta with Citrus Cranberries & White Chocolate "Snow"
• Frosty the Snowmelt
• Kringle Elves Candy Crispies
• Kris Kringle Pie
• Santa Claus Stocking Cookies

Giveaway
One (1) winner will receive The Original Christmas Classics Blu-ray box set (two discs). This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on December 21, 2012 at 12:00 AM EST. Please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

Please note that the opinions and views expressed in this post are my own .  I received free product.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Muppet Christmas Carol on Blu-ray

One of the many things that my family and I love about the holiday season are Christmas movie. Once we hit mid-November, we break out all of our Christmas DVDs and take turns watching them all. A few years ago I decided to buy The Muppet Christmas Carol on a whim. None of us had ever seen it but we all fell in love with it. Today for the first time, The Muppet Christmas Carol is available on Blu-ray and I highly recommend you add it to your Christmas movie collection.

The Muppet Christmas Carol is the classic Charles Dicken's tale of Ebenezer Scrooge but with The Muppets brand of humor that we all love. Kermit the Frog is Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy is Emily Cratchit and Academy Award® winner Michael Caine as the cranky Mr. Scrooge. Of course all of your other favorite characters like Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and the hilarious old men Statler and Waldorf. This is also a musical movie with some catchy tunes that my boys love to sing along with.

Blu-ray Bonus Features

• Disney Intermission: An all-new bonus feature. When the film is paused, fans can watch and “cluck-a-long” to five classic holiday-themed songs performed by the Muppets Chickens and chums.
  


• Audio Commentary: All-new audio commentary with fan-favorite characters, Kermit, Rizzo, Gonzo, and more, all reflecting on their experience making “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”
   
• Frogs, Pigs and Humbug: Unwrapping a New Holiday Classic: A Behind the Scenes Look: Hosted by director Brian Henson, Gonzo and Rizzo fans go behind-the-scenes of the making of “The Muppet Christmas Carol.”


• Blooper Reel: “On the Set” Bloopers from the set of the film.
   
• Pepe Profiles Gonzo:  “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Weirdo”: A special look at the man, the myth, the legend the Great Gonzo, hosted by the one and only Pepe the King Prawn.
   
• Christmas Around the World: Gonzo and Rizzo take a look at how Christmas is celebrated all over the planet.

Bonus Clip

The Muppet Christmas Carol is available to purchase on Blu-ray starting November 6, 2012. Suggested retail price is $19.99. Rated G.

Please note that the opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my personal experience with the product and/or company. You may encounter a different experience with this than I did. I received free product to review.

Family Portraits Can Be Pure Torture

Every November I put myself through the pure torture of trying to get a family photo for our Christmas cards. Now way back in the old days when we had just one child it wasn't so bad. We'd get the little guy dressed up in his cute holiday outfit and head on over to the mall for a photo session. An hour later we would walk away with a decent photo.

Well then we went and had twins and went from one child to three. Suddenly trying to get a family photo became nearly impossible. First, I'd spend way too much time (and money) hunting down matchy outfits for the boys. Then instead of having a somewhat peaceful photo session now utter chaos broke out. One child would sit nicely, another child would keep trying to run off while the third child would just cry and scream. By the time we were done, I was the one in tears and I would vow to never do it again. And of course the next year I would be right back in the same spot.

Two years ago we changed tactics and had a photographer come to our house. The result was probably the best family holiday photo we ever had and doing it in our own home made it so much less stressful. Then last year I decided to cut myself and my husband out of the Christmas photo and I took a picture of just the four boys myself. Greatest picture ever? Absolutely not. But it was free and I didn't have to set foot in a mall. So to me, it was perfect.

Since I still have a very uncooperative toddler (a.k.a. the devil) on my hands, I am steering clear of mall portrait studios again this year. To venture in there now would just be pure torture again. Maybe in a few years when everyone is older and behaves, I will try again.

How do you get your holiday portraits done?

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Chaos

Christmas morning was slightly insane in our house, and we loved every minute of it! This is what four kids worth of presents and wrapping paper looks like on. What. A. Mess.

The little dude, newly turned 2, off by himself with his presents.

Wordless Wednesday: Santa & Our Christmas Tree

Christmas Eve, after the kids were in bed, my husband and I spent the night getting all the presents under the tree. He assembled the bikes and then I neatly placed everything around the tree.

Then thanks to a giveaway I won from Dawn's Daily Diggs, I uploaded a photo to ICaughtSanta.com and downloaded my free photos of Santa in front of our tree. The kids got a kick out of it.

The Post Christmas Blues

I love Christmas. I love everything about the season, I love shopping for gifts and watching my kids open presents in a crazed frenzy on Christmas morning. After months of planning, shopping and decorating, it is all over in such a flash. The day after Christmas I always feel a little sad that it is all over.

The house is totally trashed. There are new toys scattered across the family room floor. The kids are in their glory but all I keep thinking is where the heck am I going to put all this stuff? So now comes the daunting task of cleaning out and organizing the  playroom to make room for new toys. My goal this week is to get that done and weed out some older toys that are not used anymore to bring to the consignment shop. Granted these are things I should have done before Christmas, but I am a porcrastinator.

Then there are all the holiday decorations and the tree that soon will need to come down. It takes me days to decorate our monstrous 9 foot tree, and the process of undecorating it is one I dread. This year I was lazy and didn't even put all the ornaments on, so maybe that will shave an hour off of the time it will take to get it all put away. But I am not looking forward to this at all.

So what do I do when I am feeling blue? I eat chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. And my mother's amazing chocolate mousse is helping me with that. But I really need to shake this and get to work. After one more bowl of mousse, of course.

Do you get the post Christmas blues? What do you do to get out of the funk?

Today's post is brought to you by Pro Dunk Hoops, makers of adjustable basketball goals. Perfect for families, the goals can be lowered down to 5 feet. With four active boys here, you know I will need one of these some day. Anything that will keep them out of the house for a bit is sure to please any mom. 

Our Elves on a Shelf

Surely you have heard all about the Elf on the Shelf by now. It seems like everyone has one and everywhere you look people are sharing picture's of their elves. Is your Facebook news feed filled with elf pictures too?  I read a blog post last week about overachieving elf on a shelf moms that had me laughing so hard I was crying. Because everything she wrote is so true. I give these mom's credit for going to great lengths to find fun and mischievous scenarios to put their elf in. That is just not me. In fact, I'm lucky if I remember to move our elves. After spending three days in the stocking over the fireplace, my six year informed me that he thinks the elves are stuck in there. Mommy remembered to move them that night.

Last year is when we started our elf tradition. While I was at Home Goods I picked up two Anna Lee elf dolls. To be honest, that official Elf on the Shelf dude give me the creeps. Something about the eyes I think.  Our elves, Peppermint and Spearmint, appeared to my children one morning on the fireplace ledge with a note from Santa explaining their mission. The kids had a great deal of fun searching for them every morning.

This year I had hoped to be a little more creative in their nightly placements, but as I stated I have a problem even remembering to move them. These are just a few photos of where they have appeared this season.

This is our kitchen chandelier that they are hanging out in. They always make an appearance here as well as in our dining room chandelier. Yeah, I am really creative.

The banister was a new one for me this year and it was cute. The boys loved seeing them first thing when they came downstairs in the morning. Of course this was probably the closest to their level they have been and my six year old spotted the tags.

"Why do they have tags mommy"?

"Um. So Santa knows which elves they are."

Whatever, it worked.

This was my favorite by far. And it killed two birds with one stone. They other day the twins came home from preschool with Ziploc bags of cookies they decorated at school. Cookies covered in frosting, then green sprinkles, then jelly beans, M&M's and marshmallows. Bleh. All garbage. L actually did not want his (he isn't much into sweets) so he gave one to his big brother and one to his baby brother. I tasted the third and oh my gosh it was disgusting. So J still had his cookies. He ate one the first night and another the second night. But I really didn't want him eating anymore of this junk. So last night after they went to bed, I took that last cookie and broke some crumbs into the plate. The rest of the cookie went into the trash. Then I placed the elves on the dining room table with the plate of crumbs.

When they spotted the elves this morning they thought it was hilarious that they had eaten the cookie. Well, everyone but J did. He was mighty pissed that they ate his last cookie. He got over it though and laughed with us later.

Some other places the elves have been spotted this year is in the stockings, in the big Christmas tree and in the Star Wars tree, sitting on top of the TV and sitting on top of a curtain rod. Like I said, all pretty boring. I enjoyed the cookie scene though and so now I am racking my brain trying to think where I should move them too tonight.

Does your family do the Elf on the Shelf? Where are some fun things yo have done with your elf?

Wordless Wednesday: A Star Wars Christmas

We have two Christmas trees at our house. The monster nine foot one in the family room, that is taking me forever to decorate, and this small Star Wars themed one in the dining room.The boys love it and my six year old decorated about 95% off it himself. I just did the plug in ornaments. OK fine, I might have rearranged some of his work. I can't help it.

10 Christmas Themed Bento Lunches

As you know, I love searching Pinterest for fun bento ideas. Honestly,  I hardly ever actually try any of them. OK never. I stick with pretty basic bento lunches for my son. But I still like to pin them in case I feel motivated one day. I really would love to try and put together at least one Christmas themed bento lunch for him in the next few weeks. Here are some of my favorites that I have come across.

I think this Christmas tree sandwich bento is my overall favorite. This actually looks easy enough for me to do.

Source: anotherlunch.com via Marianna on Pinterest

Gingerbread man bent packed with lots of goodies.

Source: anotherlunch.com via Marianna on Pinterest

Christmas Wreath Bento.

Source: bento-logy.blogspot.com via Marianna on Pinterest

Santa Claus Bento.

Source: apocketfullofbuttons.blogspot.com via Marianna on Pinterest

Another gingerbread man bento.

Source: anotherlunch.com via Marianna on Pinterest

Christmas tree bento made from snow peas.

Source: lists-galore.com via Marianna on Pinterest

Santa with reindeer bento.

Source: google.com via Marianna on Pinterest

Gingerbread man made from rice. I love the hot dog stocking!

Source: ilovefoodsomuch.com via Marianna on Pinterest

Christmas tree sandwich with cheese presents.

Source: Uploaded by user via Marianna on Pinterest

Finally, this awesome Rudolph bento. This would probably be more for adults than a kids, but it looks very cool and yummy.

Source: cloud9food.livejournal.com via Marianna on Pinterest