Saturday, November 30, 2013

Lowe's Build and Grow Holiday Train Workshop

Lowe's holds Build and Grow workshops on select Saturdays throughout the year. For the 2013 holiday season, they will be having a Train Engine Workshop on Saturday, December 14 from 10-11a.

Kids will be able to build a Train Engine complete with Rub & Smell Stickers. This craft is so cute. Unfortunately, all of the stores near me have already reached capacity. Maybe you'll have better luck where you live.

You can check for availability and register online on the Lowe's Build & Grow website.

I took my daughter to a Lowe's Build and Grow workshop last spring and she had a really great time. We would have attended again except the location near our house books up quickly so I often don't know our schedule before it fills up.

Michaels Holiday Kids Club Events

Michaels Stores offer Kids Club Events many Saturdays throughout the year. Kids Club Events are $2/child and run from 10a-noon with 4 half-hour sessions (last one begins at 11:30a). They have two upcoming events for the holiday season.

Melted Snowman Ornament on Saturday, December 7. On Saturday, December 14 kids can make a Crayola® Wintery Work of Art use oil pastels.

We have attended many Michaels craft events through the years (although not since they switched to the new Kids Club format).  We have found some projects to be easier than others. Several times we have found ourselves inspired by the project to buy materials to create similar crafts to give as gifts.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Book Review: Origami Yoda Series - Act now for a Great Deal

As I have shared many times before, my daughter loves both Star Wars and reading. She is always reading Star Wars encyclopedias, visual dictionaries, and more. In addition, we have 20 minutes a day of reading where she has to read a chapter book. After seeing far too many Star Wars easy reader level 2 books come home from the school library, I knew I needed to find Star Wars books that were closer to my daughter's reading level (she was reading Level 2 readers 3 years ago).
Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate and am compensated for sales through Amazon links. I appreciate your support of my blog by shopping through my links.
I have seen The Origami Yoda series at the store and in August decided to purchase the first book in the series, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, for her to try. It took a few weeks for her to finish the American Girl series that she was reading at the time and to convince her to give the book a try.


Once she started the book, she was hooked. While she was reading the book, we had a busy day and she missed a day of reading. The next day she asked if she could read for 40 minutes to make up for the missed day. I told her she is always welcome to read for longer. She read for 35 minutes that day, stopping only when she finished the book. She loved the book and was asking for Darth Paper Strikes Back: An Origami Yoda Book, the second book in the series. I requested the book from the library. Unfortunately when we went to pick up the book, I discovered that I had accidentally requested the audio book instead of the book. The book already had three requests on it and the library had ordered more - it is obviously a very popular series. Instead, we found Star Wars: Secrets of the Jedi to checkout until we could get the rest of the Origami Yoda series.

That night, we got home and my daughter was re-reading parts of Origami Yoda. She rarely does this with chapter books, so I knew the series was a winner. I decided that if she was going to re-read the books that it would be worth having our own copies and ordered a set from Amazon.

Once she finished that she was able to read Darth Paper Strikes Back in only a few days. She has since finished The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee (Origami Yoda) and Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett: An Origami Yoda Book t. She is eagerly awaiting the March release of the fifth book in the series, Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue!: An Origami Yoda Book.

In addition to reading the books, she has made her own Origami Ewok from the directions in Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppet. She has also requested the companion art and craft book, Art2-D2's Guide to Folding and Doodling: An Origami Yoda Activity Book for Christmas.

While I have not read the books, she loves the style of the book with doodles and drawings adding to the text. She says that while it has a story to be read front to back, there are little episodes that she can go back and re-read out of order.

If you want your own copies of the Origami Yoda series, Amazon currently has The Origami Yoda Files: Boxed Set for $36.65. Plus through December 1 they are offering an additional 30% off any book (the box set counts) with the code BOOKDEAL at checkout. Sicne we already have all 4 books, I was able to use the code to pre-order Princess Labelmaker.


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Upcoming Holiday Events at Barnes & Noble

Barnes and Noble stores nationwide will be holding a series of FREE story time events for kids as well as charity programs, and Downton Abbey programs for adults. Individual stores may be participating in all, some, or none of the events. You can find the event dates and times for Barnes & Noble locations near you by using the Store Locator to select your local store.

The press release below includes more details about each program.
Barnes & Noble to Host Series of Free Storytime Events Designed to Spark a Love of Reading and Excitement for the Holidays

New York, New York – November 12, 2013 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), one of the nation’s largest booksellers and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced a series of special holiday Storytime events for children and families, designed to spark a love of reading, build excitement for the holiday season and encourage generosity towards others. The events center around favorite kids’ books and characters including How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, The Polar Express and The Elf on the Shelf®.

“It all happens at Barnes & Noble this holiday season and our booksellers are very excited to once again host our annual holiday Storytimes, as well as launch a few new events,” said Sarah DiFrancesco, Vice President of Business Development. “These events have been carefully planned to encourage children to read and get everyone in the family into the holiday spirit. From adopting an elf to encouraging kids to do one good deed each day for 25 days, attending a Barnes & Noble holiday event will certainly make everyone’s heart grow three times larger (just like the Grinch).”

Barnes & Noble’s 2013 children’s holiday store events include:
  • The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition Storytime — Stores nationwide will host The Elf on the Shelf  Storytimes & Adopt-an-Elf events throughout November and December. The free event will kick off with a reading of The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition.  The story, written by Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell, reveals how Santa knows who to place on the Naughty and Nice lists each year.
  • Thanksgiving Storytime – In November, select stores will host a free Storytime featuring a reading of a Thanksgiving-themed title such as Thanksgiving Day Thanks by author Laura Malone Elliot. Booksellers will add to the festivities by showcasing other Thanksgiving children’s book titles like Clifford’s Thanksgiving Visit on the spectacular display of NOOK® HD+.  Holiday treats and fun activities will round out the festivities, along with a time of sharing as children express what they are thankful for.
  • Festival of Lights at Chanukah Storytime – From November 27 to December 5, select stores will host a free Chanukah Storytime featuring a reading of author Jane Yolen’s tale, How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? The special event will include fun Chanukah activities for the little ones. People of all faiths are welcome.
  • “Grinch Day” – On December 1, stores across the country will celebrate the first-ever holiday event, the “25 Days of Grinchmas,” encouraging kids to “Grow Their Hearts Three Sizes by Doing One Kind Deed Each Day.” Grinch Day celebrates everyone’s favorite grump, the beloved green curmudgeon from the Dr. Seuss classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The festivities will include a Storytime, fun Grinch-themed activities and treats.
  • Take a Ride on The Polar Express – On Friday, December 6, at 7 p.m., stores across the country will ring in the holiday season with a free Storytime featuring a reading of author Chris Van Allsburg’s heartwarming tale, The Polar Express. Children are invited to dress in their pajamas and “wind their way to the North Pole” during a reading of the holiday classic.
This holiday season, Barnes & Noble will also host a special event for adults:
  • Downton Abbey Parties — From November 29 through December 15, stores nationwide will host celebrations for fans of all ages of the PBS drama Downton Abbey. The free Downton Abbey parties will feature show trivia and many fun activities, including costume contests, BYOTC (Bring your Own Teacup), find the fox (plush animal) hunt in the store, and more.

All Barnes & Noble holiday events are free and open to the public. For further details about the special holiday events, contact any Barnes & Noble store or visit the Barnes & Noble Store Locator.

In addition to hosting all of these great events this holiday season, Barnes & Noble has some other great holiday programs:
  • Holiday Book Drive - For more than 20 years, Barnes & Noble customers and booksellers have demonstrated their holiday spirit and support for children who are less fortunate through the Holiday Book Drive, which runs from November 1 through January 1. Last year, stores collected and donated more than 1.5 million books to more than 2,000 local charities across the country that provide services to children.
  • Holiday Gift Wrapping Program - In the rush of the holiday season, customers can save time and help a good cause by having their gifts wrapped in Barnes & Noble stores. The program helps not-for-profit organizations looking for a fun and easy way to raise money during the holiday season through gift wrapping services offered to customers for donations. The gift wrapping program runs through December 24. Organizations interested in participating should contact their local store for more information.
The very best gifts are all at Barnes & Noble this holiday season and customers are invited to discover and experience everything that Barnes & Noble has to offer at any of the nearly 700 stores nationwide or online at www.bn.com.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS) is a Fortune 500 company and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products.  The company operates 674 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, BN.com ( www.bn.com).  Its NOOK Media LLC subsidiary is a leader in the emerging digital reading and digital education markets.  The NOOK digital business offers award-winning NOOK® products and an expansive collection of digital reading and entertainment content through the NOOK Store® (www.nook.com), while Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC operates 692 bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble is proud to be named a J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Customer Service Champion and is only one of 50 U.S. companies so named.  Barnes & Noble.com is ranked the number one online retailer in customer satisfaction in the book, music and video category and a Top 10 online retailer overall in customer satisfaction according to ForeSee E-Retail Satisfaction Index (Spring Top 100 Edition).

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company's corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Candy Corn Fruit - A Healthy Halloween Treat

I was tasked with bringing a healthy Halloween Treat to the party my daughter's Brownie Troop was having for Halloween and Juliette Gordon Low's Birthday (Juliette Gordon Low is the founder of Girl Scouts).

Since it was Halloween, I wanted to bring in a themed treat. Since there are 24 girls in her troop and it was a combined party with 10 Daisies, I had a few constraints due to the quantity involved. I needed to be able to assemble them fairly rapidly, they needed to be easily transportable (with the quantity I needed), and I didn't want to spend a fortune.

A few years ago I had carved Jack O'Lantern oranges for my daughter's preschool class of 12. I knew from experience that I didn't have the time to carve 35 oranges. I found candy corn fruit cocktails on Pinterest and liked the idea, but needed to shrink the serving size for both transport and cost purposes. I also knew the whipped cream on top would be a challenge since I needed to pre-make the fruit.

I took this inspiration and used the pineapple (my daughter's favorite fruit) and oranges as the yellow and orange layer. My daughter and I visited the produce section of the store to pick a white fruit. We settled on bananas since the inside is white. I also opted to use fresh clementines instead of canned Mandarin oranges.
I peeled the oranges and separated them into individual segments. I cut the pineapple into wedges about 1" wide and 1/2" tall. Then I sliced the bananas into 1/4" thick slices and cut them in half.

I used wooden toothpicks to skewer a pineapple chunk. an orange segment and a banana. I was able to fit enough candy corn fruit for 35 girls into a container and packed additional fruit in separate containers for the girls to take more of their favorite.



Overall, I was very pleased with how these turned out. The bananas did start to turn brown by the next day, but lasted about 2 hours before that. Definitely not a food you can make far in advance, but less time sensitive than whipped cream. The only change that I would make in the future would be to use plastic toothpicks as my toothpicks softened over time and a few broke.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Friday, November 1, 2013

Ultimate Wish Saturdays at Toys R Us

Halloween is over, so now it's time to turn towards Christmas.

Every Saturday from November 2-23, Toys R Us stores will be holding Ultimate Wish Saturday. There will be FREE activities and giveaways. You can enter by 1p each day for a holiday raffle to win a $100  gift card that day.

They are also offering a Wish List Promotion. You can build your child's Wish List online or use the Wish List Wizard from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Once you build your child's list and make $100 of purchases before November 30, you will receive a $10 gift card valid December 12, 2013-April 30, 2014.

Halloween is Over, Amazon's Countdown to Black Friday Begins

Now that Halloween is passed and we are into November, Amazon has kicked off their Countdown to Black Friday event with expanded Daily or Lightning Deals available. They are continuing their Lightning Deals on items from the Holiday Toy List. In addition to toys, there are a number of videos on today's deals list.
Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate and am compensated for sales through Amazon links. I appreciate your support of my blog by shopping through my links. Please read all terms and conditions of the deal before purchase, they are only summarized here.
The easiest way to take advantage of the Lightning Deals that are part of Countdown to Black Friday Deals is to be an Amazon Prime member so that you receive free 2-day shipping. With the recent increase in the minimum for FREE Super Saver Shipping (to $35 from $25), it is harder to take advantage of Lightning Deals without paying for shipping.

The deals start at 9a with:
The deals listings for the Grinch and Despicable Me don't include a link to the product on sale, so your best bet is to find them on th Countdown to Black Friday Deals page.

In addition, to these Lightning Deals, the LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Friends deals that I shared the past few days are still available. They also have:




Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...