Tag Archives: holiday season

Shopping with Kids This Time of Year May Take Extra Planning

We are coming up on the “biggest shopping day of the year” and I know there are plenty of people who look forward to the Friday after Thanksgiving with more anticipation than they do the actual holidays. As a parent, shopping with children in tow during this busy time of year can take extra planning and care, as well as diligence in keeping our children safe. Just the fact that the shopping malls and department stores are much more crowded this time of year is an important consideration. Small children can be harder to keep track of as they may … Continue reading →

Children’s Picture Books about The First Day of Winter

It’s the first official day of winter, although you wouldn’t know it by looking around here – we got hit hard this last weekend and it’s been winter around here ever since. The first book I’m reviewing is called, appropriately, “The First Day of Winter.” Written after the style of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” we read about all the things that were given to our main character by his friend, but over ten days rather than twelve. I’ll spare you the buildup and skip to the grand finale, but you have to sing along with me. Ready? Take a … Continue reading →

O Henry’s The Gift of the Magi

Do you know the tale of The Gift of the Magi, the story turned a quiet century last year without much fanfare, but that is the nature of the story itself. O Henry wrote the story for the New York World in 1905. According to history, O Henry was notoriously late on submitting to his deadlines – it wasn’t until the artist came to him for the artwork that he even began thinking of the story he was doing. The story, itself, of course is famous for the two desperately poor sweethearts who want to buy each other gifts for … Continue reading →

Happy Holidays: Welcome to December

Good morning and welcome to Friday, December 1st, there are just 24 shopping days left until Christmas. I’ve always wanted to write that for some reason and well, there you go, I’ve achieved a goal for myself in just a few keystrokes of typing. This month, we celebrate our first anniversary here at Families.com, last month we celebrated our 1000th post and much, much more. Our Holiday Plans This month we’re all going to be busy, we’re all making holiday plans, some of us are traveling, some of us are staying home – some of us celebrate with Santa Claus … Continue reading →

A Season of Healing

The holidays are a season of healing. We are encouraged to embrace our fellow man, to share a smile with a sister mother and to beam at the children who are bubbling over with excitement for the decorations and more. Everywhere you go during the holidays there is something to smile about and all of these feelings of good will and kindness are advantageous for you and your partner to resolve issues both large and small. Healing a Troubled Marriage Have you and your spouse been experiencing some distance or disagreement in your marriage? Troubled marriages benefit from this time … Continue reading →

Do You Know What’s Happening at Disney’s California Adventure?

It’s the holiday season and the Disney theme parks are decking themselves out as they get ready for it all. As part of the celebrations, Disney’s California Adventure is decorating it from front to back. For starters, guests will notice that the letters at the entrance way that spell out CALIFORNIA have been redone to appear as swirling white and red peppermint sticks. You’ll find plenty of new attractions and old favorites at Disney’s California Adventure as well including: The High School Musical Pep Rally Monster’s Inc: Mike & Sully to the Rescue Soarin’ Over California (an absolute must, let … Continue reading →

Give Yourself Weight Loss for the Holidays

It’s the holiday season and while Santa may be a jolly old soul with a belly that jiggles like a bowlful of jelly, that doesn’t mean the rest of us are interested in the same. So it’s time to make a few lifestyle changes in order to give yourself some weight loss instead of weight gain for Christmas. The average person puts on about 5 pounds between Thanksgiving and January 1st. 5 pounds sounds like a lot, but it’s really not. To burn one pound, you need to burn 3500 calories, you can do this in 7 days by putting … Continue reading →

Ladies & Gentlemen, Welcome to the 11th Month of the Year!

Can it really be November 1st already? That’s the part about the mad dash towards Halloween that always seems startling, the very next morning it’s November 1st and in my family, that means heading in towards the holidays. What lists we may have compiled, what gifts we may have already purchased or picked up and what plans we may have already made go under the microscope as we get ready for the last eight to nine weeks of the year. In three short weeks, it will be the week of Thanksgiving and on the very last day of the month, … Continue reading →

Maintaining Fitness in the Holiday Season

The holiday season is fast approaching and this is the hardest part of the year for many people to stick to their exercise routine as family comes to visit, holiday shopping, cold and stormy weather and more can really diffuse how we look at our fitness goals and our fitness workout. Stressful is one of the best ways to describe the holiday season. Stress doesn’t need to be caused by negative events but the anxiety surrounding the holidays, the parties, the commitments and the shopping can be pretty stressful on the body and the mind. It can make it hard … Continue reading →