It's Not Too Late, I've got You Covered!

Haven't mailed those Christmas cards yet? Not to worry, you can send these personalized Disney Holiday Snow Globe emails instead. Easy-peasy, just create a free account, choose any picture and upload! Or if you've been at the parks lately, pick from a photopass picture. Check out my super cute niece, you can even make it snow! Want to send an email without uploading a picture? Try this.

We went green this year with this paperless card.


There's still time to get these under the tree....
Here are my top 5:

1. Annual Passes to Disneyland (always our family favorite)
Purchase them online The ultimate gift that keeps on giving. Celebrating at Disney Resorts are what dreams are made of! Big news on Southern California resident passes below.

2. Family Outing to the El Capitan in Hollywood for a stage show and movie Bolt.
Gifts that double as family outings are a winner for everyone! Have fun exploring old Holloywood while you're there. Open Christmas and New Years Day.

3. Wii or PS2 Game: Hasbro Family Game Night
Hasbro Family Game Night features family favorites such as CONNECT FOUR, BATTLESHIP, YAHTZEE, BOGGLE, SORRY! and the all new, SORRY! Sliders. Excellent fun for the whole family, this will be a weekly event with our family. All the laughs and together time without the mess... that's right, no clean up, no missing pieces! YES! We will be playing this on Christmas Eve with a packed house!

4. Wii Game: Boom Blox
Find it here. This game is by Steven Spielberg and if that isn't enough, not only is it fun, fun, fun, you have to use brain power. Boom Blox is #1 on my son's Christmas List!!!

5. Barnes & Noble Gift Card
Another destination gift. Take the family on an outing to your neighborhood Barnes & Noble. If your bookstore has a cafe connected to it, even better! Sip a Starbucks hot cocoa together, they make a child size for only $1.00 and temperature is kid friendly too. Next, stroll over to the kids section, pull up some carpet, have you child pick out a book and read it together. Foster the love of reading with your kids. This is really fun if you make it a special event. Find a store near you.

Disneyland Resort News:

Disneyland Resort Makes Annual Passes More Accessible and Affordable for Southern California Residents

Just in time for the holidays, Southern California Residents Can Now Purchase Annual Passports through a New Monthly Payment Program ANAHEIM, CALIF, December 15, 2008 - As Disneyland Resort celebrates the holiday gift-giving season, a newly launched Monthly Payment Program for Annual Passholders will make it easier for Southern California residents to have their own frequent Disneyland Resort celebrations in the year to come. This new program lets Southern California residents enjoy the Disneyland Resort magic throughout the year with an Annual Passport, while paying in 12 monthly installments. By selecting the payment option, Guests will pay for the cost of a 1-Day, 1-Park ticket upon purchase and will pay the remaining amount over the next 12 months, with no finance charges applied. For example, a Guest purchasing a Southern California Select Annual Passport for $134 would pay $69 at the time of purchase - with the remaining balance of $65 spread out over the next 12 months. Through this new program, Guests can literally turn a one-day ticket into an Annual Pass for less than $6 a month.

Happy Hour Elves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Putting Christ back into Christmas

And No, I'm not talking about shouting the the Lords name in vain at the guy who stole my parking spot while I was shopping at Target for Christmas gifts.

I'm talking about the real deal... I returned home from my Mom to Mom ministry feeling full of Christmas blessings. I choose a family to adopt this Christmas, and the reason I choose this family is they have a 5 year old boy. My son is eight but I know he will be able to relate to this boy as we purchase things to give him for Christmas. These are the things DanieI has asked Santa for this year: new shoes, a warm jacket, balls and an action figure. Once you wipe your eyes, keep reading. The feeling of giving makes your heart swell when you realize Daniel needs a warm coat and new shoes for kindergarten. It makes you think, I've been entertaining friends and family and the cost of wine alone,would give Daniel a Merry Christmas. So, this girl's going shopping. I thought I was completely done with my Christmas shopping, but God had other plans!

I am grateful to have 40 women I can look to as examples of growing their spiritual lives.

Thank You my Mom to Mom sisters!

This is a short but sweet little story.... There's nothing like being at a Disney Park and being reminded of those three little words.

Who Let The Dog Out?

BOLT is Fully Awesome!!!

And Totally 3-D!!!

Calling all Moms!
In search of fun for the kids?
Need something to keep them busy during the winter break?

BOLT
has arrived at

THE EL CAPITAN THEATRE!
Bolt is the must see this holiday season, and at the El Capitan Theatre you will get an extra special treat! Not only is the movie in super cool Disney Digital 3-D, you will also see an all new live stage show. Disney's Holiday Spectacular, but you can only see it at the El Capitan Theatre.

As we headed off to the theatre in Hollywood, my son asked if we were going to the "real Hollywood". I realized that living in L.A. we take for granted things like Hollywood history. I sat up a little higher in the driver's seat and told Nick we were going to see something great! We were headed for an adventure and maybe we'd see a movie star!!! He spotted the stars on the sidewalk without prompting, and squealed with delight! As luck would have it, they were shooting on the street right across from the theatre, so we got to see all the lights, cameras and Jimmy Kimmel. It was very exciting to my 8 year old! I showed him the old style of the El Capitan ticket booth and the lights on the marquee are beautiful at night. There were ushers that helped us take our seats (another thing not recognized by kids these days). Disney songs were played by a live organist on the stage. Then the Christmas stage show began and the kids eyes lit up and so did mine, I love the parades at Disneyland and this is the same idea only here you have a really good seat! The whole gang were there, Mickey and Minnie, Buzz and Woody, Stitch and Pooh Bear and all the Princesses!!! What fun it was to get a high five from Goofy dressed as Santa as the show ends, the characters walk up the isles waving and blowing kisses.

The movie was incredible in 3-D, I felt like I was watching a James Bond movie. Check out the Totally action packed first scene! This is not the childhood Disney film we remember as kids. It's Disney on Red Bull, which is right up my family's alley. We munched our popcorn, which tastes much better in that neat Bolt pail (that you take home). From the moment he came on the screen, Rhino the hamster was the hands down favorite. The kids got the jokes and my sisters and I were rolling! (pun intended)
Rhino


The movie ends in Classic Disney fashion, with an Excellent feel good song

performed by Miley Sirus and John Travolta(here's the adorable video)

Bolt the The El Capitan Theatre in Holywood!
or call 1-800-DISNEY6.

Upcoming Events on the Marquee:

January 9th- 22nd ................Oliver and Company (20th Anniversary)

Jan 23rd- Feb 12th.................Pinocchino (70th Anniversary)
Feb 27th- Mar 12th ...............Jonas Brothers : The 3-D Experience

Confessions of a Holiday Overachiever

For those of you reading this that don't know me, I can get a little Christmas crazy, my house is fully decorated, a tree in every room, you know the type. Christmas music is the only music allowed in my car for 2 months. A highlight of the holidays for me driving through the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. We fill the thermos with hot cocoa and turn on the seat heaters (yes, we do use seat heaters in CA) and of course, listen to Christmas music. Someone always ends up begging to go home but I always seem to find "just a few more streets" to go down. Buying gifts and wrapping: I pride myself on finding the perfect gift and wrapping is the perfect mix of presentation and conservation. This year we will be exclusively reusing last year's gift bags. Under our tree is an assortment of Christmas print fabric bags that my Grandma Helen made for us which we have been using to wrap our gifts for years. I plan the holiday school parties and take my son Christmas caroling with the Boy Scouts. We have a speciall family day at Disneyland to see the Christmas snow fall and special holiday parade. I host an Annual Holiday Open House at my home for my clients. We buy and give gifts to families that need extra blessings this time of year. These a few of the many on the to do list for the month of December.

That's when the reindeer sh*t hits the fan. I get sick, like can't get out of bed, sick. The few times I managed to stay well, my whole family felt as though we dodged a bullet.

Now that you have some background, you can truly appreciate my ironic story. I am trying to be more aware of myself these days and change things that aren't working for me and getting sick on or before Christmas does not work!!! I was in a particularly good holiday mood on November 1st when my Mom who was staying with us suggested we "get a jump on Christmas this year". You would indeed be correct if you guessed that we decorated my entire inside of my house that day. The house looked beautiful and what a great feeling to be done with the house.


Thinking I had this all figured out, I had given myself a 30 day head start. My schedule was too much for one person in 30 days so, I thought starting early would prevent any sickness. I mean "It's the most wonderful time of the year", right? (I'll give you a hint: I'm typing from my laptop in bed) The shopping started, the buying began, the wrapping was almost finished when I felt it coming on, I couldn't believe it... The sh*t hit the fan, but this year it was more like turkey sh*t than reindeer sh*t. Yep, I got sick for a week. Although I got sick, the timing was better. It would appear, I changed the timeline of my holiday routine 30 days earlier.

I am grateful to be over my holiday yuck. I look forward to spending Thanksgiving with the family. Not to mention a lengthy trip to Vegas with hubby before Christmas and I will surely be sharing Christmas with family and friends in good health!!!


Wishing you and your family good health now and always~
Cheers!

My Shutter Sister

t,

You are an amazing shining woman.
Last night you sparkled, like a flash bulb from the camera you have used to capture so many other's life moments.
It is now your turn to glow in the same light you create for others. I am so proud of your openness to receive the gifts that are yours.

Your Illustrious Dreams are your Reality.

i love you,
b

Good & Plenty

That's right folks, 7.2 pounds of candy. Who knew my 8 year old roaming our neighborhood with his friends and their Dads could come home with such a candy haul?!?

*Please Note: The Moms hung back to pass out candy and catch up gossip about our favorite show Lipstick Jungle while sipping grown up beverages! Now that's Trick-or-Treating "Happy Hour Mom Style"!

Lipstick Jungle is moving to Friday Nights... Set your tivos ladies (ch. 4 @ 10pm)

Cheers!

Celebrity Sighting

Incredible Fun!

Disney's HalloweenTime Event is going on now.. With just a few nights left, this is an evening you do not want to miss. Trick-or-Treating is done throughout California Adventure at specified stations. Bags of apples, raisins, and of course candy was handed out by the handfuls. The night is billed as "child friendly" and as usual Disney always hit their mark! Who wouldn't love to dance with those furry guys from Monsters Inc.??? Dancing with characters.... imagine a character breakfast with a twist!!! What a highlight! There also were plenty of photo opportunities with princesses. And with almost no wait for rides like Tower of Terror, older kids and Dads were happy too!



The entire group was on hand for this year's event, Tracey and Jessica with families in tow!

This lucky blogger Mom even got a date with a Vampire!!!

2008

2006


Thank You Mickey and Minnie for the special memories!

2007

We can always count on you for fun!!!

An Invitation

I don't know about the rest of you but I am still trying to get over my Maya's Mom hangover. This blog is my way of getting back on the blogging band wagon. So, here goes.

Welcome to my new home. I invite you to join me in a toast. Here's to new beginnings!

Cheers!