Letter's For Santa --

An old HS friend of mine works for the USPS and posted this on her blog last week so I wanted to share the information with you.....

Get Your Stamp Cancellations from the North Pole
Did you know that you can obtain the North Pole Postmark on a letter from Santa or on a greeting card? Here’s how to do it.

A letter from Santa
Write a letter to your child and sign it “from Santa”. Place the letter into an envelope addressed to your child with the return address from Santa, North Pole. Please make sure you have a First-Class stamp affixed to the envelope. Place that envelope into a larger envelope, with the appropriate postage and address the larger envelope with this address:

On Greeting Cards
Write your greeting cards like you normally would. Place the cards into their envelopes, addressed and stamped as normal. Either have the return address from the NORTH POLE or from you and your address. Then place the greeting cards into a larger envelope or box, with the appropriate postage and address it to:

North Pole Holiday Cancellation
Postmaster
4141 Postmark Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99530-9998

All mail needs to be received in Anchorage, AK before December 15, 2009. After that date, they should be sent via Express Mail.
~*~ This is a new address this year ~*~


Last year I had the help from my mom aka "Grandma Elf" and we mailed our letters to her. Since my kids can't read it didn't matter that their Santa lists were addressed to Kemmerer, WY;) Plus she had the help of a friend of hers put a watermark authentic Santa stamp on their letter back from Santa. I also enjoyed my mom's "personal" touch she added to them. Telling each child things only "Santa" would know!! Well this year I found out about this and thought it would give each letter an even MORE personal Santa touch. We even went as far as leaving cookies and the letters for the elves one night so they could pick them up. Honestly it was the only time we would be seeing Grandma and due to the deadline I knew we may not make it if we had to mail them to her first.

So let your kids have fun writing their lists and send them a letter back from Santa from the North Pole!! Any questions feel free to email me at bushdsbush@aol.com♥

Get Disney UP! for $10

My family and I LOVE the newly released movie UP! We watched it at the drive-in with the kids when it first came to theaters and I thought it was such a neat movie!! So I was excited when I came across $10 off...
Go on over to BE DIFFERENT ACT NORMALS blog and check out her post for UP!! at a great price!! Can't beat a 4 disc combo pack for $10!! And enjoy a fun family movie night!!:)

LDS Capes

So I came across the neatest blog this evening. I just had to give a shout out for her. She makes the cutest capes with Book of Mormon heroes on them. Check it out...I want to order some for Christmas!
http://thedressupdrawer.blogspot.com/

--HOMEMADE MAKEUP and LIPGLOSS--

Today I came across this awesome post about making homemade "fake" makeup!! Emily over at Not So Idle Hands came up with this fun idea. Check out her blog and make your own. Sorry the picture is huge - she uses bigger photos:)
Even better she had a post for homemade LipGloss...Ellie is going to LOVE making both of these:) Check out her post for the LIPGLOSS :)

September Events!!

Here are some fun activities coming up this month:

PHUN with PHYSICS at the Utah Museum of Natural History. 5:30-7:30. Free Monday. :) September 7, 2009
www.umnh.utah.edu

Annual Labor Day Pirate Party on Monday, September 7, 2009 12 noon until 4 p.m. At the Treehouse Museum!

UTAH STATE FAIR www.utahstatefair.com September 10-20, 2009

SCRAPBOOK EXPO (for the moms!!) September 11th-12th, 2009. http://www.scrapbookusaexpo.com/

KID to KID Halloween costume event!! September 12, 2009 They have a ton in the Riverdale store. They wont be selling until the 12th!! www.kidtokid.com/show_location.php?id=13

PIRATE DAY at HOGLE ZOO!!! September 19, 2009. http://www.hoglezoo.com/

WHAT WOMAN WANTS SHOW (for the mom's) September 25-26, 2009 http://www.whatwomanwantssshow.com/

Smith and Edwards Toy event!!! September 14 & 28 th!!
http://www.smithandedwards.com/

Also lot's of Haunted Houses, Corn Mazes, and Pumpkin Patches open up September 18th-26th!! Here are some websites to check out different times, and locations!! http://www.hauntedhouse.com/, http://www.blackislandfarms.com/, http://www.heehawfarms.com/, www.gardens.com/go/browse/pumpkin/Utah/all/ !!

Want FREE Stuff????

I came across this amazing website today from That Went Well's Blog...check it out or link to it from my favorites!!
MOM BY HEART!!

sTiCk 2 SaFeTy!!

Even though my kids are getting older I still have this fear of loosing them. My almost 5 year old son still puts the fear in me in public places. But today I came across this great website called SAFETY TATS that puts a tattoo of your info on your child - VERY clever!!

For other great kid friendly finds check out this WONDERFUL website called...
Kid Buy Products☺

▬To All Those GREAT "POPS" Out There!!▬

I love Father's Day and the opportunity to Celebrate our DAD'S!! But I admit it's hard to find gifts for those wonderful men in our lives!☺ So this year I cam up with a "POP" theme. It was really fun and you can't go wrong with giving guys food as a present! My talented twins helped me decorate some brown bags for their Dad and Grandpa's. Than I added these fun "POPS" --
-Pop
-Corn Pops
-Pop Tarts
-Oreo Pops (chocolate covered Double Stuffed Oreo's on a stick)
-Pop Corn
-A Tie that "POPS"
-Pop Rocks
-Ring Pops
Than I tied a saying I had printed "HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO A GREAT "POP"!!"For my BIL I gave them each their favorite Pop and Popcorn tied with the saying...

This was a fun and inexpensive gift to honor our Dad's this year! Wishing all the best to Dad's out there this Father's Day!!♥

!!S'MORE FUN!!

Here is a fun alternative to the classic S'mores...
S'MORES--
Put marshmallows on Popsicle sticks.
Warm WF Almond Bark in the microwave for 30 sec. intervals till smooth.
Dip the marshmallow's, I didn't dip all the way to the stick and found this helpful when melting them back in the microwave for the s'mores. It allows the marshmallow to expand.
Stick in foam block to harden.
When ready to assemble place 1 chocolate covered marshmallow on top of graham cracker square and melt in microwave for 6 sec. (yes we perfected the timing☺).
Remove and place another graham cracker square on top and smoosh!!
Enjoy☺

My kids love when I get out the chocolate and start dipping things. Yesterday while dipping Oreo's, another favorite at our house, I had the kids help me dip some marshmallows. Than we turned them into a fun new way to have s'mores!! They store nicely in an air tight container and you can pop them into the microwave when you need a fun easy snack!!

Fee-Free Weekends in Your National Parks

Today on WeeFinds she posted a great find for camping this summer...

America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better this summer with three fee-free weekends at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees.

Mark your calendars for fee-free weekends this summer:
June 20-21, 2009 (Father’s Day weekend)
July 18-19, 2009
August 15-16, 2009
And to make the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors on this summer’s fee free weekends with the their own special offers.

Utah
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Golden Spike National Historic Site
Hovenweep National Monument
Natural Bridges National Monument
Zion National Park

Wyoming
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Devils Tower National Monument
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park

-Smmart Ideas-

I love finding fun new ways to teach my kids (it's the teacher in me☺), so while watching GTU the other day they featured this awesome blog...SMMART IDEAS!! She has the coolest idea to teach your kids how to spell their name through songs. Plus the blog is full of really neat tips and tricks for your kids - Check it out!!
Here are other great name game ideas at Good Things Utah!

Stock Up!!

Get 80% off Restaurant.com certificates now

Just in time for the weekend!

Pay only $2 for a $25 certificate with code SPECIAL

Stock up for the summer at this price!

These make great Father's Day gifts too!

We Appreciate our Teacher's!!

It was the twins last day of preschool yesterday...so sad:(!! They really love their teacher and looked forward to going to her house every Wednesday. But they will be attending Pre-K this fall, so that will be fun! I really appreciated teacher Shelley, she was so awesome and very sweet. I wanted to show her how much she meant to the kids by giving her a little something from all of us. A few weeks ago Celeste and I found all this fun Crayola stuff in the $1 section at Micheal's. She came up with the clever title and putting it in a paint can. I added some Skittles, scissors, pens, pencils, sharpies, stickers, paper clips (in the Crayola tin), and ribbon to tie it all together. I stuck the lid to the bottom of the can with some removable adhesive. It turned out so cute and she loved it. The title says..."Teacher's fill the world with color...thanks for brightening our year!"

**TASTY**

Restaurant.com certificates are now down to 70% off.

That means your $25 gift certificate is only $3! Sweet.
Don't forget the code to take off 70% is TASTY!
Restaurant.com

!FLIPPER Toothbrush Holder!

I want these for my kids- FLIPPERS - they suction cup to your cabinet and hold your kids toothbrushes! Awesome!☺ No more dirty toothbrush cups on our counters! You can get them at Target for $10.99 for a two piece set or at their website for $6.99 - Check them out!!

◘Dinner Time Fun◘

I love Children's Book of the Month Club!! They have not only fun books but games and movies as well. Yesterday I got this fun Beginner Dinner Games in the mail and it was a huge hit at our dinner table last night!!☺ My kids ate all their dinner without complaints...probably because we had them entertained the whole time and they didn't even realize they had cleaned their plates. We played Silent Supper - you have to eat in silence for 1 minute and than tell about the sounds you hear. Daddy liked this the best;) My favorite was the Fruit and Veggie Game - you think of a fruit or veggie and than everyone asks you yes or no questions till someone gets it right. We were all laughing and having fun...a huge change from the milk spilling, silly slurping, arguing to get them to eat meals that we usually have! This one is for ages 3-6 but they have other's that are for older kids. You have to be a member of CBOMC to order this but here is a link to Family Time Fun Dinner Games or Amazon for this and other great dinner games!!☺

Utah Kids Club 1/2 off Deal

I have really enjoyed our Utah Kids Club membership. It has discounts to hundreds of places, you get lots of coupons each month when you get your card, and you can take your whole family on just one membership. GTU's Real Deals is offering the membership for 1/2 off again...don't pass this up!! Check out this link REAL DEALS:) Each month I get my membership for just $6.00 (1/2 off their regular price) and I can cancel at any time. It just comes straight out of my checking and I get the new card in the mail at the first of the month along with great coupons...such as two free kids meals to Applebee's! Don't miss this deal, there are limited quantities!!!!

**RESTAURANT.COM**

60% off Restaurant.com certificates with code GIFT

Buy Restaurant.com Gift Certificates!

Pay only $4 for a $25 certificateAlso get a $15 FTD Reward with each purchase!!

♥Happy Mother's Day♥

For Mother's Day I took this...
And created these...

A while back in RS we had a lesson about journal keeping and they had a fun idea for Journal Jars. So I thought it would be a fun gift for our Mother's this year. I found these cute jars at Walmart for $3 a piece, the paper is CTMH and the books were only a dollar also at Walmart. I re-typed the questions I got that day in RS and added them to some ones I found on the Internet. Than I spent hours cutting and folding all the papers for the jars (thanks to my wonderful daughter for helping me). I decoupaged the paper to the books, distressed the edges and added embellishments to the books and jars. There is a fun poem I attached to the jar and inside the journal. They turned out so cute and were greatly appreciated. I can't wait some day to read them. Every year I plan to make them a new one and find more fun questions.

For our SIL Mother's Day gifts we took these...

And created a delicious little treat like this...
A week ago when I bought the other jars I purchased the smaller ones for $2 and racked my brain for hours trying to come up with a fun idea for them. Finally my wonderful husband after hearing me grumble suggested this great idea..."You're a 'BERRY SWEET' mom! Happy Mother's Day." We dipped the strawberries in chocolate, let them set up, filled the jars and added ribbon and embellishments. They were so adorable! We gave them to all our SIL and plan on sending a fun slightly different version to our SIL that live out of town (post those pics after we send them;)). I hope all you Mommy's out there have a great Mother's Day!! Sending all my love♥-Shannon

**Crazy 8**

Check out Crazy8.com today for great deals on kids clothes. They have a new Summer Break line that has adorable dresses, shoes, and shirts. They have an awesome $6.99 deal on shorts and tanks. Use code SAVE10 and get $10 off, don't know when it ends though so hurry on over and take a look:)

~Old Navy Weekly.com Deals~

$10 off $50 - Click the popcorn repeatedly
30% off- Move Josh's head to the empty supermodelquin.
$5 off the purchase of a swimsuit- GONE! Click on Heather's orange shirt
$5 off WYB adult and kid shorts- click on the dogs frisbee
$5 off $25- Take the blue umbrella and stick behind the blond girls ear, in the same photo!
$75 off $100- GONE! You had to answer a quiz that would come up on the right column. Answers were Wesley, Wilma's Wearables and Barker. Like it matter's now! Just thought you might like to know?

Tyson Chicken Giveaway!!

So today I am finding the best giveaways. Don't miss out on these...Win 10 coupons for any bagged or boxed Tyson Frozen Breaded Chicken or Tyson Any’tizers, up to 9.99 value each at Busy Mom. Ends 5/12/09

Awesome giveway...

Today I found this awesome giveaway over on Two of a Kind Working on a Full House. They have the cutest hand stamped mommy necklaces that would be great for Mother's Day coming up in less than 2 weeks. The one that is pictured looks like a twin one and having twins I about died when I saw it! ADORABLE!! It has their names on it and birthstones that dangle. But check out the website Lauren Nicole Gifts for the neatest monogrammed stuff. They have baby blankets, headbands, bags, wedding stuff. It's really fun and lots of ideas for moms!! :)

RESTAURANT.COM

Save 80% on Restaurant.com certificates with code LUCKY
Pay only $2 for a $25 certificate, or only $8 for a $100. Stock up at this price, certificates last for a year! They make great Mother's Day gifts!

Saving Codes at Target

So I am a huge fan of Target...I love their store and today I came across this info and thought I would share:

While I’m not sure how much money you can save with this information, I recently learned that Target has a numeric system for letting employees know which products are discounted:
*Items with prices ending in $__._9 are the regular price
*Items with prices ending in $__,_8 are discounted
*The small numbers in the top right corner of the price tag indicate the percentage discount you’re getting off of the regular price (for example, if you see “75”, that’s 75% off the regular or original price).
Another bit of info...if the price ends in a 4, such as $5.94, that signifies that it is the last time an item will be marked down...if it doesn't sell, it'll get pulled off the floor. Now, this is not concrete...the person marking down the item usually has the option to mark it down once or twice more...but if you really want it, grab it while you have the chance!!!

{Hightlights for Kids}

New puzzle fun for ages 4–7!
Puzzle Buzz gets kids thinking and feeling excited about what they can accomplish...
Puzzle Buzz is a wonderful opportunity to introduce your young child to the skill-building fun of puzzles, mazes, matching games, and more! Each 32-page book includes 3 interactive sticker activities and a wide variety of colorful puzzles that will keep your child happy and busy as a bee. With Puzzle Buzz, kids think just for the fun of it!

A about a month ago I got an offer in the mail for these Highlight books and thought they would be great for my "puzzle loving" kids. They come every 5 weeks and are pretty inexpensive for all the stuff that come inside the books. Extremely worth it for the hours my children have spent devouring them. I checked out the website and there dozens of other magazines to subscribe to for all age groups. Click here for the website: HIGHLIGHTS

$$OLD NAVY WEEKLY$$

So I came across this website OLDNAVYWEEKLY after hearing about some great coupons you can get by clicking on hidden things on the mannequins or within their scenes. It comes out every Friday at midnight and I hear it's tough to get the good one - $75 off $100 purchase. But there are some other great deals I thought I would share with you...
Click and drag the blue stripe shirt onto the pink stripe shirt on the mannequin for $5 off swimsuits.
Watch the video and click on her powder puff for $10 off $50 purchase.
Double click on the lady's red hair (comb it like Kelly) and get 30% off - right now I think that's the best one!
Click on the little girls shorts and get $5 off by purchasing adult and kid shorts.
Click on the mom with the girl and get $5 off purchase of $25.
There are two that are out and that's clicking to erase the cotton candy and a red ball bouncing in the screen with the mom and little girl. I think one of those was the big one - they both will say scandal and the coupons are gone. The coupons are good for a week and only in store. You can only print one not all of them. Good Luck!!

○○Easter Eggs○○

This year I tried a fun new way of decorating Easter eggs with my kids. It's fun to use the white crayon that comes in the package, but I came across the idea to use rubber cement. We were in a hurry that afternoon to get to a baptism so I ended up just writing the kids names on them with the glue. It dried really fast and they were able to dip them and than that evening I peeled it off while the kids added stickers to their eggs. It wasn't too messy but next year I will let them paint it on themselves. I wanted to try it out first and ran out of time to let them do it. Sorry I am not very overly creative, it was an after thought and a quick idea. So next year have fun with it and send me your pictures.

**Jelly Bean Bracelets**

Today after our church Easter Egg Hunt I wanted to try this fun project with the kids. All you need is jelly beans, stretch cord, and a small dull knitting needle. All of it probably cost me less than $5.00!
Poke a hole in the jelly bean and than flip it over and push it totally through. It was a very sticky and long process, but the kids had a lot of fun. My suggestions would be to keep cleaning your needle, your hands, and the ends of the cord to help string it better. My jelly beans did keep cracking but they stayed on the cord with no problems. If anyone has any suggestions to keep them from breaking and cracking let me know. I found the idea done with other fun colors such as browns and pinks like the ones you get from bins at your local grocery store. Make them to cordinate with any outfit and enjoy eating them afterwards - LOL!:)

70% OFF MOVIES

Check out Amazon today or my all time FAV website WEEFINDS where they have it posted for great deals on movies such as Madagascar 2 or Kung Fu Panda for only $8!! When you spend $25 you get free shipping. What a great gift or addition to your movie collection :)

"I'm OvEr HeRe...I'm HiDiNg"

Do you want a fun game for your kids?
I found these in my Family Fun magazine and fell in love!!
You hide him, push the on button and listen to him shout out giggles, silly noises and a few "I'm over here, I am hiding - hehehehe!." Open him up and there is a suprise hiding inside.
Saturday I found it a Wal-mart for $5 and got so excited to bring it home to the kids. They come in all sorts of colors.
My husband was being silly hiding it over and over for the kids to run and find.

I thought it would be great for younger toddlers as well. It's a fun alternative to hide and go seek. Run out get one, two, or a dozen and have a FUN!!

My New Favorite Website...

Here is a place that will give you coupon codes, store sales, and anything else that will help you save. WeeFinds is a great new website that I visit daily...you should too!