Christmas with best...and a frugal tip

 Yes, those are all stockings.....and we only have 4 children in the family. I guess we should be a bit embarrassed but have I mentioned how much Christmas means to my family?  The bags at the end of the table are the dogs stockings....because those are still in the process of being sewn. everyone gets a stocking filled with all kinds of loving gifts. For those of you who know how budget conscious I am, you should know that my contributions are often a lot of the review items and freebies that I get through blogging and such.  Believe me this is not really a budget type of thing to contribute to 18 stockings and 4 bags. i do get awesome things in my mail and really great packages consistently so it makes my life a lot easier at Christmas time.

As a great tip for those of you who want to get a head start for Christmas next year.... consider joining www.mypoints this great site has easy surveys and mail to check that rack up to points. It is also a reward system used by BzzAgent, another one of my go to sites. The reason I am suggesting this is usually by Christmas I have racked up enough points to purchase at least 2 gift cards to be used to purchase gifts or as gifts themselves.  Without spending one dime and just a  bit of time throughout the year you can cross gifts off of your list.

My Dream Christmas Wish Came True!

You may all dream of sugarplums and other such nonsense...My dream come true just became reality! I cant even begin to tell you how excited i am that two days before Christmas my sweetheart hammered this sign into our front yard. Yes I realize our yard looks brown and disgusting....but this is south Texas in December and we are in a drought. he did add a bow on top so i cant really argue with it being a gift. now we just have to clean, pack, sell, move, buy land, build....oh gosh what have I gotten myself into?

Review: Passport to Purity

 I first became aware of  Passport to Purity about two years ago when my good friend Cheryl told me about the amazing weekend she and her daughter shared together. She explained all about the kit and lessons along with activities and adding your own fun that it all entails. This kit is supposed to help your preteen start their spiritual journey in deciding to remain pure until marriage.

Then last year I took Regan on our own weekend in San Antonio and she a had a wonderful time. The lessons are progressive over two days time period. It starts with the most important lesson. The parent being the authority and why. It demonstrates through activities why mom and dad are the foremost people you should turn to as a teen in your life. the next lessons show how it is important to choose your friends wisely and that the people we hang out with influence us and our reputations. Further in the lessons it progresses to our dealing with the opposite sex and what God and the Bible has to say about those relationships and their development. It does go into more intimate details but all with a guide for mom and dad and a workbook for your child. the Interactive CD's don't leave the burden of what to say and do all on the parents. It encourages and helps you and your child develop trust and form a bonding relationship.

This year it was Becca's turn and we did things a bit differently. We went away for the weekend with four other moms and daughters. Everyone got their own hotel rooms and ran the lessons personally and privately. then we all met for dinners and activities together as a group. It was fun to discuss and watch the girls know that they were all learning the same things and they had the support of their parents.

I highly recommend Passport to Purity if you are looking at broaching this tough topic this year and wanting to make sure your darling is on a good path and can come to you with al ther worries and concerns as those tough teen and high school years lay ahead.