Holiday Shopping at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls

I don't know about you, but when it comes to buying holiday gifts I am looking for the most bang for my buck. I want nice, quality, fashionable gifts without paying a fortune. With lots of people to shop for, this can be quite hard to do. Luckily, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls offer exactly what I'm looking for!

Both stores have a great selection of gifts. You can find toys, clothes, linens, and even gourmet food! I was quite impressed to have found luxurious bath towels that cost less than the scratchy ones at my local dollar store. These stores are great places to find just the right gift for everyone on your list, without breaking the bank.

T.J. Maxx and Marshalls are offering one lucky person a $5,000 shopping spree. To enter, simply click over to their YouTube channel and upload a "Carol-oke" video of you singing one of the three songs they offer. You can also check out everyone else's great vids. Plus, for every video uploaded a donation to charity will be made. So, break out the video camera, have some fun, and sing your heart out! Not only might you win a shopping spree, but you'll be helping others at the same time. So, have fun and good luck!

Ramblings of a Texas Housewife Product Review and/or Giveaway Disclosure- I have received no compensation other than the offer of free product to review and/or giveaway. Any opinions expressed on Ramblings of a Texas Housewife are my own. My reviews are never reviewed or edited in any way by sponsors.

Holiday Gift Guide: Little Journeys Baby World

You all know I love western themed items. From home decor to clothes, I love it all. I recently discovered a wonderful line of western baby items from Little Journeys Baby World. They offer some of the most adorable country baby items I've ever seen.

About Little Journeys Baby World:
"Caroline Riepler the founder started her first business in 2001 handcrafting (Woodcarving) European Good Luck Witches, which she takes great pride in that Madeleine Albright the former Secretary of State of America has one of her limited editions.

Soon after that in 2003 Caroline became pregnant with her son Stefan and Little Journeys Baby World was born. Unfortunately, things turned bad in 2004 when her Son, Aunt, two Dogs and herself got hit by a drunk driver. It took about 4 years to get back on track again into doing what she loves the most of being with her family and friends, traveling and her dream business Little Journeys Baby World."

Check out this adorable onesis they sent me! It is really cute and I absolutely love the bandanna around the neck. I think it really makes the outfit. Imagine how adorable this would be with overalls or a cute pair of jeans!

Little Journeys Baby World also has other great collections like their International, Traveling, and Heirloom lines. These custom made infant items would make fantastic gifts. They are high quality, absolutely adorable, and unique. Keep these wonderful items in mind when you are doing your holiday shopping this year.

You can win one of the adorable Sheriff Onesis for yourself! Simply pop over to Little Journeys Baby World and look around. Then come back here and tell me your favorite item. This is mandatory for entry! One lucky reader will win a Sheriff Onesis in size 3 to 6 months. Deadline to enter is 12/24/09. This giveaway is open to US addresses only. Good luck!

Ramblings of a Texas Housewife Product Review and/or Giveaway Disclosure- I have received no compensation other than the offer of free product to review and/or giveaway. Any opinions expressed on Ramblings of a Texas Housewife are my own. My reviews are never reviewed or edited in any way by sponsors.

Zula Patrol Review & Giveaway

"This is a job for the Zula Patrol!"

As soon as I put in the DVD the catchy theme song with it’s zooming graphics and jingle reminded me of the Jetsons and the Flintstones. Within the first part of the show, it was clear this DVD is on a different planet than those old cartoons. This Zula Patrol DVD is aimed at children from pre-kindergarten through second grade. I loved that the DVDs stress tolerance and non-violence. Also it is so nice to have science lessons as the main factor. I feel that is an area that we do not focus on enough. With Tristen being a constant explorer and part mad scientist, I find it is sometimes hard to find something that will stop him long enough to soak in a fact.

The science lessons aren’t fact after fact after fact. There are breaks between the more lecture-like material. Information is repeated several times, so even if a new vocabulary word isn’t immediately remembered, the term comes back again and again throughout the episode. But it is not repeated three time in a row like so many shows are doing right now. This reminds me of the quality shows that I would watch on PBS. It seems to take the step between Sesame Street and Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Overall, I liked this DVD. It's definitely one of the most educational DVD’s that we own. It does a good job of combining fun with fact so it's not boring. Zula Patrol was also very unique in that the characters were original, with lots of bold, bright colors, and the characters are from outer space. Very fun!

You can win some of your own! I have two Zula Partol DVDs to give to one lucky winner. To enter, just click on over to www.zulaworld.com, then come back here and leave me a comment with something you learned there.

For extra entries:

• Follow me on Twitter @Nessa_TX & tweet about this giveaway. Be sure you leave your twitter ID and the link to your tweet in your comment. (3 extra entries, leave 3 comments)

• Fave me on Technorati (link on my left sidebar). Leave me your username. (3 extra entries, leave 3 comments)

• Blog about this giveaway & leave me the link. (3 extra entries, leave 3 comments)

• Follow my blog.

• Subscribe to my blog via RSS.

Entry deadline is 8:00pm CST Wednesday, Sept. 16. Winner will be announced and contacted on Sept. 17. Good luck!

School Clothes Swap

Image by sanjoyg via Flickr

The following is a guest post by my pal Lynette355 from Crazed Mind. Pop over and check out all the craziness at her place.

Lynette, thanks for the great post!

Well we all know it is back to school time. And that means shopping when times are at the toughest they have been in over 20 years. So how do we manage to purchase all the back to school supplies, clothes, shoes and odds and ends when the budget is squeezed tight? Well, I do have a lil tip that can help.

We organized a neighborhood swap. I asked the local elementary school to let us use their parking lot for a Saturday School Clothes Swap. Now we could have done this in a back yard, local community center or church hall. But I thought it would draw more attention at the school. Then I placed notices in our small town newspaper, put up fliers around town and signs on street corners.

Image by Quesomanrulz via Flickr

COME ONE COME ALL FOR A SCHOOL CLOTHES SWAP

BRING ALL THE CLOTHING ITEMS YOUR CHILDREN CAN NO LONGER WEAR OR USE. DONATE THEM TO THE COMMUNITY. IN RETURN GO THROUGH THE DONATED ITEMS TO FIND WHAT YOU NEED!

I set up tables with signs for boys and girls on different sides of the parking lot. Then each table was marked by sizes. Shoes were done the same way. As people showed up we asked that they divide their donated items on the correct tables. There was also an area for donated toys, school supplies and accessories.

We also had horded all the bags and boxes we could for people to use. Each family then found what they needed. After two days of allowing families to come and go we packed the remaining items. Those we donated to the local clothes closet. Now those clothes too will find homes. This was a bit time consuming but provided a much needed commodity. Clothes for children of all ages. And all as no cost to anyone.

You can do this on a smaller level with church groups, family and friends and neighborhood programs. Yes take the time and share what you have with others. You never know you may find your needs met too!

Tackle it Tuesday- A bathroom problem solved

I think I'll call today Tackle it Tuesday, as I've tackled quite a few things I've been putting off. It feels good to finally have this stuff done!

I started in the master bedroom, which is the zone this week. If you have no clue what I'm talking about please check out Flylady. Now our bedroom, bath, and closet look wonderful! I admit that I got a little carried away, but it was fun.

Then, I entered the "room of doom" also known as the kids' bathroom. As I was cleaning, I thought about several of the issues this room has. Ashley cannot reach any of the upper cabinets, so getting to anything that is properly put away is a challenge for her. Tristen has problems keeping things where they belong, or just straightened up in general. After rummaging around in there closet, I found an over the door organizer that is very much like those that hold shoes. This one has bigger "pockets" as it was designed to hold Barbie dolls. Anyway, I took all their wash cloths and towels, rolled them into "logs" and put a wash cloth and towel in each pocket of the first two rows; making 6 pairs ready to go. I wish I could post a pciture, I hope I'm explaining this clearly. The next row of three pockets has a pocket for their tooth brushing supplies, one for Ashley's hair brush and detangler, and one for Tristen's deodorant and comb. I realize some people might not like the idea of this stuff being on display on the back of the bathroom door. But, it is after all the childrens' bathroom and it makes more sense for it to function well than look pretty. Plus, it will be safer this way; little miss was begining to climb up things to get to the cabinets, rather than asking for help. Hopefully, it will work well. I'll keep update next week to let you know how it worked out.

Now, I'm off to survey the contents of the fridge and hopefully get very inspired on how to liven up the leftovers lurking there. This and menu planning are two of my least favorite tasks, but are very rewarding once behind you. Wish me luck!