Category Archives: Holiday

Teacher Appreciation Week – unique gift idea

Gifts, Holiday,

To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, My Class Essentials is offering FREE SHIPPING on all 6,000 plus classroom supplies through May 8. This is a great way to help teachers get the supplies they need to ensure their students receive a great learning environment. Some of the most popular items include:

  • Flash cards – Learning the basics should be fun
  • Markers & Pencils  – Spring inspired crafts will look even brighter
  • Free time reading books – Free reading time has moved outdoors
  • Bulletin Boards – Teachers need space to display your kids’ artwork

Teacher Appreciation Week is the perfect time to thank our kids’ teachers. Now more than ever, our kids teachers need supplies and this is a great way to get them.  If you can’t buy supplies this week just try to send your child to school with supplies for his/her teacher by the end of the school year.  Teachers need our help!

Incredible Getaways + Mother’s Day Markdowns on Rue La La

Holiday, Mother's Day, Sample Sales, Travel, ,

Rue La La’s exclusive Mother’s Day Boutique will be available to Rue La La members starting at 11 AM on May 5th.  The range of experiences moms can be treated to is incredible- from weekends away in Napa to Maine, or even French Wine Country. If you have a little extra money in the bank and are trying to get a special gift for your mother you’ve got to check out Rue La La’s Mother’s Day Boutique.


 I want to go on the Tanzania Safari Adventure for 2 adults, 2 children.  How fun would that be?

Here are a few of the incredible experiences being offered to Rue La La members at 11am May 5th.

French Wine Explorers

A Taste of Bordeaux: A Wine and Culinary Sojourn, French Wine Explorers

  • 4-nights hotel for 2, wine expert guide, transportation, private cooking class and lunch, 2 lunches, VIP tours and tastings

3-Day Private Flavors of Provence, French Wine Explorers

  • 2-nights hotel for 2, guided tour of outdoor market, transportation, 2 buffet breakfasts, private cooking class and lunch, full day gourmet tour

Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa

Fairmont Room and 3-Course Tasting Menu in Sante Package

  • 2 weekend nights hotel, Tasting menu dinner for 2

Natural Habitat

Tanzania Safari Adventure for 2

  • 8 nights lodging permanent tented camps and lodge, meals, camp guides, game drivers, transportation for 2 adults

Tanzania Safari Adventure for 2 adults, 2 children

  • 8 nights lodging permanent tented camps and lodge, meals, camp guides, game drivers, transportation — 2 adults, 2 children (age 6-12)

Use this special invite link to join Rue La La , free and start your members only shopping experience today.   Besides these amazing vacation offers you will find lots of great deals on designer clothing, wine, bedding, and more.

My Homedics Shiatsu Pillow – my personal massuse and stress reliever

Gifts, Health, Mother's Day, New posts, Relaxation, , ,

How would you like to hear that for one low payment of $39.99 a masseuse will visit your home at the snap of your fingers and give you a stress and pain relieving back and neck massage?  Wouldn’t that be nice?  Ever since a car accident 9 years ago I suffer from neck and back cramps and on top of that I have two kids, a business, and a home to take care of which as I’m sure you are aware, can lead to a good amount of stress which leads to painfully tense neck muscles.  My husband isn’t always home to give me a neck rub but I have the next best thing, a Homedics Shiatsu Pillow.

I am enjoying my Homedics Shiatsu Pillow as I write this.  My body is swaying back and forth to the shiatsu motion, my lower back is nice and warm and my muscles are relaxed.  I have an old iJoy massage chair that does the job but I can’t go upstairs and sit in the chair every time I feel tense or when I’m not home obviously.  I can however take my Shiatsu Pillow anywhere and is an amazingly effective alternative to a massage chair or an actual massage.  I am extremely impressed with how strong the shiatsu mechanisms are.  I was expecting more of a light shiatsu massage with some vibration but this is the real thing!  The Homedics Shiatsu Pillow is about half the size of pillow and fits nicely in any chair.  I find it gives a particularly deep and tension relieving massage when I sit in a hard chair such as the chairs below.   Do you like my office space? – I’m working in my dining room today.

The soft plush Shiatsu Pillow conforms to your body and there’s even an option to add heat to your massage.  The shiatsu pillow is perfect for use on your neck, back, shoulders and more. Finally, moms can relax while the soft plush pillow kneads away muscle tension, pain and fatigue! What a relief!  That’s worth $39!

Homedics’ Shiatsu Pillow would make a great Mother’s Day gift, don’t you think?

Valentine’s Cards from Paper Culture for Haiti Relief

Guest post: TheFind.com, Holiday, Paper Goods, ,


In the last year I’ve ordered cards from Paper Culture for several occasions. A friend’s baby shower, birthday parties, Valentines day cards and of course or annual family Christmas cards. I love ALL of the designs from this cool new personalized card site. The designs of the cards are amazingly sophisticated and stylish. The best thing is that they will address and mail the cards for you. They will also add a personalized greeting, which by the way has sent many compliments my way. And yes, I am happy to take the credit!

If you are shopping for Valentine’s Day cards, Paper Culture will donate 100% of this year’s Valentine’s Day Card proceeds to Haiti Relief. This is a wonderful way to send a Valentine’s greeting to your loved ones and to help send relief to those in need.

From our friends at TheFind.com.

Our Disney World holiday visit and tips for parent & kids visiting Disney World > Part 2

Holiday, New posts, Personal, Travel, , ,

This is a continuation of Part 1: “Our amazing trip to Disney World and a few tips and hints for your next visit – Part 1” post published December 26th, 2009.

Meal Time at Disney World

It was difficult for the 5 of us to agree on a time and place in the Disney World park to eat a meal so I’m glad I brought a large bag of snacks and granola bars (choose some healthy high calorie snacks) to keep their energy up. I think that helped keep my 10 and 3 year old from getting cranky and tired as so many other kids clearly and unfortunately were.

Plan your day at Disney World

  • Take 5-10 minutes when you arrive at Disney World to sit down on a bench with your family and plan out the rides that everyone wants to go in and if there are rides that both of yor kids can’t go on due to height restrictions then plan which parent or adult will go with with child (or kids) on each ride . That way there is no confusion once you reach a ride that you find all of your kids can’t go on.
  • Get Fast Passes. Fast Passes are free, but not all rides offer Fast Passes. “Its a Small World” doesn’t offer Fast Passes so be ready to wait in line.  If there is a parade Scheduled for the day you are visiting Disney World. During the parades at Disney World, lines for popular rides like “Space Mountain” are shorter because a lot of people are watching the parade.
  • Be prepared for moments of crankiness.  Expect your kids to get cranky. Being around so many people can be overwhelming I say the least. Kids can’t reason and accept the fact that they have to wait in line so be prepared to keep calm yourself. Download a couple of exciting new iPhone games (if you have one) that your kids can play while in line to help pass the time quicker.
  • Expect to buy each child one toy. Explain that it’s best to but toys at the end of your day at Disney World so THEY (your kids) don’t have to carry their toy around the while time.
  • Adults may want to wear a backpack not a handbag.  Your shoulders will be very strained with a few hours of walking and standing and you can expect to get sore.

General ride tip:

  • Whenever my 3 year old looked or acted line she was getting frightened on a ride (Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin for example) during dark moments I would point out how I thought the ride was so fun. When we went through outer space during Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin I told her in a very cheery voice that we got to go in space. She was OK then.
  • When she looked like she was getting overwhelmed/green on the Tea Cup ride I slowed our Tea Cup down and had her look down. This only lasted for a moment then she was ready to spin again.

Even though we arrived at Disney World at 9:30, we didn’t get to ride as many rides as we hoped.   Disney World is extremely busy during school breaks, even winter break.  The crowds can be a bit overwhelming especially for kids.  Read my tips on what to bring which will help during these overwhelming times.  The perfect weather more than made up for the crowds though.   I would recommend that everyone go during the holidays at least once to see Disney World beautifully decorated with Christmas Trees, Nutcrackers, and Cinderella’s brightly lit castle.

Did I leave any tips out? Share them with our readers in the comments area below. Thanks!

Part 1 > Read Part 1 of my ‘Disney World holiday trip’ series here

Helpful Disney World official website links:

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