I know that I have not given my parents enough credit over the years. They raised 6 children with a 15 years age difference and I am the youngest. With that many children in the family, I know that the family activity budget was limited and necessity became the mother of invention. They also had the added challenge of entertaining teenagers and small children all at the same time. No small task!

What I remember the most was spending a lot of time together camping! We spent a lot of time outdoors while my father taught us to fish on the canoe and my mother was a culinary expert of the camp fire. But the best times were hiking and enjoying each others’ company as well as a couple s’mores around the campfire. We did this as often as we could. As the kids grew up and started to move away, our camping trips evolved into camp grounds with different amenities and eventually graduating to the cabins and toboggan runs this last winter. While the locations and activities have changed, the love of spending time with each other in the midst of nature has remained the same.

We are now organizing family reunions with the grand children and starting new traditions. Four years ago we held our first ever Shepherd family reunion right before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. With that in mind, we held our own family Olympics with events ranging from relay races to water balloon volleyball and even a mock awards ceremony. Everyone had a great time, both young and old.

We also rented a huge blow up bounce house. This was a huge hit with all the ages. It was also a fun way to stay nice and cool.

That same reunion introduced our newest and probably one of our best traditions with the arrival of the “Family Film Festival.” As children, we made a lot of home movies that we still enjoy watching and laughing over to this day. We decided to involve the next generation by having each family prepare a movie before the reunion. With treats and drinks in hand, we set up a home theater and laughed until tears ran down our legs! We have repeated this tradition and I think that it will continue to get better and better as the bar is raised with each reunion!

Thank you Mom and Dad for working so hard to keep the family traditions alive!

 What are your favorite family traditions?

May is the month to celebrate your mom. Like many other holidays, Mother’s Day is about tradition, spending the day with her, taking her to a nice lunch, and perhaps giving her a gift to express your love and appreciation. Perhaps you can use one of these ideas to start a new tradition with your mom (or the mom in your life).

How to Make New Mother’s Day Traditions

• Moms love flowers! Bought or picked from the yard, you will make her day with a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers.
• Make her a homemade card. Artwork and sweet sentiments from her child will mean much more than a card you might spend $5 on at the store.
• Wake her with breakfast in bed. Let the kids help make muffins, pancakes, waffles or whatever her favorite breakfast food may be.
• Make a special coupon book just for mom. Coupons can be a night off from cooking, washing dishes, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, sweeping, walking the dog, or could be for a special snuggle/reading time together with child.
• Give mom a gift certificate for a massage, facial or manicure/pedicure. Treat your mom to a day of luxury and relaxation.
• Make a video especially for mom. Record thoughts, memories and sentiments from the kids. The kids can make a giant Mother’s Day card or sign for the video and then give it to her after she sees the video.
• Let mom call the shots. Spend the day doing something mom likes to do like going to the park, hiking or playing games.

What are some ways you show your mother how much you love her?

Robin Greene wishes all the Mommies and Mommies-to-be a very Happy Mother’s Day! Robin has been married for over 15 years and has two teenagers. She enjoys freelance writing for mybabyclothes.com, where you can shop for the most precious baby clothes, beautiful baby tutus and dapper baby hats.

Traditions don’t have to revolve around holidays or a particular day. We didn’t set out to make this one a tradition; this one just happened naturally. It happens every spring and, not surprisingly in this house of boys, involves food and the opportunity to get a little dirty.

Picking Strawberries with the Family

On a warm spring day (with no rain if we can help it), we head to a local farm to do some strawberry picking.

A perfect day for strawberry picking.

The strawberry farm we go to allows you to bring your own container, so my boys personalize theirs.

We wouldn't want to get their strawberries mixed up, now would we?

We’ve also learned that it’s best to have “strawberry picking clothes,” which should include a red shirt to better hide the strawberry stains. Trust me on this one.

The boys have their strawberry picking technique down: you twist and then pull. They know they can pick as much as they can carry but can’t eat any until we wash them. But it’s a hard lesson to teach, especially when even I am tempted by the sweet juicy fruit in my hot little hand. We wander up and down different rows, allowing them to decide which berries they want to pick.

He has that twist-and-pull technique down.

When they are satisfied with their amount of strawberries, we store the berries in our van and explore the farm. We take a hayride, pet the animals, climb on tractors, and check out the treats in the market.

The first year we were there, my oldest spotted some bright flowers and insisted “Mommy, this is for you!” Each year since, they have picked out flowers for me and for their grandma, too.

Pink for mom, red for grandma.

When we are all good and tired, we head home where we immediately wash the strawberries while the boys practically dance around the kitchen with excitement.

Then we head to the backyard, spread out a blanket and have a picnic of strawberries and homemade lemonade (okay, lemonade we picked up from Chick-Fil-A on the way home). We eat ’til their bellies are full and then enjoy the spring weather. In little boy terms, that means chasing each other around the yard and inventing games that have me wondering which of them will be the first to break a bone.

Broken bones aside, strawberry picking day is always a fun tradition for our whole family.

What spring traditions does your family have?

Shell- known as @shellthings on Twitter- wrangles chaos and mayhem on a daily basis (otherwise known as raising three boys). When she’s not breaking up wrestling matches or ducking Legos, she spills her thoughts on her blog, Things I Can’t Say. Featuring the popular weekly link-up “Pour Your Heart Out” and a guest post series titled “Things They Can’t Say,” Shell’s blog is all about encouraging community and support among bloggers. In her free time (ha!), Shell is cofounder of Other Half Media, which takes on blogging and social media projects for bloggers and companies alike. She also team-teaches classes for bloggers on How to Rock Your Blog.

Fun Family Easter Traditions

Decorating Eggs

The kids still love to decorate eggs for Easter. Over the years we have dyed, painted, tye-dyed, drawn designs with wax then dyed, glittered, boiled decals and put stickers on our eggs. You name it, we have tried it!  We always have a great time gathered around the kitchen table.

Sunrise Service

I remember going to sunrise services as a kid and we have continued that tradition with our children. We get up before the sun and head to church for the sunrise service. It is a wonderful time as a family.

Easter Baskets

I have bought and prepared baskets for the kids. Every year I fill the basket with little trinkets, favorite candies, a chocolate bunny, and other items that the kids are into that particular year. The gifts have ranged from outside toys, guitar strings, Christian themed t-shirts to jewelry. The Easter Bunny even brings Mom and Dad a special treat!

Easter Lunch

Our traditional Easter lunch always consists of foods like spiral ham, potato salad, green beans, macaroni and cheese, fruit salad and delicious rolls smothered in butter. This fabulous meal is followed up by a fantastic spread of desserts, including a coconut cake shaped like a bunny. Whew! I need a nap just thinking about all the food!

Easter Egg Hunt

The favorite activity of the day, other than looking at the loot after, is the Easter egg hunt! All of the adult siblings get together for a multi-family egg hunt. We have a couple hundred eggs filled with candy, novelties and money! Most of the adults head outside to hide the eggs while a couple of adults make sure the kids do not peek. We have an easy section for the little kids and a hard section for the big kids. Once the doors are opened, the race is on! What if it rains, you ask? One of the best hunts I can remember was on a rainy day; we hid the eggs inside the house. It was so fun watching the kids! One year the eggs each had a letter on them. The big kids had to find letters A to Z before moving on in the hunt. When the hunt is over, all the kids go through their basket.

Easter is definitely a fun filled day of tradition for our family. As we enjoy our special day together, we talk with the kids about the real meaning of Easter: Christ!

What are some traditions that help teach your children the true meaning of Easter?

Featured image courtesy of Flickr.

Robin Greene wishes everyone a very Happy Easter!  Robin enjoys spending time with her family and friends, teaching Kindergarten and freelance writing for mybabyclothes.com.  With the sun shining bright you are sure to be taking your little one out to the park.  Make sure they are dressed in the most comfy baby clothes, with a cute baby headband or a baby hat to protect that delicate skin from the sun.

When I was at Blissdom12 this year, Hershey’s offered us a chance to fill a virtual Easter basket on the computer in their booth. The really cool thing is they delivered that exact basket to my home this week. It has so many delicious treats, I can’t wait to surprise my kids with it on Easter morning. You can also go to Hershey’s Easter website and find all kinds of fun ideas, recipes, and crafts. They asked me to share some of my favorite Easter memories with you.

Easter Traditions with the Family

We have so many Easter traditions in our family. Each year I buy a new Easter dress for my daughter. I remember my mom going to the store and buying my sisters and I a new dress to wear to church, with white gloves and a hat. I only have one daughter and she was never really into the hat and glove thing, but she always likes picking out a new church dress.

In our old neighborhood, we would have an annual Easter egg hunt. Each family would buy and fill a dozen eggs for each child and then take them to the coordinator’s house the night before. On the morning of the hunt, we would go down to the neighborhood park and start hunting for eggs. It was fun to watch the kids take their time searching for eggs and then open each one to see what was inside. Some years the Easter bunny would show up. This was always a lot of fun.

As the kids have gotten older, our Easter egg hunts have become family hunts. We invite my parents and siblings over so that all the cousins can go on a huge egg hunt together. My parents love to hide money in some of the eggs and it is always fun to see who gets the lucky eggs. I remember one year the kids hid the eggs four times. They didn’t want the hunt to end. This picture was taken years ago when we decided to go camping for Easter weekend with my sister and her family. We had an Easter egg hunt in the campground which will always be a special memory for the kids.

One of the things I love about Easter is that we are together with our family. We usually prepare a delicious meal of ham and scalloped potatoes, and then tell the story of the true meaning of Easter. We have a special activity where we talk about Jesus and all the wonderful things he has done for us. It is a time of reflection and meaning.

I hope my kids will cherish all the memories we have created over the years. I know I will, and I look forward to many more to come.

What are some of your favorite Easter traditions?

Jill Greenlaw has a banking background. She gave that up 17 years ago when she got married and started having kids. She loved being a stay-at-home mom while raising her four beautiful children. A few years ago, Jill went back to work in sales. She is now working for the Mom It Forward team as their Community Manager. She loves her job. Her interests include camping, motorcycling, boating, photography, reading, cooking, and traveling. Put her in flip flops anywhere warm and she is happy.

How to De-Stress and Get Organized for Easter and Passover

9 Ways to Make Spring Holidays Less Stressful:

• Don’t worry about making the holiday perfect. No one is as critical as you are!
• Decide what traditions are important to you and forego the rest.  Figure out how to make the holiday meaningful for your family.  Your family takes their cue from you, and no one will enjoy the holiday if you feel stressed.
• Delegate whatever you can. When a guest asks what they can bring, have a suggestion ready.  Be proactive about asking guests and family members to help.
• Do it the same way every year.  If you always serve the same dishes, use the same platters and set up the same way, so it becomes routine.
• If you’re a family that takes turns hosting holidays, avoid Passover like one of the ten plagues. Between all of the different courses and types of food, this is a holiday meal that’s very labor intensive to host.
• Although I always advocate ease and simplicity, the Easter baskets I see are filled with junk you don’t want in your house.  Consider filling your own baskets with some higher quality toys that might last longer than an Easter egg hunt.
• If you buy Easter baskets without the handle, they’re easier to store and may have some other uses after the holiday is done.
• Store holiday accessories in labeled boxes with lids.  Since these items are used only once a year, they don’t need to be accessible.
• Stock up for next year as soon as the holiday ends; that’s when you’ll find the best sales!

Happy Holidays!

What are some ways you simplify your family holiday celebrations?

Barbara Reich is a professional organizer based in New York, NY. Her tough love approach turns organization and clutter from chore to lifestyle. To find more tips from Barbara, please visit www.facebook.com/ or www.resourcefulconsultants.com

How to Celebrate Purim

Traditional Symbols of Purim

The Purim Story

In the fourth century B.C.E, the Persian King Achashverosh grew weary of his wife, Queen Vashti.  When she refused the king’s order to appear at a celebration and display her beauty for the guests, the king decided to dispose of his queen and find a new one by holding a beauty contest.

A Jewish girl, Esther, was identified as a possible candidate and sent to Shushan, the capital of Persia. She was accompanied by her Uncle Mordechai, who warned her not to disclose that she was, in fact, a Jew. Esther won the contest and married the Persian King.

After the wedding, Achashverosh promoted one of his advisors, Haman, as the new Prime Minister. Haman immediately issued a dictate that all citizens were to bow to him.  Upon encountering Mordechai, Haman demanded that the peasant pay him homage. Mordechai refused to bow for religious reasons causing Haman to become enraged.  In response to the perceived insult, the Prime Minister issued a royal edict: all Persian Jews were to be executed on the 13^th of Adar.

Mordachai learned of a plot to assassinate the king and alerted Esther. Also, aware of Haman’s growing anger toward the Jews, Mordechai informed Esther of Haman’s plans. He implored her to intercede and demand an audience with the king. Despite the King’s warnings not to disturb him, Queen Esther risked her life and requested that the king see her. Fortunately, King Achashverosh was so smitten with his lovely new queen that he granted Esther’s request.

The queen invited both her husband and Haman to two banquets.  That evening, the king learned that Mordechai saved his life by reporting the assassination plot. The king ordered Haman to honor Mordechai by dressing him in royal garments, placing him on a royal stallion and by leading Mordechai through the streets of Shushan.  At this point, Haman was even more determined to destroy the Jews, particularly Mordechai.

After fasting for several days, Esther held the second banquet. She told the King that Haman has signed her death order.  Distraught, the King questioned Haman who denied the accusation. Esther revealed that she was Jewish and if the king did not recall Haman’s decree, both she and her people would be killed.  King Achashverosh recalled the edict and ordered that Haman (and his 10 sons) be hung instead of the Jews.   Mordechai was appointed to be new Prime Minister. While in office, he initiated a new holiday, Purim, which consisted of a festive meal, the exchange of gifts of food and donations to the poor and needy.

Each year on the 14^th of Adar (which is the 12th month in the Jewish calendar and usually falls in March or late February) the story of Purim is told as a reminder that good can triumph over evil in remarkable ways.

Purim Family Fun Traditions

When I asked my eight year old daughter what she enjoys about Purim, she replied simply, “It’s a lot of fun and you eat great cookies.”  And I couldn’t agree more.  There are three themes associated with Purim:

Kri-aat Megillah

Jews gather in synagogues to read the Book (or Megillat) of Esther.

• The Festivities: Congregants dress up and have a skit called the Purim Shpiel:  An entertaining historical account of the events leading up to the holiday. (This year I was asked to play Queen Esther in our synagogue’s re-enactment of the event.)
• The Noise: During the skit, one of the goals of the participants and the audience is to ensure that the name, Haman, is eradicated.  Whenever his name is mentioned, the audience is encouraged to stamp its feet, pound chairs, yell and make noise with graggers.
• The Food: Families gather to have a “feast” or a meal while it is still light out because the verse in the Book of Esther mentions the “days” of feasting.  Haman Tashen (triangular pastries filled with poppy seed – “mon” in Yiddish) is eaten to denote the obliteration of Haman (the “mon” in the pasty represents Haman).

Matanot Laevyonim  or “Presents to the poor”

The giving of gifts of food or money to the needy.  Often synagogues schedule food drives during Purim and encourage school age children to bring boxes of dried goods to the Purim Shpiel.  After they have used the boxes as graggers, the children can donate the food.

Mishloach Manot  or  An Occasion for the Sending of Gifts. 

The sending of gifts of goodies with relatives, friends, and neighbors.  Many of these gifts will include at least 2 different types of food like baked Hamentashen and fruit.

Hamentashen Cookies

Hamentashen Recipe: Traditional Purim Dessert

As a child, my grandmother told me that the triangle represented Haman’s triangular hat. This was my grandmother’s favorite recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lbs Butter (softened) 2 sticks
• 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 4 Eggs + (1 set aside)
• 4-5 Cups Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp salt

Fillings

• 1 can/jar Rasp Pastry Filling
• 1 can/jar Apricot Pastry Filling
• 1 can/jar Prune Pastry Filling
• 1 can/jar Apple Butter

(Suggestion: Use Solo Brand Pastry Filling. It doesn’t bubble out of the cookie.)

Directions:

1. Beat butter with sugar well, until fluffy. Add 3 eggs, beating well after each. Add remaining ingredients and mix to form dough.
2. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour
3. Roll out dough thinly (1/8″) on floured board. Cut out circular shapes using a juice glass (3-4 inch circles)
4. Brush each cookie circle with the last egg using an egg wash.
5. Place 1 tsp of filling in the center of each circle. Shape circular pieces into triangles by pinching dough together at 3 evenly spaced intervals.
6. Pinch the ends together by joining opposite corners and pressing dough together to forming a pocket for the filling.
7. Place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees about 18-20 minutes or until lightly brown.

What are some of your family’s favorite holidays? 

Renee Radbill Keats has been blogging since 2003. Recently, Renee was selected to be one of  twelve Oprah Winfrey Lifeclass bloggers on the OWN Network.  You can find Renee’s musings on  A Windy City Momma, where she writes about her strange parental experiences, the decision to learn Hebrew and become a Bat Mitzvah as an adult and her ongoing adjustment to living in Chicago despite the fact that she has resided there for more than a decade.

Journalist Meg Cox, an expert on family traditions, writes “Ritual in general, all the little and big things we do together as families, works as a safety net, a security blanket, and an ongoing promise of protection.” (From The Book of New Family Traditions) Some of us observe rituals our parents kept when we were growing up. Others are inspired to create new traditions by living among people in other cultures or friends we admire or books we’ve read.

How To Make New Family Traditions

When my oldest child started school, he was overly concerned about making mistakes. The occasional “yellow card” or frown from a teacher for talking in class filled him with angst as a five year old. I decided to reward him for “coloring outside of the lines,” so to speak.

All through elementary school when he missed a word on a spelling test or was reprimanded by a playground supervisor, I took him out for ice cream. A root beer float soothed the sting of having made a mistake and, I hope, helped him realize that messing up isn’t the end of the world. Now, as a teenager, he takes setbacks in stride. Did the ice cream ritual help? I’ll never know, of course, but I have a hunch it did.

That ritual, I should note, only applied to my oldest; his younger brother or sisters never received ice cream after getting bad grades or into trouble at school.

The traditions we keep, then, don’t have to apply to every person or situation. Some rituals are ones my family keeps most of the time—sometimes sports schedules, the weather, or other factors keep us from them.

And that’s okay.

Cox writes, “In family ritual, perfectionism is the enemy. The more outrageously imperfect a ritual is, the more kids love it and remember it.”

Wishing you joy as you invent and maintain your own “outrageously imperfect” family traditions.

What are some of your favorite family traditions?

Big thanks to Meg Cox, author of The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays and Every Day to permission to quote her work. Read more about Meg or subscribe to her free traditions newsletter at megcox.com.

Parenting writer Jennifer Grant’s first book, “Love You More: The Divine Surprise of Adopting My Daughter” was published in August 2011. Her second, also a memoir, is titled “MOMumental: Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family” and will be released in May 2012. “MOMumental” is a “humorous and candid memoir that shows would-be supermoms how to create a realistically balanced family life without losing their minds.” Find Grant online at jennifergrant.com.

5 Fun Things To Do in the Winter Months:

We’ve come up with our Top 5 favorite things to do during those chilly months of the year. They’ve been tried and tested by our families and they all get two “thumbs up!”

1.) Create a Drive-In Movie Experience

Follow the simple steps outlined below to create a drive-in movie experience for your kids right in the comforts of your home:

1. Start with a cardboard box, large enough for your child to sit in comfortably. This is their “car.”
2. Cut two circles in the bottom of the box, big enough for their legs to fit through.
3. Cut out two paper “headlights” and glue them on.
4. Attach a paper plate for a steering wheel.
5. Use markers or paint to decorate the car.
6. Add stickers, door handles, get creative!
7. “Drive” to the “snack bar”….popcorn, candy, nachos, apple slices…you name it! Don’t forget the drinks!
8. Head over to the “Drive-In” and park the car! Remind your little ones to slide their legs out of the holes and into the car when they sit down…or it could be a little uncomfortable!
9. Turn off the lights, put in the “feature presentation” and enjoy the show!

2.) Go on a Winter Scavenger Hunt

This can be done a few different ways. Find the items and take pictures; play it “I spy” style and cross the items off your list as you spot them; or collect the actual items. They should all be Winter-related (e.g. snowman, sled, hat, boots, mittens, scarf, icicle, snow blower, snow plow, snow shovel, rock salt, coat, skis, snowboard, hot cocoa mix, snow scraper, snow shoes, etc.). Involve your neighbors too.

3.) Go Sledding or Tubing

Bundle up and head for the hills. If you can’t change the weather, you might as well make the best of it.

4.) Host a Winter Blues Bash

There’s no reason to sit at home feeling blue just because it’s cold outside! Gather your friends/family and warm up together with a “soup-er” potluck party! Have everyone bring a pot of their favorite soup to share or anything else that will bash those blues away!

5.) Make the Best of a Snow Day

Head outside and make a snowman, then warm up with some hot chocolate! If you live in an area without snow, build a snowman using styrofoam balls or make one out of paper. Next, it’s time to make a “Snow Cave!” Drape a white sheet over tables, chairs, etc. to create a cave in front of your television. Decorate it with paper snowflakes. Grab a pillow and blanket, snuggle up in your cave, and watch “Frosty the Snowman” or one of your favorite Winter shows!

There are a lot of new memories to be made with these fun and free traditions!

What are your family’s favorite winter traditions?

Jen and Kim are two fun-lovin’ Moms who think that every day deserves to have a little bit of fun thrown in the mix….especially when it’s Free!  Jen is married to her favorite Fireman, Todd. She spends her days chasing a two year old and has #2 on the way! She enjoys anything that gets her creative juices flowing, plus Zumba, reading, writing and stirring up some trouble in the kitchen! Kim is married to her favorite Football coach, Scott. She spends her days trying to figure out how her children, now 18 and 21, grew up so fast! When she’s not figuring out how she can keep them around a little longer, she enjoys writing, pumping iron (not the kind that takes the wrinkles out of your clothes), entertaining her little “Princess” — a beautiful Husky named Shyah — and mixing in a little cooking/cleaning along the way.  Did we mention Kim and Jen are sisters? Yep, two fun-lovin’ beach bums from So-Cal that somehow landed in the Rocky Mountains of Utah! They’re often seen aimlessly wandering around looking for a beach or searching for more fun, free activities! Jen and Kim are the co-founders of Free Family Fun.

• http://freefamilyfunactivities.blogspot.com
• http://facebook.com/freefamilyfun
• http://pinterest.com/freefamilyfun
• Twitter ID: @Free_Family_Fun

Looking for a fun holiday special of mammoth proportions? Our favorite movie friends from the “Ice Age” series are back in a bigger than life holiday DVD release that’s sure to get your whole family laughing this holiday season.  ICE AGE: A MAMMOTH CHRISTMAS landed on Blu-ray and DVD. Click here for more info.

Every dog has his day…wedding day, that is! It’s puppy love at first sight when Anchor Bay Entertainment unleashes A Christmas Wedding Tail on DVD!  This doggone good tail is a fun new holiday tradition, especially for blended families. Click here for more info.

Want to help your little Dora fan celebrate this holiday and fiesta season? You’ll want to be sure to check out the new three-DVD box set, Dora the Explorer: Celebrate with Dora. Click here for more info.

Happiness is…Peanuts™: Snow Days celebrates everyone’s favorite thing about a long chilly winter: snow days! This DVD is comprised of one newly remastered classic Peanuts television special, Click here for more info.

Give the gift of friendship this holiday season with Barney™: A Very Merry Christmas – The Movie, now on DVD, Digital Download and On Demand. Click here for more information.

Come ho-ho-home to the Island of Sodor and join Thomas and his engine friends for the holidays in Thomas & Friends™: Merry Christmas, Thomas! now on DVD, Digital Download and On Demand. Click here for more information.

Looking for a very, merry holiday gift for your favorite little engineer? A happy holiday season will be right on track when you present your little engineer with the Thomas & Friends™: Holiday Favorites 3-DVD Gift Set, a new collection of adventurous, holiday- themed DVDs featuring Thomas and his engine friends, chugging into stores on DVD October 18, 2011 from Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment. Click here for more info.

The Grinch, the Cat in the Hat and many other legendary literary characters come to life on  Dr. Seuss’s Holidays on the Loose!,This set features the holiday classic  Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! as well as The Grinch Grinches The Cat in the Hat and Halloween is Grinch Night. Click here for more information.

Give the gift of dance and good cheer this holiday season with Angelina Ballerina™: Holiday 3-DVD Gift Set, a collection of delightful DVDs waltzing into stores. With games and karaoke, it’s the perfect present for little ballerinas everywhere! Click here for info.

Have a holly jolly holiday this year with everyone’s favorite purple T-rex as he and his friends ring in the joy of the season in Barney™: Holiday Favorites 3-DVD Gift Set, unwrapping in stores. Click here for more info.

This year you can now celebrate Christmas, Halloween and Valentine’s Day, Bikini Bottom-style with SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy and the rest of the crew in SpongeBob SquarePants: Holidays with SpongeBob.  Click here for my review.

If your holiday season isn’t complete without a viewing of this long time classic, you’ll want to be sure to check out the new remastered deluxe edition of Frosty the Snowman  and the Twas the Night Before Christmas” on DVD and Blu-ray. You can see my reviews here and here.

What are your family’s favorite holiday movies?

Kim R. is a working mom of 2 and aunt to a whole posse more who covers family friendly deals, activties, entertainment and events www.twokidsandacoupon.com. Watch her site for regular reviews of movies, DVDs, and TV. She lives in rural Iowa, with her husband, son and daughter. You can also find her on Twitter @2kidsandacoupon.