Tis the season…
…for lots of candy, fa la la la la, la la la la…
Raise your hand if you bought a bag of Halloween candy, and you and the kids have already eaten it! Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Ok. Just us then. Fortunately, what I got in the mail the other day will save my Halloween stash – if I can keep the kids out of the box.
My husband had a few loves in his life: Me, His Kids, Sharp and Pointy Things, Things that Go BANG, and sweets. Not necessarily in that order, all the time, either! His all time favorite was Oreo Cookie Stuff. No, not the COOKIES, but the Stuff in the middle. In fact, our kids were 3 or so before they discovered that Oreos had Stuff, because Daddy would lick the stuff out and give them the chocolate cookie! Oh the look of shock when they first got that delicious lick… Priceless.
The other thing was something I NEVER understood: Necco Wafers. I’m just a Reeses kinda gal. Kevin and the kids though, they LOVE them. Love love LOVE them. They’d flick them at each other like coins, they’d suck and crunch and exclaim over how good they were, they’d pile together on the couch and share a tube of them while watching TV. He even shared them with the dog. It was something that was theirs, just theirs, because Mom is a total weirdo and didn’t want any. I always made sure when he was home from work to have a package (or 10) on hand.
A couple week ago, I received notice that the first 50 lucky mom’s to email the lovely Danielle would get to try the all new All Natural Necco Wafers, just in time for Halloween. I couldn’t send the email fast enough then crossed my fingers. (Crossing them FIRST would have made it difficult to type, see?) Then? Then they came in the mail this weekend. I knew once the kids knew what was in the box, it would be all over.
So I hid them.
And ate them all myself.
(No, not really.)
Of COURSE I had the kids be my taste-testers – and have had to smack little (and not so little!) hands away from the box ever since – lest I not have any left over for Halloween! It started a lot of “remember when..” too, and I was thrilled to bring that little bit of their dad back to them as they crunched away happily on the wafer treat.
Necco Wafers has a rich 145 year history, and are the first mass produced candy brand to go all natural – and are proud to be made with only natural flavors and colors, with no high fructose corn syrup or other artificial ingredients. And? They’re fat free! All Natural Necco Wafers come in 7 great flavors that are Lessa’s Kid’s Approved: Orange, Lemon, Chocolate, Clove, Cinnamon, Wintergreen and Licorice. We also received a handful of All Natural Chocolate Necco Wafers, which come in 4 flavors: Dark, White, milk and Mocha, and have the kids clamoring for more!
So – if you or you’re loved ones are the type to go clamoring for Necco Wafers, be sure to hit my house come Halloween. If we have any left, I’ll let you try some! If not, or if you think the trek to Alaska might be a bit far for the wafer, be sure to check them out at their website, facebook, and even follow them on twitter – and get some Necco Wafer’s today!
Survivor Recap: Ep. 6
Jeff Probst and CBS promised us a drama filled episode and they delivered. It was scary to see Russell S. collapse, and heartbreaking when he then broke down farther when he realized he’d be pulled from the game.
Before that though, we got a real glimpse of how awful the weather had been for both tribes – the non stop rain was taking it’s toll on everyone. Everyone except Russell H, Evil Russell, who declared it easy and enjoyable, that it proved him better than the rest of them because he continued to work in the rain.
Challenge time came, and they were told it was for Reward – Pizza. No one looked thrilled, which was odd to me, because I’d have been all over that like white on rice. Of course, what little excitement they did have was promptly damped (hahahah) when they were told the winning team would eat the pizza at tribal council, where both teams would vote off a player.
The Biggest Loser: ep 806
Immediately after elimination, Tracey is all big eyed and teary because she discovers the black team wanted her to be eliminated. They’re not the only ones, Tracy.
But there’s no time to dwell, as they kick off this week with a challenge. The players have to dig through piles of sand and find four keys that will unlock a box. The box contains a prize – though Ali doesn’t clue them in on what it is. The blue team works together and end up finding all four keys – where they find tickets home for a week. They get the choice of keeping it – going home and losing their trainers for the week – or giving it up. They give it up, and the Black Team is sent home for a week instead.
The Biggest Loser: 805
Catching up with some quick recaps! Hold on to your hats – here we go on a whirlwind of Biggest Loser!
Last week, they started off with a temptation challenge right of the bat – and it’s the table of spinning calories. Ali tells them that the teams are going to now be blue vs. black, and on the wheel of choices a winning spin means they choose the teams, and a losing spin could mean eating up to 1000 calories. Ouch. But they don’t have to spin – they can choose to sit out and not take the risk. Abby sits out and everyone else takes their chances.
5 ways to ease the Cost of Graduation
So, after years of choir fees and lunch money and field trips and lab fees and classroom fees and school clothes and books and so on and so forth – you’re baby is a SENIOR, and that means…
…wow. They’re gonna squeeze every last dime they can out of you before you get the delight of watching your baby cross the stage – hundreds of dollars for that infamous 50 foot walk, and tassel-turning! Of course, we all know it’s totally worth it, because it means we’ve done our job right, they’ve completed that first definitive step into adulthood, and other folks can look at ya and nod.
“She done good. Lookit that, her kid crossed the stage, got his diploma, and handed the administrator the bribe money slicker’n’snot on a glass doorknob. Well done, mama.”
Meanwhile, Mama is crying because MAH BABY, and also thank gawd he didn’t trip and the robe covers the fact that he never pulls up his pants and whew he didn’t moon the whole audience!
Graduation. It’s an experience.
So, the packets came home yesterday, and I discovered that 1 – my kid is only walking in graduation because I insisted that this family might wait until they’re in their 30s before getting a college degree but BY GOD we graduate high school ON TIME, and B – he wants a class ring. Color me shocked! Now, we’re not a family of means, and I know that in these times, so many of you aren’t either, so here’s some of the ways that WE are gonna handle the cost. Maybe some of these tips will help you too.
1. You know what I’m gonna say, don’t you? TALK TO YOUR KIDS. They’re practically adults now, and this is a really good time to let them know that hey, soon you’ll be paying your own bills, and you’ll understand. Give them a budget that you can afford. If they have a job – let them help pay. If they don’t have a job, suggest they get one so that they can help pay. Working a couple weekends a month can got a long way toward easing the ouch in the pocketbook. Welcome to adulthood, chickadees – pony up the cash!
2. Start with the basics. Cap, gown, tassel. Those are necessary. Check the package pricing, and what it includes. Do they NEED a Class of 2010 t-shirt/sweatshirt/keepsake box/specialized personalized photo album? Embossed announcements? How many invites do you really need? What would be the least expensive way to get what they want? Double check and see if the Senior Rings and Cap/Gowns are from the same place – if so, they often give a discount on cap/gowns if you purchase a senior ring.
3. Consider designing your own announcements/keepsake albums/memory boxes. Yes, the official ones are pretty. Yes, they’re standard and traditional – but is your kid standard and traditional? Do you know you’re way around photoshop? Around Kodak Gallery? Around any number of online places where you can design your own?
My dad was a printer – and I think I broke his heart a little when I went traditional from the school – if I had it to do over again, I’d let him do them. 20 year later, it just wasn’t that big a deal, you know? But to HIM, it would have been something he could do for his little girl. So, if you have someone in your family that designs/prints, etc, consider asking them what they’d suggest, and how much it’ll cost – you might even get them gifted! It never hurts to try!
4. The Ring. I’m sorry. This one is gonna hurt. I’m astounded by the different ring styles no days! We had two choices when I graduated – mens and womens. INORITE? I’m flipping through this catalog and just DROOLING. I didn’t even know my kid WANTED a ring, but he does – so here’s what you do. Let them design what they want, with the understanding that it WILL be adjusted to fit your budget. You’ve pinched pennies for years – so help them redesign it to a lower cost that will still have the same impact they’re going for. Also: payment plans. They’re a good thing.
5. Compromise. Remember this is THEIR BIG DAY. You want to make it memorable for them. Talk over the decisions, make sure to listen to them, and take their feelings into account. They’ve worked for this for the past 12 years. Time to reward them, don’t you think?
So there ya go – five ways to ease the cost of Graduation. What other ways can you think of? Hit up the comments, and let us know!
