Along with the tangible gifts we like to give “experience” gifts. We have spent a lot of time creating memories with our kids so that, long after a toy breaks or batteries die, they have memories of fun times spent together. If you have a Disney vacation planned in the next year here are some experience gifts you could give for Christmas. Just download this printable gift certificate, print it out and give the gift of a Disney experience.

Not sure what experiences make great gifts? A visit to the Pirate’s League or Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is great for the kids. Disney tours are lots of fun! Families with young children will enjoy the Family Magic Tour. Tween and teens love Wild Africa Trek and adults learn and have fun on the Keys to the Kingdom tour. Other ideas include a meal at a favorite restaurant, renting a boat from the marina or even going for a ride on Characters in Flight. One year we surprised Aaron with tickets to see Cirque du Soleil La Nouba while we were on vacation. Get creative and make lasting memories.

In case you don’t have a Disney vacation planned in the near future or if you just want to add some Disney gifts under your tree, I’ve put together this collection of gift ideas to give you a hand with your holiday shopping. (If you are viewing in email please click to my site to view collection.)

The post Gifts for the Disney Lover appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Take a new spin on old holiday traditions this winter season with creative ideas from Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and Country Living! You’ll find fun and merry ways to deck your halls with affordable gift basket arrangements or recipes to whip up the perfect batch of Christmas cookies. You’ll also find a special collection of super-easy, super-quick presents you can literally make in minutes, as well as an entire section dedicated to new ways to wrap your presents using surprising containers and materials.

I plan on making Hot Cocoa Dippers, Hot Cocoa Mix, Chocolate Dipped Pretzels, Bacon-Cheddar mini loaves, Jalepeno & Cheddar Skillet Cornbrad and maybe even some Honey Butter! Since the shelf life on fresh baked goods is short, I don’t plan on hitting the kitchen until the week before Christmas, but I wanted to let you know about this great resource in time for you to plan your holiday baking.

Holiday Food Gifts to Make! is available for $9.99 and can be purchased at your local supermarket, newsstand or bookstore. A digital edition is also available at Zinio.com or Nook.bn.com. For even more photos and inspiration, check out the Hearst Specials Facebook page at  and the Hearts Specials Pinterest page.

This is my week 3 entry into the Holiday Hop of Goodies! I hope you are enjoying all the great recipes and gift ideas that are linked up.

This party is a blog hop hosted by Susie QT Pies Scraps of Life. I am participating which means you will find other bloggers hosting this same hop. When you add your own goodies in the below linky it will show up on their linky, too! If you have a blog, feel free to grab the code at the bottom of the linky and add it to your own holiday post! The more the merrier! Link up anything holiday related! We want you to share your recipes, gift ideas, giveaways, holiday deals and more! Inappropriate links will be deleted.



Disclosure: I received a copy of the bookazine for the purpose of this post. All opinions are 100% mine.

The post Holiday Guide-Holiday Food Gifts to Make appeared first on The Mom Maven.

My brother-in-law, Mike is a huge Auburn Tigers fan, his brother played for the Tigers in the 80s. Mike is also a Guy Harvey fan, fisherman and he owns a bait shop as a side job. When my husband and I were in Grand Cayman on our cruise, we stopped in the Guy Harvey store and gallery hoping to find a Christmas gift for Mike and my son Jordan. When I laid eyes on the shirt I knew it was perfect for Mike so I picked it up in 2x. Guy Harvey was in the gallery that day so he autographed both shirts we purchased. I was tickled with my purchases and was sure I had bought the best gift I could for Mike.

Little did I know, while we were gorging ourselves on delicious cruise food, Mike was starting a doctor supervised weight loss plan. By Christmas morning he had lost 45 pounds and was much too small for a 2x shirt! I spoke with my sister and she decided that after Christmas she would get the shirt framed and it could hang in the bait shop for all the customers to see.

We are all so proud of Mike and how well he is doing on his weight loss program, even if his Christmas present doesn’t fit.

What did you buy this holiday season that you shouldn’t have? Let me know in a comment.

The post What I Shouldn’t Have Bought This Holiday Season appeared first on The Mom Maven.

My husband and I, of course fill stocking for each other and our children. Then when we arrive at my parent’s house we gather in the den and all 10 of us (my family, my sister’s family and my parents) open our stockings en masse. These stockings, having been lovingly prepared by Mimi and PopPop are filled with each persons favorite candy, a few toys and…toiletries! It may sound odd but we look forward to this every year. In the fall Mimi emails each of us to find out our current favorite hair products, shower gels, toothpaste etc and she sets out to create the perfect stocking for each person.

It is actually funny because we know what is coming (except for the toys and candy) and we still enjoy it. We also kind of plan for it. We ran out of Q-tips the other day and we jokingly said, “Can’t you wait another month? You know there will be some in your Christmas stocking!”

Here are some of the top picks for my Christmas stocking this year…Nivea-Touch of Happiness Body Wash, Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm, Q-Tips, Secret Clinical Strength Deoderant, and Colgate 2-in-1 Whitening Toothpaste.

How does your family do Christmas stockings? Do the adults get stockings too? What kind of items are in your stockings? Leave me a comment and let me know.

The post A Different Kind of Christmas Stocking appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Wizards of Waverly Place Magic Chic Lip Gloss Set
Two lipgloss test-tube wands available in grape and watermelon flavors. Three skinny lipbalm available in mixed berries, watermelon, and strawberry flavors.

Wizards of Waverly Place Spellbinding Roll-On Fragrance Set
Includes four roll-on scents in Passion Pineapple, Manhattan Mixed Berries, Pomegranate Paradise, and Magic Chic Kiwi in a keepsake box.

Wizards of Waverly Place Magic Luxe 10 Pack Nail Polish Set
Assortment of holiday colors in shimmer tones

Sonny With A Chance “Smell Ya Later” Body Sprits
Includes four roll-on scents in Beauty Break Blueberry, So Random Raspberry, Tawni Tangerine, and Go Random Grape in a keepsake box

Sonny With A Chance “Get Random Get Glossy” Lip Gloss Set
Includes three lipgloss shimmer wands, and two lipgloss shimmer tubes in Apple, Watermelon, Cherry, and Mixed Berries flavors.

Sonny With A Chance “Welcome to Hollywood” 10 pack nail polish set
Assorted colors in shimmer tones: Teal, Rubine Red, Yellow, Green, Deep Magenta, Orange, Purple, White, Blue, Hot Pink

iCarly Glitter Gloss Duo Compact
Includes mobile phone shaped compact with four variations of glitter pink gloss all in a delicious raspberry flavor, an orange flavored lip balm stick and a novelty iCarly carrying pouch.
iCarly Light-Up Remote Compact
Includes 6 vibrant shades of lipgloss featured in an irresistible grape flavor enclosed in an interactive light up remote control compact.
iCarly 6 Pack Lip Jelly Tin Set
Assorted fruit flavors lip jelly sticks in: Orange, Blueberry, Grape, Lemon, Cherry, and Watermelon.

Each set is available at Walmart for only $5.00! These make great gifts for the class gift exchange too!

The post Holiday Gift Guide: Tween Beauty Gifts appeared first on The Mom Maven.

What I’d really like to see this year though is conversation. I’d love to read your thoughts and ideas on the products I highlight in my gift guide so please leave comments on the gift guide posts.

The post Holiday Gift Guide 2010 appeared first on The Mom Maven.