Complimentary Photo with Santa at your local Walmart

http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid59776.aspx

Holiday Fun at Lakeside Village

• Strolling Carolers will perform every Friday and Saturday through Dec. 19 from 6-9 pm
• Strolling Scrooge will visit every Saturday and Sunday Nov. 28-Dec. 20 from 1-4 pm
• Paint an Ornament, Tuesday, December 1st from 10 am-9 pm at PicassoZ Art Cafe-$8 Donations to benefit Florida Baptist Children's Home
• Live Music, Thursdays from 6-9 pm at the Main Fountain Area
• Storytelling with Mrs. Claus @ Books-A-Million; December 5,12, & 19 at 2 pm
• Come See Santa! Visit his workshop next to Fish City Grill.
  

For more information: www.shoplakesidevillage.net

Christmas is Coming 2009 Booklet Free from Unity

Spark your children's creativity and imagination this holiday season with a free e-book from Unity. Christmas Is Coming! 2009, features

• Fun holiday games and projects.
• Easy-to-remember affirmations.
• Daily reminders to your child that he or she is God's amazing creation.

Print as many copies as you'd like and share with your family and friends. Get ready to have fun, because Christmas Is Coming!
Note: This booklet is only available as an e-book. Print copies are not available.

Download Christmas Is Coming! 2009

Last year, my family and I read each day's entry in this book and did some of the activities. Each day has wonderful topics to get your family talking about the true meaning of Christmas. We read ours each evening at the dinner table.

Santa's Workshop at Family Fundamentals

Santa's Workshop at Family Fundamentals

Saturday, December 5, 2009
9:30 am until 2 pm

• Pictures with Santa
• Create your own Holiday snack
• Hands on Christmas Activites
• Holiday Storytime
  

FREE

Family Fundamentals

Family Fundamentals
Daily Activites (FREE)
1021 Lakeland Hills Blvd., Lakeland, FL 33805
863-686-1221 ext. 221

• Monday: My Play and Learn Time, A School Readiness Activity for 3-5 years @ 9:30-11 am
• Tuesday: Tuesday Trunk Tales, A School Readiness Activity for 3-5 years @ 9:30-11 am
• Wednesday: Mommy and Me Two, Heartland for Children for 1-2 years @ 10-11:30 am
• Thursday: Growing Beyond Books, A School Readiness Activity for 3-5 years @ 9:30-11 am
• Thursday: Mommy and Me for Birth-1 year @ 10-11:30 am
• Friday: Creative Movement; Florida Dance Theatre, A School Readiness Activity for 3-5 years @ 9:30-11 am
• Friday: Creative Movement for 2 years old @ 11:15 am until noon
  

Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops

Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro Shops

• Free Photo with Santa Now thru December 24th
• Games and Activites; elves, moving trains, and arcades
• Free Crafts every weekend
  

Visit basspro.com/santa for more details.

Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey Circus - Special Complimentary Ticket Opportunity

Special Complimentary
Ticket Opportunity –
Donate Food for the Elderly and Get Free Tickets!

Ringling Bros. and
Barnum & Bailey Circus
Friday, January 15th, 7pm
Saturday, January 16th, 2pm & 6pm
Sunday, January 17th, 1pm
$13, $16, $19, $30 (VIP), $40 Front Row
Tickets On Sale Friday, November 20th, 10am
ILLUSCINATION ^SM is a fantasy-filled world where thrills, wonderment and magic intersect with unparalleled powers of imagination. Young thrillusionist, David DaVinci invites audiences to join him in this awe-mazing, mystifying adventure as he bridges the believable world in which we all live and the seemingly impossible one of the circus.

Help VISTE make Thanksgiving Brighter for Polk's Elderly and Get FREE Ringling Bros. and Barum & Bailey Circus Opening Night Tickets!
Friday, November 20th, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® will be giving away tickets to see The Greatest Show On Earth®, ILLUSCINATION ^SM, when it comes to The Lakeland Center January 15th-17th, 2010. In exchange, they're asking folks to donate food to Volunteers in Service to the Elderly (VISTE), to help feed seniors in the Lakeland area.

Friday, November 20th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., representatives from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey will be collecting nonperishable food items in exchange for tickets to Opening Night of the circus. A donation of 10 items entitles each consumer to one show ticket, with a limit of four tickets per family, while supplies last. Tickets will be for the Friday night, Jan. 15th, 7:00 p.m. performance only, at The Lakeland Center. Donations will be collected in front of the Box Office at The Lakeland Center.

VISTE is an organization that enables the frail elderly in Polk County to continue living independently in their own homes, safely, comfortably, and in better health.

Snow Fest at Lake Mirror

December 5, 2009; 10 am until 2 pm

The City of Lakeland Parks & Recreation Department is proud to host the 29th Annual Snowfest at Lake Mirror on Saturday December 5, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

This year’s event will feature the traditional Snow Mountain and also a Snow Slide! A visit from Santa Claus, children’s entertainment, inflatables and food vendors will complete the day.

Price for admission to the Snow Mountain and Snow Slide will be a donated canned food item or a $1.00 donation. All canned food items will be donated to Polk County Senior Orphans charity. Admission to the inflatables will be $1.00.

ABC Family Countdown to Christmas Schedule

I look forward to watching Christmas shows with my children all year long. I am gearing up the Tivo to tape lots of specials for some great pj days.
Here is the ABC Family Countdown to Christmas schedule.

http://community.abcfamily.go.com/25-days-christmas/schedule

New activities

Just wanted to say sorry for not posting in awhile; sickness hit our house and slowed me down a little.

Here are a few local Holiday activities to look forward to in December:

• December 3, 7 pm; Lakeland Christmas Parade through downtown Lakeland
• November 20-December 24th; Santa Claus is coming to town! Come take advantage of this perfect photo opportunity for your family and friends while letting the kids whisper their gift ideas to Santa!
  
  Children visiting Santa will receive a free coloring and autograph book, The Very Best Gift in the World is You, while supplies last.
  
  CLICK HERE FOR SANTA PHOTO COUPON AND HOLIDAY DRAWING FOR YOUR CHILD TO COLOR!
  
  LOCATION: Santa Set
  
  TIME: 10am-9pm
  
  Here is the link, to "click here" for the coupon.
  http://www.lakelandsquare.com/Events/Photos-with-Santa

• December 5, 2009 @ 9:30 am; Santa's Workshop Location: Family Fundamentals Santa Claus is coming to town and he's making his first stop at Family Fundamentals on Saturday, December 5th from 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM, for the annual Family Fundamentals Santa's Workshop. Come enjoy a traditional Christmas experience with Santa & Mrs. Claus, along with the elves of Family Fundamentals!
  

*Pictures with Santa & Mrs. Claus
*Create your own Holiday Snack
*Hands-on Christmas Activities
*Holiday Story time

Santa will be handing out children's books to all good boys & girls!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OR PRINT THE FLYER
highlight and copy and paste this into your browser and scroll down to get to the flyer to view or print.
http://uwcf.org/site/newsevents/details.php?EventID=62

• Friday, December 4 - First Friday Holiday Happenings Downtown Lakeland; Holiday Music and activities. Shops and restaurants will stay open till 9:00pm for your holiday shopping convenience.
  Activities for kids:
  Photos with Santa
  Kiddie Train Ride
  Performances from local schools and churches in Munn Park

• Tuesday, December 1, 2009 - 21st Annual Holiday Walkabout 6-9pm; 21st Annual Holiday Walkabout December 1st from 6-9pm Downtown Lakeland
  Celebrate the season with
  Holiday Shopping
  Holiday Entertainment
  Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus
  Local Schools Performing Holiday Music
  Carriage Ridges, Pony Rides
  Kiddie Train
  Munn Park holiday lights
  
  for more info:
  www.downtownlakelandFL.com
  

  513-3669

Get outside and play with your kids

It is starting to feel like FALL where we live so we have been enjoying the outdoors.
In the evening we have been riding bikes, throwing footballs and having races up and down the driveway. Get outside and play. It is great excercise, good quality time with your kids and it is FREE!!

Themed books in a basket

Something I have started recently is whenever there is a holiday, a change in season or something fun coming up for our family like a vacation I find all of our books on that theme and put them in a special basket. When we sit down to read together we can find those themed books quickly. Right now in our basket are books about fall and Thanksgiving.
Today we went to storytime at the library and then checked out books and brought home several books about Thanksgiving that we are looking forward to reading together.

Halloween is over; Bring on Fall!

Halloween is over and now to think of Thanksgiving and soon Christmas. Even though it is not Fall weather here in Florida, I am trying to think of Fall fun things to do with my boys.
Of course, we went to a Pumpkin patch and got our pumpkin for Halloween so that puts me in the mood for our annual visit to a Farm and a hayride. I have been looking for a Corn maze close by to take my boys to, but haven't found one yet (sounds like so much fun.) Also, the pumpkin patch puts me in the mood for pumpkin pie and other treats; I might try pumpkin bread this year.
Luke really wants to make gingerbread men so I thought we could do that soon; rolling the dough out, cutting the shapes and decorating the cookies is always fun.
Another cooking "craft" I want to do this year is build a gingerbread house with the boys.
I will post pics as we do our Fall crafts and make our fall treats.