Author: Melissa

First things first. Repeat after me:

"I will never pay full price for anything at Kohls. Ever. Never ever. EVER."

You can get amazing bargains at Kohls. Please do not buy anything for full price. If its not on sale today, it will be next week. And, puh-leeze, get thee a Kohls charge card. They constantly are having private sales where you get an additional 15-30% off everything. Then the cra-zazzy deals start.

A headlamp is a great gift for a handy guy. My husband uses his all the time when he's under the sink fixing our tempermental garbage disposal or dangling off a metal ladder while cleaning out the gutters in the middle of a thunderstorm. Just $14 to ensure your loved one has both hands free! 🙂

How cute is this toaster? What a fun upgrade from my boring white one that burns everything! $55, but with my 30% off coupon…

Now Kitchen Aid mixers are never cheap, but Kohls is the place to get one. This one is on sale for $214.99. With my 30% off coupon, that would be $150. For a Kitchen Aid mixer. Now that's deal.

This platter would be so pretty on the table at your next gathering. Only $27. I just love the Food Network line at Kohls! Well, I'm actually obsessed with dishes, so I'm biased. If we had the cabinet space we would have at least 4 sets of dinnerware. And don't even get me started about things like cake stands and soup tureens. Sigh.

I love these charging valet for i-pods, cellphones and stuff. I've seen these in the Pottery Barn catalog for $80. But with my 30% off coupon, I can buy this one for like $20. Someone is so getting this. And its going on my list.

These wireless headphones might be a cool gift for a dad or grandpa for only $20. Personally, I could have used these during the baseball playoffs…

I am suffering from what the medical community would call "Severe Sleep Deprivation." 

This would be because of the baby waking up two times a night. Or some nights waking up at 4am and deciding that its officially morning.

And because of Grace waking us up, complaining that she "has the coughs" and "is stuffy." Everyone is, Grace. Get over it and go back to bed!

And because of my dear husband who has a major cold, so he is taking NyQuil, so he is generally unaware of the above nighttime interactions.

Anyway, the brain is not fully engaging this week. Let us hope next week goes better!

We spent yesterday afternoon at the hospital getting Colin tested for RSV and pneumonia. When we got there, the receptionist apologized and told me it would probably be really long waits ahead of us.

Then Colin turned on the charm.

He smiled. He cooed. He smiled again. And giggled. Then gave a huge hacking cough. Then smiled at her again.

We got to skip past registration and go straight to the labs, where he proceeded to charm the pants off the receptionist there. She bumped us to the front of the line for that test, showed us a shortcut to radiology and was waving "Bye-bye, Colin! Bye bye!!" as we left.

Then in radiology, where we were told there was a super long wait, he had that receptionist trying to give him stickers and toys, which we had to refuse since he would just eat them. Then we were whisked away to get his x-rays before we were in the waiting room even 2 minutes.

This could come in handy. I'm bringing him to the doctors with me next time!

On the way to pick Grace up from school, I pulled up next to a Bentley, which I believe is a fairly expensive car. (Husband rolls his eyes)

On the way home, I passed a Rolls Royce.

Well, La-dee-dah.

Me and my minivan fit right in with this crowd.

Colin has bronchitis.  
  
Oh, my poor baby.

If you're like us, you are looking for great Christmas gifts that are not too expensive. Not that we usually spend a ton… the ladies in my family are experts at bargain shopping. And our bargain hunting, penny-stretching, fashion-loving selves go to town on Christmas, finding the coolest gifts for everyone without spending lots of money. I thought I'd pass on the gift by sharing some ideas with you all as we count down to a frugal holiday together! And what better place to start than my favoritest store ever, Target!

Target has a great selection of 100% silk ties for only $17.

And who wouldn't love a cute new winter coat? This pea coat comes in lots of colors and is less than $50. (I have one on my list!)

This mirror totally looks like its from Pottery Barn, but is only $30. It got great reviews and would look fantastic in my living room. Ahem.

Don't miss these gorgeous cashmere scarves for under $25! Perfect gift for anyone on your list who wants to keep warm and being stylish this winter!

A girl can never have too many purses, right? And a great tote bag is something that everyone can use and is always in style. This beautiful leather tote from Target is just $32!

This Brew 'n Go coffee maker is a perfect gift for anyone from a college student to a teacher to a busy executive… only $20!

Grace: "I don't like Bratz. I don't think they have right attitude."

They are listening!!! Although, perhaps not.

Since as much as my kids were constantly talking about "John McCain" and "Barack Obama" and how Ellie was devastated that McCain lost and Grace has been cheering that Obama won, yesterday Grace pointed to a picture of Obama and said, "Look, Mom! Its John McCain!" Clearly she is not as well-informed as she sounds 😉

"It really is sad that there has to be a winner and a loser. That's not very nice. I think that John McCain and Barack Obama should SHARE and both be the winners," says Ellie as we leave the voting booth today.

You should have seen the polling place workers. One guy just about fell out of his chair laughing.

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Ellie has decided that she likes John McCain. This is with no influence from us — we've been talking about both canidates to the kids. Grace likes Obama. I suspect this is probably because she likes to say "Obama." Ellie says she likes John McCain because he has pets. Cats and 12 fish. I have no idea whether this is true. But she thinks so, so she voted for John McCain in her school's election.
Anyway, tonight we were watching election coverage and she starts getting all upset…

"Look at all the blue! Obama is killin' me! He's just killin' me with these numbers!!!"

Apparently we have future political junkie on our hands.

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Did I mention that Grace makes up songs about John McCain and Barack Obama? That she has been singing them for the past two weeks? Do you know how many words rhyme with "McCain" and "Obama"?

Lots.