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Chicago Vacations – Things to Do in Chicago

Lin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:00:33 +0000

What are some cheap and fun things to do during family vacations to Chicago? Anyone who has been to Chicago during the winter months knows that taking a Chicago vacation requires bundling up with warm winter clothes to offset the cold, blustery, freezing temperatures and winds from the Windy City. There are a lot of fun and cheap things to do in and outside of Chicago, indoors and outdoors, including things to do in the suburbs for families, kids and adults of all ages.

Looking for fun things to do in Chicago during the summer or winter? Chicago has a lot to offer tourists and vacationers throughout the year with favorite places including museums, parks, indoor and outdoor swimming, golf courses and mini-golf courses, family entertainment centers, live theater, ice skating, comedy clubs, festivals, art galleries, restaurants, working farms and orchards, amongst thousands of other Chicago attractions.

Whether you take a vacation to Chicago in the spring, summer, fall or winter months, make sure you plan your itinerary to include the popular places in downtown Chicago and in the suburbs north, west, east and south of the city. Coupons, discount tickets and pass cards like the Go Card help a lot to reduce the overall costs of a vacation trip and tours around Chicago, or anywhere else you want to go.

The Go Chicago Card provides unlimited, FREE admission to 30 top tourist attractions, activities, tours and museums with the card, with a savings of up to 55% compared to the cost of purchasing individual tickets. See as many of the best attractions as you want for the number of days chosen for a very low price. Go Cards are available in single and multi-day increments and come with a full-color, pocket-size guidebook included. Vacations to Chicago don’t have to break the bank!

Things to Do in Chicago and Surrounding Chicago Suburbs

There are thousands upon thousands of children and family activities to do in downtown Chicago, in the suburbs and outskirts of the city, but a list of some ideas of the most popular destinations will help complete your vacation itinerary.

Haunted Trails in Joliet
1423 North Broadway (Rt. 53) in Joliet, IL – (815) 722-7800
This open year-round family entertainment center features go-karts, laser tag, rides, games, miniature golf, batting cages, restaurant and a picnic grove. Birthday parties and group package options for up to 2,000 guests are available.

Haunted Trails Family Entertainment Centers
7759 South Harlem Avenue in Burbank, IL 60459 – (708) 598-8580
This open year-round family entertainment center features 100s of games, rides, award-winning miniature golf, Go Karts & Batting Cages, Restaurant/Party room featuring karaoke. October Haunted House information can be found at (www.frightmarehauntedhouse.com). Birthday party and group packages are also available.

Hollywood Park, Crestwood Family Entertainment Centers
5051 Cal Sag Road in Crestwood, IL 60445 (708) 389-7275
Award-winner! Features miniature golf, Hollywood Speedway go-kart track, arcade games, indoor bumper cars, indoor children’s playland, rock wall & Hollywood Memorabilia on display, Café-Pizzeria.

Kidswork Children’s Museum
11 South White Street in Frankfort, IL 60423 (815) 469-1199
KidsWork is a fun, interactive educational experience for kids ages 0-8, with two floors of exhibits including theater, art room, tot spot, pet vet and more.

Odyssey Fun World
Located at 19111 South Oak Park Avenue in Tinley Park, IL 60477 (708) 429-3800
Games, Laser Tag, Batting Cages, Soft Playland, Miniature Golf, Go-Karts, Bumper Boats, Inflatable Park and much more.

Chicago Indoor Racing – Addison
Located at 2381 W. Army Trail Road, Addison, IL 60101 (847) 941-9400
Chicagoland’s most exciting indoor European Kart Racing and entertainment facility with 105,000 s/f of space, featuring CyberSport, Clark’s Café, meeting & event space for groups of up to 800 guests, and a multitude of alternative entertainment options.

CyberSport at Chicago Indoor Racing
Address is 2381 W. Army Trail Road, Addison, IL 60101 (847) 941-9400
Located inside Chicago Indoor Racing, CyberSport is a multiplayer game that blends bumper cars, lacrosse and basketball into an alternative to racing for groups of 10 to 400.

Enchanted Castle Restaurant & Entertainment Complex
1103 S. Main Street, Lombard, IL 60148 (630) 953-7860
Premier entertainment complex with 60,000 square feet of fun! Indoor go karts, laser tag, bumper cars, games, mini golf, Kid’s Quest Softplay, future Sir Bounce-A-Lot Jumpland, special events, and 625-seat restaurant with karaoke.

Safari Land
701 W. North Avenue in Villa Park, IL 60181 (630) 530-4649
Family entertainment center featuring Illinois’ largest indoor roller coaster, Kiddie go-karts, bumper cars, Tilt-A-Whirl, Monkey Jump, Merry-Go-Round, and hundreds of video & redemption games. Activity-based fees apply.

Wagner Farm
1510 Wagner Road in Glenview, IL (847) 657-1506
Historic Wagner Farm in Glenview is am 18.6 acres farm and a popular destination for locals and tourists. Families, adults and children alike learn about a real working farm. The farm is open to the public, offering educational programs for all ages, and special events throughout the year. Public hours are Monday – Saturday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and Sunday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Admission is free on those days (unless there is a special event) and a farm story time is featured at 4:00 pm each Thursday.

The Mitchell Museum
3001 Central Street in Evanston IL (847) 475-1030
The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian portrays the Native American cultures of the Woodlands, Plains, Southwest, Northwest Coast and Arctic. Closed on Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Thursday 10:00 am – 8pm. Sunday 12pm to 4pm.

The Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center
The Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center has 3.5 miles of trails for walking and education. The schoolhouse contains interpretive exhibits and hosts events. It is located at 9800 Willow Springs Road, Willow Springs IL (708) 839-6897.

Mayan Adventure Indoor Water park at the Holiday Inn in Elmhurst has 24,000 square feet of water activities for all ages. It’s located at 624 N. York Road, Elmhurst IL (630) 279-1100 or (877) 426-4386 The Mayan Adventure Indoor Water park is Chicagoland’s first indoor water park with 24,000 square feet of wet and wild fun for all ages. Kids, adults and families will have lots of fun slipping down the body and tube slides and landing in the plunge pool. Toddlers will delight in the interactive water station. Game room, poolside café, bar and more!

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
2001 N. Roselle Road, Schaumburg IL (847)843-3900 or (888) 935-6878
Journey through time to the age of chivalry and knighthood. Feast upon a scrumptious banquet and cheer your own knight to victory in the tournament of games.

Want some fun activities outside of the Chicago area? Chicagoland tourists should also keep in mind the many exciting attractions, water parks, theme parks, venues and hotspots just across the Wisconsin and Indiana state lines. The Wisconsin Dells in WI, Horseshoe Casino in Hammond Indiana and the Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks Indiana are three more children and family activities to be enjoyed while vacationing in and around Chicago. The Horseshoe Casino is located at 777 Casino Center Drive in Hammond IN – (866) 711-SHOE. The address and phone number for the Fair Oaks Farms is 856 North 600 East in Fair Oak IN – (877) 536-1194.

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Chicago Family Vacation For Cheap – Things to Do in Chicago

Lin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:00:47 +0000

Taking a vacation in Chicago is one of the best places for travel, with so many things to do during the summer and winter months, there is no chance of ever running out of fun things to do in Chicago for cheap. Chicago is by far one of my favorite vacation hot spots since my kids and grandkids live there, and since I used to live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago years ago, visiting my old stomping grounds will be a treat.

We’ve had a good time during our inexpensive Staycation vacations, but this year we decided we really needed a getaway vacation where we can fly to Chicago and enjoy the Windy City and its many attractions. Planning a cheap vacation trip to Chicago includes finding good deals on hotels, car rentals, air fare, discount event tickets and finding as many free activities as possible. When it comes to planning a vacation to Chicago or anywhere else, cheap is good, but free is better.

Deciding where to stay in Chicago, where to eat, where to park if you’re going to spend time in downtown Chicago or surrounding cities, and where all the hot spots are in or outside of the city are things that must be decided. Picking what hotels or motels we would consider for our visit to Chicago was easy with Hotels.com, and since I used to live there I know what neighborhoods are good or bad, and what areas to avoid at all cost.

Vacation to Chicago For Cheap

Chicago is well known for having many of the most popular restaurants, entertainment, shopping, transportation options, concerts and dance clubs, museums and year-round events that vacationers to Chicago can always find stuff to do for the whole family to enjoy. Even though my kids aren’t really “kids” anymore, we’ll still plan things to see and do that my grown children and the grandkids will enjoy that are either cheap or free, since we don’t want our vacation to Chicago to be a financial hardship for their budget as we run around town together.

Finding cheap round-trip airfare to Chicago and back wasn’t a problem at all because we had plenty of accumulated air miles on Mastercard that we used for our plane tickets, so flying to Chicago was basically free. We checked out local Chicago-area hotels online that were close to our final destination spot, searched for discounts and promotion codes, and managed to find a good quality, 4 star hotel at the right price and in a nice area.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust hotel ratings or “star” factors distinguishing a 5-star hotel from a 3 or 4-star hotel because anyone (including hotel owner relatives and friends) can post a good or bad rating to make the hotel/motel appear to be ranked better than it truly deserves. My husband looked at a few inexpensive hotels in and around Chicago and nearby suburbs on Google Maps with Street View and quickly realized we don’t want to stay at those hotels. Ever.

Tip: Make sure you don’t unknowingly choose to spend your vacation staying at a hotel that charges “by the hour”. Planning a vacation for cheap is one thing, but those kinds of hotels are not where we want to stay for a minute, let alone an hour or an entire vacation trip to Chicago or elsewhere.

Things to Do in Chicago

There are lots of fun things to do in Chicago that are dirt cheap or free, for families with kids, singles, married couples without kids etc. Here is a short list of 40 things to see or do in or around Chicago including Chicago Museums, with many attractions and events offering free days, coupons or deep discounts on admission.

The Art Institute
Field Museum of Natural History
Museum of Science and Industry
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Shedd Aquarium
Adler Planetarium
The Chicago Historical Society
The Magnificent Mile
“Sue” & the “Underground Adventure” at the Field Museum
Chicago Cultural Center
Garfield Park Observatory
Ride bikes along Lake Shore Drive
Chicago Children’s Theatre
McCormick-Tribune Ice Rink
Lincoln Park Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
Wrigley Field
Navy Pier
Grant Park
Chicago’s Historic Water Tower
Willis Tower Skydeck (formerly Sears Tower)
Six Flags Great America
Chinatown
Greektown
Harpo Studios to see Oprah!
Taste of Chicago
Chicago Beaches
John Hancock Building
Planet Hollywood
Civic Opera House
Millennium Park
Botanical Garden
Butterfly Museum
Buckingham Fountain
Chicago Air & Water Show
Chicago Blues Festival
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
Lambs Farm
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
Dave & Busters – Eat, Drink, Play

With so many things to do in Chicago and surrounding cities, two hot spots no one should miss out on is Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza and Chicago style hot dogs. Chicago is famous for having the best hot dog and deep dish pizza, and those two things are on our “must do” list during our vacation to Chicago.

Chicago Vacation Packages

After checking out a number of vacation package deals for our Chicago getaway trip that includes the flight, hotel and rental car, we actually found the best deals for this vacation by simply going to each website individually. Discount codes and promotion codes advertised online were either bogus or already used when we started planning our vacation, so we won’t waste time looking for those anymore.

Vacations to Hawaii or similar getaways offering great package deals for all inclusive vacations, such as a resort vacations, might be well worth the extra effort trying to find those special package deals. The total cost of our vacation to Chicago including hotel stay, airfare, car rental and gas, money for food and entertainment etc is one of the cheapest vacations we’ve ever planned and not one penny of the whole trip to Chicago is being paid for with a credit card.

One very cool bonus with the Chicago-area hotel we chose through Hotels.com is that it has a kitchenette in the room besides other amenities like free internet access, to save money on eating out by fixing some meals in the hotel room kitchenette. I don’t know if I would call this vacation a “frugal” vacation or not, which would probably mean driving to Chicago instead of flying, but it sure has turned out to be a lot cheaper than we expected when we decided to take a getaway vacation to Chicago.

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2010 Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions

Lin — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:00:54 +0000

Are you making New Year’s Resolutions for 2010? Remember, New Year’s resolution statistics are not on your side, so if you really want to be successful at achieving any New Year’s goals for the year 2010, you have some hard work ahead of you.

Anyone can make a list of New Year’s resolutions, and the list may include the most popular top ten, twenty or more resolutions that are common each and every year. Trouble is, far too many people make New Year’s resolutions without actually making a real plan of sticking to or keeping the New Year’s resolutions that they’ve set for themselves.

Making New Year’s resolutions can be very beneficial for all of us, but the chances of sticking to these resolutions throughout the entire year usually doesn’t work out, unless you change the word “resolutions” to “goals”. Personally, I never make New Year’s Resolutions. Not ever.

“Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.” – Oprah Winfrey

While I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, I do set personal and professional goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound, also called SMART goals. If you’re going to make any kind of New Year’s resolution for 2010, 2011 and beyond, you’re much better off and much more likely to achieve the personal and/or professional goals you set if you have a solid action plan to help you accomplish your goals.

I don’t know why people seem to be so fascinated with funny New Year’s resolutions and silly quotes, but it seems to me that if someone has specific goals in mind of things they want to achieve in the new year, it’s time to stop laughing and get serious about what you want.

“A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.” – Author Unknown

For the year 2010, some have made a resolution or goal to find a husband, find a wife, find a girlfriend or boyfriend, have a baby, lose 20 pounds, quit drinking and similar real life goals that really aren’t funny at all. The fact that I met my husband online, as have many other people I know personally and professionally, the opportunity to meet your future husband or wife online is a very realistic goal and doable.

If you or someone you know is looking for love in the new year, the Helen Fisher Why Him Why Her personality test is the place to start finding real love by understanding your personality type, and understanding why people are attracted to one another based on four different personality types. There’s nothing funny about finding your soul mate.

Statistically speaking, that quote about resolutions is true for many people, but it doesn’t have to be for you and I. The most popular New Year’s resolutions are the same this year as they were last year. Which of these ten are on your list of goals you want to be successful at achieving in 2010?

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions

Lose weight
Manage debt/save money
Get a better job
Spend more time with family
Quit smoking
Eat right/Get fit
Get a better education
Reduce stress
Going greener
Volunteer to help others

Out of the above top ten resolutions listed, I have already been successful at quitting smoking, and I was surprised at how easy quitting smoking can actually be for smokers. At least it was for me and can be for you too if you want to quit smoking.

“People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.” – Author Unknown

The goal of managing debt and saving money is still an ongoing process for us and many other people, but getting out of debt once for all is a goal we have set for ourselves and we are giving a full 100% of our time and energies to accomplishing our goal to be debt free. A dear friend gifted us with Dave Ramsey’s book The Total Money Makeover and the accompanying The Total Money Makeover Workbook recently, and I’m so excited to start reading through the book and workbook with my dear hubby.

While talking to one of my daughters recently about my goal to lose weight over the next few months, she told me about an amazing book called You: On A Diet: The Owner’s Manual for Waist Management and the You On A Diet Workout DVD by Mehmet C Oz (Dr Oz from the Oprah Show) and Michael F. Roizen. With the help of this book and workout DVD, I now have a better understanding of how our brain, stomach, hormones, muscles, heart, genetics, and stress levels all interact biologically to determine if our body is the size of a baseball bat or the size of a baseball stadium. I will achieve my goals of losing weight and getting fit, and you can too. Oh, and the humor these two authors use in these books will make you laugh out loud, of that I’m sure.

Losing weight is always one of the top, if not the most popular, resolution people make each and every year. People often say, “I resolve to lose twenty pounds this year”, but are often clueless about how to lose weight successfully or where and how to begin a weight loss program. Fortunately, I recently heard about a book by author David Zinczenko called Eat This Not That, and it’s on its way to me now.

Did you know?
· Choosing Prime Rib over Baby Back Ribs at Outback will save you more than 2,000 calories?
· You can save nearly 500 calories and more than 20 grams of fat just by ordering a banana split at Dairy Queen instead of Baskin-Robbins?
· A Stouffer’s White Meat Chicken Pot Pie has as much saturated fat as 6 scoops of ice cream? (Choose our alternative and save more than 900 calories!)

If you didn’t know those diet facts, don’t feel bad because I didn’t either. Most diet books promise some secret formula to losing weight, or offer a mystifying scientific-sounding diet plan to melt away pounds but not Eat This, Not That. The latest, updated 2010 version of the “diet book” from Men’s Health Editor-in-Chief David Zinczenko and Men’s Health food and nutrition editor Matt Goulding is a must-have for anyone serious about losing weight and getting healthy. The Eat This Not That! diet is not a diet in the traditional sense, but a calorie counter’s dream.

Many people are clueless when it comes to the calories in the foods they eat at home or at restaurants, and even when they guess, they usually underestimate the number of calories consumed. I can hardly wait to receive the Eat This Not That book because we tend to eat out at restaurants a few times a month, and being able to make good, healthy food choices is vital for anyone wanting/needing to lose weight.

“The man who will not execute his resolutions when they are fresh upon him can have no hope from them afterwards; they will be dissipated, lost and perish in the hurry and scurry of the world, or sunk in the slough of indolence.” – Marie Edgeworth

Are you making New Year’s resolutions for 2010? What goals do you want to accomplish in the coming year? Have you created a workable plan of action to help you reach your goals? Out of the top ten New Year’s resolutions listed above, what is your number one top goal and which comes in second?

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Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Feliz Navidad

Lin — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 05:16:20 +0000

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Happy Holidays, Feliz Navidad, or all the other ways of saying Merry Christmas in different languages that I don’t know. I’ll be taking the rest of the decade off and then start working on those New Year’s resolutions…(goals really) like everyone else.

If you’re looking for something to read during your Christmas holiday season, here are few Telling It Like It Is gems you may have missed, plus a couple of interesting articles written by online friends.

Are you making New Year’s Resolutions? What are your goals for 2010?

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Last Minute Christmas Gifts Sale: Top Magazines for $5.00 or $10.00

Lin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:49:43 +0000

Looking for the perfect last minute Christmas gift for someone this holiday season, but running out of time? Magazine subscriptions make great xmas gifts for men, women, teens and children, especially when they’re on SALE. Plus, you can buy a subscription as a gift today, and instantly print out a gift card to let them know about their gift. Magazine subscriptions make great stocking stuffer gifts too!

This week only, the magazines listed below are all on sale for either $5.00 or $10.00.

PLUS! Take and extra $5.00 Off at Checkout and get an instant $5.00 off of 130 of your favorite magazine subscriptions –just add the eligible magazines to your cart, and you’ll see the discounts automatically applied at checkout. Shop for magazines with a $3.00 or $10.00 discount, too–offer expires December 31.

Magazines for $5.00 and $10.00 for one year subscription:

Entertainment Weekly – $10.00 for a 1-Year Subscription. That’s a discount of 95% since the regular list price is $192.50!

InStyle – $10.00 for a 1-Year Subscription. Discount of 81% off of regular list price of $51.87. Expires on Dec 26, 2009

This Old House – 1-Year for $5.00! For one week only, Amazon has lowered the price on This Old House to only $5.00 for a 1-year subscription. That’s an instant savings of $7.00 off the standard price. Expires on Dec 26, 2009

Southern Living- 1-Year for $5.00! For one week only, the price on Southern Living is reduced to only $5.00 for a 1-year subscription. That’s a savings of $11.00 off the standard price. Expires on Dec 26, 2009

Health – 1-year for $5.00! For one week only, the price on Health Magazine was lowered to only $5.00 for a 1-year subscription. Expires on Dec 26, 2009

Golf Magazine – 1-Year for $5.00! For one week only, Amazon.com lowered the price on Golf Magazine to only $5.00 for a 1-year subscription. Expires on Dec 26, 2009

Coastal Living – 1-Year for $5.00! For one week only, the price on Coastal Living is only $5.00 for a 1-year subscription. Expires on Dec 26, 2009

Essence- 1-Year for $5.00! For one week only, Amazon lowered the price on Essence to only $5.00 for a one year subscription. That’s an instant savings of $13.00 off the regular price. Expires on Dec 26, 2009

Sunset – 1-Year for $5.00! For one week only, Amazon dropped the price on Sunset Magazine to only $5.00 for a one year subscription. That’s an instant savings of $54.88 off the regular price. Expires on Dec 26, 2009.

Be sure to check out Amazon’s list of Bestseller Magazines and Newspapers for more CHEAP magazines and deep discounts! Wired magazine is also on sale for just $10.00 for a one year subscription, so check those out before the deals expire.

How to Give a Magazine Subscription as a Gift

Amazon makes it easy to send magazines as gifts, and to give those gifts a personal touch. Once you add Magazines to your Shopping Cart, you can send those items in your Shopping Cart to different shipping addresses at Checkout. Since Magazines always ship FREE, there is no cost for sending magazines in the same order to different addresses.

Magazines are shipped by the publishers themselves, so gift-wrapping isn’t available at this time. However, you can either print out your own gift notification card or send an e-mail notification, both options are great ways to send a gift quickly or give a last-minute gift. It’s that easy!

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Christmas Prayers and Christmas Poems for Christmas 2009

Lin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:30:34 +0000

I would like to wish all of my readers and visitors a very Merry Christmas! As you celebrate Christmas with your family and close friends, please remember to say a prayer for those who are less fortunate than yourselves, for our military and their families, and those who have lost a loved one in death.

Please keep in mind the less fortunate with your Christmas donations of toys, food and cash donations for the needy. Have you remembered Christmas Tipping Etiquette?

Here are a few Christmas Prayers and Poems I’ve collected from the net for your consideration. Don’t miss out on listening to the video song below of Nicholas Jonas singing “Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)”, which is available for download HERE if you love this Christmas song by Nicholas Jonas as much as I do.

By the way, the image above is the Thomas Kinkade Tabletop Christmas Snowman Figurine, from one of my all-time favorite Thomas Kinkade Collections – available on Amazon.com. (I love love love Thomas Kinkade!)

A Christmas Prayer for those who have suffered the recent death of a loved one:

God of compassion, there is such a hole in my heart! Today should be a day of joy, but I feel only emptiness and loss. While the world celebrates around me, I remember Christmas celebrations of the past and I long to have my loved one with me. I bring my sorrows to you, Lord, like some odd gift of the magi and dump them at your feet. In my blind tears I wonder if anyone can possibly understand the depth of my sadness.

I know, you can. You sent your son to be with us in our deepest sorrows and I know that even though I might not feel it now, you are here with me, grieving with me, caring for me in my sadness. Dearest lord, help me to turn to the one I miss so much today and speak. Help me heal the loss of our parting and help me not to regret the things I didn’t say. Sorrow tears at my heart, but today I ask that my loss soften my heart and make me more compassionate with everyone I meet, so that my loss may become a gift to others.

3 Christmas Dinner Prayer

1. In the peace of this season our spirits are joyful
With the beasts and angels,
the shepherds and stars,
with Mary and Joseph we sing God’s praise.
By your coming may the hungry be filled with good things,
and may our table and home be blessed.
Bless us O Lord, and these Thy gifts,
which we are about to receive from Thy bounty
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

2. Eternal God, this joyful day is radiant with the brilliance of your one true light.
May that light illuminate our hearts and shine in our words and deeds.
May the hope, the peace, the joy, and the love represented by the birth in Bethlehem fill our lives and become part of all that we say and do.
May we share the divine life of your son Jesus Christ, even as he humbled himself to share our humanity.
Bless us and the feast that You have provided for us, let us be thankful for the true gift of Christmas, your Son. Amen.

3. God of all gifts, we thank you for the many ways you have blessed us this day. We are grateful each of those who are gathered around this table. We ask you to bless us and our food and to bless those we love who are not with us today. In our gratitude and love, we remember your humble birth into our lives and pray for those who are without enough to eat. We remember the stable in which you were born and pray for those who have no place to live. We remember your challenging message of caring and giving and we pray for peace in families and nations throughout the world. We bless you and give you thanks in your Spirit who brings our hearts to life the Christmas Day and forever. Amen.

Nicholas Jonas “Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)” with Lyrics

Joy to the World A Christmas Prayer Lyrics

Every year at Christmas
All I can see
Are pictures of the things I want
Around the tree
But this year’s a little different
I’m not thinking of myself
So my prayer for this Christmas
Is for somebody else

(Chorus)
So I pray…
Joy To the World
Peace for every boy and girl
Hope when life is hard
Light when everything seems dark

God I know you’re listening
And you can hear
The need of every broken heart
And all their tears
I don’t have a lot to offer
Just this one simple prayer
That this Christmas everyone would know
Somebody cares…

(Chorus)
So I pray…
Joy To the World
Peace for every boy and girl
Hope when life is hard
Light when everything seems dark

I pray that every hungry soul
Will be filled and will be warm
That not a single, solitary child
Would suffer harm

And Lord we find their ending
As we take another view
My hope is that this Christmas prayer
Would somehow come true

I pray…
Humanity would rise
And join with me
And together we’ll sing

Joy To the World (To all the world)
Peace (Peace) for every boy and girl (for every boy and girl)
(Talking bout hope) Hope when life is hard (when life is hard)
Light when everything seems dark

I pray that (I pray) every hungry soul
Will be filled and will be warm
(Not a single child) That not a single, solitary child
Would suffer harm

And Lord we find their ending
As we take another view
My hope is that this Christmas prayer
Would somehow come true…

Joy To the World
Peace for every boy and girl

Christmas Prayer
by Robert Louis Stevenson
“Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake, Amen!”

Prayer for Christmas Morning
The day of joy returns, Father in Heaven, and crowns another year with peace and good will. Help us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the doors of hate and open the doors of love all over the world…

Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil, by the blessing that Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean
hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, And the Christmas evening bring us to our bed with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen
Henry Van Dyke

If you have a Christmas prayer, poem or thoughts you wish to share, please leave a comment below.

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Oprah Magazine 5 Dollar Magazine Subscriptions

Lin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:03:47 +0000

Oprah Winfrey fans, listen up! Amazon.com is currently running a “Magazine Steal of the Week” subscription deal on Oprah Winfrey’s “O” magazine for just five dollars, plus deals on other popular magazines HERE!

A one full year magazine subscription to Oprah‘s “O” Magazine is just five dollars, until the deal ends on December 19th. Oprah’s magazine usually goes for $18 for a yearly subscription– $5 is definitely a steal!

PLUS, you can use the $5.00 magazine subscription “steal of the week” on Amazon to extend your current magazine subscription to Oprah and other magazines, and this deal is not just for new subscribers!

Amazon has magazine subscription deals for less than $10.00 for many of the most popular magazines for men, women and children HERE.

Kids love receiving and reading children’s magazines for their age group and interests too, so hurry before the deals and steals expire!

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Zhu Zhu Pets Toxic? Zhu Zhu Pets Investigation by CPSC for Antimony

Lin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:25:52 +0000

Zhu Zhu Pets are not being recalled as of yet, but ever since GoodGuide.com reported that the popular Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters may potentially have toxic levels of antimony, parents and consumers are wisely concerned. UPDATE BELOW!

The Consumer Protection Safety Committee (CPSC) released a brief statement today about their intentions to investigate the safety of Zhu Zhu Pet toys.

The CPSC’s Official Statement regarding the investigation of whether or not Zhu Zhu Pets are toxic and unsafe and need to be recalled, or not, is as follows:

“CPSC is working especially hard this time of year to ensure that toys are safe for all children. The agency is proactively evaluating certain toys and we are working with consumer groups to test toys that have been brought to our attention.

Parents should know that there is a new child safety law that went into place this year that:

1) lowers lead in toys to some of the lowest levels in the world,

2) bans certain phthalates from toys, and

3) puts federal limits on heavy metals like antimony from being in surface coatings on toys.

CPSC is looking into the Zhu Zhu pet toy and we will complete our review swiftly. With new safety measures in place for children and toy recalls down from previous years, consumers can have greater confidence when shopping this year and in the CPSC.”

Anyone who has purchased the Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster toy is advised to hold onto their receipt in case of a recall. Again, at the moment, there is NO recall underway.

ETA: “The Consumer Product Safety Commission confirmed today that the popular Zhu Zhu toy is not out of compliance with the antimony or other heavy-metal limits of the new U.S. mandatory toy standard,” agency spokesman Scott Wolfson said.

“We will still do our own independent testing at CPSC. But we’re confident today and can confirm that the toy does not violate the very protective antimony standard that applies to all toys in the United States,” Wolfson said.

Monday afternoon, GoodGuide began backtracking and released a statement that clarified its testing methods and apologized for comparing its findings to federal standards.

“Since issuing our release, we have learned that the testing methodology used in the federal standards (a soluble method) is different than the methodology we used in our testing (a surface-based method),” the San Francisco group said. “Accordingly, while we accurately reported the chemical levels in the toys that we measured using our testing method, we should not have compared our results to federal standards. We regret this error.”

Needless to say, Cepia LLC is furious! and strongly denied any safety hazards in the Mr. Squiggles hamster, blasting the GoodGuide consumer group for taking its erroneous findings public without first contacting the St. Louis manufacturer. (Well DUH! It’s Christmas!)

“They accused us falsely of having high levels of antimony and tin in Mr. Squiggles by using a methodology that is not used by any federal standards,” said Natalie Hornsby, Cepia’s vice president of marketing. “Their testing was certainly not comprehensive and certainly not at the government standard.”

Toys R Us commented in a statement saying, “All test reports we have clearly indicate that the Zhu Zhu Pets product meets all federal safety requirements”. Wow, talk about LOUSY TIMING! Zhu Zhu Pets are NOT TOXIC after all! Enjoy your little Zhu Zhu Pets kids!

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Are Zhu Zhu Hamster Pets Toxic For Kids? 2009 Toxic Toy List

Lin — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:58:37 +0000

Zhu Zhu Hamster Pets are selling out in stores all across the U.S. during the 2009 Christmas toys shopping season, and questions are now being raised about the safety of these adorable hamsters by the consumer watch group Good Guide (www.goodguide.com). Are Zhu Zhu pets toxic for children or are they safe?

Dara O’Rourke, co-founder of GoodGuide, tested Zhu Zhu Pets for chemicals with his group, and says Zhu Zhu pets have elevated levels of tin and antimony – a metal with potential health hazards. “If ingested in high enough levels can lead to cancer, reproductive health, and other human health hazards”.

Good Guide partners with other companies to rate the social, environmental, and health impacts of hundreds of products, which includes testing toys like the Zhu Zhu pet for, among other things, toxic chemicals.

Good Guide says the Zhu Zhu Pets stood out because of high levels of antimony. Attempts to reach representatives of Zhu Zhu Pets by phone were unsuccessful, as their office was closed at the time this article was created.

In its research study, Good Guide reported the federal antimony legal limit was 60 parts per million. Its study on Zhu Zhu Pets found 93 ppm in the fur and 103 ppm in the nose. The danger can come from when kids touch the toy and then touch their mouths, or even put the toy directly into their mouths.

“If these toys aren’t even meeting the legal standards in the U.S. then I would say that it isn’t worth the risk for me to bring it into my household,” said O’Rourke. “We’re not recommending that you throw them away,” O’Rourke said. “But if you’re concerned about it then we recommend that you call the company or potentially return the product if you feel it’s not safe enough for your kids”.

Zhu Zhu Pets are made in China, but the company, Cepia LLC, is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Good Guide’s founder said he was not calling for a boycott or recall. He wants parents to make their own decisions about the toys, but he does advise parents to hold on to the receipts.

Regarding questions being asked about a recall, Zhu Zhu Pets official website (www.zhuzhupets.com) says, “We have received emails and phone calls with questions about Zhu Zhu Pets™ at Walmart. There has been some miscommunication that the pets are being recalled, and we want to assure you the product is not being recalled.”

If you would like to contact Zhu Zhu Pets Corporate Office to ask questions about the safety of their product, or to get their official response to Good Guide’s study of Zhu Zhu Pets, please call 1-800-225-9319 during normal business hours (Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.), or email Zhu Zhu Pets at support@cepiallc.com. Read Good Guide’s Zhu Zhu Pets Product Ratings here.

Update: Response from Russ Hornsby, CEO of Cepia, LLC regarding Good Guide’s claims:

Cepia LLC, manufacturer of Zhu Zhu Pets, says the popular Hamster pets are “absolutely safe and has passed the most rigorous testing in the toy industry for consumer health and safety.”

“We are disputing the findings of Good Guide and we are 100% confident that Mr. Squiggles, and all other Zhu Zhu Toys, are safe and compliant with all U.S. and European standards for consumer health and safety in toys,” said Russ Hornsby, CEO of Cepia LLC.

“All our products are subjected to several levels of rigorous safety testing conducted by our own internal teams, as well as the world’s leading independent quality assurance testing organization, and also by independent labs engaged by our retail partners,” Hornsby said. “The results of every test prove that our products are in compliance with all government and industry safety standards.”

“We are contacting the Good Guide people at this moment to share with them all of our Mr. Squiggles and Zhu Zhu Pet testing data so we can get to the bottom of how their report was founded,” creator Russ Hornsby said. “We want to assure everyone already enjoying Mr. Squiggles or other Zhu Zhu Pets, and those planning to purchase Mr. Squiggles or another Zhu Zhu Pet this holiday season, that the toy is 100 percent safe and in compliance with all U.S. and European toy safety standards. I have been in the toy industry for more than 35 years, and being a father of children myself, I would never allow any substandard or unsafe product to hit the shelves. That’s why we always test to not only meet but also exceed safety standards.”

Toxic Toy List for 2009

The words “toxic” and “toys” don’t belong in the same sentence, nor does Trouble in Toyland, but parents and consumers need to keep themselves aware of potential health risks in products we purchase and that includes toys for kids of all ages. What does toy safety mean to you as a parent?

Parents, did you know that some children’s toys carrying the Barbie and Disney logos have turned up with high levels of lead in them, according to a California-based advocacy group? The Center for Environmental Health tested about 250 children’s products bought at major retailers and found lead levels that exceeded federal limits in seven of them. Lead can cause irreversible brain damage.

Among those with high lead levels include the Disney Tinkerbell Water Lily necklace; Barbie Bike Flair Accessory Set; Dora the Explorer Activity Tote; TKS girl’s sandals from Sears; Walmart kids poncho; Walmart Faded Glory girl’s shoes; and Cherokee boys belt.

HealthyStuff.org, an organization that researches toxic chemicals in everyday products, said that due to consumer pressure, there’s been a 67 percent decrease in the number of toys exceeding the current Consumer Product Safety Commission limits for lead in toys. But one in three products tested still contains high levels of lead and other dangerous chemicals like mercury, cadmium, arsenic and bromine. Searching Healthy Stuff for any mention of Zhu Zhu Pets brought no results, so far.

Toys are much safer this year than they have been in years past, but parents and consumers must be diligent in staying informed – there are still lead and hazardous materials found in many toys today, and some are still found on store shelves.

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Zhu Zhu Hamster Pets Black Friday Madness – Where to Find Zhu Zhu Pets

Lin — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:10:14 +0000

Wondering where to find Zhu Zhu Pets? Is Toys R Us sold out yet? As was expected for Christmas 2009 and Black Friday this year, the Zhu Zhu Hamster pets have Black Friday shoppers going crazy and wondering where they can find Zhu Zhu Pets. These adorable little hamsters are listed as one of the hottest Christmas gifts for 2009 and shoppers are beginning to find stores are selling out fast.

Thank goodness stores like Amazon.com are stocked full of Zhu Zhu Hamster Pets Mr. Squiggles, Pipsqueek, Num Nums and Chunk. The Zhu Zhu Pets Funhouse and accessories are selling fast and furious, so get your fill of hamster pets while they still last. There’s no need to stand in long lines at Target, Walmart or Toys R Us stores, especially since Christmas shoppers can easily buy Zhu Zhu Hamster Pets online at Amazon.

Toys R Us press release ensures the Zhu Zhu Hamster Pets would be in stock and fully available, but many shoppers are already finding stores reported to be offering these toys are already out of stock.

“Zhu Zhu Pets ALERT! Toys”R”Us Stocks Stores for Black Friday
Determined to make one of the biggest shopping days of the year enjoyable for customers, Toys”R”Us has big plans for Black Friday shoppers seeking a Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster, one of the hottest toys of 2009. The first 100 customers in line at their local Toys”R”Us store on Black Friday will each be given a ticket for the opportunity to purchase a Zhu Zhu Pet (with a limit of one per household).* With thousands of additional Zhu Zhu Pets being made available in Toys”R”Us stores throughout the day on Friday, and thousands more of the highly coveted Zhu Zhu Pets arriving regularly throughout December, gift-givers will have the best chance of finding the precocious little hamsters at Toys”R”Us.”

A lot of people are having trouble finding Zhu Zhu Hamster Pets because they’re spelling these toys as “zuzu pets” instead of Zhu Zhu Pets. Buy the Zhu Zhu Hamster Pets at Amazon before they’re all sold out there too!

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