Pregnancy Blog

We went to a few stores on Friday and Saturday, and I noticed a couple of things. First, there seemed to be fewer people around than in years past. The parking lots weren’t completely packed, and there was plenty of room inside the stores and mall. There weren’t any checkout lines in the stores. Even the kids’ areas at the mall we went to was actually kind of empty. It was nice.

Second, the deals weren’t as great. Maybe the stores did a pretty good job of managing their inventories and getting people to buy with steep pre-Christmas discounts. I found the clearance sections to be surprisingly sparse. In fact, even though I said that I would wait for a 90% clearance to buy wrapping paper, the selection was so small compared to years past that I ended up picking up a couple of rolls at only 50% off. Their cute patterns aren’t holiday specific, and are colorful enough to use for kids’ birthday gifts, which is exactly what I needed - and I was afraid that if I waited a week for a bigger discount, these patterns would be gone.

What about you? Have you found any great post-Christmas bargains?

Read the original:
After-Christmas sales don’t seem that great

Ever since reruns of the CBS drama NCIS started airing on USA in the evening, I’ve been a huge fan. The show is on when I do the dishes and get on the treadmill, so I get to watch it several times a week. I rarely get to watch a full episode, but USA airs three episodes each weeknight, so I eventually get to see the parts that I missed.

The current sixth season of NCIS has a regular air time of 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday nights, and I always miss it because that’s my blogging time. So I was delighted to discover that right now, full versions of all of the current season’s NCIS episodes are up at the CBS web site.

But if you want to catch up, do it quickly. Just a week or so ago, only the current episode was available.

Image credit: NCIS Squadroom, which has a great episode guide - it’s satisfied my burning curiosity more than once when I was dying to find out how one of those episodes ended.

See the original post:
Watch full episodes of the current season of NCIS for free

If you tried to enter the Craft Kit giveaway and were confused by the entry form, I apologize for the incomplete form. It looks like I did not save the changes I made after creating the form, so it didn’t look right.

I’ve now corrected the form, so it should no longer be confusing (and if it, please let me know!). Don’t worry if you already entered, I’ll just accept those entries as is.

Read the rest here:
Craft kit giveaway form corrected

If you think you have the following item(s), click through to the CPSC press release for more details:

Foursquare Recalls Hooded Youth Jackets with Drawstrings Due to Strangulation Hazard - Click through for pictures of the boys’ version and the company’s logo.

Munire Recalls “Newport Rubbed Black” Cribs and Matching Furniture Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard - Click through for a list of the recalled models.

Woodstock Percussion Inc. Recalls Toy Drums Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

As always, I highly recommend signing up for recall notifications by email at the CPSC web site.

Credit:
Three recalls yesterday: Hoodies, cribs and drums

I ordered some craft kits from Oriental Trading Company for Tyler’s birthday party, because they make for an easy indoor activity. I have a few leftover, so three lucky winners will win one each of the following crafts:

Race Car Photo Frame Magnet

Race Car Magnet

Snowflake Bookmark

Please keep in mind that these crafts contain small pieces, including small magnets, and that proper care and supervision should be exercised when letting children handle these crafts. By entering this giveaway, you agree that Chief Family Officer is not responsible for any injury caused as a result of using these craft kits.

I’m going to try something a little different this time, and make this giveaway open to subscribers only. There will be a secret phrase at the bottom of each post in your feed reader or CFO email that you will need to enter this giveaway. You can subscribe to CFO via RSS or email. (If you’re not sure what it means to subscribe, read this introduction to blogs.)

Once you’ve got the secret phrase, simply fill out the form below. If you’re reading this in a feed aggregator or email, you’ll need to click through to the post to reach the form.

For a second entry, spread the word about this contest - tell a friend or write about it on your own blog. Then let me know about it by filling out the form again.

You can enter up to two times (one for each type), and you must submit separate entries for each type. I’ll select the winners using Random.org and announce them here on CFO as well as contact them by email. The winners will have 48 hours to send me their address, otherwise their prize will be forfeited and a new winner will be selected.

The giveaway ends at 6:00 p.m. PST on Tuesday, December 30. This giveaway is open to all subscribers regardless of where you live.

Good luck!

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Subscriber giveaway: Craft kits from Oriental Trading Company