What can we make with some paddle pop (popsicle) sticks, glue, salt and ribbon?

Some Christmas stars!

We glued the paddle pop sticks into star shapes.

Then we covered them with glue and sprinkled on the salt for a crystal effect.

Now to decide where to hang them all!

OK trying to keep on top of the 100 days to Christmas now…we’ll see how long it take me to fall behind again LOL

The challenge for Day 37 was the powder room. Because our bathroom is so small, even just 1 towel and jammies left on the floor makes the room look like it’s trashed! I got stuck into it yesterday, with the girls help, so we just need to do a daily wipe over and pick up the dirty laundry to keep it tidy. I still need to soak the shower curtains though…they’re looking a bit sad.

Day 36’s challenge is to hit the floor running. I vacuum once a day, sometimes even twice a day if it needs it. The kitchen floor and dining room floor gets mopped by Bill (I heart him!) and the bathroom, laundry and toilet floors get mopped by whoever has been assigned to clean those rooms.

Cleaning. Cleaning. Cleaning. Never ends!!

Under the Christmas tree every year, there is a small plastic tub, with a label that says “Santa’s helper”.

Inside it is everything we might need on Christmas morning. Things like:

• batteries (as I wrap gifts, I keep a list of the battery sizes and how many needed for each gift and toss the batteries in the tub)
• small set of screwdrivers (to insert batteries, put toys together, etc)
• scissors
• rubbish bag (for discarded wrapping paper)

Can you think of anything else that may come in handy?

Sometimes it takes a certain person to say something that others may have said in the past and you chose to ignore. But it’s different thing time and it’s like you have an “a ha! moment” (like Oprah says).

So I’m stepping back and taking a moment to decide whether I want to go left or right.

I know this all sounds so cryptic but it’s all good and 2010 looks promising.

OMG! My house has turned into an internet cafe!

We were recently asked to review some laptops and since 5 of them were sent, each Mummified kid currently has their own to play on…

…they’ve already decided which is their favourite but I’ll tell you their (and my) opinion about the laptops another time.

In the meantime, looking at this photo, I really REALLY need to get some prints or something for those blank walls!

Edit: the crooked table runner is really annoying me but I refuse to take another photo just so the runner is straight…bloody OCD lol

Keep reading to find out how you can win!

No-one needs to be told about how important it is to keep your computer safe from viruses, hackers, trojans, etc when you’re connected to the internet. There are so many anti-virus software packages available that it can be difficult to know which one is good for you.

I was recently given the opportunity to try out Symantec’s Norton 360 security suite. I currently was using a different anti-virus software but I turned it off and installed Norton 360, which was easy and quick.

Version 3.0 indentifies unsafe websites so you can browse and shop online with confidence. I like that it is completely automated and has Botnet detection which means it prevents people from taking control of your PC and accessing your private information.

I found that my laptop has been running a bit sluggish lately so I ran the disc optimisation option in the Norton 360 and after a restart, I noticed a difference right away.

I also like the fact that I can install it on up to 3 computers/laptops so the kids’ computers are protected as well.

We allow our children to have computers in their bedrooms but only on the understanding that their bedroom doors are left open and they are not to delete their history or chat archives. I regularly check up on what they are doing but I’ve just found out about OnlineFamily.Norton.

Not only does OnlineFamily.Norton block unsuitable websites and monitor kids’ online activities, but it also helps parents understand the sites that their children visit. It’s a great tool that helps you manage where they go, how long they’re online, who they talk to and what information they’re sharing with others.

OnlineFamily.Norton is free to use until Jan 2010 so why not try it out and give yourself some peace of mind.

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The Giveaway

1 lucky {Aussie} Mummified Times Five reader has the chance to win a copy of Symantec’s Norton 360 security suite.

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment telling me your best tip to keeping your kids safe online….

Giveaway ends 3 December, 2009 @ 6pm AEST

Giveaway only open to Australian residents

When I wrap all the Christmas gifts, I don’t put the kids’ names on the gift tags because I don’t want the kids working out which gifts are theirs. Otherwise they’d be feeling and smelling and shaking the parcels!

One year instead of using gift tags, I got different coloured dots, one colour of each child and stuck a dot on each of the gifts. They didn’t know what their colour was until Christmas morning when “Santa” left a note telling them.

This year, I’ve decided to assign a reindeer name to each of the kids, and Bill, to keep them guessing again!

Do you have a creative way to stop the kids from snooping through the gifts?

I’ve been thinking….yes, be scared. Be very scared! LOL

I’ve been keeping my eye on stats this week and I noticed that I’m getting decent traffic on the Christmas themed posts that I’ve posted over the last couple of weeks. But while I’m getting more hits, my comment numbers have gone down.

So I’ve decided to find out what you enjoy seeing here…do you like informative posts such as the gift ideas, reviews, and blurbs about websites I’ve come across?

What about the posts about the Mummified family, photos or posts about nothing in particular (I’m sure there are ALOT of those! LOL)?

With 100+ subscribers (THANK YOU!!) I want to keep providing posts that you will enjoy reading and not rambling posts about how I can’t get through the Myrtle beach golf leg of the stupid game I’m playing. I don’t know why I’m playing it because I hate golf with a passion…..

so please do tell me what you like and what you don’t like…..

38 days till Christmas!! Are you prepared?

I’ve realised that even with the Countdown to Christmas from the website, 100 Days to Christmas, it’s easy for the days to slip away and everything just falls behind! So I’m adding a note to my Christmas notebook to have a few other things organised before the start of the Countdown next year that has gotten in the way of keeping things on track.

So, Day 42 challenge was to take a moment to recognise all the blessings and good fortune you truly have.

Day 41 was catch up day.

The challenge for Day 40 was to take some time to consider gifts for siblings. Now that William and Tiesha have their own money, they are responsible for buying gifts for the family for Christmas. Mads, Giorgia and Annabelle will come shopping with me to buy gifts for each other and for William and Tiesha.

Day 39’s challenge was to get yourself in mindset to clean. I always do a big clean up before Christmas which includes culling the kids’ toys to make room for the new stuff!

Dusting is the challenge for Day 38. I don’t dust enough…the writing in the dust on the tv cabinet is proof of that! LOL

How are your plans going?

Bill has got to be the worst person to buy gifts for! There’s no use asking him what he wants because he’ll either say he doesn’t know or he doesn’t want anything! But I found a few things that might be fun gifts for him:

Bottle Opener T shirt from Dad Shop; Kokoda Silent Soldiers Figurine from Dad Shop; Golf Shoe Slippers from Top Gifts.

Sonic Grenade from Gifts Australia; Beer Burglar Alarm from Dstore; BBQ Sword from Gifts Australia.

Digital Map Distance Calculator from Gifts Australia; R/C Drinks Cooler from Cool Things; Duck Hunter from Cool Things.