And all the stuff that comes after it. We’re entering into the most hectic time of year for a lot of people.

Thanksgiving, like a lot of holidays for me, isn’t exactly relaxing. We’re starting out by going to my in-laws house in the morning for a visit, then having dinner with my mom.

I’m hoping to do a lot of my shopping online this year. I really dislike the crowds in the malls, and if you can get free shipping, it doesn’t cost extra and might even be less. Shopping with an infant and a 3 year old isn’t exactly fun, after all.

Amazon, of course, is one favorite, since they often offer free shipping and have a great selection. Last year, we saved my mom some clutter and got her a Netflix subscription - that went over very well!

We’re planning on doing a picture of the kids soon and we’ll probably give VistaPrint a try for the Christmas cards. We’ve done the photo cards every year since Ariel was born, and it’s a fun way to do Christmas cards, and really affordable. It’s a real time savings to be able to do it online, even with having to wait for them to arrive, since I don’t have to worry about when the stores are open.

Shopping for the kids and my husband can get challenging. Ariel has so many toys, and Gage has a lot handed down from her. I know some things I want to get for Ariel… a toy tool set, preschool learning books (she just got into the one we have for her), and it seems like every time we go to the store there’s something she wants. That’s 3 year olds, of course. At the family dinner, Gage was very attracted to a toy dog from Fisher Price and a LeapFrog school bus, so we’ll probably either get those or put them on his wish list… not like we have to worry about him really understanding Christmas yet, after all! Can’t find the dog online so far, though, and Amazon only seems to have the Spanish version of the bus… not that that is necessarily a bad thing.