That aside, we also checked her out online, and didn’t find one single negative report. Still growing after 13 years, she’s done so well, she now operates out of a separate building (still on her property). Including a coloring page and stickers with an adorable personal letter, Shannon also offers some really cute gift ideas to go along with the letter.

Some of the reviews:

The Internet Patrol reviewed a half dozen or more and cited SantaLetters4Kids their favorite.

The Classy Mommy classified them as a “Hot Find”

The Women’s Forum and The Mommy’s Playbook Forum both included SantaLetters4Kids in a (short) list of favorite Santa letter site (and mentioning how much their children loved them!)

Prices start at $8, and you can save 20% until Dec 4th on orders over $10 with the coupon code: 20PERCENT.

http://santaletters4kids.com/ *

PS-Just saw two other offerings that I thought were really cute, craft kits and personalized ornaments that look like sugar cookies. The crafts start at $3.50 each and she offers an assortment of 6 different crafts for $6.50

Craft kit $4.50

Craft kit $7.50

Ornament, $7.50

Craft kit $3.75

Are YOU a mom with a home business? Email us with some brief details on your business and any coupons or savings you’d like to share with our readers and we’ll blog it for you. We support WAHM’s!

*NOT a paid endorsement or affiliate link.

Rachael received a catalog from them and instantly fell in love with dozens of their items. So she called and we decided to do a little digging and see if their reputation was OK, and – most importantly – were there any coupon codes available? I did pick up an affiliate link, so you know up front about that-but you know we’ll be honest anyway.

Rachael really loved the ornament and photo frame selection. What I really, really, really liked is the selection of items that seemed to fit those hard to buy for people on my gift list. I think the “Family of Characters” is really cute, and it’s looking like they are pretty popular this year, and Personal Creations has a big selection of items you can put your family look-a-likes on. They say it’s exclusive to Personal Creations-but I’ve seen versions of the family characters other places, so beware of imitations. We’ll have to explore that further and let you know.

Here’s a few of the Family Characters:

Create your own family ornament by choosing from Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Baby Brother, Baby Sister, even a dog and a cat. You have your choice of ethnicity (Caucasian, African American or Hispanic) hair color (red, brown, black, blonde or bald) and pet color (yellow, black, grey or white). Add any 1 line message up to 20 chars.
Other Family Character selections: mugs, doormats, sweatshirts, magnets, cookie jars, cutting boards, mouse pads, note pads,gift labels-well, you get the idea. Their prices are pretty reasonable, and there is a coupon code for up to 20% off, which helps.

Some of our favorites:

Personalized Fill Our Home With Joy Print ($19.95)

Give Thanks Serving Tray ($24.95)

Wouldn’t this  make an awesome hostess gift?

Personal Creations checked out pretty good with the major review sites:

BizRate gave them an overall good rating, between 8.1 and 9.1.

Epinions gave them a 4 out of 5, with the main complaint was some minor customer service issues and high shipping charges (see coupon code for free shipping)

Pricegrabber gave them better than 4 out of 5 stars (however, it was significantly affected by a woman who gave them 3 stars out of 5 because she was on the phone too long and it made her late for a dr’s appt…I’d say that might be poor planning on her part, don’t you?)

Pros: Incredible selection, great customer service and big savings on coupon codes (that’s what got our attention!).Turnaround time is faster than any other service rated, and photo upload is easier than most. Most of the reviews raved about the cool selections, and the customer service. I didn’t see one review complaining about getting the order wrong. They only charge shipping to Illinois residents.

Cons: Confusion over shipping and personalization charges, coupon codes not working like they thought (see our note on how this can be prevented) Also, if you have a photo image put onto something, be sure it’s a good quality photo (5 megapixal or better). If there is a flaw in the picture you send, it will show up. Most of the complaints were on the prices and shipping charges-so make sure you have those coupon codes.

Coupon Codes: Make sure the code you entered adjusted the price before you check out. There is an additional $1.50 personalization fee added. If the code didn’t take, call and place your order by phone, telling the rep your problem. (just the problem with the code, not all your problems…)

On sale, $11.98

Save 10% off any size order at PersonalCreations.com. Use code: AF0933

Save 15% off any order of $59 or more at PersonalCreations.com. Use code: AF0928

Save 20% on an order of $75 or more at PersonalCreations.com. Use code: AF0935

Save with Free Shipping on any order of $59 or more at PersonalCreations.com. Use code: AF0927

Whether you buy or not, you have to check out the Christmas Ornaments they have…(I noticed one of the clearanced ornaments were priced wrong- $59.50  instead of $5.95 -oops!

I love dried cranberries. I’ve worked very hard over the last 18 months to lose weight (total of 49 pounds so far!) and these are one of my not-so-guilty pleasures. They are a little concentrated in the calorie area, but I measure EVERYTHING! After reading that one of few organic foods that are most important critical are dried fruits due to the concentration of pesticides in the drying process, I was really glad to find these cranberries for not too much more (sometimes less!) than the non-organic ones.  Actually, I’ve found that every one of Newman’s Own (they are not paying me for this) products have been good-to-excellent.

What really got me started on dried cranberries and my search for the best deal on the best cranberry is when I started putting a few dried cranberries on my grilled chicken salads along with some toasted almonds and Newman’s Own Raspberry Walnut Dressing. (another favorite!) I discovered that there was a big difference in different brands of dried cranberries, and the difference in Newman’s Own is significant. They have much more flavor and are moist and much more plump than the others I have tried.

I can’t say I’ve tried too many brands of dried cranberries, mainly because most places don’t have that many to choose from, but Newman’s are definitely the best dried cranberries I’ve ever tasted.I know that’s just one opinion, but I’m sure you would agree. If Newman’s ever sent out samples like Kashi did, they would convert many.

Here’s just a few ideas of ways to use them: (besides on salads and straight out of the bag!)

-We put 2-3 T of cranberries in our green beans the last minute or two of cooking, and you’ll never go back to plain green beans.

-Makes a nice touch for Thanksgiving, too.  Add them to your stuffing – or sprinkle them on anything for a pretty red garnish.

-Use them in cookies, quick bread, not-so-quick breads, or anywhere you would use raisins.

-Put a few in your yogurt the night before, and the next morning you have a little extra treat to look forward to!

-Add to your own homemade granola or any bought cereal

-Add them instead of raisins to your homemade Cinnamon-Raisin bread and it can be a gift that won’t soon be forgotten. Throw in a few walnuts and your cranberry-walnut bread will make you famous.

OK, we’ve established that these are the tastiest dried cranberries, organic makes them more healthy, but does their price make them taboo? Not at all! I have searched online, checked the main grocery stores and once again, we’ve found the best deal with the Amazon Subscribe & Save program – which IMO I think is a great deal. However, I probably use more because I have a back stock of them in the pantry….but they’re good for you, so I really enjoy having them on hand.

Best Price Found:

We buy Newman’s Organics Cranberries, Zip Bag, 4-Ounce Bags (Pack of 6)
at Amazon through the Subscribe & Save deal which takes an additional 15%off, making them $2.25/bag delivered-which would be equiv to $2.06/bag if you pay tax in Tennessee like we do. If you aren’t familiar with the Subscribe & Save deal at Amazon, we’ve outlined the main ‘just the facts about Amazon’ AND what to watch out for- in a post and a few things you might want to know ahead of time about the Subscribe & Save ordering to make it clear for you. The first time I used it I admit it was a little confusing, because the item you order gets processed by itself. I ended up with two shipments (my fault) of the same item because I wasn’t sure if it would be covered by the free shipping conditions-and didn’t realize it had checked out separately. If you’re new to the Subscribe & Save, BE SURE to read our Amazon Primer. It’s worth the little extra time to get familiar with the process, you will save money on more than just this one item. FYI- last time we were at Whole Foods, these cranberries were $4.09/bag. Plus tax.

Reviews of Newman’s Own Organic Dried Cranberries by others:

Organic Green & Natural- received an unsolicited box of Newman’s goodies and offered up an honest review of their cranberries and several other Newman’s products…(hello? Newman’s? Are you there? I’ll review anything you want to send me!)  This is a great site you’ll want to bookmark, too.

Lots of people write about adding them to their salads and such, but didn’t find any other reviews aside from Amazon’s. If you have a review on your site, or would like to submit one, leave your website address in a comment. Thanks! If you know of a brand you like better, or know where there is a better price, please tell!

Here’s a ‘Primer’ for those that are new to buying at Amazon:

Advantages of shopping at Amazon:

1. You get it delivered to your door – free shipping
2. You save sales tax, which in Tennessee is almost 10%!
3. 5 star customer service. They guarantee your purchase, if something is wrong, they make it right – fast. We do alot of shopping with Amazon, and they rarely make a mistake, which is rare-but nice.
4. Shop from the convenience of your computer, at any hour of any day.
5. Shop their sales, and save on stocking up. Great for gifting, for instance: buy extra beef jerky, snack mixes and energy drinks for that hard to buy for college student!

What to watch for:

• Make sure your product is “Super Saver Shipping Eligible”. If it is, you only need a minimum order of $25 to receive free shipping. That’s it. **BE SURE** to check you want Super Saver Shipping AND select “Group my items into as few shipments as possible” as your shipping preference. during checkout.
• If it’s NOT “Super Saver Shipping Eligible”, watch out! Some individual merchants charge an arm and a leg for shipping, and there’s usually no provision for buying more than one product from them. Contact the merchant if you aren’t sure of the charges. (can you tell I have made this mistake?)
• When you sign up for “Subscribe & Save”, make sure you cancel or adjust your timing if you don’t eat it as fast as you thought you would. Read more about “Subscribe & Save” below.
• When using one of their coupon codes to get a discount, make sure you enter the coupon and it is subtracted from your total. If you have any trouble, there is a phone number to call Amazon, although they hide it well: 1.800-201-7575.

“Subscribe & Save”-What You NEED to Know!

Subscribe & Save is a service that Amazon offers their customer that puts shipment of your chosen item on a regular schedule for you. This saves you 15% off the regular price, and it can be set up for a 1, 2, 3, or 6 month rotation. If you decide you don’t want it shipped to you regularly after you have tried it, it’s easy to log into your account and cancel future shipments. So always save the 15% by signing up, just remember to cancel it later if necessary-just be sure to read the following:

It was a little confusing for me the first time I ordered with Subscribe & Save, so I thought I’d let you know ahead of time what to expect. When you order something through the Subscribe & Save option, you’ll be taken through checkout for just that item immediately. You don’t have to meet any minimums to get free shipping for that item. However, it also won’t count towards your total order for your $25 minimum for Super Saver Shipping, either. I made the mistake of making sure the item was in my cart, too and ended up with 2 shipments of that item the first time I did this! (which is one reason I’m writing this, so you don’t make the same mistake!) So, remember, if you are ordering other things, your Subscribe & Save items won’t show up in your cart with them-but they ARE on the way.

By the way, the Subscribe & Save items will probably arrive before anything else-it ships very fast. By itself.

They will ask you how often you want each individual Subscribe & Save item shipped, but it’s not in stone and can be changed at ANY time just by logging into your account. I set everything on a 6 month schedule and just reorder when I get low on an item, and while I’m there I check the timing of everything.

So, don’t forget you can cancel future shipments at any time, no penalties or scoldings…. but once it’s in your list, it makes it really easy to order again if you want. It also saves the items you don’t want to order again, which I realized the benefit of recently when I couldn’t remember the brand of a canned organic pineapple that I did NOT like that I almost made the mistake of ordering it a second time.

What’s the difference between “Super Saver Shipping Eligible” and “Prime”?

Well, “Super Saver Shipping Eligible” means the cost of that item counts towards your $25 minimum for your free shipping. There is nothing to sign up for, and it applies to everyone and anything you place in your cart that states it’s SSS (Super Saving Shipping) Eligible.

“Prime” or “Amazon Prime” means you have paid a $79 fee and any item tagged with “Prime Eligible” (no minimum required) on it ships free with 2nd day shipping. You can also upgrade to overnight shipping for just $3.99. You’re  also given until 6pm EST to receive shipping of your order that same day, whereas us normal folk only have until 3pm. This is an exceptionally nice feature to have during the Christmas season. We had a free account one Christmas season and it was amazing how fast we received our (many) orders. I really, really enjoyed it! An item we ordered on 12-22 actually arrived on 12-24. I was pleasantly surprised, because I really didn’t expect it until after Christmas.

Considering the flu epidemic this year, going out shopping is not on the top of my wish list, and will definitely be doing much more of my shopping online this year.  I usually check Amazon anyway before I go shopping for certain items, first for the reviews, then for the prices. I have found that the majority of items can be found for less at Amazon, especially considering the savings on sales tax. The only reason I don’t purchase it at Amazon usually is because I failed to plan ahead and was in a hurry for the item. Super Saver Shipping can be slow, if a week to 10 days is slow for you to recieve an item ordered online.

The internet is becoming more and more sophisticated every nano-second, and one area that never ceases to amaze me is the selection available for children. However, tightly woven into that golden field of online mind nutrition is a great deal of dangerous landmines just waiting for an young, unsuspecting click. Kid-safe browsers don’t replace adult supervision, and never will, but do much more than just protect your child. They have found the best of the best online, and made it fun and easy for you and your child to find healthy, online activities.

I found this list of kid-safe browsers on The Smart Bean along with about a week’s worth of great information for any homeschooler or parent that is involved with their child’s education. It’s an intelligent website full of quality  resources and information to enhance the education of any age child.

So, what’s the difference between parental control software like Cybersitter and NetNanny and a kid-safe browser? Besides a chunk of change, parental control software simply censors pre-designated sites along with a varied selection of other controls specific to your computer. A kid-safe browser is full of pre-selected sites that have been deemed safe and appropriate for your child-and can usually be accessed from any computer.

According to Smart Bean, most kid-safe browser have the following features:

*  The internet is restricted to a pre-approved universe of child-appropriate sites for games, entertainment, information and education
* Parents have the means to allow/restrict access to sites, and view details of their kids’ online activities
* Communication tools such as kid-safe email and chat, and safe social-networking communities for kids
* No advertising

Here is a list of free options that I’m looking forward to trying myself!

Buddy Browser – Safe, secure, and boasting no spyware or adware, all sites must be pre-approved by you. Kid-safe search and NO chat rooms.  Fun tool bar icons for games, movies, sports, e-cards, music, etc. and educational learning channels for Science, School, Nature, Animals & more.

Glubble – offers more than just a kid-safe browser. A family photo sharing site and a way to connect your family online, Glubble is a wholesome, fun and safe “whole family” internet experience for families with children under the age of 12.  Check out this informative video about how Glubble works.

Kido’z - Targeted at ages 3-7, Kido’z can be used without knowing how to read or write. While we still encourage adult supervision, this kid-safe browser boasts the ability to present content in one or more of 17 different languages at an “age-appropriate” level.  The use of the new Adobe AIR platform is said to make this a richer experience, and is one of the most advanced platforms.

KidRocket – Complete with “time lock” for limiting a child’s time on the internet, it also includes email and printing controls as well. The newest version of KidRocket provides vocal prompts and new email options. Appears to have a smaller selection of available sites to choose from, there seems to be a more educational emphasis.

KidZui – Available as a stand alone browser, or a Firefox add-on, this is one of the more popular kid-safe browsers aimed at the sub-12 year age group. “Kids have the freedom to learn, play, search and discover over 2 million games, websites, videos and photos on their own. KidZui has the largest number of games, websites, videos and photos reviewed by parents and teachers anywhere.” KidZui sends a weekly email to parents that tells them what their kids are doing online and allows parents to set controls.

Have fun! Does anyone know of others that I should have mentioned? Any that you didn’t like? Thanks!