Out of the mouths of babes. . .

It's New Year's Eve and we find ourselves once again at the Zoo for free entertainment. Actually, its better than free, because we got a big fat tax deduction for joining, not to mention free train and carousel rides and invitations to neat events, like the Noon Year's Eve party we attended today.

Naturally, given all the past week's hullabaloo (rightly so) over zoo tigers, we made a point of visiting our own local big cats today. As my son sits down in front of the viewing window for a photo op with the male tiger asleep behind him, he puts his finger to his lips and tell everyone "Sshh, don't wake the tiger." I swear he doesn't watch the news!

I really need to rent this child out for commercials and make him pay his way. As it is, I barely have time to blog about his dangerous adventures, which today had something to do with a bag of very sharp nails from Home Depot. Sorry, dear readers, that's a story for another day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Nianya

Entertaining Kids on a BUDGET. . .

Step 1: Buy creative crafts at bottom basement prices.

Step 2: Look for Maximum fun and Minimum Mess.

Step 3: Make sure the FUN parts are reusable!

Otherwise, you may get stuck pounding the pavement, roaming the stores or surfing the internet for replacement parts at exorbitant prices.

I was all psyched up to write about this great toy we found at an outlet toy store on the day before Thanksgiving for practically nothing. Sure enough, my mad scientist 5-year-old loves it. I'm having to hide the foam pieces so he doesn't use them all up in one day.

My resourceful husband, suggested that we get some back up pieces for when we run out. Easier said than done. You get what you pay for. It never fails. Buy an AS SEEN ON TV item on clearance and you can bet it isn't available anywhere else. Not at a decent price anyway.

Nianya

A Very Merry Christmas to all . . .

Mass chaos, there's no other word for it. I have found over the years that it's best to curl up in a safe corner and watch the stampede. And sooooo, we survived another Christmas, barely.

I am very proud to say that for the first time, we have escaped the holiday crush without a mountain of debt. So what if we have to eat macaroni and cheese until the next pay day, at least we aren't paying interest on it. My mission for the New Year, get in shape, finish the sequel to my book and sell everything that isn't tied down to pay my way to the Grand Canyon for my daughter's school trip.

If you would like to know more about this once in a pre-teen lifetime experience please check out the Grand Classroom website http://www.grandclassroom.com/. Donations to the cause are welcome and all donors will receive a deluxe DVD of our trip. That is, assuming that I can learn how to use my DVD editing software. If not, I may have to outsource my amateur videos to China for assembly.


That's all for now folks, have a very Merry Holiday and prosperous New Year.


Nianya

Merry Christmas Eve

A lesson to be learned. . . If you want to avoid the crowds on Christmas Eve, go to the Zoo, not the Mall! Also a good idea if you have Autistic, ADHD or just plain hyper kids (BTDT with all three). Let's face it, they all over stimulate at Christmastime.

Nianya

Welcome Friends

As most of you know, I am the author, editor and publisher of the Magical Mischief Maker and am currently working on the sequal "The Faerie Princess."

Check out my new You-Tube location http://www.youtube.com/Nianyac and stay tuned for our great summer adventure/science trip to the Grand Canyon (www.grandclassroom.com).

Nianya