MelissaStuff

This movie comes out this week . . . I LOVE Disney, but sometimes we struggle with finding movies that will work equally well for the boy. But Alice: Through the Looking Glass is perfect. You can find it at Target, Best Buy, Amazon and other local retailers starting on October 18, 2016.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine. I can't believe it's almost time for Christmas shopping!! At this point in my life, I certainly don't have time to be going from store to store hunting for the right gifts. But I am one CRAZY online shopper, let me tell you. My plan is to share the best deals I find with you as I go, but I can tell you one thing - you should sign up for Groupon Goods so you will get alerts on the crazy good stuff they will be offering. Last year, they had some of the most popular gifts - think adult coloring books and bluetooth speakers - at some of the best prices . . . all without having to leave your home or your desk at work. Here's some of the stuff they have available right now if you want to get started early: NFL Throw Blanket - $21.99 If college sports is a better fit, a NCAA Decorative Wooden Sign - $21.99 And, if you have little ones on your list, check out these options: What, if anything, have y...

Recently a friend and I were discussing how hard it is to stay caught up with scrapbooking all of our kids pictures . . . sometimes it feels like every year, I just get further and further behind. One quick solution is to use photo books to supplement. They're quick, fun and can be customized just like a scrapbook. Right now you can get 15% off a company that's new to me - Adoramapix . I'm getting ready to place an order so I'll know for sure, but I've heard they books are high quality and able to display your images in rich detail. The covers come in linen, hardcover and leather including 6 stunning paper finishes. Use the code PHOTOBOOK15 to get your discount and try out AdoramaPix today. Sale ends 11/5/2016 at 11:59 PM EST. ** I was provided with a free photobook in return for sharing this discount with my readers.**

A mom . . . a dad . . . approximately 2.5 children. Married, for life. Isn't that what we think a family is? Isn't that what the church has taught for decades, maybe centuries, at this point?   Maybe it's time to reconsider this definition. I'm not talking about changing our stance on same-sex marriage. I am talking about the fact that frequently the redeemed families God puts together look NOTHING like the definition of family we just mentioned.   It may be a single, elderly mother with a handful of African orphans living in her home. It could be a mom, a dad, a stepmom, and a stepdad - all who love Jesus and love their children and are earnestly working together today to raise their family to love Jesus and further His Kingdom. It could be grandparents raising their grandchildren because the parents are gone. It could be a husband and wife with three children of their own who graft in a single father and his young son desperately in need of the support of a la...

I can't even tell my boys about this because they will talk of NOTHING else until this arrives . . . and then maybe NOTHING else again until they find out if they can do it again. I don't know if you knew this . . . but you can now play Minecraft in a movie theater! Gamers of all ages will be super excited about this opportunity to participate in this fun, face-to-face social experience. Using the big screen, kids will have a chance to implement superhero-themed maps and mods in a custom Minecraft adventure, Rise of Heroes. Just bring a laptop with Minecraft 1.9.2 installed. You will be able to play first person on your computer and then connect wirelessly to the Super League server which will put you and everyone else's gameplay up on the big screen. Parents and siblings can attend for FREE and cheer on their favorite gamer. Your gamer will be able to collaborate and team up with 4-7 other members their own age as they create their own worlds, fight ag...

A Rain Poncho  - In Texas, we can use a rain poncho anytime of year. We have gotten lots of rain recently and it probably isn't over unless it gets cold enough to freeze all of the precipitation. These are simple and can range anywhere from simple, plain and inexpensive ($3.95) to a fun, kid-themed, high-end version (the OliveKids poncho pictured that runs just over $20 .) *********************************************************** Exergen Temporal Thermometer - Some of you may find this to be a very, ahem, unique stocking stuffer, but hear me out. As a mom, I know how difficult it is to take a little one's temperature and how much more difficult it is when you don't know what their temperature is because you can't get them to let you take it. I also know how unhappy children are when they already don't feel well and they suddenly have to hold a glass thermometer in the mouth or . . . even worse, somewhere else. For both mother and child, a temporal arte...

Thank you  Capital One Home Loans  for sponsoring this post. This is a paid endorsement. To learn more about how Capital One Home Loans tools can help simplify your home-buying process, visit  CapitalOneSmartHomeLoans.com . The journey I have been on in the last few years has taught me just how big a fallacy it is to assume that everyone has the same experiences in life or learns the same lessons. I have now successfully purchased two homes. One was a starter home - a brand-new build where we where we were able to choose every detail from the ground up. The other was a foreclosure that involved going through a difficult, tedious process which ultimately netted us a home in need of a lot of work but also with a lot of equity very quickly. However, in my line of work, I regularly deal with people who are saving up for down payments, buying homes, selling homes, refinancing homes, investing in rental properties. It's exposed me to a much wider array of home buy...