Chili's Holidaily

Celebrate the holiday season at Chili's with a special offer every day from now until December 24. Just print your coupon, head to Chili's, and enjoy. Happy Holidays from all of us!

Dec 11: Free Dessert
Dec 12: Free Appetizer
Dec 13: Free Southwestern Egg rolls
Dec 14: Free Pretzel Sticks or Sweet Potato Fries
 Dec 15: Free Chips & Salsa
 Dec 16: Free Brownie Sunday

Make every holiday gift give back to charity

What if a percentage of all of your holiday purchases went to your favorite charity and you could receive discounts on them as well? More than 15 million people are using these sites already! There are also currently more than 108,000 organizations earning money from the sites.  

Goodshop.com is an online shopping mall that donates a percentage of each purchase (made at more than 2,800 stores from Amazon to Zazzle) to the charity of your choice, as well as provides you with more than 100,000 coupons and deals! 

Goodsearch.com is a search engine that donates a penny a search to your favorite nonprofit or school.

Top 5 Mobile Apps to Plan Your Family Vacation This Holiday Season

The Holiday travel season is well underway and with a variety of new travel apps available, there are many reliable and easy-to use resources to help parents coordinate a stress-free family vacation this year. From booking last-minute travel plans, to finding the closest restaurant to enjoy your holiday dinner – there are top must-have mobile apps available to prepare you for your entire trip.

Included below is a list of top mobile apps that can help parents plan the perfect holiday getaway right from the palm of their hands. 

CheapOair
When coordinating travel plans for the entire family, the CheapOair mobile app effortlessly finds the best flight and hotel deals. Downloadable on the iPhone, Android, Windows 8 and even the iPad, users can save money this holiday season by finding great last-minute vacation packages with the app’s easy to navigate design and can be done from anywhere at any time. With the apps new 24/7 Live Chat option, a helping hand is always available for assistance.

Road Warriors
Sunday Drive
If you are planning on hitting the road for the holidays, the Roadside America app can point out the best must-visit local attractions that are celebrating Hannuka, Christmas and New Years in their own special ways. This app also has a built-in GPS to map out the quickest route to your destination.

GetPacked: packing list
Once you’ve booked the travel plans for your destination, the last and final step before you leave is packing your luggage and making sure no one leaves any essentials behind. The GetPacked: packing list mobile app helps make packing for the whole family quick and easy.  With a checklist at the palm of your hand, you can choose from over 600 items to put on your list, with the ability to even add your own items (like presents!)




LocalEats
When you’re in an unfamiliar city and are looking for a nice restaurant to have your holiday dinner at, where your entire family can enjoy the food, the LocalEats app allows you to search through recommended restaurants that have been reviewed by local food critics.

Goby
While on vacation, it’s important to spend quality time with the whole family outside of the hotel room. The Goby mobile app allows you to find local sightseeing tours or holiday festivals to keep everyone occupied during the trip.

Top Apps for Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day will be even sweeter this year thanks to mobile app superstore, Appitalism's anticipated Valentine’s Day debut of the Android version of Angry Birds Valentine’s Day Edition, free of cost.

“With more than 50 million downloads having already flown the nest and landed on devices everywhere, Angry Birds is nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, and we’re happy to have the special Valentine’s Day edition available on Appitalism,” said Simon Buckingham, Chief Appitalist.

Additionally, preparing for this love-filled holiday has never been easier thanks to mobile app experts at Appitalism.  Here are some other apps provided by Appitalism.com to make Valentine’s Day a breeze:

1800Flowers Mobile Gift Center (Free for the Android) - Ordering flowers has never been quicker thanks to the 1800Flowers mobile app. Part of a great gift is timing, and thanks to this app you’re guaranteed on-time delivery on Valentine’s day.

Famous Love Quotes ($0.99 for the Android) - Madly in love but can’t find the words to describe how you feel? Download this app to have the most famous love quotes and poems at your fingertips and impress your partner.

Coupons and Shopping Discounts by GeoQpons (Free for the iPhone) - If you’re on a budget but want to buy your loved one a great gift for Valentine’s Day, this app will provide you with coupons and deals from brands such as Ann Taylor, Sports Authority, H&M, Aeropostale, Kohls, and many more.

Valentine's Day Tips (Free for the iPhone) - If Valentine’s Day plans are not your forte, use this app to provide you with advice geared specifically towards this holiday. From selecting a gift to planning a date, these simple and practical tips will make for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day.

Check the Privacy Policy on ‘Dear Santa’ Websites

The Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois discovered almost 7,000 domain names are registered that include  the name Santa Claus, offering children a wide range of opportunities to persuade St. Nick via email that they were nice in 2010.  Before allowing children to share any personal information with a “Letter to Santa” website, the BBB Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) recommends adults carefully review such sites to determine who is seeking the information, how it will be used and whether it will be shared with third parties.

All websites directed to children – or websites designed with a special children’s section –  should have a privacy policy that explains the site’s information collection practices. The privacy policy should include the name of the company and the company’s complete contact information.

“Even Santa is required to comply with CARU’s Online Privacy Protection guidelines and the Federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act,” said Steve J. Bernas, president & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and northern Illinois. "Even though some parents may be intimidated by technology, they need to supervise their child's computer use in the house as well as educate their kids on how to be safe online."

Websites should also state whether the company shares information with third parties, including advertisers, and whether the company publically discloses the information or retains the information for any future purpose.

CARU offered the following ‘Dear Santa’ site review tips:

• Keep Shared Information Limited. Websites directed to children should not ask a child to disclose more information than is reasonably necessary to participate in the activity – a first name and email address, for instance. Limit the personal information children share with Santa and omit physical addresses; Santa already knows where all the children live.

• Age Appropriate Content. Check websites for unwelcome content. Some sites are geared toward adults and may contain language or advertising adults may not want children to see.

• Avoid Off-topic Hyperlinks. Since hyperlinks can allow children to move seamlessly from one site to another, investigate the hyperlinks to assure children don’t access inappropriate content.

·         Keep the Channels of Communication Open. Let your kids know that you are always ready to talk if they are ever threatened, bullied or feel uncomfortable about an experience they had online.

“As many children are online and have numerous opportunities to link up with websites requesting personal information it is critical that parents take the time to protect personal information while staying in the holiday spirit,” added Bernas.  

Federal law requires sites collecting identifying information from children under 13 to get a parent's consent first. Parents who are concerned about the safety of specific child-directed websites and advertising can file a complaint at www.caru.org/complaint

For more information on how to keep your kids safe online, please visit www.CARU.org.

Parents can also learn how to keep themselves safe from ID thieves and hackers online at www.bbb.org

5 Apps That'll Make your Life Easier this Holiday

·         CheckPoints – a shopping app that rewards you for checking-in to stores while you do your holiday shopping and scanning barcodes.   Accumulate points and earn real world rewards like airline miles, gift cards, and gadgets.  The app that gives back!
·         Epi – This app by Conde Nast provides you with thousands of recipes, helps you make shopping lists, and gives you user reviews to help all your holiday cooking go off without a hitch.  Perfect for dinner parties this holiday.
·         Pandora – Put it on a Christmas carol channel, and voila – you can keep you and your friends singing all the way to grandmother’s house.  Don’t forget to “like” Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” – a modern classic.
·         Pageonce Personal Finance – Stave off the influx of bills during the holidays with this app that consolidates all of your accounts and helps you keep them under control. 
·         Kyte– This app allows you share photos the instant you take them, so you can share your holiday memories with friends and family who aren’t celebrating with you.  Or, instantly upload embarrassing pictures of your coworkers at your office holiday party.

What to Do with Costumes on November 1

Image via CrunchBase

So much time and effort into finding the best costumes- but once the trick-or-treating and parties are over what do you do with them?  69% of moms buy their kid’s Halloween costume, which can create a lot of post-Halloween waste.  Here are a few ideas from CafeMom(www.cafemom.com ) on what to do with costumes after Halloween has come and gone.

·         Donate them to the school’s drama department to be used for future shows. Even if they don’t use the entire costume they can use the materials or mix and match for what they need! (Demonstrate how the props form one costume can be used for something else i.e. a pirate’s sword can be used for Peter Pan)
·         Add them to the “Halloween Box.” When looking for new costumes you would be surprised at the things you can pull together by mixing old costumes! You can also use the box to swap with other kids. (Show a sample box filled with previous costumes)
·         Sell them in a yard sale that following summer- other moms are likely on the lookout for costume deals!
·         Save them for dress up- maybe next year’s birthday party can be a costume party! (Show images of kids at costume party)
·         If you don’t have the space the local thrift shop or good will would love to have them!

Source: CafeMom

Trick-or-Treating Trends

As costume fads change, safety concerns remain. Kids are still trick-or-treating but with 70% of Moms saying they would never allow their child to go trick-or-treating alone, safer alternatives are becoming the norm!  

To avoid the worries of tainted candy and erratic drivers lots of parents are opting for the alternative Halloween plans. Community events and malls are becoming more and more popular as locations to trick-or-treat.  Some ideas from CafeMom include:

·         Mall trick-or-treating – malls across the country open their stores to trick-or-treaters.  Associated Content reported earlier this year that The Mall of America hosts “The World’s Largest Trick or Treat.” Kids are provided bags and can stop by all the stores for treats. There is also a costume competition and lots of Halloween entertainment!
·         Kids Night on Broadway- kids ages 6-18 can see shows for free! An adult, whose ticket is not free, must accompany the child but that ticket also gets you entry to Madame Tussauds Halloween party as well as restaurant and parking discounts.  Many cities have similar events, so check your local theater listings.
·         Theme parks go all out for Halloween. From 6 Flags Fright Fest to Busch Gardens Howl-O-Scream there are tons of activities and haunted houses to attend.
·         How about a haunted hay ride? Gather up some families in the neighborhood and pile in. Almost every town offers one of these! You will get many thanks for being the organizer!

Keep a look out for flyers at your church, school and local shopping malls. If you gather a few moms of your kid’s friends it could be something they really look forward to!

Source: CafeMom