In no particular order:

» Elf
» How the Grinch Stole Christmas
» Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
» Frosty the Snowman » The Santa Clause
» Santa Clause II (Note: we haven’t seen Santa Clause III, but I bet we’ll like it)
» Home Alone
» National Lampoons Christmas Vacation (Warning: crude humor and language)
» A Christmas Story
» The Little Drummer Boy
» A Charlie Brown Christmas

Raising4Boys participated in four carnivals this week. Here they are along with links to my articles that were included in each.

The Make it From Scratch Carnival included “Making Chili With Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey.”

The Carnival of Family Life included “Helicobacter pylori Rears its Ugly Head.”

The Carnival of Money Stories included “What’s the Right Age to Start an Allowance?.” Also included was “Changing Our Reward Credit Card Strategy” from fivecentnickel.com.

The Best of Me Symphony included “How to Build a Double (or Single) Desk on the Cheap.” Also included was “Q&A: Debt Reduction Strategy” from fivecentnickel.com.

With the holiday shopping season fully upon us, I just thought I’d throw out this quick money-saving tip…

As you may or may not know, Amazon has a 30 day price drop policy. In other words, if they lower their price on something that you’ve purchased within the past 30 days, they’ll issue a credit. The catch here is that you have to ask for it. [more]

Here are some of our favorite Raising4Boys (subscribe) posts from a year ago this past week:

» Dookie, Dookie, Dookie
» Dealing With a Finicky Four Year Old Eater
» Kid Jokes: More Thanksgiving Jokes

And here are some of my favorite FiveCentNickel (subscribe) posts from a year ago:

» Standard Mileage Rate Increases for 2007
» Flexible Spending Closed out at a Profit
» Putting Together an Estate Plan

And here’s what was going on two years ago:

» Money Moves for 2006, Part 3: Your Job
» Money Moves for 2006, Part 4: Your Health
» On Dental Insurance, Appeals, and Pulling Teeth

I love chili. As far as I’m concerned, nothing warms the soul quite like a steaming hot bowl of chili. So when we were looking for something to do with our leftover Thanksgiving turkey, my mind naturally drifted to… Chili! [more]

We’re a bit late with this, but here goes…

October was another great month at Raising4Boys, thanks in large part to contributions from readers such as yourself. We just wanted to take a moment to thank those of you who stop by and comment. If you like what you see here, keep in mind that you can have the full-text of everything that we write delivered to you via RSS or e-mail (details). Here are our favorite posts from the month of October:

» Hot Holiday Toys: “TMX Friends” Ernie and Cookie Monster Top the List
» Instilling Values in Your Child: Teach by Doing
» Mission: Accomplished… Ten Year Old Spy Birthday Party
» The Preschool Transition
» Favorite Sitcoms
» Creative Kids: The Solution to the World’s Problems?
» The Five Year Old Vandal
» Keeping Track of Toy Recalls via RSS and E-Mail
» On Kids, Butts, and Google Image Search

And here are some favorites from FiveCentNickel (subscribe):

» Our Home Renovations: The Beginning
» Updated List of Free Credit Card Mile Promotions
» Zecco Modifies Commission Structure
» Ten Tips for Dealing With a Lost Wallet
» 2008 IRA Contribution Limits
» Credit Bureaus to Offer Credit Freezes to Customers Nationwide
» All About the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)
» Making Sense of Tax Efficient Money Funds
» The Benefits of Switching to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
» The Accidental Deadbeat
» Upselling at the Airport
» Look Before You Leap: Roth IRA Conversions in 2010
» Another Reason to Value Your Credit Score
» Yet Another Reason to Value Your Credit Score
» Busy Schedules: Money Saver or Money Waster
» 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) Contribution Limits for 2008

Raising4Boys participated in one carnival this week. Here it is along with a link to our article that was included.

The Carnival of Personal Finance included “What’s the Right Age to Start an Allowance?” Also included was “How Does Zecco Make Money?” from fivecentnickel.com.

When it rains it pours… After discovering that we have H. pylori in the house, we decided to scrap our Thanksgiving travel plans and stay close to home. Our plan was to celebrate close to home, get well, and perhaps even recover a bit from the recent havoc brought on by a major home renovation. And since yesterday was our youngest son’s third birthday, we figured we could have a nice family birthday party. [more]

After six weeks (or more) of illness and lethargy, we finally have a diagnosis for Son #1.

And the winner is… Helicobacter pylori. In case you’re not familiar with H. pylori, it’s a bacterium that infects the stomach and duodenum. It’s known to cause peptic ulcers, gastritis, duodenitis, and has even been implicated as a possible causative agent of gastric cancer. After a blood test requested by his G.I. specialist, he’s now on the road to recovery. [more]

Here are some of our favorite Raising4Boys (subscribe) posts from a year ago these past two weeks:

» Don’t Let Your Kids Get Ahold of Your Checkbook
» Raw Meat, Cat Poop, and Lots’O’Boys
» Most Kids Not Getting Second Dose of Flu Vaccine
» Mazes, Mazes, Mazes (And All for Free)

And here are some of my favorite FiveCentNickel (subscribe) posts from a year ago:

» Gas Prices Drop, American Car Buyers Forego Economy
» My Best and Worst Money Moves
» Checkbook Security: Keep an Eye on Your Checks!
» Undoing Roth IRA Contribution Mistakes
» Roth IRA Contribution Limits: How the ‘Phaseout’ Works
» What is Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI)?
» Income Limits for Converting Traditional IRA Funds to a Roth IRA
» Reward Credit Cards - What’s in My Wallet?
» The Social Security Tax Ceiling

And here’s what was going on two years ago:

» The Three Worst Reasons to Buy a House
» The Least (and Most) Expensive College Towns
» Selling Travel Certificates on eBay
» Money Moves for 2006, Part 1: Your Home
» Money Moves for 2006, Part 2: Your Portfolio