A Live Christmas Tree Buying Guide

Thanks to Andrea Woroch who gave me this info! She's a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc. and has been featured among top news outlets such as Good Morning America, NBC's Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more.

Now read on!

Less than 24 hours after the Department of Agriculture announced they were slapping a 15-cents per tree tax on Christmas tree growers, the Obama administration backed off on the plan. The idea, hatched by the tree growers themselves was to fund a promotional push similar to the successful "Got Milk?" campaign from dairy producers.

Naturally, consumers would get stuck paying any such tax, bloating tree prices even further. Maybe it's time to try that Festivus aluminum pole from "Seinfeld," instead of a tree? Or maybe it's time to consider these guidelines for buying thata Christmas fir.

1. Ask Where It Came From
Some Christmas tree lots buy trucked-in trees before Thanksgiving, meaning they'll drop needles faster than airlines can raise their baggage fees. Weeks may have passed since those trees were originally cut, so always ask the vendor where and when they buy their trees.

2. Check for Freshness
Is the tree green and healthy with a fragrant scent and moist, flexible needles? Does it have damaged bark or broken branches? When you bounce it lightly on the ground, does it shower you with needles?

3. Weigh It
A heavy tree -- proportionate to its size -- means it contains a higher water content, and is therefore fresh.

4. Buy Locally Grown
Is there an area farm that sells freshly cut trees? You'll still want to give them the bounce test, but just the fact they were cut on-site means the trees are fresher. Enter your zip code under "Find My Tree Now" on the National Christmas Tree Association's website to find your nearest provider.

5. Cut Your Own
It takes some effort and a good axe or saw, but there's a great deal of satisfaction in harvesting your own tree, from an approved location, of course. Finding just the right tree and tackling the job as part of a team also makes for a fun outing.

6. Buy Online
You can buy anything online these days. Companies like Christmas Trees Galore offer free shipping and you won't have to cart the tree home on top of your car. Check FreeShipping.org for delivery deals and while you're there, find free shipping offers on ornaments and other decorations.

7. Treat It Tenderly
Keep the tree outside in a shaded, cool place for a couple days, preferably standing in water. Before bringing it indoors, cut half an inch or so off the butt end to open up its pores, much as you would with cut roses. Once inside, remember to keep the tree stand topped up with water each day. For more information about caring for your live tree, check out The Ohio University's Extension Fact Sheet.

Something For The Kids: The Berenstain Bears Live!

Last weekend we went to see The Berenstain Bears Family Matters The Musical in NYC. Read the review at Mogul Baby!

Padma Lakshmi Talks To Shine! Yahoo

Padma Lakshmi recently interviewed with Yahoo! Shine to talk about being a single parent.
Here are excerpts the Top Chef host had to say:

On being a single parent: “One thing I’ll say, in truth – I am a single parent. But I don’t feel alone at all in parenting my daughter.”

On parent Twitter etiquette: “I never tweet about my daughter. Never. I just want to be respectful of her privacy. My job as a mom is to know when to open my mouth and when not to.”

On her post-pregnancy body: “It’s really hard. I wasn’t like those girls who give birth and are back on the runway. I am normally a size 4, so I went up ten dress sizes in six months.”

On advice for entertaining with kids in the house: “Choose a menu with most items that you can prepare ahead of time and then one or two dishes that you will finish off just before or during the party. Then you can enlist guests to help – and also kids! Kids love to help and they can, as long as it doesn’t involve knives or heat. They can toss a salad for you. They can fold the napkins. That makes them feel like it’s their party, too.”

On combining your family life with your social life: “You make it clear if it’s an adult party or is it a child’s party. If it’s an event with children and you do have wine there, you want to be very responsible. You want to make sure there’s a lot of food.”

On entertaining on a budget: “What’s good for the wallet is also usually good for the body. Rather than do a big beef roast, you can make a stew. It has chunks of meat in it but if you slow cook it, you can use cheaper cuts of meat. You can add a lot of root vegetables, which stretch the budget [and portions] a lot farther. You can wind up feeding twelve people instead of six.”

On “Top Chef: Texas!”: “We are bigger than ever. We have a lot of great guest judges this season. Patti LaBelle and PeeWee Herman and Charlize Theron, and all these great chefs and Nathan Myrhrvold.”

I'm a fan of the show so will be watching Top Chef Texas!

Sales That Are Ideeli

I've noticed that leggings are still trendy to wear. I've especially noticed pregnant celebrities wearing them, which I guess would be a good idea since they have to wear tent tops and need something black to go with them.

Now check these out. Someone just told me about ideeli.com and I was like, "Wha? A shopping deal site I haven't heard of before?"

So far I really like what they have there. How can you pass this up? Leggings now for $39.99, down from $180! Membership is free, just use this invite code.



P.S. No one at ideeli.com told me to write about this, I just wanted to share and I dig these pants.