Holiday Lights in Georgia (Atlanta Metro)

I love this time of year. The skies are clear and cold at night and the holiday lights put a festive glow on otherwise ordinary buildings.  Don't miss the amazing light shows around the Atlanta Metro.  The 30 acres at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens is especially spectacular this year.  A must see!

"Garden Lights, Holiday Nights." Nov 19 through Jan 7 at Atlanta Botanical Garden. 5-10 p.m. nightly (except Dec. 24 and 31). Tickets: $18.95, $12.95 ages 3-12. Parking, $5, in the adjoining SAGE parking facility. 1345 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta. 404-876-585 www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org

Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens. Take the Jolly Trolly or drive your personal vehicle through the 5-mile light show employing 8 million lights and featuring 14 larger-than-life holiday scenes in a woodland setting. Christmas Village offers 22,000 square feet of shopping and refreshments. Nov 18 through Dec 30. $16-$22; $8-$11, children; under 5, free. 60 miles southwest of downtown Atlanta, intersection of Ga. 18/354, Pine Mountain. 1-800-225-5292 www.callawaygardens.com

Holiday in Lights at Centennial Olympic Park. Thousands of lights illuminate the 21-acre park. Nov 18 through Jan 2. Park is open 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Free. Ice skating rink, open Nov 19 through Jan 29, is $7 per person plus $2 skate rental for 90 minutes on the ice. Credit cards not accepted at the rink. 4:30-10 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays. 404-223-4412 www.centennialpark.com.

Magical Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier Islands Resort. Seven miles of lights illuminate characters and scenery. Carnival rides, pony rides and games, marshmallow roasting offered outside Holiday Village, where shopping and snacks and visits with Santa are available. Open Nov 18 through Jan 1. 5-10 p.m. daily (including holidays). Cars (one to nine passengers): Mondays-Thursdays, $40; Fridays-Sundays, $60. Food, lodging packages available. Lake Lanier Islands Resort, 7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford. 1-800-840-5253, www.lakelanierislands.com

Lights of Life at Life. Millions of light bulbs illuminate more than 100 displays dotting the 1.5-mile drive through Life University campus. Nov 21 through Dec 31. 6-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 6-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Cars, $5; vans, $10; buses, $20. New this year: Nojoe’s Christmas Circus Under the Stars, presented at 7 and 9 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Thanksgiving night through New Year’s Day night. $5. Life University, 1269 Barclay Circle, Marietta. 678-331-4334 www.life.edu/lightsoflife

Season of Magic in Piedmont Park. Holiday lights decorate the park in this first-year event that opens with a Naughty or Nice caroling parade at 6 p.m. Nov 20 ($10, $5 under 12). Features horse-drawn carriage rides (5-10 p.m. daily; $20 per individual, $60 groups of 3-5), carousel rides, Legacy Fountain light show, beer garden, arts and crafts and more. Through New Year’s Day. 404-875-7275 www.piedmontpark.org

Stone Mountain Christmas. More than 2 million lights illuminate Crossroads village. A dozen-plus shows and events are offered, including new this year the holiday show "Toyrific!" Nightly holiday parade winds through the village, with Snow Angel flying over Crossroads for the finale just before a fireworks display. .770-498-5690 Open nightly Nov 12 through Jan 1 (except Dec. 24-25). $27, adults; $21, children 3-11. Parking pass, $10. Book combo tickets (includes other park attractions) at www.stonemountainpark.com

Happy Holidays!

Clean up the Pantry & Do a Good Deed

Tip for Today: Reclaim pantry space buy donating non-perishable food.

My pantry closet is tiny.  It's the size of a small broom closet.  Essentially, it is no wider than the door and half-an-arm length deep.  Our previous home had 3 pantry closets and finding storage for food was never a problem.  This new closet tests my space management skills daily as I pack it full of food to feed a family of 4. 

Each trip to the grocery store starts with a list of carefully selected items which will (1) fit in the miniscule pantry and (2) will be consumed in time for the next shopping trip.  Yet, inspite of my careful planning and purchasing, there are still items that linger week after week and take up precious shelf space. 

The extra bottle of Chipolte Lime marinade and can of cream of broccoli soup which didn't get used in the new recipes we tried.  A box of strawberry cake mix left over from a scout baking event.  A jar of apple butter and applesauce from a gift basket we received.  Extra Tang powder bought on sale, which my kids don't like to drink anymore.  I can't throw them out...it's money wasted...but I need to reclaim my pantry space.  What's a mom to do?

The solution to my surplus groceries arrived in the mail this morning - a brown paper bag printed with a request to support the Postal Carriers Food Drive on Saturday, May 12.  My unneeded canned and boxed food goes to a worthwhile charity and they'll come pick it up, too.  Sweet!

In two minutes, that bag was half full with assorted non-perishable groceries and waiting by the door for pick-up on Saturday.  Adios, cream of broccoli soup.  Hello, grocery store.  I have a new shopping list...

Get Ready for Summer Camp

March is almost here and parents should sign up their kids for Summer Camps...if they haven't already done so.  Every year my poor brain struggles with the concept of 'summer' activities when it is still 35 degrees outside and the school year is only half complete. 

The fact remains that popular camps fill up quickly and your child's first choice might be unavailable.  If you have two or more children with diverse interests, they aren't interested in the same camp and schedule coordination becomes an issue.  My goal is to get both kids off to camp on the same week.  Then I can go on vacation with my husband or my girlfriends.  That's the goal.  Of course, it never happens.  I still dream, and hope and maybe, one day...   

Atlanta Parent Magazine covers overnight Summer Camps in their February issue each year.  While the primary focus is camps in and around Atlanta, the magazine also lists camps across the US.  A complete copy of their awesome magazine is online at http://www.atlantaparent.com/ Scroll down to the cover image of the current issue and click "find back issues."

In your local area, pick up the free kids magazines by the entrance of your grocery store or in a doctor/dentist office.  Camps are usually covered in the February and March issues.  Happy camping!

Give Me The Money!

I rarely air my opinions about government in public forums like the internet because it’s akin to being at a giant dinner party, and I believe it is better manners to avoid discussions of religion, sex and politics while at the table.   However, as a taxpayer I have an interest in how my government is proposing to spend my dollars.  So, I did a little research on the president's proposal to spend  billions of  dollars on a “jobs program.”  Thought you might like to see what I discovered, and my suggestion on how to spend all that money.

Let’s get the facts:

As reported by Bloomberg, Fox News, et al, President Obama’s Jobs Plan (as proposed in his September 8, 2011 speech to Congress) will cost $447 Billion.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-08/obama-proposes-cutting-payroll-taxes-in-half.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/08/obama-to-lay-out-450-billion-jobs-plan-in-prime-time-speech/

$447 Billion = $447 followed by 9 zeros and looks like this: $447,000,000,000.  To put that gigantic number into perspective, if I made $100,000 a year in salary, it would take me 4.47 Million years to earn $447 Billion Dollars.  That is one huge number the president is proposing we spend.

According to the latest statistics available from the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS), there were 141,167,000 individual tax returns filed in 2010, down from 143,103,000 in 2009.  In other words, 2 million fewer people filed tax returns in 2010.
                                http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/article/0,,id=171961,00.html

Why?  I suspect the answer is that they were out of work and didn’t have enough income to report.  However, that’s just my guess.  Let’s get back to the facts.

Obama’s own economists say the last gigantic stimulus money spent actually cost us (the taxpayers) $278, 000 per job created, as reported by The Weekly Standard a Jul 3, 2011 article.  The same article also pointed out “the government could simply have cut a $100,000 check to everyone whose employment was allegedly made possible by the “stimulus,” and taxpayers would have come out $427 billion ahead.” 

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-s-economists-stimulus-has-cost-278000-job_576014.html

Given these facts, I suggest the $447 Billion be spent directly on the taxpayers.  As a taxpayer, you can count on me to go out and spend money to stimulate the economy and create jobs.  As my husband frequently reminds me, “you spend money like it’s your business!”

How much money would I get from the $447 Billion?  Let’s do the numbers.

$447,000,000,000 divided by 141,167,000 equals $3,316 per taxpayer.  That’s a decent amount of money.  I can do plenty of economic stimulation and job creation with $3,316.  My husband wants it as a down payment on a new truck.  I have other plans....after prying the check loose from my husband’s grip, I would spend it all!

Susan Spending Plan for $3,316:

·         $2,000 – Down payment on truck

·         $1,316 – Susan’s Spending Spree – for all the things I want to do but haven’t because my personal budget is at the limit.

Specifically, my spending spree would include:

·         $225 – Clothes, to replace everything with holes in it!

·         $325 – Lawn Service ($25 x 13 weeks – new job)

·         $360 – Pest Control Service ($90 x 4 treatments – new job)

·         $165 – Mountain bike (replace the ancient one we have)

·         $250 – Tennis Racquet + 2 pairs of court shoes – I want a new racquet + shoes and one child has outgrown their shoes and needs new ones)

If you add up all the numbers, my spending spree totals $1,325.  Oops, I went $9 over budget!  I really can spend money like it was my business.  Bottom line: Susan Suggests, Give Me The Money.  I will gladly spend all of it (and more) to stimulate the economy and support job creation!

How would you spend $3,316?

Resolve to Have No Resolutions!

Why do we engage in the annual ritual of New Year's Resolutions when we know that we'll never keep them? We resolve to lose weight, start exercising, keep our homes clean. By mid-January we are 5 pounds heavier, have not exercised, and piles of stuff are everywhere. We feel guilty and tell ourselves, "I should...(insert failed resolution here)..."

This year, I have resolved to have no resolutions. That's a resolution I can keep! Thus, I can breeze through January free from post-resolution guilt. I have, in fact, kept my resolution: No resolutions. Check the box. Consider it done. Pat myself on the back. I am so pleased! In fact, I feel so wonderful that I might even resolve to do something about those piles of paper sitting on the kitchen counter. But, that's another story...