Thanksgiving means family, friends, food and the circus! A family tradition our whole family looks forward to is going to the circus on Thanksgiving Day. What better way to relax after eating a yummy feast?

The 76th annual Hadi Shrine Circus is coming to Evansville once again from Thanksgiving Day through Sunday. There are two shows on Thursday, three on Friday and Saturday and an afternoon show on Sunday. We have always attended the evening show until we had a daughter. Now we try to make it to the afternoon show on Thanksgiving Day because it is less crowded and easier for her to stay awake for the three hour show. Ticket prices range from $17-$22 for reserved seats and $12 for general admission. We usually get general admission which seems like a pretty good value considering you would pay almost as much for a ticket to the movies these days!

The acts are usually similar from year to year with trapeze artists, performing animals and of course the clowns! I have been every year of my life and even though not much is new each year to the show, I can remember being a little girl anticipating my favorite parts. In this way, I am grateful the circus is similar each year. I know what to expect and I know its going to be fun! The elephants and tigers have a similar act each year but the kids love it when they come out! The Kenya Wizards are a newer act that is always a crowd favorite. They dance to African music and tumble all over the place. Even though they are grown men, they seem to have so much energy and are able to stack themselves on top of one another like incredibly complex cheerleaders! There are also jugglers, tight rope walkers, motorcycle tricks and all types of animals from dogs to bears to monkeys performing in each of the three rings. The circus always begins with a parade and ends with a "bang" with typical circus music performed by a live band from beginning to end.

Last year our daughter really loved all of the music, lights and of course the animals. Experiencing traditions through the eyes of my daughter is what makes my holidays so magical and I know taking a two year old to the circus will be very exciting!

Its my favorite time of year! I love the fall for so many reasons but the most important, as always, are the traditions that are repeated during this amazing time of year. For our family it has always been the start of the craziest months of the year. My career has been in the retail industry for the past nine years. Now that I am lucky enough to just work part-time this will be the first year that my job will take a backseat to the fun holiday events.

Our fall really kicked off with our trip to Boo at the Zoo. It was amazing and spending a whole weekend with my family was a dream come true. It was the beginning of so many family traditions for this time of year. But the month of November always seems to go by so quickly which brings us to Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is becoming one of my favorite holidays mainly because of how little stress goes into it. We always spend the first half of our day at the grandparent's house and then we head to the Circus.

The Hadi Shrine Circus is a tradition for my side of our family. We always go on Thanksgiving day. I can't wait to see how our two year old daughter reacts this year to the amazing show.

I also have a deep love for Christmas and my Christmas season usually starts before Thanksgiving. Perhaps this is because I was raised in Santa Claus, IN. I'm sure working in retail, where our holiday season starts mid-October doesn't help the matter. Its so hard to go to work and listen to Christmas music and come home to Halloween decorations. So this year I'm sure will be unlike the ones past in that I will be begging my husband to start decorating in November.

Sometimes the anticipation is just as much fun as the actual event. This is certainly the case for me this Autumn. So as we are right in the middle of this very fun and very busy season I hope to that it doesn't pass too fast. I hope to focus on what matters most, making memories and spending time with my family.

Our final trip to Holiday World for this year was a blast! It has become a new tradition for my family and friends to meet there on the last day of their operating season. We have discovered the end of the season to be a unique way to experience all of the fun that Holiday World has to offer.

As I've written before, there is just something about enjoying the rides and attractions during the colder months that makes visiting the park different and fun! This year was no exception. The lines for the rides were short, the food was good and the weather was just cold enough to need a hoodie. We posed for countless pictures and made several laps around the park riding our favorite rides. One of my favorite aspects of Holiday World is how many rides we can enjoy as a group.

We took our daughter along this year and she was very excited to wear her favorite Holiday World hoodie which she proudly showed to each of the Holidazzles. She asks to go to "HaWoo" (as she calls it) everyday! I can't wait until next summer when she is a bit older and able to enjoy even more of great rides for kids. We will anxiously await the 2010 season and the new addition to the water park.

Traditions are extremely important to me and my family.  Looking back at my childhood, the events that stand out are those traditions that we did as a family each and every year.  One of the first traditions that my husband and I started was to attend the annual Ritzy's Fantasy of Lights.  I will never forget the first year we went, we rode in a mustang convertible with the top down, bundled up in winter clothes, hot chocolate in hand during a snowy evening between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It was magical.

This year they are hoping to find new sponsors for their huge light show.  I hope they receive all the help they need to maintain their 16th year.  The admission has always been reasonable and the proceeds benefit the Easter Seals organization.

We will be fitting the Fantasy of Lights into our family's busy holiday schedule in a few months.  I can not wait to see the reaction from my 2 year old daughter's face!  One day I will tell her all about mommy and daddy's first visit.  Until then I'll make new family memories by keeping up with our annual visit to Ritzy's Fantasy of Lights, because traditions are what holidays are made of.

The beginning of fall is always marked by the closing of Holiday World and Splashin' Safari for me. This is my favorite time of year to visit Holiday World. There is just something about going during the cooler weather, when the crowds are gone and the lines are non-existent, that makes it so much fun.

I've had a season pass my entire life and have spent every summer there during the busiest and hottest times. This summer was no exception. I took my daughter almost every week, usually through the week but we did brave a few Saturdays. Holiday World will once again welcome more than a million visitors this year and are on track to set a new attendance record sometime in the next few weeks. However, as the cold weather slowly comes in and their seasons end approaches, for me, the best memories are made. We can ride any ride, over and over again. We can pose in all the "touristy" spots for dozens of pictures. We can be kids and take our time to enjoy the food, weather, entertainment and fun without the stress of crowds and lines.

We are planning on attending on the last day for Splashin' Safari this weekend and then later on the last day for Holiday World to be open. Hopefully the weather will become even more fall-like. We will say good-bye to the last of our summer traditions until the next year by screaming our heads off on the Voyage, posing one more time by the Santa statue, clapping along to one last show all while hopefully wearing a hoodie.

Wal-Mart made my day! Yes, Wal-Mart. I have been anxiously awaiting the grand opening of the new Wal-Mart in Newburgh for months. Our family shops at Wal-Mart at least once a week and that shopping is mainly done by me. For the past 6 years I have been driving to the west side and Boonville Wal-Marts in order to avoid the east side at all cost. I live on the east side but the closest Wal-Mart is always dirty, understocked, and loud. I have to add 30 minutes to my shopping trip because of the long lines. My hopes were extremely high during my recent trip to the new store. They did not disappoint me!

Upon entering, I was given a map and a shiny, brand-new, clean shopping cart to fill up. I didn't think I needed a map for Wal-Mart but I ended up using it more than once. The store was set up in a completely different arrangement than I have ever seen. The shoes were on display just like a department store would showcase each style. The aisles were at odd angles but in a good way. The sporting goods area rivaled more expensive specialty stores. Perhaps it was because of the fact that the store has only been open a few weeks but everything I looked at was well stocked. The difference between this Wal-Mart and others that I have shopped at was the way in which they actually displayed their products instead of just stocking as many as they could onto generic shelves and racks. The clothing area for women and children was very well stocked and appealing.

We didn't wait in line longer than 5 minutes but we were in the store for over an hour even though my list wasn't very long. I couldn't help wandering around and browsing each department.  I left happy and extremely satisfied. I am looking forward to future grocery shopping there. It makes my life and shopping a little easier and much more enjoyable.

I love to save money. I cut coupons, watch sale adds, sign up for every email mailing list possible all in order to save a few extra dollars. Spending wisely is a tricky challenge for anyone in this economy and as a stay at home mommy it is one of the most important ways I can contribute to my family's quality of life. However, many stores send notifications and money saving coupons only to their credit card holders...until now.

Old Navy has started a wonderful and actually fun way of receiving superb coupons. They call it "Old Navy Weekly". I discovered it on accident by becoming a "fan" of them on Facebook. The tab is accessible to anyone on their website, the coupons, however, are another story.

The "modelquins" are hanging out advertising current deals and great new items. It is your job to hunt for the coupons. Its totally exciting. By moving click-able items around on the modelquins the different coupons become available. A set amount of coupons are available of each kind, i.e. 25% your purchase, $50 off $100 purchase or even $70 off $100 purchase. Fans of Old Navy on Facebook post clues to capturing these worthy coupons but the best coupons are usually gone within minutes. So far all I've been able to snag are the 25% off and $10 off of $50 purchase coupons but both are better than nothing!  New coupons are updated each Thursday night between 7:00pm and 11:00pm.

Our daughter is about to turn 2 years old and will need a complete new wardrobe for fall. I have always loved Old Navy clothes for their style and quality but they aren't usually my first stop for kids clothes because of the price. Having these coupons available to me in the next couple of months will put Old Navy in the top spot for stores to shop for her. Its a smart move for Old Navy and for any mommies trying stretch their clothing budgets