Santa's Job Gets Harder Every Year

This year more than ever, I have been reminiscing about how simple Christmas shopping for our children use to be. When they were toddlers, they were so easily impressed. We could have chosen any one of the many ride-on toys available for $35ish at the toy store to put under the tree and Santa would have been a hero. Now that the children are nearly 4, 4, and 7, it has grown increasingly difficult to find toys that have that wow-effect a parent wants from a Santa gift without breaking the bank.

Once the children hit preschool age, the whole logistics of writing a letter to Santa became another factor. It is an important element in maintaining our children's belief in the magic of Santa. The problem is that a parent cannot really tell a child not to ask for something they really want. When my oldest asked for a Nintendo DSi this year, I could not say to him, " Don't ask Santa for that. How about this less costly Harry Potter Lego Set instead?" So, does Santa disappoint a child because their request costs too much money? That could shatter the child's whole belief in Santa with just one shot. So, guess who will be receiving a Nintendo DSi from Santa this year.

Making a Holiday & Birthday Wish List is a Must for My Children

For the second year in a row, I am using the Amazon Universal Wish List to put together lists of items my three children would want and need for Christmas and birthday gifts. As their parent, I feel like I know best about what my children's interests are and what items gift buyers should avoid. Since our children's birthdays all fall in January, you can imagine how high the risk of duplicate gifts may be. I have even added the "Add To Wish List" button to my toolbar, so I can add any item I see from whatever website on which I happen to be browsing. I usually add items in a variety of price ranges and it seems to work out well for everybody.

I just added this Sandwich Making Set by Melissa & Doug to my 3 year old son's wish list, which I came across on GrowsUp.com . This site was recently brought to my attention and I wish I had found it sooner. GrowsUp.com contains micro boutiques from some of my favorite children's brands, such as Melissa & Doug, KidKraft, Green Toys, and more. The site even sells one of my favorite items ever . . . the Teagan & Mack Pearl Bracelet my daughter has been wearing since September. In fact, I have seen many items I own on this site, which just proves to me that the collection of brands represented on GrowsUp.com is a perfect fit for my family. If you are a one-stop-shop kind of person, then I highly recommend you check it out for yourself.

Review: "Galactic Taz Ball" Game (for Nintendo DS)

A Looney Tunes favorite character, the Tazmanian Devil or Taz, returns to battle Marvin the Martian in Galactic Taz Ball. Marvin and his army of Martians are at it again, this time abducting Earth’s landscapes. This is why the game takes place on floating platforms. Taz wakes one day and sees a giant chicken leg in the distance so he takes off after it, completely unaware of what’s happening around him. It’s his mission to stop Marvin, and that’s the basis of the game. The beginning storyline isn’t what’s important or fun about this game, it’s the wandering around smashing and destroying and being a tornado!

My 8 year old, Avery, and I loved this game. Taz is a favorite of mine from my childhood, so getting to “be” him and play was really fun. We particularly enjoyed the spinning, which was hard to get on screen shot, and just the overall idea of the game. Avery really liked all the Martians and how it started simple, but got harder as the levels went on. He has not beat it yet, but really wants to. Also, all the younger kids enjoyed watching, even though they couldn’t play. We all had fun sitting around with the Nintendo DS and making Taz move with the unique “roller ball” style of play, pictured.

Galactic Taz Ball for Nintendo DS is rated E for Everyone and can be found most places where Nintendo DS games are sold.

Thank you to FortySeven Communications for sending us a complimentary sample game to base this review upon.

Holiday 2010 Review: "Mess - The Manual of Accidents and Mistakes" by Keri Smith

If you are seeking out a unique gift for a child in your life, have I got a great gift idea for you! It is not a toy and does not run on batteries, but can make a child grin from ear to ear. I'm referring to Mess: The Manual of Accidents and Mistakes by Keri Smith. This book allows a child to do what they have been conditioned all their life not to do . . . make a mess and be destructive. It is filled with one activity after another complete with instructions about what to do on (or to) each page.

Although most of the activities are easy, I highly recommend adult supervision. That will be the difference between making a somewhat controlled mess inside the book and an uncontrolled mess all over your house. Some of the activities call for sticky substances or liquids. Although sometimes foods are suggested, I tried to stay away from using anything that would mold, rot, or attract ants since I knew my six year old would like to keep this book to look back upon in the future.

Here are some examples of the activities found in this book. The very first activity asked my son to attempt to draw straight lines while someone bumped the book repeatedly. I have not heard my son giggle as much as he did while drawing those lines in a long time. The next one asked my son to coat the page with something sticky and then drop something powdery onto the page. We chose to use white glue and ground coffee. My son had as much fun spreading the glue out with his fingers and dropping spoonfuls of coffee onto the page as he did blowing off the excess coffee grounds into the kitchen sink. What a mess we made!

(Click any image to enlarge)

The photos below show my son trying to write on a page in the book after he had soaked it with water. He was delighted to see how the pen reacted to the wet paper and that the paper tore so easily just from his trying to write on it.

The concept of the book is so original. I think it would be a great gift to a child to use on a rainy day or for summer vacation. He or she could do an activity a day. Some of the activities require liquid, so you need to allow time for the book to dry before you can use it again anyways. I also think that this book is therapeutic for any adult, or even a child, who experiences anxiety around messes. I have to admit, I am one of those adults and I still had fun doing these activities with my son.

Mess: The Manual of Accidents and Mistakes retails for $13.95 and can be found at major book retailers such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Penguin.com .

Thank you to the Penguin Group for providing a complimentary sample copy of this book for us to base this review upon.