If your children own a computer, you will find gifts on the Think Geek website. If you have a husband, boyfriend, brother, son, male friend or relative- you will find great gifts on this website. If your daughter, sister, friend, has a quirky sense of humor- she will love a gift from this website.
This is, by far and away, one of my favorite places to shop for gifts (and a “go to” place as well) and I think you will see why!
Think Geek! This is a fantastic and fun website, and one we have been fans of for years. They carry unique, quirky, and just plain FUN stuff for any age. Nothing boring, nothing!
My husband is a pretty geeky guy, there would be no point saying otherwise, LOL. He is big into all sorts of things I have no idea about- video games, computers, Sci-Fi, comic books, etc. He even likes math and science- like, the chemistry and the algorithms and computer languages and stuff like that. Have I mentioned that he is an accountant with a computer science degree, who brews his own beer with his Chemical Engineer best friend while they watch Japanese horror movies?
(And other various gross horror D-list flicks)
I am making none of that up, I promise. 🙂
Where to shop for the Geek in your life? Not an easy task, as many of you are aware, I’m sure!
Enter- Think Geek!
They have the coolest stuff! Have a Star Wars fan on your gift list? Look no further!
They have great stuff for fans of all ages! They sent a Scanimation Star Wars Book for Little Man- he LOVES these kinds of books! They are so neat, when you turn the pages, the pictures “move” along the page.

There are so many other Star Wars products- look around and see what catches your eye!
Maybe yours is a video game fanatic? Look at these!

Don’t know what they are? That’s OK, I didn’t either, LOL. I had the hubs assist in this one! They are from two different games, the crazy cube is a “Companion Cube” from a video game called Portal- I know, it looks kind of effeminate, but I assure you, if he liked the game, he will LOVE the cube. The hubs apparently had been wanting one, and when he was showing it off to his friend, the friend was very jealous. They both told me that this game was the reason I had to make pie for my husband’s birthday- because “the cake is a lie”.

The following makes sense to Geeks! To Mom Bloggers, it will merely confuse and bewilder….but it’s funny!
“Please take care of it!

Straight from the Vital Apparatus Vent comes the Weighted Companion Cube Plush. It will accompany you through the test chamber and generally be adorable and squishy. We expect you will take care of it while it is in your possession. The Enrichment Center reminds you that the Weighted Companion Cube Plush cannot speak, threaten you, or stab you. (That paranoia you feel is totally normal.) In the event that the Weighted Companion Cube does speak, we urge you to disregard its advice, especially if said advice pertains to the veracity of cake.
The best thing about the Weighted Companion Cube Plush is that you never have to euthanize it. That’s right, friends. Unless you happen to have an Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator in your house, there’s no reason to incinerate your cute lil’ cube friend. (Studies have proven that those 8 out of 10 Aperture Science engineers were wrong and the Weighted Companion Cube does in fact feel pain upon incineration.) You may have incinerated one or two Weighted Companion Cubes in your time, but now is time for penance. Squeeze it, feed it cake, and love it long time.

This is one of those products that is not only cute, it’s useful! Coolkidz, made by Keen Distribution, is a cold pack that goes in the freezer, and is just the right amount of coldness for boo-boos. (It will make them feel better, but won’t freeze their little fingers off.)
There are quite a few characters to choose from. This cute “buddy” will also be a welcome distraction when your little one gets an owie. When our fishie came, as soon as Little Man saw it, he claimed that his head hurt, his elbow hurt, his knee hurt, LOL. So many maladies for the little fish to cure!
I let Little Man “fix” his imagined boo-boos with the Coolkidz fish, and then into the freezer it went to be saved for real ones!

The Coolkidz Reusable Cold Pack is a fun alternative to ice or frozen vegetables for kids. We know you can’t always protect your kids from minor bumps or scrapes so be prepared with fresh Coolkidz cold packs in your freezer. The patented gel formula remains soft and flexible when frozen and can give up to 30 minutes of cooling relief. The soft feel surface is soothing and will fit easily into your child’s hand. The Coolkidz Reusable Cold Pack is PVC-free and BPA-free and is great for scrapes, bruises, insect bites, and fever.

• Reusable
• Nontoxic
• Flexible when frozen
• Reusable hygienic
• Cool pain relief for bumps & bruises
• Natural first aid pain relief
• Lasts 30 minutes
• Numbs pain quickly and safely
• Hypo-allergenic
• Meets U.S. Safety Testing Standards
• BPA Free

Would you like to win a Coolkidz [Read more…]

Looking for a little sparkle for the holidays? Something a bit “charming”?
Well, look no further! Charm Factory offers you quality pieces for discount prices. Don’t let your outfits lose their shine, show them off to their fullest with the pretty accessories that the Charm Factory offers.
They have fun charm bracelets that come ready made, or that you can customize yourself! Who has not had a charm bracelet, or wanted one? They are so cute and fun.

That’s not all Charm Factory does, however. They have other choices as well!
For example, they have a big sale on lockets right now!

Our charms and beads are .925 sterling silver and manufactured in the United States, all lead and nickel free. Our pewter charms are also nickel and lead free. Charm Factory products do not contain cadmium, which is a concern with some products made in Asia. (The jump rings attached to our pewter charms do contain a small amount of nickel. A few imports that we do not make here, like some chains from Italy, are noted in product details.)”

There are tons of bracelets and charms to choose for (very cute!) to personalize and add your own flair to your jewelry. There are also watches and necklaces and beads, oh my!
Check them [Read more…]

Hello, everybody, I’m so glad to see you!
I think that may be one of the most well remembered children’s songs, and one I love to use in the Pre-K. I happily welcomed these great, family friendly CD’s into the morning routine at the school. I have a few CD’s and tapes (oh yeah, old school, baby!) from Music Together classes taken in years past. Those classes were so much fun!

• A community of children and their families and teachers sharing songs, instrument play, rhythm chants, and movement activities in relaxed, playful, non-performance-oriented settings.

• Music learned through developmentally appropriate activities that support and respect the unique learning styles of very young children.

• Children participating at their own levels in mixed-age family-style classes or in preschool settings.

• Parents and caregivers contributing to the enrichment of their child’s music environment—regardless of their own musical abilities.

• A new song collection every semester for three years, featuring great arrangements of original and traditional songs in a wide variety of tonalities, meters, and cultural styles.

Music Together Family Favorites features nineteen (19) of the best-loved songs from the nine (9) Music Together song collections. This CD has won eleven awards including a Parents’ Choice Silver Honor award and includes a 32-page booklet with fun music-making activity suggestions for every song for use at home, in the car, or in the preschool classroom. Reviews and Awards

Music Together Family Favorites 2 is a compilation of nineteen (19) best-loved songs from all nine (9) Music Together song collections. This beautifully arranged anthology of original, folk, and traditional songs from all around the world features musically rich arrangements and vocals that appeal to children and adults alike. This CD has won nine awards including a Parents’ Choice Silver Honor award and includes a 32-page booklet with fun music-making activity suggestions for every song for use at home, in the car, or in the preschool classroom.
Reviews and Awards

Music Together Lullabies is a soothing [Read more…]

Ugh! Can you stand how cold is is getting? I am not loving this weather, LOL.
And that’s a fact, Jack. When I get home, it takes me awhile to warm up. My house does not have a thermostat setting that I can set to go on or up at a certain time (jealous?) so it can take a bit for the house to feel like a house and not a freezer. I give Little a little extra TV time in this weather, with his blanket on and his new Hot Hugs Monkey from Aroma Home. Hey, at least the monkey is warm after about 20 seconds! Haha. And it smells so nice, too, it fills up the room with a nice, relaxing, calming scent (just what we need after a day at the Pre-K!)

“Whether bounding bunnies or growling tigers, our Hot Hugs range takes your little ones from the farmyard to the jungle in irrepressible cuddly cuteness. Best of all, they come with our special lavender-scented tummy. Just a minute in the microwave gives you warm, aromatic goodness for you and your little ones. “

I have a confession to make. When the Hot Hugs Monkey first got here, I stole it from Little Man. He was a little weird-ed out by the scent (he has never had a stuffed animal that smelled like something before- at least not on purpose, LOL), and I totally took advantage of that and stole it. I’m a bad, bad momma. Let me explain. I get really, really bad migraines. Like, migraines that can put me out of commission, that make my vision nuts, I shake, and vomit for days. (Again, jealous? LOL) Sometimes, certain aromas and scents can help alleviate them. Like the ones in the Hot Hugs monkey. Lavender is known to be helpful with migraines, headaches, and several other kinds of pain (in addition to being calming and relaxing). So, I stole the monkey.

Now that the weather has taken a turn for the nasty, Little uses him during the day for snuggles, and I take him at night and shove him up by the headboard to help ward off evil migraines. (Oh, who’s your aromatherapist? Some monkey. He’s really good. And cute! I don’t think he’s married….)
LOL, the perfect man! Ladies, I found him!!! Warm, cute, likes to snuggle, good with kids, smells nice, not the demanding type, doesn’t leave [Read more…]

First of all, I love the concept. Monsters in my head is a really great idea, as are the Worry Woos themselves. Having these great books to read to kids, as well as the sturdy, sweet plush stuffed animals that “match” each book, help kids identify, recognize, and validate their emotions. The message of “Embracing your Emotions” is an important one. Kids that are able to express themselves as well as recognize their own emotions and deal with them are less likely to develop “bad habits” or have low self esteem, and are more likely to succeed academically. The sources I can use to cite this are endless.
The books explore complex emotions that all children have likely felt at sometime or another.
The lovable plush characters bring the stories to life, as well as help the child feel both comforted and comforting. I noticed with Nola, the Monster of Loneliness, that the kids seemed to want to make her feel loved, as well as that they used her to help themselves not feel sad and lonely.

I brought Nola and her book to the school one day with a particular child in mind, who has been miserable since her brother left to go to another school. (He aged out and is in public school now.) She has cried for him endlessly. We all read about Nola’s troubles, and talked about what Nola had to figure out to feel better. This child held on to the stuffed Nola all day long, and tried to make Nola feel better so Nola was not lonly anymore. The child also took a nap with Nola, so Nola wasn’t alone at that time, either. When the time came that Nola had to go home for the day, the child told me it would be OK, because Nola was going to go home with all the other Monsters now, and she was going to go home to her brother in a few hours, and now she was going to play with her friends. !?! It had been months since she played with her friends. MONTHS. I think that just by knowing she was not alone in this sad and awful feeling of being lonely, the child felt validated. I also think that because she was able to “help” Nola, she felt like she could move forward a bit in her own struggle with this feeling.

Besides using these books in the school, where the kids loved them, and we had some really cute discussions, I brought the Worry Woos to our Adopted Families group. The kids there have a wide age range, and come from a variety of backgrounds. There are some emotional issues there. Yep. I wanted to let the kids and parents try the books out and see what they thought of them. Fuddle and Rue were popular monsters there. Only a few of the kids were adopted older and have memories of birth families or birth countries, but almost all of them have identity issues and personal conflicts of one kind or another. I think the simple stories (though the emotions are not simple, the stories are straightforward and easy to follow) and sweet, lovable characters made it easier to talk. Plus, since we are talking only about the monster’s sadness, and not our own (of course), it is easier to talk about, [Read more…]