Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Lollipop Club

National Lollipop Day July 20, 2011

http://www.lollipopbookclub.com/item_3280/Baby-Book-A-Month-Gifts.htm

Monday, June 6, 2011

Mixed Up In Love

If you're looking for a fun way to spice up a traditional engagement, bridal shower, or wedding gift, you have to check this out.  I saw something like this at a bridal shower some years back and thought it was FANTABULOUS! 


I call the gift, "Mixed Up In Love!"  Combine something off the registry such as margarita glasses, blender, Kitchen Aide Mixer, with sexy lingerie and some of your favorite drink or dessert recipes!

Sexy and practical all in one!   

Monday, May 2, 2011

Dear Teachers, Thank You!!!

I will NEVER forget Mrs. Schwam, my 4th and 5th grade teacher.  She surrounded us with fun, let us "be kids," and knew exactly how to make EVERYONE feel important in her classroom.  She hosted mummy contests for Halloween; she encouraged us to bring our boots and snowsuits into school for snowman building contests; every student got a chance to be "The Citizen of the Week" and assist her for an ENTIRE week, while sitting at an extra special desk; the top performing teams (we sat in groups of 4) got to go out to lunch with Mrs. Schwam AND we got to drive in her super cool gray sports car no less (now I am showing my age!); to top the year off, Mrs. Schwam threw us an end-of-the-year pool party at her house!  In between all of this fun, we learned a ton; I still have some of my investigation reports from 23 years ago.  Who wouldn't be inspired to be an active learner in such a fun-loving, supportive environment?

So in honor of all of the Mrs. Schwams out there and National Teacher Appreciation Week, here are some of my top picks for the extra-special teachers in your lives...


via A Pretty Book


For your Favorite English Teacher (Thank you, Mrs. Ball & Mrs. Geddis!), how about these Postcards from Penguin! An awesome collection of postcards highlighting a variety of the much-celebrated Penguin Book covers.


via Spoon Sisters
For your Favorite Math Teacher (Thank you, Mr. Gelfand & Mr. Kapner!), how about this pi pizza cutter!  Isn't this product genius? It's sure to make EVERY math teacher smile :-)


via Amazon
For your Favorite Science Teacher (Thank you, Mrs. Squillace & Mrs. Pastir!), how about one of these wonderful books with a special inscription from you. These are definitely some of my favorites in my own home library!


via Amazon
For your Favorite History Teacher (Thank you, Dr. Butt!), how about these history trivia cards.  Perfect for any history buff!


via Spoon Sisters
For your Favorite Music Teacher (Thank you, Mr. Mathews & Mrs. Reynolds!), how about this DIY music box!  It just looks fun.  Not sure I would create anything too wonderful, but I know the Mr. Mathews and Ms. Reynolds of the world certainly would!


Thank you to all the teachers out there!  
You make each day better!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Guess What?

via Old Navy

TerraCycle and Old Navy have teamed up together in The Flip Flop Replay, an upcycle project to create playgrounds from old flip flops, and it starts TODAY!  Bring all of your old flip flops to the Old Navy store closest to you between April 22nd (Earth Day) and May 21st to help build four new playgrounds out of the recycled flip flops throughout the country.  How creative!  I can't wait to check out these playgrounds with my daughter :-)

Happy Donating!!!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Hippity Hop-To-It!

via Chasing Fireflies

Hello, My Fellow Easter Bunnies! I just found out that Chasing Fireflies, one of my FAVORITE online children's boutiques, is offering free 3-day shipping until 2 p.m. (PST) on Monday, April 18th, so I simply had to share.  Just enter HOPTOIT at checkout on orders of $50 or more.

I highly recommend their seasonal personalized pajamas.  We have a family set of their Christmas ones, and I can't help but smile every time the three of us wear them. 

Happy Basket Filling :-)  

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Say it with Stationary

via Papyrus

I just received a thank you note from my sister-in-law on the Crane & Co. stationary pictured above, and I fell in love.  These were the exact words my dad said to me right before he walked me down the aisle almost eight years ago!  I will never forget that moment :-)

Stationary is by far one of my favorite gifts to give and to receive.  My brother-in-law got me hooked years ago when he started getting me beautiful stationary sets every year for my birthday.  There's just something extra special about receiving a hand-written note in today's technology driven world.

Go ahead.  Treat yourself.  I just did!

Happy writing!!!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

It's Time to Celebrate...

My mom, sister, and I recently hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law.  We had SO much fun planning it and my sister-in-law loved it! 

It all started with the baby's sheets from PB Kids.  The elephants and giraffes inspired us to do a safari themed baby shower for our new Mommy-to-be!

Invitations from Tiny Prints


For the wishing well, we asked guests to bring one of their favorite children's books to fill a beautifully painted bookshelf decorated with giraffes and elephants for our new little man.



Instead of table numbers, we used a different safari animal to distinguish between each table.  The children's book at the center of each table doubled as guest books.  We asked each guest to inscribe a special message to the baby in the front of their table's book!



We had cookie favors made for each table too! Each "giraffe" received a giraffe cookie to take home, and so on...



And for dessert, we enjoyed cupcakes & sundaes. YUM!!!



To top things off, some of the guests even carried the safari theme into their gifts.  Check out this ADORABLE shirt from Spoon Sisters.  The elephant ears double as drool clothes...too cute!!!


What a fantastical day!  We can't wait to welcome our new baby boy into the world.  Thank you to all the guests for making this day simply wonderful for our parents-to-be & our little bambino :-)

LOVEYAS!


Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Can you pass the sauce, please?

With grilling season quickly approaching and in honor of March being National Sauce Month, I thought I'd share my ALL TIME FAVORITE sauce...


Gates Original Bar-B-Q Sauce straight from Kansas City!  

One of our friends introduced my husband and I to this sauce about 4 years ago and we have been hooked ever since.  In fact, my husband just recently surprised me with a case of it, and I literally did a dance when the box arrived at our doorstep and I saw that it was from Gates.

Chicken + Gates BBQ Sauce = Delicious
Pork + Gates Spice Rub = Simply Divine

The perfect gift for grill lovers EVERYWHERE!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Happily Ever After

via Dean & Deluca

What better way to say "congratulations to the happy couple," then with this classic bottle of wine!  Just imagine snuggling by a crackling fire while enjoying a glass of this red with your sweetie. Simply divine. Haven't tasted it.  Just LOVE the concept and the marketing.  Simple and to the point. Classic look.  Only downfall...little pricey. 

Friday, February 25, 2011

Sprinkles...YUM!

After the couple of spring-like days last week, I am definitely ready for the warm weather and all that comes with it...going to the park, long bike-rides, barbeques, and of course, ICE CREAM!

One of my favorite parts of going for a soft ice cream is getting the rainbow sprinkles to go with it. Yes, I am one of those people who purchases an extra cup of sprinkles to dip my cone into once I've licked all the original ones away. Needless to say, I LOVE sprinkles!


That's why I earmarked this article in the December issue of my daughter's High Five magazine by Highlights to share with all of you. What a great way for toddlers to practice sorting colors and to develop their independence, while creating a fun gift for someone special.  With any luck, it will only be a few more weeks til we hear the ice cream trucks singing through our neighborhoods and we can enjoy these delicious sprinkles!  YUM!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Have A Kickin' Good Birthday!


Soccer Guys or Soccer Girls is my new favorite gift for 2-3 year olds.  It's basically Foosball without the sticks.  Two year olds enjoy laying out the pretend field, setting up the goals, and passing the ball between two players while occasionally making a goal.  SCORE!  While three to five year olds can setup ALL the players and begin to learn the rules of the game through interactive pretend play.

Pair it with a mini soccer ball and/or a soccer themed picture book and it makes the PERFECT gift!  Some of my favorite books include K is for Kick by Brad Herzog (includes fun soccer trivia/history for the adult reader) and For the Love of Soccer by Pele.

To top it off, our friends at Soccer Post are offering all Gift Cow Readers a special discount.  Use the coupon code giftcow to get 15% off at checkout!

Happy Kicking!