Nothing is more aggravating than getting a new toy home and your toddler plays more with the box than the toy. Finding toys that are engaging and educational is a plus and you can find them with Melissa and Doug toys.

A married couple, Melissa and Doug began their business while they were still dating and the company has grown with them. Starting their company twenty years ago in a small garage in Connecticut, Melissa and Doug Toys has grown quickly with great success. This is due in part to their work ethic and because they treat their employees and customers like family.  They attribute their immense success to these principles.

Melissa and Doug Toys first product, a pink fuzzy pig book, encouraged children’s reading as well being aware of sensory learning to touch. Their products encourage using the different senses to learn and grow children’s educational process. Since the production of their first products they now have a wide variety of books, games and puzzles for every age level. They also have recreational toys in a wide variety of choices. Their in-house design team specializes on giving consumers a classic looking educational toy that lasts a long time.

Melissa and Doug Toys range from books, to dolls and pretend items such as food and career play. Each item is tested for safety according to American standards. The company also has specialty product lines that are cherished as these grow yearly.

Melissa and Doug Toys are not limited to in home products. Their arts and crafts supplies are great for school classrooms as well. They also carry a large amount of puzzles and interactive three dimensional wooden games to. Cognitive skills are developed in your minds while having a great time. This aids in the increase of problem solving skills for growing children.

One very popular product in the Melissa and Doug toys line features puppets and theaters. These can be used for home or school. The friendly puppets come in all ethnicities and are easy to use. Puppets are a great way for children to express their feelings and attitudes of behavior while creating imaginative stories for creative minds.

You can find Melissa and Doug toys at large online stores such as Amazon. Each customer is treated like family and the favor is returned judging by all the business they get from repeat customers who are very loyal. This made-in-America company is a great example of entrepreneurship and role model for businesses that truly value their customers.

The Lego building set is still one of the best toys around, and its generational longevity speaks to this very fact. Very few toys can make it through the test of time when it comes to such wide-ranging popularity. Legos have not only successfully done this, but they have actually grown in popularity over the years.

What makes the Lego building set such a fantastic toy is that it knows no limitations. It challenges the mind, entices creativity, and offers the child a way to develop any kind of world he or she wants to live in for that day. It’s a great tool for learning spatial relationships as well as a tool for understanding basic architecture.

The more challenges a child takes the more they realize they can build anything they want to. With the development of their building skills whether using a basic Lego building set or a more complex themed one, you’ll find that they start to push the envelope and develop ideas that are revolutionary. Skills like this will follow them into adulthood.

With different Lego building sets available for all age groups, your child can master skills like color separation, dexterity, and basic mathematical concepts. Kids can play in groups or they can build massive structures on their own. There is no conceptual way that creativity is supposed to bloom.

Rainy day boredom does not need to plague even the most active child with a Lego building set. While other kids are zoned out in front of the TV on a rainy day, your child can be creating whole new worlds with fantastic inhabitants or building skyscrapers for their giant stuffed lizard to destroy.

This is one toy that has no right or wrong way to play with it. In a world filled with pre-set rules, children love to find activities that has no judgment attached to it use. You can’t build the wrong thing and you can’t use the wrong colored Lego bricks. Whatever your child builds in his or her own manner is right, because it is their creative vision.

Every child, regardless of gender, will enjoy playing with a Lego building set. With all of the Lego options, such as Star Wars Lego sets, it can be easy and fun to develop an entire Lego collection that will be around for many, many years.  The personal satisfaction your child will gain from putting together their own creation is truly immeasurable.

The Leapfrog Imagination Desk is one of the most popular developmental learning tools for preschoolers for good reason. This is an interactive toy that focuses on the development of critical thinking skills while teaching the basic concepts of reading. As parents we all want our children to excel and succeed, but sometimes we forget to make learning as much fun as it can be. Leapfrog took care of that as well.

For any parent who wants to see their child get a firm head start in life and their education, the Leapfrog Imagination Desk is the closest thing you’ll get to guaranteed success. With a child’s natural curiosity and their ability to learn faster during their preschool years than at any other time in their life, the Leapfrog Imagination Desk taps into a child’s natural ability and desire to have fun while learning new concepts. Watch as your son or daughter opts for learning fun over TV watching.

There are more than 14 basic reading concepts that are introduced in the Leapfrog Imagination Desk system, each of which is derived from critical thinking skills. So, not only does the system teach your child important skills, but it teaches him or her to learn conceptually by thinking through the different exercises.

Many educational studies have reported that it is vital that children develop the skills they need to be able to assess and think on their own in order to find applications for their knowledge. This is much different than parroting back information that has been memorized. Eventually, memorization fails to build real knowledge.

The innovative “smart” audio system that is part of the Leapfrog Imagination Desk will help prompt a child along when they get a little lost on a concept. This audio prompt is designed to help direct the child toward the solution without telling them what the answer is. This helps children to perform achievements all on their own.

The vast array of skills that are offered on the Leapfrog Imagination Desk include number and letter differentiation, word identification, beginning word sounds, word length differences, categorizing similar word groups, sound substitution, and directional reading skills. Each skill develops into a new skill and your child is taught in a way that helps them identify new patterns in the world they see and live in which reinforces the learning process.

The Leapfrog Imagination Desk is one of the most important learning tools for children from the age of 3 and up. Each time your child develops a new skill or learns to see things differently via conceptualization, he or she achieves something much greater than just rote learning.  These skills will form the basis from which your child will build other critical thinking and learning skills throughout life.

In combining both educational and physical activity, the Wild Planet Hyper Dash game is a fun game for the entire family. Children from six to eleven can play the game as well as adults. The game promotes learning, memory, and physical activity that many children are missing on a regular basis.

The hand-held command control is very easy to hold. It has a grip that contains the micro-transmitter and receiver that speaks clearly and audibly. The disks also have transmitters and receivers so that when a disk is retrieved using the controller it can tell if the correct disk has been picked up. The five disks can be placed in areas up to one hundred feet from the controller. They may be hidden throughout a room or yard to make the game more exciting. The disks of the Wild Planet Hyper Dash game are brightly colored and have numbers clearly printed on them. They have transmitters and receivers built into them that link each disk to the controller.

The Wild Planet Hyper Dash game is set up so that it can be played by individuals or groups of up to 8 people. These people can play in pairs or as teams. The controller keeps score and times so that everyone knows where they are at in the game at all times. This is a unique and fun way to increase physical activity in a home and add to a child’s educational skill level.  Hyper Dash offers fun for the entire family and a way to increase the activity level of both children and adults.

Playing level one is a wonderful way for a child to learn their colors. The disks are bright green, red, yellow, blue, and orange. The controller calls out the color to be selected and the player must retrieve the correct disk. The colors are called out in random so a player can play at this level again and again while they are learning their colors.

A number identification game is part of the Wild Planet Hyper Dash game level two. The disks have clearly printed numbers from one to five on them. Players must retrieve the right number in the order that the controller instructs. For a young player the numbers are called out randomly so that they learn their numbers in a fun and easy way.

The controller provides multiple commands in the third level of Wild Planet Hyper Dash. Players are asked to retrieve multiple disks based on randomly selected numbers and colors. The command may have the player retrieve the disks in the order commanded or in reverse order. There may be a double reverse command which includes retrieving two disks in reverse order then a triple reverse which will require retrieval of three disks in reverse order.

When a player selects level four of the Wild Planet Hyper Dash game they are asked to solve addition and subtraction problems while running for the disk that contains the correct answer.  This teaches not only math, but sharpens the ability to think on your feet quickly.

Every Christmas season brings out shoppers looking for that one perfect gift. One of the favorite items each and every Christmas is the Barbie holiday doll.  These special dolls are cherished not only for their beauty but also their potential value in future years.

Just about every little girl dreams of being a princess and loves fairy tales of all types. The Barbie holiday doll is a wonderful way to encourage every little girl’s dreams. With the fairy tale dresses and glittering jewelry this is what girls dream about opening on Christmas morning. If you want to see her eyes light up with joy then having this gift under your tree with her name on it will be just the thing.

The Barbie holiday doll typically is made in limited editions, therefore the value of these dolls will increase over time.  Collectors especially value dolls that are left in their original boxes, unopened as these ensure that the dolls will be in pristine condition.  For this reason, you may want to consider getting an extra Holiday Barbie if you intend to keep them for the potential increase in value.

The Barbie holiday doll changes each year and that alone makes them a unique gift that will be appreciated by the lucky recipient. Whether you want to buy the most current one or one from years gone by, there are many sites that sell the holiday version of the Barbie doll, you may even be lucky enough to find someone willing to part with a coveted edition from previous years.  The older ones may be a little harder to find but you can find quite a few from years past if you are willing to pay a higher price.

At times you may be able to get a hold of an entire Barbie holiday doll collection. Of course this will probably be very expensive and for a little girl it may not even make a very good gift. Most very young girls want a toy they can take out and play with, not put up and save for many years to come.

Any one who loves dolls will appreciate the Barbie holiday doll. These dolls are, in a way, timeless. Though the designs may change from year to year these dolls embody the holiday spirit and will serve as fond remembrances for years to come. Whether it’s your daughter or someone else, each time they see one of these dolls, it is sure to bring a smile. 

Along with jingle bells and mistletoe, a special part of the holiday season is the magic of the Barbie holiday doll.  This is one gift that won’t be tossed aside and forgotten, so if you’re thinking of adding to or starting a new tradition, it’s a great time to start shopping before these special dolls sell out.

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Every year there are a few toys that everyone must have, and this year is no different. Some of them are hot toys, that everyone just has to have, and some of them are just new and cool. Here’s our list of the top 10 toys for Christmas this year.

1. Zhu Zhu Pets. By far the hottest Christmas toy this year. Zhu Zhu Pets are little battery operated hamsters that run around on the floor propelled by tiny wheels. Not only that, but they have a “loving mode” that allows kids to hold them and love them up, while the Zhu Zhu Pet coos and chatters back to them. Definitely the toy to have this Christmas.
2. iCarly toys. iCarly is a mega-popular TV show that the kids just love. If you’ve got a pre-teen or teenage girl, you’re going to want to check out iCarly toys. Amazon.com is a great place to find iCarly toys. They have everything from CD’s, books and DVD’s to lunch boxes, sheet sets, and action figure dolls.
3. Wii Sports Resort. If you’re shopping for anyone with a Wii (which is about half the people in the world!) you might want to check out Wii Sports Resort. The deluxe version of this game comes with 2 Wii motion plus adapters, which clip to the Wii remote and make it much more sensitive and accurate when you’re playing certain games. In addition, you’re going to want to get the 8-in-1 Sports Pack to go along with it.
4. Fisher Price Smart Fit. The Smart Fit Playground is an all-in-one plug and play activity pad that encourages children to stay physically active while they learn. Kids can walk, run, jump and stomp while playing up to 8 different learning games and races. The Smart Fit Playground teaches letters, numbers, shapes, colors and more through active play. Lots of fun, especially if Mom has Wii Fit.
5. Transformer Revenge of the Fallen Toys. For pre-teen boys that like bionichles and legos, Transformer Revenge of the Fallen Toys are sure to be a hit. These toys are mainly action figures and vehicles featured in the popular movie.
6. Pictureka. Find it fast, find it first! Pictureka is the exciting game of visual hide and seek. Players compete to collect the most mission cards to win the game. Great for the whole family, and kids as young as six can play with older kids and parents.
7. Wii Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games. A sports party game that takes players to Vancouver, Canada, site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. You can choose which of your favorite Nintendo characters you want to be, including Donkey Kong, Metal Sonic, Bowser Jr., and Silver. Wii Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games is Wii Balance Board compatible, for more game playing fun. Wii Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games is a great new game!
8. Leapfrog Zippity High-Energy Learning System. If your 3 to 5 year old likes to watch you workout to Wii Fit or watch your older daughter dance to Dance-Dance Revolution, this might be a great present for him or her. It’s a mat with a bopper that hooks to the TV and lets them stomp, swing, bop and march, driving the learning with their arms and legs. The Leapfrog Zippity High-Energy Learning System includes 8 built-in games featuring the popular Playhouse Disney characters. Lots of fun!
9. Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera. The Kid Tough Digital Camera from Fisher-Price is rugged enough to go everywhere your child goes. With two-eye viewing, sturdy grips and a built-in flash, this real digital camera is designed to survive being dropped, and it is waterproof to protect against spills and splashes. The Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera is a perfect way for kids aged three and up to document all their favorite things.
10. Guitar Hero 5 for the Wii. Here’s the latest in the line of Guitar Hero Games, and this one allows you to create your band – you can have 3 guitars or 2 guitars and 2 drums – whatever you want. The artists include Tom Petty, Kings of Leon, The White Stripes, Santana, Johnny Cash, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and many more. Sure to be popular and will probably sell out in most places. Better get your Guitar Hero 5 for the Wii today!

That’s our Top Ten Christmas Toy list for 2009. Shop early – you never know when something’s going to sell out!

Corporate Christmas gifts can be one of two things: either you have to buy a gift for a company, or you are the owner of a company and you need to buy gifts for your employees. Either way, you can find some great gifts at Amazon.com. This is a great place to buy corporate Christmas gifts, since they have very good customer service and return policies. Plus, they have a huge selection of items that are ideal for either one of these situations.

If you have to buy a gift for a corporation or company, one good option is a Christmas gift basket. They make these in all shapes and sizes, and they’re a gift that is sure to please a wide range of people. They usually contain treats like chocolates, popcorn, sausage, cheese, and other food related items. Sometimes they contain wine, but you want to be careful with that, as it may be inappropriate to send alcohol to a business. However, there are times when that might be ok, especially if it’s a small company where you know all the employees.

If you’re an employer and have to buy gifts for your employees, suppliers, or clients, you also might want to consider Christmas gift baskets. Once again, these can be found for many different prices from Amazon.com. However, if you have many employees, you might want to find something a little cheaper.

Magazine Subscriptions

One idea I recently came across was magazine subscriptions. Who wouldn’t want to get a magazine in the mail every month having to do with their favorite hobby. But how do you know what their favorite hobby is? One thing you can do is send out a survey to the whole company, asking them that question. Not only will this tell you what magazine to order them, but it will help you to get to know them better. If you know what makes your employees tick, you’re going to be able to relate to them better and get more production out of them. Win-win situation!

Gift Cards

Another great Christmas gift idea for employees is a gift card. Some of the more popular places to buy gift cards from are Starbucks, Best Buy, or Amazon.com. I especially like the idea of Amazon, since their selection is so huge the employee will have no trouble finding something they want. It might seem impersonal, but is really just the opposite. It’s better than buying something that will immediately go in the “round file”.

So there you go – a few corporate Christmas gift ideas.

Sometimes it’s almost impossible to think of a gift for someone, especially if they seem to have everything. One Christmas idea for someone like this is a Christmas gift basket. Christmas gift baskets come in all sizes and prices, and can be delivered directly to the recipient. This is extremely easy for you, and is sure to be appreciated by the person receiving the gift.

Christmas gift baskets can contain anything that fits in a basket! Some of the common items include chocolate, wine, popcorn, sausage, cheese, and all other types of gourmet food. Who wouldn’t want to get something like that? Even the person with everything in the world has to eat and drink, right?

Another great use for the Christmas gift basket is for your business acquaintances. It’s an easy gift to give, not controversial in any way. There are some bigger gift baskets designed for this type of application, called Corporate gift baskets. These usually contain a wide assortment of treats like popcorn, nuts, truffles, and other candies. You’re probably going to want to avoid ones with wine in them for this group of recipients, since you don’t know if that might be offensive to anyone.

A gift basket doesn’t even necessarily have to be in a basket. There are also gift towers, which are a stack of boxes in decreasing sized filled with various culinary delights. There is even an adorable Penguin Stacking Tower full of treats. They really do come in all sized and shapes!

Maybe you’ve got a man to buy for. There are special baskets designed just for him – including sausage, spicy chips and salsa, and various candies – all in a clever tool box.

There are truly ideas for everyone – even the dog! Amazon.com has a doggie gift basket, where even the basket is edible! By the way, Amazon is a great place to order your Christmas gift basket from, since they have very good shipping and return policies, a large selection, and are extremely reputable. Click here to view all of the Christmas gift baskets carried by Amazon.com.

So, if you’re stumped about what to get for that hard-to-shop-for person (or dog) you just might want to check out Christmas Gift Baskets.

Get ready for this year’s Tickle-Me-Elmo or Cabbage Patch Kid – Zhu Zhu Pets! They’re already selling out in stores like Walmart, and the word is they already got their allotments and won’t be getting any more until after Christmas. So you better act quickly, or you’ll be out of luck. And believe me, the kids want them!

So what are Zhu Zhu Pets? They’re little battery operated hamsters that run around the house (or their funhouse) on tiny wheels. They have different modes that cause them to do different things, as illustrated below.

There are 4 different hamsters, each of them having it’s own personality and each making different sounds.

In addition, you’ll want to check out the funhouse, and the many other accessories available for these little cuties. You can get them skateboards, blankets, beds, hamster wheels, a ball, and even a garage complete with car that attaches to the funhouse. Click here to check out all the Zhu Zhu hamsters and accessories available at Amazon. Remember, you’re going to have trouble finding them at your local stores, so buy early.

Here’s a video showing the funhouse and some of the other accessories – they’re really quite cute and the kids love them!

Don’t be left out in the cold this year! Buy your Zhu Zhu Pet early, and make sure that special kid has the perfect Christmas present. Two good places to look for Zhu Zhu pets are on Amazon and – this is where you’ll find them for sure even if they’re sold out everywhere else.

Don’t wait – you’ll be sorry!

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Bakugan Mania is here and my kids are already buzzing.

So what is Bakugan?

Well mix an anime cartoon, action figures and cards, add a games of marbles twist — and that is Bakugan. The animated cartoon series started the first of 2008, however the tiny Bakugan brawlers are already popular in Japan and Canada.

There are 100 Bakugan action figure warriors tucked into plastic balls that pop open when they’re rolled onto a magnetic game card, where they gather points. “Boys want to throw things, collect things, trade things, battle  and, of course, win,” Matt Wexler, executive producer of the television show and head of global licensing, said in an e-mail.

My kids are telling me that Bakugan Starter Packs are apparently the game all our 4-12 yr old kiddos want. Strategy is key in this game as the players have to place their metal Gate Cards with intent as each card affects the battle differently. Plus it is cool how my kids must learn marble shooting skills to roll their Bakugan into battle.

The good news is the relative inexpensiveness of the game. The sets get you going and then most of the required pieces, such as the action cards, are under $10, and the Bakugan Battle Arena runs about $30. These things and the Bakugan Launcher do not come with the sets. However, you can use the tried and true launcher, your thumb!

Bakugan brawlers are selected at random when shipped. The Bakugan Starter Pack includes: 3 – Bakugan Morphing Marbles 3 – Metal Cards. You can upgrade if you want a fuller set to the Bakugan Battle pack which comes with 6 Bakugan Brawlers and 8 Metal cards. This seems to be a good deal.

I have read in Time Magazine and Newsday that this is one of the hottest must-have Christmas toys. Still, with a hundred different spheres and dozens of different cards up for grabs, as well as some of the items already being tagged as “rare,” I think  buying early can save us a nagging holiday headache.

This just in! These items are extremely hard to get! However, you can find them at right now! There are lots of them you just have to bid!

One of the holiday traditions we have started in our house is watching Oprah’s favorite things show. Every year, right before Thanksgiving, she does a show that showcases a wonderful variety of good Christmas ideas.

In years past, her ideas cover a great range in prices as well as interests. I have found things for my mother and for my UPS man (I am an online shopper for sure!) recommended in the show.

It is so cool because the research on the product is done for you, just sit back with a great cup of tea and your favorite treat and take notes. It is a timesaver too as to find all these good Christmas ideas online would take a lot longer than the hour the show is.

This year, it was still Oprah’s favorite things, but with a twist – they cost next to nothing! Oprah felt that in the current economic condition of our country, it was best not to recommend items that cost several hundred dollars or more, so she focused on gifts you could make or give cheaply.

To add to your ideas, this year Oprah highlighted some additional items – all under $100 – in her “O” Magazine. We’ve posted some of our favorites at our Favorite Things 2008 Store, and reviewed them at our Oprah’s Favorite Things 2008 website. Enjoy, shop, and don’t go broke doing it!

Here are a few examples that Oprah chose:

Treasure boxes

Treasure Box

Oprah had a gal named Connie on the show that bought inexpensive treasure chests and finished them herself. Then, she put memorabilia of her children’s that she had been saving for years in them and gave them to her kids. It might have been report cards, an Eagle Scout badge, or a piece of carpet from their first room – anything special and memorable for the child.

Connie wanted it to be a piece of furniture that they could put on the shelf and keep forever, which is why she chose the treasure boxes. She suggested that once you have your keepsakes collected together, that you organize them by year using folders and plastic sleeves from an office supply store.

We’ve done some research and found a box that looks like it would work very well for this project – but if you look for coupons in the newspaper or online, you may be able to find boxes on sale at a craft store like Connie did! When you do find the box, if it’s unfinished all you need to do is go to Home Depot or Lowes and pick up some wood stain and a can of spray on or brush on polyurethane finish. Put a coat of the stain on with a rag, then apply 2 or more coats of the polyurethane finish. You can choose either flat, satin, or high-gloss finish. Personally, I like a satin, or semi-gloss finish. Then, if you want, you can buy a little decorative lock, and your treasure box is ready to give and get huge smiles on Christmas morning!

What a special gift for those most special members of the family!

Holiday Hits 2008

Another great gift is the gift of music – and this year Oprah has picked out eight new Christmas CD’s by some of her favorite artists. From artists like Aretha Franklin, Harry Connick, Jr., Josh Groban, and Tony Bennett, you just can’t go wrong buying one of these CD’s as a gift. Oprah has also included offerings from Faith Hill, Il Divo, Brian McKnight, and Amy Grant.

What a stellar array of artists with their takes on all your Christmas favorites. Here’s your chance to make someone’s Christmas special – and maybe even pick up one or two for yourself!

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

One of the gifts that Oprah loves to give and receive the most is a great book. She says “And if it’s a book you loved reading, then you’ll be sharing something special.”

This year, Oprah has fallen in love with The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. “It’s an epic tale about the magical bond that this mute boy shares with his dog,” Oprah says. “But it’s so much more than a dog story.”

The gift of a book – a great idea for anyone on your list, but especially for that person that has everything. 

Last Year’s Show

Here are a couple of things that were presented last year, but they hold up just as good this year:

Melamine Bowls, Measuring Cups and Spoons from Williams-Sonoma. The Melamine Bowls, Measuring Cups and Spoons come in a rainbow of colors to brighten up your kitchen. They feature built-in, no-spill spouts for easy pouring and can be stacked to save space. Plus, no-slip rubber rings at the base keep your bowls in place.

Amazon Kindle

One more thing – Oprah was recently raving about the Amazon Kindle portable ebook reader on her show. In fact, she said it was her “new favorite thing”. We’ve checked out the Kindle and written a review and also an article about how to use your Kindle. If you’ve got someone to shop for that has everything, this just might be the ticket for them!

More of Oprah’s Favorite Christmas Gifts

Don’t forget to check out Oprah’s additional picks from her “O” Magazine. We’ve picked out some of our favorites and put them on our Favorite Things 2008 Store. Plus, you can read our reviews at Oprah’s Favorite Things 2008. Great ideas that don’t break the bank – they’re all under $100!

Amazon.com offers Frustration-Free packaging

I’ve always been a pretty mellow guy, but if there is one thing that absolutely makes me go nuts it’s the little plastic-coated wire twist-ties that the toy and electronic manufacturers use to secure their products in their pretty packages. I’m not kidding – I’m never closer to making a fool of myself than I am on Christmas morning, in front of my kids, on what’s supposed to be the happiest day of the year!

Traditional vs. Frustration-Free Packaging

When one of my guys gets a toy, and they bring it over to me to help them open it, most of the time I pretend I don’t see them – which is kind of hard when they’re right in front of me! Either that or I act like I’m totally engrossed in the instruction book (written in 14 different languages) for the new watch I just got, and I ignore him. Of course, this doesn’t work for long, and soon I have to face the music.

Wrap Rage Tools

So out to the garage I go to get a selection of implements of destruction to try to get that Lego ship out of the package, and I get to work. 2 hours later – success! Plus, I hardly broke anything! I tell you, I earned that Christmas afternoon nap!

Well, Amazon.com has teamed up with several manufacturers to come up with what they call Frustration-Free packaging. Items come packed in a brown box, with none of the twist-ties or clam-shells, and much less packaging.

Speaking of clam-shells – don’t you hate those things? You look at it and think “Aha! This is one of those deals that you just have to pry apart until the two little pegs come free and out will fall the item!” Then, you realize that it’s actually sealed by some devious machine, and you have to figure out a way to cut it open without ruining the product and/or the instructions.

Fisher-Price Imaginext Pirate Ship

Amazon.com to the rescue! Click here to view the items you can get that have frustration-free packaging. One of the first to launch was the Fisher-Price Imaginext Adventures Pirate Ship. This looks like a pretty cool gift for a kid, and best of all it will eliminate “Wrap Rage”, and help you and your family to have the most enjoyable, peaceful Christmas in years.

If you’re ready for a couple of laughs (and maybe a few tears) check out The Gallery of Wrap Rage. Come on – let’s unite against the forces of the world that subject us to twist-ties and clam-shells!

I have heard about a state of the art portable ebook reader made by Amazon. Three years ago, they set out to design and build an entirely new class of device—a convenient, portable ebook reader device with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers. What they came up with is the Amazon Kindle.

What I like is that Kindle is completely mobile and simple to use for everyone, because it wireless. No PC and no syncing needed. It uses the same 3G network as advanced cell phones to deliver your content using their wireless delivery system, Amazon Whispernet. What is amazing is that it is unlike WiFi in that you don’t have to find a hotspot. Amazon pays for Kindle’s wireless connectivity so you will never see a monthly wireless bill for shopping the Kindle Store! There is no wireless setup—you are ready to shop, purchase and read right out of the box.

So basically, you can be anywhere, think of a book, and get it in one minute. You not only get books, you can get e-articles, and newspaper and magazines. Wherever you are, your newspaper subscriptions are delivered wirelessly each morning. Most magazines arrive before they hit newsstands. Can’t find the book for tomorrow night’s book club? Get it in a minute. My favorite is when you’ve finished your book in the airport (or almost finished), you can download the sequel while you board the plane. No more lugging armfuls of books everywhere with this portable ebook reader.  Great in this day of extra luggage fees.

And it so cool how Kindle lets you download and read the beginning of books for free. This way, you can try it out—if you like it, simply buy and download with 1-Click, right from your Kindle, and continue reading. Want to try a newspaper as well? All newspaper subscriptions start with a risk-free two-week trial. Very simple.

Kindle’s paperback size and expandable memory let you travel light with your own personal library. With the freedom to download what you want, when you want, you’ll never again find yourself stuck without something great to read. This is the best ebook reader out on the market now.

What’s included in the box?

Kindle Electronic Reader
Book cover
Power adapter
USB 2.0 cable

Having trouble finding it at Amazon? You can always get one at , sometimes at an even better price!

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Now that you have the best ebook reader, how do you use it? You will be pleased with how simple it is and that you are on the cutting edge by having a portable ebook reader.

Shop the Kindle Store Right from Your Device

The Kindle Store currently carries more than 190,000 books. It also has newspapers, magazines, and blogs. Convenient for you on this portable ebook reader, you can shop the Kindle Store directly on Kindle or on your PC via Amazon.com. Both ways, all titles are wirelessly delivered right to your Kindle for free. And what I like is that Amazon pays for the wireless delivery charges so you don’t have to. You can shop the Kindle Store wirelessly right from your device, allowing you to click, buy, and start reading your purchases within a minute. I recommend this ebook reader also because of the use of Amazon where you get the great customer service experience you’re used to, including customer reviews, personalized recommendations, and low prices.

All you do is search for the title or author you’re interested in, or browse the store to discover titles. So the next time you hear about a great book, just click, buy, and read.

In addition, a copy of every book you purchase is backed up online in Your Media Library in case you need to download it again. So now you haveroom for new titles on your device, knowing that Amazon is storing your personal library, which can always be re-downloaded wirelessly. If you happen to be out of wireless coverage, such as traveling overseas, you can download books to your computer from Your Media Library and transfer via USB to your Kindle.

Paper-like Screen

Utilizing a new high-resolution display technology called electronic paper, Kindle provides a crisp black-and-white screen that resembles the appearance and readability of printed paper. It reflects light like ordinary paper and uses no backlighting, eliminating the glare associated with other portable ebook readers. The screen never gets hot so you can comfortably read as long as you like.

See what others are saying about the Kindle screen:

Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball, “I’m telling you, after five minutes I’ve ceased to think I’m looking at a screen. It’s not like reading a computer screen. It’s more like reading a piece of paper. I think it’s actually clearer, easier on the eye than the printed word.”

Keyboard

Being a somewhat technologically impaired, I like Kindle’s QWERTY keyboard. Simply type in a title, author, or keyword to find the book, newspaper, or magazine you are looking for. From there, click to buy, and begin reading your selection in under a minute.

Bookmarks and Annotation

Also using the keyboard, you can write notes just like you might write in the margins of a book. And because it is digital, you can edit, delete, and export your notes, highlight and clip key passages, and bookmark pages for future use. You’ll never need to bookmark your last place in the book, because Kindle remembers for you and always opens to the last page you read. I can even write notes like “share this passage with Kat”.

Long Battery Life

Since I forget to plug things in, I like that I can leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Kindle fully recharges in two hours.

I hope this review on how to use the Amazon Kindle will help you to realize that with the invention of Kindle, portable ebook readers have forever changed. And are the way of all future readers!

Sold out at Amazon? You can always find it at , sometimes at an even better price!

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When I was growing up, one of my most favorite things was family game night. We would all sit down around our kitchen table, fill up our ice cream float cups and play a mean game of Hearts.

Those were good times because of the way it pulled us all back in as a family. My husband also had a similar experiences in his family so we both were in agreement that we wanted to continue this tradition with our family.

As is common with childhood memories, you don’t see the problems involved in making such activities happen. We quickly realized that the age difference between our oldest and youngest (7 years) posed a problem in finding a game that both could play and enjoy.

Some Great Answers

You knew I was going to have some answers, right? First off, a game we were introduced to this summer on our family vacation was a fun family game called Mexican Train Dominos. It was fun, several people could play at one time (which is good in a family of 7) and the dominos rules were easy to learn and follow. One note – the rules that came with our game were different than how we learned how to play. Here are our rules.

Along with our Mexican Train Dominoes game, we found Apples to Apples. This game too can be played by all of us at the same time and we liked that it came in a junior version that was still fun for the older kids.

Blokus is a great colored tile game that is easy for everyone to play. The cool thing about this game is that no matter your age it really works to exercise your critical thinking skills. It is fun to watch how smart your kiddos really are!

These are great Christmas gift ideas and birthday present ideas because they are inexpensive and they don’t involve technology. Which means more time to talk and laugh together! What good Christmas gifts!

We have learned a new game called Mexican Train Dominoes. But we learned it differently than what the rules that came with the game say.

These are the Mexican Train Dominos rules we learned to play that seems to best suit our younger kiddos.

The Mexican Train Dominos start at double 12’s. You can also purchase these dominos with actual numbers on them to replace the dots. This might work better if you have a young counter as you will see later on, they will need to be able to count the dots in their remaining tiles. To start – each person takes a set number of tiles (determined by the number of players) and the person who has the highest set of doubles starting with 12 begins. The next round starts with the next lower doubles. The play goes clockwise with each person starting their leg – looks like a spider – with the same number as the double or picking one tile which they can play if it is a playable. From there you play on your leg each turn with a couple of exceptions.

1st – Another playing option is when someone is unable to play on their leg even after they pick, you can play on it. They indicate that it is open for all players by placing one of the little trains that come in the game on their leg. We like to use M&M’s because once you can play on your leg again, you can remove the train (or eat the M&M!) and other players cannot play on it.

2nd – If you have a tile that has the same number as the double that was used at the beginning of the game, you can start a Mexican Train. This is a leg started apart from the other legs and any person can play on it. Just one Mexican train per round.

A couple of side notes – playing a doubles tile requires a “proof” meaning you must also play another tile on it in that turn. You don’t have to pick if you can’t play but the next person to play must either play on the double or pick to try to. No one can resume play until the double has been proven. This requirement can thwart your prelaid plans. And don’t get discouraged if you get stuck drawing tiles well into the game to get started. Because you have the potential to play up to 12 rounds (your choice), it seems most people will get the same chance.

To win the round, be the first to play all your tiles. Everyone adds up the total number or dots on their remaining tiles. The total is their score on that round. The winner of the game is the person who has the lowest total after all rounds are completed.

Mexican Train Dominos. Easy dominos rules and a fun family game! Great for family Christmas gifts!

The Green Book: Help Save the Planet One Step at a Time

Environmental matters get the star treatment in The Green Book. The authors, Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen, address the fact that Americans endanger the balance of the ecosystem by the amount of waste we produce, the amount of water we use, and the amount of energy we consume in small practical bites.

Celebrities, including Robert Redford, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston, Faith Hill, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. contribute suggestions for living green. Rogers and Kostigen establish 12 aspects of our habitat, like home, work, and school, and suggest better lifestyle choices for each. Small adjustments are the focus of the book that add up to significant and positive environmental effects by using descriptive rather than numerical analyses.

The Green Book offers hope and practical suggestions, such as:

• Don’t ask for ATM receipts. If everyone in the United States refused their receipts, it would save a roll of paper more than two billion feet long, or enough to circle the equator fifteen times!
• Get a voice-mail service for your home phone. If all answering machines in U.S. homes were replaced by voice-mail services, the annual energy savings would total nearly two billion kilowatt hours.

With a 3 ½ star rating, the reviewers all like the authors sensibilities in offering small, easy to implement suggestions. One downside however, is that the actual numbers should be corroborated before quoted. Some calculations, when researched, were off.

With wit and authority, the authors provide hundreds of solutions for all areas of your life, pinpointing the smallest changes that have the biggest impact on the health of our precious planet.

The Green Book is the perfect unique Christmas gift idea for someone who loves the environment and wants to make a difference in this world.

Looking for something a little different? Check out our Gifts For Someone Who Has Everything page.

Finding a unique Christmas gift idea is tough – especially if you’re looking for a gift for someone who has everything. Sometimes the best answer for this person isn’t even something for them – sometimes it’s something from them. Here’s an idea for the person who has a heart for the poor and undernourished around the world.

The FEED Bag – The Gift that Gives Back

Are you stuck for what to give to the person who has seemingly everything? How about a gift that will give them the sense of satisfaction of helping others?

The FEED bag is a product of the United Nations World Food Programme, and was designed to raise awareness and funds for hungry children. Hunger and malnutrition are the No. 1 risk to global health, killing more people than AIDS, malaria, and TB combined. In fact, every five seconds, a child dies because he or she is hungry.

Each FEED bag sold will provide a school year of meals for one child in need and give them the hope of an education and a regular meal.

Whether they tote their FEED bag to school, work, play, or shopping, your loved one will remember that their bag helped to feed and educate a child. It will also be their way of sharing this charitable opportunity with everyone they meet when using this bag.

What a great gift for someone who has everything - the gift of life!

Looking for something a little different? Check out our Gifts For Someone Who Has Everything page.

What’s Popular for Christmas Gifts this Year?

Elmo fans will love Elmo Live! This latest version of everyone’s favorite Sesame Street character Elmo has taken talking, singing, telling jokes, to a whole new level. With an interactive style, Elmo Live! encourages creative play and is entertaining to kids from 18 months onward.

Moving, Talking, Dancing Elmo!

Elmo Live! has the furry, bright-red exterior and the big eyes so well known in the popular Sesame Street character. His actions give him a life-like quality:

His mouth and head move while he talks, sings, and tells stories;

He gestures with his arms, and he moves his legs.

He can even cross his legs when he sits on the stool that is included.

Out of 18 reviews, 15 found him very easy to play with. He will tell you a story. He even acts out parts of his stories! Squeeze his nose, and he’ll make a silly sound.

If your child doesn’t play with him for a while, Elmo will go into a battery-save mode by yawning and says he’s tired.

Reviewers like this toy because, unlike some other “talking” toys, Elmo Live! doesn’t just spout programmed phrases.  This makes an almost magical experience for your child, as if her toy is really coming to life.

Elmo makes lots of fun movements and gestures — the only slight drawback is that his movements generate a somewhat loud, mechanical sound. He has a tendency to fall over, however when he falls over, Elmo asks you to help him back up again, and then says “thank you.”

What’s in the Box?

Elmo Live! doll, with 6 AA batteries included.

Want a sample? Watch a video of Elmo Live! by clicking here.

You need to get this one now, word is it’s going to be one of the hottest items this Christmas!

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