Holiday Gift Ideas

Sometimes I think the hardest part about gift buying is coming up with the ideas of what to get people. So I've put together a list of my favorites. These may or may not be the best prices, so look around and price compare. Feel free to comment on what yours are so other readers can check them out, too!

KITCHEN ITEMS

Zyliss Palm-Held Pizza Cutter - I use ours for cutting pancakes for the kids, as well. It's so easy to cut with and it cleans up easy.

Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids Food Storage Containers - Saves on cupboard space!

Rubbermaid Produce Saver Square 8-Piece Set Food Storage Containers - I especially like to keep baby carrots in these. Keeps them from getting slimy.

Progressive International Lettuce Keeper - I kept strawberries fresh for a week in this one!

Tovolo Stanz - Utensils that can stand up. I just bought the citrus reamer and it looks pretty cool! Nice colors, too!

Pyrex Bakeware - I have the 8x8 and 9x13 pans. I use them to freeze casseroles.

Oxo Good Grips Products - You can't go wrong with basically any of these. My Mom wanted to steal my vegetable peeler!

Back to Basics 4-Slot Egg-and-Muffin Toaster - Make Egg McMuffins right in your own home! But if you/they don't have a lot of counter space, you may want to consider the two slot toaster instead.

Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer - Good for just about anything for apples!

TOYS

Little Einsteins Rocket Ride-On - Every kid that comes to our house loves this ride-along toy!

Fisher Price Learning Home - This one is expensive but if you don't mind buying used toys for your kids, check those stores. I got mine for $15!

Playskool Busy Ball-Tivity Center - My kids love to play with this together. It's just as entertaining to my 1yr old, as it is to my almost 3 yr old.

Parents Busy Zoo Activity Center - One of the best purchases I've found. Kids of all ages, including me, will sit in our living room playing with this.

Fisher-Price Little People Sing 'n Learn Vehicle Assortment - I have bought this for every toddler on my list. My kids fought over it so much, I had to ask for a second one! It's the cutest truck that has alphabet cards to slide into it or you can put it on top and it will tell you the letter/word on the card.

Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Say Please Tea Set - My two kids sit down and have pretend tea parties with this one.

Fisher Price Laugh & Learn My Pretty Learning Purse or Fisher Price Laugh & Learning My Learning Tools - We have the purse. Fun little accessories for little girls. And the money looks like a SwagBuck! :)

LeapFrog Learn & Groove™ Musical Table - I think every kid in our "group" has this toy. Definitely a favorite with the kids.

Leap Frog Fridge Toys - There are quite a few out now. We have the farm and the older version of the single letters. Great help with keeping the kids busy while you cook! We also do "Letter/Number of the Day" with it.

LeapFrog My Pal Scout or LeapFrog My Pal Violet - My daughter got Violet for her birthday. I love how you can make it say their name and their favorite things. (You use your computer to set it up.)

Melissa & Doug Deluxe 10-Piece Alphabet Nesting and Stacking Blocks - You really can't go wrong with most of the stuff made by Melissa and Doug. These are nice for helping toddlers who are too small for legos but have a desire to build!

FOR NEW PARENTS/BABY

So Easy Baby Food Kit: Make It Natural, Make It Fresh. - Comes with a recipe book, trays and how-to video.

Boppy Cuddle Pillow - I'm not sure I could have made it through my pregnacies without it! I used it to assist in nursing and then just as a pillow afterwards.

Mommy Made and Daddy Too! (Revised): Home Cooking for a Healthy Baby & Toddler and The Petit Appetit Cookbook: Easy, Organic Recipes to Nurture Your Baby and Toddler - These are my faves of the "baby recipe books." I'm going to use them here shortly to help make healthier meals for us. They aren't just how to make purees but meals, too.

BABY GROWLERS (blue) or BABY GROWLERS (pink) - Neither of my kids will travel or sleep without theirs.

Fisher-Price Papasan Cradle Swing - Ours is the older version. It's one of the few baby gear items I'm not getting rid of!

Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo - I have an older one but my friends loved theirs.


CHILDREN'S BOOKS/DVD

Rufus Butler Seder's Scanimation Books - The page look like they are moving as you lift them up. Hoping to buy the newest one for my son's birthday!

Tails - This is such a cute book. It tells of all the various sizes and shapes of animal's tails. It has pull-out tabs and lift up pages.

Step Into Reading Books - I have loved every one of these that I have ordered so far. There's so many to choose from. Faves include Wake Up, Sun!, Buzz Said the Bee (Hello Reader, Level 1) and Elmo Says Achoo!

Scholastic Reader Books - Again a lot to choose from in this series. Our faves include Yuck! Stuck In The Muck (Scholastic Reader Level 1) and What Is That? Said The Cat.

Baby's First Impressions 10 DVD Box Set - I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've had to watch these!

Word World DVDs - If I had to pick a cartoon to watch 100 times over, it would have to be these. (Also, they air on PBS if you haven't seen them.)

VIDEO GAMES

EA Sports Active and EA Sports Active: More Workouts for Wii - My faves!

Neves - The most addicting Nintendo DS game!! Definitely look for a better price, though! :)

Brain Challenge for DS - I actually like this one better than the Brain Age ones. (Though, that one is good, too.)I had to laugh at the price, though!

Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel - This is so fun to play! I've played it with about 10 people, most in different states, at the same time.

My Fitness Coach for Wii - A good one for the price, compared to Sports Active or WiiFit.

Trauma Center: New Blood - My hubby and BIL played this for hours one night. You get to perform surgeries on the Wii. There's also a newer one HERE but we haven't tried it yet.

New Super Mario Bros for Wii - It seems you can never go wrong with a Super Mario game! Love them!

And after all the shopping, unwind with some piano music from Jim Brickman albums or some of his downloads HERE.

Hopefully this possibly helps with an idea for you!