Many of us struggle to find the perfect gift around the holidays. And, when it comes to last minute shopping, we tend to choose something standard, rather than spending more time and stress searching. However, some holiday gift options offer last-minute convenience as well as a little personal touch, which will go a long way with your family and friends and let them know you put thought into their gift.

The personalization offered by My M&M’s allows you to customize your gift. Simply visit mymms.com and pick your colors, messages, and upload your photos, making your order special for all occasions.

My charming son-in-law is very athletic and is a huge sports fan. Each birthday and Christmas I try to add a little something to his collection of memorabilia, as eventually he and my daughter would like to move to a new home that has either a finished basement or a family room. It’s fun to pick out unique sports-themed gifts for him.

I found the perfect gift for charming son-in-law on My M&M’s! Do you have a sports fan in your household? My M&M’s has a MLB dispensers with your chosen team’s logo. Each comes complete with three 7oz bags of MyTeam M&M’S®.

Another terrific idea ~ imagine how much Grandma would love her grandchild’s face on her birthday M&M’S. The ideas are endless!

Wedding season will soon be upon us and if you’re a Mother-of-the Bride looking for unique ideas, suggest to the bride-to-be how great it would be that she and groom would look on their own wedding favors!

The site also offers dozens of gift options to accompany the My M&M’s, such as candy dispensers and decorative tins.  And new this year, My M&M’s has even teamed up with Martha Stewart for ideas to make personalized gifts even more special. Each of Martha’s My M&M’s personalized gift options provide easy step-by-step instructions.

For more information, visit: http://www.mymms.com

Every day of the year is special when Moms spend quality time with their young children, but the Holiday Season is especially magical.  If you’re looking for a great gift for a new mom, shower present for a mom-to-be, or your own children or grandchildren, then read on!

When ‘Lil Moomette, who’s now 2, was born, one of the first gifts my husband and I gave as new grandparents was a Baby Einstein DVD. Our oldest daughter grew up watching what we considered at the time, to be ‘educational and instructional’ television shows. As young parents at the time, we considered ourselves to be pretty forward thinking.

I’m pleased to be able to review a new and interactive product from Baby Einstein. The package includes the 10th anniversary special edition Baby Mozart™ DVD, the Baby Einstein Touch and Feel Baby Animals board book and the Lullaby Classics CD that includes a compilation of classical Baby Einstein soothing sounds, ensuring that the family time spent with young babies and children this holiday season will be a more engaging experience.

Baby Einstein Board Book ~ Baby Einstein Touch and Feel Farm Animals Book

Recommended for babies 9 months and up, this is a fun Touch-and-Feel Book which includes a sheep; cow; goat; rooster and horse.

Lullaby Classics CD

The Baby Einstein Music Box Orchestra includes 17 selections, and is considered a “Concert for Little Ears,” featuring soothing clasical melodies specially selected to quiet and calm little ones as they drift off to sleep.

I’ve posted in the past, that my youngest daughter (now 21) always drifted off to sleep with a tape deck, and pursued her interest in dance well into high school and college.

10th Anniversary Baby Mozart DVD

Baby Einstein has been voted by Moms as the #1 selling infant DVD line that they can’t live without! The Baby Mozart DVD is recommended for infants 3 months and up. A favorite selection includes, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”

Here’s some tips from the company for enjoying Baby Einstein together with your children:

Talk! Talk! Talk!

From the moment we say that first hello to our new baby, we begin developing our little one’s language. So, when you’re watching a Baby Einstein DVD, you don’t have to be quiet. This is a chance to create little stories.

For example, if you see mechanical toys on the DVD, describe the action to your baby—“see the seals go UP the ladder. Now they’re sliding DOWN and around– very fast.” If your baby starts “talking” back to your sounds, praise, cuddle, and imitate your baby to keep the conversation going. Even if you feel self-conscious about talking to a 6 month old, just stay the course. Your baby is probably listening and may show you with a smile, nod, or squeal, the many different ways they understand your language.

Without exception, one of the most significant moments of discovery for any mom, is the day she realizes her baby truly recognizes her and wants her above all others. That bond, the super-glue of parent child attachment, is the foundation for baby’s healthy development.

At Baby Einstein, each DVD is designed to reinforce parent-child interaction by providing visually interesting, entertaining content that you and your baby can watch together. Whether the theme is art, music, or barnyard animals, each DVD offers an opportunity to cuddle, share, talk, or sing along with your baby. The DVD can also be a jumping off point for more parent child interaction during your everyday routine.

From the Video Theme to the Real World Scene

Whenever there is an opportunity to link what you have seen on the DVD to other experiences in baby’s life, make that connection. For example, if you watched a DVD about animals, you might say, “Oh, look. There’s a BIG fish on the screen. Do we have another fish in our house?” And off you go to look at your gold fish. This kind of activity shows baby that something we see in one place can be seen in other places too.

For more information, visit: http://www.babyeinstein.com/tenyears/

It’s so exciting to get unexpected gifts! I recently received this gigantic coffee mug from Mom Central as a surprise!  You can be certain it’s always filled to the top and being used whenever I’m working at the computer!

Many of my readers know that I’m a product reviewer for Mom Central.  As a reviewer, I get notified of blog tours and receive advance products of interest to moms and children.  The products range from books, organic childrens clothing, educational toys and more.

Mom Central is a one-stop web resource dedicated to providing busy moms with smart household and parenting solutions. Whether you’re looking for the latest AAP guidelines on toddlers and media, advice on how to handle that sticky situation with the PTA, or just a place to find suggestions on what book to include on your bedside table, we have it covered.

The crew at Mom Central are a busy bunch of elves.  Any time I have a question, Stacy, Ashley, Kara, Abbey, Allison as well as all the rest of the staff, are very encouraging and quick to respond to any concerns.

Thanks so much everyone and Happy Holidays to you all!

Now that we’re officially in a recession, many Moms I talk to are devoting more time and research to their holiday purchases. The old cliche “making a list and checking it twice” becomes even more important to stretch the family budget seek out and find unique, frugal gift ideas.

Mom Central has evaluated hundreds of products in the following categories: for him, for her, for baby/toddler, for tweens, for teens, and even for pets. Mom Central fortunately for we Moms, receives many of these products before anyone else, providing Moms and Baby Boomer Grandmoms alike with exclusive access to new and innovative gifts. Products include affordable gift ideas from Sony, Philips, Nautilus, Casio, Playskool, Baby Einstein, Netflix, Hasbro, Razor, A&E, and more.

There’s also a contest where you’ll be eligible to win the daily prizes.  Participants must register on Mom Central, log-in, and leave a comment on the post.  In addition, if you Tweet or email friends about the giveaway, you can earn another entry!.  In order to earn the entry, you simply go back to the Mom Central Review blog and leave a comment letting them know.

Visit the Mom Central’s First Annual Holiday Gift Guide and see how you too can save this holiday shopping season!

As the current economic situation in this country has taken a toll on many of our families, we’re all examining ways to save a few extra dollars. My husband is self-employed, and as a Baby Boomer, I’ve been trying to retire and start a second career working at home online.  I still have one daughter in her senior year of college, and my oldest daughter was recently let go from her position as a marketing representative.

One of the ways that I’ve been able to get a few extra holiday gifts is by cashing in on the many rewards-points that I’ve earned through the purchases I’ve made on credit cards that offer rewards programs. When redeeming points, I’ve been able to exchange them for gift cards.

With the money I will be spending on holiday-related food, gifts and travel during this busy season, I would love it if I could get something in return.

For quiet some time, I’ve been enrolled in a simple rewards program that not only allows we grandmoms and moms to redeem points we earn for travel and hotel stays, but also on holiday gifts. Priority Club Rewards enables everyone on a budget to earn points through spending their hard-earned dollars that can be used with partnered hotels, airlines, and hundreds of online retailers including:

• Old Navy
• Target
• Barnes & Noble

Earning points through purchases provides a great way to put our spending into perspective. By shopping and spending wisely, we can get the most out of our frugal budgets this holiday season and put our earnings towards purchases in the New Year.  You can also show your goodwill this holiday season and give back to others who are less fortunate. Families are able to redeem PCR points to make charitable donations.

Additionally, you can keep earning new points to use down the line by using a Priority Club Rewards Visa card from Chase and shopping at stores like Target and Walmart where purchases made can earn you points.  If you are a WAHM and use a credit card for your business purchases, enrolling in Priority Club Rewards Points is a wonderful way to earn points that can be redeemed towards travel and hotel stays when you start planning your family vacations this coming spring.

I can utilize the great royalty rewards program so that I don’t need to choose between either a family vacation or holiday spending this year. All you need to do to start earning points is to sign up at www.priorityclub.com

Long before the advent of the Internet when I was a Mom with young babies and children, I preferred catalogue shopping. Malls were in their infancy, and mainly strip shopping centers existed. I found I was able to get a better selection of natural clothing and educational toys and products through catalogues.

Whenever I was able to get together with other playgroup moms, or the members of the Junior Women’s Club that I belonged to, we exchanged catalogs.

Thank goodness the dawn of the digital era makes this whole process just a little easier! I’ve become a huge advocate of online shopping, even now that my children are grown. As the holiday season approaches, I recommend you check out SHOP.COM, a comparison shopping site specifically designed for women that allows you to shop from over 2,000 merchants all in one place. Purchases can be conveniently made using one universal “shopping cart” to buy everything at one time or by clicking over to participating merchants’ sites.

SHOP.COM gives busy Moms an opportunity to ease the stress of holiday shopping with tools to help us figure out what to buy, find recommendations, and pinpoint which stores have the best price. With a combined total of over 20 million products, we can stop running from store to store to find the best deal or the perfect gift for the impossible-to-shop-for relative. You’ll find sections for clothing, baby products, electronics, home décor and more. There’s even a section to see which shops offer Free Shipping ~ which is an added-value plus during the holidays when shopping for many people!

Additionally, SHOP.COM provides expert advice, shopping tips, and articles, while giving easy ways to save money via price comparison tools, coupons, and rebates.

Whether you’re a Baby Boomer Grandma with tired feet, or a mom with a toddlers in tow, try it out this Holiday Season and see for yourself. Visit http://shop.com for hostess gifts as well as for your whole family.

As a lifelong native of New England, I have to say that the start of the Holiday Season between Thanksgiving and New Years is my favorite time of the year. Winter conjures up visions of horse-drawn sleigh rides, hot toddy’s by the fireside, ice skating on glistening frozen winter ponds, and building snowmen.

My husband I started a long-standing tradition when we first married and always cut down our own Christmas trees at local Christmas tree farms. The tradition continued until our children went off to college. The wreath that usually adorns our front door is always a live wreath, which we get from either the tree farm or a quality nursery. A spotlight that’s placed by the white birch tree in the center of our yard shines upon the door and house. Our home is a two-story colonial, and all of the windows are adorned with live green roping and red ribbons.  Single candles shine through every window.  Our style is very traditional and simple to celebrate the season, a scene right of Normal Rockwell.

Recently I was contacted by Grandma D’s Tree and Wreath Farm/Wreaths Direct and offered the opportunity to review a holiday wreath from Oregon! I have friends who’ve been to Oregon and rave about how spectacular the northwest corner of our country is!

Grandma D’s Tree and Wreath Farm has been raising Christmas trees and making wreaths for five generations. This family-owned business sells beautiful noble fir wreaths, centerpieces, and trees.

Grandma D’s Tree and Wreath Farm is located in the Silverton Hills southeast of Salem, Oregon, adjacent to Silver Falls State Park near Silverton, Oregon. In the early 1920’s, the De Santis family began purchasing farm land. This land was first used to plant and harvest strawberries. By the 1960’s, the strawberry crops were phased out, while Noble and Douglas Christmas Trees were gradually planted. By 1990, the Rutherford family, descendants of the De Santis family, managed the tree farm.

I was at my office when the wreath arrived via UPS, and my husband immediately called me to let me know it had arrived!

The holiday fragrance of this beautiful eco-friendly fresh wreath was still evident throughout the house when I arrived home! The wreath was packaged in a very sturdy corrugated box, and arrived from Oregon unscathed!

Adorned with a red-velvet ribbon, berries and pine cones, the quality and care taken to make this beauty was evident by the hard-wired backing that one normally only sees on high-quality wreaths.

Grandma D’s Tree and Wreath Farm/Wreaths Direct also offers stunning Holiday Table and Centerpieces as well as wreaths. Their fresh greenery ships throughout the USA and is a versatile gift that is pleasing to men, women, employees and all family types! Items include fresh holidays wreaths (also available with gold or silver accents), candy cane wreaths and centerpieces with a free taper candle.

Visit Grandma D’s Tree and Wreath Farm at http://www.wreathsdirect.info/ for more info.  Mention Code W0834 when ordering and you will receive FREE UPS Ground Shipping in the USA.

Please leave a comment about what you like best about Grandma D’s Wreaths!  The poster (this blog) with the most comments within 7 days is eligible to win a Prize from Grandma D’s.

Moomettesgram’s Musings is hosting a Giveaway Contest!  For a chance to win a Coheso Calorie Calculator (Value $79) sponsored by Grandma D’s Wreaths/Wreaths Direct.

To enter (follow directions) Leave a Comment on this post after visiting Grandma D’s Wreaths/Wreaths Direct and let me know what you liked best about their website.

Now for extra entries (each task will get you 1 extra entry):
~Subscribe to my blog via e-Mail through my feedburner link (on the top of my left column).
~Add my button to your sidebar or add me to your blog roll.
~Blog about the contest on your blog, linking back to my blog and the URL to your post (the links must be active/clickable).
~Go favorite or fan me on Technorati, Digg, or Stumble leaving your user name (the link is on my left column if you scroll down) or both.

~Tweet about this contest, and leave your Twitter ID

Make sure you comment separately for each task after the required entry task so you will get credit for each one ~ and leave your e-mail where you can be contacted.

This contest will run until December 6, 2008 at approximately 11:00 pm.  Winners to be chosen at random. USA residents only.  Prize to be shipped direct from Grandma D’s Wreaths/Wreaths Direct.

Additionally, there is a COMMENTATOR GRAND PRIZE That’s YOU - All who comment on the tour posts will be entered into a drawing for a grand prize for the following:

Large tote bag, mouse pad and eye brightener from MomLogic

Rose Pin ($7.00 value)

All-Natural, Dye free Dog Tug from PurrfectPlay ($18.00 value)

Pet Rescue Cat Cards from PurrfectPlay ($7.95 value)

“I have an attitude of gratitude” Tank Top from EmpoweringStuff ($19.39 value)

Book- “Uncovered: What Really Happens After the Storm, Flood, Earthquake or Fire” by Mark Goldwich ($12.95 value)

“Be Natural” T-Shirt from JustBe ($15.00 value)

Swiggies Wrist Water Bottle ($13.00 value)

1 gift certificate for a set of personalized flashcards from GoosieCards ($28 value)

GermyWormy Sanitary Sleeves for kids

TOTAL VALUE: $131.29

Random Integer Generator ~ Random.Org

Here are your random numbers:

11

Timestamp: 2008-12-07 05:31:42 UTC

As a mom of  two grown daughters, I must say that each one was as different as night and day when they were growing up. They’re 4 years apart, and when they were little, the age gap made a big difference. They’re much closer now that they’re grown.

My youngest was very much in to music. When it was her bedtime, Pumpkin had a tape-recorder and would listen to her favorite musical tapes until she fell asleep. Oftentimes they were storybook tapes. As she grew older, her love of music manifested itself through dancing. Pumpkin developed an amazing sense of rhythm, and took dancing lessons from the time she was a toddler, until she was a senior in high school. Pumpkin was on the Dance Team in high school and as a freshman in college.

I can recall a group that was extremely popular with children born in the 1980s. When they toured and came to a town nearby, we attended the “concert” in the local high school. It was a jam-packed, fun-filled event that Pumpkin now 21, still remembers.

Recently I was asked to review a new CD/DVD that’s going to be having the kiddie set all in a twitter!

Swingset Mamas (a/k/a  Lizzie and Marlowe)

“kindled their friendship singing into the night over a campfire on the beach in Montauk, NY. Marlowe, a classically trained pianist, and Lizzie, a music therapist and rock musician, connected over a belief in the power of music.”

“…the Mamas’ songs tap into the most fundamental joys and struggles of parents and their children.”

Now ‘Lil Moomette, my granddauaghter, age 2 ~ does not take after her mom in a musical sense, but rather (thankfully,) takes after Auntie. Auntie, I’m pleased to say, takes after…moi. ‘Lil Moomette and I were dancing to the Swingset Mamas’  “All Around the House” (actually, mom was too!) It was too cute to see ‘Lil Moomette shake her tiny little booty!

This delightful CD/DVD would be great for Daycare, Preschool, Homeschooling, or rainy days!

There’s still plenty of time to order the entertaining and educational Swingset Mamas CD/DVDs in time for the Holidays or upcoming Birthday Parties. All orders will ship within 2 days of ordering via 1st class mail.

Gift cards and/or autographed CD’s with a brief message and your child’s name are available for no additional cost!

Visit http://swingsetmamas.com for more information.

It’s so much fun to be a grandmom! Like my own mom, my kids were born while I was in my early 30’s, so I always figured it would quite awhile before I became a grandmother. When my oldest daughter and her husband presented me with my first grandchild, ‘Lil Moomete, two years ago, I was delighted.

Imagine my delight when my new grandson Slugger was born this past August! I couldn’t contain myself!

Having a grandson is a little different than having a granddaughter. Being of the female persuasion, I’m used to shopping for frilly things ~for my own girls as well as my nieces. It’s taking a little getting used-to picking out clothing and accessories for the (so-far) male heir to the family dynasty that would be acceptable to his fashionista mama.

I’m delighted to be writing about Bumkins Finer Baby Products.

Bumkins Finer Baby Products was founded by Jakki Liberman in 1989. Initially conceived as a means to provide her own young family with an alternative to disposable diapers, Jakki began the company with a single prototype, the All in One cloth diaper. This inventive design, which rivaled disposables in convenience, became the foundation of Bumkins product offerings.

In 2005 Bumkins became a Dr. Seuss licensee and entered into the world of infant and toddler apparel.

I received the most adorable Dr. Seuss Coverall Seuss Suit to review from Bumkins Finer Baby Products. Dr. Seuss was one of Slugger’s mom’s favorite characters when growing up.

The Coverall is adorned with the whimsical characters Thing One and Thing Two as well as the classic Cat-In-The-Hat stripe print. Seuss logo snaps for easy dressing complete the outfit, which also features adorable back pocket details!

The Dr. Seuss line also features coordinating accessories! Complimenting the outfit I received was a Dr. Seuss Waterproof SuperBib:

* Made of Bumkins’ proprietary waterproof fabric
* Stain and odor resistant
* Adjustable Velcro closure
* Features catch-all pocket
* Machine washable, hang dry
* Measures 10″ across, 9″ from neck down
* Sized to fit 3 months - 2+ years
* PVC, BPA, Phthalate & Vinyl Free
* Made in the USA, with American made fabrics

If you’ll be shopping for a little one this Holiday Season, or looking for a superb children’s line for Baby Showers, Newborns, Birthdays or your own children, visit
Bumkins Finer Baby Products at http://www.bumkins.com for more information.

My faithful readers know I keep singing the praises of Twitter and all the wonderful, resourceful Mompreneurs and Mommy Bloggers that I’ve met through that new Social Media phenomena. I’ve also made some terrific contacts through the other social networking sites I belong to.

Dara Blaker, President of Helpful Hallie’s has contacted me to review a new product called Mighty Miracle Mist.

When my youngest daughter was a toddler, her bedroom was over the garage. We live in an old New England town, and our house has quite a bit of … character. Each night in order to get Pumpkin to get to sleep, we had to spray the half closets with “closet monster spray.” I guess we were ahead of the curve ~ even then!

Mighty Miracle Mist takes that thought one step further, and improves on it by offering a product that:

…[P]uts the principal of redirection into action. Redirection means, “to send in a new direction or course.” When working with children, instead of always saying “No” or “Don’t Do That or offering a threat of punishment, children are given an instruction in order to change their behavior pattern.

Children can be positively redirected to behave appropriately using Mighty Miracle Mist.

I received four 2-oz. Spray bottles entitled “Good Thinking & Pay Attention; Good Night; Cooperation & Sharing and; Kind Voice & Good Manners.”

Each bottle has a different color identifier, adorned with a cute Teddy Bear.

Ingredients are identified as: Purified Water, Safe and Non-Toxic Plastic Confetti. One can see the plastic confetti in the bottle which makes it look attractive.  Instructions caution to “spray the air, not the child” to reinforce the expected behavior.  However, once sprayed in the air, we weren’t able to see the confetti, but mentioned it was like “fairy dust, and magical.”

The product is recommended for children ages 3-6.

Made in the U.S.A.

The product is useful for for parents, teachers, homeschooling and caregivers ~ as a Grandmom, that means me too!

Visit http://www.mightymiraclemist.com for more information.

Moomettesgram’s Musings is hosting a Giveaway Contest!  For a chance to win Mighty Miracle Mist:

Leave a Comment on this post after visiting http://www.mightymiraclemist.com and let me know why you’d like to win Mighty Miracle Mist.

Now for extra entries (each task will get you 1 extra entry):
~Subscribe to my blog through my feedburner link (on the top of my left column)
~Add my button to your sidebar or add me to your blog roll.
~Blog about the contest on your blog, linking back to my blog and the post.
~Go favorite or fan me on Technorati, Digg, or Stumble  (the link is on my left column if you scroll down) or both.

~Tweet about this contest.

Make sure you comment separately for each task after the required entry task so you will get credit for each one ~ and leave your e-mail where you can be contacted.

This contest will run until November 26 at approximately 11:00 pm.  Winners to be chosen at random. US & Canada Residents only.