Must Have Monday’s 15

Welcome to Must Have Monday’s. Every Monday our reviewers will let you have a sneak peak into what we use in our homes and our lives. Here we will tell you about the things we can’t live without. If you have a “must have” item to pass along please e-mail us. We welcome contributions from our readers and are always looking for new reviewers.

I had a little trepidation at first about allowing such a big puzzle in my life. It takes up floor space, it has tons of pieces (48) and I’m not a fan of lots of little pieces of stuff sliding under my sofa to be lost forever. However, after the Melissa and Doug Floor Puzzle came along I realized I was probably wrong. The pieces are nice and big, a perfect size for little hands to work. The artwork on them is really quite pretty. We own two of them, the Alphabet train and the Dinosaur floor puzzle and the kids enjoy them.

Little hands love to lay out the beautiful puzzle on the living room floor and you can see how they beam with accomplishment when it’s done. And I love that they are playing with something that isn’t electronic. Plus they are educational and help develop matching skills. The puzzles are recommended for ages 36 months to 5 years old and can guarantee you a some quiet time.

by Gidge

Do you know how many times I’ve gathered chairs and books in trying to take a family picture? Think of a time like Christmas morning when you would love to have a family picture, but there is no extra set of hands to snap it. Usually I set up a make shift stand and use the timer on our digital camera. That works fine inside our house, but when we are camping or on vacation, it just isn’t feasible.

Let me introduce you to the Gorillapod. I found this genius invention at the MoMA Store online for $25. The Gorillapod is a lightweight, extremely flexible tripod designed to hold your camera in almost an situation. The three bendable legs can wrap around a tree branch or railing so that you can set up that perfect picture and get everyone in the shot. It has rubberized grip feet that hold it in place and there is a special ring that locks your camera into place. I love it because it’s easy to carry with you while walking around the zoo or sight-seeing.

by Emily

I am always looking for a creative way to express myself. I write a blog, do reviews here and take photos of my children. As a novel way to showcase my kids, I recently added their photo to my new personal checks. With a few clicks of the mouse I was able to upload an adorable image and place it on my bank checks. A week later I was greeted with a box full of checks and I promptly put my debit card in the back of my wallet since I would be using checks again.

No more boring paper checks for me. Just smiling faces only their mother could love. Seriously, just about every cashier thinks I am the coolest parent ever. Take a look at the choices on Unique Products, upload your own jpg photo and you can earn props from the checkers at the grocery store too. The ooh and ahh factor makes this a must have!

by Helene