Visit Uncommon Goods for other great gift ideas!

Inflatable Fruit Cake
It’s festive, it’s traditional and it’s inedible — just like the real thing. Each vinyl Inflatable Fruitcake comes deflated with a 9-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ envelope and a decorative sticker, making it easy to send one to all of your friends and family! When inflated, this icon of old-fashioned baked goods is 8-1/2″ x 5″ x 4-1/2″ and makes a great centerpiece for the holiday dinner table. Who doesn’t love a good fruit cake?

Visit Archie McPhee for other great gift ideas!

Driving LED Emoticon
Nothing is worse than keeping it all bottled up tight. You need to let loose a little and tell others how you really feel. The Animated Driving LED Emoticon allows you to push a button and share your sentiments with the people behind you. Yes, we’re sure you already have a few ways of your own to do this already - but this device adds some technology to your message. It has 5 different faces and is visible during the day and night.

Visit Think Geek for other great gift ideas!

Redistribution Holiday Ornament
Get ready… you know what’s coming! Here is the perfect holiday ornament to trim a tree the way the new administration is going to trim your income. The Redistribution Holiday Ornament will let everyone know you’re ready to help spread the wealth around! It’s begining to look a lot like socialism…

Visit Stupid for other great gift ideas!

Control Your Woman
Now here’s a new way to keep ‘em in line that we bet you’ve never tried! The Control Your Woman talking remote lets you effortlessly inspire attitude adjustments and romantic expressions of others. There are 18 hilarious, pre-recorded sayings including “Kiss me, you fool!” “Zip it!” and “What about my needs?” on the simulated TV remote. For hours of automated mind-control! Measures approximately 9 5/8″ L. Requires two AAA batteries which are included. Mature content, intended for adults.

Visit Bed Bath & Beyond for other great gift ideas!

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Visit Signals for other not-so-great gift ideas!

Jumbo Flat Panel Remote
Know an older person who is losing their sight? What about that uncle with the coke bottle glasses? Or maybe you are tired of constantly looking for Grandma’s remote control when you visit. Take a look at the Jumbo Flat Panel Remote Control from Sharper Image. It may look like a joke, but it does work. The buttons illuminate and glow in the dark making. Plus it can control up to 8 different devices if needed.

Visit Bed Bath and Beyond for other not-so-great gift ideas!

Everyday Essentials
I have always dreamed of taking a piece of pie to work for my lunch. What stopped me? Tupperware never showed me a container that was perfectly shaped to hold the triangle piece of cherry goodness I craved. I’ve moved on and found Everyday Essentials for food storage. Did you know they make individual cupcake containers too? Prices for this convenience vary, but the set of pie holders that every human being who eats pie must have is $7.95.

Visit Gooseberry Patch for other not-so-great gift ideas!

Anxiety Sculptures
When artist Christine Kaiser developed these dolls she was in a lock down unit. She believes that, “An anxiety held in your hand or placed on a shelf is one less hiding in your heart.” Frankly, when these Anxiety Sculptures adorn your shelf it takes the focus off your crazy behavior and onto why kind of psycho collects dolls like this. They are cute and quarky and even endearing. Who knew you could love anxiety for $40?

Visit Uncommon Goods for other not-so-great gift ideas!

Monkey Gram
Santa never had it so good! This special Santa’s Helper will keep the spirit of Christmas in your house all year long. The elf wears a holiday-printed vest, red booties, and a red, pointed hat, and is sure to spread a lot of holiday cheer. Think of the looks you’ll get when someone opens up this gift!

Visit World Wide Monkey for other not-so-great gift ideas!

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Who can concentrate on work when all you want to do is play with this optical computer mouse? You can’t ignore the floating rubber ducky splashing around inside the mouse. The Optical Computer Mouse with a fun rubber ducky is fully functional. It works just like a normal mouse with a scroll button and includes a USB plug for all PC and Macs. For $30 this will make a fun, unique gift for all ages.

Visit Uncommon Goods for other great gift ideas.

Illuminating Rotating Universe Globe

Globes used to be for the nerdy, but knowing your geography is back in style. This two-in-one globe rotates all on its own. It actually depicts geographical features and political boundaries. With the lights off, it illuminates from within, showing all 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. You can lay in bed at night and memorize each of them. Priced at $89.95 you can hold the world on its axis.

Visit Discovery Store for other great gift ideas.

HMDX Audio Speaker-On-The-Go

Who doesn’t need an MP3 carrying case that is cute and small? If they don’t, then make sure to tell them it has built-in speakers and I’m sure they’ll be on board. The speaker is designed to protect your iPod and MP3 players. For the price of $14.99 these make cute stocking stuffers for everyone you know! Plus they offer several fun colors to choose from.

Visit HMDX Audio for other great gift ideas.

Royal Digital Picture Keychain

Everyone has keys, so everyone should have a cool keychain. What better way is there to carry around pictures of your family to show friends than on a digital picture keychain for under $20? This features a 1.5″ LCD display and includes a USB cable and software for easy set-up. Plus it holds up to 70 photo’s! For an even better gift, pre-load the pictures on it for someone!

Visit Bed Bath & Beyond for other great gift ideas.

World’s Simplest Camcorder

Ever wanted to be able to carry a camcorder with you no matter where you go to capture life’s greatest moments? For most people that seems impossible given the bulky recorders and all the equipment that goes along with it. Look at the new Flip Ultra Camcorder which makes recording and sharing videos easy! This camcorder is the size of most small digital cameras and uses 2 AA batteries. It doesn’t need any cords to connect to a computer and makes it easy to share your videos or pictures. All this for under $130 is a deal!

Visit Brookstone for other great gift ideas.

Powermonkey Portable Solar Charger

Have you ever been stuck out in the middle of the ocean without an outlet to charge your iPod? Well just in case this happens to you, this solar powered portable charger takes 6 hours of sunshine and provides 40 hours for your iPod, 96 hours for your cell phone and 48 hours for the PDA in your pocket. For $129.95 you can’t go wrong with planning ahead for life’s little emergencies. I bet those cast-aways on Gilligan’s Island wish they’d gotten one of these for Christmas.

Visit Discovery Store for other great gift ideas.

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Here are some hints for Black Friday Deals:

Dick’s Sporting Goods

• Carhartt Workzone Jacket $39.98
• Nuvi 205 Wide GPS Auto Navigation System $149.98
• Adidas Beckham Gold Soccer Ball $9.98
• All Ammunition Buy 1 Get 1 50% off
• Goalrilla Inground BasketballSystem $599.98
• TopFlite XL3000 15 Pack Golfballs $5.00

Costco

• Colorado Clothing Fleece Lounge Pants $6.99
• Olympus FE-370 8.0 MP Digital Camera $119.99
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer Professional HD Series $229.99
• Sharp Aquos 52″ 1080p HDTV $300 OFF

Home Depot

• 22″ Fresh Cut Christmas Wreath $16.88
• 300 Light Isicle Set $6.99
• 4 Pack Tape Measure $4.97
• DeWalt 18V 3-Piece Compact Combo Kit $229.00
• Husky 26-Gallon Air Compressor w/ 6-Tool Bonus Kit $299.00
• Ridgid 4-Gallon Portable Wet/Dry Vac $79.00

JC Penney

• 4′ Pre-Lit Topiary Trees 2 for $88.88
• Sarah Peyton Fountains $8.88
• Swivel Sweeper $38.88
• Leg Magic by Fitness Quest $99.88

Kohl’s

• Apt 9 Rossi Leather Handbags $27.99
• Boy’s & Girl’s winter playwear - entire stock 50% OFF
• Candie’s tank tops $11.99
• Children’s wCrank flashlights - set of 2 $12.99
• Entire Stock Blankets 50-60% OFF
• Entire Stock Leather Outerwear for Men 60% OFF
• Entire Stock of Magic Gloves for Her $1.99
• Junior’s shoes - selected styles by Sketchers $19.99
• Juniors - Abbey Dawn Hoodies $23.99
• NCAA Windshirts and Fleece for Men $19.99
• Oversized fleece throw blankets $4.99
• Totes Toasties Slippers for Her $3.99
• Apt. 9 Bath Towels $6.99
• Entire Stock Bedding Sets 50% OFF
• The Big One Bed Pillow $3.99
• The Big One bath towels $2.49

Old Navy

• Men’s & Women’s Solid & Striped Cotton Sweaters $10.00
• Graphic Tees for the Family $5.00
• Kids & Toddlers Logo Hoodies $7.50
• Women’s Fleece Hoodies & Pants $10.00
• Free Samsung Pebble MP3 Player (w/ $20 Purchase)

RadioShack

• TDK DVD+R Discs (50-Pack) $7.99
• Gigaware 1.3MP PC Camera $14.99
• Nikon COOLPIX S550 10.0MP Digital Camera $149.99
• Uniden DECT 6.0 Digital Answering Machine w/ Extra Phones $49.99
• Apple 8GB iPod nano (Black) $149.99
• Home iH4 Clock and Audio System for iPod (w/ iPod Purchase) FREE
• DualShock Wireless Controller for PlayStation3 $29.99
• Motorola H375 Bluetooth Headset $9.99

Target

• Infant and Toddler Boys’ Fleece Hoddie or Pants $6.00
• 1,000 Thread Count Sheets $59.99
• Lexmark Printer, Scanner and Copier $39.99
• Kodak MX1063 10.3 MP Digital Camera $89.00
• Fly Fusion Pentop Computer $29.00
• Magellan RoadMate1200 Touch-Screen GPS $99.99
• Singer Portable Sewing Machine - 2250 $65.00
• Virgin Mobile Wildcard Mobile Phone $39.99
• Dyson DC07 Vacuum - Pink w/free $100 Target GiftCard $349.00
• Shark Stick Vac - Purple $10.00
• Crock-Pot 5-Qt.Stainless Steel Slow Cooker $14.99
• Step 2 Wagon For Two $47.00

Toys R Us

• Barbie Sing-Along CD Player $29.99
• Disney High School Musical Alarm Clock with iPod Dock $39.99
• Sakar Digital Photo Frame Keychain $9.99
• Air Hogs Havoc Heli Laser Battle R/C Battling Helicopters $42.49
• Barbie Princess 2-Pack Dolls $9.99
• Buy 1 Get 1 Free Power Rangers 3″ Micro Animal Zords $8.99
• Cars Mountain Challenge Playset $19.99
• Fisher Price Activity Walker $12.49
• Fisher Price Little Mommy 4-in-1 Deluxe Playset $29.99
• Just Like Home 120-Piece Play Food Set $8.49
• Little Tikes Cook ‘n Learn Kitchen $49.98
• Star Wars 10″ Transformers Millenium Falcon w/ Figures $19.99
• Step 2 Woodland Climber $199.99
• You & Me Baby So Big Doll $7.99

Wal-Mart

• Disney Lined Character Clogs $4.00
• Boys Track Suits $4.00
• Girls Track Suits $4.00
• High School Musical 3 Light-Up Tee $5.00
• Infants/Toddlers 2-piece Cotton PJ’s $4.00
• Men’s Fleece Sleep Pants $4.00
• 500-Thread Count 100% Cotton Sheet Set $20.00
• Dell Inspiron 531S Desktop PC with Micrsoft Office Home & Student Edition and 19″ LCD Monitor $598.00
• Samsung 10.2MP Digital Camera (model BL103) $69.00
• Philips 7″ Digital Photo Frame w/ Alarm Clock $89.00
• Mainstays Papasan Chair $30.00
• GE 0.7 Cubic Foot Microwave $25.00
• Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker $20.00
• 12′ Trampoline with Safety Enclosure $140.00
• Samsung 32” 720p LCD HDTV $498.00
• Hot Wheels Mega City Pack $20.00
• LeapFrog Leapster - Green $30.00
• Littlest Pet Shop VIP $7.00
• The Wave Hi-Tide Caster Board - Red $45.00
• VTech V.Smile PC Station $30.00

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One of my favorite products is Alba Botanicals TerraTints in Blaze. This is a multitasking lip tint that enhances the natural color of my lips, while protecting them with SPF 18. Dry lips is one of my pet peeves but with TerraTints, my lips are moisturized with jojoba and vitamin E, refreshed with peppermint and naturally beautiful thanks to the 100% mineral colors.

I purchase my Alba Botanicals TerraTints in Blaze from Whole Foods for $3.99. For that price I have one in every coat pocket and bag I own, so I’m never without! With six great colors to choose from (Blaze, Bloom, Dawn, Garnet, Kona, and Sienna), there’s a TerraTints for every skin tone!

Written by Leticia, a part time working multitasking mama who loves spending time with her husband and two children, exotic vacations, and cooking great meals. Leticia writes about technology products and technology issues affecting children through her blog, Tech Savvy Mama.

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I have the photos, the albums and the creativity. What I don’t have is the time, energy or financial resources to buy all the cutters, grommets, mattes, embellishments, tools and papers needed to create the beautiful scrapbooks I dream about. Even if I had the boat loads of cash where would I store all the supplies and projects so that I could devote all of my spare time to bettering my kids memories of childhood? I doubt that I could handle the chaos that would happen if I even tried it, so my blog has been an attempt at a substitute for my lack of scrapbooking. That has changed.

I discovered a mother-owned, online digital scrapbooking service called How Fast They Grow that gives you templates and allows you to upload your photos, drag and drop them into the pages. You can even journal a story or paragraph and look like you are a professional. It is so easy. There are no more excuses. I was able to crank out a 12 page baby book for Charlotte during her nap time. The company prints the pages and ships them to you and they are ready to be placed in a standard 12×12 leather scrapbook. This site is totally user friendly and in my own defense, idiot proof. The adorable templates allow you to custom design your pages with minimal effort. You can select unique backgrounds or more whimsical patterned papers. The pages arrive on heavy card stock in about a week. The quality is spectacular and the circus animals are no longer in danger of being brought to school.

How Fast They Grow is offering Props & Pans readers a discount. When you visit their site use the code “TRIPLETS” to save 20% for the next three weeks. This makes each completed page only $6.00 and to me that is a bargain.

Written by Helene, who is a “fly by the seat of her pants” mom with 6 kids, well really 7 if you count her husband. She is a die-hard bargain shopper, designer-clad domestic diva who writes reviews to maintain a sense of sanity and unleash her creative side. You can also keep up with their busy family at their blog.

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My thought when using it was, “What is this oily mess?” The packaging says it is ultra moisturizing and skin brightening. So I sit and look at my hands and their newly applied lotion. They look shiny upon first application of the lotion. I have to admit, the oily nature of it kind of puts me off. It just seems to sit on top of my skin.

But then after it soaks in, it’s really nice. My hands are almost velvety and I’m completely impressed by the fact that it seems to stay on even when I wash my hands. I don’t desperately need to re-apply lotion after washing my hands.

I can’t say I like the oily stage it seems to go through, but I slather it on at work when I’m not handling a lot of paperwork so there is no harm and no foul. Does it brighten my skin? It possibly might at the oily stage.

I’ll give it a thumbs up for it’s long term effect, but I’m really not a total fan. No props from me on this product.

Written by Gidge, who is a mother of a 5 year old boy and 3 year old twin boys. A transplanted Hoosier, die-hard Colts fan and professional call center manager, she likes long walks on the beach, penguins and playing ping-pong. Her turn-ons include sleep and silence. Read all about her life here.

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I purchased the set of 34 handmade 3D type cards at Costco for about $15. At less than 50 cents a card it is the most affordable method of wishing someone well, congratulating them on their wedding or baby or saying thanks. The keepsake style box contains all types of individually wrapped cards organized by event, with gift enclosures and blank cards.

The amazing attention to detail of the cards and envelopes will make sure your card gets noticed. The heavy card stock features all types of embellishments like ribbons, sequins, beads, feathers, buttons, glitter and lace. These cards look like you spent a fortune. Creative minds will appreciate all the crafty handiwork involved and those of us that love the look of handmade products will be satisfied to just reach into the box and select the proper greetings without having to make them with tools and glue.

The feedback from the recipients has been overwhelming to me. I love getting follow-up communication from the loved ones who got my card in the mail. I guess I cared enough to send the very best!

Written by Helene, who is a “fly by the seat of her pants” mom with 6 kids, well really 7 if you count her husband. She is a die-hard bargain shopper, designer-clad domestic diva who writes reviews to maintain a sense of sanity and unleash her creative side. You can also keep up with their busy family at their blog.

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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

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Over the past 4 years I’ve learned to deal with whatever it is that causes his outbreaks and just try to minimize the effects. We’ve tried over-the-counter ointments, natural remedies and all types of anti-bacterial washes. It wasn’t until someone suggested Abreva that it dawned on me that possibly the initial sore he develops could very well be a cold sore. As most of you know, little kids have a tendency to lick and irritate the area around their mouth, which is why I think the sores always got worse before they got better.

When I went to purchase the tube I almost had a hard time finding it in the package. It is about the size of a vitamin I take, so the price of around $15 was rather shocking! After wasting a lot of money on other medicines I was ready to give this a try. Abreva claims to help alleviate the duration of cold sores and the symptoms if applied early. This is very true. We’ve used it at the onset of a cold sore and mid-way through an outbreak, and the effectiveness is much stronger if applied early.

For example, our son woke up yesterday morning with a familiar looking red sore on his upper lip and I immediately applied a very small amount of the cream. By the evening time the redness was almost gone and the sore itself was smaller. Abreva is no miracle cream and will not eradicate any sores, but it will block the entry of the virus into surrounding cells.

The only complaint I have hear from our son is that sometimes it does burn a little when applied. This usually only occurs when his skin is already broken open and if I apply neosporin over the Abreva it does help. We keep this expensive tube in our medicine cabinet at all times, because it works.

Written by Emily, who is a married working mother of a very energetic 5 year old son. They reside in Southern Indiana (a little too close to the Kentucky border). Someday she’d like to visit Intercourse, PA and have her picture taken with the welcome sign. She writes at her personal blog, Fenicle and loves free samples and trying new things!

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