Welcome to our newest addition - Must Have Monday’s. Find out what we use in our homes and our lives.
Every Monday we’ll 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.

I am addicted to Sugar in [...]

A few days after my doctor told me I needed to start counting my baby’s kicks, I received a kickTrak in the mail to review. I abandoned my watch, pencil and paper and put the little pink device to work.
Babykick offers the kickTrak for $49.95. Mothers-to-be can purchase the kickTrak for use:

at the onset of [...]

Picture this — a toy car that plays six different car sounds, has light up headlamps and has super bright “night blasting” LED lights AND it doesn’t use any batteries. EVER!
I know. I could hardly believe it either but it’s true. No batteries are required for the SEE Toys Dynacar to perform all of the [...]

If you have a Thomas the Tank Engine fan at your house and you have not yet received a copy of the Smith-Thompson RR Gifts catalog, then run, don’t walk - to their website at RRgifts.com. Their website is very functional but not really enough to inspire the sort of JOY that their catalog brings [...]

I recently had the opportunity to test out two toys for kids - Fun Slide Carpet Skates and Carpet Bocce. Notice a pattern? They both involve the carpet, plus they are both indoor toys.
It’s that time of year again that many people are looking for a cool new gift to give. Seems like I struggle [...]

What’s Wrong, Little Pookie?, the new board book by the great Sandra Boynton, chronicles the familiar situation we parents find ourselves in trying to determine why our charges, who don’t quite have vocabulary or ability to tell us, are upset. It’s another hit out of the park for her.
Pookie, the Pig, is crying and Pookie’s [...]

The Daring Book for Girls is the manual for everything that girls need to know—and that doesn’t mean sewing buttonholes! Whether it’s female heroes in history, secret note-passing skills, science projects, friendship bracelets, double dutch, cats cradle, the perfect cartwheel or the eternal mystery of what boys are thinking, this book has it all. But it’s not just a guide to giggling at sleepovers—although that’s included, of course! Whether readers consider themselves tomboys, girly-girls, or a little bit of both, this book is every girl’s invitation to adventure.

If you like smart, dark fiction, race out and get “The Interloper” by Antoine Wilson immediately. A man struggles to deal with his wife’s sorrow after her brother is brutally murdered.
The book tells the story of his imaginative attempt to seek revenge upon the jailed killer, a quixotic attempt to restore his wife’s happiness which [...]

Our team of PnP reviewers were offered the chance to sample the Febreze To Go travel size bottle. To see if this new convenience worked for them keep reading.

Sometimes life works out. The nice review team at Props and Pans sent me a Febreze sample and it arrived at precisely the right moment!
Honestly, [...]

I recently previewed “Hear My World” from the new Braincandy 5 Senses DVD series.
The shows are recommended for ages 0-4 and if you have been reading my sites for any length of time you know how I feel about media and babies. I’d say ages 2-4 would really enjoy them, though.
They’re ever [...]

When I was at the Publix the other day, they had a product I’d never noticed before on sale buy one get one free. QUAKER OATMEAL TO GO. I’m not a big fan of the breakfast bar as a food source. They tend to be high fat or high calories, it’s [...]

Two of our reviewers were asked to put the Kodak EasyShare 5300 All-In-One Printer to the test. We gladly agreed and now you can have the same experience. Kodak is graciously giving one lucky reader this same printer. All you need to do is leave a comment between now and midnight (EST) November 18th [...]

I feel like I owe the fast-food God some praise.
As with most households, we will occasionally partake in quick drive-thru meals. In the past we’ve tried to cut back on these trips in the financial category and the calorie area. Subway has always offered the low fat sandwich option, but the issue is that our [...]

One of the distinct dis- advantages to eloping is that you don’t get to do the big REGISTRY thing. So, you don’t get lots of fancy household electronics.
No matching towel sets, flatware, wine glasses or ANY of the things that all you folks who registered received as gifts.
The husband and I have muddled along for [...]

Have you heard of FruitaBü yet? Omigosh! I’m in mom heaven with these things.
Basically, they’re organic “smoooshed” fruit and come in a variety of flavors like strawberry, grape, apple, apricot and raspberry, in addition to some kid-friendly forms like twirls (roll-ups), flats (fruit leather) and in a liquidy, slurpable form called “sploooshers”.
My kids LOVE this [...]