Are you nervous about the upcoming holiday spending season? It’s no secret, Americans are anxious about the economy, in fact, according to CNN Money.com, consumer confidence is at a 5-year low. So it’s more important than ever to be discriminating with our purchases and spend money on gifts that are high-impact and useful. Here are some cool, useful, time and money-saving gifts any mother would be happy to give or receive. |
The Pulse Smartpen by Livescribe I see why Popular Mechanics named the Pulse Smartpen the coolest invention of 2008. This slick high-tech pen, dubbed by my husband “The James Bond Pen,” is perfect for any student or professional on your holiday shopping list… or any chicken scratch bad note-taking writer like me. It actually records audio and links it to what you write so you quite literally never miss a word again. All you have to do is tap a word and you’ll hear what was being said as you were writing. My 4-year old has been having a grand time with “the talking pen” and I am absolutely amazed how intuitive and comfortable it is to use. Where was this when I was in college! But that’s not all… The pen comes with a USB connector so that you can transfer your notes to your PC or Mac computer, organize them, and share your notes and creations (it works for drawings too!) online for everyone to see, hear and play. You can even search for words within your notes and convert your handwritten notes into text. There are two versions: The 1 GB pen records over 100 hours of audio (retail price $149.99) and the 2 GB pen captures over 200 hours of audio and retails for $199.99. My hunch is the 1 GB will serve most people just fine. What the ipod has done for music and video, the Pulse Smartpen does for transcribing and sharing information. I love this innovative product. This gift is both practical and fun and you get to be the cool-mom-in-the-know who gave it. You can find the Pulse Smartpen at Target or Target.com. Happy writing! |
PURE Video from Disney Interactive Studios My three guys know that video games are a weekend-only pleasure so Saturday morning the begging begins. About a month ago we got the new action sports video game called PURE published by Disney Interactive and developed by Blackrock Studios. It has become the obsession of the past few weekends, and I understand why. It’s cool ─edgy cool ─ and for me I love that it is rated E for everyone, with no violence whatsoever. The game is over-the-top fun. Kids (and my husband!) get to pick their own characters, build their own ATV’s and race across 7 of the world’s most dramatic natural environments. The massive jumps and outrageous stunts they perform are truly an adrenaline rush. I also like that the kids have a chance to be creative, building their own ATV from the ground up. My 8-year old self-described “scientist and engineer” has customized his own ATV. He makes a big deal of it, but the truth of the matter is, it was actually quite easy. Another cool thing is that each character has his or her own signature trick they perform and the game, having three levels, allows kids to acquire skills as they play. Kids can play alone or they can play with multiple players online. In my house this video game is a big hit, I only wish I waited for Christmas to give it to them. I should mention that PURE received the 2008 Game Critics Award. It also works on three platforms: The Xbox 360 ($59.99), Playstation 3 ($59.99) and Microsoft Windows ($49.99). You can find it at any major retailer where video games are sold. |
iRobot Roomba – 500 Series Who wouldn’t want a little robot doing some of their household drudge work for them?! I think the iRobot Roomba 560 is quite possibly the coolest thing I own. Remember the Jetsons? (And if you don’t, I’m dating myself) … I rarely look as pulled together as Jane but I do get to put my feet up and enjoy my kids while my little robot (we affectionately call her Rosie) does the vacuuming I so hate doing. She is a great timesaver for me and has proven to moonlight as a great entertainer for my kids and Fritze, the cat. Rosie can be scheduled to clean anytime and she’s simple to use. Just press the clean button and my little robot does the rest. Amazing! She navigates the house, going around furniture, cleaning along walls, adjusting herself for carpet and floors and automatically avoids stairs and other drop offs. She also detects dirtier areas and responds by spending more time cleaning those areas, just like I would. I love my robot, I love my robot! The iRobot Roomba is one of five home robots currently available from iRobot. For additional floor cleaning, they also have the iRobot Scooba that preps, washes, scrubs and squeegees your hard floors, and the heavy duty iRobot Dirt Dog that helps keep your garage floors clean. And don’t forget their outdoor helpers, the iRobot Looj gutter cleaning and iRobot Verro pool cleaning robots. So if you too would like a Rosie, you can have your love ones purchase one at iRobot.com. The 500 series begins at $279.99. Start laying your hints now and tell anyone who'll listen that you’ll have more time to spend with them if they will be so kind as to get you a robot vacuum! |
Fuji Films New Online Photo Site Moms love personalized gifts for themselves and for the grown-ups on their shopping list. I found a terrific new site called SeeHere.com that allows even the non-techno savvy to master the art of photo sharing, storage and the creation of all sorts of personalized photo gifts. The sites array of gifts go way beyond the typical calendar and mug, offering you the ability to make personalized canvases, plates, clocks, tote bags, puzzles, cards, mouse pads, keychains,.. you name it! It’s easy and if you’re like me you can use templates to keep it simple or you can design your little heart out. Additionally SeeHere.com lets users create their own personally designed photo web pages, photo blogs or photo gallery pages in just three simple steps. SeeHere.com also offers SeeHere Desktop, an easily downloadable desktop software that lets the user create the complete range of photo gifts and photo books, even when not online. This is wonderfully convenient for travelers and moms on the go. Then when you’re done with your creation you simply go online and the order is sent to SeeHere.com for processing. I am, for the first time in my life, ahead of my usual game in the holiday shopping frenzy. I have already ordered gifts for all the adults on the list. I’m thrilled at how easy it was and I think they’ll be much happier with their personalized gifts than the sweaters and candles they got last year. While I was at it, I ordered myself a couple of presents and I actually, for the first time, downloaded pictures from my camera and created a photo gallery of my kids to share. No more lame excuses for not sending pics to the relatives… I have finally entered the millennium, and yes, Joe and Ann, you will finally get the Dude Ranch pictures I’ve been promising you since the summer! Seehere.com is offering discounts for the holidays so it’s a perfect time to try their service. Have fun! |
Couponchief.com I mention this resource here, in a holiday round up, because it’s the perfect resource to ease the stress of spending during the holidays. The truth is, it’s a money-saving resource for every day. Couponchief.com SAVES YOU MONEY by providing amazing coupons, deals and discount codes for thousands of online retailers, ranging from Zappos and Barnes and Noble, to Banana Republic and Bloomingdales (yes, you can tell who some of my favorite retailers are!). Before I go any further, in the spirit of full disclosure, I should share that I’m not a couponer. I’d rather spend more money than spend my time clipping coupons or going out of my way to save an extra buck. But…. The buck stops here. Couponchief.com is a no brainer. It's easy, convenient (available 24/7), efficient, and why pay full price when you don’t have to, especially in these tough economic times?! Here’s how it works: Before shopping at your favorite retail site, check to see what discounts they can offer you. Also, when looking for a particular product, take a few moments to learn what retailers are carrying it with a discount offer. When you find a discount offer you like, simply highlight the promotional code, go shopping and at check out paste the code in the designated box. It’s that easy. I’ve been using it for my shopping recently and it’s amazing to see how much $10 here and $20 there really adds up. Couponchief.com has over 12,000 valid coupons with almost 3300 online retailers so you’re very likely to find a discount for what you’re looking for. They also offer several features that allow users to comment, rate and validate coupons to ensure that consumers have the best deals at their fingertips. Couponchief.com also has a fabulous one-of-a-kind program that allows you to make money while you share. Now that’s a first,… getting paid to share! Pays-2-Share is the first incentive program to pay consumers to upload and share coupons with friends and fellow CouponChief.com users. Program participants earn 2% cash back on all purchases made from coupons they submit to the site up to a max of $25 per month per store. If you think about it, a little effort and kind sharing can actually give you some good spending money. |
This the season to have less stress….
Happy holiday shopping!
