Tis’ the season for tiny toys! fa la la la la…. I found some great toys this holiday season which can fit nicely in a stocking!

• I love these tin games from The Haywire Group. The French Toast and the Cat’s PJ’s game are perfect for kids ages 3+ as there is no reading required and they are great for travel. ($9.99)

• Mini Inkoos (4+$7.99) are so cute to draw on over and over again. Their tag line is if you can think it you can ink it (and wash it off and do it again!)
• Shoulder Buddies (5+, $5.99)  - these remind me of the troll dolls when I was younger. Your kids can wear them anywhere and they have a magic coin that keep the little buddy attached.
• Handvibes.com are rings with fun saying for $3.99 a pack. You can find them at Target.
• Banagrams.com - A great word game for grandparents to give grandkids (2-8 players ages 7-97) where you can race each other to create crossword grids. The Pairs in Pears is a memory game that makes pairs of connecting words in matching patterns. Come in adorable packaging
• Any Game from Marbles the Brain Store .  This is a  unique, fun store that has educational products. The Facebox art is great for kids to get creative and can make up to 100,000 different faces.  ($9.99) The build your own Kaleidoscope retails for $12.99.
• Wugglepets.com - For $19.99 the little ones can create their own stuffed animal! Well, this won’t fit in a stocking but it’s still an adorable gift!

Happy Holidays!

Trendymommies Toy Round-Up

There are so many fun accessories for the winter season to make you look oh, so fashionable. Here are a few of my favorites and some I mentioned on NECN.

• It’s a scarf? A shawl? A belt? It can be all of them.  The Isatwist.com is a hand knit flexible woven fabric that does it all (starting at $76)
• I love Echo scarfs!  Echo Touch gloves in the kids version keeps your little ones’ hands warm while they keep in touch on their iphone, ipad, etc. ($24.00)  They have wonderful infinity ring scarf’s and sets as well. Nice colors and selection on their website
• Thumbdogs.com are great with any pair of gloves you own.  You can attach to any glove and use your iphone, even to ski gloves too, but make sure you check your phone on the ski lift and not on the slopes! ($12.99)
• These are very trendy right now: animal hats:  D&Y critter kingdom gloves and hats. Everyone seems to be wearing critter gloves and hats this season. I love this line!
• My kid’s favorite are the fuzzy animal hoods from Spirit Hoods.  ($79.00)
• And of course to dress up your boots this season check out HUGGRZ. (Disclosure: and I am not just saying that because they are my client.)  These boot wraps are great, try them out yourself and change the look of the boots you have (so save yourself some $ this season).  They have 20 different styles and fabrics from fur, leopard print and knit.

This morning on New England Cable News we were discussing stocking stuffer gift ideas. Here are some of the great finds we absolutely love!

• Bloom Black Ties.com - it’s a pony tail holder made to look like jewelry on your wrist.  What  a great invention – how many of you have a black pony tail holder on your wrist right now?? Buy these chic ones and you’ll never be embarrassed again with a line of hair ties on your wrist!
• Speaking of hair ties, DimannoDesigns.com has great handcrafted ponytail holders ($12.00)  and wrist cuffs ($33.00 and up)  – perfect for your teens.
• I love TarteCosmetics.com This line is a favorite of mine as their products are made with vitamins, minerals and natural fruit and plant extracts and they are formulated without parabens, phthalates and synthetic fragrances. puttin’ on the glitz limited-edition color collection & clutch is worth it as it is a clutch and has THREE compacts that you can choose from ($48.00)
• If you want to give your little princess a little bling try ostbye.com Ostbye: Little Diva Diamonds™ collection:  They retail for under $150 and the company offers pendants, bracelets, and earrings. Each piece features a real diamond and sterling silver design.
• It seems a lot of kids this season are requesting watches.  RUBR watches - Interchangeable, fun, colorful watches  ($25)
• Bike Glow.com is great for kids.  It’s a fun, safe way to light up your bike. ($25.00)

Here are some organic finds:

• Glee gum.com is a company is based in Providence, RI that makes all natural, no preservatives,  fun,  flavored gum. The make your own chewing gum makes 50 sticks – all ingredients in the kit including the pan  ($13.00)
• For your artists - Glob IT ON.com paint set  all natural colors made from fruits and veggies, flowers and spices ($15.00)
• Kids love hot chocolate so they will need a reusable cup:  Keepcup.com is a  BPA free, kids re-usable cup for hot cocoa  ($10.00)

We love our treats during the holidays and these are sure to bring a smile on a child’s face or a great gift to bring to your neighbors or anyone you visit this season.

• An Osterville, MA mom created my little cup cake pop.com -- these are very trendy. They have no bake recopies on their web site . The cake pop mold is fun and easy to use  ($5.95)
• Lake Champlain chocolates – fresh, all natural from VT starting at 10 dollars
• Other fun candy like Rudolf’s boogers (ha, ha)  can be found at: www.niftycandy.com
• Dancing Deer.com is a favorite of mine. Based in Boston but available online and at Whole Foods, these Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies are the best. The Whole Grain PB& J squares are new. The sward winning Chocolate Chunk Brownies have been named “America’s Best Tasting Brownie” based on a recent blind taste test in City Hall Plaza, Boston and a national consumer survey. They all come in the perfect stocking stuffer size)

Tomorrow we will tackle the toy list and warm weather fashions and accessories!

Prosperity Candle is an organization based in Massachusetts. They are training women and mothers displaced by war, political unrest or natural disasters to make candles and launch businesses from the safety of their homes. The candles are ideal for a gift that shares and gives back—as each purchase directly supports the candle-maker and gives economic opportunity to women living in distressed areas. Check out their web site special for this holiday season is a candle created to support Partners In Health and another to support Amnesty International and Equal Exchange’s Congo Coffee Project.   And for anyone that likes a spa treat try the Bee Well Gift Basket which includes a candle made by Burmese women who fled persecution and are now living in Springfield, Mass.

Here’s to lighting up the holiday season!

This year I may send out Happy New Year cards as my to do list gets longer and longer. Sure, it is easier than ever to put together a holiday card – hello CVS, tiny prints and shuttyerfly.com – now if only you could write them, stamp them and mail them for me that would be fantastic!

I have a ton of hats and wigs to choose from for a friends Halloween party but this year I will go as a witch. If you are looking for a simple costume try Personalcreations.com. They have the cutest t-shirts.  You can personalize the t-shirts with the family name or have mommy and me t-shirts.

For the little kids they can test out these adorable and safe nail polish kits from Piggy Paint. They are non-toxic, low odor and very kid friendly as they are a 75% water based nail color. The kits for Halloween are “”Ghouls wanna have fun”" and “”the candy corn set”

For face paint you can go buy any kit at the store but these kits from Luna Star are perfect for little ones.  They are non toxic, hypoallergenic and come off easily with water. So if your child wants to be a ballet star or super star these kits are great. Each one comes with eyeshadows, blush, lip balms and nail color to complete the look.

Dress up the decor with some spooktacular accessories.  I went to target for my sparkly pumpkins.  The best selection is from chasing- fireflies.com. Choose from the Bats mantle scarf or the  bony votive holders.  There is also the Black glitter silhouette tree, Hallow’s eve ornaments, and the Bone head stand. Put these all together and you have a spooky mantle this Halloween.

And finally it’s really all about how much candy the little ones can stuff into a little bag.  Make sure to put your child’s name on their trick or treat bag so siblings do not fight over them.  Perfect for preschoolers are these personalized bags from personalcreations.com. The older kids will love the personalized loot bag for the abundance of tricks or treats your child will receive.

As I was told by friends with older children that you MUST tell your child the “truth” about Santa, the easter bunny, the little leprechaun the comes on this day to drop off candy in your shoes (who started THAT one?). They cannot go to 6th grade knowing, I was told (I still have a few years!) My heart breaks and I know it’s part of life. As I recall a close friend from grade school telling me her story about how she told her 10 year old about Santa. He began to cry and then he figured it out – well than what about EB? What about TF? and then he broke down even more!  Such as the reality of kids getting older we need to have those tough conversations. I just read her The Care and Keeping of You Book, the Body Book for Girls and yikes she’s still losing teeth how can THIS be just around the corner too? But it is and like other moms I answer questions as they come up but tend to avoid telling – only when asked. That is my policy and I am sticking to it – at least for now! So tonight I will have them put their shoes out (forgot to last night) put in a little candy (er…the leprechaun did it) and enjoy the magic for a while longer!

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