Monday, June 30, 2008

Wishpot - The answer to all your wish list wants

Have you ever been in the middle of fixing up an Amazon wish list only to come across an item that's no longer sold on their site? I know, it's pretty rare, but it's so irritating when it does happen. How about discovering a product that's so new and innovative that it's only sold on the creator's website. How are you supposed to tell your pals that it's the perfect birthday present? A "check this out" email is sometimes a tad too obvious and obnoxious, but what's a girl to do?

Well now Wishpot is here to save the day. Wishpot is the ultimate wish list organizer. Download their handy "Add to Wishpot" button and "window"-shop to your heart's content. Whenever you see something you just have to have, tap the button and poof the item is in your wish list. Millions of stores, one list. Brilliant. You can create multiple lists: 'birthday', 'holidays', 'just because', 'in my wildest dreams', 'if you are seeking forgiveness', etc, etc...

And if you thought that it couldn't get better you were wrong! As if Wishpot weren't cool enough, today they are rolling out their Baby Registry option. Now new and expectant parents are no longer at the mercy of Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby. Have I mentioned how brilliant this is? And yet there's even more. I know. I can't take it either. Since the brilliant people at Wishpot know just how stressful creating a baby registry can be. And since they don't want expectant parents' heads to spin they've rounded up an impressive panel of Mom Experts (and I'm not just saying that because I'm one of the lucky few) to create sample lists that anyone can peruse to get tips and ideas.

So what are you waiting for? Don't tell me there aren't a few things you've had your eye on for a while, I won't believe you. Wii anyone?

For the Kids - For all the bopping we do around the kitchen

In the Rose household we love to dance. Wait, let me rephrase that. In the Rose household we love to boogie in the kitchen while waiting for our dinner to cook. We pop in a CD and dance like maniacs until the giggles bring us to our knees. What can I say, I love to hear my kids laugh at me. Plus, some days it's the only exercise I get.

Our favorite CD, hands down, is For the Kids. It's a compilation of kid themed songs sung by awesome big shot artists: Five for Fighting, Barenaked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan to name a few. The songs are all brilliant, not a one needs to be skipped, and most should be on repeat. The themes may be kid friendly but the music is most definitely not dumbed down and won't make you want to rip your hair out after hearing it a couple times.

My personal faves are Willie the King by Dan Wilson; a touching take on how kids wish they could control the grown-up world and the Chantal/Raine Maida version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which I guarantee you will still be humming days after you last heard it. Oh wait, I also really like Guster's I've Got to Be Clean and Dan Zanes' Wonderwheel. Oh! And! And! And you get the gist.

Definite thumbs up for this gem of a CD. Get it even if you don't have kids to enjoy it with.

Monday, June 2, 2008

The new buddy on the block

"Momma? Can I sleep with the flashlight?" C pleads as I'm tucking her into her big girl bed. I'm loath to say yes, how many batteries am I supposed to buy to feed her night light habit? But I understand the fear a dark room can spark and here are just no available outlets in her room for a traditional night light.

And then I found the perfect solution. The Tyke Light is a rechargeable, portable glowing night light shaped like a cute little ghost. You plug him in during the day and he stores up enough energy to glow all night long. Kids can carry him around, making it possible to find their way to the potty or to mommy and daddy's room in the dead of the night.

His three light settings: high, low, and low fading to off are handy, though maybe a tad bright for a night light, but the ease of operation more than makes up for a little extra light. Some nights C doesn't even want him on, she just makes sure she knows where he is so she can turn him on if she gets scared.

A very definite thumbs up for this cute little buddy who comes in six fun colors.