Giveaway & Last Minute Under $20 Gift Guide - Yes, Virginia, they'll get there by Christmas

Need some great, affordable gifts for delivery by Wednesday? Don't feel like venturing to the mall? (Don't do it!) All of the following recommendations cost less than $20 and will arrive in time for the big day.

KIDS: YOURS, NIECES, NEPHEWS, GODCHILDREN
THE GIVEAWAY WINNER IS PAULA, Random.org's #11!
GIVEAWAY: $10 in Build-A-Bear Bucks!
Hal Moose or Holly Moose toys from Build-A-Bear each $12, and accompanying book Hal & Holly Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure $15.99
Available for shipping before Christmas!
I love these cuddly Christmas friends and their light up antlers! They are soft and adorable just bare, as pictured, or you can add Christmas outfits and Build-A-Bear accessories. But the perfect accessory for these snuggly seasonal pals, I think, is the sweet storybook of how they saved Santa's flight.

Leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered to win a $10 gift certificate at Build-A-Bear online or in-store. Creating a personalized toy at a nearby location is a great way to spend an afternoon with your child, or what an easy way to knock out a present for the next birthday! I'll announce the randomly drawn winner on Christmas Day.

My Friends Tigger and Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt
$13.49 and can arrive by Wednesday
I try not to let my kids watch too much TV or videos, truly I do. But for the winter cold and flu season, one of the greatest aces for a mom to have in her back pocket is a G-rated, totally sweet and commercial-free BRAND NEW MOVIE to throw on for the kids.

My kids love anything Pooh and anything slightly spooky. They adore this show and the "sleuthing" kid participation. This video is cute, commercial-less and will keep any kid aged 2-7 totally engrossed so you can survive a winter virus or three-day snow storm.


GIRLFRIENDS
The White Trash Mom Handbook by Michelle Lamar with Molly Wendland
$11.16 and available for shipping by Christmas Eve
You don't have to be white or trashy to laugh out loud while reading this humorous book on not playing silly mom games. "White trash" is just shorthand for not caring about pleasing others and instead, pleasing our kids. It's about giving up the silly artifice of being a perfect mother or member of "The Muffia" - the grown-up mean girls mom cliques. It's about keeping your sense of humor and being real. It's about buying your brownies from the bakery section and then cutting them irregularly with a dull knife so they look homemade. It's about beating your kids' butts at poker on a scuffed kitchen table instead of stressing out with the pastry dough and Pledge.

In short, it's a hoot! Send to that sister in law you wish you were getting sloshed with this Christmas.


Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale
$10.20 and available for shipping by Christmas Eve
I love memoirs, chick-lit and social commentary, and this book has all three. This enjoyable memoir is about a big time Manhattan magazine marketing director who decided to pack it all up and move to rural Virginia with her husband and sons to manage a cattle farm. Witty and full of satire, the author's voice is exuberant and the pace of her story is great. I giggled and thoroughly enjoyed Susan's transition from getting fitted for St. John's suits to seeing John Deere on her husband's Christmas list, to working out in fancy NYC gyms to burning calories by getting chased by 1500 lb beef cows.

Amongst the pithy one-liners, I found Susan's commentary on economic status and class and what those perceptions mean to a family very intriguing, especially in these economic times. Great for all girlfriends, whether they have a personal shopper chick to find them fresh fashions or a personal chicken coop for fresh morning eggs.

DUDES

Canon Powershot Deluxe Leather Compact Case $16.28
Nikon Coolpix Deluxe Leather Case $16.79
Both can be there by Christmas
The perfect dad, he dutifully takes pictures of every little twirl, tumble, tutti-frutti ice cream cone. But don't let him get your nice digital camera all scratched and dusty! These slick, masculine cases can slide onto a belt loop for a quick camera draw at those perfect parenting memories that beg to be captured.



Meet the Eels: Essentials Eels 1996-2006
$14.97 and available for Christmas delivery
Whether he had a U2, Metallica, Lou Reed or Aimee Mann obsession when you first met, he will love the music of Mark Oliver Everett and friends. Soulful ballads, incredible instrumentals, gut-wrenching guitar and keyboards, edgy rock - they've got it all. This album has all of the best diverse tunes of E's catalog. Every male listener finds something he digs. Trust me.



CO-WORKERS, NEIGHBORS, PALS
See's Christmas Tree Lollypop Box $15 or Truffle Box $8.60-17.20 Available for delivery by Christmas
So, your office mate or next door neighbor showed up with an awesome honking gift for you and you lamely replied, "Oh, I forgot to bring yours!" Sucker! Well, send him some suckers by See's, a custom-mixed box of chocolates or a box of decadent truffles. Since See's makes the world's best candies but the prices are totally affordable, you'll be in the clear without having to bake or buy some stinky Yankee Candle or wilty poinsettia.

If you're the boss and there was no budget for bonuses, ya, you should feel bad. But give 'em some chocolate. See's makes cool business gifts. And if you're the boss of the PTA or home/school association, check out See's for your school fundraiser too.

How I'm Keeping The Holiday Shopping Cheap, Chic & Easy

UPDATED with lower-priced shopping links!

No one likes to feel overwhelmed at the holidays, but when you have kids to shop for, family coming into town, gifts to ship all over the country, keeping one's cool is necessary for survival.

I've had a few readers ask "So, what are you REALLY giving your family for Christmas?" or "Was that holiday gift guide what you're really giving your family, or was that just a way to get free stuff?" I am proud to say many of those reviews truly were gifts for my family, and all of the items in the guide were honest-to-goodness recommendations.

My main requirement for the 2008 holidays was to keep things cheap, chic and easy. No stressing, no throwing down a lot of cash just to have something meaningless under the tree. No feeling overwhelmed at the shops or when looking at the credit card balance. Finding easy online shopping solutions and avoiding the horrible, panic-attack-inducing malls were KEY to my attempt at zen holiday shopping. Local, independently-owned shops and interesting online retailers made this years' shopping a cinch.

So here I'll be disclosing what the APISS crew and family are receiving from me this year. (If you're one of those people, please stop reading now. That means you Mom.) All ideas are available online or support a local business. None require a visit to a place with a large parking structure or long lines.

FIVE YEAR OLD SON

Charlie requested from Santa, "An R/C car, a cool shirt, stickers and a surprise." LOVE THESE REQUESTS, especially his request of clothes (a boy after my own heart.) The Santa letter he wrote, in rebus form since he's still learning to write, is definitely scrapbook worthy.

• Morphibian Sting Ray amphibious R/C vehicle by Kids Galaxy at Tree Top Kids $23.99 The always amazing Tree Top Kids staff heartily recommends this awesome vehicle as a sturdy, dependable, Christmas-dream worthy gift for kids aged 5-7.

• Dino Print tee by Glug at The Pajama Squid $32 My son's other two dinosaur print t-shirts were his all-time favorites, but one is now showing bare midriff and the other is stained beyond belief. Enter Tiffany of The Pajama Squid's superb find of a shirt that is both stylish and worthy of attribution to Santa.

• The Most Incredible, Outrageous, Packed-to-the-Gills, Bulging-at-the-Seams Sticker Book You've Ever Seen by Klutz $10.36 For the serious sticker lover, this book has more than 450 of them. Includes instructions for making one-of-a-kind envelopes, boxes and cards and decorating them with (you guessed it) stickers.
  

• Ultimate Planetarium at Discovery Store $55.97 This is the big present from Mommy and Daddy. This computer-aided, motorized indoor planetarium will allow our beloved kid to view the night sky as it would appear anywhere in the world. Projecting 88 constellations, 12 celestial objects and more, it transforms an ordinary room into a stellar display. The best feature? The one-hour timer so kids can fall asleep under the stars.

TWO YEAR OLD DAUGHTER

Eve is too young to write a letter to Santa, but she's not too young to love receiving presents from the man in the red suit or Mommy and Daddy.

• Oscar the Grouch and Elmo K'Nex Building Sets $5.37 each I love the marrying of my kid's two fave Sesame Street characters with imaginative building and fine-motor skill development. So cute! Featured in the APISS Holiday Gift Guide.
  

• Little Red Riding Hood tee from Tiny Tots Baby Boutique on Etsy $4.50 Sister needs a tee from Santa too. I found an adorable, vintage-style graphic tee in bright red depicting my girl's favorite fairy tale for mere pennies. The exact tee is out of stock at this cute Etsy shop, but look for others like Little Miss Muffet and Raggedy Ann that are adorable and CHHHEEEAAAAPP.

• Story Time Felt "Paper" Dolls with pre-cut clothes $26.99 As featured in my Holiday Gift Guide, my girl will LOVE all of the fun and cuteness of dressing old-fashioned paper dolls, but none of the frustrating punching out, tabs or ripping. I chose the girl with the blonde bob, just like my Evie.

• Spark Talking Globe from Discovery Store $49.95 A fun push-the-buttons-hear-the-songs toy to start and will grow with her and teach about geography and cultures. Also in the gift guide!
  

BOTH KIDS/JOINT PRESENTS

• Lego Golden Anniversary Set $39.99 Although my kids still play with their Duplos, they're also ready for this great set of 700 regulation-size Legos for imaginative building.

• Pandamania Game by the Smithsonian Institution$14.98 A fun,non-electronic learning game the entire family can play together for bonding and fun! Featured in the gift guide.
  

• Books from The Pajama Squid and other "little shops around the corner." Every year after my mom comes into town for Christmas my husband and I leave the kids with her and go spend an afternoon in local independently-owned bookstores looking for new books to read with our kids. (We used to go to Olsson's, sigh.) Now that our son is starting to read a bit, this will be even more special!

THE HUSBAND

• Hotel Room in Downtown DC $100 Again, we abuse my mom when she's in town and take off for 24 hours for art museums, dinner out and adult conversation as a gift to each other. Using Yahoo Travel, we found a deal for a night at the Beacon Hotel in Dupont Circle that includes a bottle of champagne.

MY MOM

• Southwest Airlines gift card to visit us for Christmas. Since I put it on my card that accrues airline miles, it will help us see each other TWICE. And you KNOW it's easier to fly one grandma to Silver Spring than four APISSers to California!

• Vintage handkerchiefs from Tiara Day in Kensington, one of the coolest stores in the entire universe.

• Grandma Needs A Cocktail long sleeved tee by Baby Brewing $32 My friend Kristen Hammond makes these awesome screenprinted tees. I wear my "Mommy Needs a Cocktail" top about once a week to add levity to stressful days, and Kristen has started making "Grandma needs...." tees too. E-mail her if you think your child's grandma needs wine, beer, a cocktail, etc. I know my mom will need one of each after babysitting my kids for 24 hours!!

MY DAD

• First edition printing of one of his favorite novels, The Prince of Tides (Orginal First Edition)that I found for a song at Silver Spring Books.
  

MY STEP-MOM

• Cool, Anthropologie-esque earrings found at Lalla, Inc. and Tiara Day in Kensington. This post talks about my love affair with the treasure trove gift hunt in Kensington's Antique Row.
  

MY GRANDPARENTS & PARENTS IN LAW

• FREE Vista Print Photo Calendars - Exclusive link for APISS readers! Shipping is on you and will be about $4 for Christmas delivery. Just upload 13 of your fave pics - one for each month and one for the cover - and you have a Christmas gift that makes everyone smile and can always be used.
  

PARENTS IN LAW & BRO/SIS N LAW COUPLES

• Beautiful silver plated and sterling serving dishes found at Goldsborough Glynn Antiques & Tiara Day for $8-20 each. More Kensington love, I know.
  

EXPECTING & NEW BABY MAMA SIS N LAWS

• The Rookie Mom's Handbook: 250 Activities to do with (and without) Your Baby $14.95 Chock full of resources for the new or expecting mother on parenting and balancing one's personal life and interests after the arrival of baby.

SINGLE SIBS & OLDER NIECES & NEPHEWS

• Lands End Overstock Silk Ties $14.99-19.99 Perfect for the young working guys just out of college that need to beef up the tie collection.

• SNAP Design MakeUp Bags/Clutches $18 Adorable for all young women, no matter their style.

• iFrogz iPhone covers $14.99. Very cool and current.

• Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital tee $17.95 My youngest bro and I bond over our shared House obsession. Don't even get us started on the Sherlock Holmes/Gregory House similarities, we're worse than the Lincoln/JFK conspiracy theorists.
  

YOUNG NIECES & NEPHEWS

• Little People Nativity Sets by Fisher-Price $33 A great sibling pressie for families with multiple Christian kids ages 0-5. There's also a Fisher-Price Hanukkah Set $38 that depicts a seder meal, menorah, dreidel and other Hanukkah celebration fun.
  

• Love That Dog $5.99 This is one of my favorite books EVER. Poems and love and learning. Amazing story.
  

• FREE Personalized stationery note pads Exclusive link for APISS readers! Shipping is on you and will be about $4. Choose from a ton of cute designs.
  

So there you have it - that's what I'm really getting my loved ones, and how I did all my shopping from my home office or while happily popping in to little local shops that stock adorable, unique items at prices cheaper than Wal-Mart. This year shopping was completely stress-free and enjoyable, once I resolved to not step foot into a mall or big box store.

This post was inspired by my love of shopping and commitment to eliminating stress whenever possible, as well as the Parent Bloggers partnership with Family Aware. If holiday stress is getting you down and you're feeling depressed, Family Aware has many helpful tips and resources to help families with anxiety and depression.

More Holiday Giveaways & Good Stuff!

Here are some cool Christmas freebies, and a giveaway too! UPDATE: The wrapping paper winners are Becky and Heather!

Elf Yourself at JibJab
Always a fun free activity each holiday season, the Elf Yourself videos courtesy Office Max are back with new dance moves for 2008. It's really easy to upload up to 5 photos and create your own free, emailable, embeddable family video. Here's a holiday hoe-down, featuring the APISS crew:

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Get a free personalized letter from Santa at Register.com
If you have a kid that's superduper excited for Santa's visit, get a free personalized letter from Santa to your child to help the next 17 days pass more quickly. Register.com also has some important online shopping tips for parents to make sure your info stays secure this season.

A Very Special Christmas® Special Three Disc Compilation
"It's Christmas Eve/In Hollis, Queens/ Mom's cooking chicken and collard greens...." If 20 years later, you or someone you love STILL know all the words of this Christmas rap by Run DMC, then you need to get them this cool collection of holiday pop tunes by artists like Sting, Willie Nelson and Bon Jovi. One hundred percent of the proceeds of sales of all the CDs in this series directly support the Special Olympics worldwide.

Global Giftwrap
I'm always looking for meaningful wrapping paper, you know, something different than the Santas wearing sunglasses. And I've found it in Global Giftwrap! I love their designs that incorporate Irish Celtic crosses and the claddagh symbol, Chinese double happiness characters, and Christmas poinsettias with wishings of Feliz Navidad. Global Giftwrap has more than 25 designs celebrating Asian, Latino, Indian and Irish heritage. Co-founders, neighbors & mothers Aparna Huprikar, who is of Indian descent, and Maggie Shore, who is of Irish descent, wanted to teach their kids the significance of their cultures and family heritage, which helped spur the creation of Global Gift Wrap.

I have 2 sets Global Giftwrap for giveaway! Each set contains 3 different Chrsitmas holiday wrapping papers. Leave a comment below for a chance to win.

Merry merry!

Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway Winners!!!!

Ahhh, it's so fun to play Santa, especially with these fabulous retail donors doing the gifting! All winners are listed here and all also received a personal email from me letting them know that they won, so if you have the same name as one of the ones listed here but did not receive an email, please check your spam folder.

If I'm not in your spam folder, you probably share the same name as the winner, unfortunately. But there will be more giveaways on the site leading up to Christmas and Hanukkah, including one today from The Trendy Bebe!

Four people's numbers were drawn twice, 45% of commenters won something and 100% of the winners were female. All in all there were 78 awesome pieces of loot to enjoy yourselves or gift to a loved one. This is my kind of shopping!

Thanks to each and every one of you for reading this site and commenting on posts.

And without futher ado, here are the lucky winners of the holiday gift guide giveaways.

Lands End, winners choice - Eve W.

Discovery Biometric Safe - Cecily C.

Lincoln Logs - Joanna A. (Joanna - your email bounced back! Please email me.)

Discovery Recycling Studio - Lauren D.

Nintendo Smart Boys Toys Club - Megan W.

Nintendo Smart Girls Magical Book Club - Michelle G.

Nintendo Smart Girls Party Game - Alison H.

Care Bears DVDs - Sara O.

Strawberry Shortcake DVDs - Political Mom

Hannah Montana Glitter Studio from Elmer's - Bonggamom

Story Time Felts $25 Gift Certificate - Tina

Jumpstart Preschool 3D CD-Rom - Jennifer McG., Patricia, Leticia, KTP

Charbridge Whimsical Hat - Jessica C.

Zutano Baby Outfit - Allison L.

Swell Foop Tees - Amy M., Patti L., Alexandra

Lavender Dreams Baby - Sara M.

Baby Legs - Jen B., Danielle E., Amy (Danielle - your email bounced back! Please email me.)

Masala Bhagra Workout - Karen

Shains Ware Bracelets - Dana, Carla, Sarah, Sandie, Kimberly

Wett Gigglez Soap - Leslie

Swiggies - Wendy S.

BYOB Eco-Bag - Amy W.

House of Jerky - Lisa-Marie, Shannon

iFrogz iPhone Cover - Toni G.

Cosabella Undies - Meredith M.

Ethel Garden Gloves - Dolly G.

SNAP Design Wallet/Coin Purse Combo - Patti L.

Scandle Candles - Heather B., Nicole Z., Doreen, Alexandra T., Tisha, Cat, Keli, Pam, Kim L., Callie

Karafe game - Katie M.

Gourd Birdhouses - Becky H., Lizzie

Numi Teas Blooming Gift Set - Leticia

Satin Hands Gift Set - Stacy

Sarah Pinto Planner - Betty

Bombshell Studios Cable Twist Scarf - Jennifer B.

CVS Photo Book - Jeannie

become: Body Scrub - Jodi

Five Good Minutes - Jennifer B.S.

Passion Parties Bubble Bath - Jill

UPEK Eikon To Go - Cindy

The Balanced Mom - Elissa

Grill Charm - Elizabeth L.

Remington Personal Groomer - Jane

Remington ShortCut Hair Clipper -Lori

SpeedRacer for Sony Playstation - Kim P., Amy

OGIO Taylor Skate Pack - Jennifer M.

Butch & Harold Sticker "Frames" - Kristen H.

Voice Lessons To Go - Catherine M.

Meeting Lizzy - Lilith

Tassi Hair Band - Elizabeth C.

Silikids Gift Pack - MaryBeth S. (MaryBeth - your email bounced back! Please email me.)

On Tray Supermarket Snacker - Lisa-Marie

The Parent Trip - Gina R.

Baby Monkey Onesie - Stephanie P.

The Rookie Moms Handbook - Chiquita

The Anytime, Anywhere Chill Guide - Angelina

Thanks everyone!!!

Photo courtesy Space Potato on Flickr

Giveaway: Lands' End Makes Us Feel Like Dancing!

Lands' Ends is offering the comfiest, coziest holiday gifts, perfect for snuggling 'neath the tree or in front of a fire. Or dancing to retro Christmas tunes, as exhibited by my children in their angel fleece pajama sets in the video above. The kids' giddy delight over these new supersoft jammies is almost equal to the adoration my husband and I feel over the toe warmth and comfort of our new Lands' End slippers.

I love the pretty but serviceable (no slip soles, comfort-enforced padded footbed for arch support) women's terry travel slippers. They came with their own cute bag, making them just a perfect girlfriend holiday gift. My husband loves that I literally brought him his slippers through this review, and the minute he gets home from work he dons his men's low shearling moc slippers. Slippers are one of the few ways one can truly pamper a guy, and these are the masculine version of the home spa in their warmth and thick shearling lining.

Each of these gifts from Lands' End is reasonable in its price but extravagant in the comfort department. And one lucky A Parent in Silver Spring Reviews reader will get to choose the girls/boys fleece pajamas, women's terry slippers or men's shearling slippers for themselves. Just leave a comment here and I'll draw the lucky Lands' End winner in one week on Friday, November 28.

Which one of them would you like?

Boys angel fleece pajamas $29.50
Girls angel fleece pajamas $29.50
Women's terry travel slippers with monogrammable matching bag, $25 (monogram extra $5)
Men's low shearling moc slippers $45

Thanks Lands' End! 

Disclosure: My family was provided with two pairs of slippers and two pairs of pajamas for review purposes by Lands' End. No monetary compensation was provided for this review. All opinions expressed are my own. No professional choreography of childrens' dance above was provided. 

Holiday Photo Card Review - Deals & Differences

Have you started to think about your family photo holiday card yet? Although there's no rush, now's a great time to order them because many sites have discounts if you order in November.

Over the years we have ordered our photo cards from Pictage, Snapfish, Shutterfly and this year, Vista Print. I've also dreamed about ordering them from Tiny Prints and have checked out their samples. Here's my review and low-down on costs and quality across these different photo card sites. Full disclosure: I do not have partnerships with any of these sites for this holiday card review - all information here was learned through my own real life purchasing of photo cards since 2003 and lots of clicking ahead to checkout to get the true prices for you all so that you don't have to. Please note that none of my price calculations below include shipping.

Pictage and other professional photography sites: If you have your children or family's photo taken by a professional, your photographer may host the images on a professional site like Pictage. Just like professional photography, these sites are going to produce great quality cards and images but you are going to pay a premium. The cards we purchased from Pictage had the highest quality photo paper, great resolution, and the hefty price tag of $1-$7 per card. You have the option to design your own wording on several of the card designs.

Pictage prices for a 5 x 7 flat photo card, the least expensive option:
$2.40 per card for 50, $1.61 per card for 100, $1.23 per card for 200
your photographer may give you an additional discount

Tiny Prints: Tiny Prints has the most whimsical, creative and modern designs. The cards look as if you had a graphic designer personally create a modern art holiday card for your family, but you can set it all up at home in your pjs. Tiny Prints gives users plenty of options for personalizing your greeting and text, uploading multiple photos and making the cards wholly your own. And though Tiny Prints is awesome with the coupons and discount codes on the mommy blogs and parenting magazines, you will still pay more than some other sites for the high design look.

Tiny Prints prices for a 5.25 x 5.25 flat photo card with 1-4 photos,
the least expensive option:
$1.34 per card for 50, $1.19 per card for 100, $1.09 per card for 200
Coupon codes for $5 off 50 cards, $10 off 100 cards and $20 off 200 cards
Free shipping on orders over $99

Snapfish: It's hard not to love Snapfish, as one of the first and most popular online photo sharing sites. This is the company that showed us how to use our first digital cameras and converted generations of people used to "turning their film in" to the pharmacy or photo shack in the grocery store parking lot. It's also the way my parents still prefer looking at pics of their grandkids, since they already have their logins memorized and the accounts are very user friendly. The photo quality is hit or miss, and I don't think Snapfish's software or printing centers provide the best resolution possible.

But my biggest complaint is that on the 4x8 cards Snapfish barely allows me enough room to type "Merry Christmas" and all four of our family's names. But this year Snapfish has improved their variety of designs and options, allows for multiple photos on even the 4x8 cards and on the 5x7 cards users have ample room for personal text. Snapfish is also generous with the coupon codes to existing and new users and offers a great discount for the big sender that needs over 240 cards.

Snapfish prices for a 4x8 photo card with 1-4 photos, the least expensive option:
.55 per card for 40-60 cards
.45 per card for 80-160 cards
.39 per card for 180-220 cards
.29 per card for 240+ cards

Coupon for $10 off orders over $25

Shutterfly: I think Shutterfly cards are awesome quality, fabulous price and there are tons of design options. The resolution that translates to the cards is solid, if not as crystal-clear perfect as Pictage's (but that probably has more to do with the person taking the photo.) If you like sending religious Christmas or Hanukkah cards, there are many great choices. You can also do Kwanzaa, New Year's, Winter Solstice, Peace on Earth - whatever greeting fully reflects the message you'd like to send your loved ones. You can also really personalize the text - Shutterfly allowed us the room on our cards for the last two years to add our favorite verses from the Gospel of St. Luke. Uh, that's a lot of room! You can also choose to upload 1-4 photos of your family and their graphic art designs are fabulous.

Shutterfly prices for a 4x8 flat photo card with 1-4 photos,
the least expensive option:
.52 per card for 50 cards, .44 per card for 100 cards, .36 per card for 200 cards
Existing users of Shutterfly can receive $10 off a $50 order (login to your account for your code), new customers can receive a 8x10 collage poster and all users get free shipping for orders over $25 and save 20% off their order and get free address labels.

Vista Print: I've been loving Vista Print for business cards and other personal stationery products, so this year I tried them out for our holiday cards. They turned out great! They are fabulous quality paper and the photos are super clear with pretty resolution and color. You could add as much text as you like, which I love. And the neatest thing? You can include a SECOND small photo on the back of your card with another greeting to be printed in grayscale at no extra charge, and just a $4.99-14.97 charge if you'd like the image on text or the back to be printed in color. (See below for the back of our card.) The white space will be the perfect place to scrawl to friends and family. However, on the 4x8 cards there is not the option to use multiple images on the front of the card.

UPDATE: A commenter below stated that Vista Print might charge customers per month without their explicit authorization. I called Vista Print to check this out and it is not true. They do offer partner deals after the checkout of placing an order, which might incur monthly fees. If this has happened to you accidentally, Vista Print is happy to provide a full refund, just contact customer service. Additionally, Vista Print is offering all APISS readers lots of free stuff HERE with free shipping. No joke, totally free stuff! I just ordered myself free sticky notes, address labels, a photo wall calendar for the grandparents = free family holiday gifts!!

Vista Print prices for a 4x8 flat photo card with 1 large color photo on the front and a grayscale photo on the back - the least expensive option:
.24 per card for 50 cards, .21 per card for 100 cards, .13 per card for 250 cards

My final opinion: Vista Print has the best prices and the free-photo-on-the-back option is cool, Shutterfly has the best variety and photo quality for the price, great coupons right now and has the lowest price if you'd like to use multiple images on the front of the card but do not need more than 200 cards.

Holiday GIFT GUIDES - KIDS GIFTS & TOYS (Preschool-Elementary School)

GIVEAWAY
Discovery Kids Biometric Safe $24.99
Voice-recognition technology protects kids' allowance and valuables in the Discovery Kids Biometric Safe. It works by detecting the sound waves of the owner's voice and features a handy shelf and drawer. Keeps special stuff safe and organized...and secret. Leave a comment and one lucky APISS reader will receive their own!


GIVEAWAY
Lincoln Logs Commemorative Edition from Back to Basics Toys $33.99 The same Lincoln Logs you’ll recall from your youth ~ just like the first set designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son! The 115-piece Commemorative Edition in a tin canister features all wood pieces stained in the classic original colors. Kids can build their own creations or follow one of the included designs. A classic since 1916, its proof that simple pleasures last. Leave a comment and one lucky APISS reader will receive their own set, courtesy Back to Basics Toys!



GIVEAWAY
Discovery Kids Paper Recycling Studio $20.99
It's an art project AND a lesson in recycling when kids reuse old everyday paper to create works of art. A great way to make holiday cards or pass an afternoon indoors. Kids grind paper to pulp, then form sheets of different sizes and shapes, adding organic material for special flair. For ages 8 and up. One lucky commenter will win their own set!




Stacking Tree by Plan Toys at The Pajama Squid $20
This stacking set's design is based on the concept of nature. Each wooden piece can be stacked to form different kinds of trees. Children can learn the color variation and size. For age 2 years and up. Plan Toy’s vision is to create toys that inspire imagination, as well as promote children’s physical and intellectual development. Plan Toy's products are made from recycled rubberwood that is non-chemically treated, and are just simplistically beautiful toys!




MobileHome Cardboard Dollhouse by Kidsonroof at The Pajama Squid $34.95
Tiffany at The Pajama Squid says of this dollhouse, "I wanted a doll house that appealed to both girls and boys, was imaginative and there was no pressure involved...no pressure for the parent, so when the kids turn the box over they don’t see all the things he or she must have to make it their own."

This house is white on the outside and red on the inside, made out of exceptionally stable 100% recycled cardboard that is biodegradable with 8 rooms, stair opening, spy holes, and an attic for storage. Easy to install and easy to carry. Designing it is completely up to the individual.

Spark Smart Globe Jr. by Discovery Store $49.95
This interactive 3D full color spinning globe lets kids 3 and up explore the world with the touch of a finger. Kids will learn the continents, fun facts about animals and cultures, peoples and customs, food and language and more! The LCD screen visually illustrates learning about each geographic area and topic.



Discovery Kids FRS Walkie Talkie Watches $29.95
With 22 channels and a super high frequency, kids can play spy and communicate up to 1.5 miles away from each other! It has a voice activated mode that transmits when you start talking. There are ear buds for covert communications and the set is expandable - you can add more sets for a larger network. Forget the kids, this is so Mission Impossible, I want these!





Green Toys Enviro-Friendly Tea Set at The Pajama Squid $25
This tea set is made from advanced environmentally friendly materials and shows that green can equal cute too! For age 3 years and up.
Includes 17 Pieces including tea pot with lid, sugar bowl with lid and creamer.




GIVEAWAY
Nintendo DS Smart Boy's and Smart Girl's Magical Book Club and Smart Girl's Party Game Games for preschoolers age 3-6 $24-30
The Smart Kids Series of videogames are the only developmentally appropriate games for preschoolers (age 3-6) on Nintendo DS. This is a great gift for parents looking for a positive point of entry for their youngest children into the video gaming market but seeking to avoid inappropriate and violent content. Nintendo DS offers "first-time games for first-time gamers." The games each feature 18 skill-based mini-games that help develop the memory, enhance hand-eye coordination, teach basic skills and encourage creativity. Recipient of the 2008 National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval. Leave a comment to receive one of these three Nintendo DS Games: Nintendo DS Smart Boy's Toys Club, Smart Girl's Magical Book Club or Smart Girl's Party Game Games for preschoolers.

Ultimate I SPY for Wii $39.99 or I SPY Fun House for CD-Rom $19.99 Play I SPY like never before! Navigate 3-D riddle screens, play paddleball or complete puzzles to solve I SPY riddles, all based on the beloved eye puzzle books for kids. The games combine the seek-and-find gameplay of I SPY with active play on the Wii or computer learning skills via CD-Rom. Special surprises abound!

GIVEAWAY
Care Bears Flurries of Fun 3 DVD Collection $23.99
This set of sweet, family-friendly animated movies includes the bear-y fun favorite adventures“Care Bears Oopsy Does It,” “Care Bears Grizzle-ly Adventures” and “Care Bears Ups and Downs.” All stories teach good morals and behavior and include the ever-popular Care-Bear-Stare. Tummy tattoos of hearts and rainbows totally optional. Leave a comment and this 3 DVD gift pack could be yours!





GIVEAWAY Strawberry Shortcake Holiday Dreams 3 DVD Collection $23.99
Your berry-sweet daughter (or son, there's a boy character in it named Huckleberry Pie) can own three charming Strawberry Shortcake adventures in one specially designed gift pack. The popular titles, “Berry Merry Christmas,” “Big Country Fun” and “Let’s Dance” make up the brand new Strawberry Shortcake Holiday Dreams Collection. All three stories share the typical fun and adventure, songs and over-use of the word "berry" as a noun, verb and adjective that we all know and love. Comment below and one lucky family will win!




Pandamania Game from the Smithsonian Institution $14.98
DC area families LOVE the pandas at the National Zoo, as do children all over the world. Now this exciting new game from the Smithsonian Institution has players racing around the board to gather the food their panda needs. Educational and entertaining animal trivia and zoology fun. For 2 to 4 players, ages 5 and up.








Car Carrier Semi With Cars by East Laurel Woodcrafts at The Pajama Squid $28
This cool car carrier semi with cars is by Kentucky crafters East Laurel Woodcrafts. The wooden toys are finished with a non-toxic toy and wood oil to preserve the natural wood feel. Each piece is uniquely its own and absolutely beautiful.

K’NEX® Road Rigs Dump Truck & Tow Truck $19.99 Each
Little Builders age 5 and up will love the constructing the vehicles in the Road Rigs series. After assembling the trucks with bricks, rods, connectors and wheels, the kids' creations motorize and pound the pavement. My son loves lifting the hood to check out the internal chrome engine and operating the working tow in the back. Each set includes a little K'NEXman action figure to sit in the driver's seat! An even bigger motorized truck can be built by combining the two sets - so cool! After years of traditional blocks, these new sets really sparked the imagination and creativity in my little builder.





K'NEX Sesame Street Building Sets $10.99 Each
Now the younger sibling can build with K'NEX too! These brand new Sesame Street themed building sets are created especially for preschoolers and allow tots to create custom versions of their favorite sesame characters. Choose between Super Grover, Abby Cadabby, Elmo, Ernie, Cookie Monster and my daughter's favorite, Oscar. Perfect to stimulate and delight the building urge in little ones and pacakged in the cutest plastic carrying case, this will be my go-to 3rd birthday party present for 2009 - just stick a bow on the top and go!




Disney's The Hidden World of Fairies Hardcover Interactive Book $14.99
Do you have a little one that is super excited about the new Tinker Bell movie? Then this book is the perfect gift! This illustrated book allows kids to enter the fairy world with fairy facts and includes lots of interactive elements, like secret notes, miniature books and a removable fairy talent medallion. Disney Fairies: The Hidden World of Fairies offers fairy fans an intimate glimpse into this magical world.





Disney/Pixar World of Cars: Meet the Cars Book $12.99
The world of Cars just got even bigger. The colorful Disney/Pixar The World of Cars: Meet the Cars book introduces 200 minor characters and ''extras'' featured in the Cars movie. From RVs and security SUVs to racecars and helicopters, kids will love meeting all of the new vehicles and reading the humorous descriptions about them. Plus, the jacket is printed on the reverse so it can be used as a poster!







GIVEAWAY
The Hannah Montana Glitter Studio $14.99
This set featuring everyone's favorite singing, twang-talking teen is jam-packed with art supplies. Includes Shimmer & Shine Art Glazes, Paper Stencils, Stickers, Markers, Jewels, Message Cards, Art Pad, Glitter Pens and Watercolor Tray with Brush. With over 100 pieces, young fans can spend hours creating their very own Hannah-themed stationery. By Elmer's Glue art products for kids. One lucky kid will receive their own set under the tree if you comment below!




BOCA BETH Spanish Learning Beginner Set $31.99
My 2 and 4 year olds are jabbering en Español thanks to the Boca Beth early language learning program. This set comes with the DVD "Mi Casa/My House," the music CD "First Songs in Spanish,"
their very own puppet of the Boca character and a bilingual coloring/activity book with more than 40 pages of Spanish & English fun. Parents will appreciate the How To Guide for second language instruction, since my own Spanish classes were eons ago.
The Boca set is truly a valuable educational gift that feels like a toy to the kids.

GIVEAWAY
Story Time Felt "Paper" Dolls with pre-cut clothes $26.99
These sweet dolls have all of the fun and cuteness of old fashioned paper dolls, but none of the frustrating punching out, tabs or ripping. The ethnically diverse dolls - choose one of five options or design your own - are made from thick, sturdy, high quality felt with oodles of outfits made from a thinner gauge of felt. The doll clothes are soft, pliable, and stick to the felt doll perfectly. And Story Felt has many more great felt imaginative play products in stock. One lucky APISS reader will receive a $25 gift certificate to use at Story Time Felt to choose the product of your choice!



Cloud B's new Twilight Sea Turtle™ $33.98
One part nightlight, one part plush friend and one part educational toy, this sleepy sea turtle offers children of all ages a soothing companion that makes bedtime fun. This toy has been helping my son sleep independently and without the endless array of stories and drinks of water. He loves how the turtle's glow illuminates the room in soothing hues of blue and green and casts his very own star show on the ceiling. Winner of the Creative Child Top Choice of the Year Award, a portion of the toy's proceeds supports sea turtle conservation efforts.

First Name Puzzle at One Step Ahead $29.95
For a young preschooler just learning to spell her name, what could be more special than a puzzle that is all about her? This wooden puzzle can be personalized with up 11 letters in a first name. Must be ordered by 12/5 for guaranteed Christmas and Hanukkah delivery.

Play-Doh Magic Swirl Ice Cream Shoppe $14.99
Remember the Play-Doh Mop Top Hair Shop? For our children's generation, Play Doh has introduced the brand new for 2008 Play-Doh Magic Swirl Ice Cream Shoppe. My kids have spent several quiet, busy afternoons making brightly colored sundaes and cones and having a fabulous time! The kit is large enough for both children to happily play together. This is a great holiday present to give to sibling sets of nieces and nephews this Christmas, as our retail budget may not allow for individual gifts. The big box came with about 50 Play-Doh accessories, even contraptions that made sprinkles and cherries like a real ice cream parlor. It also comes with 4 of the big cans of Play-Doh.

Tonka Bounce Back Racer $29.99
I have an almost 5 year old son who loves, adores, covets anything remote-controlled. But a lot of the R/C items out there are too delicate and expensive for a rough and tumble preschooler. And often the gear shifts are too confusing for a little kid who still looks down to make the "L" to find his left hand. Thank goodness that Tonka gets preschoolers and made the new Bounce Back Racer with young kids in mind. My son passionately loves this colorful, crash-proof car. It feels soft to the touch, and soft against the furniture legs it continuously bumps without leaving a scratch. It says on the box it was developed for indoor play. The coolest part of the Bounce Back Racer is that it is two sided - if it hits a wall or obstacle it flips over and keeps on going. The kids love this part. The cat? Not so much.





GIVEAWAY
JumpStart® 3D Virtual World My First Adventure PC CD-Rom Software $7.99, full set of all 4 3D preschool adventures $19.99
Knowledge Adventure’s award-winning learning software is the first of its kind for pre-schoolers. The JumpStart games every year win dozens of parenting and toy awards. The latest game, 3D Virtual World My First Advenure, is tons of fun and is helping my own preschoolers to learn pre-reading, early math, social studies, art, music, computer skills and critical thinking skills through endless adventures.

When he's ready we'll move up to JumpStart 3D Virtual World's The Legend of Grizzly McGuffin for ages 4-6, Trouble in Town for ages 5-7 and The Quest for the Color Meister for ages 6-8. All this for less than twenty bucks for the entire set, it's a great holiday gift.

Leave a comment below and FOUR lucky readers will receive their own copies of the first CD-Rom in the Jumpstart 3D Virtual World series, My First Adventure for ages 3-5.

The LadyBug Game $11.95 at Zobmondo!!
I don't know about you, but if I visit Candyland one more time or slide down any more chutes or ladders, I think I'm going to hurl. I love the family bonding and unplugged fun that ensues with children's board games, but the old classics do get overplayed. That's why I am so digging The Ladybug Game. It's totally new, completely cool and it was actually developed by a first grader in a classroom project.

My kids and I have blast telling each other to "Bug Off!," counting aphids and practicing our strategic thinking. I actually ASK to play this with my kids. For ages 3 and up.

GIVEAWAY
Charbridge Whimsical Hats, size newborn-adult, $15
The winner can choose the size and hat of his/her choice
Who wouldn't want an adorable, originally designed and hand-knit hat for their little girl or guy? Choose from hats posing as monsters, spiders, animals and fruits and you'll never get your kid to take it off. A great price for a completely hand crafted hat made of worsted weight acrylic yarn. Leave a comment below for a chance to win the hat of your child's holiday dreams!




GIVEAWAY
Zutano Kids Boutique Various Prices $12-60
The brightest colors, the most whimsical prints, Zutano Kids Clothing in sizes 12m-4T show a love of kids' individuality. I love that so many of the colors and patterns work great for boys or girls, and that kids and parents are encouraged to mix patterns and stripes, dots and prints. The Zutano clothes I have bought my children never ever fade and get cozier with every wash.
Leave a comment to receive a unisex Zutano Baby Basics outfit! The outfit is a long sleeved baby tee in the acorn mouse pattern, a fleece cozie in pool and a cotton cap in brown - all size 6-12 months.


GIVEAWAY Swell Foop Sea Turtle Kids Tee $22
This fantastic shirt features a green sea turtle above the phrase "live gently." It is made of five-ounce, preshrunk 100% organic ring-spun cotton, and is pre-washed for superior softness. Color: Slate Grey. Made in the USA. THREE lucky commenters will win a tee for their kid in the available size of their choice.








Sammy, Allergen-Free Sensitive Baby $10.99
This 11 Inch doll is soft and cuddly, specially designed for asthma and allergy sensitive babies. Manufactured with materials that do not contain chemicals or allergens. Finally, a cuddly friend for even the most sensitive child.





GIVEAWAY
Lavender Dreams Slumbersong Baby $7.98
This sweet baby is scented with soothing lavender, a natural scent known to calm and relax fussy children. Pull baby's musical nightcap and hear a soft lullaby. For ages 0+. Leave a comment for a chance to welcome this baby into your home!





Playskool Dressy Daisy Doll $14.99 and outfits $7.99 each
Playing dress-up is a cinch with this fashionably fun, soft huggable doll. The easy-on fashions are a snap to put on, leaving more time for imaginative, mix-and-match play. Choose an African-American, Latina or blonde Daisy for your little girl.







GIVEAWAY
BabyLegs Baby/Child Leg (or Arm) Warmers $12-28 a pair
BabyLegs help kids stay warm and make a funky fashion statement at once! They're great for preschool fashion statements and running around in the house, keeping the feet free for gripping. They make diaper changes and pottytraining a breeze. And they're just so darn cute. Leave a comment below and maybe you'll win one of the 3 BabyLegs for giveaway - all are in adorable holiday patterns!



FREEBIE
Billy Brown Audio Adventures for Kids on CD at Giddio $10.99
We love these award-winning stories on long car rides to visit family. The Billy Brown audio adventures are professionally produced with full cast voice acting, music, and sound effects that hearken back to the days of radio dramas and really enthrall our kids' imaginations. Targeted for kids age 3-7, but all ages will enjoy these CDs. A FREE download of Giddio's award-winning audio adventure “Billy Brown And The Mystery Package” is available at www.Giddio.com!

Nerf Rocket Pass Peyton Manning Football with Lights! $15.99
The football game can continue, even on dark fall evenings! This light-up NERF football has two exciting modes, one keeps the ball lit up to never lose sight of the ball, the other mode lights up when kids throw a perfect spiral pass. An easy-access button helps easily switch and it comes with passing tips from Peyton Manning, Includes 2 AAA batteries.






GIVEAWAY
The Masala Bhangra Workout For Kids $19.95
Get couch potato kids on their feet with this cool Indian dance workout video. This easy but fun helps kids and families stay in shape while dancing around Indian style and more importantly - together! Sarina Jain, the "Jane Fonda of India" leads the workout and it's lots of fun. I like to pretend I'm in a big Bollywood dance number in my family room. One lucky reader will win his/her own copy - so comment below!





GIVEAWAY
Shains Ware Bracelets with 60 pieces of flair $12
Shain's is a fun, cool eco-friendlyway for your teen or tween to express themselves. Elements include the alphabet and cute icons.

You can also buy Shains at the Crab Soup Cook-Off in Annapolis at the Naval Academy Stadium on Saturday, Nov 22, Be Beep in Severna Park and at Tree Tops Kids in McLean and Potomac. FIVE lucky commenters will win one - leave your comment and it could be you!