This button was designed by Mandy at Blogs by Mandy.  I asked her for something very simple and sophisticated (like me….. ).

Check it out!

Cool, eh?

If you want to, you can grab the HTML and add it your blog!  I would love it…. go ahead… make my day!

Thanks!

©2012 MamaBloo. All Rights Reserved.

But, I still want to give them gifts that they will like and will not soon qualify as junk – shoved in a drawer to be weeded out sometime next summer.  So, here are my 9 ideas for teen or tween girls for  — and get this – UNDER $25.

1. Hollywood intuition bracelets.  These are all the rage.  You can find these in a plethora (does anyone actually say plethora anymore?) of styles. 
2. Scrapbooking materials.  These can easily add up to more than $25.  But a good scrapbook on sale is around $25 or you can load up on paper, or stickers, or put a little of each together.  The best part is that it gives the girls something to DO after opening presents…. 
3. Books.  We always give books to the kids.  What can I say?  Former English teacher here….
4. Abercrombie gift card – okay, I know, I know,  you can barely buy a thing at Abercrombie for $25.  Perhaps they can buy a bookmark or all go in together with siblings or friends for a T-shirt…
5. Cuddly blanket or body pillow. Oh, these are like GOLD for this age group. G.O.L.D.
6. Glee Soundtrack – I admit that I have to screen each and every episode of this show.  Not all the episodes are appropriate for our girls (of course, Dave and I  never miss it!), and I want to be sure of the content before unleashing it on them — BUT the music is awesome. I mean, old standards like “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond (of all people) turned into a new, young, hip song – my mom would be so proud.
7. Cookbook – I say, “Get em cookin’ at a young age!”  Then, sit back and enjoy as they serve you.  Careful, in some households this can actually mess up the gravitational field and may give off the impression that you have entered an alternate reality… purchase at your own risk.
8. Leg Warmers – Can you even stand it that these are making a comeback?  Oh yeah, leg warmers!
9. Edward Cullen Poster – The girls are my beard for this one.  I really want an Edward poster for my wall, but cannot possibly explain it to, well… anyone!  So, look out girlies, Edward is a comin’!  Go Team Edward!

©2012 MamaBloo. All Rights Reserved.

To pretend that I am a one-woman show would be total fiction!  I have a support staff of literally hundreds of people who get my kids to soccer practice, home from preschool, provide me with meals when I am too harried to cook, and who just generally take care of my fragile psyche.  So, often I find myself in the position of sending little emails to these people trying to say Thank You or I Love You or just Don’t-Ever-Move-Cuz-I’ll-Snap-Without-You.  The problem with an email is it feels like, well, an email.  I would much rather send a card or a note or food or money to these folks who make my life actually work. 

Send Out Cards solves this problem for me.  It is an online card store and service where you can send a real card to those real people – and get this, it shows up in their mailbox (not their inbox).  

So, here is how it works.  You go to the site, pick out a card (they have 15,000  choices….that’s a lot), write your message, fill in an address, and VOILA off it goes to the recipient.  

Let me tell you, I am PICKY about my cards.  And these cards are cool.  I even found some with quotes by Shakespeare! They have a search window where you can enter the terms “camera” or “kids” or “ice cream” and up pop selections.  You can send your holiday cards, your kid’s birthday invitations, and on and on from this site.  Each card can be personalized and if you’d like – this is very cool – you can fill out some paperwork and they will create a font for you of your own handwriting.  You can also add gift cards (like to cool places like The Gap or Starbucks) or even presents to be included with your card.

So, I tried it out on my mom.  The part I wasn’t expecting was her reaction.  She called me to say that the card had made her day; that she was having one of those days when she just needed someone to care.  Now my mom and I talk a lot – she pretty much knows everything about me (too much on some days).  So, I didn’t really think she needed the affirmation that I was thinking about her – but, she did (of course she did, she is a MOM, afterall!).  Sold.  Sold. Sold.  So, I sent some more cards right away.  To people who I needed to thank or just love on a bit.  I may even send one to myself.

 Here are some other features:

• You pre-pay the account — like  a gift card to yourself.  That way you are not charging your credit card for each card you send.
• Barb, the senior manager, is funny, nice, and helpful.  To get started you will want to contact her and have her help you. She can walk you through the process.  Her phone number is on the site or you can email her at Barb.SOC@comcast.net.
• You can upload pictures and create your own cards, too!
• All cards are on 100% recycled paper — good environmental karma vibes!
• 200-300 new designs are added every MONTH.
• Requires Adobe Flash Player.
• You can select a future date (perfect for us scary type-A folks) for your card(s) to mail.
• You can set up a contact manager that will remind you of important dates.
• It takes about 4-5 days for your card to arrive.  I sent my card on a Friday afternoon around 3pm, and it arrive on the following Tuesday. Not bad at all — certainly better than not sending one in the first place.
• Send Out Cards made Inc. Magazine’s list of the top 500 small businesses in 2009
• This place prides itself on good service and treating people right.

Disclaimer:  I have no affiliation with Send Out Cards other than as a satisfied customer.

©2012 MamaBloo. All Rights Reserved.

• A cell phone — ringtone: “Defying Gravity” from the cast of Glee
• A diaper with Elmo on it
• A travel pack of baby wipes
• A shirt in size 5T and jammies in size 9 months
• A race car with broken wheels that Ty thinks is at the “doctor”
• The prescription information to an anti-anxiety drug I use for airline travel
• Chapstick
• A wallet
• Keys
• ½ eaten bag of rice cakes
• scrap paper with a pizza order written on it
• an energy bar
• a pen
• a gift card to a department store in Chicago (I live in Seattle)
• 2 containers of Purell (the mother’s solution to most things)
• Mints
• 17 cents in loose change
• a “Go Diego Go” sticker book
• a list of things I am not allowed to do to my husband, as agreed on with our marriage and family counselor – this includes things like “no throwing subway sandwiches at him” and  “no threatening to divorce him for getting me the wrong subway sandwich” and “no refusing to talk to him while eating a subway sandwich” etc etc etc
• Kleenex
• Cold sore medicine
• A week-old grocery list
• A used “sleeve” from a coffee drink
• A non-slide pad from the bottom of one of our kitchen stools
• 3 Hair bands in assorted colors
• a paperclip
• A Spiderman bandaid
• A bag of cheerios
• Wadded up toilet paper
• A $130 gymnastics lesson receipt
• My husband’s business cards
• The cafeteria lunch menu from the girls’ elementary school

Don’t even get me started about what is in my mini van.

To view my all-time favorite backpack click here!

There is no place to click to view my all-time favorite mini van.

©2012 MamaBloo. All Rights Reserved.