Beaded Purses!

These beaded animal purses are the CUTEST!! Strap is adjustable and there are many many designs available. You can visit her etsy shop (Ruonan) and get the purse for $12 or visit her web store and get 20% off your first purchase by using code "etsyreferral"

http://www.areyouinxanadu.com/

Scarf

Okay, yes I know Summer is coming!! But can you resist this child size pencil scarf from http://www.etsy.com/shop/saracarr $45 and oh so adorable. Can use for spring, and again for fall and winter. Also available in adult sizes (GREAT teacher's gift) This is truly unique! Don't want it now then just bookmark it for later!

Children's Storage

I have been looking in local stores for a "treasure box" that my son John can put his most treasured possessions for safe keeping. I think I have found what I have been looking for at www.landofnod.com. Wonderful weekender suitcase with a 50's vintage feel is a perfect storage solution for playroom or bedroom (or for those most prized possessions!)

Personalized plates and more

I found this adorable shop on etsy today while browsing their "pounce" feature. You can see items that just sold and pounce on the store that sold them to see what else they have to offer. I saw an adorable hand painted cross that sold so I clicked to see what else was to be found. I immediately ordered the custom ceramic personalized necklace for my niece's final bday present (I've been sending her gifts for the past few weeks to spread out the joy!)

What really impressed me were the custom plates and serving dishes. I love the platters for families that can be personalized (wonderful gift) and think these children's plates are just fun! And at $18.95 I think you'll find they're the best price around (others sell for $40 and up!) Got to http://www.cutiepatooties1.etsy.com/ to see everything!

Thanksgiving Day Shopping

Gobble Gobble Gobble, now that you've eaten your fill of turkey your thoughts are turning to shopping. Here's a start to your holidays, beautiful prints from http://www.bobosroom.etsy.com/

Set of three original, handpainted renditions of classic nursery rhymes: Hey Diddle Diddle, Humpty Dumpty and Hickory Dickory Dock. Neutral colors would compliment either a little girl's or boy's room. The borders are painted a sage green, with accent colors of gold, and creamy yellow. All paintings measure 16 x 20", and are trimmed with a coordinating sage green trim for edging and hanging purposes.

Alphabet Print

I just love this alphabet print by www.pennypeople.etsy.com! It can be customized with a name in green, pink or blue. A great addition to the nursery or your child's room!!

Custom French Posters

I found a beautiful addition to any child's room over at http://www.petitedecor.com/. They have personalized french posters made especially for your child. You choose the print (many many different styles) the font, the size, and finally the wording:

Subject only - "Avion" (Airplane)

Semi Personalized - "J'aime les Avions" (I love Airplanes)

Personalized with any name - "Michael" (Michael)

Personalized with any name and subject - "Michael aime les Avions" (Michael loves Airplanes)

This makes a wonderful gift idea too.

Are you a member yet?

Are you a member of Upromise? If not, check them out http://www.upromise.com/. It's really easy to sign up and earn money toward's your child's education. I have my grocery cards on there and earn a little bit through that but much of the hundreds (yes hundreds!) I have earned has been through my usual online shopping.

I do alot of shopping online, sometimes site to store shipping, etc. and for each purchase like that (through a participating store) I earn from 1 to 8% or more back into my upromise account! So, if you're heading to Walmart, Target, Circuit City, etc., go through your upromise site and buy it there. Ship it to the store if you like so there's no shipping fees and you have just gotten free money toward's your child's education!

Don't forget our contest below to win a pair of Snanimals sneakers! Just post your comment there and you'll be entered. Do so before next Wednesday!

Children's Name Necklace at loveivy.com

I love little girl's jewelry and always think it looks so sweet. Anna has yet to wear jewelry without trying to break (or eat!) it! Even so, after seeing this necklace I may be tempted to purchase it for her anyway. I love the beads and the letters and think it's a great gift for a little (or big!) girl.

So, if you see Anna in school with a fun name necklace, you'll know we got it at http://www.loveivy.com/ !

CARES // Kids Fly Safe

Wow, what a great idea! We flew to Disney the past two years and both times I had to drag on our car seat for Anna to sit in. There is no way in this world that she wouldn't wiggle out of the airplane seat and take off down the aisle so I had no choice (if we wanted to be allowed to remain on the plane!) Having a special needs child, you sometimes have to make special arrangements.

But now, with Kids fly safe (http://www.kidsflysafe.com/) we won't have to take the car seat any more. And not just for Anna, wanting all kids to be safe onboard is a good thing! This amazing product straps in your child safely in the seat! Here is their take:

Forget about hauling a heavy, bulky car seat through crowded airports and narrow airplaine aisles. There's a better way to keep your young children safe while flying. CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System) is designed specially for airplanes and is FAA certified as having an equivalent level of safety to a car seat for all phases of flight. CARES is manufactured by AmSafe, the foremost manufacturer of airplane seatbelts and other safety restraints. Best of all, CARES weighs only 1 lb, fits in a 6" carrying case, fits all airplane seats and takes a mere 1 minute to install.

So, if you're planning airplane travel in the coming months, and your child is 44 lbs or less, make the smart (and easy!) choice by using cares!

Hand crafted children's banks

John and Anna are in the process of saving their money for another trip to Disney World (hopefully next year!) At Christmas, Santa brought them their own dinosaur banks to help them save their change. This ended up being the best gift all around. They love it!! They love watching the money go down into the belly. It really helps with their OT (occupational therapy) with handling the small change and positioning it properly to go in. They're really cute and just darn fun. John has a dinosaur and Anna has a cat. I found similar banks today in the dinosaur design and a fun doggy! They're available at http://www.handcrafters.com/index.php?main_page=index Definitely check them out!