Holiday Gift Guide

I can't believe it's already almost time to start thinking about Christmas and Hanukkah. I say "almost" because in my world, we have to fully celebrate Thanksgiving before we really start doing up Christmas. However, that doesn't mean that I don't need to start thinking about what I'll be doing. I've already planned out my Christmas cards, although I won't be sending them until after Thanksgiving. I've also started compiling my list of gifts for family members, wee ones, teachers, and the like.

Lucky for me, a few companies have helped me make things a little easier, which brings me to my first ever Holiday Gift Guide. I love being able to showcase some of the things that I love from various brands - and who I'd be buying them for!

The wee ones are easy. The big winner at our house right now is action figures. Little Miss has a Batman figurine that has been her favorite for awhile now - he even went to Grandma's for an overnight and snuck into her leotard for a gymnastics class. The Spiderman action figure is a new favorite of Little Miss. It is one of the many Marvel superheroes available for imaginative play. With both villains such as the Hobgoblin and Doc Ock, as well as every variation of Spiderman you can imagine from the battle glider black to arctic attack to mega arms, these $6.99 toys are great for stocking stuffers!

Mister Man prefers Star Wars, and we are working on adding to his collection whenever we get a chance. He is a huge fan of the Clone Wars figures and plays with his Han Solo and Princess Leia and other characters all the time. He especially loves that many of the figures come with firing weapons that launch with a spring. He hasn't yet gotten into the galactic battle game - each figure comes with a battle game card - but we've saved the cards knowing that soon he'll be begging to play. At just 7, he's on the cusp of figuring out those games. I've noticed that every time we go to the store, we see new characters that we hadn't before. It is beginning to make for a great adventure story for Mister Man. At $6.99 per figure, you can bet that Santa will be leaving a few of these in stockings!

Another favorite for the wee ones is movies. As we do a Movie Night with Mommy about once a month, they are a Big Deal. I select a movie for them, and we pop popcorn on the stove before sitting down together to watch it. Their first "big kid" movie was Ramona and Beezus - still rated G, mind you - a movie based on a book series I loved as a kid. It doesn't follow the books exactly, but it is still sweet and innocent and something that I feel good about giving the wee ones or other children their age. I was a little nervous at first that the movie would be too mature for them, but after checking out reviews, I felt more comfortable - and I was right. Mix in some popcorn, and we're set! This movie is available on both DVD and Blu-Ray for a suggested $29.98 and $39.99, respectively (although you know you can always find DVDs on sale!).

Speaking of popcorn, it is always important to me to find gifts for the support staff at the wee ones' schools. They do so much for the students and are so often forgotten by families. Being married to a teacher, I know that food is always a winner. A two gallon tin of popcorn from The Popcorn Factory? That is perfect, as it has three different flavors (butter, caramel, and cheese) so everyone always gets their favorite. At $24.99 for this poinsettia tin, it's a gift that looks good and goes over well for the people you need to thank this year. And if you have people who want more flavors, there is also a four flavor tin (adding white cheddar - yum!) for the same price. Larger tins are also available if you have more people to include - the 3 1/2 gallon tin is $29.99 and the 6 1/2 gallon tin is $39.99. Each tin also includes a personalized gift message so you can express yourself perfectly.

I like providing food for teachers, as well. Knowing how many Barnes & Noble gift certificates my husband receives each year, I try to be a little more ... creative, but not to the point of the hand painted ornaments he received one year. Cheryl's Cookies are a great compromise, as the individually wrapped cookies mean the teachers can share or save their treats. I tried out the buttercream frosted cookies, and they were delicious! I would recommend finding a cookie that doesn't have any sprinkles on it, as the majority of mine had fallen off by the time they arrived at my house, but that didn't affect the taste any! There are also cookies that are snowflake shaped or simply circlees to be less Christmas-y as well as trees and wreaths. The cookies range from $22.99 to $34.99, giving you a wide range of ... how much you like the recipient!

My other favorite food to give is Fannie May. This is a Chicago company, and my Gram adored them. The mint meltaways were a fixture at every family gathering - and dI do mean every family gathering. They still remind me of her, and now that Fannie May is back again - for a time the company had gone bankrupt and they weren't made anymore - these are the ideal gift for my mother who has everything but would never indulge in purchasing chocolates for herself. The Holiday Mint Meltaways are $22.99, which means I obviously need to keep searching for something else for her, but this makes a good start.

This year, we won't be spending Christmas with my in-laws, as we trade holidays with them and my parents. Although we go down near Christmas and celebrate with them, on the years we aren't with them on Christmas itself, I try to remember to send them something special. A gift basket always works nicely, and I love the ones from 1-800-BASKETS.com. They provide a variety of treats that can be shared amongst those who are there and has a great presentation that always brings a smile to the face of those who receive it. There are plenty of options from $19.99 to $199.99 depending on who you're buying for and your budget.

The other option for my in-laws is a plant from 1-800-FLOWERS.com. Flowers don't last, but I love the idea of a plant that they can keep around for a period of time. Frosty the Snowplant is a great example of this, and oh so cute. I appreciate that after the holidays, you can simply change the pot it's in, and it will still be appropriately seasonal. I will say that the plant I received was much smaller and thinner than the one shown in the picture. It will take some time to grow into the pot, but it is still cute - and something I know my mother-in-law would love. As these are created and shipped from local florists, they will vary somewhat. It was also somewhat daunting to put together. I had to hunt for the top of Frosty and assemble that. Had I not been looking for it, I might have missed it. Going forward, I might choose a different plant, but I do like the plant idea - and for $29.99, it's a cute and reusable gift.

I feel pretty good about having made a dent in my Christmas shopping with it not having even made it to Thanksgiving yet. Starting next week, I need to get serious about placing my orders for my family and friends - and teachers and support staff. The items I discovered for my gift guide definitely gave me inspiration, and I hope they did for you, too!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received one each of the Star Wars and Spiderman figures, a DVD of Ramona and Beezus, a 2 gallon tin of popcorn, a sample of Cheryl's frosted cookies, a box of Fannie May mint meltaways, a Comfort and Joy Sweet Treats gift baskets, and a Frosty the Snowplant for review purposes. I was not compensated in any way, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Review: Ringling Bros Circus

Last night, the wee ones and I headed to the circus for the opening night at the United Center. Knowing it was going to be a late night, we brought along their pajamas to change into during intermission. Good thing we did - as much as the wee ones enjoyed the circus, they somehow managed to relax again enough to fall asleep in the car.

This year's show is FUNundrum, celebrating the 200th birthday of P.T. Barnum, the founder of the Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus. As such, they integrated a number of acts that were traditionally in circuses in a humorous way, such as the bearded lady, the strong man, the wild man from Borneo, and more.

It seemed like it was a very quick show, but we were there for more than two hours - not counting the hour preaccess show where we were able to watch an elephant make a painting, try on some outfits from the circus, see previews of some of the upcoming acts, and - of course - get our clown noses.

Once the show began, everyone was enthralled. Of course, the initial items of fascination were the cotton candy and the shaved ice my dad purchased the wee ones. Thank goodness I kept Mister Man in short sleeves, as I couldn't believe how sticky he got!

The show itself seemed to have a bit of an Asian influence with lots of acrobatics and contortionist acts and the like. That isn't to say that there wasn't the requisite tiger and elephant acts, along with a dog and pony show (that included an elephant and llamas and a donkey) with the cutest little girl assisting what I assume was her mom.

The show was set up with three rings for much of it, making it hard to focus on just one place - you frequently felt like you were missing something, but whatever was right in front of you was so compelling that you couldn't look away. The main acts such as the trapeze and high wire were the only acts going on at the time, fortunately. It would have been hard to look away from the Globe of Steel and the seven motorcycles racing inside!

The one distraction I had - and my mom commented on it, as well - was the video screens that were new this year. There were various screens around the arena between the seats and the show. They would raise and lower based on whether the act was in the air or on the ground. While they were always relevant and sort of cool, they were distracting from some of the acts themselves.

That aside, everyone loved the show - and the finale, which was the cutest little baby elephant (not yet two years old!) who came out at the end with her mom. Adorable!

There are still several shows running at the United Center:
Thu November 18 7:00PM
Fri November 19 10:30AM, 7:00PM
Sat November 20 11:30AM, 3:30PM, 7:30PM
Sun November 21 1:00PM, 5:00PM
Tue November 23 7:00PM
Wed November 24 7:00PM
Fri November 26 11:30AM, 3:30PM, 7:30PM
Sat November 27 11:30AM, 3:30PM, 7:30PM
Sun November 28 1:00PM, 5:00PM

Don't miss it! You can still get your tickets at a discount. Simply use the code MOM to purchase a family 4 pack of tickets for $44 Monday-Thursday and Friday matinees or (and?) to save $4 off all weekend shows. Enter the code in the "MC Promotions Box" on Ticketmaster or provide the code when purchasing your tickets via phone (1-800-745-3000) or at the box office. The offer is not valid on Circus Celebrity, Front Row or VIP seats. No double discounts. Service charges and handling fees may apply.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with tickets to the circus. I did not receive any compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Review: ... Featuring by Norah Jones

I love music. When I was getting ready for bunco, I turned on Pandora and boogied out, singing along while I cleaned the house and got all the food and drink ready for my guests. It never fails to amaze me how productive I can be when I am listening to some good music.

The new album from Norah Jones does just that for me, too. In fact, if I'd been thinking about it, I should have just put in her CD last Friday! ...Featuring isn't get up and dance music necessarily, but it's a fun compilation. The title comes from the fact that each of the eighteen songs on the album has another artist with Norah Jones.

Who knew you'd ever find Willie Nelson and the Foo Fighters and Outkast on the same album? It definitely makes for a different feel. As I was listening to it, I sometimes wondered who chose the various songs, as they are frequently quite ... different. "Soon The New Day" with Talib Kewli is much more of a rap style compared with the country-fied "Creepin' In" with Dolly Parton. At the same time, I actually liked the majority of the duets on the album.

The only song I really didn't like was "Baby It's Cold Outside" - which of course is a song I know well. It was much faster than how I'm used to hearing it, and to me it seemed like the message and play of the back and forth conversation of the song was lost.

"More Than This" featuring Charlie Hunter and "Blue Bayou" featuring M. Ward - ironincally the last two tracks on the album - fight for my favorite songs of the grouping. They are both so smooth and easy; I just get lost in them.

The rest of the album from "Virginia Moon" with the Foo Fighters to "Dear John" was enjoyable, though not all the songs were my favorites. I can see myself skipping a few if I were in the car and had the fast forward button easily available. Norah Jones sounds great on every song, but some of them just aren't my thing. That said, it's a pretty cool album!

While it is mellow and slow and jazzy for many of the songs - hey, it's what Norah Jones does! - it is still something that goes beyond the sitting in a bath with a glass of wine music. It's got enough oomph to it to keep me going and moving without just putting my to sleep, which was my initial worry when I first started listening to the album.

Who else could sing with all these artists:
1.Love Me – The Little Willies
2.Virginia Moon – The Foo Fighters featuring Norah Jones
3.Turn Them – Sean Bones featuring Norah Jones
4.Baby It’s Cold Outside – Willie Nelson featuring Norah Jones
5.Bull Rider – Norah Jones and Sasha Dobson
6.Ruler Of My Heart – Dirty Dozen Brass Band featuring Norah Jones
7.The Best Part – El Madmo
8.Take Off Your Cool – OutKast featuring Norah Jones
9.Life Is Better – Q-Tip featuring Norah Jones
10.Soon The New Day – Talib Kweli featuring Norah Jones
11.Little Lou, Prophet Jack, Ugly John – Belle & Sebastian featuring Norah Jones
12.Here We Go Again – Ray Charles featuring Norah Jones
13.Loretta – Norah Jones featuring Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
14.Dear John – Ryan Adams featuring Norah Jones
15.Creepin’ In – Norah Jones featuring Dolly Parton
16.Court & Spark – Herbie Hancock featuring Norah Jones
17.More Than This – Charlie Hunter featuring Norah Jones
18.Blue Bayou – Norah Jones featuring M. Ward

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of ...Featuring by Norah Jones for review purposes as part of a campaign by the One to One Network. I did not receive any compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own. By posting this, I am eligible to win one of five $50 gift cards.

Giveaway: Mastermind Games

Growing up, we played a lot of games as a family. As I grew older, I played them with my friends, as well. Forget not needing to read the rules, I generally didn't need to look at the board to see what space I landed on or count ahead to see what would happen next. Well, except for the strategy games we played. Those ones held my attention a little more.

One of my favorites was MASTERMIND. It was a neat code game where one person created a pattern of five colored pegs using any or all of six colors available. The opponent then has thirty tries to figure out the code in order. It's somewhat similar to Battleship in that sense, but this was more challenging, I always thought.

It isn't simply trial and error - when you have placed your best guess on the board, the code maker places a peg showing where you have guessed the right color in the correct spot and another type of peg showing where you have the right color but not place correctly. It can be challenging to figure out the pattern as there are so many possibilities (720 if you play that you can't select a color more than once and 7,776 if you allow the colors to be reused), but I remember winning more often than not.

While I hadn't played that game in awhile, I still have it in my house. I have the original brown plastic version of it from the ummm 1970s? 1980s? They have updated it now to modernize it - the board is a different shape and a bright blue color. The pegs are different colors, too, but the game remains just as fun as it was when I was a child.

Although it states that the game is for ages 8 and up, Mister Man has been enjoying it with me. Little Miss is a little too young for it, but she's close to really getting it and probably will if we play it a few more times.

There is also now a Mastermind game for younger children, as well. Animal Mastermind Towers has two "towers" where children put pictures of animals for their opponents to guess. You can make it easier by selecting fewer tiles (4) or more tiles (6), making the game more accessible to more ages of children. As the animals are selected for the towers, each player chooses the same four or six animal solution cards, meaning there is a limit to the difficulty of the game.

Instead of guessing specific orders, the players ask questions about where the animals are in the tower, such as "Is your cow above your dog?" By figuring out who is above or below whom, a player wins. This game is much simpler than the previous version, and it doesn't hold Mister Man's interest for very long (but he's a smart 7 who wants to be older).

Little Miss who is five really enjoys it, and it's rivaling Uno for our most played game right now. It states that it is for ages six and up, but this is more of a four and up type game in my mind. I like how the game introduces strategy at a young age, in addition to helping with concepts like above and below which are frequently a struggle for younger children.

Both games are very readily available from multiple sources from Target to the Pressman Toys website and more. BUT I also have a both games to give away myself (one of each to two separate winners). If you want to win MASTERMIND or Animal Mastermind Towers of your very own - or for someone for Christmas by chance? - you can do so here.

Pressman Toys also gives away a game of MASTERMIND each week on Twitter. Every Thursday, they challenge followers to a game of MASTERMIND, and if they win the game, they win a copy of the real game. You can read the rules on the MASTERMIND Facebook page.

So what do you have to do to win a game from me? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Monday November 29 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner. The first winner to respond will have his choice of game and the second winner will receive the other game.

Mandatory Entry: What were your favorite games growing up?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter and tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Looking for a great strategy game for you and kids? Check out the Mastermind giveaway via @honestandtruly http://honestandtrulyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/giveaway-mastermind-games.html" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a MASTERMIND and Animal Mastermind Towers for review purposes from Pressman Toys. I did not receive any compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Review: Mrs. Prindable's

I wrote back in April about Mrs. Prindable's, the gourmet caramel apple company, after I'd taken a tour of their facility. I'd had their apples prior to that tour and loved them, and I've had them since.

In fact, Mrs. Prindable's just sent me a Jumbo Apple. And when I say that this is a jumbo apple, I mean it. Each of these apples weighs approximately two pounds. Two. Pounds. Let me give you an idea of what that means.

This is a normal granny smith apple. It isn't a petite apple. It's the normal kind you get when you go to the store. Take a look at it compared to the apple from Mrs. Prindable's.

I'll pause for a moment while you wipe the drool from your keyboard.

When the apples arrive, they are a site to behold. They come well-packaged in a gorgeous purple box with a gold bow. Inside the purple box, the apple lies nestled amongst a ton of bubble wrap to keep the apple safe on its journey to you (and to distract the wee ones while I hide the apple so I don't have the share it).

Ta-da! And voila appears the apple, where you can finally see for yourself how magnificent and huge this apple really is. The way it is presented, it makes such a great gift. I'm actually debating ordering a bunch of the petite gourmet assortments (4 slightly smaller apples) to give as teachers' gifts this year. Giving each person a whole apple could possibly be overkill, as these apples are not meant to be devoured by a single person.

Once my apple arrived, I placed it in the refrigerator. I knew I would be hosting bunco soon, and this would make a perfect dessert to serve. Impressive to look at, and delicious. Fortunately, the apples will last in the fridge for up to two weeks - and I can vouch for that. My apple was still crisp and clean inside when we cut into it with no browning or softening of the apple. It was perfect.

I was right about it being impressive for bunco. No one in my group had ever heard of Mrs. Prindable's before, and some of them couldn't figure out what it was. The idea of a caramel apple that big is ... hard to process, I think.

Interestingly, it took awhile before anyone was willing to cut into it. It was intimidating to them, as they weren't sure how to cut the apple, and it was so pretty, no one wanted to ruin it. Eventually, a brave soul used the knife (a very sharp knife - this is not something your ordinary table knife will cut!) to dig in. The apple began quickly disappearing after that. Everyone was amazed by how delicious it was.

One friend didn't eat all her topping, as it was too thick for her. I'm not actually sure how that's possible, but to each her own. I could eat the topping just on its own (and yes, Mrs. Prindable's does sell just caramels and chocolate covered caramels without the apples, too). Some of my friends commented on how messy it was, as well. I will grant you that the chocolate and toppings on the apple do tend to chip off somewhat as you're cutting the apple, but there is more than enough left on it. I don't have an issue with the droppings (hey, more for me to eat later, right?), but I can see some personalities wanting a more traditional caramel apple that is easier to eat.

There was only a little of the apple left after bunco, and I'm pretty sure that was because they were simply stuffed. It's possible I put out a lot of food. Lots. The apples claim to serve 10-12 people, and I can see why. With the thick layer of caramel and chocolate and more toppings, it is very rich. Fortunately the apple helps make it healthy. Healthier. And it comes in dark chocolate, too. Am I justifing now?

Back to my point. I put the little bit of apple into an airtight container in my fridge after bunco. I had the last of it tonight as a treat. After two full days of being cut into, the apple was only slightly browned on the exposed skin, but it tasted juuuuuuust as good as it did on Friday night. There is now officially no apple left.

Yum!

I don't have any apples to give away myself, but I've heard that if you like Mrs. Prindable's on Facebook, they do apple giveaways a couple time a month.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a Jumbo Apple from Mrs. Prindable's for review purposes. I received no compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Giveaway: InchBug Orbit Labels

I have a problem in my house (ok more than one, but just one I'm talking about at the moment). Now that the wee ones are getting bigger, they go out of the house by themselves for things like school. And when they go places, they frequently need to bring things with them.

When they have school, for example, they need to bring their lunchboxes and snackboxes, complete with their reusable containers. When Mister Man goes camping with Boy Scouts, he needs to bring a flashlight. Silly Mommy, I like it when these things come home again. And trust me, it doesn't always happen. I've gone searching the school twice already this year to find the mysterious missing lunchbox. Fortunately, I've found it both times.

InchBug has a solution not just for the wee ones but for moms who have bottles for their infants and sippy cups for their toddlers, among others. It's hard to remember which belongs to whom sometimes, since so many of us have the exact same one. And after Little Miss has been home with pneumonia for two weeks, I don't want to spread around any germies!

InchBug has BumpyName Orbit Labels that go on your containers. They are a non-adhesive band that simply encircles your container like a pony tailer. Since it has your child's name stamped into the label, you don't have to worry about ink washing off (which is part of our lunchbox problem). Like pony tailers, they expand to fit snugly on a variety of sizes and shapes of containers.

I received my four pack of reusable labels - just in case I need to use more than one at a time or someone (not me) loses one along the way. I was able to choose my own color of the non-toxic labels, and I ended up with the light blue color. I would have liked to see more truly "boy" colors (deep blue, red, bright yellow, etc), as most were softer and had a more feminine feel to them. With Mister Man always having a target on his back already and not picking up on social nuances like color choice, I try to do it for him.

When they arrived, I was happy to see that they fit easily not only on Mister Man's water bottle that he brings to school daily, but also on my monstrously large 40 ounce water bottle, although the labels claim to only fit bottles up to about 30 ounces.

At the same time, they fit far narrower items. When Mister Man goes on his Boy Scout camping trip this weekend, there will be a BumpyOrbit band on his flashlight - and my husband's - with fingers crossed they come home again.

If I spent more time at the gym again (ahem - bad me), this would be great for all the toiletries that I have a bad habit of leaving on the counter. Tell me I'm not the only one who walks away with her mind on completely random things and not what I should be focusing on.

These labels are perfect for new moms, too. They definitely have other things to focus on. With these being non toxic, boil-able, and dishwasher safe, they are great for baby bottles and other small items that are too easily lost or left behind. The non-toxic nature helps put their minds at ease that the BumpyName Orbit Labels aren't introducing anything nasty into their precious new babies' systems.

Actually, now that I think about it, I have a baby shower for a dear friend of mine this Sunday and this would make a perfect gift for her. I may have to get inspired and order some ... or maybe I'll wait until her babies are born and we know their names. After all, Thing 1 and Thing 2 might be hard to explain!

Are you ready for your own labels now? You can order them online for $12.95 for a one line custom label or $13.95 for a two line custom label. There are also preprinted labels for $8.95 - and both the wee ones' names are included. There is a huge list there, although the color choices are limited.

You could also win your own two line custom Orbit Label with free shipping here. How could you not want your very own? So what do you have to do?

First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Thursday November 25 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: What do you most need to use the Orbit labels for? All entrants must also like InchBug on Facebook to be eligible to win, per InchBug.

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter and tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Want to be sure your child's drink container is really his? @inchbug is giving away a 4pack of labels via @honestandtruly http://honestandtrulyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/giveaway-inchbug-orbit-labels.html" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a sample package of Orbit Labels for review purposes from InchBug. I did not receive any compensation, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Winner!

Congrats goes to Lucy at A Modern Day Ricky and Lucy for winning the family pass to the Chicago Toy and Game Fair. She has 48 hours to get back to me - and how much fun will she have exploring!