Today’s guest bloggers, Lisa Friedman and Alexis Stein are the experts behind SomeoneSpoilMe.com:

For years people have asked us, “What should I give Dad for father’s day?” Or, more simply, “What should I give Amy since she just had a baby?” We always knew the perfect gift and the best place to get it from. From the coolest gadgets to the softest blankets, nothing was off limits. For so many, gifting seems to be such a challenge, so we decided to take our skills and stylish taste to a broader level (hello dot com) to help people beyond our close friends, give fabulous gifts. With that being said, SomeoneSpoilMe.com has evolved into the best online source for giving and getting fabulous gifts!

When deciding on what makes a “fabulous” gift you need to put yourself in the recipients’ shoes (if you dare). Take Dad for example, what kind of guy is he? Does he like to play sports or does he prefer to watch them on his couch with a beer and some greasy food? Is he up to date on the latest cameras and technical devices or does he not know how to get online? Does he care about protecting the earth or is he more concerned with protecting his hair from thinning? And lastly, does he prefer to listen to classical music and read war epics or does he prefer to stay home and play guitar hero? As you can see there are many types of dads out there with many different personalities. Before you decide on your gift, you must figure out what “kind of dad” you have. Once you have made that decision, SomeoneSpoilMe.com makes the rest VERY easy. All you need to do is browse our fabulous father’s day gift guide (broken down by personality) and press, “click to buy” when you find the perfect gift for Dad. See how easy it is!

If you buy live Christmas trees, consider recycling them instead of tossing them into the dumpster after the holiday season. Some places will chip them and sell the chips to the general public. For a “treecycling” center near you and for other tips for an environmentally friendlier holiday, check out Earth 911.

Posted by Sunshine.

I don’t know about your family, but mine tends to go for a record in “Most drama in a short timeframe” around Christmas. I was sitting here thinking about how on earth to get through this weekend (both sides of my family are having their gatherings, which I plan to attend, within 24 hours of each other - and no, they’re not in the same town or anything, and my six-month-old got shots today). The presents aren’t wrapped, the food isn’t under way, and I don’t know where to begin.

Needless to say, I was feeling a bit stressed about the whole thing. I despise eggnog, but I might be tempted if it were strong enough at this point. Instead, I pulled out a piece of paper, listed the things I had to do, and divided them by the days I have left. Then I broke each task into small parts - twenty minutes of wrapping here, ten minutes of writing out gift tags there, etc. so that I can tackle things in easy segments without feeling overwhelmed by it all. That helped - for the moment.

What do you do to alleviate holiday stress? Care to share your tips and tricks for getting through Christmas with your sanity intact (and your kids and husband/SO still breathing)?

Posted by Sunshine.

Watch those temper tantrums. One of the joys of parenting - those temper tantrums. For the most part, this is a phase that children go through and tantrums are usually a sign that a child is tired, sick, hungry or overstimulated. But a parent should watch out of tantrums are too frequent or extreme.

If a child hurts itself or others or has too difficult a time calming themselves, parents may want to seek medical help. It can be a sign of something more serious, and could lead to depression.

Baby blessings - a new trend. Parents these days are looking to less-traditional ways to celebrate the birth of their child. Blessings, naming ceremonies, welcome ceremonies… there are many varieties to choose from. In these days with changing religious values, parents are finding this a nice alternative to traditional ceremonies. It is also good to keep those nagging parents/in-laws off your back. If you are tired of hearing “so WHEN are you going to have little Susie baptized…” this might be something you want to consider.

Christmas tree trivia. Did you know that the very first Christmas trees were not decorated at all? And that they were hung upside down from the ceilings? Legend has it that the triangular shape of the fir tree was to symbolize the holy trinity.

For those of you who have not yet put up your trees, I guess I don’t have to remind you that there are only three days until Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Ever wondered what makes certain toys so appealing to little kids, while others just gather dust? With Christmas a week away, most of you who celebrate the winter holiday have already finished your shopping - but for those like me, who procrastinated until the last possible moment, here are some toy-buying tips to ensure that your gift to little Johnny isn’t tossed aside at first glance:

Posted by Sunshine.

Celebrity pregnancy drama. Jamie Lynne Spears, Britney’s 16 year old sister, has just announced that she is 3 months pregnant. Baby-daddy is her live-in 19 year old boyfriend, Casey Aldridge. Jamie Lynn is best known as the star of the hit Nickelodeon’s kids show, Zoey 101. No word yet from Nickelodeon if the pregnancy will impact the show.

On a side note, Britney and Jamie Lynn’s mom was due to release a book in the spring about how to raise children in show business. The launch of this book is now delayed indefinitely. Gee, ya think?

Anyone feel like commenting?

More celebrity baby news! Chris O’Donnell and his wife Caroline have just welcomed their fifth child, a baby girl they have named Maeve Frances O’Donnell. I have to admit - I am still swooning over his appearance in Grey’s Anatomy! Congratulations!

A little bit of Christmas trivia… Ever wonder about the history of candy canes? Curiosity got the best of me while I was hanging them on my tree. Origins are in Europe during the 17th century, when they used to decorate their trees with food and candies. At the suggestion of the choirmaster of the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, white stick sugar candies were shaped into a hook to resemble a shepherd’s crook, and these were given to the children to pacify them during Christmas mass. Soon they were found all throughout Europe. The color remained white until the 19th century. If you are interested to find out more about them, including how they got red stripes and how they came to America, continue reading here.

A sad note to the holiday season. Unfortunately, the holiday season sees an increase in reported child abuse cases. “Between the financial pressure to overspend, fatigue from being overscheduled, excessive drinking, unrealistic expectations and potential isolation from family members this time of year, factors can combine to really take their toll on those who have problems controlling their temper.” The article gives some helpful tips including:

Don’t over schedule. If childcare demands already leave you feeling stressed, don’t compound that by trying to attend every party, shopping for the perfect presents, cooking, baking and decorating up a storm.

Watch your budget. Skip that expensive toy in favor of something else on your child’s list that is within your means. Better yet, give the gift of time - a simple afternoon at the park or Saturday of sledding together will build memories that long outlast this year’s hot toy.

Accept help. Don’t be afraid to ask for a break. Lean on friends, family or neighbors. You don’t have to do it all.

Recognize when you’ve reached your boiling point. Make sure your children have a safe haven, whether that is their own crib, a bedroom or even a quick visit at the neighbor’s house while you gather yourself and give yourself a “time-out.”

Make this holiday season and safe and happy one!

Older moms unite! Even though, biologically, women are in their peak reproductive years from the ages of 20-24, many women are choosing to delay having children until they are older. This is due to many reasons - waiting to develop a career first, and continued advancements in fertility treatment to name a few. My interest piqued, I looked for trends in settling down and getting married and this article confirmed what I thought - women are as well waiting longer to get married, the average for a first marriage is steadily increasing. (not intending to tangent too much, but the article also says that a marriage has a better chance going the distance when the couple are in their late 20’s or older)

There are some disadvantages to waiting. Statistically, it takes longer to conceive. And as well the potential for many pregnancy complications increases over 35. As a woman of “advanced maternal age” for my last pregnancy, I can confirm that once you do hit the magical age of 35, the care your OBGYN will provide does change and you will probably have more tests during the pregnancy.

On the flip side, late pregnancy has its own advantages too. An older woman has waited for so long for motherhood. She considers it as blessing rather than a burden. She has probably achieved her career goals and is ready to devote time for the baby. She is more at peace with herself.

I spent this Thanksgiving in Cody, Wyoming, on my in-laws ranch. In addition to providing the opportunity for a great change of pace, spending Thanksgiving in Cody also provides another unforeseen benefit: access to a Walmart that rarely runs out of stock.

Yes, you heard it here first: last year, we were able to find not just the Fisher Price digital camera, but also TMX Elmo, in ample quantities on the shelves on December 15th. It may seem impossible to believe, but I assure you, it’s true. So it’s something to keep in mind if you really need to have “the” toy of the season — the Walmart in Cody probably has you covered. All you need to do is drop a grand on a plane ticket, survive the landing of a little prop plane in 40 mph winds, and brave the sub-zero temperatures of the mountains of Wyoming in the winter.

Or you can check out eBay, of course. Personally, I don’t have the energy to be an eBay seller, but thankfully for lazy old me there are many who do. I would imagine Cody is not a rarity in small-town Walmarts with disproportionate supplies in hot toys, and probably supply many-an-eBayer with a nice chunk of change just in time for Christmas. The trouble is you have to know what the hot toys are.

And I didn’t while in Cody. And I still don’t. Which brings me to the topic of this post: what are they going to be?

According to Toy Wishes Magazine’s early November predictions, the 12 hot holiday toys for 2007, in alphabetical order, were supposed to be:

1. American Idol Talent Challenge. At about $50 a pop for ages 8 and up, this little machine lets you croon like an Idol star — complete with critique from Randy, Paula and Simon. For me? No. Thank. You.

2. Aqua Dots Super Studio. Way to go, Spin Master. You would’ve hit the ball out of the park on this one if you could’ve managed to avoid putting the date rape drug in your product. Doh!

3. Barbie Girls. This is a “two-part concept” (sounds complicated) involving an MP3 player, an online community (yay!), fashion accessories packs and decoration packs. I can’t exactly figure out how this all fits together, but that might be because I’m not 6. The MP3 player is about $60; the accessories packs $10.

4. EyeClops. This is a high-powered electronic magnifying glass that plugs into the TV that shows what things look like up to 200x magnification. Seems pretty cool… this may actually be a cool gift for the husband-types. $49.99 for ages 6 and up.

5. Guitar Hero III. Satisfy your inner Gene Simmons by plugging this thing into your PlayStation, Xbox or Wii and rocking out. What’s interesting is that the songs it comes with include Heart and Kiss. Aren’t these musicians a little old for “kids”? Makes me wonder if this isn’t really a device for the stoner set. Anyway, for $100, it’s yours, duuuuude.

6. Hannah Montana Singing Doll and Pop Star Stage. With the oldest of my girls being almost 2 1/2, I haven’t yet personally become familiar with this wildly popular Disney Channel star. (Can one of you in comment land enlighten me to her appeal?) For $80 total for a doll and a stage, you get a mini concert that hooks up to any music player. Interesting.

7. Nerf N-Strike Disc Shot. Forget the kiddos — this thing is perfect for anyone who works in a cube farm. This thing has a disc launcher which is wirelessly operated that launches discs into the air to be shot with a dart blaster. The hours and hours of wasted productivity this could bring are almost enough to make me want to return to corporate America. Allegedly retailing for $49.99, these things are selling for $90 on Amazon. Looks like we have the real deal here, folks.

8. Rubiks Revolution. Everything must go electronic, and the Rubiks cube is no-exception. $20 for ages 5 and up.

9. Fisher-Price Smart Cycle. This one is personally interesting to me, given the aforementioned toddler. It’s a stationary bike that connects to the TV, and coordinates with a child-friendly video game. I will admit that I’m tempted… helps me feel better about combating the couch-potato factor. (Of course, we could go outside and actually let her ride her tricycle, but that would require her to put on clothes. - sigh - ) At $100, I don’t want to buy one blindly, so if any of you have reviews of this product, I’d love to hear them!

10. Spotz. This looks pretty cool. Definitely for the tween girl set, it allows you to translate a picture into a cool collectible button. I can see the trades happening now. Of course, it may be a little contrived for the truly cool preteens — I guess we’ll see. $30 for ages 6 and up.

11. Swypeout Online Battle Racing. Wow, I must be getting old. This is a scanner that plugs into the computer that allows kids to “swipe” collectible trading cards which allows them to have online races. I don’t get it. $20 for ages 8 to somewhere less than 35, or perhaps it’s just me.

12. Transformers Ultimate Bumblebee. This one is good as gold. Supposedly retailing for $90, it’s going for $140 on Amazon. A small price to pay for a half Camaro, half robot.

Do you know of others that should make the “sold out” list? Let’s hear your predictions… and if you’re right, perhaps I can help you secure one with my Cody connection!

Posted by mctex.

Just a spoonful of honey… In a three-way test between children’s cough medicine, honey or nothing, honey was the most effective at calming children’s coughs and helping them to sleep better. This is good news for parents seeking alternative remedies to help their children, following the recent warning not to give children under the age of 6 years old OTC medicines. Please note that honey is not recommended for children under the age of one due to a rare risk of contracting botulism.

Obesity risk. Half of maternal deaths occurred with overweight women. Maternal obesity was now a “major and growing risk factor for maternal death.” Nearly 40% of these deaths could have been prevented with proper diagnosis and treatment. The study encourages pre-conception awareness to help prevention.

But death is not the only problem. Obese pregnant women are more at risk of dying, suffering heart disease, miscarriage, diabetes, infections and blood clots. Related obesity issues are becoming more and more understood and confirmed. It is time to focus hard on the root cause… obesity itself.

Struggling to find lead-free toys for Christmas? You are not alone. Many charities, including the Salvation Army and Goodwill are struggling to ensure that the toys they receive and distribute are safe for children. Please, remember that this is the time to spread holiday cheer and help a child. If you are aware that a toy has been recalled, please do not “regift” it to a Christmas charity.

As we all wake from our tryptophan-induced comas (those of us who celebrated Thanksgiving, anyway), let’s reflect on what the big holidays mean to us. What will they mean to our children?

It’s easy to get swept up in the tide of commercialism, especially around Christmastime. As parents, we need to make sure that our kids are seeing the big picture - not just round after round of food and gifts.

HealthDay offers these tips to help us make holidays meaningful for the kids:

• Create traditions in the family that your children can look forward to. Talk about why it’s important to have traditions, and which ones are their favorites.
• Encourage children to volunteer, and to make donations and gifts for those who are less fortunate.
• As a family, make homemade gifts to give to friends and family members. Help your children understand that a gift doesn’t need to be something that’s bought from a store.
• Don’t let yourself get stressed during the holidays. Let your children see that it’s a time to enjoy spending together as a family. (I’ll let you know if I ever figure out how to remain stress-free during the biggest holidays of the year!)

What does your family do to celebrate the holidays in ways that outlast the turkey and the fat guy laden with presents?

Posted by Sunshine.