So, my better half got an iPad.  The kiddo has renamed the iPad “the big phone” because most of the games he can play on our iPhones he can now play on the iPad.  One of those games is Preschool Memory Match and what I LOVE about it is that each game is different and it says the name of whatever is behind the card out loud whether it’s an animal or musical instrument or whatever.

The downside of this game:

So I’m curious…how many of you have Apple TV? Do you use it a ton and if so how has it worked for you thus far?  We have TiVo and will at times rent movies from Amazon Video on Demand and download them to the TiVo.  Other times we watch stuff on the TiVo’s Netflix streaming.  The Netflix streaming sucks a bit because it times out here and there and can be very frustrating.  I’m curious for those of you that have Apple TV, does yours time out?  We are just wondering if we need to add an Apple TV to our home.  What say you?

We had a great Christmas! My husband and I think this year has been the best so far in terms of celebrating with our son.  He got excited to hand out gifts and open gifts and play with everything.  It was super fun.  Here are a few things I got for Christmas this year:

1. Jewelry Cleaner, Brookstone-If you’ve ever thought about getting one of these things, do it! Do it now! All you do is add water and it uses sound waves to clean everything.  I immediately did my wedding ring and watch and embarrassed at the amount of gunk that came off both of them.  And I THOUGHT I kept them clean.  This also does eyeglasses, which I haven’t done yet but am psyched to do.
2. Jackie cardigan, J.Crew-I love these cardigans and buy them at the outlet store or ask for them as gifts.  I’m a cardigan addict.  I received navy and cerise for Christmas.
3. iPhone Case, Kate Spade-I was in need of a new case and received one like this and it’s right up my alley what with all the colors!!
4. Apple gift card, Apple-In combination with my husband we received enough apple gift cards to purchase an iPad.  However after a twitter questionnaire we’ve decided to wait on the next version to come out before we buy it.  I think that’s in April.  I think.
5. iSi Flexible Mixing Bowls, Amazon-A month or so ago, in an effort to do something in the kitchen, I gave my son a couple of mixing bowls and a wooden spoon to occupy him.  That turned into me needing new bowls.  I don’t think these will break.

The best gift of all might be what Santa brought my son.  He loves it more than anything and it gives his parents a chance to sit and chill for a few minutes. Little Star Bouncer, Walmart

So I gave y’all some ideas for Girly Stocking Stuffers yesterday.  Here’s my version of the dude edition.

1. Lotto Tickets-What man would not get excited about the possibility of winning a ton of money?!
2. iPod Shuffle, Apple-These are only $49!
3. Hanes Crew Socks, Amazon-Men are always losing socks. They will always need more.
4. J&D’s Bacon Salt, Amazon-I love the tagline on this… “Everything should taste like bacon”.
5. iTunes Gift Card, Amazon-Music! Books! Whichever!
6. Penguin Mints, Think Geek-Caffeinated mints for those late night work crunches.
7. Magwear Magnetic Wristband, Uncommon Goods-I gave these a few years ago and they were a huge hit!

Have an 8 year old boy?  Buying for an 8 year old boy?  Just want to know what the hell they are droolin’ over this year?  I have an IN with my special little man, Austin, and this is his 9th Christmas and sure to be kick ass.

1. Moon Shoes – remember these babies?  Theeeiiirrr back and on Aus’ Christmas list.  I’m  just worried for when he asks mommy to give these a go.
2. Basketball goal – great for the active boy, but portable, so can be stored, moved, or taken into the middle of the cul-de-sac when the boys really want to get schooled by mommy.
3. DSI XL Special Edition – yes, another one.  And it haasss to be the red one, its for the 25th anniversary of the nintendo Gameboy/DS console.  I think we can all remember what fun these were no matter how old we were.
4. iPod Touch – This was on Aus’ list, but not making the cut just yet.  We opted for the DSI XL for a little bit longer, but these are really really hot right now.
5. BopIt Bounce – harder and possibly more annoying than the original BopIt.  Dreams really do come true!
6. College Snuggie – Aus’ has really gotten into collegiate sports.  The name of the game around this house in the Texas Longhorns (even though their football is less than stellar right now).  Aus will not be a fair weather fan though and I think this is the perfect accessory for someone that devoted.
7. NFL Jersey (Andre Johnson) – adding to the obsession with football players and sports in general.  This time the Houston Texans.  A jersey of a little boy’s fav team is a shoe-in for a gift.
8. Original Adidas HiTop – Aus is very colorful inside and out and has had his eye on these.  I love their throw back to the 80’s feel and can hear my mom saying “What’s old is new” in my head.  So true.

It’s going to be one very merry Christmas around here!

Last week Susan at The Working Closet did a post entitled “5 Things I Never Leave Home Without“.  These are things that no matter where she’s going she never leaves home without them.  So it got me thinking…what would that be for me?  Some of the things she had on her list were on my list but some were also different.

1. Hobo International Lauren Wallet-I think this is probably a given for most people but no matter what I am taking this with me because it houses a lot of the items below.  Mine isn’t yellow, it’s turquoise but alas I could not find that picture to show you.
2. Bobbi Brown Cosmetics Lip Color in Slopes-I come from a long line of ladies that without a doubt never go out without lipstick on.  Even my grandma at 88 would always have her lipstick on at all times.  We seem a little crazy don’t we?  We aren’t, I promise…we only have a slight case of the crazies.  So anyway, this is my fall/winter color that I wear.  I get sorta attached to lipshades and tend to stick with one color for a long long time.
3. My iPhone-Because I will never forget the time when I ran out of gas and didn’t have my cell phone with me and I had to ask the person in the car next to me if I could use their cell to call my husband.  Awful, on so many levels.  At this point, with an iPhone it is also a great toddler distractor as well.
4. Patemm Pad-Because I have a toddler, I can’t ever leave home without diaper equipment.  This changing pad is the best changing pad ever and I’ve told you about it before. I love that this pad can also hold my diapers and wipes and has a handle for carrying.  The best part about this changing pad is that its round and no matter where your kiddo is flailing, the changing pad will generally guard them from the scariness that is public restrooms.  My particular style of Patemm is called the “Deke” which I don’t think they make anymore, but you can definitely find some cuteness on their site.
5. Aquaphor Lip Balm-I can never put lipstick on without first putting a lip balm on and while I have been a devotee of the L’Occitane Shea Butter Lip Balm, it’s just too easy to pick up this Aquaphor Lip Balm at the grocery store or drug store.  It also works well in a mini manicure situation on your cuticles.

So tell me, what 5 things do you never leave home without?

I’m definitely the type of person that needs certain ringtones for certain peeps in my phone.  You see, my cell number has been mistakenly put on some sort of international calling card and I get wrong numbers A LOT.  Like A LOT A LOT.  So I like to put special ringtones on people I talk to you a lot.  And this app: Ringtone Designer Pro lets me turn a song I already have on my iPhone into a ringtone.  And it’s SO EASY.  Try it out…you too can have Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond ringing out when your friends call. What.

We are some picture-taking fools. If there is an event or even just a casual dinner, we always have a camera to document what is happening. Here’s what we use to capture our everyday, what do you use?

1. Sarah-I’ve had a camera very similar to this one for 3 years and I love it for several reasons: 1) it’s resilient 2) it takes great pictures 3) it has a wide viewing screen that allows you to preview your pics without squinting!
2. Der-I got this camera for Christmas last year after much begging and pleading. See, my track record wasn’t too good for not breaking previous cameras I have owned. Now, almost a year later it’s still kickin and taking great pictures. I still have so much to learn about the settings, etc but I’m just happy that it’s still intact. I would like a small take in your purse type camera too, any suggestions??
3. AK-So this is one of those camcorders that also takes pics and my father-in-law got it for us when my son was born as a baby gift/Christmas gift/both of our birthdays the following year gifts hahahahaha! And we love it.  We love the pictures it takes and we love the videos it takes.  For my son’s first birthday we setup a “photobooth” by putting it on a tripod and swiveling the screen so you can see yourself and using the remote control it comes with.  Can’t say enough good things about this camera.
4. Court-Ben and I have a small cam that we try to remember to bring with us at all times. But that rarely, errr, never happens. Anyone who knows me knows I’m constantly snapping shots with my iPhone. Works for now and I always know I’ll have it on hand.

Remember when I posted about TeuxDeux as a web application that can keep you sane? Well they FINALLY came out with an iPhone App and it SYNCS with what you already have listed on your computer.  It’s the BOMB! Check it out!

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox is toddler crack! After playing it a couple of times as we wait at a doctor’s office, my son has been running around saying “mama, monkey? monkey?” Go check it out, it’s been a huge hit at our house!