Mommies with Style

Fun Slides Carpet Skates

If the thought of another rainy/snowy day with the kids parked in front of the tv is enough to make you scream, then you will love these carpet skates. These nifty one-size-fits-all skates turn your living room into an indoor rink with lightning fast velcro speed.

Recommended for ages 6 and up, We tested these during the recent California fires when my normally active children were forced to remain indoors for several days due to poor air quality. Because these skates are so flat, they pack up easily. Which is why we brought them along on a recent hotel trip to visit family. Everyone was commenting how well behaved my kids were, able to sit nicely in the restaurant.

Clearly they were not staying on the same floor as us or they would have learned my secret - I wore them out by letting them skate back and forth along the hotel corridors all morning! Carpet Skates retail at around $20, and are a truly unisex gift. Gadgets and Gizmos has them on sale for $14.99. Perfect stocking stuffer!

Bella Sara Trading Cards

Just when you thought trading cards were mainly for boys, Bella Sara cards hit the market. These horse themed trading cards are beautiful and intriguing on their own and sure to please any girl who loves horses. They are sure to learn about real horse breeds as well as mythological ones.

Collecting and trading the cards is only half the fun. The cards can be used to play games. But more importantly (according to my kids) you can log on to BellaSara.com and you can register your cards/horses with the unique number that is on each card. This adds the horse to your personal stable and you can care for them, feeding them and groom them. Afterwards check out all the online games in Bella Sara world.

Games vary in skill /difficulty from easy to quite challenging. Bella Sara fever is setting in here and even edging out the recent Webkins craze. It's most popular with girls aged 5-10. Trading cards can be purchased online at Amazon (they have very competitive prices) as well as at Target and other specialty stores. Another great stocking stuffer, appropriate for girls aged 5 and up!

Monopoly Electronic Edition

Here's another great unisex gift for kids aged 6 and up. This new twist on the classic Monopoly game has pros and cons. Pros are that the calculator and credit cards handle all money exchages, welcoming younger players to the game table. The game is faster and smoother without all the constant counting.

The cons are that you can no longer hide big bills under the board and it is difficult to have a "pot" on the free parking spot. Also, if you are so inclined, it is much harder to cheat! Nevertheless my kids love playing monopoly with this "credit card" edition. Even my seven yr old is able to take on the role of banker. Be forwarned that the board has been modernized!

Playing pieces include Altoids tins and wide screen tv's and railroad stations have been replaced with airports like LAX and JFK. Which did not seem to take away one bit from the traditional monopoly game fun when our family played. Amazon has this game for $29.95.

Doodles, Scribbles, and Squiggles by Taro Gomi

This "coloring" book trio is advertised for kids aged 3 to 300. I hesitate to call it a coloring book because the books are equal parts sketch pad, journal and brainstorming list. Each page of these three volumes challenges children to use their creativity to complete an idea or tell a story.

One page instructs them to draw in the passengers sitting next to two lonely children in a subway car. Another requests them to draw two meals... the most mouthwatering wins. These books are a great gift to any child that likes to doodle, as well as to their parents, who will treasure the results of their children's creativity for years to come.

They are also a perfect answer to the age old question "Mommy, what should I draw?". Doodles, Squiggles and Scribbles are available from Chronicle Books for $18.95 each.

The Learning Cents Bank

This educational and fun piggy bank is just perfect for young kids who have just started an allowance. It reminds them how to budget and think of others - at holiday time and all year round. Every Learning Cents bank has three clear comparments, so that kids can see exactly where they are putting their money.

The first compartment is labelled "spend", the second is labelled "save" and the third compartment, says "give". Alternatively you can order a version with the Hebrew word "tzedkah", which literally translates to "justice" and is an important part of Jewish culture. Whatever your religion, your kids will love this bank.

It comes in several colors, includes stickers to personalize the bank with the child's name and dry erase markers to track financial goals. The bank has easy access through flip top lids. You can order your Learning Cents bank in both the Classic or the Tzedakeh version for $21.99 directly from Learning Cents.

These picks have been selected and written by Ciaran.

Long before the last jack o lantern has been lit and the Black Friday sale circular rumors have started to circulate, Super Shopping Ciaran is hard at work getting ready for the holidays. Shopping is a year round adventure in her household, and these days it is one she gets to enjoy with her junior shopping "assistants". This year her helpers lent a hand by leafing through hundreds of pages of holiday catalogs in search of interesting bounty. That's gonna cost Ciaran plenty as good assistants don't come cheap.

Ciaran will be spending the holidays in sunny So Cal with her two daughters,aged 7 and 11, her 3 year old son and her mall weary husband. This year her hubby is getting a break from the mall, since Ciaran is pregnant and too tired to shop with three kids in tow. No worries though, she's flying though cyberspace at lightning fast speed. No stops at the food court for fortification needed.