Got some last-minute gift shopping to do, but on the cheap? Then this list is for you.

Aqua Doodle Kit

Magnetic Dress-Up Set

Puppytunes

Magic School Bus Body Kit

Spiral Draw

Hop Along Horsie

100 Piece Block Set

Deluxe Chef Set

Honey Bee Tree

IlluStory

My son loves taking a bath. I established an unwavering night-time routine early on, and it actually upsets him a bit to miss out on his second-favorite part of getting ready for bed. The winner being the bedtime story and snuggle. Of course!

I have found Alex bath toys to be well-made, colorful, and they allow your child to be creative in the tub. Because bathtime is more than just getting clean, it’s the last chance to play for the day! 

Pirates of the Tub Bath Set

Alex Tub Island Farm Adventures Playset

Alex Fashion in the Tub:

Nothing cements a parent’s Cool Status among a kid’s peer group like throwing a really, truly unforgettable party, even if the kids all go for naps halfway through and sleep through most of it. Note to the newbies: this only becomes truer as they get older, but it starts in preschool.

We here at TeenyManolo have scoured the Internets for the most original, the most daring, the most memorable and, because we are known to be tight with a penny, the most easily staged for less than twenty bucks, total.

We have found it.

Ladies and gentlemen, from the great RattlingTheKettle comes this brilliant plan for children’s entertainment. Ponies? Who needs ‘em? Clowns? Too scary! Gift bags? You can pick up theme-related items in the local Walgreen’s for less than a buck a kid, and practical too!

It is with great pride and some giggles that we present:

The Teeny Toilet Party!

From the post:

Although he certainly enjoyed the party amenities, I’m pretty sure Ronen’s favorite activity was going to the bathroom.

You see, this was his first experience with a child-size bathroom. At home, the toilet is too big for him, so he sits on a potty. The bathroom at Kids Klub, however, had five minaturized toilets lined up against the wall. It was bathroom heaven…

Once there, he pulled down his pants and proceeded to sit on each toilet, each time for about three seconds before jumping off and heading for the next one. When he finished that, he went around again, this time flushing each toilet and watching the water go down the drain (”bye, bye water! Bye, bye pee pee!”). And again. And again. It took me twenty minutes to convince him to pull his pants back on and wash his hands. In the miniature sinks, of course, which he also loved.

I’m thinking of scrapping our original low-key idea to have inflatable pools and a bubble machine for Ronen’s birthday party next week, and instead rent a bunch of child-size toilets for the kids to play with.

Sounds like a brilliant plan, but I really don’t want to see the pictures.

It seems there is a new children’s retailer on the scene, called Crazy 8, which is owned by the same company that manufactures Gymboree.  I would equate them with The Children’s Place as far as target pricing.  They’ve got a good selection of clothing for newborns up to tweens.  And, for a limited time due to the launch of their new internet site, all shipping is free.  They’ve got a really good sale going on right now as well. The clothes are fairly stylish for the price, so get going!

Here are some of my favorites.

For girls:

 This double-breasted terry jacket is on sale for $16.99.

For boys:

This barn jacket with corduroy collar is on sale for only $23.99

For baby girls:

A smocked terry hoodie on sale for $11.99

For baby boys:

A zip front cardigan on sale for $12.99

Happy shopping! Because I know if there is anything we love more than our kids, it just might be a good sale and free shipping!

Now, how can I call myself part of the Manolo family and not recommend some shoes? And lo, Awesome Mom, I have found some shoes for boys that I like!

It was tough, let me tell you. When Amazon tells you that there are 6,734 items to look through under boys shoes, they ain’t kidding. I laughed, I cried, I threw the keyboard on the floor in frustration, but finally I found things I would buy for my own son.

I tend to prefer a type of shoe that is a bit of a multi-tasker. That way, perhaps I don’t have to buy quite so many, you know? Shoes that fall somewhere in between a sneaker and a loafer work well, and luckily for me, you, us there are tons of them out there.

But first, how could I resist this “Fun Dog” Rain Boot? Does it not have frivolity and cuteness wrapped up in a functional package? Never mind that where I live, we have been in a drought for about four years. I love these boots. I want a pair for myself

Next up, shoes that are admittedly a bit expensive. However, they look as if they can be worn as easily with windpants and a tee, or jeans and a collared shirt.

And lastly, shoes that are on sale! I admit though, five bucks off isn’t whole lot. But, they are eligible to ship for free! Again, the multi-tasking rules apply to this shoe. I could see this on the playground as well as strolling through the mall.

Now, maybe next time I will be brave and do dress shoes! Or maybe shoes that are black, but I have a thing about black shoes that is perhaps a post for another time.

I remember my school lunches very vividly. My mother was cutting-edge in the seventies in that she latched on to the health food movement when all of perhaps 1,000 people in the United States were doing it.

I went from bologna sandwiches and chips to peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat with an apple. I was devastated because who wants to trade their Twinkie for an apple? Nobody, that’s who.

I also remember hating my lunches because they sat in my lunchbox, moldering all morning long in the coat room. By the time lunchtime rolled around, anything that was supposed to be cold was nowhere near, and anything that should have been warm was no longer. That seems like it should defy the laws of physics, doesn’t it? How does a cold thing get warm and a hot thing cold in the same box? I say the government should spend some of those research dollars on this topic, don’t you agree?

Anyhoo, lunches have evolved greatly since those days, and it’s high time they did. The paper sack was discarded in favor of a lunch box or reusable bag. Then, the reusable bag/lunchbox added insulation to better ensure that food temperatures stayed true.

Apparently for the hip moms, even those are passe now.

It’s all about the bento. And listen, the debate on whether kids today are more spoiled can be for another day. Today I’m all about the lunches.

These are not necessarily the laquered kind served to you in Japanese restaurants, or even the kind that Molly Ringwald had for her sushi in The Breakfast Club. No, some of these babies are pretty high tech.

I kind of like this because it looks fairly indestructible. You can stack the lidded bowls in the stainless steel canister. To me, stainless steel spells long-lasting, and if I’m going to spend that kind of money on a lunch “system” it had better make it through a year of dropping on the floor by accident. Which as we all know happens way more than you would think. Or perhaps my kid is just a klutz. Don’t answer that. Even on sale, it is a bit pricey.

Or you can be creative like my bloggy friend J, and create your own bento with brightly colored individual containers. Behold the beauty of this balanced lunch:

So, this year, try to do something different with lunches. You just might surprise yourself with your brilliant ideas. And if you have any, please share them with the rest of us!