Has retailers crying into their beers and parents doing a happy dance.

I have tried never to buy into the whole “must have” toy thing, although I know a lot of people do because of peer pressure and the like.  If the popular toy happens to coincide with the interests of my child, then great.  But if it doesn’t, I will feel not even a tiny pang of regret.

And is it just me, or am I the only one surprised to read in that article that layaway is back?

Maybe I come from a place of privilege when I say that I’m not a big fan of layaway.

If we can’t afford something, we don’t buy it.  We have had more than one Christmas when we told our son that Mommy and Daddy simply did not have the money to buy him oodles of things.  That he gets a lot from his extended family and we see no need to put ourselves in debt for some toys.  Did he get something? Yes, but one year it was pretty thin.

Again, maybe I know not of what I speak.

Anybody want to set me straight?

I will say it right now, unless the men in your lives have very specific hobbies that they LOVE (i.e. golf) men are quite difficult to buy for.  Much more so than they claim to be, anyway.  One can only receive so many ties, after all.  Even if they are nice ones.

So here is a little guide to help you out a bit.

Buffalo Nickel Tails Side Hand Painted Cuff Links

I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for cuff links.  When I was a little girl, I remember going through my parents’ jewelry cases and seeing cuff links and having no idea what they were for.  These are real Buffalo Nickels and are a nice departure from your boring old black/silver combination.

James Perse Lounge Long Sleeve Crew

My husband used to be the kind of guy who never wanted to spend more than five bucks on a shirt.  I kid you not.  So on a daily basis for almost twenty years, my eyes have been assaulted with the most ugly, godawful shirts you could ever have the misfortune of seeing.  But about six months ago in a sudden moment of clarity, he decided that life was too short to wear crappy shirts all the time.  He felt he deserved a little luxury, a little comfort, even when relaxing at home.  And indeed, shouldn’t that be when you feel the most comfortable?

Incase Monochrome Soft Touch Slider Case-4G

What would be more appreciated than a wonderful case for his beloved iPhone?

Pioneer AVIC-Z130BT 7″ In-Dash Navigation AV Receiver with iPod/iPhone Control, Bluetooth, Pandora

Make him the envy of everyone in the neighborhood with this uber cool navigation system from Pioneer.  It has everything he could ever want, and maybe some things he never even knew he wanted.  Until this came along.

Roku 2 XS 1080p Streaming Player

This little device will allow him to watch almost everything he wants on television, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant, Pandora, sports, plus more.  Enough, in fact, to keep his butt glued to the couch so that you can have some time to do some more online shopping without any pesky questions being asked.

Logitech Harmony 650 Remote Control

Sick of having five different remote controls for everything? Then this top-rated baby is the solution.  Even better is that he will be so enthralled with this gift, he won’t realize it isn’t just for him, technically.  You know, like when he buys you a  KitchenAid stand mixer.  Sure, you love it, but you won’t be the only one eating the results.

Logitech Ultimate Ears 700 Noise-Isolating Earphones

Does he do a lot of traveling?  Work in a noisy environment? Or does he just have some really annoying neighbors?  His ears will thank you forever.

How to Be A Gentleman

Do you have a certain younger male relative who constantly mistakes family gatherings for frat parties? Then this short, quick, and to the point handy dandy guide is just for him. Gently given advice, but sometimes greatly needed.

Kiehl’s Ultimate Man Body Scrub Soap

Does he want to be the ultimate man?  Of course he does! Then get him this soap!

So we were searching around for a gift for my nine year old for his birthday, which was in September. At the time, everyone was buzzing about the Kindle Fire, and since my husband and I had already discussed a desire to get him a tablet device (but were balking at the price tag of the iPad) the Fire seemed like a perfect solution.

Not too expensive? Check.

I think we spent more on his DSi a couple years ago.  If something happened to it, I wouldn’t be hyperventilating the same way I would over an iPad.

Easy to use? Check.

If you’ve already got WiFi enabled, you can start using the Kindle in less than a minute upon opening the box as long as you have an Amazon account. I find the browsing and icons to be fairly intuitive, and my tech-crazy son finds it even easier.  The touch screen strikes a nice balance of sensitivity, and I’m so happy there is no stylus needed.

Nice to look at? Check.

The size is perfect to hold easily in your hand, and the screen resolution is fantastic. At least to my untrained eye.

Access to books, books, and more books? Check.

I am not kidding when I say that I have a hard time keeping up with my son’s reading habit. Buying new is expensive, although I do for series that I know he loves, such as all the Percy Jackson books. Our downfall is that we are horrible at getting books back to the library on time, and we tend to check out around thirty books at a time. Add all the late fees up for two weeks or so, and I figure I’m already ahead on the Kindle purchase. Our last late fee was around forty bucks. Ouch!

Decent battery life? Check.

We got about a ten hour charge out of it on first usage out of the box.

Android-based? Check.

Finally, I have seen what the Angry Birds craze is all about.

Access to the internet? Check.

This was not the main reason I bought the Fire over the other Amazon e-readers, but I figure it can’t hurt.  Right?  Trust me when I say my son will never be allowed to access the internet whenever he feels like it.   Supervision at all times!  As many filters as I can put in there!  Educational websites only! That being said, he needs to learn how to navigate the internet as a critical thinker, and this will help him do that. With me looking over his shoulder, of course.

We just got our Fire this afternoon, so maybe there are certain things I will hate about it in a week or so, but my first impression of it is extremely positive.

Overall, as a parent, I heartily recommend the Kindle Fire.

*I bought the Kindle Fire with my own moolah.  I was given absolutely no compensation for this review.  Although I certainly wouldn’t refuse a free app or two.

Now, I know I told you I would have the downsides to homeschooling for you today, but then I realized it was Wednesday.

Nobody wants to hear complaints on a Wednesday.

So, I bring to you the tumblr My Parents Were Awesome, and some of the awesomeness contained therein.

Glinda sez, you are never too young to embrace your inner geek!

via

48% of you don’t mind baby showers, as long as you are good friends with the mother-to-be. The rest of the time, not so much. 28% are fine as long as they are not forced to play Baby Bingo and that game where you stick your hand in a bucket and try to identify as many objects in it as you can.  I hate that game.  Ahem.  16% loathe baby showers, and 8% of you prefer to share the pain at co-ed showers.  It is very telling that NOT ONE PERSON said they enjoyed going to baby showers.  I must ponder this.

So far this summer, I have seen exactly one movie in theaters.   It happened to be Bridesmaids, which I highly recommend.  But for almost everything else, I’m going to sit it out and wait for it to come to cable, or at the very least, video on demand.

I am a sucker, total sucker, for great educational programming.

And the History Channel’s How the States Got Their Shapes falls into that category very nicely.

With Brian Unger (former Daily Show correspondent and NPR host) and his completely deadpan delivery, this show manages to make what could potentially be an extremely boring subject and make it sing.  He’s not to hard on the eyes, either, which always makes for a nice bonus.

If you’ve got a mature 8 year old, they should do fine with this show.  There is some historical violence, such as various reenactments of Civil War battles and so far, they have said the word “hell.” But it is totally in context.

You will find out the answers to these utterly fascinating questions: (and I say that not at all facetiously)

-How did an asteroid create the border for three states and change history?

- Why did we almost have a state called Forgottonia?

-Why does Montana look like it took a bite out of Idaho?

-Did the Civil War actually begin… in Kansas?

The season is already six shows in, but I’m guessing you can find it on reruns.  It IS the History Channel, after all.  If not, they’ve got all previously-aired shows online.

And yes, I am officially a geek.