OMG! What will I Put Under the Tree?

Reality has hit. The holidays are officially three months away. The biggest procrastinator in the world, that would be me, as finally learned after three children that shopping really needs to be done months in advance. With the economy as weak as it is you want your children to have what they want but more so what they need. I have recently spoken to many friends who have said their kids will be getting more necessities or learning gifts and less of the random useless gifts they will never play with this year because money is tight. It made me think, maybe it will be cheaper in the long run if I research over the next month before I purchase. I have started to really think about what is new and "hot" or must haves for the fun stuff, but also what clothes will they need for the upcoming winter months and what kind of learning gadgets are available to use on the cold days ahead. A day of Leap Frog sure beats a day of television in my eyes. Leap Frog has just come out with the Leapster2. If your household is anything like mine and you have big kids and little kids, you know the little kids like to get into the big kid's "stuff" and this can cause WWIII. My daughter makes it a point to hunt down my son's Nintendo DS or his PlayStation Portable because she wants to play a game. With the Leapster2, she will feel like she has her own gaming system and little does she know, she is learning while playing! Make learning fun! Arts and crafts materials are also a hot item in my house.

Online shopping is the way to go this year. Grab your Cappuccino or Gourmet Hot Chocolate and your laptop during nap time or in between client calls and look on Amazon for all your gift needs, whether it is for kids or adults, just surfing through Amazon will give you endless ideas. I have spent some time over the weekend comparing prices and many times Amazon has very competitive prices compared to Toys R Us. More to come on this blog post as I research more gift ideas to share with my readers. I would love to share ideas with you and hope you will leave a comment if you have ideas to throw my way. Working from home with three kids, I can use all the gift advice I can get my hands on!