Christmas Websites

If you have kids, grandkids or friends who have kids, you MUST check this out! Go to http://www.portablenorthpole.tv and you can create a personalized video message from Santa to the child! You can even upload a picture of the child to be included! Great fun and very exciting for the kids to receive this right before Christmas. Not to mention, it's FREE!

Here's the one I did for my 3 year old son: http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/50ec0dffa633d71d7ac7d869afa2d9e7

Also check out, http://www.northpolar.com where you can get the address to send a letter to Santa and have him send a personalized one back along with a certificate putting your child on this year's Nice list! You can also use this site to play games, visit Santa's village and track Santa on Christmas Eve to see where he is at any time!

These are some very wonderful sites which are worth a moment of your time and the smile on your child's face! Merry Christmas kids!!

"One Step Ahead" & "Leaps and Bounds"

Want quality baby, toddler and preschooler products? Try "One Step Ahead" and "Leaps and Bounds" catalogs. "One Step Ahead" features products for children 0-3 years old. "Leaps and Bounds" features products for children 3+ years old. These products are very high quality and are parent tested and professional approved.

There are so many products I wouldn't even know where to begin. They have everything you can think of from child proofing, health and nutrition to Halloween costumes. Their pricing is great and delivery is quick. The golf costume on my son on the right is from "Leaps and Bounds" in 2008.

Parents Magazine

I LOVE this magazine! I give this a high FIVE star rating. Parents Magazine is everything you can think of for parents, babies, toddlers, preschoolers, big kids and teens and more. It has product reviews, recipes, tips, advice, vacation reviews etc. Their website is incredible as well-chock full of everything right there at your fingertips!

You can subscribe to a three-year subscription for only $12! Can you beat that one? Every parent should read this magazine....even my husband makes sure to read the section called "Baby Bloopers"; the funny and embarrassing things our kids have done! Very entertaining!

Click the image for link to the website and subscription option.

American Baby Magazine

I give American Baby magazine a FOUR star rating. It's a nice little magazine you've probably seen in your OB's office. You can sign up to receive it for free! It's full of information for new moms and new babies.

This magazine comes from the family of Parents Magazine (see review). It's not as extensive as some of the other parenting/baby magazines, but you can't beat it being a free subscription!

Click on the image to subscribe for free.

"What to Expect the First Year" by Heidi Murkoff

If What to Expect When You're Expecting is the pregnancy bible, What to Expect the First Year is the infancy bible. This book is just as incredible and insightful as it's predecessor. We've given this a rating of FIVE star as I can't imagine going through the first year with my son without this book. While calling his pediatrician helped, this book was always there with answers!

"Everything new parents need to know about the care (and feeding) of an infant, from the authors of What to Expect® When You're Expecting. Covers monthly growth and development, feeding for every age and stage, sleep strategies that really work.

Filled with the most practical tips (how to give a bath, decode your baby's crying, what to buy for baby, and when to return to work) and the most up-to-date medical advice (the latest on vaccines, vitamins, illnesses, SIDS, safety, and more)."

We found it at Barnes and Noble for about $11.

Click the image for a link to purchase.

"What to Expect When You're Expecting" by Heidi Murkoff

Just My Opinion is giving this book a FIVE star rating. This book is incredible! It leads you through pre-conception all the way through the baby's birth and aftermath. It has so many questions answered it's incredible. It answers the embarassing stuff you are afraid to ask your doctor to the questions you never thought of but need answers to.

We found this book at Barnes and Noble online for about $12. It's in it's fourth edition and truly is America's pregnancy bible. "What to Expect When You're Expecting is a perennial New York Times bestseller and one of USA Today's 25 most influential books of the past 25 years. It's read by more than 90% of pregnant women who read a pregnancy book—the most iconic, must-have book for parents-to-be, with over 14.5 million copies in print."

Click the image for a link to purchase.