I start with a Sterilite Snap Box (found at Target) and do the lettering with the help of some painter’s tape to keep me straight.  Then I head to my local Craft store (Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, etc) for the innards.  The key is to buy in bulk and get into my Costco-size Ziploc bags to do the dividing.

So here are the goodies:

1)  Velvet coloring activity I found in the $1 bin;  2) safety scissors; 3) glue stick (you might want to warn the parents about this one); 4) crayons – I like these new Crayola twistables; 5) a bunch of stickers; 6) foam stickers (animals, stars and bells, letters and numbers); 7) colored craft sticks; 8.  regular craft sticks; 9) bells; 10) pompoms; 11) googly eyes; 12) pipe cleaners; 13) activity books: dot-to-dot, mazes, etc. (School Zone Publishing has great ones for about $1.40 each and available here:

Mazes Animals Activity Zone

My dear friend Erika – a teacher – uses books, cute lettering and stickers:

How cute is that??

She also uses these adorable reusable shopping bags for boys:

I also heard an idea a while back about a special playdate (bowling, horseback riding, a trip to the bounce house place, etc) in lieu of a present.  I’ve been trying this with mixed results.

Yes, and sometimes, I just grab the LEGO set and go with it!

What are your ideas for birthdays?

My Aunt and Uncle sent us Rory’s Story Cubes this Christmas.  I had never heard of them and let me just tell you how fantastic they are!

The product description explains: “Rory’s Story Cubes is a pocket-sized creative story generator, providing hours of imaginative play for all ages. There are infinite ways to play with Rory’s Story Cubes – Try them as a party game or ice-breaker, for literacy development, speaking and listening skills, creative inspiration, a mental workout or problem solving. Anyone can become a great storyteller and there are no wrong answers. Simply roll the cubes and let the pictures spark your imagination.”

I have my 4 year olds roll the dice (9 in total) and use the pictures in any order to generate a story.  They learned in about two days how to form their story with a beginning, middle and an end.  We talked about plot, characters, themes, etc…   This has been a wonderful tool for their imaginations!

Every time we get them out (which they suggest often), I think of new uses that would be just right for Story Cubes.  The Story Cubes fit in my purse and would be perfect to pull out at a restaurant while we wait for our food.  These would be perfect in a classroom for all ages- they could help spur and develop creative writing in high school students and first graders alike.  Can you imagine being able to answer “Get the Story Cubes!”  every time you hear “I can’t think of anything to write!!”

These were such a fun, unique gift and have quickly become an important tool for me as much as a fun game for our whole family.

If you have not yet been introduced to Stephen T. Johnson’s books for children, you are missing out on a fantastic, interactive, unparalleled reading experience. See that robot? You literally build it as you move through the story from removable parts of the book!

My Little Yellow Taxi features 16 interactive features! This includes: a gas nozzle to fill up the taxi with gas, an oil stick that moves, a removable air tire gauge with spinning tires, 3 removable snacks, a seatbelt and rearview mirror, windshield wipers that move, headlights that go on and off, a roof light that goes on and off duty, and a steering wheel, ignition switch and car key that all move and work.

I’m telling you, kids flip out when they see how much they are supposed to interact with these books.

Amazingly, the accompanying text is on par with the fantastic construction of these masterpieces. In My Little Pink Princess Purse, the fairy godmother offers this message: “My dearest Princess, with this key, you may open this vanity box. Inside you will find a magic mirror. Only a true princess who is filled with grace, humility, intelligence, self-confidence, and imagination will be able to see her reflection. Use it wisely! With love, your Fairy Godmother.”

This title includes ’6 lift-up tabs, an erasable writing slab, a removable quill pen, an elegant fan, rose-colored glasses, 4 scratch-and-sniff perfumes, 5 rings, a bracelet, a sapphire tiara, a key and handheld mirror.’

In addition to My Little Blue Robot, we read and play with My Little Red Fire Truck and My Little Red Toolbox on a regular basis around our house.

The wonderful thing about these titles is that you can score them at your local bookstore or online for less than $20! If you need a gift for a child that seemingly has everything, or to whom you would rather gift something a little more timeless and meaningful than another bright, plastic toy of the day… consider one of these books. They are really very special and I know from experience how excited children are when they open one of these.

And you know what???

She was absolutely right.  No truer words have been spoken.

Meet the Elf on the Shelf, a set which comes with a book and this little elf doll (mine doesn’t have a skirt, but I thought she was cute).

Here’s how it works: The Elf comes to your house around Christmastime and he or she flies home to Santa every night to report if your adorable has been good or bad.  My adorables can tell that Jack (our elf) has left, because he changes locations every morning.  Whenever my adorables get in trouble, I just put my face in my hands and utter: “Oh no!  I bet the Elf saw you/heard you”, you know, like we’re in this together.  They immediately stiffen and my younger adorable will actually run over and explain himself to Jack and beg forgiveness.

I’m just delighted with the whole arrangement.

Now if they could just invent something for the rest of the year.

Oh wait, that’s my job.

But a break is certainly welcome!

Here’s a list of 101 Elf on the Shelf Ideas from Blossom Bunkhouse to give you some inspiration.

I can’t help myself, I’m already thinking about fall because the giving season is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love the challenge of picking something personal and meaningful to gift my family and friends.   For me, that means being open to ideas the whole year, filing away helpful links and even ordering some items and storing them until the time is right!

With gift-giving in mind, here are 3 sites that struck my fancy recently:

Miabooo is a fun Etsy shop with handcrafted wood children’s blocks.

They are whimsical and fun.

I like the idea of giving a traditional gift, blocks, with the modern spin of a funky or personalized design.

Next up is Nerdy Baby:

Science is fun, of course, but Tiffany makes it simultaneously funny, endearing and so visually appealing that you can’t help but order some of her work for the people on your gift list for whom you know learning is fun.  Check it out:

Newton’s Laws of Motion

123 Poster

Prime Number Counting Chart

Had I known about Tiffany’s work before our boys were born they would have had a Tiffany Ard nursery for sure!  Visit www.tiffanyard.com for wonderfully smart gifts for teachers, friends and kids you know are nerds at heart.

I came across Sarah + Abraham on The Macs blog and I am hooked on her simple, touching designs:

The silhouettes she does are fabulous and come in all manner of colors, poses and numbers to fit your family’s composition and style.

These plates are so fun!  What a perfect gift for a birthday or holiday- they can be used year round for many years, they don’t take up much space and they’re colorful and special.

This is the pillow mentioned in the post about Levi’s Room and I encourage you to investigate all the images and colors available; it’s amazing how you really do see the kids you know and love in these faces!

Check out for stationary, stickers, note pads, art prints, invitations, cupcake toppers…you name it, you can find it here: www.sarahandabraham.com!

Please let us know in the comments, by e-mail or on our facebook wall when you find great sites for fun gifts.   You never know, your favorite might just get featured on The Good Stuff Guide!

Meet the Word Whiz from Learning Resources:

With 3 separate levels, this little game is a handy way to make learning to read fun.

Level 1 is 3-letter words.  You choose the first letter to complete the word.

Level 2 is 4-letter words (no, not THAT kind!).  Again, you choose the first letter to complete the word.

Level 3 is what is pictured above.  You choose the first 2 letters to complete the word.

In all three levels, you create as many words as possible in 1 minute.

I like that this can be done quickly – just 1-minute increments make it pretty painless if your adorable puts up a fight.  Sometimes mine does, but otherwise he’s eager.

Here’s something else I just learned – there is a MUTE button!  Hooray!  Many of the places where this is perfect to tote along would much prefer to NOT hear techno beeps and jingles.  You just press and hold the power button to turn the sound off.  It’s a little touchy, as its the same button to turn the machine off.  But hooray for muting!

This little device is perfect for your adorables aged 5-8.

And you can win one!

Giveaway

One lucky, lucky winner can win a  Word Whiz from Learning Resources ($16.74) simply by leaving a comment by Tuesday, August 2nd.  I’ll choose the winner using Random.org and announce it on Wednesday.

Because I just LOVE comments, here’s how to gain extra entries (please leave them as separate entries):

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!

2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is. We’d love to have them join us!

3. “Like” The Good Stuff Guide on Facebook and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways. (I LIKE you too!)

4. “Share” any recent post from The Good Stuff Guide on your Facebook wall by clicking ‘Share’ under our Facebook posts with links to The Good Stuff Guide site.  This makes a visit to our site just a click away for all your Facebook friends – the more the merrier…

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 5 entries!)

Happy Monday to you!

Something for the girls today…

Meet the Calico Critters Baby Amusement Park:

This cutey-patootie set includes a roller coaster, a ferris wheel, and a ticket stand.

It’s really just adorable, but FYI, the set itself does not come with any critters which make it so engaging in the photo.  The set we were sent had an extra package attached, but I do feel that 1 or 2 little guys should be included for the magnitude  and price point of this set.

With that said, my boys (!) have just loved playing with this.  I thought we would test it out and pass it along to some darling girl, but they won’t let me part with it!  So I think that says a ton!

Perfect for imaginative, quiet play.

And you can win one…

Giveaway

One lucky, lucky winner can win a  Calico Critters Baby Amusement Park ($49.99) simply by leaving a comment by Tuesday, August 2nd.  I’ll choose the winner using Random.org and announce it on Wednesday.

Because I just LOVE comments, here’s how to gain extra entries (please leave them as separate entries):

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!

2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is. We’d love to have them join us!

3. “Like” The Good Stuff Guide on Facebook and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways. (I LIKE you too!)

4. “Share” any recent post from The Good Stuff Guide on your Facebook wall by clicking ‘Share’ under our Facebook posts with links to The Good Stuff Guide site.  This makes a visit to our site just a click away for all your Facebook friends – the more the merrier…

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 5 entries!)

(I forgot to ask them if I could use this photo when we hugged and parted ways, so I’m hoping they invite me next year!)

They are as sweet and fun as they look in this photo, and I’m so lucky to have them for friends.  My cheeks hurt from laughing so much!

Today, you’re in for a great treat!  Gather up the neighborhood adorables and let them loose in your backyard with this:

This is the Kickback Soccer Goal & Pitch Back from Step 2.  This set includes everything photoed here so you are all set.

Here’s the really great part: you use the soccer goal as you would any soccer goal, but turn it around and you have a pitch back too!  I love it when the brilliant people behind these toys make them multi-functional!

And you can win one…

Giveaway

One lucky, lucky winner can win a  Kickback Soccer Goal & Pitch Back ($34.99) simply by leaving a comment by Tuesday, July 26th.  I’ll choose the winner using Random.org and announce it on Wednesday.

Because I just LOVE comments, here’s how to gain extra entries (please leave them as separate entries):

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!

2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is. We’d love to have them join us!

3. “Like” The Good Stuff Guide on Facebook and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways. (I LIKE you too!)

4. “Share” any recent post from The Good Stuff Guide on your Facebook wall by clicking ‘Share’ under our Facebook posts with links to The Good Stuff Guide site.  This makes a visit to our site just a click away for all your Facebook friends – the more the merrier…

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 5 entries!)

I traveled with the adorables over to my old stomping grounds in Southwest Michigan, just outside of Kalamazoo.

Mind you, I didn’t plan on buying 44 POUNDS of blueberries.  I started with 3 10-pound boxes.   We eat them fast, and it starts to make me nervous when we hit our last 10 pounder.

But then the adorables wanted to pick blueberries too.

Little clumps of yummy right there.

2 buckets and me filling them up as fast as they can eat my efforts.

If only I had Go-Go Gadget arms.

This adorable is one pooped pup and there’s nothing better than fresh, warmed by the sun blueberries.

P.S. I found this hat somewhere so if it is yours, alert me.  I’ve been trying to find its owner.

A bumper crop this year!

So 3 10-pound boxes and 2 7-pound buckets bring us to 44 pounds.

See?? Not so crazy.

If you could taste their sweet perfection, you would totally understand.

But I think I see our future as Blueberries for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

For Today’s Giveaway, your little adorable is going to love it!

Meet both the Big View Bug Jars:

These bug jars are awesome!  You catch the bug, and pop open the ladybug top to find a magnifying glass for easy viewing.

And the Early Explorer’s Science Set:

This is a stand-up magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers that are perfect for chubby little toddler fingers.

My adorables have loved both of these sets.  You won’t believe all the yard has to offer!

Giveaway

One lucky, lucky winner can win a the Big View Bug Jars and the Early Explorer’s Science Set simply by leaving a comment by Tuesday, July 19th.  I’ll choose the winner using Random.org and announce it on Wednesday.

Because I just LOVE comments, here’s how to gain extra entries (please leave them as separate entries):

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!

2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is. We’d love to have them join us!

3. “Like” The Good Stuff Guide on Facebook and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways. (I LIKE you too!)

4. “Share” any recent post from The Good Stuff Guide on your Facebook wall by clicking ‘Share’ under our Facebook posts with links to The Good Stuff Guide site.  This makes a visit to our site just a click away for all your Facebook friends – the more the merrier…

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 5 entries!)

I want to share with you something else we’ve loved – and you can win your own copy!  Today, I have 2 copies to give away, so you have double the chance of winning.

This is not just any book – it’s all about math.  Surprise!

What do you think when you hear the words “primes, multiplication, factors and factor trees, factorials”?  Is it sheer panic, nervous hives??

(Perhaps that’s just me…)

But do not fear – Open this book and find a very innovative, visually clear presentation of multiplication and factor trees – I could even understand prime numbers in a new way.

And that’s saying something…

Every page illustrates a number down to its primes, with a corresponding monster illustration – part of the fun is finding the primes in the illustration.  Trust me, it’s captivating.

Giveaway

TWO lucky, lucky winner can win a copy each of You Can Count on Monsters simply by leaving a comment by Tuesday, July 19th.  I’ll choose the winner using Random.org and announce it on Wednesday.

Because I just LOVE comments, here’s how to gain extra entries (please leave them as separate entries):

1. Do you subscribe by email or RSS to The Good Stuff Guide? I love my subscribers, so you get an extra entry. Wahoo!

2. Email 5 of your friends about The Good Stuff Guide and tell them what a rockin’ website this is. We’d love to have them join us!

3. “Like” The Good Stuff Guide on Facebook and receive the latest news and your chance at additional giveaways. (I LIKE you too!)

4. “Share” any recent post from The Good Stuff Guide on your Facebook wall by clicking ‘Share’ under our Facebook posts with links to The Good Stuff Guide site.  This makes a visit to our site just a click away for all your Facebook friends – the more the merrier…

(Feel free to do them all – that’s a total of 5 entries!)