Mommy Wommy, gave me this recycled soda can tab shoulder bag for my birthday. I can’t tell you the number of compliments I get when I wear it. So many, that I had to post on my blog for friends who kept on asking me where they could buy it. I love that the bag looks stylish and casual at the same time. Not only is it lightweight but any crumbs you might have from carrying your kid’s food around with you day in and day out just fall through the crumb size holes in the bag. And it doesn’t get dirty–a real plus.

They have a coupon for free shipping if you click on the FREE SHIPPING banner at the top of the perpetualkid.com site. The code is FS25.

This Westminster Tabletop Foosball Game is a new family favorite. It’s small size makes it perfect for an apartment sized foosball game–and even something you can take on a road trip. But, it’s just as fun as any foosball table. My eight year old beat me 8 to 9 tonight. We have done the research and it’s the perfect gift for kids 6 and up. I am adding it to my favorite gift list. I especially like games that are interactive and allow kids to easily play together. Even kids who hate typical games will like this gift. It’s also good for “the kid who has everything.” In addition, the table is made of wood which is impressive, given how many toys are plastic. The only downside is you do have to put it together. It took me about 20 minutes to put it together and it was pretty simple until I got to the handles which were a little more difficult. I bought is at Zittles on Madison Avenue and it cost about $30.00 which seemed like a bargain for such an impressive gift that was not plastic. You can also buy tabletop foosball on Amazon for $19.95 and pay $9.95 for shipping.

Franklin Table Tennis 2 Player Competition Set allows you to turn any rectangular surface into a mini ping pong table. “It’s the best $14.00 I’ve ever spent,” my 8 year old said after our first game on our kitchen table. Our house is filled with toys–and too many of them are plastic (mostly Legos and Playmobil)–so it was nice to stumble onto something that is not only fun, but made of wood, metal and nylon. The Franklin set has two clamps for each end of the net and I used a large clip to make the net smaller to fit our kitchen table. It’s quite an impressive set up for such a small investment and it would also make a great gift for anyone over the age of 6. We bought ours at State News on 86th Street but it’s also available on Amazon. For $20 you can buy the set a 4 Player Tournament Set with 4 paddles.

<--Clip the net to fit smaller table

“We are celebrating Earth Day at GIFT HERO! We’ve got a great selection of eco-friendly gifts for kids ages 2 to10 — made from recycled materials, natural wood or organic materials.

Shop our eco-friendly gifts today. We love the Buddha Board Laptop. Kids paint on the surface with water and their creation comes to life. As the water evaporates, the art changes until it magically disappears leaving them with a clean slate and a clear mind. Some of our other favorites are Eco Stars Recycled Crayons from Miss Brittany, the Creative Rainbow Curve Set from Educo, the Recycling Truck from Green Toys, and the Solar Car Book from Klutz. To see all of our eco-friendly products, visit our eco-friendly category.

Plus, for the month of April, when you purchase one of our eco-friendly gifts,**
we’ll automatically include a reusable gift bag. Our bags are made from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs and are a great alternative to wrapping paper. It’s an easy way to wrap your gift and bring it to a birthday party!

“Mom, can you stop the mixing?” my son asked this evening when he was trying to fall asleep. It was too late for using my kitchen aid on high speed, but I was making waffles for our trip. which requires beating egg whites. My gluten free waffle recipe is a great recipe, actually. The couple we are meeting on this trip bought us this VillaWare Classic Waffle Maker for our engagement way back when–before kids and before we were gluten free. It was a great gift. I love gifts that you basically have forever. I actually don’t think I made waffles that much before I was gluten free. They seemed too indulgent. But now that we are gluten free, they seem like the perfect breakfast treat. I guess when you don’t have access to all the pastries and breakfast goodies that are in every starbucks, bagel shop and restaurant, the occasional homemade waffle seems less off limits. Being gluten free is funny that way. With less available, I somehow feel freer to indulge in the the things that I can have. My kids won’t eat store bought frozen waffles, anymore. So I make these in advance, freeze them, then use them like I would store bought waffles. My waffle recipe makes six 8 inch waffles. You can cool them on a cooling rack and freeze them. Then, at breakfast time reheat them in a 350° oven or in the toaster for who ever feels like a waffle. It’s pretty funny that I am bringing six homemade waffles in our cooler. While I am content to eat eggs six days in a row, I have no idea what my kids will eat, so I am bringing some waffles since waffles with blueberry syrup are on the menu of the hotel we are staying at.

UPDATE FROM OUR GLUTEN FREE FAMILY VACATION: I completely forgot about the waffles when I got to the resort since the chef was personally making us all our food. But, will ask them to heat them up for our gluten free family this morning and see how everyone likes them. Mostly we have eaten (or I should say–the kids have not eaten) bacon, eggs, Joan’s gluten free bagels and Kinnikinnick cinnamon donuts on our trip. The first morning, I had them bring out the chocolate cake to distract the kids from the marshmallows and lollipops on the buffet. It is really perfect here at Azul Beach Resort in Cancun. Luxurious yet a simple getaway at the same time. You feel pampered, but it feels personal and real unlike when you go to a large scale chain resort. The only problem is how to go anywhere else after having your own personal chef included in the all inclusive meal plan. Today Chef Luiz is making gluten free Paella on the beach for 10 of us–which is something the gluten free and gluten eating members of our group can all enjoy together. That we can share this special meal with everyone, makes it so much more fun and memorable.