Hot tots

I know that buying clothes for my nephews is not the best way to spend my money...but, how can I resist when I see tees as cute as this one?

Picking it out of your carpet

Earlier this year, LEGO celebrated its 50th anniversary. It is now time to celebrate another classic. Play-doh has been squeezed and squished for 50 years. It still smells funny, makes a huge mess and dries out if you leave it open...but kids love playing with it. To celebrate, Play-Doh has put together a collection to provide hours of entertainment - 50 fun colors in cute mini containers.

Did they get it wrong?

"They" say Mason Pearson brushes are the best. I tried one and was less than impressed. My Denman Paddle Brush is by far my most favorite brush. It is very simple and does not hurt my head with prickly bristles. My sister used it the last time she was at my house and (without prompting from me) commented on how much she liked it. I also asked a hairdresser about it and she agreed...great brush!

This is just smart

Flexible measuring cups...really, do I need to say more?

I've learned it all from mom

As a child, I do not recall being forced to floss every day. I'm sure my mother was too busy focusing on getting me to wear my rubber bands (part of my 4 painful years in braces) to push the floss. I only recently became a fan of flossing when I found the Reach Flosser. However, my mother just introduced me to Butler GUM® Soft Picks® and I like these even better. In all fairness, my Aunt Roberta is the one who told my mom about them. And she should know a thing or two about teeth - her daughter is an orthodontist and son-in-law is a dentist. I picked up a small package from the drugstore, but I think I need to buy them in bulk!

Set a place for me

I know that I have inherited my fascination with placemats from my mother. She has several unique sets. I really like these cool placemats from CB2. They kind of remind me of the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing. And, they are on sale right now too!

All Crocs are not created equally

I'm not sure if I'm in the majority or minority here, but I think Crocs are ugly...unless kids are wearing them. They are adorable on kids (except on escalators). However, I tried them on and could not believe how comfortable they were...so I gave in and bought a pair of Crocs Athens Thong Sandals and pretty much live in them.

Good Intentions

My sister's birthday is tomorrow and I have not bought a gift for her yet. Since Zappos can get things delivered faster than the speed of light, I started to look for her gift. Until I got distracted by this cute Cole Haan bag. Sorry Meryl...I'll get you something really great next year!?!?

Twisted Twee for the Slightly Twisted

Yes, I do understand that this tee is not for everyone...but, they are really funny. For a good laugh, check out the entire alphabet set...unless you are easily offended by somewhat X-rated pictures on kids tees. The site has tons of other funny things too; I especially love the worry pillow.

Mary knows a good knife when she sees it

My friend Mary Stuart's mom, Mary, has a kitchen full of fancy chef's knives, including several paring knives...and she says her Kuhn Rikon Knives are her favorite paring knives. To be perfectly honest, I am not entirely sure when to use a paring knife...but, I do love the cool colors!

Messy refrigerator???

What a great way to display your child's artwork...instead of covering your refrigerator with it, you can send it to Lands' End and they will put it on a tote bag for you. You can get it printed for about $10 or embroidered for a bit more ($155 to be exact).

Silly or not?

I saw this water bottle ice cube tray a few months ago and thought it was kind of silly...until I went to the beach. I planned to fill my bottle with ice (since it is 900 degrees outside) and just a bit of water so it would stay cool longer. Have you ever tried to shove crescent shaped ice into the small mouth of a water bottle? It isn't exactly easy - not impossible, but a bit of a pain. These ice cube trays are starting to look a bit more appealing to me now.

Educational artwork

My sister bought the Rand McNally Kids Illustrated World Wall Map for my nephew Nathan (otherwise known as her son). Anyway, I love wall maps and was very excited to hear that he had one. It is really cool - it comes with a guidebook full of interesting information about each of the illustrations...and Nathan loves it! He points to things out on the map and then waits to hear the explanation. How great is that?

Cool cocktail ring

Last year, I was asked to find an online vendor for the Lalique Cabochon ring. The Lalique rings are great, but for a quarter of the price the Bling Ring from Phuze Designs is an excellent alternative. It is a little different (faceted instead of smooth) but still very fashionable.

$0.42???

I rarely send mail anymore and hate to spend the money for stamps when the price seems to go up every year...far too soon for me to use an entire book of stamps. It makes so much more sense to buy the forever stamp, but I really do like the Eames stamps...much more exciting than the old Liberty Bell.

I drink a lot of Crystal Light

My friend Shelly is selling products for The Pampered Chef. I had never heard of the company and was a tiny bit skeptical...until my sister bought me their Quick-Stir® Pitcher. It is so easy to use and now I don't have to waste so many spoons stirring the many pitchers I make each week.

I have never baked a pie

But, if I were to make one I think I might like the Individual Pie Slice Pan. I don't exactly know how to bake a pie, so I'm not sure how difficult it would be to separate the ingredients into the individual pans. However, I do like the idea of no gooey crust when slicing my imaginary apple pie.