Birthday Gift Advisor

For That Person Who Has Everything ...

We all have that one person on our list that has everything. Either they have money and just buy it for themselves or they just don’t need anything. You still need/want to buy them a present, but what? Here are a few out-of-the-box suggestions.

1. A Star: Yes, you really can buy a star for someone. For around $50 you can send them a nice certificate and a map of the night sky so they can find it.

2. Adopt-an-Animal: Most local zoos have special programs where you can adopt a zoo animal. Sometimes it comes with special recognition, other times an arranged animal encounter. Rest assured, no one has ever bought them an elephant recently.

3. The Experience of a Lifetime: Whether they always wanted to be a veterinarian or a high flying trapeze artist, there is bound to be program where they can experience what it would have been like for the day. Let them live out their dreams.

4. Donation: If your friend or loved one has a favorite charity, why not make a donation in lieu of a giving them a present. Chances are they would love that idea.

5. Dinner: Going out to eat may seem like fun, but it gets old fast. If you are a good cook (and that’s a big if), you can whip up the dish you are famous for and offer them a home-cooked meal for a change, with birthday cake for dessert of course.

6. If you’ve got kids, have them make something. As cheesy as it sounds, people love pictures and hand-made crafts from kids, especially when theirs are grown.

Top Books for Boys

Boys don’t like to read. Apparently, around the same time that girls drift way from liking math and science, boys drift away from liking reading. There are programs everywhere you turn preaching girl power and getting those that prefer pink back into math. Where are the ones to bring the boys back around?

You can help. If you have a boy on your birthday present list, try buying a book. Not just any book, mind you, a really good one that he will love. Think you know what to buy? Convinced that “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” or some other classic will hold their interest longer than a nanosecond? No. Sad to say, it won’t.

You are competing with video games and FaceBook and the latest and greatest cell phone. It’s tough! Though controversial with some due to content (boogers, underwear and other gross stuff), the books below are quite popular with boys who claim they do not like to read:

1. The Adventures of Captain Underpants. Yes, he is a super hero in his underpants. Yes, for some unknown reason boys find that funny. Who cares if it isn’t to us. We just want them to read, right?!

2. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Believe it or not, kids actually line up at the bookstore for this one when there is a new release date. They want to be the first one in their class to read it. Imagine that, showing off by … gasp … reading!

3. The Magic Treehouse. This is a series of 153 books (ok, not that many … yet). Two children have great adventures with the help of a time-traveling treehouse. Cool.

Gifts for Toddler Girls | Dollhouses

I don’t know about you but my toddler seems to have everything. Come her birthday, I am left pondering the thoughts of what in the world can I get her, that she doesn’t already have.

Most little girls are very much into being just like their mommy. Yes, they are daddy’s girls but, they want to act just like mommy does. Three and Four year old girls are becoming their own little person at this age. They are at a point where they can understand (selectively) what it is you require from them. They also tend to copy and pick up our habits and actions at this age.

Dollhouses are a great gift for girls of all ages but, especially great for three and four year old girls; while they are learning so much. Pretend play is a fantastic way to let them express what it is they feeling and learning. It is a ton of fun to watch them play interactively with their dolls and dollhouses. It also gives them an outlet to use their creativity when it comes to decorating their dollhouse. If playing with friends and siblings, they will also be learning to share and work as a team.

A dollhouse is also a great birthday gift even if your child already has one. Maybe it is time for an upgrade. I am sure she has gotten more dolls, since the time you bought your current dollhouse. Renovate your existing dollhouse with new furniture or even a fresh coat of paint.

Little girls will sit for hours playing with their dollhouse and dolls. She loves being mommy. I remember playing with mine for years. Give her a wonderful place to house her dolls and accessories with a dollhouse. She will be so grateful that you did. They also come in all different shapes and sizes to fit any budget.

4 Themed Birthday Gifts For February

Do you have a friend or family member whose birthday happens to fall in the month of February? Are the a Valentine’s baby? Do they share their special day with President Washington (February 22) or with President Lincoln (February 11)? Here are some birthday gifts for those celebrating in the month of February.

1. Hearts: There are so many different hearts on the market in February. Why not give a gift twice? Once to your friend or loved one, and once to charity? You can give these gorgeous heart rocks that are hand-carved in Haiti and the proceeds will help earthquake survivors re-build their country. Plus, you know you will be the only one giving a rock at the party.

2. Presidential Memorabilia: A quick search of eBay may be the trick for this birthday present. Look for anything dated prior to 1971, the year the U.S. changed around a few national holidays and started celebrating President’s Day (the third Monday in February) in memory and honor of all the presidents.

3. Books: Check out your local bookstore or head over to Amazon. There is a plethora of books on the subject of Valentine’s Day lore, biographies on President Washington and even collections of stories about the dream President Lincoln had days before his assassination. Interesting stuff.

4. Anything Red: Red works for Valentine’s Day, but it also represents the American Heart Association. February, National Heart month, would be a great time to give a donation to honor the Birthday Girl or Boy, in lieu of a gift.

Top 5 Birthday Gifts For Toddlers Girls

Toddler girls really are easy to buy for. It may seem daunting, but they are an easy to please group of gift receivers, unlike my mother in law. I always avoid the brand name commercialized products. For one, you do not know which ones they have and do not have. And, secondly, many parents do not believe in commercial products, like Disney, Barbie and other cartoon characters (me, included). If you aren’t sure, it’s easier to skip it altogether. So, without further ado,

1. Crayons, crayons and more crayons. Toddlers, girl or boy, are rough on crayons and are always in need of fresh replacements. You can also try twistables; they have a plastic case so they can twist up like a mechanical pencil and are tough to break.

2. Stickers. You could actually make a strong argument about stickers solving world peace … ok, maybe just inter-sibling rivalry.

3. Skip the coloring books. They are too expensive and plan paper works just as well. In fact, my toddler girls prefer plain, old copy paper to coloring books. They like the freedom to draw a picture rather than stay between the lines.

4. Craft supplies are always a big hit, too. If you see gluesticks on sale with the school supplies in the late fall, snag them up fast. A toddler can blow through a glue stick in less than an hour in a bust afternoon of crafting.

5. Nail polish is also a big deal for girls from about age three and on. Get mom’s approval first; some families do not approve of it yet.

Winter Birthday Party Ideas

With my daughter’s birthday being in the fall, we consider ourselves quite fortunate, since it’s not too hot but not freezing yet, and we can usually do activities both indoors and outdoors. In fact, for the past three years, we have had perfect weather during her celebration, which we were very grateful for.

But it could have been very different, had she been born on time; her actual due date was January 26, which would have put her birthday right in the middle of winter. Winter has been even more unpredictable—and warm—in the Midwest over the past couple of years; the white Christmases and winter break sled rides of my youth are hard to recall. But this is the time of year when it normally does start getting really cold, with lots of snow and ice. If you are having a birthday celebration in these conditions, here are a few ways in which you might want to celebrate…

Ice skating. It’s the perfect time of year for it, and many children have never been, making it an even more exciting activity.
In-line skating. This might be cheaper and safer for younger kiddos.
Have a talent show. Ask each parent to have his or her child ready to participate with a unique talent. You could also do a fashion show, children’s magic show, lip-synch, or karaoke party indoors.
Arts and crafts party. Get out your glue, scissors, foam, cardboard, and whatever else you have and let the kids go at it! Plan a couple of crafts to inspire if needed, or just let them be imaginative on their own.
Indoor swimming party. Check with your local Y or recreation center to see if you can book one of these. You could also do a lock-in for older children.
Music party. Ask each participant to bring some favorite music to share. Provide instruments—you could even make homemade shakers from plastic eggs filled with lentils—to play along. You could have an older sibling make copies for everyone during the party so they could each take home a “soundtrack” as their souvenir.
Indoor entertainment. If you are stuck indoors and you have the means, you could always hire some entertainment—such as a magic show or clown, an animal show, or other professional service. You can search for services in your area at Go City Kids.
Cooking party. Have all of the kids help out with a simple recipe, or book a party at your local cooking school or grocery store if they offer a program for children.

Personalize a December Birthday With a Scrapbook

December birthdays, especially those that dawn so close to Christmas, are tough to coordinate gifts for because everything revolves around the holidays during this time of year. While the holiday season makes it more difficult for you to find the perfect gift for the birthday boy or girl, it not impossible. Start thinking outside the box in order to figure out the best gift for your the birthday boy. Scrapbooks make great presents this time of year because they show you went the extra mile by putting together something that's homemade.

I love putting together scrapbooks; they're one of few crafts that I can actually do with relative ease. While some of mine are not as creative as I've seen out there, I still think I can make one that lights up the eyes of the person I'm giving it to. Since starting them I've found a few places that offer a good assortment of items that will get you started on yours without spending a bunch of money. Walmart and other large super centers have craft sections that offer the items you need.

Look at what the person who will receive the gift likes to do. For example, let's say that your best friend really likes animals. Create a scrapbook where the theme centers around them. See if you can get a hold of pictures that have her riding horses if she's in to that. Or, if she has any clippings from stories about winning trophies in competitions. Add in anything that you can think of that relates to horses such as photos of the animal cut out form magazines, put together a page with a “lucky horseshoe” journal entry or line the edge of the page to make it look like a horse's mane.

What makes this gift stand out is that you took the time to make the gift for the special birthday guy or gal. He will look back over his scrapbook and smile each time he searches through the memories.

December Birthday Gift Do's and Don'ts

My husband has a December birthday and one night, after a few glasses of wine, I heard all the reasons why he hated being born during the same month that everyone celebrates Christmas. He feels that he always got short changed for gifts and birthday parties because of the date he was born. After hearing about his complaint, I started plotting how to find the perfect gift for him and how I could manage to get everyone together to celebrate his birthday. We ended up over at Cheesecake Factory, something he had never done, and he wound up having an awesome time.

Start your planning one to two months before the actual date arrives. This will give you plenty of time to send out invitations if your throwing a party. By the time the birthday guy or gal thinks that no one will show up, you'll have everyone already RSVP'd for the event.

Find a gift that doesn't have anything to do with Christmas or else suffer the consequence of the silent treatment. I'm not saying it will go that far if you get a holiday oriented gift, but the possibility is there. Those like my husband with December birthdays don't want a reminder that they might get short changed on the gift because of the holiday season. Plus, finding a gift you know he will love earns you further points because you took time away from other holiday commitments.

Avoid wrapping his present using holiday gift wrap. Use every color but red, green and gold and he will know that you went the extra mile to make her birthday one to remember.

Avoid giving a gift that makes reference to the month such as birthstone or astrological sign unless you know the person who will receive the gift really likes receiving jewelry with her birthstone on it