My cousin from Indiana sent me a facebook message a couple of weeks ago asking me to look in every Nashville area store I step into for a thing called a Zhu Zhu pet.  Huh?  She said she’d been looking everywhere for them for months and months - they are to be gifts for her eight-year old twin granddaughters.

I always thought the full press search for the hottest toys was kind of silly.  But then when my oldest daughter was three-years old, the Barney doll came out.  We love him, he loved us, we were a happy fa-mi-ly, with great big hugs and a kiss for me and you…

Yes we were a Barney family.  I drove to a town 10 miles away when I heard the local Wal-Mart had TWO plush stuffed Barneys left.  And they held both of them for me… we got our stuffed purple dinosaur.  Sadly, I’ve never owned a cabbage patch doll.  And I have yet to find a Zhu Zhu.

Ron over at PopFi gives us the low-down on the little gerbils hamsters,

Apparently, a Zhu Zhu pet is a little hamster that can drive a car and that runs around squeaking randomly.   The toys are the brainchild of veteran designer Russ Hornsby and St. Louis company Cepia Inc.  This six-year-old company is looking at sales of $100 million in Zhu Zhu Pets alone, with an estimated $300-$400 million by this time next year.  All for what is basically a $10 cat toy with a bubble car.

Will there be a zhu zhu in your house this gift giving season?

Father’s day is June 15 and Shakadoo has a great gift idea for that special man in our lives!

Back away from the ugly ties and golf shirts ladies! This year, give your Father or your children’s Father something that he will absolutely love! Love Shak Baby and Wholesalekeychain.com is excited to announce our latest giveaway! 

Shak and wholesalekeychain.com are offering our readers the chance to win three Digital Photo Keychains! This contest will run from today, May 31st until June 11th.

From now until midnight CDT June 11th, here’s what you need to do in order to be entered to win:

* Go over to the Wholesalekeychain website and take a look around.

* Take a look at their huge assortment of automotive, sports and digital  keychains.

* Leave a comment on this post telling us which ones you like and your thoughts on how these products could be used as great promotional items.

* Make sure you leave us a valid email address so we can contact you when you win!

* Tell everyone you know! Help us spread
the word- link us on your blog, Twitter about this, email your friends,
an let all your neighbors know!

Three winners will be randomly selecting to each win 1 Digital Photo Keychain. All three winners will be

announced on June 12th! This giveaway is open to US residents only.

The Digital Photo Keychain features a 1.5 inch screen and holds up to 70 pictures! But what sets this company apart is they offer custom engraved messages to your loved ones on the back.

Don’t want to wait for the end of the contest for your Digital Photo Keychain? Need one in time for Fathers Day?  -You’re in luck! Wholesalekeychain.com is offering free shipping for any keychains purchased by Shakadoo readers. Just enter the coupon code "Shakadoo" when
you check out  and your shipping will be free. Prices start at only $19.99, but hurry- this discount is only
available until August 30, 2008!

(This is a "sticky" post and will remain at the top of the page for
the duration of Just In Time For Father’s Day Giveaway but new posts will be written
daily and published underneath this post.)

I have been having early morning fantasies today. No need to run and tell my husband because they are all rated G. I have decided that I want an Easy Button. Of course, this would be a magical Easy Button.

Already, I have a full list of what I would like this Easy Button to do for me:

*Laundry

*Dishes

*Bathrooms

*Mop Floors

*Vacuum

*Dust

*Windows

*Cooking

*My online work for the day

*Turn my very fussy baby into a happy go lucky guy

The question is, what would I do with all of my new found time? I don’t know but I would sure love to find out!

These days, it is more important than ever to stay on top of what our children are doing. We need to be involved parents who monitor their activities. Does that sound too strict? I do not think so considering the potential dangers this modern world presents us with.

First, there is the internet. It is crucial to protect your children from danger while browsing the web. There are so many ways that harm can come to them via the world wide web. Next, television shows made for children are trying to strip away parents authority one show at a time.

What about video games? Sure, you can monitor what video games your child purchases through the game rating system. What if your child’s friend brings a game to your house that you wouldn’t approve of and are not aware of? Mama Divas has a great answer to that situation. Parents Can Use Controls Based on ESRB Ratings to Filter Content on Gaming Consoles:

"Well what if little 9-year-old Johnny decides to sneak Manhunt 2 into the House and play through its gory stages on the sly? What some parents may not be aware of is that they can use the built-in parental control features in their children’s consoles to allow or deny a games to be played according to its ESRB rating."

The article goes into more detail about this and you can read it here.

Life is pretty funny. I always thought my parents were way to strict. Their rules seemed silly and I thought they were just trying to prevent me from having any fun. Now as a parent, I completely understand the necessity for such rules. Thank you Mom and Dad!

It is time to make your holiday gift list. Usually I find it fairly easy to come up with ideas for my children. There is always something new that they want.

The difficult part of my list making is thinking of ideas for the older generation family members. They seem to already have everything, don’t they? It is tempting to buy them one more sweater or one more coffee mug but I truly like to be original each year.

I found a website called First Street For Boomers And Beyond that has products made specifically for senior citizens. They have nifty little gadgets that can help improve sound quality for television viewing and for hearing better during phone conversations. Other products include outdoor, travel and hobby gadgets.

Another feature of the site that I like is that it offers seniors numerous gift ideas for the younger generation on their shopping list. I always like an all in one shopping stop and First Street For Boomers And Beyond seems to be it!

It is time to make your holiday gift list. Usually I find it fairly easy to come up with ideas for my children. There is always something new that they want.

The difficult part of my list making is thinking of ideas for the older generation family members. They seem to already have everything, don’t they? It is tempting to buy them one more sweater or one more coffee mug but I truly like to be original each year.

I found a website called First Street For Boomers And Beyond that has products made specifically for senior citizens. They have nifty little gadgets that can help improve sound quality for television viewing and for hearing better during phone conversations. Other products include outdoor, travel and hobby gadgets.

Another feature of the site that I like is that it offers seniors numerous gift ideas for the younger generation on their shopping list. I always like an all in one shopping stop and First Street For Boomers And Beyond seems to be it!

I am hoping to help autism research in any way I can. I signed up to get a charity badge in which all donations go directly to Autism Speaks. Click on the badge above and you can help by donating too. You can also help by copying the badge (to copy badge, click on "share" tab on badge) and placing it on your site to accept donations to Autism Speaks.

• AUTISM OCCURRENCE: One in every 150 children born in the US have autism. It is estimated approximately 1 million in the US have this disorder.

NOTE: This number does NOT include: PDD, Asperger’s and other spectrum disorders. These statistics are endorsed by the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other federal organizations.

• U.S. FACTS: -A new case of autism is diagnosed nearly every 20 minutes -There are 24,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. per year -The economic impact of autism is more than $90 billion and expected to more than double in the next decade. -Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases. -There is no medical detection treatment, or cure for autism.
• AUTISM COMPARED TO OTHER DISABILITIES: Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S. today. Autism statistics source: TalkAboutCuringAutism.org

With an increasing number of sites on the WWW that we don’t want our children to see, we add filter after filter to weed out these potential visual and chat hazards to our children.

Normally, I don’t allow my children on the internet unsupervised, even safe children sites, because there is always that one moment, regardless of the safety measures I have taken when something shows up that is questionable.

So, when checking my mail recently, I received some information regarding NoodleNet™. Now I didn’t know NoodleNet™ from anything else, but after reviewing the information and then visiting the web site, I found NoodleNet™ to be an all-in-one tool for children safety on the internet.

I wouldn’t say that this is another filter program, but a complete program for your computer system that allows your children to surf and learn on the internet with complete safety and gives parents peace of mind that their desktop and files will also remain untouched by children.

NoodleNet™ offers a 30-day trial through their web site which is great. You can test out the program and see for yourself if this is the right tool for your family.

There are a few things in my kitchen that make preparing my kids meals so much easier.

My absolute favorite is my pizza cutter. You see the round stainless steel wheel and think, "Yeah, it cuts pizza. So?" That’s what I used to think, anyway. But now I see the quick way to cut anything into bite-sized pieces in no time flat! I use it on spaghetti, toast, chicken…You name, I’ve probably cut it with my pizza cutter!

This next gadget is great for much the same reason. I use my Pampered Chef food chopper at least once a day, but some days as many as three or four. I use to quickly chop up veggies for quick snacks or to use in meals. It chops up cheese to throw on a quesadilla or in some soup like nobodies business. I used it just today to chop together some feta cheese and olives for some super yummy grilled sandwiches.

Speaking of grilled sandwiches, I am in love with my George Foreman grill. With it, I am Queen of the Panini! Cheese with just about anything (spinach, lunch meat, sauces, etc..) can make a great, quick meal when you’ve got this handy dandy little grill around.

How about you? What is your favorite kitchen gadget? 

I have been reading over several local news articles concerning the recent stories on bottled water and the labeling process that is now in place.  Companies must now note on the label where the bottled water source comes from.  Many brand waters, such as Aquafina, simply are filtered tap water; a resource everyone has right in there own homes. 

Many of us buy bottled water for various reasons; we think it is cleaner, healthier, or for just plain convenient.  But do we think about the costs or the environmental factor of the many plastic bottles that are not recycled?  By bottling our own filtered tap water, we can help reduce costs on our family budget, as well as help reduce plastics in our landfills.

I suggest purchasing a basic, simple water bottle or jug.  You will see many plastic reusable bottles at your local retailers.  Please be careful when choosing plastic as there are some plastics we should steer clear of.  Here are some tips when buying plastic.  I use a stainless steel water jug.  Yes, it was a little more in price, but well worth it.  My water stays cooler longer and definitely lives up to the wear.

Next, purchase a filter to use with your tap.  Filtration can range from a simple pitcher with a filter, a faucet filter, or an under-sink filtration system.  All are very good and will perform the same tasks, but it depends on what you want for your family.  I use a simple Brita faucet filter.  Attached to my faucet, a simple turn allows me to move from normal faucet function for dishes, etc. to using the filter for drinking water.

Which ever filter you decide to purchase, make sure your filter gives you notification of when it is time to replace it.  This will help you stay on top of clean drinking water for your family. 

Quick thought: 

U.S. residents drink on average 26.1 gallons of bottled water per person per year.  That is approximately 3,341 ounces of bottled water.  We typically buy a 16.9 ounce bottle.  So, 26.1 gallons per person per year is equivalent to 197.7 plastic bottles per person.  Regardless of whether you recycle there is still someone that is not.  That is a lot of plastic filling up our landfills.  This doesn’t include the added costs or purchasing bottled water weekly.  Last year, U.S. residents spent 2.6 billion dollars on bottled water.