We are all busy parents this holiday season so Baby Scoop Austin got a little help from one of it's elves, Marika Flatt, Baby Scoop mom of three and owner of PR by the Book, to help us find the season's favorite gift ideas.
FOR YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER, RELATIVES, OR FRIENDS:
If your significant other is like most of us Austinites, we love to workout. One of my favorite brands of workout gear is Brooks.
This season, you’ll want to check out their Motion Stretch Knickers, Revelation Pants and Energy Spliced Tank. The Knickers are knee length stretchy pants, perfect for any type of workout. The Revelation Pants are also stretchy and move with ease for an aerobic workout, strength training or just a walk on one of those rare cold days in Austin. The Spliced Tank is a great match for either of these bottoms as it’s very stylish, comes in a variety of colors and fits like a glove. (www.brooksrunning.com. , Run-Tex and Whole Earth Provision)
If you’re a “Dancing With the Stars” fan, you might have seen Brooke Burke wearing a cool t-shirt while rehearsing one of her dances that said “Mommy of 4”. She was wearing a Lucky Me Tee, committed to designing fashion fun tees with a positive mommy message. Available in long-sleeve or short-sleeve, various colors and styles, Lucky Me Tee provides moms the opportunity to flaunt motherhood on a trendy tee.
(www.LuckyMeTee.com)
Now, for the dad’s tee. There’s no easier gift than a nice organic super soft tee for Dad. For very hip, cool t-shirts, check out Suburban Riot's latest, which is perfect for the fashionable Austin guy who wants a nice tee to go under a jacket this winter or to wear alone in our warmer Austin weather. You can choose from styles that represent every style from eco-friendly to bold to just plain cool.
(www.suburbanriot.com)
For all the oenophiles (wine lovers) out there, here’s a unique, personalized gift from,
www.PhotoWorks.com,
American Greetings photo expression website – a photo personalized wine box. This wooden wine box holds up to a 750ml bottle of your choice. It’s a great gift for your significant other, your friends that you’ve toured wineries with or neighbors who love wine as much as you. For a special touch, pick a photo of them enjoying wine on a special occasion. (www.PhotoWorks.com)
Bless the heart of the parent who cooks all those meals. You may know the popular Orka Silicone Oven Mitt, but they also produce a delightful collection of innovative and colorful kitchen tools. I highly recommend: the Silicone Colander, which can also be used as a vegetable steamer and collapses for those of us who cram too much into our cabinets; the Silicone Baking Sheet, which is hot-pink, can be used up to 425 degrees and rolls up to save space; and the All Silicone Spoon.(www.orkamastrad.com)
BSA’s dot-com of the week: For the coolest way to send your Christmas card, check out
Animoto
– a great way to create fun, personalized and professional-quality music videos showing off your favorite memories of 2008– perfect for sharing with family and friends this holiday season. Animoto 'MTV-like" videos can be shared online, or make for a great stocking stuffer on DVD. Once created, videos can be emailed, downloaded, sent to mobile phones, uploaded to social networks like Facebook, and video-sharing sites like YouTube. You can't beat the price for Animoto videos. Thirty-second videos are free, $3 for full length videos, and $30 for a year-long subscription for unlimited full length videos. (Animoto)
If you love to hang photos but would love them to look more like original artwork, you’ll want to check this out. MyLife-MyArt™ turns favorite photos into large canvas paintings that are more vibrant and stunning than big prints. Simply upload photos, choose a size (up to 40x60”) and frame style that fits your room’s décor and voila. Within two weeks, their artists output the images on archival (museum-quality) canvas and craftsmen frame it to produce a gorgeous painting which will WOW friends and families for years. (www.mylife-myart.com)
FOR THE KIDS: Get your cute little Texan a stylish t-shirt from up-and-coming Southern Brand. Their new line of kids' t-shirts is called Lil' Ones. The t-shirts are available in sizes from 6 months up to 10 youth. You can find cute phrases like: “This ain’t my first rodeo; Southern BBQ; and Hwy 61”. The t-shirts are the softest you’ve ever felt and will make you want to cuddle your Lil’ One even more than usual. The line was developed by two buddies who wanted to rekindle their Southern roots and pass them on to their kids. (www.southernbrand.com, $39)
KidiArt Studio, a great new V-tech gift for this season, is a high-tech creative tool that allows budding artists to take pictures of themselves and create their own pieces of artwork on TV or PC. This interactive art console is like a mini Photoshop that allows kids to edit and display their work on the TV. The built-in digital camera gives them the freedom to capture images of family, friends, their own art work, and even create stop motion animations. Kids can send, save, share or print their creations because KidiArt Studio connects to a PC. Designed for kids ages 4 and up. (VTech, $79.99)
We’re all familiar with Radio Flyer as they’ve been around since we were kids. But the newest ride-on toys from Radio Flyer are better than ever; they engage the imagination and encourage toddlers to learn, play and grow. New for the 2008 holiday season are: The Classic Lights & Sounds Trike-- a variation on the traditional Euro-style trike; it has a sturdy steel frame, non-slip wheels and storage under the seat (for ages 2-5, $59). The Turbo Turtle-- a ride-on for toddlers with spinning wheels, enabling children to ride, glide and spin, giving them unlimited mobility to move in any direction (for ages 18 mo-3 yrs, $49). The Grow ‘N Go Lights & Sounds Bike-- a ready-to-ride bike perfect for the active toddler, with solid steel construction, sturdy wheels and a telescoping frame that adjusts to grow with the child (ages 18 mo-3 yrs, $49). (www.radioflyer.com, Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us stores and Amazon.com)
Tuni & G's trademarked cheeky phrased tees have been featured in People Magazine 4 times in the past several months. From, "don't ya wish your mommy was hot like mine?" ®, to "don't ya wish your daddy was dreamy like mine?" (TM) and "got my mind on my mommy and my mommy on my mind?" (TM), Tuni & G t-shirts will be good conversation starters (think grocery store). Tuni & G's trademarked tees run from infant sizes up to adults (including toddlers and youth). The little shirts also come in a set with a “Mommy” shirt. (www.TuniandG.com, select Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s locations)
Some families have standard game nights where parents and kids sit down and play games all night, order pizza and have a great, inexpensive evening together. Load up on games from Pressman Toys and Tecno Source. Here are a few new faves for this season: Disney Wheel of Fortune (Ages 6 and up; $25; Toys “R” Us) --Two all-time family favorites combine with this game. Disney classics like Cinderella and Snow White and Disney•Pixar blockbusters like Cars and Toy Story combine with the game show that has been entertaining families for over 25 years – Wheel of Fortune. Smithsonian Institution – Pandamania (Ages 5 and up; $15; Borders) --Kids can learn about pandas and practice their counting and memory skills while playing as baby pandas. Guess What I Am! ™ (Ages 3+; $17.99; Wal-mart, Target, Toys “R” Us, and KB Toys, www.guesswhatiamgame.com) This is a tabletop game that puts a hilarious new twist on a classic guessing game. Place your face through the mystery card, transform into one of 30 silly characters, and let the guessing begin.
The Plush Pad® is a portable changing station that features a foam cushion and rolling design for baby’s ultimate comfort. This is truly the softest changing pad you’ve ever felt and you’ll want to lay on it yourself! It can be used in the home a plush changing surface, taken on trips for hotel rooms, stays with the grandparents, on a plane, and any travel. The Plush Pad® is also used for daily outings as a staple in a diaper bag or back of a stroller.
($39.95 - $47.00 Wee in Austin, www.ahgoobaby.com)
Give the gift of Baby Scoop Austin this Christmas! Just forward this newsletter to a friend you know that loves getting the SCOOP and ask them to join our e-mailing list. Our free weekly newsletter is the best gift ever!
Check out our winners of last week’s poll: Best Place to Buy a Jogging Stroller? at www.babyscoopaustin.com
Vote for this week’s poll:Favorite Christmas Activities for Preschoolers in Austin?
Thank you for posting the Scoop! If you have discussion questions or want to chit chat, head on over to our Baby Scoop Forum and post, post, post!
Check out our calendar for weekly updates. Did you know our calendar is "open to the public"? If you
know of a fun family event going on or you're hosting an event you'd like to post, enter your event details on our entry form. Upon approval, your event will be added to our community calendar.
Be that cool, hip mom-in-the-know that you are, and be the first to tell your friends about the coolest “mommy thing” in town!
FOR YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER, RELATIVES, OR FRIENDS:
If you’re a “Dancing With the Stars” fan, you might have seen Brooke Burke wearing a cool t-shirt while rehearsing one of her dances that said “Mommy of 4”. She was wearing a 
Bless the heart of the parent who cooks all those meals. You may know the popular Orka Silicone Oven Mitt, but they also produce a delightful collection of innovative and colorful kitchen tools. I highly recommend: the Silicone Colander, which can also be used as a vegetable steamer and collapses for those of us who cram too much into our cabinets; the Silicone Baking Sheet, which is hot-pink, can be used up to 425 degrees and rolls up to save space; and the All Silicone Spoon.(
If you love to hang photos but would love them to look more like original artwork, you’ll want to check this out. MyLife-MyArt™ turns favorite photos into large canvas paintings that are more vibrant and stunning than big prints. Simply upload photos, choose a size (up to 40x60”) and frame style that fits your room’s décor and voila. Within two weeks, their artists output the images on archival (museum-quality) canvas and craftsmen frame it to produce a gorgeous painting which will WOW friends and families for years. (
Get your cute little Texan a stylish t-shirt from up-and-coming Southern Brand. Their new line of kids' t-shirts is called Lil' Ones. The t-shirts are available in sizes from 6 months up to 10 youth. You can find cute phrases like: “This ain’t my first rodeo; Southern BBQ; and Hwy 61”. The t-shirts are the softest you’ve ever felt and will make you want to cuddle your Lil’ One even more than usual. The line was developed by two buddies who wanted to rekindle their Southern roots and pass them on to their kids. (
KidiArt Studio, a great new V-tech gift for this season, is a high-tech creative tool that allows budding artists to take pictures of themselves and create their own pieces of artwork on TV or PC. This interactive art console is like a mini Photoshop that allows kids to edit and display their work on the TV. The built-in digital camera gives them the freedom to capture images of family, friends, their own art work, and even create stop motion animations. Kids can send, save, share or print their creations because KidiArt Studio connects to a PC. Designed for kids ages 4 and up. (
We’re all familiar with Radio Flyer as they’ve been around since we were kids. But the newest ride-on toys from Radio Flyer are better than ever; they engage the imagination and encourage toddlers to learn, play and grow. New for the 2008 holiday season are: The Classic Lights & Sounds Trike-- a variation on the traditional Euro-style trike; it has a sturdy steel frame, non-slip wheels and storage under the seat (for ages 2-5, $59). The Turbo Turtle-- a ride-on for toddlers with spinning wheels, enabling children to ride, glide and spin, giving them unlimited mobility to move in any direction (for ages 18 mo-3 yrs, $49). The Grow ‘N Go Lights & Sounds Bike-- a ready-to-ride bike perfect for the active toddler, with solid steel construction, sturdy wheels and a telescoping frame that adjusts to grow with the child (ages 18 mo-3 yrs, $49). (
Tuni & G's trademarked cheeky phrased tees have been featured in People Magazine 4 times in the past several months. From, "don't ya wish your mommy was hot like mine?" ®, to "don't ya wish your daddy was dreamy like mine?" (TM) and "got my mind on my mommy and my mommy on my mind?" (TM), Tuni & G t-shirts will be good conversation starters (think grocery store). Tuni & G's trademarked tees run from infant sizes up to adults (including toddlers and youth). The little shirts also come in a set with a “Mommy” shirt. (
Disney Wheel of Fortune (Ages 6 and up; $25; Toys “R” Us) --Two all-time family favorites combine with this game. Disney classics like Cinderella and Snow White and Disney•Pixar blockbusters like Cars and Toy Story combine with the game show that has been entertaining families for over 25 years – Wheel of Fortune. Smithsonian Institution – Pandamania (Ages 5 and up; $15; Borders) --Kids can learn about pandas and practice their counting and memory skills while playing as baby pandas. Guess What I Am! ™ (Ages 3+; $17.99; Wal-mart, Target, Toys “R” Us, and KB Toys, 
The Plush Pad® is a portable changing station that features a foam cushion and rolling design for baby’s ultimate comfort. This is truly the softest changing pad you’ve ever felt and you’ll want to lay on it yourself! It can be used in the home a plush changing surface, taken on trips for hotel rooms, stays with the grandparents, on a plane, and any travel. The Plush Pad® is also used for daily outings as a staple in a diaper bag or back of a stroller.
($39.95 - $47.00 
Thank you for posting the Scoop! If you have discussion questions or want to chit chat, head on over to our 
Check out our 
