<p>RE: Recipes - > I loaded all our family favorites to GoogleDocs and shared the folder with each daughter (as well as other relatives). I gave them editing privileges, so they can add their comments on the recipes. Total Cost: $0</p>
<p>RE: Other -> I’ve been making family websites via GoogleSites. Photos, scans of early artwork, past medical history, tips from mom, familytree… some pages for a specific kid, some are family. I use Picasa for photo slideshows, I have a vimeo account for embedding videos, and a SoundCloud account for embedding sound clips (they play instruments). GoogleSites and Picasa are free, SoundCloud is free for a limited # of clips, and we have an account with Vimeo.</p>
<p>MTP- that is a wonderful idea! We share things on Google docs, but it never occurred to me to put recipes up there. My kids call all the time for special recipes!</p>
<p>I love buying for my kids’ stockings. Sure, some of the content for my older kids comes from drugstore shelves, but the other half of the sock is filled with little whimsical things–a high quality yo-yo, old-fashioned big jacks, holiday boxers, ice cream scooper, a DVD they’d never rent but might enjoy watching with you Xmas afternoon, hackysack, beanie, chocolate covered expresso beans, small inexpensively framed fun photos, retro Pez, etc. etc. For my 8-year-old daughter, I try to keep the stocking free of drugstore stuff and cheap plastic toys. I think of it as a treasure trove where she’ll find small, special things that she’d never think to ask for, but which I hope she keeps. My mom did/does this for me!</p>
<p>Filling my D’s stocking is easy - make-up, facial masks, socks, hand warmers, lip balm, etc. But S is hard. So far, I have thought of new keychain, a dice game and chocolate. I don’t like gift cards because he has more disposable income than I do. Luckily, their stockings are not very large!</p>
<p>We use littlebluebird.com for gift lists and ideas. Vey handy. D put links to animal skulls she saw on ebay and etsy - red fox, mink, squirrel, etc. So it’s gonna be an all skull (with some other things of course) Christmas.</p>
<p>Argh!!! Just found out that one of my S’s gifts (he only gets 3) will not be ready for Christmas. It was his letter jacket and the store just called and apologized for “losing” the order. So, now it’s back to the drawing board to think of something to get him. The only thing he asked for is new composing software (which I have already purchased). He’s so hard to shop for!!!</p>
<p>If your D or S is super into music, I love getting people vintage or one-of-a-kind concert posters. You get them on ebay…a lot of indie and rock bands have artists create a limited number of posters for different venues, so it makes for a unique and pretty awesome gift. Bonus points if you can find the original artwork for a concert they actually attended!</p>
<p>Did anybody ever figure out about the mens sizes for the touch screen compatible gloves? I might be getting a touch screen phone for xmas and my hands are usually too long for womens sizes.</p>
<p>I have small hands and tried on a pair of the smart touch gloves. My fingers don’t usually hit the end of most women’s gloves. The Men’s medium were just a little big for me and I think the small would have fit. I ended up getting large for all my medium handed guys and XL for my husband, who does have big hands. That’s my long way of saying that they run small!</p>
<p>Common American children’s books from her youth (“Love You Forever” or “Brown Bear, Brown Bear”) and the Bible, all written in Chinese, German, and Spanish.</p>
<p>I haven’t read this thread, but ds2 just told me what he wants to get ds1, and it was such a great idea I thought I’d share here.</p>
<p>Ds1 is way into music and is constantly on Pandora. Ds2 is going to get him (with my credit card) a one-year subscription to some kind of Pandora-plus service that has some really cool features, like better sound quality, allowing more skips, etc. I thought that was an original idea. It’s $36/year.</p>
<p>I wish someone would get me the upgraded Pandora! Pandora is a website that plays music. You pick the artist or song that you like and they’ll play that plus similar music. I listen to it at my desk at work. The only drawback is that for the past year they’ve been adding in commercials which are really irritating. For $36 you don’t get the commercials and you also get supposedly better sound quality. I’m just not happy with paying $36 for that service, but I’ve got to say that their commercials are starting to wear me down.</p>
<p>HImom, I bought 2 of those pea coats at Costco. The smallest size they had was a 2.
There weren’t many of those, but they did have them in each of the 4 colors. Their return policy is very liberal and one of the things I love most about my Costco membership–hassle-free returns.</p>
<p>The challenge of the sizes at Costco is that you have to DIG to find the smallest sizes. But they DO exist. Good luck!</p>
<p>S1 is VERY into music–asked for a record player and vinyl records (they sell brand new ones on amazon). I was surprised to learn that there are newly released vinyl records out by new bands (some kind of fad??) Also has wanted a “pea coat” for years, they have really nice ones at the gap. He lives near the beach so we also got him a new beach chair, towel, and swim trunks.</p>
<p>stocking- buckeyballs–cool magnets to play with when you need a break. a mini slinky and anything that can go on a desk.</p>
<p>A friend recommended the book Making College Count
You must really like this book- half your posts recommend it.
I was considering it- but the advertising kinda bugged me.</p>
<p>I am getting D1 a clarisonic ( because I really liked mine until D2 " borrowed" it, so I got another couple on ebay), a zip car subscription, some sweaters from Jcrew & apple care for the ipod touch we bought last year.</p>
<p>D2 I can’t say what I bought- cause I think she might read this!</p>
<p>to learn that there are newly released vinyl records out by new bands (some kind of fad??)</p>
<p>Some bands never stopped putting out vinyl.
There is a different quality to the sound & it is much more of an a tactile experience to play a record than to pop in a CD.
Buying from the bands website is also a way to find stickers/posters etc.</p>
<p>Vintage vinyl that has never been released on CD attracts a wide swath of music lovers & since they need a turntable to access that great old stuff the newer musicians like She & Him might as well take advantage of that interest.</p>
<p>( My D2 has decorated her apartment with my old lps & covers- Ella & Oscar, Michael Jackson, REM, Grover Washington…- she wanted my Into the Wild lp, but I told her No!)</p>
<p>I have been buying some things that my daughter might want/need at school…for example she loves to bake cookies, so some cute spatulas and what not.
Also am buying things that we would share at home but she woudl need her own set like a manicure set.</p>