End-of-year Review Roundup

My New Year’s Resolution for 2010, as far as my professional life goes, is to stay on top of my emails and get my reviews done faster. I am the worst procrastinator on the planet, people.  I know I’ll never have zero items in my gmail inbox, but I am determined to get as close as possible.

With that in mind, I’m going through my inbox looking for anything I was sent to review that somehow got missed. And over the next few days, I’m going to post lists of them until I’m caught up.  If anything I post looks interesting, please click through to the sponsor’s site for more information. Thanks!

1. Buddy Tops Hats: Like getting a cuddly stuffed animal and a warm hat in one!  Buddy Tops come in Wolf, Bunny, Panda, Tiger, Dalmation, Chicken, Pig, and Lion. Long flaps ensure your child’s ears will stay warm. These would be fantastic as part of a Halloween costume, too. Price: (sale!) $19.95.

2. Caboodles: The makeup cases we used as teens are still around! The pink and black Classic Case has a mirror in the lid, two removable dividers and trays, and removable side panels that can hold your brushes, lipstick tubes, or lip liners. Also fun for little girls to stuff full of Littlest Pet Shop and Polly Pocket toys Price: $19.99.

3. The Jimmies on CD & DVD: This New York-based band totally ROCKS. Songs like “Bedhead” and “Cool to be Uncool” will appeal to kids, but this is no saccharine-sweet kiddie music. The Jimmies totally bring it with driving guitars and drums, you’ll hardly know you are listening to “kid music”. The CD “Make Your Own Someday” is available on the Jimmies’ site for $15 through PayPal, or download a digital copy. For 6 crazy-fun music videos and a 45 minute concert performance, pick up “Trying Funny Stuff”, also $15.00.

4. Playmobil‘s new Nautical Line: Besides being just plain fun to play with, Playmobil playsets offer kids a way to stretch their imaginations and solve problems creatively while they play. The new Playmobil Nautical Line is a fun way to teach kids about how scientists explore the deep sea and what they find there. The Deep Sea Diving Bell, Divers in the Tropical Reef, and Shark Diver playsets can be used as part of a science curriculum in a homeschool or classroom setting, and are also fun to play with! Prices: $12.99 to $21.99.

4. Obama Time Capsule Book: This beautiful hardcover book weaves together President Obama’s extraordinary journey to the Presidency with your own name, photos and thoughts. You make your purchase on Amazon.com, follow the easy instructions for personalizing the book with your name (I used our family’s last name), any thoughts you want to pass on to future generations, and a photo of your family, then your book is created and shipped to you.This is a limited time offer, so if this interests you, order one soon! Price: $34.95

5. Rada Pro Nail Station: Makes doing at-home manicures and pedicures easier with a padded rest for your hands or feet, an accessory tray that holds your supplies and swivels to wherever is most convenient for you, and a angled holder for your nail polish that keeps it tilted without spilling. The best feature in my opinion is the nail polish remover pump bottle. When you accidentally paint the side of your finger, it’s so easy to pump a little polish remover onto a q-tip or cotton ball without worrying about smudging any of your nails. Price: $19.99