Sadly, I missed this event since I was on on call. But Corduroy visited a local bookstore and the boys went to see him. I believe M is trying to tickle him. And A is being his skeptical self.

Tags: M, A, books

This is a Sesame Street pop-up book by Che Rudko and Tom Brannon which we just bought one weekend on a trip to the campus bookstore. My younger son has been resisting having his teeth brushed recently (he loved it when we first started doing it), and I thought he might enjoy seeing Elmo do it, seeing as how he has an Elmo toothbrush and all, and calls it Ah-mo. He also says buh shhh (with a 1-2 second delay between the sounds), which I think means brush. In any case, it was worth trying. Read more

Tags: books, Amazon

I won't go into too many details (you can go to my Shopping Resource page for more information), but here are some online sales that might be worth considering (I'm going to check them out):

Barnes and Noble Buy 2 clearance books, get a third for free (through April 18, 2008).
Sleepytimestore (my source for Barefoot Dreams and Little Giraffe products): Take 20% off everything storewide using coupon code Green20 (through midnight EST on April 11th, 2008).

Tags: books, clothing

This is a great series of soft books by Roger Priddy for the youngest of readers. We've actually got several of them but "Squishy Turtle and friends" is a household favorite. Book Review

Tags: books, Amazon

I usually buy books at Amazon, since their regular prices often reflect a steep 40% discount. However, textbooks are rarely discounted, and so the following is a great deal. Barnes and Noble is currently offering 40% off one book when you use your MasterCard (expires December 31). Their regular prices are a bit higher than Amazon, so comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best price. In general, textbooks will come out to a lot less (free shipping for orders over $25). You pay tax, but it's still a good deal, depending on what book you get. Enter code X8X9X3K and use your MasterCard. Some exclusions apply, see site for details. I just picked up a medical spanish textbook I've been eyeing and two board books (which were heavily discounted) for about $27 shipped (they would have cost me almost $40 on Amazon). I'll try to post a review once I have a chance to read it (sometime in the spring).

Tags: books, school

This Friday is "Black Friday," historically known as the biggest shopping day of the year. I've never been one to stand in line at 5am outside a big box store in order to score a great deal, and I'm not about to start now. I love great bargain but I don't have the luxury of time. Will I be awake? Probably. Perhaps making breakfast or unloading the dishwasher before the boys wake up.

If I find myself with some spare time, I might try to do some Christmas shopping online. I just got an email today from Amazon.com (marketing wizards those guys), reminding me to check out their great deals this Friday. It'd be great to get most of my shopping done early this year. I'm sure it'll be an interesting day!

Tags: toys, clothing, gear, books, shoes, Amazon, diapers

Check out Kidsurplus.com. If you've never shopped here, be warned that you may end up spending a lot of time and money because the deals are so good. I just placed a large order of various toys and clothing from them, including some fantastic pricing on Stride Rite shoes. I picked up some cute sandals for $18 (priced at least $30 elsewhere in my comparison searches), as well as a bunch of toys and books. They even beat my usual favorite, Amazon.com, in terms of pricing, for many items. If I wanted to just buy one or two things, I'd still go with Amazon (fast, free shipping), but since I was picking up a lot of things, this deal worked out well for me. Also, they currently carry many items that Amazon does not (or that they do through third-party sellers, which can have high shipping rates), so I tried to stock up.

I have ordered from them once before and while there were a few things that ended up being out of stock, the experience was very positive. They even upgraded my shipping (for free, without prompting) to make it in time for Christmas, which I think is a nice touch. Their stuff goes quickly, so if you see something you like, you'll have to act fast. Shipping is a flat rate of $7.95, which, if you are placing a large order, is offset by the deep savings. However, two days after I placed my order, I got an email newsletter that had a free shipping code for orders over $75 (which mine easily was). The code is Little. I have since emailed them to ask if they can waive the charges, but I'm not holding my breath. It was still a great deal for me, and I am hoping to pass on the additional savings to another savvy shopper. The coupon expires on July 3.

Other items that I bought: Melissa & Doug Stacking Construction Vehicles, Elmo Swim Ring, several hard-to-find Woody Click Hape toys, a bunch of Priddy and DK books, and various other toys that I wanted to stock up on.

Whenever I have some extra time, I try to stock up on toys that I anticipate M and A being able to play with over the next several months, so that we'll always have something fun to pull out of the closet on those rainy or otherwise difficult days. I also like to have a bunch of small toys and books available for the boys to play with in the car, at friends' homes (if they don't have young children), or in restaurants. I never know when I'll have another chance to sit down and shop for toys again, so I tend to make a couple of larger toy purchases throughout the year and then store them away until we need them.



The site is packed with stuff and can take a long time to navigate because of the very broad categories and large inventory, but there is a good search function. So if you have any idea about what you're interested in buying, punch it a key word or two and see what you get. Otherwise, it might take over an hour or more to sufficiently browse the site.

Remember to use coupon code "Little" for free shipping on orders of $75 or more (Ends July 3). You may even get your Christmas shopping done really early this year!

Tags: clothing, toys, books, shoes, gear

This is a terrific board book that I got for M early last year, and he's loved it from day one. Book Review

Tags: books, Amazon