Monthly Archives: November 2017

Apple AirPods | Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds

It’s so nice to ask a family member what they want for Christmas, and they know exactly what they want!

apple-airpods-bluetooth-wireless-earbuds-earphones-thoughtful-gift-ideaMy son, Braden, is THE IT TECH GUY in our family. Since he also works in IT, he is always experiencing or researching the newest technology.

Thoughtful Techie Gift

His “wish list” was one item–Apple AirPods Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds. 

On the job, Braden likes to listen to music while working on tech stuff (that’s as technical as I can get), and he must be available at all times to take incoming calls.

With a tap of the AirPods, he can switch from listening to music to answering his iPhone. AMAZING! 

AirPods deliver five hours of listening time on one charge, and it has a charging case that holds additional charges for more than 24 hours of listening time. Continue Reading

Artisanal Ice Cream in Fun Flavors

Really good ice cream in fun flavors. That’s what I want. Any time of year.

jenis-artisanal-ice-cream-giftOne of my favorite flavors is goat cheese ice cream. Hey. Don’t knock it until you try it. Trust me.

One time a friend bought me a pint of Jeni’s Goat Cheese with Red Cherries. Absolute heaven!

Have you heard of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams? It’s an artisan ice cream company, which means real people use real (vs. synthetic) ingredients to make the highest quality ice cream.

The company is known for always coming out with fun, inventive flavors!

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iFLY Indoor Skydiving

I’ve always wanted to skydive but jumping out of an airplane just didn’t make a lot of sense the older I became.

Ifly-indoor-skydiving-thoughtful-gift-ideaMy sister-in-law gave me a gift certificate to iFLY so I could fulfill my dream closer to the ground!

Indoor Skydiving

iFLY is indoor skydiving that simulates true free fall conditions in a vertical wind tunnel.

Their motto of “It’s where the dream of flight becomes a reality” really happened for me!

At age 65 I’m no spring chicken (a phrase my mother-in-law would say) but there have been lots of elderly people who have been brave enough to skydive.

I hoped the wind tunnel would help me decide if I was just satisfied doing a simulation or if I needed to do the real thing. Continue Reading

MoviePass | Watch One Movie in Theaters Every Day

Some people love being able to watch movies on their home entertainment system, but others love the original movie watching experience–in an actual movie theater!

moviepass-subscription-theater-theaters-thoughtful-giftThey want a cinematic experience that involves sitting in a dark theater watching a film on a three-story screen while listening to the audio come out of a massive speaker system. For them, it’s just not the same watching movies at home.

There is another reason some people love going to the movies.

They want to see a movie as soon as it comes out. They don’t want to wait months for it to become available on Redbox, on Netflix or on DVD.

Psst. I personally love the social aspect of watching horror movies inside a crowded theater–to feel dozens of strangers suck in their breath together in anticipation or to hear a blood curdling screen come from someone sitting in the row behind you.

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Money Savvy Piggy Bank | Educational Toy

- - Kids

Earn more money so you can buy more stuff.

money-savvy-piggy-bank-kids-giftI used to believe that about money, but I don’t anymore. Now, I see money as freedom to do what I want with my time.

I learned most of my personal finance skills as an adult from reading articles on The Simple Dollar website. Like many children, I didn’t receive money lessons at home that I needed to become a money savvy adult.

Schools don’t make it a priority to teach personal finance skills, so it’s something that must be taught by parents and family members to children–from an early age.

My son, Aiden, recently turned five years old, and he received cash from three different people for his birthday that added up to almost $100. Bingo! This is the perfect time to start teaching him some simple money lessons and smart money habits.

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Recreate the Pose of a Famous Photo

My boss, Dennis, loves the Beatles. And yes, he’s a baby boomer! His favorite album is Abbey Road with John, Paul, Ringo and George walking across a striped crosswalk on the cover.

recreate-the-pose-of-a-famous-photo-Abbey-Road-thoughtful-gift-ideaThe Beatles had many famous photo albums but this may be their fans’ most favorite.

For one of his retirement gifts, I recreated the famous Beatles photo with Dennis and his three Team Leaders who have worked with him for 20 years.

I scoped out the many streets in our city and found the white stripes in an intersection that would allow us to recreate the photo.

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Kids Traceable Thank You Card

- - Kids, Thank You

My mother taught me the importance of writing thank you notes, and I’m passing the skills of showing appreciation down to my own children.

kids-traceable-thank-you-card-noteI started with my oldest child, Aiden, when he was only three years old. I created Color In Thank You Cards since he could color at that age.

At age 4, I created Star Wars thank you cards, and he wrote his name on each one and decorated them with Star Wars stickers.

This year at age 5, I created a Traceable Thank You Card since he’s learning how to write uppercase and lowercase letters in Pre-K. The template has a place at the bottom for him to write his name.

He practiced his handwriting while learning proper manners and etiquette. Parenting win!

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