If You Are One Of My Children and You Are Reading This Post, You Are So Totally Grounded

My friend Melanie is hosting a brilliant carnival today:  The Holiday Shopping Carnival.  It's just what it sounds like--an opportunity to share great ideas for Christmas gifts. 

My little problemo is that everybody I buy Christmas presents for actually reads this blog, including (at least occasionally) my kids.

So, Dryer kids, if you've made it this far, you are now completely busted.  STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER RIGHT NOW, because so help me, you precious little creatures, I will return all the goodies and give you a box of rocks.  Maybe the ones from my dryer.

Yes, our family is almost drowning in the joy of the season.

Believe it or not, I've nearly finished Christmas shopping for the kids.  Nobody had their hearts set on a big-ticket item this year, so it's going to be a mish-mash of smaller gifts.  That's fine by me--they're more fun to buy anyway.

All three of the boys will be getting a video game, either for their Wii or DS.  Everybody is getting at least one book (so far I've bought this one, this one, this one and this one.)  And each of the boys is getting a Lego set, because we can never seem to have enough.  Probably because I have stepped on so many of them that the soles of my feet have absorbed them.  I probably have two dozen Legos floating around in my bloodstream as we speak.

(Speaking of which, each boy is getting one of these in his stocking.  Pretty handy little tool for my Lego fanatics, I'd say.)

I'm having a bit of a love affair with CafePress at the moment.  My kids love funny t-shirts, but I don't let them wear disrespectful ones.  I've managed to find some very good ones at CafePress, and (shhhh!) the boys don't mind that they're getting the clothes they needed anyway.

Corrie is getting an accessory or two for the Bitty Baby she just got for her birthday.  I'd also like to find her a small little table and chair set (kind of like this, except preferably one that doesn't require a second mortgage.)

We'll probably toss a Webkinz in each stocking.  I have to tell you that the appeal of these little creatures is beyond me, yet my kids adore them.  And really, they enjoy playing with the animals themselves at least as much as they enjoy the on-line version.

Last but not least, I stumbled on this last night, and I'm very tempted.  But it would totally be for the kids.  Of course.  I would never pop it in the CD player after they get on the bus in the morning.  Never.

That's about it for the kids.

Adults are, of course, much harder.  On my side of the family, we draw names, and don't let each other do gift certificates.  I drew my brother's name, and Hubs drew my dad's.  They both have me utterly baffled.  I may hand this little task off to Hubs.

Even though it's not part of Melanie's carnival, I do think it's fun to hear other people's wish lists.  I personally have been coveting a Lisa Leonard necklace for quite some time, and my Amazon wish-list is crammed full of book titles including this, this, this and this.  And, because a girl likes to think big every now and then, this sassy pink laptop is CALLING MY NAME.  I can just see myself typing away on it in the coffee shop.  I think it would say to people, "I may look like a semi-frumpy housewife, but I am in fact a semi-frumpy housewife with a pink laptop.  So there."

That's it from me.  Head back over to Melanie's site for a look at other gift suggestions.