First let me say that I was overwhelmed with all the gift ideas I received this year which makes it extremely hard to narrow it down to just a few but I did get it done.  I chose items based on uniqueness, functionality, style, and practicality.  I think with the economy like it is, most people are looking for items they can use to get the most bang for their buck.

The 2009 Gift Guide is up but needs some tweaking so bare with me please.  I’ll be adding products to the gift guide every day so keep checking it out. There will still  be a few featured here over the next couple of weeks as well.

If you are looking for gift ideas for the foodie & kitchen lover, check out My Wooden Spoon’s 2009 Holiday Foodie Gift Guide (which also needs some design tweaking).  I’ll also be adding products their daily as well.

I did some shopping myself over the weekend for Black Friday, how ’bout y’all?  You can see my story via Whrrl! I participated in a fun shopping trip to find the best Black Friday Deals and had a blast doing it! I’d love to hear what you got if you went.

Happy Shopping y’all!

Tips for a successful family game night include:

• 1) Make it a priority!  Mark the date on the calendar and make sure everyone understands that it’s a family date and not to make other plans.
• 2) Add some variety to your game night.  As long as everyone gets to participate and spend that time with each other, it really doesn’t matter what game it is.
• 3) Turn off ALL cell phones and TVs.
• 4) Have snacks and beverages already made and easily accessible.
• 5) Know the rules. Make sure everyone understands the rules beforehand to prevent arguments later.  It always happens..lol

Our favorite games are Scattergories, Monopoly, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Trivial Pursuit, and Dominoes.   Not only does Walmart have low prices on their games right now, they have also provided some fun ideas on how you can turn your family game night into a theme!

• Rock n’Roll Night—Turn your living room into a 50’s diner for Rock n’ Roll Night. The family could play include Twister, watch one of the two High School Musical movies, pull out those old tunes and serve diner themed foods like milk shakes and classic hot dogs.
• Double Trouble Night—Turn family night into trouble fun by playing the infamous Trouble game and bending the rules such as eating with your fingers. Then relax around the TV to watch your favorite Pirates of the Caribbean movie and see how everyone’s favorite pirates get in and out of trouble
• Special Mission Night—This night is about solving puzzle and using your smarts to uncover a mystery. Create or solve puzzles, play Pictureka and consider adding in a movie like National Treasure. Secret receipts of creative snacks might also be revealed!
• Day of the Week Family Night Kit—For a Sweet Tooth Sunday. Walmart would provide the board game Candyland as well as the sugary sweet movie Pollyanna along soda and makings for a homemade ice cream sundaes.

What are YOUR favorite games to play?  What fun themes can you come up with?

What did we play this weekend? MONOPOLY of course! I think that Hasbro makes some of the best games out there.