We are always on the lookout here for great Wii games for Madison (my 5 year old) to play. Wii is designed for kids, but we often find her getting stuck on the kids games.  However, the first great thing I have to say about Birthday Party Bash is that she doesn’t get stuck.  She actually has never asked us for help yet.  I love a game that doesn’t frustrate her to the point of crying.  I have to admit this is one the most unique games out there that I’ve seen.  When you open the game, there are actually invitations, so you can invite your friends over to play and celebrate your birthday.  When playing this game, you have several options.  First, you can choose to decorate a room for the party.  You can choose everything from a pirate theme to a princess theme, and there is really everything in between too.  There’s even a cake in the game!  I do have to admit that my favorite part is the 20 party games you can play.  They range from Pinata Blast, Duncan Hines Cake Stacker, and Birthday Blowout.  However, Madison’s favorite game is the rocking climbing one.  I am pretty sure it is, because she beats everybody every time.

If you are looking for a great game for younger kids, I highly recommend this.  It makes a great Christmas or birthday present.

If you have anyone in on your Christmas shopping list that you don’t know what to get them, a Cloud 9 Living gift certificate is the perfect gift.  This is like no gift certificate that you have ever have given or received.  Instead of getting something, your person gets to chose an experience, and there are over 1,700 experiences to choose from using their gift certificate.  You can choose everything from dinner cruises to cooking classes to racing Nextel Cup Style Stockcars to hot air balloon rides.  There is truly something for everyone.  You can buy certificates as low as $40 all the way up to $100,000.  80% of the experiences are under $500 and 50% of experiences are under $200.  Cloud 9 Living has partnered with companies like Land Rover, BMW, and ESPN Golf School to ensure that you have an excellent experience.  Some more experiences you can pick from include the CSI Experience (now, my birthday is in March if anyone would like to get me that), drive a stockcar, walking food tours, helicopter tours, bull riding lessons, segway tours, chef for a day, trapeze lessons, etc.  Some of the VIP experiences include star in your own film, formula one racing, golf with a PGA Pro, and flying a Russion MIG.

If you want to give a gift that noone will forget, Cloud 9 Living is the way to go.  Instead of “stuff”, you are able to give an experience of a lifetime.

I See Me! are some the best personalized books out there on the market.  I was able to look at a couple of samples, and I am impressed.  My kids love the sample books, so I am seriously considering getting them their own.  There have several different books to pick from, but I am just going to review the two that I received.

The first thing that jumps out at you is the illustrations in this book.  They are some of the most detailed I have seen in a kids book ever.  My Very Own Name has each page spelling out your child’s name. They also have a cute saying to go with it.  Being that we are working on letter sounds and spelling with Madison, this is something very helpful to us.  When you get to the end of the book, your child’s name will be completely spelled out (first and last).  There also is an animal encyclopedia.  It tells you about each animal in the book.  For example, an elephant can weigh up to 13,000 lbs and a daddy emus sit on the eggs to keep them warm! This book also includes your child’s birthday and a dedication from the sender. This is definitely for both boys and girls from 0 – 8 years old.

My Very Own Fairy Tale is for girls ages 0 – 12 years old. This book has fairies spelling your little girls first and last name in rhyme.  The illustrations in this book too are awesome.  You just don’t see this in kids books.  At the end of this book, there is “The Fairy Patch”.  It is a listing of all the fairies in the book.  Each fairy is named after a plant, so they is also a little bit about each plant.  For example, we learned that growers harvest cranberries by flooding their fields with water and iris is the Greek word for rainbow.  This too has a personal dedication in it from the sender.

Both of these books are a hit in my house.  This is definitely a great gift for not only your children, but for that kid in your life that seems to have everything.  These books have already gotten hours of use at  my house.

Have you heard of Bake Me A Wish! before? Bake Me A Wish! provides freshly baked occasional cakes for all seasons and celebrations. They deliver the cakes overnight in an elegant box with a personalized gift card. Now, you cannot leave their site without being hungry. I know that I wouldn’t mind a few of those cakes being sent to my house! They all look so good.  Granted, I may need to walk on a treadmill after that, but it’s all in the name of research, right?

The reason I am including them in my gift guide this year is because of what else they do.  When you order a cake from them, they send an identical cake to a soldier in Iraq for their birthday.  5% of all their orders is used to assist their efforts in sending gourmet occasion cakes to soldiers overseas.  Now, if you know someone over in Iraq who wouldn’t mind a gourmet birthday cake, make sure you forward their name to them.  I found myself tearing up just reading all the thank yous from soldiers receiving their cakes.

If you need a birthday cake, make sure you check out Bake Me A Wish! and see if you can help send a soldier a cake!

In my house, the question of when is my birthday is asked often — usually weekly.  Madison is dying to turn 5 years old.  I am not sure what she thinks happens when  you turn five, but she can’t wait.  The book When Is My Birthday? comes in handy after being asked that question a hundred times in one day.  The book starts off with Elmo helping his mom get ready for Daisy’s, Elmo’s sister’s, birthday party.  Elmo gets jealous and wants it to be his birthday too.  He finds himself jealous that daisy got a toy truck.  However, we find out at the end of the book that Elmo’s birthday is close by, so he doesn’t have to wait for long for his turn.  Daisy also shares it with him too while he waits.  I find that this book helps Madison, somewhat, with patience and sharing.  Plus, kids always enjoy reading about parties, presents, and cake.  When Is My Birthday? is a great book for impatient little ones waiting for their birthdays.