Every year I try to find a new and different advent calendar for the holiday season. This year I stumbled upon one based on one of my son’s favorite holiday stories, “Olive, the Other Reindeer.” Although I ordered it late (it was after December 1) from Walmart.com, it still arrived within a few days and we’ve had fun with it on a daily basis ever since. Each day, my son can punch out a figure under a numbered window and place it into the pop-up village. He’s had a great time rearranging the figures each day and can’t wait until the next day to see what that day’s surprise will be. Best of all, I was able to get it on sale for just $6.50 (because of that price, I opted to pay extra for 2-day shipping so we would receive the calendar sooner and be able to use it during more of the holiday season!) With that extra shipping charge, my total was still only $12, a small price to pay for the many days of enjoyment this calendar is providing my family.

Snowflake Gift Company creates one of a kind, customized, three-dimensional pop-up cards for many occasions, including baby announcements, baby shower or birthday party invitations. You can choose to either have your card created from scratch, or to customize a pre-existing design. You provide personal images or artwork you want used in the card, and Snowflake creates a design around it. Proofs are emailed to you, and once a proof is approved, you’ll receive the cards in about 2 weeks. They also provide a mail service in which they’ll mail your cards for you if you provide them with a complete mailing list. These cards are perfect for a variety of occasions. Prices range from $12.20 for 20 1-layer small cards to $17 for 20 4-layer large cards. A complete price list can be found at SnowflakeGift.com.

I stumbled upon these in the clearance aisle of the grocery store. I thought they would be a fun, cheap diversion for the kids on a  hot summer day. I actually ended up being very impressed with them and went online to see where I could find more. What sets them apart is the design of the bottle. The wand is built right into the bottle. The child just needs to gently squeeze and the wand pops out of the top, already covered in solution and ready to blow. Don’t worry, the bubbles don’t come leaking out the top when your child squeezes. The funny thing is that our older children had as much fun with these as our toddler. Suggested retail is $1.99. You can read about the product and find a list of stores that carry it at littlekidsinc.com. These would make great party favors.

 I love things that organize and make messy into neat. One of the daily chores I had when my three children were all toddlers was picking up their toys and such all around the house - everyday. I finally got the idea of having a few laundry baskets around the house just for tossing in toys, books, sweaters, etc. Later in the evening when the house was quiet, I could sort through one basket at a time. It saved time and energy during the day.

This colorful Pop-Up Organizer by Sassy would make a fun alternative to the old laundry basket — and it’s so much more attractive. Maybe it will attract your kids to pick up their toys and toss them in. Visit babyearth.com to view this item. It is priced at just $17.95.