When I was at Camp Baby, one of the Neutrogena products they gave us was Neutrogena Age Shield Face Sunblock. I’ve been using it since then, and I can recommend it if you can accept its one major failing. You have to thoroughly examine your face to make sure you don’t have white streaks.

I’ve found that around the edges of my face, in my eye brows, and other places I’m not as likely to rub this stuff in I get white streaks when the sunscreen dries. My face is very pale, and I’d imagine this would be a much worse problem for folks with darker skin.

That said, if you’re OK with policing your skin before you go out the door, this is pretty good stuff. An SFP of 70 is going to give you surface-of-the-sun protection levels, plus it dries to a relatively non-greasy finish suitable for layering makeup over. I was expecting it to have a nasty smell, but in fact it is pretty innocuous.

You can get 2 tubes at Amazon for $20. I use it and recommend it with the above qualifications. (And if you ever see me with white schmutz on my face, would you point it out please??)

UPDATE: OK, so I’ve now used this an additional week, and I can’t recommend it for regular use anymore. The white residue is too tricky to get rid of completely, and it just isn’t worth it. I’m going to save this for when I go to the beach and need some heavy-duty sunscreen that won’t block my pores, but I’ve stopped using it on a daily basis.

This cute little snack of a book only arrived on my doorstep a few days ago, but fortunately it is a very quick read. The quote snippets come from interviews conducted by the authors, and reflect the real lives of mothers. While I found reading the book to be slightly depressing, I could see it being helpful to someone already feeling down about how hard it is to be a parent. In that circumstance it might be reassuring to know that other women are sometimes just as beaten down as you are.

Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile conducted interviews with hundreds of mothers while researching their best-selling book I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids. It didn’t take long before these moms began to reveal their Dirty Little Secrets—surprising, thought-provoking, guilty confessions they hadn’t told anyone else. Cringe-worthy moments (”I bit my daughter’s finger trying to steal a bite of her cookie.”) meet real insights (”I love my kids but I didn’t always. It took time to fall in love with them.”). These are the private thoughts that every mom has—and every mom can relate to.

I can see this being marketed as a great baby shower gift, but fortheloveofgod, please do not give it to a first time mom. If someone had given this to me before I’d been a mom for a few years, I would probably have had a nervous breakdown!

But I will share with you my absolute favorite quote: “My seven-year-old-son walked in on us having sex. We told him we were doing karate in bed.” I want to meet that mom — that chick is hilarious!

Grab a copy for yourself or for an experienced mom friend at Amazon for just $11.

If you’re looking for a sweet gift for your own child or someone else’s, you can’t go wrong shopping at a store like Inca Kids.

Inca Kids is a Fair Trade Store supporting Peruvian artisans, men and women working from dawn to dusk to provide for their families.

We are excited to offer you FUN and FASHIONABLE handmade accessories, apparel, artisan toys and decorations at a competitive price, all while knowing that your purchase supports a family in Peru.

Most of our products are made of 100% Alpaca wool or 100% Peruvian cotton. All our items are handmade and fair trade.

“Zoobooks” — the #1 Kids Magazine about animals — is for kids ages 4-12. Full of great photos and illustrations, it can be a great addition to your at-home learning materials.

Kids love to get their own mail — especially when their mail could contain anything from a wild-eyed tiger to a cuddly koala. Each and every month, watch your budding animal-lover turn away from the television and eagerly curl up on the couch to make new discoveries about another exciting animal. Be prepared for a lot of “Mom, Dad — did you know…?”

Each Issue spotlights a different animal. Brilliantly photographed, simply written, advertising-free. Interactive games in each issue to make learning stick. Endless subjects for school reports for all grades, all ages.

No ads, free issue, this is a great deal.

How to Subscribe

Just fill out their simple online form — you can pay now or pay later. Makes a great gift too. They also have a magazine called “Zootles” for kids ages 2-6, so there really is something for everyone.

Do you enjoy finding the perfect face wash, amazing eye shadow primer, or soothing bath salts? Have you been wondering if there are stores online to help you find the best beauty products? Here are some I’ve found which offer that little “something extra” you’ve been looking for.

» LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics

Yummy Bath Bombs, Bubble Bars, Soap, Shower Gel, Hair Care, Skin Care, Fragrance — you can’t go wrong here.

» Beauty.com

Great selection of big names in cosmetics, plus they share a shopping cart with Drugstore.com so it is easy to qualify for free shipping. And you also get to choose three free samples with every order.

» The Body Shop

They have fabulously scented products and so much more. And shop by February 17th and get up to 75% off plus Free Shipping on orders over $60.

If you’re one of the ga-zillions of people who vowed that 2008 would be the year they finally got their bills organized and under control, have I got the tool for you.

You’ve probably heard of Quicken and think of it as something used by small businesses or extra-organized Type-A folks. While that may be true, there’s now a version of Quicken that’s right for just about anyone: Quicken Online.

Quicken Online is not a monster of a workhorse designed to help you run a company or streamline your family trust fund accounting. Instead, it’s an easy-to-use web version of the classic Quicken software. You don’t need to be Bill Gates to get your family finances organized once and for all.

They even have my favorite feature: a 30-day Free Trial. No risk! Just sign up for free and see if it works for you.

Unfortunately, my resident LEGO-maniac is not even 6 yet, otherwise we would absolutely be the proud owners of this amazing new LEGO set.

When completed, it stands THREE AND A HALF FEET TALL. Oh my. I can’t let Mike hear about this until he’s at least 10. And I finally get around to building him his own LEGO-wing on the house…

Do you have a LEGO-obsessed kid in your house? Let the grandparents know about this for the next birthday gift idea. It looks like a blast to build!

Every time I inch the thermostat up a degree, my husband gives me a dirty look. Heat is expensive no matter where you live, but the cold weather is here in most parts of the country.

Instead of turning up the heat in your house, how about you get a great deal on toasty warm throw blankets?

Buy one, get a second one 50% off — and they start at just $19.99, so this is a great deal.

Plus, if you order by January 31 you also get $5 off by using coupon code D8A5AFF

I. Heart. Target. And I also love free shipping, so imagine my excitement when I’m able to combine the two.

Between now and February 2nd, you can get Free Shipping on select items in kitchen, appliances, and health items.

Have you heard that four major networks have cancelled the remainder of their TV seasons in the face of the writer’s strike? Not thrilled at the prospect of watching endless Fear Factor clones? I have the solution for you: Netflix.

At our house we’ve been using Netflix to catch up on tons of TV series we missed out in their first runs, like Veronica Mars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Lost, Friday Night Lights, and tons more. It’s easy to browse their site to see if they have shows you want to watch. With the recent turn of events we plan on using Netflix even more, and so should you if you enjoy relaxing in front of the boob tube after the kids are in bed.

It’s easy. Just sign up, make a list of movies and TV shows you want to watch, and wait for them to arrive at your door. Keep them as long as you like, and mail them back in the postage-paid envelope and wait for your next shows to arrive. No late fees, free shipping both ways, no pressure, just a huge selection of great titles. I don’t know how we got along without it!

And the best part? No risk. Just Sign up for your Netflix Free Trial and if you like it, you pay as little as $4.99 per month. Sweet!