All year long, I clip those little “Box Tops for Education” thingies, and the kids bring them in to their school. I didn’t know it until this school year, but the Box Tops program also has something called “Marketplace,” where certain online stores donate a percentage of your purchase to the school.  I’m doing a lot of shopping right now ANYWAY, so this is a nice way to help the school without having to volunteer to help out at the Winter Fair (*shudder*). Plus, as it turned out, it was an excuse to do a little giveaway, and I really like doing giveaways.
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My co-blogger here at Milk & Cookies just wrote a post about favorite places to do online shopping, and today’s post is related: what are your favorite shopping blogs or product review sites? Places you go to find gift ideas — either for other people or, you know, for YOURSELF? 

I love shopping/review blogs (so much so that I ran my own until recently); here’s a list of some of my faves, as well as some new-to-me picks recommended by other folks:
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I’m sure some children’s rooms are perfectly decorated to be a magical fairyland of wonder and joy, but in our house the kids’ rooms just seem to be cluttered repositories for toys, books, piles of clothes — both laundered and dirty — and the lingering nose-assaulting remains of poopy diapers. There’s some artwork on the walls, but not much. The vibe is less Pottern Barn Kids and more . . . well, Messy Storage Area Where the Highchair is Stuffed in the Corner and a Box of Outgrown Clothes Gathers Dust.

I love the idea of a kid’s wall hung with wonderful artwork, though. Maybe someday I’ll decorate our boys’ rooms more than they currently are. Or maybe I’ll just keep a dreamy collection of kid’s art bookmarks along with my folders of gourmet kitchen appliances, built-in wooden bookshelves with integrated library ladder, and marble bathroom vanity tops.

If you like collecting things from Etsy artists — and who doesn’t? — here are some amazing prints that would be perfect for a nursery or little kid’s room:
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So it’s your lunch break at work, or you’re at home and the children are (THANK YOU JEBUS) napping, and instead of jumping on your next office project or tackling the never-ending laundry pile, you sit in front of your computer, and . . . well, what are you looking at?

Other than personal blogs and embarrassing, brain-rotting things like People.com and CNN.com, I’ve got a few favorite websites I like to check in with when I have some downtime. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours, okay?

(Heh.)

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