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7 Gifts For Your Budding Geeks

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:04:20 PST

It's only natural that you'd want your kids (or nieces and nephews) to be as geeky as you are. Besides, geek is totally chic. Prep them for the future with these geeky gifts they'll love and learn from.

Start the Kiddies Off Right With the How to Speak Wookiee Book

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 01:21:45 PDT

If you've got a geek (or Jedi) in training, you're probably going to want them to be multilingual . . . and I don't mean languages of this Earth. The How to Speak Wookiee ($17) book is perfect for your little ones who are preparing for a lifetime of inter-galactic space travel (pretend, or otherwise).

As you probably know, Wookiees are notoriously short-tempered, so prepare your children (or heck, even yourself) to converse appropriately and politely in the language with this handy book and audio module that helps them to speak like a native. Pretty adorable, pretty geeky.

HTML Tutorials For Coding Noobs

Kelly Schwarze — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 07:16:01 PDT

It's never too early to get the littlest one in your life acquainted with the language of the Web. No, this isn't a lesson on writing within a prescribed amount of characters rather the basics of HTML coding.

With the colorful HTML code and symbols of the book HTML For Babies, geeks in training will be able to properly format blog entries on their most recent play date to the zoo without help from mom and dad! The $9 book is the first of a three-volume set a New York City web designer created for his own child. Look out for a CSS volume soon for the baby who breezes through the basics.

Happy Hour: Butterbeer

Katie Sweeney — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:44:54 PDT

Harry Potter fans, the moment we've all been waiting for is almost here. The second half of the final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, premieres in New York today, hits theaters this Friday. There's no better way to anticipate the finale than with a frothy, cold mug of butterbeer! This recipe is nonalcoholic, so you can serve it to the underaged fans as well. It's a sweet treat, somewhere between a milk shake and a root beer float, with the base ingredient being cream soda.

Take the time to make your own butterscotch; it really enhances the flavor of the beer. To serve a spiked version, add a shot of spiced rum. Get the recipe after the jump.

Handy Toddler-Friendly Gizmos For Snack Time

Heather Dale — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 04:46:49 PDT

Snack time is often a blessing for moms because it keeps tots quiet, content, and occupied for at least a few minutes of the day - just enough time to make yourself a snack or put your feet up! But similar to breakfast, lunch, or dinner, snack time often means sticky hands, crushed crackers in the carpet, and spills you wish would just magically disappear. No more! Your cleanup count will drastically drop with the following inventions that keep food where it belongs - in the bowl, plate, or cup it was served in, and in your toddler's mouth. Ta-da!

Why Kids Love Buddy Blankets

Heather Dale — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 08:41:46 PDT

They're huggable, lovable, extremely cozy and soft, and kids love 'em. The irresistible playful pals I'm referring to are buddy blankets. Unlike regular baby blankets, buddy blankets are a bit smaller, usually come trimmed in satin, and have an adorable plush animal attached to them.

Because of their two-in-one appeal - featuring a blanket and cuddly stuffed animal in one - it's no wonder kids go gaga over them. Most are machine washable and dryable, so they are low maintenance for mama, and because they are smaller than traditional blankets, you don't have to worry about your little one dragging it on the floor or the ground outside.

For the perfect gift, or an addition to your baby's crib, here are some different animals and colors to choose from!

Barefoot Dreams Bamboo Eco Pocket Buddy Pink Dog - $29.00	Barefoot Dreams Bamboo Eco Barefoot Buddies - $29.00
Bunnies by the Bay Emmie Duck Buddy Blanket - $23.99	Barefoot Dreams Bamboo Eco Pocket Buddie Monkey - $29.00
Bunnies by the Bay Buddy Blanket - Pink - $23.99	CozyChic Blanket Buddy - Puppy - Sold Out
Bunnies by the Bay Buddy Blanket - Sold Out	Baby Starters Plush Bear Snuggle Buddy with Blanket - Ivory - Sold Out

Lil Community: Fun Kids Nightstands DIY

Lil Community — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 03:18:56 PDT

Warm weather has many families fixing things up around the house. Community member Funkytime shared her latest project in CasaSugar's Su Casa group.

We are getting ready to move to the city, and while packing, I found our old bedside tables…not very chic anymore;-) Since the kids did not have any, I decided to convert them into fun kids nightstands.

To see the before photo, click here. Have a DIY kids project you want to share? Join Casa's and share away!

How-To: Determine If You Can Afford a Baby

SavvySugar — Sun, 29 May 2011 03:05:49 PDT

When other people ask you if you're ready to have kids, they're generally not referring to whether or not you can afford to raise a child. But that's one factor you can't leave out of your decision to start a family. Scroll though the financial factors to consider when determining if you can afford a baby.

Get Your Bank Account Ready For a Baby

Guest Writer — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:00:34 PDT

Editor’s note: The following is a guest post by Kimberly Palmer, the author of Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back, and personal finance columnist at US News & World Report. Take it away, Kimberly!

Along with the cute outfits, nursery, and rocking chair, there’s one more thing to get ready for baby: Your bank account. Because along with being cuddly and adorable, babies are also insanely expensive. Just how much will one end up costing you? Well, according to the latest estimates from the Agriculture Department, middle-income couples (earning between $57,000 and $98,000) spend around $12,000 a year on their babies.

Luckily, parents don’t need to come up with all that cash at once. In fact, we often don’t even realize when we’re spending it, because it includes the fuzzier costs of moving to a bigger home and buying more groceries in addition to the more obvious ones, such as baby clothes and baby sitters. There are ways, though, to start priming your accounts for an extra family member in advance, so you don’t have to worry about bouncing any checks during your first years together. Whether you’re pregnant or your future baby exists only in your daydreams, here are some ways to start getting ready:

1. Figure out your work (or no work) plan. Babies often make their biggest financial impact on their parents’ earning potential, since new moms (and dads) frequently decide to scale back their work hours in order to spend more time with the new love of their lives. In this country, even a relatively brief maternity leave of three or four months is usually unpaid, which means new parents have to live off savings at a time when they’re also taking on more expenses.

Meanwhile, parents who continue working full-time take on the mega-cost of nannies or daycare, which can average well over $12,000 a year, especially in cities. One way to mitigate the budget shock: Practice living off one salary before the big birth day, and sign up for childcare flex spending accounts if your employer offers them, in order to take advantage of the tax benefits.

For more tips on how to get your bank account ready for a baby, read on.

Kids Under 13 Should Use Facebook: Agree or Disagree?

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 20 May 2011 10:25:01 PDT

Millions of preteens are already using Facebook, some lying about their age to get past sign-up restrictions, while others even get permission from their parents to create an account. And according to Mark Zuckerberg, getting kids online at an earlier age may help them with education.

While speaking at a NewSchools Summit in California this week, Facebook's CEO outlined how educating kids about the Internet should start at a younger age, and by doing so, we can learn how to make the Internet a safer place for children. He says:

"My philosophy is that for education you need to start at a really, really young age. Because of the restrictions we haven’t even begun this learning process. . . . If they’re lifted, then we’d start to learn what works. We’d take a lot of precautions to make sure that they [younger kids] are safe."

What do you think about this stance? Do you agree that kids should start learning about social networks (like Facebook), and the Internet at a younger age?