Holiday Gift List 2016, MOMS!!

So, maybe you will have to suggest your kids or significant other read this post for ideas to get you for the holidays this year. Or, if you're like me, you can buy your own gifts, wrap them, and act surprised when you open it up! Those are the best gifts I've ever received/given.

Who knows what you love to wear more than you do? I love everything from The StockPlace, so I would suggest my husband or kids just go and shop out of my online shopping cart or get me a gift card. I can always find something from The StockPlace--they have great prices and clothes you don't easily find on other clothing websites.

Remind the woman in your life every day how important she is with a wall quote from LatterDayHome. I still remember all the cross-stitched wall art my mom had hung in our home when I was a child. Don't just put up anything on your walls, put up something that has meaning and words you want to remember... and your kids to remember. LatterDayHome has beautiful quotes with the option to have it framed and ready to hang!

I love to give a little sweet in all my gifts, and I love receiving a little treat even more. I always say that nothing tastes as good as chocolate you didn't buy yourself. For the Sweet makes the most delicious cookies and macarons I have ever had. When we tried their lemon cookies, my son tried shoving them in his mouth so he could eat them all before we could get more bites. That is no exaggeration, either. For the Sweet is really that good. And she can send her cookies throughout the United States.

Maybe a bit sweeter than cookies is my love for jewelry. I love little necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. My mother says you can always buy a lady purses and jewelry, for they will always fit! I purchased a Made By Mary choker a few months ago and I love how dainty but sturdy it is. Plus, it's just rad. Customize a necklace for yourself or your mother from so many darling choices at Made by Mary. Hand-stamped bars and discs that will show your style and your personality! What would you have hand-stamped on your necklace? I think I'd choose "JK, yo!" Maybe.

More clothes? Yes, always! SonnetJames makes dresses that moms can play in. How genius is that? No worrying about bra straps showing or being too short when you bend down to play with your kids. And the great part about dresses is that all you have to choose when you get dressed is ONE thing and everyone thinks you're all dressed up. Hip hip hooray for dresses. And an extra HIP for the cozy and cool look for SonnetJames dresses!

When you get pregnant, amazing things happen to your hair. You get thicker, more beautiful hair because it's not falling out as quickly. And something about the hormones makes it all shiny, too! Then you have the baby and it all falls out. And then you have toddlers and they pull it out. And then you have kids in school and you start pulling out your hair. What's a girl to do? Laced Hair Extensions are amazing because you can clip them in yourself, when you feel you need a little extra. They are beautiful hair extensions, too. I am amazed at how many women use hair extensions to fill in their lackluster hair after pregnancy. When I tried Laced Hair, I understood.

What's cuter than pajamas for kids on Christmas? Mom in her own cute pajamas, ready to take photos with the kids. I tend to wear leggings to bed or old, ratty sweatpants. I need some new cool pajamas that I wouldn't be embarrassed to have my picture taken in for all posterity to see. LazyOnes have funny pajama sets for the whole family, so everyone can look presentable Christmas morning. And every evening. I love the Flapjacks from LazyOnes.

Inevitably, there will be a time in the winter where you will want to get in a hot tub or take a last-minute vacation to somewhere tropical (I want to! Can I go?). Be ready for any swimsuit occasion with the coolest thing to ever happen to swimwear: the DoliRay Romper. Put it on over your swimsuit or buy one of their very flattering and comfortable swimsuits and jump in, play, wear it in and outside of the water. I get compliments every time I wear my DoliRay Romper, probably because I'm so confident when I wear it.

Sometimes you just need to stay inside all day long and don't want to wear those ratty sweats or even the cute pajamas. Remember how our mothers used to wear house dresses? Well, what if I told you that lounge dresses are back, but now they are stylish, modern, and just as practical? LuckyLove makes a lounge dress you wouldn't mind leaving the house in. With pockets to grab all the items around the house, or to keep your smartphone close at hand... I love anything with pockets! LuckyLove is lounge wear that is classy!

So, what are you going to get yourself for the Holidays? Any specific shop or item you have your eye on?

AnnaM

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Holiday Gift List 2016, Teenager and College Kids

Teenagers have much more discerning taste than the little kids who are stoked to see balloons around the tree Christmas morning. My teenage kids wish lists include electronics and socks. I'm not kidding: SOCKS!

So I have to get creative and crafty to find gifts I know my kids will love that they don't realize they will love. I think I've found some winners!

Once again, the Hover King! I am not kidding when I say that this is the toy of the year. I am so excited for my kids to have a hover board they can sit on and race... with me. Hover board PLUS conversion kit makes for the coolest and smallest go kart on the market. We live in the city, so there isn't a ton of room for big go karts in our garage, so this is a triple win for us. Go check out hoverlikeaking now before their prices go up or they are sold out. Right now the entire package is a STEAL!

The LetterFolk message boards are adorable, but what surprised me most is how much my kids like making messages on these boards. My teenager likes to write celebratory messages and funny puns. My son likes to write the menu for dinner. I like it for reminders. The whole family loves to write messages on the LetterFolk boards, which wins over electronics every day!

If you have a teenage daughter or know of a teen or college-aged girl, you know about bath bombs! They are the bomb! (Oy, I just showed my age.) Shine Happy Life has bubble bars, bath bombs, body butters, and they all smell great and look amazing. I love how many look like desserts, because great baths are better than a dessert. (So I've heard!) Plus, just having Shine Happy products around will make your daughter's room smell better.

Speaking of happy girls and bedrooms, Aimee Ferre prints add the perfect touch of art and positive reminders of who they are. Aimee designs the most beautiful artwork that my daughter loves to have in her bedroom. If you think her work looks familiar, she also designed our best-selling shirts for Kids are The Worst! We love Aimee!

My son loves to cook and bake. He wakes up first every weekend and asks if he can make waffles or try a new cake recipe. Watch out, Jamie Oliver! When I saw Ashley's Fresh Fix new levoons and levups (measuring spoons and cups with an automatic level), I knew he would dig them. Perfect for the teenager who wants to cook and bake and even better for the college kid who needs to learn how to cook on their own.

I love having a little treat for my kids in their stockings. Sometimes you want something better than a candy cane. Sweet Tooth Fairy sells their cakebites to deliver nationwide. My daughter loves giving these little packages to her friends and music teachers for the holidays. It is a perfect gift for teens and for teens to give. From now until Monday, November 28, use the code KIDSARETHEWORST at thesweettoothfairy.com to get 20% off your order! Huzzah!

It might seem to soon to think about swimsuits, but there is always winter vacations, hot tubs, and Spring Break just around the corner. Rad Swim has the cutest suits for teens (and women and girls) that my daughter loves. Mix and match or choose from some of RadSwim's adorable one-piece suits. Quality swimwear at a great price, so when your teen daughter is out playing, you aren't worried that it's going to fall apart and cause embarrassment.

Adult coloring books are awesome, but have you ever wanted to learn how to do hand lettering like a professional? I know I have. My kids love to try out new handwriting and letter designs, so they will love this new creative lettering book by HandLetteredDesign. They can learn to letter AND color and spend hours off their mobile devices. Grab a few markers and you've got a great gift for any teenager!

One thing all of my kids love (and my dog, sadly) is the lip balm from It's All Good. These giant chapsticks are so soft and last a long time... unless someone leaves them where my dog can get to it. The flavors are great, they help with our chapped lips in the dry winters, and they come from a rad small company. It's All Good, indeed!

I am sure I can find socks somewhere, too. But now my kids have other things that they never knew they always wanted. What are you getting for your teenage kids?

AnnaM

Holiday Gift List 2016, Dads and Men

I don't know about you, but buying presents for my husband and dad are some of the hardest gifts to get. If I asked either of them to make a list, they'd both shrug their shoulders and say something like, "I'd just love a nice note or to spend time with you." Which is super nice, but also kind of a lie. When everyone else is opening presents Christmas morning, you know they would love to have something to open up, as well.

This was not the easiest list to come up with, but when I put it all together it became one of my favorites. I think both my dad and my husband would love all of these items--and so would I!

When I first saw Selfie-Shirts, I knew I needed one or ten. It is such a simple idea but so genius. For the man who should love himself as much as Kanye loves Kanye, can you imagine a better gift than a shirt with his own face on it? Or you can do as I did and put YOUR face on a shirt and give it to your dad or husband. Selfie-Shirts took this fine portrait of me and put them on shirts for all of my kids. Best. Idea. Ever.

Mugs are the perfect gift to give every winter, but skip the "World's Best Father" or even the "World's Best Farter" and go for the really unique and fun with these rad mugs from Creature Cups. I love the creepy animals inside that seem to keep you company with your warm beverage of choice. My husband would love the Cthulhu and my dad would like the lion. Which Creature Cups would you get?

The tie is always a great gift for dad, but Waltman Co Ties has taken tie-giving and wearing to the next level. Not only are these ties super sharp-looking, they also feature a microfiber lining to clean your glasses, smartphone screen, and other electronics. My husband is always asking me to clean his sunglasses and now he can have a handsome way to do it himself! Huzzah and woot woot for the multipurpose tie!

We got a Madsen Bike last year and love riding it around to get groceries, take the kids to the park, make a quick run to get snow cones... you name it. You don't always want to take your car on short errands or places you could easily walk. But when you have kids, you know that you need a quick exit strategy. The Madsen Bike is perfect for all kinds of rides--it is super sturdy, totally handsome, and everyone who sees you will want to know how they can get one, too. On Black Friday they are offering an amazing deal on all bikes: $225 off a Madsen Bike + 20% off all Accessories OR $425 off a FULLY-LOADED Madsen Bike (includes: Bike, Soft Top, Front Rack, Dutch Upgrade, Shiny Brass Bell, Madsen Water Bottle, Steel Front Lights, Rear Light). Get on it!

Maybe you need to express your love in lights to the man in your life. I am loving these lights by HarsenHope. They make custom-accent lighting that can express your love, your interests, anything you can think of. I particularly love the thumbs-up and HOT! Sriracha lights--I can imagine my husband putting it at his desk at work to remember how much we support him or the HOT sauce by our bed to remember how hot he is. HA! But really. I can think of a different HarsenHope light for every room in our house. This is revolutionary lighting, folks!

We stumbled upon CocosOrganics at an art festival the other day and fell in love with the charcoal Dirty Mouth Tooth Polish and face scrubs. Not only is Coco--the owner--adorable and passionate about her products, but the products themselves are so well-made and cool. My husband was surprised that we wanted him to put charcoal on his teeth, but he's always up for a new adventure. No chemicals are used in CocosOrganics products and from the lip balm to the coffee scrub, your man needs a little help with his skincare. 

Thread Wallets are so slick and slender. These are the opposite of the bulky wallet your dad used to have that would mark his back jean pocket from its size. Thread Wallets are slim and minimal, showing your personality with fun elastic patterns or simple leather. If your husband, boyfriend, or dad is super active, he will like the lanyard option that keeps his important cards close when he doesn't have a pocket to put it in.

I, personally, love that the watch is coming back in big style for men and women. We didn't "need" watches since we always had our phones nearby that told the time. But if you're anything like me, when you open your phone to check the time, you accidentally get sucked into looking at your email, checking a few social apps, finding out the weather, searching for the next movie showtime, and then "oh yeah, what time is it?" Arvo watches are so handsome and do just what you need them to do: tell the time. I love their simplicity and I love wearing them. My husband just mentioned how he wish he had an Arvo watch, too, so BINGO! Christmas gift! They are giving away a ton of watches over the next few days so go check out their website to win.

Maybe your husband, dad, man wants to take better photos, but doesn't know what camera to get. The smartphone is fun to take photos with, but he wants to hold on to a serious camera or try out some gear that isn't available at Target. Parachut is a high-end club for creatives with unlimited photo gear access delivered on rotation for a price that fits your budget. You get unlimited access to a warehouse full of drones, cameras, lenses and creative gear. Parachut is genius for the man who wants to be creative but doesn't want to commit... to a camera.

See why this list became my favorite? So many cool items! Which is your favorite? What are you getting the dad/man in your life?

AnnaM

Holiday Gifts for Kids You Love and for Others, Too

Ok, parents, aunt, uncles, grandparents, and godparents: It is already time to get on your holiday shopping. Take a deep breath, clap your hands together three times, shake your shoulders, and then let it go, because I got you covered with some pretty fantastic ideas (if I do say so myself).

Speaking of "let it go," for those kids or parents that haven't been necessarily good this year, may I present for your consideration, the Frozen Recorder set. Less than $10 and guaranteed to make enemies of friends and ecstatic small children, this little gift will keep on giving long after the holidays. Mostly headaches to parents and babysitters.

Another kind of cruel, but mostly funny to give, is the inflatable pizza. Not only can you NOT eat it, but there's a big chance that you can't even use it until next summer. Unless they plan on using this pizza to go sledding on, which will be fun for the first few rides until it inevitably pops or the rider realizes that there is nothing to hold onto as they barrel down the slippery mountain. But, fun to give.

Remember the insanity last year that was the "hover"board? (I have to put "hover" in quotation marks, because we all know they don't actually hover, so it's a misnomer and incredibly misleading.) This year, the fire issues should be extinguished AND you can get a super handy chair to put on top of it, making your "hover"board a go-cart. Which seems safer, anyway. Maybe? I'm tempted to get this bad boy a spin. Can you imagine the epic races you could have on these?

If Pie in the Face was the must-have game of 2015, Watch Ya Mouth will be the game to have for 2016. I just wish they came with more cheek guards, because I'm weird about sharing things I put in my mouth and stuff. Weird, I know, but have you seen what goes in and comes out of kids' mouths? You can buy more (40 more, exactly, because you're going to have so many parties)!

And for a shameless promotion, get your kids and the adults in your life a really cool shirt. Because you're cool and they're cool and we can all be super cool if we had a cool shirt. Cool? Cool. For those of you who read this and buy a shirt from theworstgoods.com use the code GiftsAreCool for 20% off. I'm feeling generous and cool and stuff.

Do you have a product you think I should share for holiday giving? Email me at kidsaretheworstest@gmail.com (notice the extra "est" at the end of kidsaretheworst) and tell me what you got.

AnnaM