Puzzles make wonderful gifts for kids of all ages. Solving puzzles is a great way for young children to develop hand-eye coordination, memory, motor, and problem solving skills. Like many toys, it is important to introduce children to puzzles that are suitable for their age group. 3 and 4 year olds, in particular, can get very frustrated with puzzles that they cannot solve.

Mudpuppy makes terrific puzzles for 3 and 4 year olds – the Counting Creatures Floor Puzzle is one of our favorites. Friendly creatures illustrate numbers from one through twelve . One elephant, two tigers…eight owls, nine koalas…twelve tortoises all from the book Counting Cockatoos (also available at GIFT HERO plus, we sell the book and puzzle as a set). The 24 jumbo pieces are perfect for small hands. The finished puzzle measures 2 x 3 feet when assembled and it comes in a sturdy box with a colorful rope handle.

Other floor puzzles suitable for 3 and 4 year olds available at GIFT HERO are The Pirates Floor Puzzle also from Mudpuppy and The Solar System 48-Piece Floor Puzzle from Melissa & Doug.

It’s Lisa’s birthday. Since GIFT HERO doesn’t (yet?) sell gifts for big girls, I needed to do my own searching for what to get the girl who has everything. I ended up at Calypso, one of our favorite stores and bought the delicious smelling Cherie Candle - it has 3 wicks, burns for 40 hours and smells like a summer afternoon on the beach. I know all of these weeks of rain in NYC have her craving warm, sandy beaches and she had to cancel her birthday trip to Mexico because of swine flu so I wanted to bring a little beachiness to her at home.

Now, if Lisa was younger…maybe 3 or 4 years old, it would have been so easy to buy her a birthday gift. She loves to throw a good party, so I would have ordered the Birthday Party playset from Melissa & Doug. It’s a sturdy wooden set with six sliceable pieces served in a brightly colored tray, complete with a cake server, candles and cake decorations that store neatly in a wooden box. It offers endless hours of pretend play for both boys and girls.

Please consider buying the Birthday Party or something else for a child in your life today at GIFT HERO, and in honor of Lisa’s birthday, we will donate $4 for every order placed on May 7th & 8th to the Head Start program we support in the Bronx.

So today I am forty! Actually, I am fine with it. I am in good health, have an amazing husband and two incredibly lovely children. I am blessed with friends and family whom I care deeply about. I relish life and try to enjoy it as much as possible. I really could not ask for more.

In that spirit, and because a big part of GIFT HERO is about giving back, Stefanie and I will donate $4 for every order that is placed on GIFT HERO on May 7th and 8th. The money will go to the South Bronx Head Start program that we support. And of course, as always, you will be invited to make your own donation to the Head Start program during the checkout process.

Here’s to 40!

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, and all the talk of gifts for mom, its hard to not have visions of gorgeous new gems around my neck… But, I’m a simple girl and am hoping for a handmade card from Benjamin and the fabulous art project he brings home from nursery school (last year it was a bead bracelet).

I do love beads. I always have. When I was 5 years old, I would have spent hours with this BeadTastic Flower Bead Kit from BeadBazaar. It includes beads and charms — enough to make 20 accessories. It comes in an adorable storage box so girls can keep their beads organized. It would have been my favorite birthday gift that year.

Another great bead gift for 5 year old girls is the Funky Bead Chest, also from Bead Bazaar. The chest itself is hand-crafted and each of the three drawers is fully lined. It’s perfect for beads, jewelry and other collectibles. Benjamin gave this to one of his friends when she turned 5 and she came to school proudly decked out in her gorgeous designs.

Now, before I forget, I better get something for my mom for Mother’s Day…or, maybe I’ll make her something. I wonder if I can still get away with that?

Last night Lisa and I attended a book launch party for our friend and founder of DivaMoms Lyss Stern and her co-author Julie Klappas’ new book, If You Give a Mom a Martini… The book is subtitled “100 Ways to find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself” and it is full of fun, smart and witty ideas to refuel (yes, there is a martini recipe, see tip 9), refresh and remember your pre-mom self. Just reading the book is a great escape.

Here are two ideas, I’m going to try:
* Get a Bloom For Your Room – visit an expensive florist once a week, have your child pick out a single stem for your bedside table.
* Become a Woman of Letters – go old-school and write a real letter, the personal note is really a lost art (especially for me who runs my life on email even emailing my husband at home if we are in different rooms).

With Mother’s Day coming up, this would make a wonderful gift for any mom but especially a new mom. It also makes a terrific baby shower gift.

Note to Lyss – in the sequel you must add “Be a Gift Hero” – spend 10 minutes shopping at gifthero.com and order gifts for the next 5 birthday parties on your child’s calendar. You’ll save hours of shopping and wrapping time later on. And since every hour has 6 ten minute blocks…just think of the time you’ll have for more of these blissful moments!

A friend of mine just emailed me to ask if I could recommend a great building set for her nephew. I told her to buy Superstructs, an award-winning line of building sets that are sure to delight any child. They are a great alternative to the more widely available building sets.

The Starter Set is ideal for boys ages 3 and up. It comes with a ton of pieces and step by step instructions for making lots of different moving vehicles – tractor, forklift, monster truck, etc… For the older boy, there is the Big Builder, which includes pieces and designs for much more intricate vehicles.

And, I love how they made a version especially for girls, the Superstructs Pinklets Fairy Garden set. So many building sets have vehicles and construction themes on them. Kudos to Superstructs for creating a girl-friendly set! This beautiful set will enchant and delight any young girl. (Her brother will probably want to play with it too!)

GIFT HERO feels very strongly about giving back and about teaching our children the importance of giving back. Lisa and I each support many organizations and are both involved with groups who help families in need.

Baby Buggy is one of the organizations we love. I have been active as a Friend of Baby Buggy for over 3 years and have been wowed by the impact the organization has made in New York City. Baby Buggy is dedicated to providing New York City’s families in need with essential equipment, clothing, and products for their infants and young children. Donors give gently used gear and clothing as well as monetary gifts – the organization’s mission is “Love, Recycled.”

Baby Buggy also knows how to throw an incredible party! The 3rd Annual Baby Buggy Bedtime Bash will be held on June 2nd from 4:30-7:30 at Victorian Gardens in Central Park. Please join Lisa and me and our families as well as Angelina Ballerina, Bob the Builder, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Word Girl at this family-friendly fundraiser to benefit families in need. Activities include carnvial rides, games, cotton candy and more. Tickets start at $75 for children, $175 for adults. Packages are $1k and up.

To learn more or to purchase tickets visit babybuggy.org or call 212.736.1772

We all love to procrastinate, right? If you are like me, you often wait until the last minute to buy a birthday gift. Luckily, GIFT HERO makes it really easy for me! No matter how late I am, I quickly find the right gift on GIFT HERO and have it shipped directly to the recipient in one of our awesome, eco-friendly gift bags. We even include a matching gift card that includes your personalized message. If I think the birthday child will get it after her party, I just shoot the mom an email and let her know the present is “in the mail.”

Kids love to get packages in the mail, and quite often parents don’t let their kids open all of their presents at once anyway. So next time you are running late, let GIFT HERO save the day! You can even ship to multiple addresses and get a whole month’s worth of presents out of your way in minutes.