As the mom of a 14 year old, there’s always pressure to enroll my kid in the latest “enrichment” activity… Summer reading, music lessons, sports lessons… Fortunately, after a few years, you realize there are only so many hours in a day — and so many dollars in a budget — and you find a happy balance.

But woe to the soon-to-be new parents out there, who are now being told they need to enrich their child before he even has a chance to take his first breath. Take the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System, a product that straps onto Mom’s bulging belly, emitting 16 varied sounds that resemble a mother’s heartbeat.

For $149, your unborn baby has class twice a day for an hour, and the sonic pattern introduces her to a sequential learning process, based on the natural rhythms of the womb. (So the natural rhythms of the womb aren’t enough?) The rhythms of the sounds increase incrementally as the pregnancy progresses. Until what? The baby pops out snapping his fingers, doing calculus and demanding an iPod?

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I just heard about this fun children’s boutique, Ladybugs and Lilypads. It’s an adorable site, with more pink and polka dots that I’ve ever seen in one place.

The shop was founded in 2007 by Sara Tyndall, a former teacher and now a stay-at-home (homeschooling) mom.

With two young children at home, Sara decided she wanted to share her passion for adorable children’s clothing along with fun whimsical furniture and decor for nurseries and children’s bedrooms.

Many of the items are made by “mom-preneurs.” I love that Sara supports other moms. And I like to support sites like this that offer wonderful products while allowing entrepreneurial moms to be at home with their kids. (And we all know they are putting in 26-hour days!) Talk about a win-win. Check out the site!

Yep, I know, I look like a dweeb going for a walk with a fanny pack. But sometimes I have so much little stuff with me when I walk:  iPod, keys, cell, lip balm…

Then I received a free sample, for review, of a new product called SPIBELT (Small Personal Item Belt). The compartment looks too tiny to hold much of anything, but it’s stretchy (and actually holds all my necessities) and it also doesn’t bounce around when I walk — a major improvement.

There are several different styles, starting at $19.95. As a busy mom, I’m always looking for ways to make life easier. This definitely does the trick when I’m walking the dog in the morning, and it would make a great holiday gift for a parent, teen or tween.

Now if it would only pick up the dog poop!

I love stopping by frequently to see what my new friend Stephanie has to say over at Metropolitan Mama. And something she said recently, on the subject of gift buying, gift giving and what really matters in our lives,  caught my attention:

“THINGS are so overrated. Things get tossed aside and put under the bed and – eventually – given away. People stick around. People matter. As such, the gift of time is a thousand times more valuable than the most expensive present.”

It’s important to make memories with those we love as opposed to allowing presents to shape occasions, she adds. “Instead of concentrating on presents, I think it’s fun to focus in on special experiences. Rather than purchasing a gift, plan a special camping trip or a fancy dress-up dinner or a picnic in the backyard. Spending money on good hiking boots or brilliant watercolors or ingredients for making a cake (WITH your child) is money that is well spent.”

I applaud Stephanie’s values and I think she speaks about them so beautifully. She really lives what she believes. It’s good food for thought as I make my own Christmas gift list.

When I was a kid, I loved what I used to call "bubble stuff." I'd run around the yard with my soapy mixture and my bubble wand. But it never occurred to me that bubbles could be colored.

Now that's cool.

Just heard about Zubbles for the first time the other day. You can order here. They're not cheap. Not by a long shot. A pack containing two 4-oz. bottles (pink + blue) runs $14.95 plus shipping.

But they sure do look cool.

As a mom, my first thought was "what a mess it will be when these bubbles break and get all over kids' clothes."

Nope. The
color in Zubbles disappears when exposed to pressure (i.e., when the bubble breaks). So kids can create these gorgeous colored orbs, but you don't have to go crazy when you do the laundry.

Gotta love that.

Every year, our family looks forward to getting Heifer International's
catalog in the mail and choosing a gift of shares of a sheep, shares of a pig, etc. that can make a
difference in the lives of families living in poverty around the world. 

But New Jersey-based writer Melody Moser, who blogs over at Journeys Near and Far, did more than just send a check. She visited Heifer Ranch in Arkansas, and learned all about the organization and the cool stuff they're doing.

Check out her post, share it with your kids and then visit Heifer International and make a donation. (You can also learn more by watching this three-minute video.) Is there any better way to celebrate the holidays than by helping those who are truly in need?

Hey, all you parents of aspiring ballerinas, black belts and baseball heroes — have I got a cool holiday-gift idea for you.

You know how you take endless photos of your kids in all sorts of action poses? Just think how much fun it will be to decorate their bedroom walls with life-size (or bigger) cutouts of themselves.

LTLprints.com is an online service that allows talented designers — and everyday customers like you and me — to easily submit their photographs and designs online.

They create the design as a larger-than-life print on their reusable and removable material (up to 7 ft. tall!). Simply upload your image, answer a few quick questions, and your print will be shipped in 72 hours. There are three sizes available starting at $99.

LTLprints can be used in a variety of ways. Take a picture of your child playing sports or an instrument. Create a print showing your child's favorite athlete or celebrity. Family-fun pictures are great, too. How about a photo of your kid playing at the beach, looking over the Grand Canyon or riding her first pony?

The really cool part is that you can reposition or remove the prints without hurting your walls. When your child outgrows a particular print, there's no need to repaint, like you would have to do with a custom-painted wall.

Since you'd probably like to see how easy it is to remove and reposition the prints (and to see how cool they look), company founder Kendall Schoenrock created a short video just for Parent Talk Today readers to demonstrate how it works. Questions? Just give him a call at 800-672-6741.

What parent doesn't love the idea of commissioning a painting of their child? Something to enjoy at home, give as a gift to grandparents, and keep forever as a family treasure…

Denise Witmer, over at About.com: Teens, has some terrific advice for parents and relatives who want to give a teen money for the holidays. (And what teen doesn't love the idea of receiving a little mad money?)

Here are a few of Witmer's suggestions:

• Put the money in a new wallet and wrap the wallet.
• Stick the money in a festive envelope and place it in a book on learning about money.
• Disperse the money into gift cards to your teen’s favorite
  stores. Add a card that sets a date to go shopping and spend some time
  together.

For more creative and fun ideas, visit About.com: Teens.

I love Parents magazine’s wonderful blog, GoodyBlog. (Their fun tag line is “Must see. Must Do. Must Have. Right Now,” and they cover parenting news, hot new baby and kid products and much more.

One warning: The site is addictive, so don’t get too engrossed right before it’s time to go pick up the kids from a play date! They even have a cool GoodyBlog Facebook group that you can join for more news and tips.

Today’s post is especially fun. The editors are looking for families who
give back during the holidays (yes, they know it’s July, but magazine editors have to think far ahead), whether it’s making a cookie
plate for your local nursing home or making and decorating your own
canned goods for a homeless shelter.

If you’ve done a project (big or small; simple is fine) with your
kids to help those in need during the holidays, head over to GoodyBlog and share your idea in the comments section. Your idea and story could be featured in Parents this holiday season!