Are you looking for something special and fantastic for your child’s next birthday party? Here’s something cool that is perfect for those kids whose birthdays are in the cold part of the year. My three kids all have winter birthdays, and coming up with something interesting when you can’t take the rugrats outside can be a challenge.

How about a movie birthday party?

Throw a sheet on the wall and hook a portable projector up to your computer or DVD player and you’ve got your own movie theater!

Projector123.com rents these projectors and it couldn’t be simpler. You just make your reservation online, they ship the projector to you the day before you need it, and then you give it to the FedEx guy the day after your party. Easy peasy.

But wait, you say, you also want some cool movies to show? No problem. How about “Meet the Robinsons” — released on DVD October 23 — it would be a bit party hit.

I’ll also throw in “Shrek 3.” It comes out on DVD November 13 and would be a hilarious addition to your party.

But what to do after the kids have eaten a pile of cake and ice cream as big as their head? Give them something new and fun to play with, of course.

This fun set of 24 Gorilla Blocks will let the kids get their ya-yas out while not causing tears from clonked heads or broken furniture.

And if all that doesn’t make for a great party, I’ll eat the Gorilla Blocks!

What. You want more? OK, how about lots of winners!

First prize:

• Weekend projector rental
• 24 piece set of Gorilla Blocks
• Meet the Robinsons DVD
• Shrek 3 DVD

Second prize:

• 24 piece set of Gorilla Blocks
• Meet the Robinsons DVD
• Shrek 3 DVD

Third prize:

• Meet the Robinsons DVD
• Shrek 3 DVD

Awe-some, no?

Where to buy

Do you just want to get the loot right now instead of waiting until the end of the contest? I understand.

Projector123.com will be more than happy to rent you a projector for your party. Head on over and see how easy it is to get started.

You can find Meet the Robinsons at Amazon for $17, and they also have Shrek 3 for just $16.

Foamy, kid-friendly Gorilla Blocks from JAKKS Pacific are available at Amazon. Grab a bunch of sets and build yourself a village.

How to enter the contest

Just leave a comment on this post by 5pm Pacific, November 9th — my middle child’s 5th birthday :) — and you’re entered!

Approximate prize values: Weekend projector rental: $100-150. DVDS: $60. Blocks: $30. Open to legal residents of the United States 18 years of age and older. No purchase required. One entry per person. Void where prohibited by law. Important contest rules and details.

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You can’t say I don’t love you, because looky here:

Color printing on-the-go — it even has a handle! This also means it is more likely to get put away when you’re done using it thereby giving you one less thing to clutter up your house. This is very clever. But you don’t have to take my word for it, check out the full specs.

The Epson PictureMate Dash Photo Printer makes it easy for consumers to print photos - just simply insert a memory card, choose a photo and press print. Additional features include:

• Print durability: PictureMate prints resist fading up to 96 years in a glass frame and about 200 years in an album; prints also resist smudges, scratches, water, and fingerprints.
• Fast print speeds: The PictureMate Dash produces a borderless 4″x6″ print in as fast as 37 seconds.
• LCD: PictureMate Dash features a large 3.6″ adjustable tilt LCD making it easy to view, select, crop, and edit photos, as well as watch slideshows.
• Auto Photo Correction: PictureMate Dash automatically adjusts photos to correct improperly lit images - allowing you to get the best print possible, even from a bad picture.
• Easy to use: PictureMate Dash is created to make everything easy - from cropping photos using the LCD to selecting one of 18 different layouts to removing red eye and adding color effects.

How to enter

Just leave a comment on this post by 5pm Pacific, Thursday, November 1 and you’re entered to win this great printer!

Prize valued at approximately $100. Open to legal residents of the United States 18 years of age and older. No purchase required. One entry per person. Void where prohibited by law. Important contest rules and details.

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Time to give away another of my favorite kinds of products: straightforward solutions to complex problems.

As you are probably aware, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children have no more than 1-2 hours of “screentime” per day. Screentime includes TV, video games, and computer activities.

Are you tired of constantly battling with your kids about the TV? Then The BOB Screentime Controller is the product for you.

BOB puts parents back in control of kid’s screentime–TVs, computers, and video games. When the users (your kids) reach their daily or weekly time limits, BOB shuts off the screen; no more arguments, no more challenges. BOB is the perfect parenting tool for today’s family, and it’s easy!

You need one of these right?

Leave a comment on this post by 5pm Pacific, Friday October 26th and you’re entered — there will be TWO winners!

Prize valued at $99. Open to legal residents of the United States 18 years of age and older. No purchase required. One entry per person. Void where prohibited by law. Important contest rules and details.

Can’t wait that long? How about a discount?

Regularly $99, get $10 off when you use the promo code EMOMS4BOB — expires 10/14/07. And right now they’re also having Free Shipping, so this is a great deal!

Update: The above coupon code has expired, but you can also find the BOB Screen Time Controller at Amazon — and right now it is on sale for just $74 with free shipping :)

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My oldest son, Mike, started kindergarten this year, and on the very first day he got an assignment to make and decorate a family tree. It is a very cute idea, but we had one problem: all our photographs are online, and unless the teacher would allow Mike to bring in my laptop, and assuming that I would be OK with him decorating my laptop with glitter and stickers, he was not going to be able to pull off his very first homework assignment. To top it off, that same day Chip came home from daycare with a note also requesting family photos.

Oh the stress for Mom!

So I did what I have been putting off for years and bought a dedicated photo printer. But I didn’t want a fancy one, I didn’t want a physically large one, and I didn’t need one that made huge prints. My criteria were pretty basic: the printer itself had to be inexpensive, the supplies like special papers and inks couldn’t cost a lot of money, and the printer had to be simple enough to whip out a few pictures in a hurry.

I’m a little bit of a geek and I truly love gadgets, but as my total number of children have increased, my patience for tinkering with persnickety devices has decreased. (Before I had kids, I would have been alert enough mentally to remember the mathematical term to describe that kind of relationship, but for now you’ll just have to imagine me explaining it while waving my hands about in the air.)

The printer I ended up with is fantastic: the Canon PIXMA mini 260. It has a tiny footprint, quickly prints 4 x 6 snapshots, has only one ink cartridge, and uses pre-cut printing paper. I have a Mac, and the included OS X software looks pretty Windows-y but is in fact easy to use and hasn’t crashed on me yet.

Additionally, I found that the supplies are available online and are pretty cheap — especially the paper. I like the matte finish a lot, and for example you can get 120 sheets of Canon 4×6 Matte Paper for just $11. I’ve already proven that I’m no mathematician, but even I know that’s an excellent deal.

I have it plugged into my airport base station, so I can print to it from anywhere in the house. I have had zero problems with this capable little printer, and I recommend that you check it out if you’re looking for a way to have hard-copies of your digital camera pictures.

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