TODAY ONLY 9/30/10: 90% off at Restaurant.com

You do not want to miss this! It is good for today only! Just enter promo code WOW at checkout and you’ll get 90% off your restaurant certificates. Um, yes, that means a $25 certificate for $1. Love IT!

www.restaurants.com

Best Pets for Kids

We can’t all be dog lovers, right? If you are, they make a super family pet (see below), but if you aren’t we’ve got a few other suggestions. Here’s our list of the best pets for kids.

1. Goldfish-They may involve some upkeep and clean up but they are great for a first pet (and can easily be replaced if the need be-can anyone recall that beloved episode of The Cosby Show when Rudy’s pet goldfish dies? Classic!). If taken care of properly goldfish can live for several years. Just be sure not to over feed!

2. Cat-Cats can be a great pet, but should not be considered if you want your child to have a permanent sidekick. Cats tend to stray off and like their alone time so be sure your child is OK with being ignored sometimes. Keep in mind, while cats are very playful, they do scratch while they play!

3. Hamster-A cute, fuzzy, little ball that is perfect for a family who may not be ready for a large, fuzzy playmate like a dog. Just remember, rodent urine tends to smell so clean the cage our regularly.

4. Dog-If you’re looking for a pet to last a lifetime a dog is the way to go. Dogs can live for years and will give your child a special bond between a pet and its owner. Remember, vet bills are pricey and dogs require lots of maintenance like walking, feeding, and grooming.

5. Hermit Crabs-These cute little creatures make great pets. They are low maintenance and require a cage, food, and water. They can be playful and your child will love seeing their crab move into its new shell (about once every 18 months).

What’s in a Name? Top Baby Names of 2009 and More!

Searching for that perfect baby name? Maybe you’ve already found it. Check out these lists and see if your baby name made the cut.

Top Baby Names of 2009

Female
1. Isabella
2. Emma
3. Olivia
4. Sophia
5. Ava
6. Emily
7. Madison
8. Abigail
9. Chloe
10. Mia

Male
1. Jacob
2. Ethan
3. Michael
4. Alexander
5. William
6. Joshua
7. Daniel
8. Jayden
9. Noah
10. Anthony

Celebrity Baby Names

Some of them are unusual and some are not. Regardless, these might give you some ideas for naming your new little one.

Apple – Daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin

Audio Science (not even I can make this stuff up!) – Son of Shannyn Sossamon and Dallas Clayton

Coco Riley – Daughter or Courtney Cox Arquette and David Arquette

Emme Jenna – Daughter of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony

Free (which babies are not!) – Son of Barbara Hershey and David Carradine

Harlow Winter Kate – Daughter of Nicole Richie and Joel Madden

Keelee Breeze - Daughter of Robert Van Winkle (AKA “Vanilla Ice”) and Laura Giarritta

Maddox Chivan – Son of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

Moon Unit – Daughter of Frank Zappa and Gail Zappa

Moxie Crimefighter (seriously!) – Daughter of Penn Jillette and Emily Jillette

Poppy Honey – Daughter of Jamie Oliver and Jools Oliver

Rumer Glenn – Daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore

Ryder Russell – Son of Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson

Sage Moonblood - Daughter of Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack

Sailor – Daughter of Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook

Sosie Ruth – Daughter of Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon

Spec Wildhorse (no foolin!) – Son of John Cougar Mellencamp and Elaine Irwin

Suri – Daughter of Tom and Katie Cruise

Teddy Jo – Daughter of John Cougar Mellencamp and Vicky Granucci

See how your names have ranked through the years. CLICK HERE

RECALL ALERT: Fisher Price Recalls Millions of Toys

One our favorite toy makers, Fisher Price is recalling millions of toys and highchairs due to all kinds of safety issues. Here’s the scoop:

- 3 brands of Fisher-Price high chairs

-Fisher-Price trikes and Tough Trikes

-Infant toys including Baby Playzone Crawl & Cruise Playground, Baby Playzone Crawl & Slide Arcade, Baby Gymnastics Play Wall, Ocean Wonders Kick & Crawl Aquarium

This is in addition to yesterday’s recall of Little People Wheelies Stand n Play Rampway and several other toys.

If you have any of these toys, please put them away ASAP and contact the manufacturer for a refund or credit.
To learn more check the CPSC website or call the CSPC Recall Hotline at (800) 638-2772.

What We Love Right Now: September 29, 2010 Cute Mugs!

What We Love Right Now: MUGS!

If you’ve been keeping up with us, you know we are beyond excited about the cooler weather and beginning of Fall. All of those yummy fall treats have been on our brain (can you say “pumpkin spice latte”?!) and being the coffee lovers we are we thought we would dedicate this week’s “What We Love Right Now” to cute mugs! Plus, it’s National Coffee Day (9/29) so we thought this was fitting !

1) BIA Cordon Bleu Assorted Espresso Cups and Saucers, Set of 6, $45.00: These cups are just cute as a button and come in vibrant colors with saucers to match. Each cup holds 3 oz. and can be purchased at bloomingdales.com.

2) Tea Talk Teacup, $15.95, Wrapables.com: If you love tea then you’ll love these cute teacups with creative definitions printed on each cup. Extra cute factor: Each cup is wrapped in a tea bag shaped gift bag. We think this would be a great gift for your tea-loving friends (or yourself)!

3) Family Mug, $28.00, The Stationary Studio: This mug is adorable and can be personalized with all the members of your family, including pets!

4) Polka Dot Coffee Mug, $36.00: Polka dots are so cute and girly. We love this mug because of its fun look. Great for your cup of Joe or cocoa! It can purchased here.

5) Travel Mugs, $23.50, Nannydeprived.com: Every Mom needs a good go-to travel mug. They are perfect for road trips, carpools, or a long commute to work. These mugs come in the cutest patterns and best of all you can personalize them!

Fall Harvest Decorating

Here at SharpMoms Fall and cooler weather has been on the brain and it seems to have become a weather reality-finally! With this great time of year comes a wonderful opportunity to decorate your home with those cozy and warm Fall hues. We’ve been scouring the stores for some great finds and wanted to share a few with our readers.

1) Pottery Barn, Luminary Pumpkins, $59.00-79.00: While these little pumpkins are a bit pricey, to us they are worth the money. These pumpkins have lighting intertwined the inside which make them so cute for indoor or outdoor decorating. Because they are not Jack-O-Lanterns you can keep these cute decorations out from September to November not just during the Halloween season.

2) Pottery Barn, Indian Corn Vase Fillers, $19.99: These Indian Corn Fillers are very versatile-fill a bowl, fill a vase, decorate a basket-the possibilities are endless!

3) KMart, Wreath, $24.99: This wreath is perfect for the front door or for a door within your home. We liked that it didn’t have any huge ornaments on it, but did have those great Fall colors.

4) Crate and Barrel, Fall Cookie Pan, $12.95: Ok, this isn’t really a decorating piece, but if you’re into baking, you’ll love this cookie tin featured at Crate and Barrel. We love the price and those cookies will taste and look great in these cute, festive shapes!

5) Kohl’s, Kitchen Towels, $1.99-$5.99: Kohl’s has a variety of kitchen towels offered a super prices. You can get sets or just one, which ever suits your fancy. They all have very cute designs. Here were a few of our favorites:

6) Pottery Barn Kids, Thanksgiving Placemats, $10 per set: It’s a little early for talking turkey, but Thanksgiving decor has made its way into stores already and we ran across these great placemats at Pottery Barn Kids. As a mom we really like these because they are vinyl, wipe clean, and still keep a great look wipe after wipe.

FREE 2011 Women’s Health Calendar

It’s not to early to start getting all your ducks in a row for 2011! Womenshealth.gov is already thinking of the new year with a FREE calendar offer. All you have to do is visit their link and fill in the needed information. The calendars won’t ship out until December 2010, so be patient!

To claim your free calendar, CLICK HERE.

Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is very, very, very simple. Great for a busy weeknight meal or a fall-comfort-food dinner on the weekend. Prep time is about 5 minutes with a cook time of 10 minutes, serves 8.

Butternut Squash Soup

What You Need:

• 2 boxes of butternut squash soup, about 18 oz each (we suggest using something simple like the Campbell’s boxed soup version)
• 1 cup cinnamon applesauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Make it Fast:

1. In a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, combine soup, apple sauce, ketchup, curry powder and pumpkin pie spice. Bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, if desired.

What We Love Right Now: September 22, 2010

Fall is in the air and all over the department stores. What we love right now is the great fall fashion! Here a couple of things we’ve picked out as our favorites.

Featured at Kohl’s

I’m sorry, but don’t these boots scream awesome!

From Mod Cloth

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one-shouldered number. And those flowers? They add the perfect touch! No accessories needed!

Featured Style from Redbook Magazine

We love all these colors and it’s a great look for a Mom on-the-go. Dress up your jeans and leave the sweats at home!

Want to shop this look? Belt, Betsey Johnson, $38; overstock.com. Hoop earrings, $12; shopthelook.net. Rhinestone button cardigan, Express, $50; express.com. Flats, Pretty Ballerinas, $179; prettyballerinas.us.

Cooking with Your Kids: Pizza in a Snap!

We love the idea of cooking with your kids. It is a great way to get them involved in the process and creating a family tradition at the same time. Most everyone we know loves pizza and it a wonderful meal idea because everyone can make their own personalized pizza, if you so choose. This “family pizza night” can be as fun as you want it to be! You can always keep it simple with Pillsbury Pizza Dough that is ready to bake, pizza sauce from a jar, and all your topping bought from your local grocer and chopped by you and your kids. We are all about making it easy! But if you want to take a more unique approach,  here are some great recipe ideas for pizza makin’ masterpieces.

Basic Pizza Pie Dough

{Please Note: Recipe makes 4 mini pizza crusts}

What You’ll Need:

1. In a large bowl, mix 1-3/4 cups flour with yeast and salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with a whisk for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in another 1-1/4 cups flour, or enough so mixture holds together. Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead in 1/4 to 1/2 cup more flour- stop once it’s lump-free. Wrap half the dough in plastic and freeze for later use; cover remainder and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

2. Heat oven to 425°F. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 4 portions and roll each into a 6-inch circle. Transfer to a greased baking sheet. Build up edges slightly; prick bottom of crusts. Bake about 8 minutes. Spread sauce and toppings onto crust and bake for another 8 minutes.

Super Easy Pizza Sauce

What You’ll Need:

• 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon ground oregano
• 1 1/5 teaspoon dry minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika

Make it Fast:

1. In a medium bowl, Mix together tomato sauce and tomato paste until smooth. Stir in oregano, garlic and paprika.

Oh So Sweet Pepper Pizza

What You’ll Need:

• 1 jar(12 ounces) roasted sweet red peppers packed in water
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Toppings:
• Small broccoli florets
• Sliced mushrooms
• Black olives (optional)
• Crumbled or Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Make it Fast:

1. To make your sauce, combine roasted red peppers, garlic, honey, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor until smooth.

2. Spread the sauce and add toppings on 4 mini pizza crusts and bake for 8 minutes at 425°F.

Easy Cheesy Pizza

What You’ll Need:

• For sauce, use our Super Easy Pizza Sauce Recipe
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Make it Fast:

1. Spread pizza sauce over 4 mini pizza crusts.

2. Top with shredded mozzarella, then parmasan cheese, and last goat cheese.

3. Bake at 475 degrees for 10-15 (check crust for desired crispiness).

Pesto Veggie Pizza

What You’ll Need:

• 1 prebaked 12-inch thin pizza crust
• 2 garlic cloves, halved
• 1/2 cup pesto sauce
• 3/4 cup packed fresh spinach, chopped
• 2 large portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 medium sweet yellow pepper, julienned
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and sliced
• 1/3 cup packed fresh basil, chopped
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Make it Fast:

1. Place mini crusts on an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan or cookie sheet (or use dough to make 12 in pie crust). Rub cut side of garlic cloves over crust; discard garlic. Spread crust with pesto. Top with the spinach, mushrooms, yellow pepper, tomatoes and basil. Sprinkle with cheeses and oregano.

2. Bake at 450° for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Meaty Meatlovers Pizza

What You’ll Need

• For sauce you our Super Easy Pizza Sauce recipe
• 16 slices of pepperoni
• 6 slices of bacon, shredded
• 1/2 cup cubed ham
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Make it Fast:

1. Spread sauce over 4 mini pie crusts.

2. Layer cheese, pepperoni, bacon, and ham.

3. Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes. Be sure to check cheese for bubbling so the cheese does not burn.

Recall Alert: Chuck E. Cheese Light Up Ring and Star Glasses

Chuck E. Cheese’s is voluntarily recalling its Light-Up Ring and Star Glasses. The ring comes in blue, green, purple, yellow, and pink colors, and the glasses come in a red color. The Light-Up Ring was either sold as part of a promotional treasure chest cup from August 2009 through June 25, 2010 or distributed, at no cost, during several Parent-Teacher Association conventions in April 2009, July 2009 and March 2010 through May 2010. The Star Glasses were distributed as part of our Birthday Star package beginning April 2010 through August 2010.

The items can break open exposing small parts and batteries. If you have one of these products, please bring it to your local Chuck E. Cheese’s, where you may choose to receive: for the Light-Up Ring either a refund of $1.00 plus 4 Chuck E. Cheese’s tokens or a Soccer promo-cup plus 4 Chuck E. Cheese’s tokens, or for the Star Glasses either a refund of $4.99 or our Flashing Hands prize product.

What We Love Right Now: September 15, 2010

With fall fashion making its entrance into all the stores, it’s time to think about a little something to spice up your wardrobe.

We’re thinking a great pair of teardrop shaped earrings. These would go with a pair of jeans and a cardigan or your best sweater dress. Jazz up a tunic and skinny jeans. The possibilities are endless! What are you loving right now?

Creating the Picture Perfect School Picture

From Pre-K to Senior Portraits, kids everywhere will be taking their much anticipated school pictures soon. It doesn’t have to be a hassle. Here are a few tips to make picture day perfect!

1. Avoid hats and headgear. A bow or barrette will work on little girls, but a headband often becomes a nuisance or a toy. Hats and caps will often be removed by the photographer to get a good look at your child’s beautiful face. So leave the headgear at home.

2. Cut the cord. Most children will be more natural when they know their mom or dad is not around. If you are volunteering to help with picture day, try to escape the scene when it’s your child’s turn in the spotlight.

3. For girls, keep shoulders covered. Spaghetti straps tend to fall of the shoulder.

4. For boys, keep clothes simple. A small patterned shirt or solid polo works best. Avoid characters, logos, and wording on shirts.

5. Avoid a hairy mess! Schedule haircuts at least 10 days before picture day so that the cut will not look so fresh in photos and so you will have time to learn how to style your child’s new do.