Gifts.com: Not only can you find gift ideas for your kids, but also for any other person and for a variety of occasions. Their holiday recommendation are sorted by age group so that you can easily find recommendations.

Amazon.com: Offers a variety of ways to sort by available toys, as well as lists featuring the best selling toys. Also browse other parent’s lists for their children to get ideas.

Wishlist.com: Not only can you search for toys, but you can add them directly to your child’s wish list. You can then share that list with friends and family (See my previous post on Wishlist.com)

But, as they say, if you can’t beat them…join them. So today I’m going to tell you about a website that simplified my holiday season last year.  Wishlist.com is a great site that lets you create wishlists for any occasion. I used it for Christmas, but you can use it for birthdays, anniversaries, or even baby showers.  I found Wishlist.com after becoming frustrated by my kids receiving gifts that they had no interest in. In turn, my  house was becoming cluttered with stuff that they didn’t play with.  So last year I created a wishlist for each of my kids and sent it to family members. The result was that they got things that they wanted and family members weren’t frustrated by trying to figure out what to get them. I encouraged all our family members to follow suit and it was a great time saver for me to know exactly what to buy. It was a win-win and I plan on doing it again this year.

How does it work? Got to Wishlist.com and sign up for an account. Create a wishlist for each family member. Add the ‘Add to Wishlist’ shortcut to  your browser’s favorites. When at any website (such as Amazon) just click on the ‘Add to Wishlist’  in your favorites and it will be automatically add that item to your wishlist of choice. You can also search on the Wishlist.com website for items. Once your wishlist is complete, you can e-mail it to your family and even share it via Facebook.  You can update the list as often as  you want!

1. RetailMeNot- Enter the name of the website into their search box and view the results. They also give you a success rating of others who have used the codes. They also offer local vendor coupons and  grocery coupons.

2. Coupons.com- Enter your zip code and chose which coupons you want to print, some you can print multiple times. Redeem them at your favorite grocery store.  You no longer need to get your Sunday paper to have access to coupons for your favorite national brands.

3. Shop It to Me- A friend of mine turned me on to this cool site. You sign up and tell them your sizes and favorite brands. Every day they will send you an e-mail filled with sale items that fit into your profile selections. You can also refer friends and earn gift cards for every 10 friends that sign up.

3. UPromise- Upromise lets you save money on your purchases and add to your kids’ college funds at the same time. Participating vendors give you back a percentage of your total purchase. That amount goes into your account and you can transfer it to your children’s 529 college saving account. If you don’t have a 529, you can sign up with one through UPromise. They often have exclusive deals and coupons from the participating vendors.

4. eBates- eBates works in the same way as UPromise. The big difference is the money back from vendors is sent to you via check quarterly. So if you don’t have a 529 or would rather have the cash in hand, this is a great alternative. You do have to have at least $5 in your account before they send you your cash

1. Starfall : A great resource to supplement what your kids are already learning in school. Filled with fun and educational games and activities.
2. FunBrain: Fun games and parent resources for kids of all ages
3. PBSKids: Games and activities from your kids’ favorite PBS characters.
4. Kids’ National Geographic: Explore the world of National Geographic with games, stories, videos and activities.
5. Discovery Kids: Fun and interactive science themed games.