I remember the day that I discovered picplum very clearly.  It was August 19th, and I was flying back to Louisiana for my 29th birthday after having spent 3 weeks in Southern California with my fiance’ and his son.  It was actually the last time I would ever fly “home” to Louisiana and I knew that it would be – because 11 days later my daughter and I would officially become residents of California.

I had spent nearly 30 years as a Louisiana resident.  My entire life.  My 4 year old’s entire life.  I was excited for a new adventure.  My family was excited for me too, for sure.  Even so, there were a lot of tears.  Like, a lot.  A ton.

I think it was mostly over the fact that my daughter was going with me.  Not that they don’t love me or anything, but if you are a parent, or a grandparent you understand the joy that a grandchild brings to a family.  You also understand that if said grandchild lived with you for a good year of her life and also came over for dinner at least once a week then that loss hurts even more.

But back to my story.  I was sitting in the Dallas airport, waiting on yet another delayed flight, when I saw a tweet from my fiance’ – suggesting that I check out picplum.  The idea behind it was that you can upload photos throughout the month – from your phone, your computer, and via email  - and on a certain day each month picplum will print and ship that “batch” of photos to addresses that you had previously specified.

I literally read the tweet, went to the picplum website, and pulled out my credit card to sign up.  I was totally sold – I could think of no better gift and surprise for my family back home.  The idea is simple, 50 cents per print, and starting at $2.50 shipping per recipient.  So for under 10 bucks a month, I can print and ship photos to my parents of my daughter, my soon-to-be-son, and occasionally myself and my fiance’.  They get everything from photos of the first day of school, to sleepy morning photos, to photos of us all at the pumpkin patch.

Here is what one of my upload pages looks like:

You can see in the top left hand corner that I sent 3 different recipients 19 photos each.  I love me some picplum.

As I sat in the airport uploading my photos, I found myself with a few questions.  I sent a tweet to @picplum and had a response almost immediately.  At other times I’ve been on the site and the live chat has popped out and one of the founders has said “Hey Erika – let me know if you have any questions!”.  The customer service is amazing – and the team really cares about building a great product with a clean customer experience.  I love to feel special – and the folks at picplum have a way of doing that for me without even trying.

My family loves getting the photos each month – they really look forward to it and I always get elated text messages and phone calls when a new batch arrives.  My fiance’ has signed up with his own account and sends photos to family back in Connecticut, Maine, and Florida – and just this month he wised up and added me to his account!  I got my first batch in the mail a few weeks ago and I was so impressed!  Check it out!

They come in a pretty purple envelope (excuse the iPhone photo – but awesome packaging ftw!):

And the photos are just gorgeous!

Can you tell I just think picplum is the coolest thing since sliced bread?  Cause I do.  I have nothing to gain from shouting from the rooftops that I love this company – I just think they’re awesome!  I am a happy paying customer, and I know that will continue for the foreseeable future!

Because the guys over at picplum know that I’m a happy customer, they offered to giveaway some photo credits here on Chic Shopper Chick – which I thought was a super idea!  So, if you want to try out picplum for yourself, enter to win $50 in credit – which should get you several batches of photos printed and shipped!

Don’t want to wait to get started?  You can sign up for your picplum account now (and the first 5 people who sign up for picplum through Chic Shopper Chick and print and ship a batch of photos will get $10 in credit towards their next order) and if you win the giveaway, then they will just apply the credit to your account!

One last thing.  I want to do a little reverse disclosure here.  I am not benefiting through this write up whatsoever.  I am not getting any free product, and I am not being paid by picplum.  The link that you click above is not an affiliate link – it’s simply a tracking link so that we can keep track of the first 5 orders (and know who to credit the $10 to).  The guys at picplum simply offered this to do this though my site because I am a crazy fan and have been vocal about my support of the company from day one.

Ok, so now the good stuff.  To enter:

• Go over and click like on the picplum Facebook page. Leave a comment letting me know that you did so.

Thanks for checking out my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide!  Be sure to check out Our Ordinary Life and Mommy Mandy for more great gift ideas!

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I am engaged to the world’s hottest man.  He also happens to be a bit of a tech-geek, which to me, makes him even better looking.

So, when RCA approached Kristin, Amanda, and I with this cool little slice of awesomeness for consideration in our Holiday Gift Guide, I knew we just had to include it.  In our house we have 2 iPhones, 2 MacBook Pros, 2 Kindles, a Nintendo DS, a MiFi port, a PS3, and XBox 360 with Kinect, a Motorola Xoom, and an iPad 2.  Can you tell we have a few things that need charging?

The first of these two awesome products is the RCA USB Wall Plate Charger which effectively converts any standard outlet into a USB outlet. It allows you to have 2 USB ports as well as still have one of your regular outlets.

RCA USB Wall Plate Charger:

• Turns any standard outlet into a USB outlet
• Allows access to the other standard power outlet via pass through
• Charges quickly
• Charges 2 smartphones or 1 tablet at the same time
• Optimized 2.1 amp outlet for iPad

The second of the two products is the RCA USB Wall Charger.  This genius product charges super fast, with full-speed charging for 2 smartphones at the same time or 1 tablet. My favorite part about this one is that it is portable, but also provides a spot for you to rest your gadget on.  The clip rotates so that it will fit almost any outlet (how frustrating are the ones that are installed sideways, or upside down?!) and still hold said gadget while it charges.

RCA USB Wall Charger:

• Converts any 110V AC outlet into 2 USB charging outlets
• 2 Amp USB power for full-speed charging of 2 smartphones or 1 tablet
• Holds your gadget with ease
• Charger rotates 90 or 180 degrees to accommodate any plug orientation
• USB charger includes cover so it is perfect for home or travel

When it arrived in all of its shiny, new, sleek glory, I felt myself get all tingly.  I carefully read the instructions, and then pressed the power button and watched my Xoom spring to life.  The honeycomb (the Android 3.0 operating system – which has been optimized for tablets) is pretty incredible.

I’m a heavy user of the suite of Google products, so an android-based tablet was definitely the way to go for me.  I was thrilled to see that my Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Docs, and ahem even Google + were all easily accessible from the Xoom.  I manage almost all of my editorial calendars this way, as well as share ideas with colleagues, access information on various campaigns, and keep track of all of my invoicing with the Google suite.  Accessing them all with the Xoom has made my life even easier.

Of course, the Xoom isn’t all business.  It kept my busy social calendar organized while I was at BlogHer11, making sure that I knew exactly where I was supposed to be at all times (and also giving me an excuse to politely duck out of conversations that were taking a bit too long – the calendar on my Xoom would pop up and I’d apologetically show it to whomever I was speaking with as I said my goodbyes and dashed off.  My apologies if you were one of those people – let’s just say I am not good at exits.)

I’m also obsessed with the app “Pulse” which was recommended to me by the good folks at Motorola. Pulse is a customizable news aggregator and it ROCKS. It makes it so much easier to keep up with the important things in life – you know like the upcoming Kardashian wedding, for one.

Of course, my daughter and future step-son have found their own use for my Motorola Xoom.  So much so, as a matter of fact, that my fiance’ looked at me the other day and said “We’re going to have to buy another Xoom”.  He may be right, because there is lots of Cutting of the Rope, Fruit Ninjaing, and Angry Birds flying across the screen on a daily basis.  Oh and air hockey.  And pool.  And yes, I let our 4 and 5 year old play pool on the Xoom.  I consider it a part of our preschool aged college-prep program.

Also, this may sound cheesy but I was so very thankful for our Xoom on a 4-times and 5-hours delayed airport layover – mostly because it kept my 4 year old daughter happy.  Which, in turn, makes me VERY happy.

Did I mention that the Xoom has some pretty cool video capabilities?  Check out this adorable video of my daughter singing happy birthday to me – all shot and uploaded in under 5 minutes on my Xoom.

Gosh I love that kid.

So anyway, as you have probably realized by now, I’m a huge fan of the Xoom, and not just because it showed up on my doorstep, but because it really does rock. I am certainly the envy of my tablet-less fiance’ as he sits on the couch in the evenings with his big, bulky laptop and I flick through the latest celebrity gossip, tweet, and answer emails from my slim little Motorola Xoom. Come to think of it, I think he’s right, we will need another Xoom…I just don’t think it will end up being for the kids.

Disclosure: I have a working relationship with Motorola and this was a sponsored post.

So this year, skip the mall, head online and make your Dad beam with pride. Oh, and if you have any other great suggestions share them in the comments. The more ideas Erika has the better, right?

FitBit – If the Dad in your life is an exercise fan, a geek or just needs to be motivated to get off the couch and regain a little spring in their step, the FitBit is the perfect gift. Clip it on your belt and you get the number of calories burned, the steps you’ve taken and the mileage you’ve traveled. Plus, wear FitBit at night and it’ll track your sleep efficiency. But wait, there’s more! The online dashboards, goal setting modules, friend connections and community are really where FitBit starts to shine. At just under $100, it’s a great gift for Dad – just be sure he doesn’t throw it in the wash!

Dyson Air Multiplier Bladeless Fan – Our family is a fan family, and to this day my Dad can’t sleep without a fan on. So if you’re looking to geek out on the latest in fan tech, skip the Vornado and head straight for the Dyson. It’s the first bladeless fan, which means it has a beautiful design and an even better wind stream to keep Dad cool while he catches some deserved mid-afternoon zzz’s.

Netflix Streaming Subscription – Some, ok me, might say that the gifts that keep on giving are the best of all. Because while a new gadget or shirt is nice, a subscription service gives Dad the ultimate – choice – every day of the year. Netflix streaming packages are less than $10/month and give Dad instant access to tens-of-thousands of movie titles and TV shows straight from his iPad, Xbox, iPhone, Android phone, Internet-enabled TV or computer. If you think your Dad will scratch his head at the gift, just tell him he can now watch every episode of Cheers ever made, back-to-back. Trust me, he’ll get it.

Audible.com – Another great subscription, especially for dad’s that are on the go. Remember books on tape? Well, imagine the Amazon for audio books that you play on your phone or iPod. In fact, Amazon owns Audible, and with a subscription you can guarantee Dad a new book title every month. There are thousands of books including the top Amazon and New York Times Bestsellers. It’s a book, a month, all year. To a bibliophile there is nothing better.

Apps for the iPhone – Sure Dad has the iPhone, but when you stare at his home screen and see that he only has the basic apps and Angry Birds you die a little on the inside. There is clearly a whole world of apps out there that are waiting to bring his iPhone to life. The easiest way to do this is to buy an iTunes gift card, and then sit down with him and pick a few out to get started. Then he’ll have some cash left over to buy a few on his own. Here are a few of my favorites: Path, Instagram, AutoStitch, Plants vs. Zombies, QuickOffice, MLB At-Bat, Skype, Simplenote, NBA Jam. Get him started with those gems and then get ready to hear “I didn’t know it could do that!” clear on through to next Father’s Day.

The Geek Dad’s Guide to Weekend Fun – Thanks to Erika, I own both Geek Dad and the latest from Ken Denmead, The Geek Dad’s Guide to Weekend Fun: Cool Hacks, Cutting Edge Games and More Awesome Projects for the Whole Family. Denmead, who writes for Wired’s blog of the same name, has assembled a collection of geeky projects that dads and kids can do together. The projects are fun, inexpensive and range in difficulty, making it perfect for any dad with kids 5 – 13. My son and I have made LED fireflies and are working on PVC Nerf blow dart guns next. I can’t wait till he’s a bit older to break out the soldering gun and bring our Legos to life. If the dad in your life is a geek, and you want to inspire the inner-geek in your kid, pick up these books. They’re tons of fun.

Bonobos Clothes – Walk into most retailers and the men’s section is roughly the size of a half-bathroom with few, if any, selections that really inspire. So instead of choosing from slim pickings, head on over to the online clothing store MADE for MEN, Bonobos, and pick up some stylish threads built to fit dad to a T. I particularly like the vintage sports tees. But everything they have is amazing – pants, shorts, suits, you name it.

Nook Color – I’m a Kindle guy, but I can’t help but jealously eye those Nook Colors. The Nook Color is more like a tablet than a stand alone e-reader. You can send email, surf the web, play Angry Birds, oh yeah, and read! At $249 it’s half the cost of the iPad and still a great geeky gift for your gadget-loving Dad.

A Magazine Subscription – Whether it’s Wired, Rolling Stone or The Economist, you can’t go wrong with a subscription that keeps Dad in the know. Grab a copy off the news stand so you have something to give, and tell him it comes with at least 12 more just like it. Thoughtful, easy, inexpensive. Win.

iPad 2 - Its predecessor topped my Dad’s Day list last year, and now, more than ever, it’s the ultimate gift for a geeky dad. You’ve seen the ads, you know the deal. If you’re looking for a true statement gift, this is it. I shouldn’t need to say much more.

Tickets to a Ballgame – There’s nothing quite like being at a ballgame with your Dad. Remember the first one you went to? Kind of felt like magic, right? But with ticket prices so high, who can afford it anymore? Well you can if you use ScoreBig. Like a Priceline for sports, concert and theater tickets, you save up to 60% off the retail price. With ScoreBig, you decide how much you want to pay for tickets, plus there are never any fees and every ticket is 100% guaranteed. It’s members only right now, but luckily I work there, so here’s a special invite to skip the waiting list and get in now. Why not grab a couple of tickets to the game for you and your pops? And if he’s more of a rocker, you can rock out at a concert of your choice instead.

L.A. Noire – If you have a gamer in the house this is one of the two must-have games on the list for this year. Made by the legendary game shop Rockstar Games, this title takes you back to 1940’s Los Angeles, where you play a detective in a giant game of ‘who dunnit?’ where things aren’t what they seem and characters change allegiances and stories at the drop of a hat. Definitely one to play after the kids are in bed. The stunning graphics, expansive world and nuanced stories make this a winner.

Portal 2 – The other blockbuster game of the year. If your Dad is more of a problem-solving puzzle master, ditch Sudoku and get him this mind bender. In a game that is more mind power than fire power, your Dad’s smarts will be put to the test as he tries to defeat the evil GLaDOS. It’s been called the most anticipated game of 2011 – trust me, your Dad will thank you for it.

Xbox Kinect – And while we’re speaking of games, we can’t forget the next-gen sensation that is the Xbox Kinect. Ditch the controller and get off the couch with Kinect’s body-controlled interface. If your Dad liked Minority Report, he’ll love this. Use your hands and body to navigate characters through games, truly putting you in the middle of the action. With titles for him and the whole family, Kinect takes the idea of the Wii to the next level.

Adidas Rod Laver – I love Zappos. With free 48 hour shipping and 365 days to make a return, you can’t go wrong. Add on top of that the world’s largest collection of clothing and shoes and you’ve got a winner in my book. I’m a fan of the Adidas Rod Laver. Classic, understated and cool. They work just as well in the office as they do on the weekend. Keep Dad young and hip with a pair of these. You’ll see a spring in his step in no time.

A Cool Watch – Nothing adds geek cred like a conversation-starting watch. But skip the Timex and grab one of these cool watches. While Hipsters may go for the calculator watch, add a bit more class and go for the subtle nod to geekdom with the Cadence 4-bit Chronoraph. With a July launch you’ll need to let him know it’s coming, but it’ll be worth the wait. It’s clean design says “I know what’s up” rather than “I’m a follower”. After all, that calculator watch lost it’s cool when it ended up in Urban Outfitters.

Altec Octiv Mini – I’ve been using this since last Father’s Day and it’s been my most used gadget ever since. Part iPhone charger, part alarm clock, part sound system, this little gem is where my iPhone goes at night, and wakes me up with tunes of my choice. The small footprint doesn’t take away from the great sound it gives music on your phone. So toss that old alarm clock and upgrade to the Altec Octiv Mini.

Beats by Dre – Not only do they carry the name of the most influential Hip Hop artist of our generation, they also get rave reviews for their clear highs and clean bass. I recommend the Solo HDs. They sound great and they just look cool. They’re not cheap, but if your dad spends a bunch of time on the train, subway or plane, hook him up with some sonic enjoyment.

Countertop garden – Bring a little Zen to Dad’s life with a desk or counter top garden. Trust me, he’ll love playing Daniel-son and reliving the hundreds of times he watched the Karate Kid. These cool planters are clean, easy to maintain and bring some natural beauty to any cubicle or counter top.

These Guys Have All the Fun – The ESPN Book – Give Dad 700+ pages of the inside scoop to his favorite network. This tell all includes the sometimes sordid and messy details of life at ESPN behind the scenes of SportsCenter. From the writers who brought you the New York Times bestselling look behind Saturday Night Live, this book will give Dad all he ever wanted to know about the Worldwide Leader and more.

So that’s a wrap for this year’s gift guide. Have any great suggestions? Add them in the comments. And remember, every one of these gifts is better when it comes with a big hug and an “I love you Dad.” Trust me, we’re a sucker for those, every time.

Here is the story, in short form.

I already have a large upright vacuum that I use on my rugs and the carpet in the bedroom.  The DC 35 was chillin’ and charging in the corner and I had 2 hours until I had to leave to pick up my fiance’ at the airport. Time to vacuum, right?  Wrong, My upright vacuum cleaner would just NOT work.  I couldn’t get it to recline. Out of desperation, I put the extension on the DC 35 and turned it on. I vacuumed my entire house with it in 13 minutes flat with full-blow suction the whole time. And we’re not just talking a so-so vacuuming experience, we are talking SERIOUSLY clean.

It even sucked up a few rogue cheetos from under the couch.  Remind me to thank my 4 year old for that one.

Check out the video, and tell me that you aren’t dying to have a Dyson Digital Slim DC 35 of your very own? I thought so!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Walmart as a part of my role in the Walmart Moms. All opinions are, and always have been, my own.

Not long after they came to me yet again with the Dyson DC28 Animal – which has become my go-to vacuum cleaner to this day.  The problem is that as much as I love it for it’s power, it’s a whole lot of machine to drag out of the closet for the little jobs – the baseboards, the kitchen floor, etc.

Enter the Dyson DC35 digital slim vacuum – a powerful vacuum that doesn’t lose suction and is both cordless and portable – but yet does so much more than a run-of-the-mill handheld vacuum.

I’m going to be reviewing the DC35 more in-depth as a part of my role in the Walmart Moms, but in the meantime check out this video made just for the Walmart Moms by an engineer at Dyson – this is one sweet little machine!  Bonus: the engineer in the video, Jo, has the cutest accent in the world, so it makes it even more fun to watch!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Walmart as a part of my role in the Walmart Moms. All opinions are, and always have been, my own.

An update on the cooking part:  last week I tried to make Spaghetti Squash as a part of an asian-noodle inspired dish.  I did everything properly, and I think the squash turned out ok…but the dish was a disaster.  Horrible.  Smelled up my entire kitchen.  Trying again for something healthy this week, but with a bit more trepidation.

An update on the health stuff:  I started taking vitamins for my hair, nails, and skin because my nails have been so brittle lately and my hair is definitely suffering from this cold winter!  For snacks, I have bought some of the Yoplait light yogurt (you HAVE to try the red velvet!) to have every day as well as some Frigo Cheese Head Light Cheese Sticks, and I’ve been sticking to my whole-wheat english muffins with Smart Balance peanut butter on them or a bowl of Cheerios in the mornings.  The rest of the day I’m usually out and about, but if I’m home I enjoy some of the Marketplace Organic Salad with my homemade dressing drizzled on top.

Oh, and I’ve lost 3 lbs this week!  I’ve been drinking a lot more water and I noticed that it always comes off the fastest in the first week.  I’m looking forward to meeting my 15 lb goal sooner rather than later!   I’ve been using the health and fitness tools from Walmart, and they have really helped to keep me on track and keep me away from candy and cookies.

Thanks to my friends at Walmart, I’m able to workout more frequently thanks to the Kinect and Xbox 360.  What suggestions do you have for me as far as games go?  I hope to share with you my fitness progress in the next post!  Share your ideas with me in the comments!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Walmart as a part of my role in the Walmart Moms.All opinions are, and always have been, my own.

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I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but my daughter is perfect.

And no, bias means nothing to me.  She is simply perfect.

My sweet baby girl is growing up so fast – she’s well past three and a half years old and I can hardly believe it.  She is my only daughter, my only child and that very well could be a final count.  When she was born, the poor thing probably though she was being attacked by the paparazzi.  I took over 1,000 photos of her first week alone.  Sometimes I would just lay her on a blanket, or prop her up on the sofa for impromptu photo shoots – I wanted to remember every single moment of her life and I was so afraid it would all slip away so quickly.  Of course, now when I look at the photos of the first few months of her life, I can barely remember those days so I feel like all of the time spent behind a camera was probably worth it.

Then my iBook crashed, and it crashed hard.  It started throwing out kernel panics like they were candy and before I could do anything to recover – it was all over.  When my Mac crashed,  it took all of my photos and documents with it.  I lost so many precious photos of my sweet baby girl – moments that I worked so hard to capture that still managed to slip away in mere seconds.  Honestly, I was heartbroken in a way that I thought was reserved for lovesick 16 year olds.  I had backed up my computer 2 months before, but I had lost the 2 months of photos that I had taken in between backups – two months out of the 18 that my daughter had been on this earth – and to me, that was significant.  The external drive that I was using for backups was big and bulky and I was sharing it with multiple computers; backing up my computer seemed tedious and pointless – my computer would never crash like that, right?

Wrong. Lesson learned.

Collective Bias recently offered me the opportunity to review the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Pro – a 750 GB external hard drive for both PC and Mac.  After my photo snafu, and because my iTunes/Gossip Girl addiction has totally filled up my computer’s hard drive, I JUMPED at the opportunity to take one of these sleek looking drives for a ride.  Let me just say – I LOVE it.  Here’s why:

1. At 750 GB, it has more space than the hard drive on my computer, meaning I can hopefully extend the life of my Mac (save for any Kernel Panics like above) by freeing up space on my hard drive.
2. It’s super portable (unlike the giant bulky one I had used in the past) – it fits nicely in the neoprene organizer that I carry all of my power cords and accessories in when I travel, so I never have to travel without the data and photos on my external drive – so it really works like an extension of my computer, which is wonderful.
3. It comes with a USB 2.0 dock plus a USB 2.0 cable to sync and backup my data, but I can also upgrade it to use a Firewire cable, a USB 3.0, or eSATA just by pairing it with the proper cable.  For my fellow tech geeks, you know I’m now speaking your language.
4. It’s sexy!  Yes, external hard drives can be sexy and the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Pro is proof.  After all, the name of my site is Chic Shopper Chick – you didn’t think I’d get away without pointing out how sleek this looks sitting on my desk, did you?
5. It’s easy.  Encryption software comes pre-loaded on the drive, as well as a driver for the Mac.  It’s also compatible with a PC, if that’s what you’re into. 

Plus, it allows me to store all of the documents for my business, as well as 3.5 years worth of photos from Audrey Grace’s life – like these:

Those are definitely memories worth preserving, right?

Thanks to Collective Bias and Seagate, I have a Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Pro to give away to one of my lucky readers.  To enter to win, all you have to do is leave a comment saying why you’d like to win (“I wanna win” and “pick me” don’t count!) in the comments below.  For an extra entry, feel free to subscribe to my email list (box at the top right hand section of my site), subscribe to my YouTube Channel, or tweet out this contest to your Twitter followers by clicking the button in this post!

This contest will run from October 19, 2010 to October 31st, 2010 and will end at 11:59 pm CST. No purchase necessary to win, and a winner will be chosen at random.  If the winner does not respond to emails within 72 hours of notification, then another winner will be chosen.

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With Father’s Day right around the corner it’s always fun to dream of those ideal gifts that you’d love to get as a Dad. Us dads love to think of all the gadgets and toys we’d rather get than the inevitable new tie – that safety blanket for loved ones who think that “Dad is impossible to shop for.”  Well, I’m here to speak for all dads when I say we’re not that hard to shop for.  Especially the geeky kind, like me.  And to prove it I’ve listed the top five gifts on my wishlist for this Father’s Day.  Hopefully you’ll find some inspiration for your gift to Dad here.  If I can save just one dad from getting another tie, my work here will be done.  So with that, let’s get started!

The iPad (varies $499 – $729)
This is the priciest item on the list, but let’s face it, it’s the coolest gadget out there at the moment. If you’ve got a dad that travels for work consider the 3G version which gives him Internet access no matter where he is.  It’ll be a gift for the whole family too, with games, books and video, there is something for everyone on this thing.  Now that I think about it, you might need to pick up two.

SuperDad T-Shirt ($9)
We love to feel loved. And nothing says love like this SuperDad t-shirt in the original Superman font.  It makes us feel super-cool, and at $9 you can’t go wrong.  We don’t want to pat ourselves on the back, but it sure feels good to know that the people that we love think the world of us.  (Note: Tee Fury t-shirts are only available for a day at a time. So, if you miss out on the SuperDad shirt you can always give dad this awesome 1-Up shirt and pay homage to his childhood superheros, Mario and Luigi.)

Geek Dad Book ($8.80)
Let’s face it, we all spend too much time in front of the TV, computer or video game system.  Geek Dad is a book filled with fun ideas that dads can do with kids.  They’re fun and educational and create some great bonding moments between father and son or daughter.  Some of the activities include building the best slip ‘n slide ever and how to transform any room into a spaceship.  Good times!

MAKE Magazine Subscription ($34.95)
If you’ve got a dad that’s the handy type consider getting him a subscription to MAKE magazine.  Filled with tons of DIY (do-it-yourself) projects, this magazine will keep even the biggest tinkerer occupied year round.  And the projects are cool too, like building a cat toy that updates Twitter when the cat pounces.  It’s really the gift that gives year round.

National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There Pledge (FREE)
The NWF’s new Be Out There pledge is a pledge that families can take to spend more time outside with their kids.  Plus they have great activity suggestions for the outdoors and a free newsletter you can sign up for to receive tips and ideas throughout the year.  Take the pledge together and pair it with a season pass to your local parks and you’ll have a year’s worth of adventures awaiting you on any given weekend.

Bonus – Star Wars Cookie Cutter and Pancake Molds ($19.95)
Here’s a bonus idea that you can buy and use on Father’s Day.  Grab these cool Star Wars cookie and pancake molds and surprise Dad with breakfast in bed.  Nothing says love like Darth Vader and Yoda pancakes.  Plus they’ll make for cool cookies and pancakes for the rest of the Star Wars fans in your family year round.

So there you have it, 6 ideas for dads that go above and beyond the traditional (and tired) tie. I hope these give you some inspiration for this Father’s Day and make your SuperDad’s day.

There comes a point in every woman’s life when she is handed the ultimate gadget or newest piece of technology and she smiles from ear to ear.  Then, in the next moment, she stops and wonders to herself what in the world she can possibly do to make it look chic.  Let’s face it, the gadget in itself may be cool, but the ways of toting it around are limited, at least if you’d like to have some sort of style.  And, while black never goes out of style, that plain black laptop bag just isn’t cutting it for you anymore.  Take a look at some of my chic geek girl gadget finds that will have all of your friends drooling!

The Single Serve Brewing System really makes my life so much easier because I can make one cup and not waste a whole pot of coffee, and I can also decide if I want coffee, tea, flavored coffee, etc. on a whim.

If you haven’t already read my gushing review you should definitely check it out in the 2009 Holiday Guide – but let’s get down to the nitty gritty of why you’re here — you’re dying to win one of these babies, and I don’t blame you ONE. BIT.

To enter, go check out the Keurig Platinum Single Serve Brewing System and come back here to let me know what your favorite feature is.   For bonus entries you may follow me on Twitter, Tweet about this giveaway (use the little button at the top of the page), subscribe to this site by email (box at the top right hand side of the page),  or you can come to my house and help me with my Christmas baking.  Ok, not the last one.  Just checking to see if you were paying attention.

Fine Print:  Giveaway ends December 26th, 2009 at 11:59pm CST.  Winner to be chosen at random.  Please leave a vaild email address in the appropriate box so that we may contact you should you win.

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Don’t forget to check our the Technology section of the guide for some suggestions for the tech-loving people in your life as well as some of our newest giveaways, like the LogMeIn iPhone App Giveaway, our Mophie Juice Pack Air Giveaway, and our iH15 Color Changing iPod/iPhone dock Giveaway as well!

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Disclosure:  These products have been submitted to me for review.  I don’t love every product on the market, by FAR, but I write about the ones that I do love here on my site.  The deal is that I will only recommend things to you that I like, believe in, and would buy myself or tell my friends and family to buy.  My opinions are 100% my own.  It’s how I roll.  For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.

My friends, meet the iH15.  The sweetest, color-changing, bee-bopping iPod/iPhone dock that there ever was.  This would make a great gift for a teenager, especially, though mine looks kinda adorable in my kitchen.  The best part is while I’m rockin’ out to the Movers, my iPhone is working up a charge.  Sweet.

Wanna win one?  The folks at iHome have given me one to give away!

To enter, pop on over to the iHome website and peruse the rest of the awesome products they have there.  Then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me which product BESIDES this one you love.  For bonus entries you may follow me on Twitter, Tweet about this giveaway (use the little button at the top of the page), subscribe to this site by email (box at the top right hand side of the page),  or write a 500 word essay on the French Revolution.  Ok, not the last one.  Just checking to see if you were paying attention.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!  Oh, don’t forget to check out our LogMeIn iPhone App Giveaway, and our Mophie Juice Pack Air Giveaway as well!

Fine Print:  Giveaway ends December 20th, 2009 at 11:59pm CST.  Winner to be chosen at random.  Please leave a vaild email address in the appropriate box so that we may contact you should you win.

So, yes, the MJPA (because it just gets WAY too tiring typing all of that out each time) pretty much rocks my world.  So does the company, because they loved that I loved my Mophie SO much that they offered to give one away to one of my awesome CSC readers.  Dude, this would make the coolest gift for the iPhone freak in your life.  Or, you know, just keep it for yourself.  You deserve it.

To enter, pop on over to Mophie’s website and peruse the rest of the awesome products they have there.  Then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me which product BESIDES this one you love.  For bonus entries you may follow me on Twitter, Tweet about this giveaway (use the little button at the top of the page), subscribe to this site by email (box at the top right hand side of the page),  or post a video to YouTube of yourself doing 5 back flips in a row.  Ok, not the last one.  Just checking to see if you were paying attention.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!  Oh, don’t forget to check out our LogMeIn iPhone App Giveaway and our iH15 Color Changing iPod/iPhone Dock/Music Player Giveaway as well!

Fine Print:  Giveaway ends December 20th, 2009 at 11:59pm CST.  Winner to be chosen at random.  Please leave a vaild email address in the appropriate box so that we may contact you should you win.

I included LogMeIn Ignition in the Tech-Savvy section of my 2009 Holiday Guide, and I’m so excited to give a copy of this app away to one of my awesome readers!  To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me why you’d like to win.  For bonus entries you may follow me on Twitter, Tweet about this giveaway (use the little button at the top of the page), subscribe to this site by email (box at the top right hand side of the page),  or post gratuitous amounts of compliments about how wonderful I am.  Ok, not the last one.  Just checking to see if you were paying attention.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Fine Print:  Giveaway ends December 20th, 2009 at 11:59pm CST.  Winner to be chosen at random.  Please leave a vaild email address in the appropriate box so that we may contact you should you win.

Livespeakr – A set of small, portable speakers for your iPhone and iPod touch, great for listening to your music anywhere you can imagine.  I use mine most frequently out in the backyard and in the kitchen.  Occasionally it plays some of my favorite tracks, but I find it mostly serves my daughter’s purposes and is usually playing a song by the Imagination Movers.  It has a USB rechargable battery that lasts anywhere from 14-16 hours and works in both portrait and landscape mode.  Sa-weet!

Digital Foci: Pocket Album – A new twist on digital photo frames, this is a digital photo album that boasts a 2.8′ screen and can hold up to FOUR THOUSAND PHOTOS.  That’s right, you can tell your entire life story with this baby, especially if you make use of the folders function to organize your photos.  It’s small enough to slip in your purse and carry around with you, too – it even comes with it’s very own carrying case and viewing stand.

WikiReader — The WikiReader is a nerd’s dream gift (or nerdette, as the case may be).  I mean that in a totally endearing way, because I LOVE it.  Basically it puts 3 million topics at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.  You pay a flat fee for the device, which includes all of the Wikipedia entries you could ever want – and the best part is that it does not need an internet connection to work.  It has three simple buttons for navigation, and the rest is controlled through a touch-screen interface.  You can even update the device yourself on a regular basis. (PS – it even has parental controls!  Yes, Veronica, you can give this to your High School student after all!)

SmartSwipe — This site is called Chic Shopper Chick for a reason!  For all of you frequent online shoppers like myself, you’ll be eagerly embracing the SmartSwipe – which is a pesonal credit card reader, just like you use in a retail store.  Apart from feeling very high tech (because you will feel very James Bondesque when you use this thing) the SmartSwipe provides you with additional protection and privacy from online phishing.  Basically, it’s a smarter, more secure way to shop online.  This would also make a great gift for anyone in your family who REFUSES to shop online because they are scared the Russians are stealing their information (I’m looking at you Gram!).

LogMeIn Ignition – Just yesterday a friend sent me a DM that said “can you email me the document I sent you yesterday?  I’m not home and I wante to show it to someone.”  Luckily that won’t happen to me anymore because I’ve started using LogMeIn – an application for the iPhone and iPod touch that makes the iPhone the ultimate productivity tool for the busy, on-the-go parent, business traveler or student. No matter where you are, you can have instant access to virtually any internet-connected computer via your iPhone or iPod Touch.  A great gift for anyone attached at the hip to their laptop!  (Love it?  Win a copy of LogMeIn!)

Mophie Juice Pack Air - When I was at Blog World Expo, I had this teeny, tiny, minor little issue of my iPhone continuing to die.  All the time.  Like, no battery at all.  That’s what happens when you have a bunch of geeks in one place, right?  One night my friend slipped one of these little contraptions on my phone and pressed a little button on the back, and voilà!  Insta-battery.  Of course, I had to have one.  A purple one, at that.  This light little contraption functions as a cover for your phone, but also includes it’s own battery.  I plug it into my laptop at night, plug in my phone elsewhere, and the next morning I have the equavalient of two full batteries.  The best part about the Mophie is that you can flip a switch to tell your phone to use the Mophie battery first, so that you can then remove the cover and have a fully charged iPhone to last you the rest of the night.  (Like it?  Win a Mophie!)

iSkin Protouch – Germophobes, neatfreaks, and eye-squinters rejoice!  The iSkin Protouch keyboard covers are made of silicone and have embedded Microban® antimicrobial product protection, which provides continuous cleaning action, inhibiting the growth of damaging microbes, such as bacteria, that can cause stains, odors and product deterioration.  Oh, and did I mention that the letters are printed, nice and big, on the keyboard? Oh yeah, so big that even my mom could read them!  (I’m picking on all SORTS of people in this guide, aren’t I?)  Even better?  The iSkin Protouch softens the sounds of typing, so it would make my French friends very happy, because, as they once told me in college while we were studying in the library — “Americans do everything loudly.  You even type loudly.”  The iSkin Protouch comes in all kinds of patterns and options, even one that allows the keys of the MacBook Pro to light up at night and still be seen.  Squee!

iHome iH15 Color Changing iPod Dock – This dock not only charges your iPod or iPhone, but it plays your music AND changes colors.  You can pick one color or you can let it rotate to all of the different ones.  An awesome gift for a teen, or the perfect item to keep on your desk.  My 2 year old thinks that it’s basically a dance party in a box – between the changing colors and the Disney songs!  It even has a subwoofer built in (I just LOVE that word, I’m such a dork) so the sound is actually really, really awesome for such a small little box.  (Love it?  Win a iH15 from iHome!)

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So there ya have it.  The first part of the Holiday Gift Guide!  I have a ton of giveaways and more categories coming up ASAP, so be sure and subscribe to my site by email or via RSS!

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Disclosure:  These products have been submitted to me for review.  I don’t love every product on the market, by FAR, but I write about the ones that I do love here on my site.  The deal is that I will only recommend things to you that I like, believe in, and would buy myself or tell my friends and family to buy.  My opinions are 100% my own.  It’s how I roll.  For more information, check out my Disclosure Policy.