While this list applies to my family and YMMV, keep these awesome things in mind!
This is not a countdown; I couldn't possibly rank them. So I'll give them each a special title instead.
Tastiest Treat: I originally purchased a pack of Michelle's Maccs for myself as a Mother's Day treat. Let me tell you, they may be expensive (by my standards), but they are worth every penny. If you are expecting overly sweet and unnaturally soft macaroons, or a Mounds bar, these are not it... the flavors are subtle rather than overpowering, and they're freaking awesome. Now, for me, these are a special treat, not a bag of candy/cookies for munching mindlessly. But as I'm trying to be more mindful of what I put in my mouth anyway, they're perfect. Twelve flavors, certified Kosher, and all nut-and-gluten free except the peanut butter flavor (coconut is not a nut, and these are made in a bakery, though, so cross-contamination could exist).
Best Bang for My Entertainment Buck: Now I got a fire in my belly! Honestly, hours and hours of entertainment by way of FUNimation Now Streaming. I got the $7.99 a month version so Abby could have it and now I'm watching (with her) almost as much as she is on her own. Lizzy's watching a bit with Abby as well, and the selection is enormous. Eight bucks a month for hours of keeping us occupied and maybe even picking up a tiny bit of actual information (though Lizzy has been informed that InuYasha cannot be used for her research project on Feudal Japan, except as an example of mythology.)
Super Sodalicious: For Easter, my mom got us a SodaStream. I was a skeptic, but holy cow this thing is awesome! I use it for seltzer (I have three flavor drops - mango, cucumber, and raspberry) and the kids use it for actual soda pop (they like several flavors, but their favorite is the Homestyle Lemonade). It's been terrific to have around, and of course, other flavors can be added... a couple drops of the juice from a jar of maraschino cherries was pretty good, for instance.
Keeping Hands Busy Best: Lizzy is, as you may know, a Fidgeter Extraordinaire. She is also very very hard on her fidgets for two reasons: she doesn't know her own strength, and she tries to take things apart to see how they work. Now, jigsaw puzzles, arts & crafts, and that stuff are awesome (you can't watch anime all day without doing something else; Abby draws) but it tends to be either too big a project for Lizzy's attention span or she gets frustrated with her inability to arts-and-crafts what she sees in her head. Enter two lines from LEGO: the BrickHeadz line and the Minecraft BigFigs line. These are small enough sets that she can do one in about half an hour, and she delights in changing around some of the bricks afterward to make each look slightly different. The BigFigs are allegedly for playing with as well, but the skeleton at least keeps falling over and losing his arrows.
Most Awesome Mask (and Hair Flair) Artist: So we've been buying hair flair from the lovely Cassondra of Cassondra Creates! for about a year now. She's the creator of Rosie Bands (yes, that Rosie) and has recently expanded her tiny home business to include masks. She was donating masks for the first couple months, and now charges $10 (and includes a hair flair in mask orders) just to pay for materials. She's an artist tending toward the pretty or quirky, and did not so much as blink when I told her we needed masks for the Geeky, the Goth, and the Girly; she had that fabric on hand. She ships quickly and she works really hard to get materials that match the personality and wishes of the customer. Awesome stuff! (Don't worry about my eye - it's harmless but ugly.)Honorable Mentions:
- Amazon Fire Stick - this was given to us as a gift. We don't have "regular" TV, so this is replacing our aging PS3 as our primary streaming device. The aforementioned Funimation would not be possible on our TV without it.
- Michael's Crafts - they deliver, although delivery is expensive and their website is best viewed on a computer-sized screen. They also have curbside pickup. And Shrinky-Dinks
- The Museum of Flight Store - we got some jewelry for Abby, a puzzle for the whole family, and a couple things that encouraged Lizzy to rearrange and clean her entire bedroom on her own.
- Shipt - Of all the same-day delivery companies, I like this one best. They text you when they arrive at the store (through a filter so they can't see your number) and will always text (if you set it up that way) about replacements. I even have a favorite Shipt Shopper now!
- A new hamster cage for our escape artist. This was also gifted to us by a friend.
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